July 2010 Print

Discord within the College of Cardinals

On May 9, 2010, the Italian press revived the critical remarks made by the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn (on the left in the picture), against the Dean of the Sacred College, the Italian Angelo Sodano (on the right in the picture). The Austrian prelate reproached the former Secretary of State of the Holy See for having recently reduced to “idle chatter” the scandals of the pedophile priests, but also for having covered up the misdeeds of his predecessor in Vienna, Cardinal Hans Hermann Groër, in the mid-1990s.

In the midst of an informal meeting with the Austrian press last April 28, Cardinal Schönborn accused Cardinal Sodano of being guilty of a “grave offence” with respect to the victims of pedophile priests last April 4. At the beginning of the Easter Mass at the Vatican, the Dean of Cardinals had publicly informed Benedict XVI of the support of all the Church in the turmoil of the pedophile scandals, while asking him not “to let himself be influenced by the ‘idle chatter’ of the moment.”

According to the Catholic press agency of Austria, Kathpress, Cardinal Schönborn went further in accusing Cardinal Sodano, Secretary of State from 1991 to 2006, of being opposed to the creation 15 years ago of a Vatican investigatory commission on Cardinal Groër, who was then Archbishop of Vienna. At that time Cardinal Groër had been accused by a former seminarian of acts of pedophilia committed during the 1970s. He resigned his office in 1995 as soon as the first allegations of sexual abuse were made. He died in 2003.

“For a long time, the principle of the Church was to forgive,” Cardinal Schönborn lamented, “but unfortunately this principle was misinterpreted in favour of the guilty and not of the victims.” During his meeting with the press, the Archbishop of Vienna also indicated that he would like to see an “urgent” reform of the Roman Curia.

The accusations brought by Cardinal Schönborn against the former Secretary of State are added to those recently published in the American press concerning Cardinal Sodano’s possible leniency with regard to the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, Fr. Marcial Maciel (1920-2008), also accused of sexual abuse. As of this printing, Cardinal Sodano has not answered any of these charges. For many Vaticanists, the recent attacks concentrated on the former Secretary of State of John Paul II and on several members of his entourage will not make any easier the acceleration of the beatification process of the Polish pope.

(Source: DICI)

 

Rise above Dialectics by Dialogue and Synthesis?

In a short press conference granted to some journalists on the airplane that took him to Portugal on May 11, Benedict XVI gave an answer to a question formulated by Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Office, concerning the preaching of the Gospel in a country well on its way to an advanced secularization as is Portugal. The Sovereign Pontiff’s response runs along the same lines as his discourse to the Roman Curia on December 22, 2005, in which he congratulated himself on the new relations, established by Vatican II, between the Church and the modern States.

Fr. Lombardi: “What can one say to a Portugal, in the past profoundly Catholic and a messenger of the faith in the world, but now well on its way to a profound secularization, both in everyday life and on a legal and cultural level? How to announce the faith in a context that is indifferent and hostile to the Church?”

Benedict XVI: “We see that during these past centuries [from the 18th century up until our days] Portugal has always lived in a dialectic, which has today certainly become more radical and which has every appearance of sharing the current European spirit. This dialectic seems to me to be a challenge, but also a great opportunity. During these centuries of dialectics between illuminism, secularism and faith, there have always been those who wanted to create ties and to create a dialogue, but unfortunately the dominant tendency has been one of adversity and reciprocal exclusion.

“Today we see that this dialectic is actually a chance, and that we must find the synthesis and a profound and expanding dialogue. In the multicultural situation in which we all find ourselves, one can see that a purely rationalist European culture would not have a transcendent religious dimension, and would not be capable of establishing a dialogue with the great cultures of humanity, all of which possess this transcendent religious dimension, which is a dimension of the human being.

“…So I think that the duty and the mission of Europe in this situation are precisely to find this dialogue, to integrate the faith and modern rationality into a unique anthropological vision that completes the human being and thus allows the human cultures to communicate. This is why I would say that the presence of secularism is normal, but the separation, the opposition between secularism and the culture of the faith is not normal, and we need to rise above it. The great challenge of our times is to make these two come together, in such a way that they may find their true identity. That, as I have said, is Europe’s mission and the human necessity of our point in history.”

Commentary: Benedict XVI thinks that the dialectical opposition between the Church and the world must be surpassed by a new synthesis. He sees here a challenge and even an opportunity. Already in December 2005, in his discourse to the Curia, he said that this has become possible thanks to the historical evolution of the Church and of the modern States: “The opposition of the Church’s faith to a radical liberalism, …had provoked the Church, in the 19th century, under Pius IX, to severe and radical condemnations of this spirit of modern times. Apparently, there was no possible room left for a positive and fruitful understanding, and the refusals of those who felt themselves to be the representatives of modern times were equally energetic. Since then, however, [between the 19th century and Vatican II], the modern era had also undergone some developments. It was realised that the American Revolution had offered a different model of the modern State from the one theorised by the radical tendencies that appeared in the second phase of the French Revolution.…Thus, the two parties began progressively to open up to each other. In the period between the two civil wars, and even more after WWII, the Catholic statesmen have shown that there could exist a modern lay State, which is nevertheless not neutral as regards its values, but which lives by drawing from the great ethical sources opened by Christianity. The Catholic social doctrine, which has developed little by little, has become an important model halfway between radical liberalism and the Marxist theory of the State.…”

In his response to the journalists on May 11, Benedict XVI, contrary to what he said in 2005, declares that this dialectic has “today become more radical and has every appearance of sharing the current European spirit.” In spite of this, on May 12 at the Cultural Center of Belem, he invited the representatives of the world of culture and of different religions to dialogue with “the truths of others,” “an acquisition which the Church herself is in the process of learning.” Likewise, on May 14 at Porto: “Today the Church is called to face new challenges and she is disposed to dialogue with the diverse cultures and religions, seeking to build up with all men of good will the peaceful cohabitation of the peoples.”

His speech on May 11 clarifies this synthesis that the Pope says is his wish: it consists in “integrating the modern faith and rationality into a unique anthropological vision.” The question is whether the Catholic faith can be integrated into modern rationality, in a unique anthropological vision, without being herself disintegrated. Romano Amerio answered that the marking character of the modern world (and the rationality that dwells in it) is “independence and aseity , the refusal of all dependence except the dependence on oneself.” Whence the challenge risks being transformed into an offense.

(Source: DICI

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The Legionaries of Christ under the Guardianship of Rome; Beatification of John Paul II Called into Question

On May 1 the Holy See announced the measures taken by Benedict XVI with regard to the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, which was seriously affected by revelations concerning the double life of their founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado (1920-2008). At the request of Rome, an investigation was conducted among the members of the community from July 2009 to March 2010 by five bishops.

This investigation made it possible “to ascertain that the conduct of Father Marcial Maciel Degollado has given rise to serious consequences in the life and structure of the Legion, such as to require a process of profound re-evaluation.” Because he intends to “accompany” and “help” the Legionaries of Christ “along the path of purification that awaits them,” Benedict XVI decided to appoint a “Delegate” as well as a “commission to study the Constitutions” of that religious congregation, which numbers some 800 priests and 2,500 seminarians in 22 countries.

Speaking to the press on May 1, Fr. Lombardi confided that “The pope is taking this affair very seriously.” The determination of Benedict XVI confirms that the pope intends to bring this whole matter to light. It is even more impressive, since there is a significant risk that the affair could have consequences for the beatification process of John Paul II (1978-2005), who was especially attached to the Legionaries of Christ and to their founder. The American press recently reported that several close collaborators of the Polish pope, including Cardinals Angelo Sodano and Eduardo Martinez Somalo, as well as the Polish bishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, at that time the pope’s secretary, received money donated by Fr. Maciel so as to put an end to the investigations concerning him. According to the National Catholic Reporter, Cardinal Ratzinger refused the “offerings” of the Legionaries’ founder.

Time will tell whether or not these reports are verified. In any case, as early as January 6, 2009, the Swiss daily Le Temps, commenting on an article dated January 4 in the French newspaper Le Monde, questioned the discernment of John Paul II. In an opinion piece, Patricia Briel, who can hardly be suspected of sympathizing with Benedict XVI, whom she has rebuked for lifting the excommunications of the bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X, tells the reader that John Paul II, although he was a “great pope,” was, in her opinion, “sometimes completely lacking in discernment.” Fascinated by Fr. Maciel, John Paul II “had held him up as a model for youth in 1994. But the Mexican priest was the target, on several occasions during his lifetime, of serious accusations, which he always denied.

“It was necessary to wait until the death of John Paul II for Joseph Ratzinger to initiate an investigation at last, which would reveal, among other things, Maciel’s pedophilia.” The journalist underscores that the beatification process for John Paul II is moving “quickly,” no doubt too quickly. “Is there sufficient distance to establish a serious record on a candidate for sainthood?” “The breadth of the sexual scandals in the bosom of the Catholic Church should induce Benedict XVI to expect that a full light be shed on the stance taken by John Paul II in this episode. The law of silence has already resulted in too many victims and too much damage to the Church’s image,” Patricia Briel concludes.

(Source: DICI) Cardinal Christoph Schönborn

Chartres to Paris Traditional Pilgrimage 2010 (France)

Every year, the SSPX makes a pilgrimage around Pentecost. This year, the pilgrimage took place from May 22-24. It began with a Mass outside Chartres Cathedral and ended with Mass outside of Sacré-Coeur in Paris.

It is one of the largest pilgrimages run by the Society, attracting thousands of people all over the world every year. These include pilgrims from America, England, Australia, and other places. Most Districts organize their own chapters. By Pentecost Monday, in Paris, the crowd often counts as many as 10,000 people.

150,000 Italians Express Their Support for the Pope

On May 16th, after having just recited the Regina Caeli prayer from the window of his apartments, the Pope thanked the faithful for coming with “enthusiasm” from all over Italy to give this “beautiful and spontaneous demonstration of faith and solidarity.” Benedict XVI also thanked them for their affection and their closeness to the Pope and the priests.

“The true enemy to be feared and to fight is sin, spiritual evil, which sometimes, unfortunately, also affects members of the Church,” Benedict XVI reminded them. “We Christians do not fear the world, even if we must protect ourselves from its seductions. . . On the other hand, we must fear sin and therefore we must be strongly rooted in God, united in goodness, in love and in service,” he added, speaking in front of this large crowd which he compared to the one he encountered several days before during his pilgrimage to Fatima.

Indeed, in spite of dubious weather, there were at least 150,000 people who came from all over Italy at the request of the National Consultative Council of Lay Associations with the support of the Italian Episcopal Conference. Families and students mixed with members of Catholic Action, the Community of Saint Egidio and the “Communion and Liberation” and Charismatic Renewal movements. A few days before in Portugal, the Pope had praised in an unusual way the role of the movements and new ecclesial communities as manifestations of a “new springtime” of the Church.

(Source: DICI)