Tacky Liberal Incoherence, No. 1

Women don't need men. No. They only need someone to provide them with the emotionally satisfying, heterosexual intimacy and biological children they need to be happy.

Earthquake at Pontifical Oriental Institute --- Dismissals, Depature and a Murder

(Rome) There is an earthquake in the Pontifical Oriental Institute (Pontifical Institutum Studiorum Orientalium) in Rome, which is run by the Jesuit Order.  Jesuit General Adolfo Nicolas deposed the Rector, the Vice Rector and the two Deans, effectively the entire leadership. The new Provisional  rector was the renowned Islamic scholar and orientalist Samir Khalil Samir, who is also a member of the Jesuit Order.

The Death of Lanfranco Rossi

Last week  the Pontifical Oriental Institute (PIO) mourned the death of Lanfranco Rossi, who was a visiting professor on Oriental  Spirituality. The 60 year-old priest, who  also taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University, was found dead in a field not far from Rome, close to a nearby religious community whose spiritual director he was. According to media reports, the investigators are certain after the autopsy that the priest was murdered. The corpse has stab wounds to the head and strangulation marks on the neck. Rossi had been strangled and left dying by his perpetrators. The Superior of the religious Community "I ricostruttori nella preghiera", however, emphasized in the official press statements that Rossi had died a natural death.  [!] Investigations have been entrusted to a special squad of the Carabinieri.

In the room of the deceased, three skulls were found. The investigators concluded a satanic motive from this. The skulls  had been, according to the Order, "relics". Critics speak of controversial prayer practices of non-Christian traditions. Murder in the course of a robbery  is expressly excluded as a motive in this case.  The community, to which Rossi belonged, lives in absolute poverty.

The Community of "Rebuilding in Prayer"

Rossi, a priest of the Diocese of La Spezia, belonged to the community of "Ricostruttori nella preghiera"  ( Rebuilding in Prayer). The community was founded in the early 80s by the Jesuit Gian Vittorio Cappelletto (1928-2009), who was inspired in the 70s by an encounter with an Indian guru about eastern forms of life. Cappelletto wanted to lead people who had turned away from the faith,  back to prayer. Community members sleep on the floor, eat only vegetarian, shave neither beard nor hair and pray at night in cemeteries.

The mixture of oriental spiritual forms from alien religious "masters" and Christian spirituality is not without controversy. The Community has been accused of having "syncretic" and "neo-Gnostic"  elements. In the meditation courses with a five-point "knowledge extension" are elements of yoga and include the Ananda Marga doctrine. Father Cappelletto was sponsored by the Society of Jesus and they asked him to make the convent's facilities available for its new forms of meditation, the so-called "deep meditation."

The community, which consists of men and women living in common, was canonically approved by the Bishop of La Spezia. In 1989, the first two priests were ordained. Today, it has 27 priests, seminarians and twelve postulants, about 100 devotees and a wider group of several hundred laymen.

Jesuit General Dismisses the Entire Management  of the Oriental Institute 

Quite apart from the murder case, far larger earthquakes shattered the meditative peace of the Pontifical Oriental Institute. In fact, the entire senior management of the Institute was dismissed by the Superior General of the Jesuits.

The dismissal decree, signed by General Adolfo Nicolás Pachón Provost, Vice Chancellor of the Institute, was only posted for a day on the bulletin board of the Institute.

Since Tuesday, April 14, Rector James McCann, Vice Rector Massimo Pampaloni and the Deans of the two faculties of Oriental Studies and Oriental Church Canon Law, Philippe Luisier and Michael Kuchera, all members of the Jesuit Order, are relieved of their duties.

Samir Khalil Samir New Interim  Rector of the Institute

For the time being of the 77-year-old Orientalist and scholar of Islam Sami Khalil Samir Father is an interim lead the institute with the rank of pro-rector. Originally from Egypt, the Jesuit enjoys worldwide reputation. He has taught at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut and many universities in Europe and the United States.

The two faculties are being provisionally conducted with the rank of pro-deans by Father Edward Farrugia and Father Sunny Thomas Kokkaravalayil. Farrugia is Professor of Oriental and Patristic Dogmatics. Kokkaravalayil is an associate professor of legal doctrine and legal methodology, legal theology, Malabarite law and Chaldean law.

The dismissal decree entered into force with immediate effect before the start of the new academic year forthcoming in the fall. In a letter accompanying the decree, the Superior General blamed the "loveless" Spirit which had demoralized the faculty with serious consequences for the mission of the institution.

"Loveless" Climate or Incompetence?

The Pontifical Oriental Institute founded in 1917 by Pope Benedict XV. together with the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. The Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation is the Argentine Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Grand Chancellor of the Institute.

In 1922 Pope Pius XI. made it an Institute of the Jesuit Order. The appointment of the director is subject to the Pope on a proposal from the Jesuit General, after consultation with the Jesuit faculty.

In recent months, some of the deans and professors had called for the dismissal of the rector. A native of the US, Jesuit McCann was accused of inability to conduct an academic operation. Jesuit General Nicolas sent an inspector with Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda. Father Ghirlanda is a former rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University and canon law expert.  The result of this inspection was the removal of the entire senior management of the Institute.

"That Father McCann enjoyed no special appreciation in the Vatican, one could imagine already on 19 February 2014 when Pope Francis, appointed Vice-Rector Pampaloni and deans Luisier and Kuchera to consult the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, but not him, the incumbent Rector: an all the more pressing humiliation as the secretary of the Congregation was and is his brother in the Jesuit order, the Slovak Archbishop of the Greek rite, Archbishop Cyril Vasil."

Decline of the Institute?

That something was amiss at the Institute  was at least publicly known since  the retirement of the American liturgist, Father Robert Taft, on 15 December 2011. The Laudatio for Father Taft was held by Stefano Parenti, Professor of Oriental liturgies at the St. Anselm Pontifical Athenaeum and students of Taft. Parenti is currently working with Taft in the publication of a monumental history of the Byzantine Liturgy in several volumes.

The Laudatio was published in the journal Studi sull'Oriente Cristiano. Parenti said at the time: "Unlike today, the Pontifical Oriental Institute was until the end of the 80s of the 20th century a superb place for the study of Oriental liturgies, especially the Byzantine liturgy. Who undertake the burden  in the future to write the history of the Institute, will know who is responsible for that  which led to such a spectacular debacle in a massacre that outsiders observed from a distance,  and revealed a desolate arena without winners and losers."

And further:

"We find ourselves in what is described in politics as  a 'systematic error', which has long been known, but was ignored by those who were supposed to be vigilant. Added to this is the uncertainty of many contracts and singular recruitment and promotion procedures for doctorates, which is why there are full professors who had remained only assistants in good state European or American universities in the best of cases until retirement. "

Harried Eastern Christians - Bangert Institute

In fact, "a glance at the list of the faculty," said   Sandro Magister, there can be seen the precarious situation of fixed-term contracts to teaching assignments. Many teachers teach at other universities and are only briefly committed by the Institute to complete a program with the students within a few weeks, for which at other universities an entire semester is scheduled.

"Above all, however, it is striking that the Institute, particularly in a time in which the Oriental Christianity located in the Middle East, North Africa, but also in Ukraine is in an acutely deep crisis and  hard pressed, has  very little to say. Its expert advice, in-depth specialist studies and reports would not only be of special importance "for the local Christian communities, but also for the Holy See," says Magister.

Vice Rector Converted to the Russian Orthodox Church

Last year, the Institute was rocked by a spectacular departure. Former Vice-Rector (until 2013), the American Jesuit of Ukrainian-Hungarian descent, Father Constantin Simon, a specialist in Russian Christianity, turned his back on  the Jesuit Order and the Catholic Church. On June 7, 2014 he was officially incorporated as a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church. The initiation liturgy was led by Archimandrite Amwrosi of Peterhof, the Russian Orthodox Auxiliary Bishop of St. Petersburg, and Rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy of the Moscow Patriarchate.

"Some see in the earthquake of these days only the prelude to a temporary closure of the Institute for the purposes of a radical restructuring," said Sandro Magister.

Text: Settimo Cielo / Giuseppe Nardi
Photo: PIO

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Abuse-Hoax Claims Another Conservative Bishop

Edit: As you all know, Lefty Bishops get special treatment when it comes to the media inspired harassment campaign against the Catholic Church. Of course, other traditional institutions get singled out, but when it comes to those in power, like the various political parties, the oversight, in many cases frankly unjust, doesn't come to this level when it comes to Democratic or Republican legislators, and their ecclesiastical supports.

Moreover, why hasn't Francis been questioned when it comes to Cardinal Daneels whose record on sexual abuse by aberrosexual clergy actually is abysmal? Some will recall the Francis has given Daneels a prominent advisory position at his Bishops' Synod.

Also, why hasn't the Abbot of Collegeville been singled out for this kind of treatment. He really does protect vicious pederasts of the most criminal kind, who presently lurk in various haunts in Minnesota as we speak. Surely, liberal Catholic media organs would prefer to dwell on Bishop Finn's alleged rigidity and "unpopular" leadership styles.

This unequal treatment makes this entire thing much easier to understand when we see that this is a war of Powers and Principalities.

"Backfire" -- Call for Archbishop Cordileone's Ouster Creates Solidarity for Him

Archbishop Cordileone

(New York) In the US, a paid advertisement has become a national issue. This past April 16   a full page advertisement appeared in the newspaper, The San Francisco Chronicle  with an appeal to Pope Francis.  It appealed to impeach Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone   and drive him out of the city. It's an unusual initiative,  but for   Catholics in the German-speaking world, however, this is quite familiar.

The accusation is made by financially wealthy signatories of the appeal? The Archbishop is contrary to the papal postulate "Who am I to judge?".  The occasion are guidelines by the Archbishop of the 4th of February, about the Catholic schools in his archdiocese, which he demanded that   Catholic marriage and morality be recalled and called on schools to ensure it's disseminated  to the students (see report Rebellion Against Archbishop: "Who are you to judge? ").

Accusation: Archbishop is Contrary to Postulate "Who am I to Judge?"

The gay lobby within and outside the Catholic Church feels challenged by the Archbishop, who dared to recall the Catholic doctrine in terms of homosexuality. Specifically,  the archbishop asked that school personnel have to adhere to Catholic doctrine in their teaching in word and deed.

"Too intolerant" is the archbishop and he should therefore be removed from office, opine a hundred signatories of the appeal, which describe themselves as Catholics or to be exact, as a "dedicated Catholics, inspired by the Second Vatican Council."

Among the signatories is Brian Cahill, former director of Catholic Charities of San Francisco and "a number of rich patrons," says Vatican expert Sandro Magister. Among them are also Charles Geschke, President of Adobe Systems and former Chairman of the Board of the University of San Francisco. Among the Americans  there was also Tom Brady Sr. the father of Tom Brady JR., a quarterback for the New England Patriots , in the National Football Leagueplay.

Progressive Catholics in Alliance with Major Media

Appeal against Archbishop Cordileone: Pope to remove him from the Office

The San Francisco Chronicle , the largest daily newspaper in Northern California, which published the appeal as a paid ad, placed the signatories as "prominent Catholics." It belongs to the Hearst group, which also includes the Internet platform San Francisco Gate.

To give the publication even more importance   San Francisco Gate launched a survey with four pre-formulated answers - two for and two against Archbishop Cordileone - to the question: "Should Pope Francis remove Archbishop Cordileone from the Archdiocese of San Francisco?"

But the shot backfired. The survey showed that the overwhelming majority of citizens are not identified with the signatories of the appeal, but in solidarity with Archbishop Cordileone.[!]

The Survey, Which Was to Demolish Cordileone, but in Reality Strengthens

On the evening of 20 April, the answers to the questions were: "Should Pope Francis remove Cordileone as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco?"

76 percent, "No, the archbishop promotes the values ​​of the Catholic Church";

12 percent: "Yes, the Archbishop stoking a climate of intolerance";

10 percent, "No, the archbishop is right to oppose same-sex marriage";

2 percent, "Yes, his moral code for the teachers of Catholic schools is contrary to the law."

"Liberal" Catholics in the "Most liberal" City in the US only Small Minority

"The signatories of the appeal may be 'prominent Catholics' but they are not in tune with the faithful nor do they have a great following and not even in the city in the USA, which the media portrays as the most liberal," said Sandro Magister. "And that Pope Francis is considering: That he  remove Archbishop Cordileone from his office, is simply unthinkable".

The personnel policies of Pope Francis for the US is mostly opaque since the disempowerment and finally, the removal of Cardinal Raymond Burke of the Roman Curia, but shows  a strong  progressivist bent in its counter-tendency to the American episcopate.

The hitherto most important appointment concerned the successor of Cardinal Francis George as Archbishop of Chicago. For this diocese, one of the most important in the United States, Francis appointed Bishop Blaise Cupich, a progressive outlier.

Appointment of Bishops from Pope Francis' Progressive List

This past March 3rd, Francis appointed  with Robert McElroy Bishop of San Diego, another progressive. McElroy is a priest of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, where he was the personal secretary of ultra progressive Archbishop John R. Quinn. Quinn had even been raised by Pope Paul VI. to the office. In 1995 a turnaround  came with his retirement in the archdiocese. John Paul II. Replaced him with William Levada, later Prefect of the Congregation. He was succeeded by George Hugh Niederauer and 2012 finally Salvatore Cordileone.

Cordileone was from 2002-2009 Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego, the  Southern California diocese   on the border with Mexico, which the Pope has entrusted to McElroy. Archbishop Cordileone, a wise man with a clear voice and determination, has become the target of fierce attacks since his inauguration in San Francisco. They come from both inside and outside of the Catholic Church. One reason is that the Archbishop is friendly to tradition  and has even celebrated  in the Immemorial Rite. As already indicated in the past,  Cordileone's opponents hardly shrink from attempting  to discredit the Archbishop and force him out of office.

However, the latest attempt backfired.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: TLDM / Settimo Cielo

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Why We Pilgrimage to Turin: Jesus is a Lamb to Us and a Lion to His Foes

by Roberto de Mattei *

(Turin) coming from 19 April to 24 June 2015, the grave cloth of Christ, which is the Holy Shroud of Turin, will be on  public display. Only five years after the most recent exhibition,  pilgrims will be able to venerate the holy linen cloth in the cathedral of Turin again. The occasion is the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. John Bosco. The next opportunity to see the grave cloth is not likely to arise again until 2025.

The Holy Shroud is the  cloth in which the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ was wrapped in the grave. The Synoptic Gospels recall this (Mark 13:46; Matthew 27.59; Luke 23.53).  Likewise, the Gospel of John, which speaks of a "soudarion". It is not a simple "icon", one of the countless "likenesses" of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which are scattered all over the world, but an authentic relic, the most precious of Christianity, before over the centuries the Popes, Saints and millions of ordinary faithful have prayed.

Invention of Photography Lifted a Veil of Secrecy

The invention of photography lifted a veil that lay on the mystery of the grave cloth and kept it hidden for nearly 2000 years of its contents and revealed it for everyone. The overall shape of the Savior is stamped in life-size on the linen cloth and shows the viewer something like the negative of a photograph. It has a lot of details that no painter would have ever imagined, let alone be able to paint  without knowing the photographic process in every detail.

The man on the grave cloth of Christ shows the whole drama of the Passion. The accuracy of the Gospel is a factual historical  report as regards the scourging, the crown of thorns, the crucifixion, the wounded side of Our Lord, is proved by the grave cloth in quite an extraordinary way. The grave cloth in the embossed presentation confirms the prophecy of Isaiah: "no unwounded spot, / only bumps, bruises, and fresh wounds, they are not bound, not sound  / not relieved from head to foot with oil" (Isaiah 1.6) ,

Give a Meaning to Suffering

Why this suffering? Our faith teaches us that Jesus came into the world to redeem us from the sin of Adam, to have come through all the physical and moral evil of the universe in the world. "Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned", the Apostle Paul writes (Rom 5:12). Since then, the man is born in pain and lives and dies in pain. But the whole suffering humanity was ransomed by Jesus Christ. The grave Shroud of Turin reminds us that human life is suffering because of the fall, but that all suffering was worn by him who was without sin. In Him we can find the answer for our suffering.

Nothing elevates man more than the assumed freely and courageously endured suffering. One of the biggest fallacies of life is to think one can be happy by dodging suffering. In reality, the man who does not suffer is unhappy because he remains without the joy that grows out of the fact, to offer one's own suffering makes sense. That non-sentient creatures suffer without being able to offer their suffering makes sense. The man, however, can detect, due to his intelligence, that the pain is a result of sin, the original sin and actual sins, and that he can give a sense to this pain to undo the sin in union with Christ and to atone.

Grave Cloth is the True Image of the God-Man - In suffering, We Gaze at Him

The grave cloth, the true image of the Man-God, teaches us how to suffer. In the moments of sorrow and physical and moral pain we look at the man of grave cloth. His appearance is disfigured, but what touches the most to the core, is the contrast between the visible consequences of torture and torment he has suffered and the peaceful majesty,brought to expression in his face. Jesus gives us the model for the attitude of patience, of seriousness and composure, with which we are to bear adversity and sacrifice that inevitably characterize our lives. With patience but always to be accompanied by immense confidence of those who conquered death by his death.

Grave Cloth Impressive Proof of His Resurrection

The Holy Shroud not only proves the truth of Christ's suffering, but also provides us with an impressive proof of his resurrection. The scientists that have studied the sacred linen cloth, confirm that only a mysterious power, a sudden flash of radiation and would have the negative impression of the cloth can memorize. In other words, only the resurrection of Jesus Christ,  scourged and crucified under Pontius Pilate unto death may explain the mysterious origin of the grave cloth. He had predicted that He would rise again on the third day, and that the resurrection from the dead, the highest proof of his divinity, was the great miracle that all the miracles and prophecies summarizes all in itself.

Jesus is victorious, raised in triumph, not only allegorically or spiritually, as  a certain progressivist theology would have it, but with visible body, blood, soul and divinity. The grave cloth shows his negative image  "photographed" with His glorious body at the moment of resurrection and thus provides us with another argument to hold that we can find eternal salvation only in the Catholic Church.

As in Adam all die, even so in Christ all live

In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul reminds us of this fundamental truth, first proclaimed by the apostles: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Christ had not died and rose again, salvation would never have taken place. The resurrection is the foundation of our faith. By a man, Adam, death came into the world. By another man, man and God, came life. As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be revived.

All of humanity is, as St. Augustine says, "summarized in the story of two men, one of whom has lost us  by doing not His will and not obeying Him who had created him. The other has saved us by not doing his will, but that of Him who had sent him. In the story of these two men is the whole Christian faith. "The Holy Week summarizes this drama together and at the Easter Vigil, is familiar to us in the liturgy of the Church with its message of hope and victory.

With the Resurrection Begins  the Kingdom of the Sacrificed Lamb

Easter, says Dom Guéranger, is the proclamation of the kingdom of the sacrificed Lamb, it is the acclamation of the elect in heaven "the Lion of the Tribe of Judah has triumphed, the shoot from the root of David!" (Rev 5.5). Jesus is awakened and resurrected "as a lamb for us, as a lion for his enemies" by uniting the attributes of strength and gentleness. The force with which we fight the enemies of our faith, and love, we are to exercise toward our brothers.

The suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the pillar of the apostolic preaching and must be the foundation of our faith. The grave cloth is the visible and moving Compendium. That's why we go to Turin to venerate this sacred relic reverently.

Roberto de Mattei , historian, father of five children, Professor of Modern History and History of Christianity at the European University of Rome, Chairman of Lepanto Foundation, editor of the monthly magazine Radici Cristiane and online news agency Corrispondenza Romana, author of numerous books, most recently appeared: Vicario di Cristo. Il primato tra di Pietro normalità ed eccezione (Vicar of Christ, the Primacy of Peter Between Normality and Exception.), Verona, 2013;  The Second Vatican Council - a hitherto unwritten history, Ruppichteroth 2011th

Translation: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Corrispondenza Romana

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
H/t: Mazarra

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Cardinal Brandmüller: Whoever Wants to Change Dogma is a Heretic -- Even When He Dons Purple

Cardinal Walter Brandmüller is one of the leading critical voices bracing themselves against the Vatican Family Synod proposals to undermine the Catholic Sacraments- and moral teaching. He is one of five cardinals, who appeared out in the anthology "Stay in the Truth of Christ"  along with Gerhard Müller, De Paolis, Burke and Caffarra for the Synod of Bishops on the family in 2014, where they took a stand against Cardinal Kasper's proposal, to admit those in irregular living situations, to be admitted to communion.

Dr. Maike Hickson interviewed Cardinal Brandmüller for Life Site News . The courageous Catholic ( Open letter a concerned American Catholic Pope Francis ) is considered to have the provided special thanks questions and answers.

LifeSiteNews: Could you present once more for our readers clearly the teaching of the Catholic Church, as it has been consistently taught throughout centuries concerning marriage and its indissolubility?

Cardinal: The answer is to be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1638-1642.

Can the Church admit remarried couples to Holy Communion, even though their second marriage is not valid in the eyes of the Church?

That would be possible if the concerned couples would make the decision to live in the future like brother and sister. This solution is especially worth considering when the care for children disallows a separation. The decision for such a path would be a convincing expression of the penance for the previous and protracted act of adultery.

Can the Church deal with the topic of marriage in a pastoral manner that is different from the continual teaching of the Church? Can the Church at all change the teaching itself without falling herself into heresy?

It is evident that the pastoral practice of the Church cannot stand in opposition to the binding doctrine nor simply ignore it. In the same manner, an architect could perhaps build a most beautiful bridge. However, if he does not pay attention to the laws of structural engineering, he risks the collapse of his construction. In the same manner, every pastoral practice has to follow the Word of God if it does not want to fail. A change of the teaching, of the dogma, is unthinkable. Who nevertheless consciously does it, or insistently demands it, is a heretic – even if he wears the Roman Purple.

Is not the whole discussion about the admittance of remarried to the Holy Eucharist also an expression of the fact that many Catholics do not believe any more in the Real Presence and rather think that they receive in Holy Communion anyway only a piece of bread?

Indeed, there is an indissoluble inner contradiction in someone who wants to receive the Body and Blood of Christ and to unite himself with Him, while in the same time he disregards consciously His Commandment. How shall this work? St. Paul says about this matter: 'Who eats and drinks unworthily, is eating and drinking his judgment...' But: You are right. By far not all Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the consecrated host. One can see this fact already in the way many – even priests – pass the tabernacle without genuflection.

Why is there nowadays such a strong attack on the indissolubility of marriage within the Church? A possible answer could be that the spirit of relativism has entered the Church, but there must be more reasons. Could you name some? And are not all these reasons a sign of the crisis of Faith within the Church herself?

Of course, if certain moral standards that have been valid generally, always, and everywhere are not any more recognized, then everybody makes himself his own moral law. That has as a consequence that one does what one pleases. It can be added the individualistic approach to life which regards life as a single chance for self-actualization – and not as a mission of the Creator. It is evident that such attitudes are the expression of a deeply rooted loss of Faith.

In this context, one can state that there was little talk in the last decades about the teaching about the Fallen Human Nature. The dominant impression was that man, all in all, is good. In my view, this has led to a lax attitude toward sin. Now, that we see the result of such a lax attitude – an explosion of inhuman conduct in all possible areas of human life – should this not be a reason for the Church to see that the teaching on the Fallen Human Nature has been confirmed and to therefore proclaim it again?

That is true, indeed. The topic 'Original Sin' with its consequences, the necessity for Redemption through the suffering, death and Resurrection of Christ has been largely suppressed and forgotten for a long time. However, one cannot understand the course of the world – and one's own life – without these truths. It is unavoidable that this ignoring of essential truths leads to moral misconduct. You are right: one should finally preach again about this topic, and with clarity.

The high numbers of abortion especially in the West have done great harm, not only for those killed babies, but also for the women (and men) who decided to kill their child. Should the prelates of the Church not take a strong stance about this terrible truth and try to shake the consciences of those women and men, also for the sake of their salvation? And does not the Church have a duty to defend with insistence the Little Ones who cannot defend themselves because they are not even allowed to live? “Let the Little Ones come to Me....”

Here one can say that the Church, especially under the last popes as well as under the Holy Father Francis did not leave any room for doubt about the despicable character of the killing of unborn children in the womb. This applies no doubt also to all bishops. However, another question is, whether and in which form the teaching of the Church has been witnessed and presented in the public realm. That is where the hierarchy certainly could do more. One only has to think of the participation of cardinals and bishops at pro-life marches.

Which steps would you recommend for the Church to strengthen the call to holiness and to show the path how to attain it?

One certainly has to witness to the Faith in a way that is fitting for the specific situation. In which form this can happen, depends upon the specific circumstances. There opens up a whole field for creative imagination.

What would you say about the recent statements of Bishop Franz-Josef Bode that the Catholic Church has to adapt increasingly to the “life realities” of the people of today and adjust accordingly her moral teaching? I am sure that you as a Church historian have in front of your eyes other examples from the history of the Church, where she was pressured from outside to change the teaching of Christ. Could you name some, and how did the Church in the past respond to such attacks?

It is completely clear and also not new that the proclamation of the teaching of the Church has to be adapted to the concrete life situations of society and of the individual, if the message shall be heard. But this applies only to the way of the proclamation, and not at all to its inviolable content. An adaptation of the moral teaching is not acceptable. 'Do not conform to the world,' said the Apostle St. Paul. If Bishop Bode teaches something different, he finds himself in contradiction to the teaching of the Church. Is he conscious of that?

Is the German Catholic Church permitted to go her own paths in the question of the admittance of remarried couples to the Holy Eucharist and thereby decide independently of Rome, as Reinhard Cardinal Marx pronounced after the recent meeting of the German Bishops Conference?

The well-known statements of Cardinal Marx are in contradiction with the dogma of the Church. They are irresponsible in a pastoral respect, because they expose the faithful to confusion and doubts. If he thinks that he can take nationally an independent path, he puts the unity of the Church at risk. It remains: the binding standard for all of the teaching and practice of the Church are her clearly defined doctrines.

Link to Lifesite...

Cardinal Sarah: "Rediscover the Sacrality in the Holy Mass"

(Rome) In his interview book "Dieu ou rien" (God or nothing) the new Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, Cardinal Robert Sarah, also took a position on  the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of Pope Benedict XVI.. The French traditional information service Paix liturgique published the statements in his "Letter 65".

Paix liturgique had welcomed the appointment of Cardinal from Guinea to succeed Cardinal Canizares in the fall of 2014.  Now the information service writes:

Cardinal Chose Birituelle Paris Parish to Talk About the Liturgy

"In early March 2015 Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Roman Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments remained for a long time in Paris and the surrounding area  in order to consult on  the resultant interview book, "God or Nothing"  with the journalist Nicolas Dat" (Fayard). The book paints a personal and surprising portrait of one of the most discreet and yet most important prelates of this pontificate.

While there are a large number of events  attended to by the book, the Cardinal wanted to devote a considerable part of his time not the media, but the faithful. He visited several parishes. In each he took on a specific topic of his book. This included the liturgy, precisely about which he spoke  in the parish of Saint-Eugène-Sainte Cécile, in which both Rites have been celebrated for 30 years," says  Paix liturgique. The following is an excerpt of the liturgy part of Cardinal Sarah's book.

Joy and Gratitude for Summorum Pontificum

"Personally, I have received Summorum Pontificum with great confidence, joy and gratitude. It is the sign and proof of how the Church, mother and teacher, look at all the faithful, by taking into account all the sensitivities. Benedict XVI. wanted to support the wealth of different spiritual expressions in the belief that they will lead to the Church to true unity and an ever brighter scope for  the holiness of the Church.

I think that this beautiful motu proprio fits perfectly within the bounds of the Council Fathers furrow. Therefore, we can not pretend we have forgotten what was declared expressly in Sacrosanctum Concilium: "For the liturgy contains as a divine institution immutable parts and parts which are subject to change. These parts may change over time, or even if something should  have crept into it, that it doesn't affect the inner nature of the liturgy less than if they have been found to be less suitable or equivalent."

In the letter Summorum Pontificum accompanied Benedict XVI wrote .:

For that matter, the two Forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching: new Saints and some of the new Prefaces can and should be inserted in the old Missal. The "Ecclesia Dei" Commission, in contact with various bodies devoted to the usus antiquior, will study the practical possibilities in this regard. The celebration of the Mass according to the Missal of Paul VI will be able to demonstrate, more powerfully than has been the case hitherto, the sacrality which attracts many people to the former usage. The most sure guarantee that the Missal of Paul VI can unite parish communities and be loved by them consists in its being celebrated with great reverence in harmony with the liturgical directives. This will bring out the spiritual richness and the theological depth of this Missal.

It is likely that we can better understand the celebration of the Mass according to the Missal of the old Mass as an act of Christ and not of men. Thus the  mysterious and mystagogical character is also  perceptible. Even if we actively participate in the Mass, it is not about our action, but  those of Christ. In his Apostolic Letter Quintus Annus Vicesimus. John Paul II asks wherein lies  active participation.

But what is this active participation? What must you do? Unfortunately, the word was very quickly misunderstood to mean something external, entailing a need for general activity, as if as many people as possible, as often as possible, should be visibly engaged in action.  However, the world "part-icipation" refers to principal action in which everyone has a "part".  And so if we want to discover the kind of doing that active participation involves, we need, first of all, to determine what this central actio  is in which all the members of the community are supposed to participate. The study of the liturgical sources provides an answer that at first may surprise us, though, in the light of the biblical foundations considered in the first part, it is quite self-evident.  By the actio nd the need for a general acting out derived therefrom, as if as many as possible as often as possible must be visible to all go into action. But the word "participation" (or "participation '' refers to a main plot, in which all are part-have. So if you want to find out about which actions to do it, then you have to determine first of all, that because these actual central "actio" is, to which would also involve all members of the community [...] Under the actio of the liturgy refers its  sources, the Eucharistic Prayer. [...] The real liturgical action, the true liturgical act, is the oratio -.. the great prayer, which forms the core of the Eucharist which was therefore described by the Fathers as oratio ... .This oratio- the Eucharistic Prayer, the "canon" - is really more than speech is actio in the highest sense, because it happens that human actio (as they had hitherto been practiced by the priests in the various religions) withdraws and gives room for the actio divina, the action of God (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. The Spirit of the Liturgy, Herder, 6.Aufl, Freiburg im Breisgau 2002, S. 147f).

The Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum tries to reconcile the two forms of the Roman Rite and tries above all to help us to rediscover the sacredness of the Holy Mass as an act of God and not of man. Here we touch upon a really important point. The problem of widespread indiscipline, lack of respect and loyalty to the Rite,  may even attack the validity of the sacrament."

Excerpt from Robert Cardinal Sarah: Dieu ou rien, Fayard, Paris 2015, pp 400-402

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: MiL\
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

A Turning Point in the Franciscan Papacy

[Chiesa] ...Last Sunday Pope Francis could have said as little as possible. Instead, and this is what is new, he went further, and by far.

Not only did he put the genocide of the Armenians at the head of the other genocides of the past century, but he listed them one by one, down to the ones that are still being carried out today to the harm of many who are “persecuted, exiled, killed, decapitated for the sole fact of being Christian,” whether they be Catholic or Orthodox, Syriac, Assyrian, Chaldean, Greek. Like one hundred years ago, he said, “it seems that humanity is not able to cease from shedding innocent blood.”

Virulent reactions from the Turks, waffling from Western politicians. For Francis the peace and quiet is over.


http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1351032?eng=y
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Back from Hospital -- Thanks For the Prayers and Encouragement

For Christ Has Reconciled Everything to Himself

On Easter Sunday, I went over many things in my mind, even some that have to do with Katholisches.info. I had not expected to spend the Easter Octave in the hospital.  Everything came unexpectedly quickly and radically.

The instantaneous decision to visit the hospital, proved to be  true coincidence. "This is very serious,"  I was told, after 48 hours the cause had been securely identified. The statistics speak indeed of an impressive situation. In the German speaking areas alone,  tens of thousands of people die every year of it because the symptoms are misinterpreted and the danger is not recognized.

The events led me to consider once more, just how fragile human existence is in this world. Out of the blue life and death come close. And how wise and humane, is the Church Who exhorts us to be prepared.

The so kind wishes, which were communicated to me, especially those of the readers, did not make it easier for me to stay in hospital, but I was also very touched inwardly. Praise for me dissolves in me a certain amount of embarrassment, but I could accept this gratefully as it was in brotherhood. It's an experience in such a situation for which I would like to thank from the depths of my heart.

The "Spiritualized" Emptiness of the Full Tomb

Minden Cross (almost 1000 years old)

In the hospital, there was the opportunity for some good conversation, which demonstrated the innermost desire and longing of people for beauty, truth and goodness. In each hospital room of a public hospital there was hung a cross, all anti-cross-judgments and secular attacks notwithstanding.

The visit to the hospital chapel was sobering, as far as the "spiritualized" emptiness found. It reminded me of the outrageous content, of the arrogant  Easter paper of the EKD, according to  which it was "not definitive" for the Christian faith, whether the grave of Christ was empty or not on Easter Sunday.  But Christ was present in the Blessed Sacrament. What a grace in such a place. The Tabernacle: a charming cube of a steal shell from a creative designer whose configuration might  be more suitable for a luxury refrigerator.

The wall before which  the priest celebrated Mass versus populum, though pleasingly colorful, was but meaningless. On the altar, after all, was a metal cross as the only support for the troubled human eyes. The bars of the cross without corpus were so thin that one's eyes could hardly fix it, they did not want to fall into the position of having to constantly watch the priest in his actions. On a side wall, a wonderful wood corpus of the Lord caught the eyes, hung a larger than life.   What a contrast in the same chapel.

A young man kneeling reverently beside me in the pew, I invited afterward in front of the chapel to an event, where he had the opportunity to get to know the tradition.

The appreciation of the readers made it easier for me to switch off completely for this time. This also means that I now have some catching up to do, it is read to follow up on contacts to gather information and to rate the seven and.

Call genocide genocide also - The Martyrdom of Armenians

Armenian settlement area in 1896

The only report, despite the "intermission", that I've received in the hospital bed, has pleased me: Pope Francis named the 100th anniversary of the suffering of the Armenians for what it was, namely genocide. That had been done before him by John Paul II. Already in 1915 Benedict XV, raised his voice in favor of this ancient Christian.

In the international sense we speak of genocide, in the canonical sense in a far higher level of martyrdom. What happened in parts of the Ottoman Empire and wanted the beginning of the 20th century by the young Turkish government, was the martyrdom of an entire people, even more so: the martyrdom of Christians. Flayed, interned, displaced and killed were the Armenians, the Greeks, the Syrian Christians (Chaldeans, Assyrians, Arameans).

Their crime? To be Christians. Expressed cynically: Your crime was to be Christians in the "wrong place". The new nationalism demanded uniformity by hegemonization. The hegemon was Muslim, Sunni and Turkish. There was no place for Christians, was the verdict that was mercilessly and violently executed in all directions in bloody deeds.

Unfortunate and disturbing is the reaction of present-day Turkey. It is doubly questionable because those governing now  stand in the tradition of the Young Turks and yet have a greater distance to the events. Only what insight can  be expected from other Muslim governments and political / religious movements in the Islamic world, when the Turkish government, which has been courted by the West for so many decades and is considered the closest partner of Israel in the Middle East, shows so little insight?

It is distinguished from the Church of Christ,  Who calls a spade a spade and stands to behind her brothers and sisters in the faith. Especially where the policy is prepared, based on which interest whatsoever, to expose merciless killing on the one hand  and on the other hand to cover up the killing of the other.

Days of Recovery

Now, these are still days of recovery, but the doctors were convinced that the therapy is going well and have released me to home. It will take a bit to close the gaps. The longer essay on Dom Helder Camara, on which I worked on Tuesday in the Octave of Easter and from which I was torn out, will have to be postponed for the time being. I hope to publish it as soon as possible.

I want to thank all of our readers and also all employees, authors, and not least the editor, for the sympathy and prayer, but also for the patience in such  fast-moving times and especially the "blindness" somewhat in the information area.  It will be my job and obligation to comply with this confidence through their daily work. In the meantime, I would ask you to recommend me the grace of our Lord, so that the recovery completely successful and no complications.

In grateful Bonding
Your Giuseppe Nardi

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

First Mass in the Immemorial Mass -- Joyful Celebration for the Church of Sardinia

First Mass in the traditional rite at the Marian Shrine of Bonaria in Sardinia

(Cagliari) This past Sunday, 12 April was for the Archdiocese of Cagliari on the Italian Mediterranean island of Sardinia, a memorable historic day.

On the afternoon of  White Sunday, known since 2000 as  Mercy Sunday,   the new priest of the Archdiocese, Don Michele Piras, celebrated his Primiz in the majestic Basilica of Our Lady of Bonaria, the patroness  of the island, his first Mass. And he did so in the Immemorial Mass of the Roman Rite.

On the morning of the day before, Michele Piras was consecrated a priest by Mons. Arrigo Miglio, Archbishop of Cagliari and Primate of Sardinia and Corsica, in the cathedral church. Those present were Cardinal Luigi De Magistris, Emeritus Archbishop Pier Giuliano Tiddia of Oristano and the Bishop Emeritus Antioco Piseddu of Lanusei and about a hundred priests who had come to this happy day.

Shrine of Bonaria - After 50 years, first Sacrifice of the Mass in the Traditional Rite

For 50 years, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was no longer celebrated at the Marian Shrine of Bonaria in the Immemorial Rite. "A truly exceptional joy in many ways," says the traditional website Messa in Latino (MiL).

Sardinia was until recently, a particularly barren ground for the traditional rite. But the ordination of Don Michele Piras now made visible a fruit that had remained hidden. This was particularly evident in the participation of numerous Sardinian clergy for the First Mass. The liturgical service deliberately involved exclusively Sardinian clergy. The response of the diocesan leadership  and clergy show that rejection is not  a "self-evident" reflex in any way.

Sardinian Clergy is Actively Involved

Strong presence of Sardinian clergy (especially the younger)

Don Gianluca Pretta, pastor of Gesico (Cagliari) would have assisted, but had to cancel due to personal reasons at the last minute and was replaced by Father William Barker, Minister of the Personal Parish of  SS. Trinità dei Pellegrini in Rome, procurator of the Fraternity of St. Peter, the Holy See and official of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei;  Don Giorgio Domenico Lenzi, pastor of Sant'Antioco (Cagliari), incardinated in the Institute of the Good Shepherd, served as Deacon; as subdeacon, Don Angelo Cardia, pastor of Soleminis (Cagliari) and Master of Ceremonies, Don  Cristiano Piseddu, priest of the Archdiocese of Cagliari, who is currently completing his studies in Rome.

The first Mass' sermon was by Don Fabrizio Pibiri, pastor of Donori (Cagliari), who presented with both powerful and beautiful words on the greatness of the Catholic priesthood and pointed to how young priest  assumes the responsibility by his ordained ministry.

Also, numerous clergy appeared for the first Mass. In the first place was  Cardinal Luigi de Magistris, who comes from the archdiocese itself; the Vicar General of the Archdiocese, Canon Giovanni Ligas and many pastors and priests of the archdiocese, the younger clergy was particularly represented, who had come also from other dioceses of the island. Likewise, a number of seminarians of the General Seminary of the island.

Our Lady of Bonaria - Mercedarians and Founding of Buenos Aires

The Shrine of Bonaria has been under the care of the Mercedians for almost 700 years. The Order was founded in 1218 by St. Raymond of Penyafort,  in the first century as a knightly order and from 1317 as a purely religious order,  which put its main concern for the liberation of the Christians abducted and enslaved by Muslims. If there was not enough money for the ransom, the brothers offered themselves as replacements.  With the discovery of the Americas   the Mercedarians, who are among the mendicant orders since 1670, put their apostolate in the service  of slaves in the New World, which they supplemented by the proselytizing of the Indians. Today the Order continues its founding, especially in the prison ministry.

Sardinia from 1324 belonged to the kingdom of Aragon and for 400  years was connected with Spain. For this reason, the Mercedarians also came from there to the island. In 1534 the Roman-German Emperor Charles V, King of Spain conceived an expedition by Pedro de Mendoza in the New World. Mendoza, knew of Sardinia and the Shrine of Bonaria, and called upon her for a happy crossing and the discovery of the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, which was founded there by him, and called at first Santa María del Buen Aire  from which the present capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires comes.

The religious superiors and pastor of Bonaria, Father Giovannino Tolu, welcomed the new priest at the entrance of the Basilica and after he had put on his priestly stole,  accompanied him to his first sacrifice on the altar.

Large Participation of Faithful People

Flag of Sardinia

The polyphonic chants from the time of Palestrina were sung by the archbishop's Cathedral Choir under the direction of Canon Gianfranco Deiosso,  a Choral Schola chanted the Gregorian settings under the direction of Don Nicola Ruggeri, pastor of Senorbi (Cagliari).

The young acolytes came from the parish of Santa Giusta Gesico, who were noticeable by their natural seriousness and the ease with which they moved in great dignity in the Old Rite.

The largest church in the island was crowded at this festive occasion by a believing people, who had streamed in from the Archdiocese, but also from other dioceses to gratefully praise God for the grace to have been given a new priest, to receive the blessing of priest at his first Mass and to kiss the sacred chrism after yet fragrant, consecrated hands of the newly ordained.

Don Piras was born in Sant'Elia district of Cagliari. After the visit of the Archbishop minor seminary, he entered the seminary of his native diocese and completed his studies with a degree in Rome. His first pastoral care center will be as vicar of a parish of the Archdiocese in the country.

Text: MiL / Giuseppe Nardi
image: Messa in Latin

On the "Margins of the Church" -- Traditional Rite: Situation Report From Abruzzo

Holy Mass in Traditional Rite.  Don Gaston with his
Mass Servers

(Rome), Mass locations in the traditional Rite are  not available anywhere in the immediate vicinity. The Coordinamento Nazionale Summorum Pontificum(CNSP) in Italy recently reported the difficulties in the Italian region of Abruzzo on the Adriatic.

In the Episcopal city of Teramo  the Order of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate worked, who were birtually active in  ministry. This past February 11, the remaining brothers had to leave their friary on the instructions of the Apostolic Commissioner, Father Fidenzio Volpi.

In 2007, the diocesan Bishop Michele Seccia called upon the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate  to his diocese and gave them the recently abandoned (because of an absence of vocations)  Dominican Friary of the city. Since then, they have served the faithful in the traditional Rite according Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of Pope Benedict XVI.

Commissioner Volpi Took Away the Faithful's Mass Location

In August 2013, the religious leadership was deposed and Commissioner Volpi was commissioned by the Congregation of Religious  and with the approval of Pope Francis, to take control of the Order. His term is a raging against the traditional Rite and the traditional spirituality of the Order. The Commissioner has closed a number of friaries, including that of Teramo (see Commissioner Closes Convent of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate of Teramo ). Since then, the faithful have been deprived of their Mass location. This "collateral damage" (CNSP) apparently doesn't concern the Commissioner.

Marie Sanctuary Castelpietroso

Finally, a priest who is only on temporary loan from the Diocese of Teramo-Atri has been found. Ironically, it is Don Gaston Munoz Meritello, an Argentine. He is chaplain of the parish of Castelnuovo Vomano. Teramo is  approximately 25 kilometers halfway to the sea. From the Adriatic town of Vasto to the south, however, it is an almost two-hour drive. It goes even further. In Abruzzo and Molise, the faithful who are accustomed to the traditional rite  have to travel long distances. Several bishops even aired their dislike of the Roman Rite also under Benedict XVI.

The now retired Archbishop of Campobasso-Boiano in Molise, Armando Dini, has deprived the Franciscans of the Immaculate Conception in autumn 2005, and prior to the promulgation of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, the Marian shrine to the Sorrowful Mother of Castelpietroso. The reason: because they put too much emphasis on a worthy celebration of the Sacred Liturgy in the New Rite. The  Order made the celebration of the traditional rite its own in 2008. The removal of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate was justified by the Archbishop as "necessary" to strengthen the "new evanglization" in the Archdiocese.

Tiny Chapel in Seclusion

The chaplain is not allowed to celebrate Mass in the parish church, but in a small chapel in a remote hamlet. The faithful are simply happy it's  possible at all. The celebration of the Holy Mass begins at 5 O'clock. "The small church of St. Andrew is tiny, but very old. Everything is very simple, not to say poor. The pews are the beautiful proof that here, generations of believers have knelt and prayed.  Modest and small it all may be, yet as soon as the celebration begins, the sacrifice of the Mass shines here in great dignity," said the reporter.

"A last resort" say the faithful of the local Coetus and they refer to the seclusion and the capacity of just 20 faithful. In Teramo  a remarkable community has formed. When the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate were sent off the locks of church and sacristy were changed. An unfriendly gesture.

Thankfully, the believers still have, however, Don Gaston. He is one of the two Argentine priests of the diocese.

"Margins of the Church" Hardly More Tangible Anywhere

The bishop has   with the change of Pope, left behind the pastoral open-mindedness. He asked the faithful to be patient so that he could find a "new solution". "A fairly unique situation," said Messa in Latino . "The bishop is looking for a new church, although the former church is empty." The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate had to go, but the old Dominican church of Teramo is still in place: "Now it is unused and locked," say the faithful who but give  to understand that they hope with patient trust and wait for the Bishop's call. "Meanwhile, these faithful believers take long road trips," said Messa in Latino . "That is also a job:  not to let the small flame go out."

"A handful of Catholics who were forced out of the city into the impassable undergrowth, because for them there is no place within the ever emptier churches in the city. The slogan of the, margins of the Church,' which someone has spread abroad, is hardly more concretely tangible than in this tiny country chapel," said Messa in Latino .

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: CNSP

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches....

AMDG