December 2009 Print

Beginning of the Doctrinal Discussions Between Rome and the Society of Saint Pius X

On Monday, October 26, from 9:30am until 12:30pm, at the Palace of the Holy Office, the first doctrinal meeting between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X took place. Late in the morning, the Vatican Press Office issued a press release, and a little later a correction about the bimonthly rhythm of the next meetings and not semimonthly as it was erroneously announced previously. In the press release, we can note that the list of “the questions of a doctrinal character which must be dealt with and discussed” omits none of the theological problems which raise difficulties: “the notion of Tradition, the Missal of Paul VI, the interpretation of the Second Vatican Council in continuity with the Catholic doctrinal Tradition, the themes of the unity of the Church and of the Catholic principles of ecumenism, the relationship between Christianity and non-Christian religions, and religious liberty.”

One point of agreement has already been reached: the observance of full discretion regarding these works, which could not be done in the frenzy so dear to the media. In fact, at the end of the meeting, the participants went to lunch without making any declaration to some ten journalists waiting for them outside. The only exclusive “revelation” reported by the Vatican observer for Il Giornale, Andrea Tornielli, was that the theologians were henceforth to “work actively, using the Internet to exchange their viewpoints” until the next meeting, scheduled after the Christmas season. Likewise, La Repubblica thought it was making a scoop by revealing that, during this first meeting, the criticism which has been made by the Society of Saint Pius X about religious liberty and the relations of the Church with non-Christian religions for more than 40 years came under discussion.

When he met with journalists in the middle of the day, Fr. Federico Lombardi, head of the Holy See Press Office, declared: “At last, competent and authorized persons discussed doctrinal questions.” In his opinion, this first meeting and the next are guided by a “spirit of trust.” (DICI, No. 204)

In the Press

For lack of direct information, journalists are reduced to conjecture and surmise–or even to imagine. Some are noteworthy for their interesting creativity.

The ex-journalist of Le Monde, Henri Tincq, already sees the dusk encroaching on traditionalists: “No one is unaware of the crumbling state of integrist Catholic circles today.…As years went by, integrist dissidence became a pitiful prey to the deviations customary to any sectarian small group” (Slate.fr, October 25, 2009). Except he forgets that he wrote the contrary last year: “The ‘Tradis’ are still there. Mainly French at the beginning–because of the nationality of Archbishop Lefebvre and the tensions about the modern liturgy in the Hexagon [France--Ed.]–the phenomenon became worldwide.…The seminaries of the Society of St. Pius X, the hard core of the schism, have spread to Germany, Australia, the United States (Minnesota) and Latin America. The generations of priests (some 500) which were trained in them, and the faithful (600,000 according to Vatican sources) are being renewed. They are settled in more than 30 countries. The typically European model of an authoritarian Church, unyielding, anti-ecumenical and anti-modern, dominated by the figure of the holy priest in charge of all that is sacred, became an exported product” (Le Monde, July 2, 2008).

The Swiss agency Apic spoke of doctrinal discussions which might last for years or even a century: “Confirming a widely spread impression within the Roman Curia, the Superior of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, recently said that, in his opinion, these discussions might be long and might even last ‘perhaps a century.’ ” (Apic, October 15, repeated in the October 23 issue under the header: “Years or even a century of discussions?”). This quotation, taken out of its context, is to be found in the interview granted by Bishop Fellay in South Africa on September 15: “We have to be realistic. The return, the restoration of the Church will take time. The crisis which is hitting the Church has touched every aspect of the Christian life. To get out of this situation will take more than one generation of constant effort in the right direction. Maybe a century.” It is not a matter here of the theological discussions, but of the solution of the crisis which is shaking the Church, and about which, shortly before his election, Cardinal Ratzinger acknowledged that it was “like a boat taking in water from every side.” Concerning the length of the discussions themselves, in the same interview Bishop Fellay merely answered: “I have simply no idea about the length of the discussions. It certainly will depend also on the expectations of Rome. They may last quite a while. Because the topics are vast.” (See integral text of the interview in DICI, No. 203.)

Better informed, the journalist in charge of religious matters in Le Figaro, Jean-Marie Guénois, recalled the points that the Society wants to be brought up during the discussions and indicated the principles which would guide the Roman experts: “Concretely, what are they going to talk about? Three weeks ago, in South Africa, Bishop Fellay on a visit to the Society houses there summed up the issues causing ‘difficulty’: ‘Religious liberty, ecumenism, collegiality’ and ‘the influence of modern philosophy, the liturgical novelties, the spirit of the world and its influence upon the modern thinking holding sway in the Church.’ A vast program which does not frighten the Roman negotiators. On their part, they rather rejoice that ‘at long last’–there has been no such official dealings since 1988–they will be able to know ‘the official’ position of the Society of St. Pius X concerning all these questions which arose from the Second Vatican Council. They will no longer have it second hand through the many viewpoints given by so and so.

“From very reliable sources, it is added that three principles will guide the talks. The first deals with ‘the hermeneutic of continuity’ and not of ‘rupture’ with tradition desired by Benedict XVI for the interpretation of Vatican II. And here there is ‘a point of convergence’ regarding this will of the Church’s reconciliation with her own past. The second principle is more problematic: Rome considers the deposit of the faith ‘as a whole.’ It does not accept ‘a pick and choose’ attitude among the teachings of the last council. The third principle will certainly be decisive: it is a matter of ‘turning back to the letter of the Second Vatican Council and not to its spirit.’ Plainly speaking, it means working on the original texts and not on their interpretations or simplifications… Consequently, it will be a kind of rereading of the council, during which the experts would clarify the ‘meaning of the terms’ or the ‘ambiguities’ so often denounced by the Lefebvrites” (Le Figaro, October 20, 2009).

Lithuania: Bishops Denounce Bill to Make Divorce Easier

The Catholic bishops of Lithuania have criticized a bill aiming at making the procedure for divorce easier, stating that this would only increase the number of broken marriages in a country where the divorce rate is already one of the highest in Europe. Indeed, according to the latest statistics, in Lithuania, half of all marriages end in divorce. In this small country of 3.5 million people, 80% of the population is Catholic.

“Marriage and the family are values which are protected by the Constitution. The juridical relationships created by marriage are the foundation of the State and of society,” the bishops wrote in an open letter addressed to the Department of Justice, the Parliament, and the government on September 11.

“Consequently, the State ought not to favor procedures which simplify the break-up of marriages but should rather come to the help of couples so as to maintain and support the family.” They denounce an attitude which fosters “the idea that the State seeks to ‘reduce’ marriage to the level of arbitrary private relationships.” They reaffirm that “marriage is always a mutual commitment for a lifetime. To foster and protect it contributes not only to the well-being of the spouses but also of the society at large.”

According to the Department of Justice, the bill aims at getting rid of “superfluous red tape procedures,” thus making it possible to “reduce the overload for the tribunals” dealing with divorce cases.

(Source: DICI

)

Italy: Benedict XVI to Visit Roman Synagogue on January 17, 2010

On October 13, the Press Office of the Holy See announced that Pope Benedict XVI would visit the synagogue of Rome on the afternoon of Sunday, January 17, 2010, “on the occasion of the 21st Day for the Development and Deepening of Dialogue between Catholics and Jews.” For the Jews, January 17 corresponds with the day in 1793 when their co-religionists evaded “the fury of the Roman people” who accused the ghetto of being at the origin of revolutionary movements arriving from France, said the Press Office. On this occasion the Pope will meet the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, as well as the Rome’s Jewish community.

Benedict XVI will be following in the footsteps of his predecessor John Paul II, who made a visit to the Synagogue on April 13, 1986, becoming the first pope to enter a synagogue since the earliest days of the Church. On that occasion, he told the Jews that they were the “beloved brothers” and the “elder brothers” of Catholics.

(Source: DICI)

Switzerland: Muslims Seek Official State Recognition

The desire for official recognition has been expressed by the Islamic community in the Canton of Lucerne, in which reside 14,000 Muslims, according to the daily Neue Luzerner Zeitung of September 11. In fact, the new cantonal Constitution opens up the possibility for non-Christian religious communities to be recognized as official churches. They would be granted certain rights, such as that of collecting taxes from their members. The Islamic Community of Lucerne (IGL) is looking forward to seize this opportunity in order to ensure a better integration and to carry out their responsibilities. “Muslims want to be part of Lucerne society, not remain in the background,” said Petrit Alimi, the vice-president of IGL. With these taxes, the work of IGL could become professional and the community would have financial resources at its disposal for social projects.

At this moment, only the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Catholic Christian Churches have the benefit of official recognition. Among the conditions imposed on non-Christian communities in order to be recognized by the state, are: a democratic organization, open accountability, and equality of the sexes as far as public law is concerned. Any eventual recognition must first be approved by the Cantonal parliament. If necessary, it is also possible that such a bill would have to be put to an obligatory referendum. In the current discussion on this article of the Lucerne Constitution, a proposal has been put forward to this effect.

Following the Muslims, the Serbian Orthodox and Tamil Hindu communities have also expressed an interest in having official recognition in the canton of Lucerne.

(Source: DICI

)

Germany: Catholic Church Laments Continued Decline in Number of Faithful

On September 21 in Bonn, the German Bishops’ Conference announced that 121,155 Catholics left the Church in 2008. This rise in the number of people leaving the Church follows the trend of recent years: 84,389 in 2006 and then 93,667 in 2007.

The statistics show a simultaneous fall in the number of new entries into the Church and of persons returning to the Church. In 2008 returns to the Church totaled 9,546, compared with 10,207 in 2007 and 10,823 in 2006. At the same time, the number of new entries fell to 4,388 in 2008 compared with 4,881 in the previous year.

Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, president of the German Bishops’ Conference and the archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau, described the statistics as “distressing.” He declared himself unable to explain the reasons for them. This phenomenon needs to be analyzed, he said. These figures obviously have an effect on the taxes collected by the Church in Germany. The prelate anticipated a 10% fall in revenue.

Thus, the Catholic Church had 25.18 million faithful in 2008, that is, 280,000 fewer members than in the previous year. In the same period, the number of parishes and chaplaincies fell from 12,265 to 12,080. Last year, 48,841 couples were married in the Church, which is 552 fewer than in 2007. The number of religious funerals rose by 5,300 to 256,735.

The Society of St. Pius X gave an explanation for the increase in the number of people leaving the Church in Germany. The district superior, Fr. Franz Schmidberger, condemned “the terrible banality of the Faith, the low profile of the Church in Germany, the aggressive advance of secularism, and the lack of missionary zeal in large parts of the hierarchy.” In fact, “Catholics with a strong faith do not turn their back on the Church during periods of economic and financial crisis,” he said in a message issued on September 24. But, “no bishop in Germany has come up with a program for winning back those who no longer practice or have left the Church, nor organized any diocesan catechesis in accordance with the true Faith. Duplicity and cowardice in place of a new evangelization are the order of the day. Thus the process of erosion will continue,” explained Fr. Schmidberger.

Furthermore, during their autumn meeting at Fulda, the German Bishops’ Conference spent an entire day looking into its commitment to Islam. On September 25 Archbishop Zollitsch said that he was in favor of training German-speaking Islamic teachers for work in the religious domain. This would constitute an important phase with regard to the integration of Muslims and interreligious harmony in the Federal Republic, said the President of the Bishops’ Conference. Such an initiative would also help to combat the use of religion for political or economic interests, he added, while regretting that at an international level, there continued to be painful barriers to dialogue. For it is not rare to see this exchange refused to Christians, he admitted, mentioning Turkey and some African countries. In spite of everything, the German prelate felt that the Church must make sure that there were sufficient competent speakers available in the domain of interreligious dialogue.

(Source: DICI)

Vatican Voices Its Opposition to Replacement of Religion Classes in School

The Congregation for Catholic Education addressed a Circular Letter to the presidents of Bishops’ Conferences worldwide concerning religious education in schools. Dated May 5, the letter was published on September 9. Indeed, the Congregation “deemed it necessary to recall some principles that are rooted in Church teaching, as clarification and instruction about the role of schools in the Catholic formation of young people, about the nature and identity of the Catholic school, about religious educations in schools, and about the freedom of choice of school and confessional religious education.”

Thus, Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski and Archbishop Jean Louis Brugues, O.P., respectively prefect and secretary of this dicastery, observe in this long letter that “the nature and role of religious education in schools has become the object of debate. In some cases, it is now the object of new civil regulations, which tend to replace religious education with teaching about the religious phenomenon in a multi-denominational sense, or about religious ethics and culture–even in a way that contrasts with the choices and educational aims that parents and the Church intend for the formation of young people,” lament the prelates in this document available in five languages on the Vatican web site.

The document specifies that “religious liberty is the basis and guarantee of the presence of religious education in State-run schools.” And they add: “If religious education is limited to a presentation of the different religions, in a comparative and (so-called–Ed.) ‘neutral’ way, it creates confusion and generates religious relativism or indifferentism.” “For these reasons, it is for the Church to establish the authentic contents of Catholic religious education in schools. This guarantees, for both parents and the pupils themselves, that the education presented as Catholic is indeed authentic.” “For her part, the Church, exercising the diakonia [service] of truth in the midst of humanity, offers to each generation the revelation of God from which it can learn the ultimate truth about life and the end of history,” the Congregation for Catholic Education concludes.

This Roman document raises once more the question of the conciliation of religious liberty with the teaching of the Catholic Faith. The Conciliar Declaration on Religious Liberty has substituted the human person for revealed divine truth, thus paralyzing the Church in advance by depriving her interventions in the social sphere of any authority. Consequently, as John Paul II declared before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, in 1988: in this situation, “confronted with this diversity of viewpoints, the noblest function of the law consists in guaranteeing equally to all citizens the right to live in agreement with their consciences.” With such a principle how can we fight against the confusion, relativism, and indifferentism, which do not fail to stem from a religious education limited to an exposition of the various religions precisely because it intends to be in agreement with the conscience of everyone?

(Source: DICI

)

Open Letter to the Pope about Sacred Art and Architecture

On November 5, 2009, a group of Catholic artists, writers, and philosophers released an Open Letter to Pope Benedict XVI concerning a restoration of a “healthy relationship between art and the Catholic Church.” Among the signatories were Martin Mosebach, author of The Heresy of Formlessness, Enrico Radaelli, a disciple of Romano Amerio, and Duncan Stroik, the famous American Catholic architect. Some selections from their letter:

“Architecture and sacred art have spread through the followers of the famous masters, but have in the modern age been virtually prohibited among modern architects and in architectural education. The Church has a great patrimony of architectural forms and historical styles–Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, and Classical–that are all unified in their common goal of expressing the sacramental realities expressed in Scripture that the Church is the Body of Christ, the Heavenly Jerusalem, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Mountain of the Lord, and so forth. Various ages have sought to expresses these sacramental ideas, and have produced an extraordinary body of sacred architecture, valued for its artistic, architectural, and religious merit due to a positive ‘imitative’ process.

“Maybe in the arts devoted to the service of worship, music is the strongest, for that constant ‘catechetical’ meaning which the Magisterium has constantly recognized, and also the more delicate because, by its nature and unlike the other arts, requires a tertium medium between the author and the viewer, or the interpreter. For this reason the Catholic Church should take better care of the music than of other arts and should, as happened in the past, encourage the education of both authors and interpreters: for surely today the effort is much more difficult than in the Middle Ages, the Baroque period, or in the 19th century, since society is completely secularized. However today a clear knowledge of the fundamentals is needed so that the musicians–once endowed with the needed expertise–can recover the sensus Ecclesiæ together with the sensus Fidei....

“We beseech you, Holy Father, to read in our heartfelt appeal our most pressing concern for the appalling conditions of contemporary sacred art and sacred architecture, as well as a modest and most humble request for your help so that sacred art and architecture can once again be truly Catholic. This so that the faithful can again enjoy the sense of wonder and rejoice once again at the presence of the beauty in God’s House. This so that the Church can once more regain her rightful place, in this era of irrational, mundane, and malforming barbarism, as a true and attentive promoter and custodian of an art that is both new and truly ‘original’: an art that today as always flowers in every age of progress, which reflowers from its ancient roots and eternal origin, faithful to the most intimate sense of Beauty that shines in the Truth of Christ.”

(Source: Angelus Press)

A Film about Archbishop Lefebvre

Everything has been said or written about Abp. Marcel Lefebvre, the founder of the Society of St. Pius X, sometimes quasi exhaustively, as in the magnificent biography devoted to him by Bishop Tissier de Mallerais; sometimes tendentiously or critically, by those who cannot tolerate the oneness of Truth; and sometimes unfairly or selectively by those who sift the texts because they reject the very idea that Rome might one day agree to “renew all things in Christ.”

For its part, the District of France plans to make a documentary on the life of this surprising bishop, sometimes called “the Rebel Bishop,” who once was the Apostolic Delegate of the great Pope Pius XII, Archbishop of Dakar, Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers, and an active participant in the Second Vatican Council all at the same time.

Why a film? Because in the Age of the Audio-visual and the Internet, it has become urgent to make known to the younger generation by means of a channel familiar to them how a single man was able to take a stand against the powers that be: the power of the majority, the power of money, and the power of the politically and religiously correct.

Why this film? To put the events back in context. To honor Archbishop Lefebvre and to do him justice. To make more widely known the extraordinary love of the Church lived daily by a Catholic priest.

The project has obtained the support and encouragement of Bishop Bernard Fellay, who granted all the necessary authorizations for its production. All the archives have been opened to us, and we plan to interview the bishops, priests, and friendly communities who had the good luck to know Archbishop Lefebvre. We are also going to interview the members of the Archbishop’s family still living and all the laity who would like to cooperate in this epoch-making event.

Needless to say, a project like this involves some expense, even if many contributors offer their services. So I invite you to participate either by placing at our disposition any documents you may have, or by making a donation to the Association de Défense du Patrimoine Chrétien [ADPC], our partner on this project.

To get an idea of the inspiring enterprise this documentary represents, please visit the trailer [“Bande Annonce”] on the movie’s web site, www.monseigneurlefebvre.org.

(Source: La Porte Latine)