Remember you are dust...

In case anyone missed it, today was Ash Wednesday. I'm thinking of the elevator episode from earlier (see twitter)

Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.

I was fortunate enough to attend Mass at St. Peter's in downtown today during lunch for the observance and was pleased to hear that Mr. Husey and a number of members of the gallery choir were going to attend the liturgy with a selection of sacred music befitting the occasion - including Allegri's: Miserere Meis, Deus.

Please enjoy the Miserere as performed by Kings College Choir,

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Bishop-elect who said Katrina was the fault of 'Gays' withdraws consideration

H/t to Damien Thompson for posting this.

Actually everyone on both sides of the ideological divide - except the right wing nutters - are pretty relieved over this news. His appointment a few weeks ago slipped in between two other controversies, that of the SSPX rehabilitations and the Legionary of Christ Scandal.

The AP article on the request for withdrawl can be found here. It's now only to see if the Pope actually accepts it.

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The Catholic Church has it's own Jaba the Hagee & no it's not Pope Benedict

Boy the Pope just can't catch a break. Whispers in the Loggia is reporting that the Vatican has another Kerfuffle on it's hands. The Pope appointed a new Auxillary Bishop of the Diocese of Linz Austria - which has been called Europe's most "Librul" diocese. The new Bish: Fr Gerhard Wagner, irony abounds when you consider the views of the famous musician with the same last name.

The AP reports that,

In 2005, Wagner was quoted in a parish newsletter as saying that he was convinced that the death and destruction of Hurricane Katrina earlier that year was "divine retribution" for New Orleans' tolerance of homosexuals and laid-back sexual attitudes....

It said the newsletter quoted Wagner as saying that Katrina destroyed not only nightclubs and brothels in New Orleans, but also abortion clinics.

"The conditions of immorality in this city are indescribable," Wagner was quoted as
saying.

Rocco goes on to quote another source Inquirer.net which said,

Wagner, 54... first gained notice in 2001 when he described J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter novels -- which take place in a witchcraft and wizardry school -- as "satanism" and warned against the magical spells and formulas used in the novels.After the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005, he again commented: "It's no coincidence that in New Orleans all five abortion clinics as well as night clubs were destroyed."And he asked: "Is the noticeable rise in natural disasters a consequence of environmental pollution or rather of spiritual pollution?"

These pontifications, believe it or not, precede remarks that influential Evangelical Pastor John Hagee said on NPR's Fresh Air in September of 2006 about Katrina being the fault of Gays.

Somehow I doubt there will be apologies and back peddling from Herr Papst for these remarks unlike the more publicised, and yes arguably deplorable, remarks of Bishop Williamson. But it still says a lot.

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POTD: Pretty In Pink, Advent Reflection III

Priests attend a mass for the university students in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican December 11, 2008.
REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

It's Guadete Sunday which is why the priests are wearing rose vestments, they get pissed when you say pink. Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday in Advent called so because the first word to the introit of the Mass is... you guessed it, Gaudete, which means rejoice! It marks the mid point of Advent and according to Catholic Encyclopedia,

In both Office and Mass throughout Advent continual reference is made to our Lord's second coming, and this is emphasized on the third Sunday by the additional signs of gladness permitted on that day. Gaudete Sunday is further marked by a new Invitatory, the Church no longer inviting the faithful to adore merely "The Lord who is to come", but calling upon them to worship and hail with joy "The Lord who is now nigh and close at hand". The Nocturn lessons from the Prophecy of Isaias describe the Lord's coming and the blessings that will result from it, and the antiphons at vespers re-echo the prophetic promises. The joy of expectation is emphasized by the constant Alleluias, which occur in both Office and Mass throughout the entire season.
In the Mass, the Introit "Gaudete in Domino semper" strikes the same note, and gives its name to the day. The Epistle again incites us to rejoicing, and bids us repare to meet the coming Saviour with prayers and supplication and thanksgiving, whilst the Gospel, the words of St. John Baptist, warns us that the Lamb of God is even now in our midst, though we appear to know Him not.

Today is also the day that the Vatican officially lit its Christmas Tree - as the Gospel and nature of Gaudete Sunday prescribes. The Light of the world is coming, we can look on the lights of Christmas and the glimmer and hint at the much brighter light that is Jesus. But as huge as a miracle and intervention as the birth of Christ (which we anticipate and celebrate in this and the Christmas Season), we are reminded that rhetorical flourishes aside, he did not appear, but was born of a woman. He was not born in a royal palace attended by servants and senators - but was born in a stall attended by barnyard animals and a few shepherds. You know how the rest of the reflection goes... so Gaudete in Domino semper - rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice (Philippians 4:4).

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Archbishop Raymond Burke just messed himself over this one

Catholics for Obama were the first folks state side to pick up the story. An African Archbishop said if he were an American he would vote for Barack Obama. His statements came as he attended and lectured at the Synod of Bishops in Rome.

Sully directs us to NCRcafe who first reported and Rocco who fleshes it out in analysis and context (worth the read). The money quotes as sully points out,

“Of course I believe that abortion is wrong, that it’s killing innocent life,” he said. “I also believe, however, that those who are against abortion should be consistent.

“If my choice is between a person who makes room for abortion, but who is really pro-life in terms of justice in the world, peace in the world, I will prefer him to somebody who doesn’t support abortion but who is driving millions of people in the world to death,” Onaiyekan said.

“It’s a whole package, and you never get a politician who will please you in everything,” he said. “You always have to pick and choose.”

I could never put it any clearer to my brothers and sisters in the faith.

Of course the usual suspects on the right have already been quick to dismiss the Archbishop as a communist in the comboxs while their leaders remain silent on the issue though Archbishop Burke, formerly of St. Louis and as the title suggests, may be upset with the African Prelate for undermining his best efforts to equate the democratic party (candidate) with death (evil).

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Remembering Cardinal Newman

The Times of London has digitized the soon to be Saint's obituary from August 20, 1890. We don't write obits as we used to - it's unfortunate because such writing is an artform unto itself. But check it out, it's well worth the read. Via the Times Archive Blog.

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Challenge: Compare and Contrast

Anyone want to take on and compare/contrast the following two (3) statements?

From Pope Benedict:

"Today, nations once rich in faith and vocations are losing their own identity, under the harmful and destructive influence of a certain modern culture," said Benedict, who has been pushing for religion to be given more room in society. (Huff Po 10/5/08)

-and -

Benedict says that "now with the collapse of big banks we see that money disappears, is nothing and all these things that appear real are in fact of secondary importance." He urges those who build their lives "only on things that are visible, such as success, career, money" to keep that in mind. Benedict says "the only solid reality is the word of God." (Yahoo 10/06/08)

and from a member of Al-Qaida

"The enemies of Islam are facing a crushing defeat, which is beginning to manifest itself in the expanding crisis their economy is experiencing," said Gadahn, in a clip of the message distributed by the SITE Intelligence Group, a Washington-based monitor of militant Web sites.
"A crisis whose primary cause, in addition to the abortive and unsustainable crusades they are waging in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, is their turning their backs on Allah's revealed laws, which forbid interest-bearing transactions, exploitation, greed and injustice in all its forms." (Yahoo 10/06/08)

There's the obvious difference in tonality - one, Benedict's, is a stern warning made out of charity, the other, Gadahn's, is vitriolic and made out of hateful glee. The challenge is to get beyond the tonality and into the substance of both. Two phrases stuck out immediately to me, "turning their backs on Allah's (God's) revealed laws," and "the only solid reality is the Word of God."

I can't help but understand that they're drawing from the same anagogic well, if you'll allow the image, in their criticisms of the financial crisis however differently they express it.

Any other takers? No responses will be turned away.

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Quote of the day: faith and reason

A document prepared for the meeting rejects a fundamentalist approach to the Bible and said a key challenge was to clarify for the faithful the relationship of scripture to science

- AP, Pope Slams Modern Societies

 for Godlessness

While the MSM was focused on the Pope's warnings about the increasing Godlessness of modern society they casually burried within the article the most important nugget of information which would seem to salve the wounds and, pardon the pun, build bridges between secularism and faith.

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Vatican Rejects 'Gay' Ambassador

Getty Images

Pope Benedict has rejected Sarko's appointment of Ambassador -- rumor has it because he's openly gay and in a relationship. The diplomat in question is one Jean-Loup Kuhn-Delforge, former ambassador to Bulgaria, head of the Consular Affairs Directorate, and outspoken critic of the Iraq War.

Rightly or wrongly these rejections have outraged secularists and liberals across the pond and even in our own back yard as Sullivan bemoans the fact that the Pope won't simply consider his professional qualifications irregardless of his personal proclivities.

But Msr. Kuhn-Delforge isn't the first Ambassador to be rejected by the Vatican. Recently the Vatican rejected an appointee from Argentina, Alberto Iribarne, for being a divorcee. It should be noted that Sarko also considered appointing the noted writer Denis Tillinac also divorced.

The paper El Periodico sums it up best though, (thanks Google Translate and my own tweaking)

The status of divorced or homosexual candidates has emerged as an insurmountable obstacle for Benedict XVI to give them approval.

It is one thing to agree with the "positive secularism" as promoted by Nicolas Sarkozy, but quite another to give his [Benedict's] arm a twist on issues that the German Pope, who during a quarter century he served as guardian of orthodoxy as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, considers essential.

The article goes on to say that the candidates were rejected because they failed to conform to Catholic Morality. This makes sense because both Candidates are themselves ostensibly Catholic, culturally if not in practice.

I wonder if either candidate had been Protestant would they have been rejected outright like these guys? Benedict and his predecessor JPII both have commented, specifically, on the American Ambassadorship in terms of desiring some one more representative of the people - i.e. Protestant. The mores of Protestants, after all, are as diverse as their stylistic theologies. I suppose in those situations the Vatican would have to be very diplomatic. (ducks)

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Quote of the day: Pecunia ex Nihilo

Excuse the bad Latin, and h/t to Dogwood for today's first QOTD.

"This rescue of enormous proportions, which amounts to many times the whole of international aid, cannot but raise a pressing question. How are we able to find funds to save a broken financial system yet remain unable to find the resources necessary to invest in the development of all regions of the world, beginning with the most destitute?"

- Most Rev Archbishop Celestino Migliore,
UN Permanent Observer for the Holy See

Leave it to the Vatican to ask the most profound and overlooked questions.

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Anglican Bishops just got 'served', part II

The Anglican Bishops in synod at Lambeth got blasted again, this time from an unlikely source, one of their stronger allies - the Prefect of the Congregation for Christian Unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper.

Ruth Gledhill is reporting the Cardinal as saying of the Anglican/Catholic dialog towards corporate unity is at an end because of ordination of women to the presbyterate and episcopate.

"Although our dialogue has led to a significant agreement on the idea of priesthood, the ordination of women to the episcopate blocks substantially and finally a possible recognition of Anglican orders by the Catholic Church. We hope for the continuation of a theological dialogue between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church, but the latter development directly undermines our goal and alters the level of what we pursue in dialogue."

Sandro Magister offers some additional insights as Kasper is viewed as not in favour of opening the doors wide to disaffected Anglo-Catholics as well as the full text of his address to the bishops.

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More on the Traditional Anglicans

Damien Thompson has a sensational title up for his latest post,

Ex-Anglican communities to become Catholic, Rome confirms

This post describes an address by the Address by the Archbishop of Newark John J. Myers, ecclesiastical delegate for the Pastoral Provision, which I'm reprinting below.

In 1959, when Good Pope John announced his desire to convene an ecumenical Council, he emphasized that unity among Christians would be a priority for the discussions of the Council Fathers. In the document Unitatis Redintegratio, issued regarding the unity of Christians, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council stated that “the division among Christians is a scandal to all people…and…moved by a desire for the restoration of unity among all the followers of Christ [they] set before all Catholics guidelines…by which all…[could] respond to the grace of [the] divine call [for unity]” Nearly fifty years later the restoration of unity among Christians remains a challenging work for the Church.

The meeting of His Holiness, Pope Paul VI and His Grace, Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury on March 23, 1966 was indeed an historic moment. The Holy Father and the Archbishop committed themselves to the words of St. Paul, “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of high calling of God in Christ Jesus” and thus they inaugurated what we know as the ecumenical dialogue between Roman Catholics and Anglicans.

The dialogue which has taken place over the years has been quite promising at times. The work of the Holy See has been intensive in conversations with the Anglican Communion. Together they have tried to determine what we hold in common and where we agree. The conversations continue because the Catholic Church believes that the Anglican Communion holds a special place in relationship to her.

This relationship was stressed in a homily given on the occasion of the Canonization of the English Martyrs on October 25, 1970 by Pope Paul VI. He said:

"May the blood of these Martyrs be able to heal the great wound inflicted upon God’s Church by reason of the separation of the Anglican Church from the Catholic Church. Is it not one – these Martyrs say to us – the Church founded by Christ? Is not this their witness? Their devotion to their nation gives us the assurance that on the day when – God willing – the unity of the faith and of Christian life is restored, no offence
will be inflicted on the honor and sovereignty of a great country such as England. There will be no seeking to lessen the legitimate prestige and the worthy patrimony of piety and usage proper to the Anglican Church when the Roman Catholic Church – this humble ‘Servant of the Servants of God’ – is able to embrace her ever beloved Sister in the one authentic communion of the family of Christ."

Even though the relationship and dialogue seem strained at times we are obliged to continue to pray and work for unity, to “press toward the mark,” so that the prayer of our Blessed Lord may be realized that all who profess faith in Him may be one.

Until that unity is achieved the Pastoral Provision serves somehow to close the gap. In the mid 1970’s, the tireless efforts of members of the Episcopal Church in the United States, in conversations with the Apostolic Delegate in Washington, D.C. and the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, brought forth the Pastoral Provision. The Provision, although not the work of ecumenism, is a vehicle through which individuals from the Episcopal Church can be reconciled with the Catholic Church and it also recognizes the “worthy patrimony of piety and usage” to which Paul VI referred.

Through the Anglican Use liturgy, individuals from the Episcopal Church who reconcile with Rome have the option to worship in a manner that is familiar to them, which many practiced from childhood, and which has nourished their faith in Jesus Christ. The value of this experience is important. For others, the Use is a welcome place where the beauty of the liturgical action, music, architecture and art enables them to raise their hearts and minds in praise of Almighty God. In some cases the sense of the sacred conveyed in the Anglican Use liturgy has been a vehicle of return for Catholics who had fallen away from the practice of their faith because of liturgical abuses during the implementation of the Novus Ordo. The Holy See, through the work of the Pastoral Provision, recognizes that there is a legitimate historical patrimony of the Anglican Communion.

Pope Gregory the Great sent St. Augustine of Canterbury to evangelize the English at the end of the sixth century. Writing to Augustine, Gregory stated: “You are familiar with the usage of the Roman Church, in which you were brought up. But if you have found customs, whether in the Roman, Gallican, or any other Churches that may be more acceptable to God, I wish you to make a careful selection of them, and teach the Church of the English, which is still young in Faith, whatever you can profitably learn from the various Churches.” Today, some fourteen hundred years after St. Augustine brought Christianity to England, can we not ask the English, or more appropriately those who have preserved the patrimony of the Anglican Communion, whether there is now something to learn from the Anglican tradition?

We are grateful to the Holy See that the Anglican Use liturgy is an approved Use of the Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite. However, at the same time, we must not forget that the Pastoral Provision was given for an indefinite period of time. It is important that we remember this. As Roman Catholics our obedience lies with the Holy See; it lies with the direction that the Holy Father sets for us – for this is the way Christ established His Church – upon Peter. This is a grace for us and we have an obligation to preserve unity within our Church. Catholic faithful who worship according to the Anglican Use must never see themselves as different from other Catholics or somehow privileged among other Christian Communions. We are Catholics together, obedient to the Holy Father, to those bishops in communion with him and ever faithful to Magisterial teaching.

The Church welcomes the Anglican Use liturgy because it protects and encourages the spiritual life of many and allows her faithful to grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ by the customs and traditions which historically were an important part of the Anglican Communion.

England has been a place of fervent Catholic faith and the Anglican Communion inherited that faith. Centuries after St. Augustine brought the Christian faith to England, it was a Wessex-born Anglo-Saxon who became the Apostle of Germany. Our Holy Father, Benedict XVI, publicly expressed his gratitude to the English Christian tradition for the evangelization of his own homeland. Two years before being elected pope, then Cardinal Ratzinger wrote, “Nor can I fail to recall that…Saint Boniface brought the same Christian faith from England to my own forebears in Germany.”

From its earliest days, devotion to the Mother of God always has been an important part of English Catholic life. The tradition of the Holy Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, given to the universal Church through St. Simon Stock, derives from English soil. The famed medieval shrine to Our Lady of Walsingham and its tradition of pilgrimages is deeply rooted in English history and lives again today. The fervent devotion of England to Mary is exemplified poetically and beautifully in the concept of England as “Our Lady’s Dowry,” a devotion that tradition dates to King St. Edward the Confessor.

In the late fourteenth century, Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, reflecting on “Our Lady’s Dowry,” wrote: “The contemplation of the great mystery of the Incarnation has drawn all Christian nations to venerate her from whom came the first beginnings of our redemption. But we English, being the servants of her special inheritance and her own dowry, as we are commonly called, ought to surpass others in the fervor of our praises and devotions.”

It would be a tragedy if these examples of faith and pious devotion were lost to the Church and to the faithful and it would be simplistic to dismiss the tradition. I was awestruck when I first experienced the Anglican Use liturgy at the English College in Rome during a pilgrimage last September. Its beauty was incarnated in the devotion manifested in the exquisite celebration of the Eucharist. I was humbled by the devotion of the faithful and I am encouraged by the fervor of the chapel and parishes that employ the Anglican Use liturgy here in the United States.

The Pastoral Provision has now been in existence for twenty-eight years. I know the journey has not been easy but we continue to persevere with patience. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the chapel and parishes of the Anglican Use. In a particular way, I offer heartfelt congratulations to the congregation of Our Lady of the Atonement Parish on the twenty-fifth anniversary of its establishment as a personal parish of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Yours was the first Anglican Use parish in the United States to be established after the Pastoral Provision came into being. I am certain that Father Christopher Phillips and JoAnn had no idea what was in store for them when they packed their family in a car and headed into the desert. I had always thought that the road to the Promised Land was supposed to lead out of the desert! However, their faith in God and perseverance to do His will has brought life in Christ to this great State of Texas.

A quarter-century ago, Archbishop Flores, trusting in God and praying to the Mother of God, chose August 15th, the solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady, as the day to receive eighteen souls together with their pastor into full communion with the Catholic Church. Mary, Our Mother generously has blessed your efforts over the years. The beautiful Church and the flourishing school of this marvelous parish are ample proof of her bounty and love. All these are signs of what can be accomplished with trust in the Lord, building on faith, constant in prayer and in the desire to do God’s Will.

As the Ecclesiastical Delegate for the Pastoral Provision, I want to express my paternal affection for the people who participate in the liturgy according to the Anglican Use. It has been my honor to serve you as Ecclesiastical Delegate. I have greatly appreciated the work of my assistants, Monsignor William Stetson and Monsignor Robert Wister, and the dedication of all who care for and promote the Use.

Some great strides have been made in the last two years in improving the mechanics of the Pastoral Provision. We are working on expanding the mandate of the Pastoral Provision to include those clergy and faithful of “continuing Anglican communities.” We are striving to increase awareness of our apostolate to Anglican Christians who desire to be reconciled with the Holy See. We have experienced the wonder of several Episcopal bishops entering into full communion with the Catholic Church and we continue to receive requests from priests and laity about the Pastoral Provision. I also take this opportunity to thank the Anglican Use Society for their work under the Pastoral Provision, and for the invitation to address this conference.

I know that some of you experienced difficulty and anxiety at the time you made the decision to leave what was so dear to you when you felt the Lord calling you to come to the Catholic Church. In some regard your journey has been heroic. The Church is enriched by your struggles for our Lord.

John Cardinal Newman, who is numbered among the more famous of former Anglicans to reconcile with Rome, was no stranger to such struggle. He felt he was abandoning family, abandoning friends and colleagues. People and places who were dear to him, full of memories and tradition, speaking the same language of faith – how would it be possible to leave such things?

The struggle is real. The choice is not always easy. However, the Holy See’s allowance of the Anglican Use liturgy for now might help to make the burden a little easier for some to bear. The mark toward which we press as Catholics and as Christians is Jesus Christ. He is our goal and we can only find Him through the Church he founded on Peter. The sentiments which Newman expressed in his poem “Lead Kindly Light” speak eloquently of how we bear the difficulties we experience in our faith lives and the Venerable Newman teaches us that the ultimate goal is Christ and it is His will, not our own, that we seek:

Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home –
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene, - one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blessed me, sure it still
Will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone;
And with the morn these angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

Indeed, we are uncertain of the future and how details will be worked through. Therefore, we can only place our trust in Christ. Only through our prayer will we experience Him leading us, and He is our hope. He is the mark toward which we press. This is why the patrimony of the Anglican Use is so important. It is the way you can touch Christ here on earth.

G.K. Chesterton put his stirrings for conversion in this way; he desired “not a Church that will move with the world but a Church that will move the world.” The goal of finding Christ through His Church.

It is this notion we hold out to society, hoping that those who are confused or misguided may find through Peter, Jesus Christ and His Church.It is a blessing to be here with you today. I ask your prayers as I continue to serve you and together may we assist in some small way, those from the Anglican Communion who seek reconciliation with the See of Peter. May the Light, which is Christ, enable those who are lost in the dark to see through the struggles and challenges of our time. May they know that only Christ can bring them “holy rest and peace at last” .

Please stand and allow me to end with a prayer for the Church that Christians may find peace among themselves and unity in faith and mission.

Let us pray:
Almighty Father, whose blessed Son before his passion prayed for his disciples that they might be one, even as thou and he are one: Grant that thy Church, being bound together in love and obedience to thee, may be united in one body by the one Spirit, that the world may believe in him whom though didst send, the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AMEN.

And while there are interesting overtures made to the Anglican Communion and those disaffected traditionalists, there's nothing concrete or illustrating tacit approval by the Vatican of such an expansion of the 'Use' especially beyond these shores.

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Anglo Catholics and the Path to Rome

With the Church of England approving a measure to ordain women Bishops, many are speculating what the fate of many Anglo-Catholics within the communion will be.

Fr. Dwight Longenecker, himself a former Anglican Clergyman and current pastor in the Diocese of Charleston, is a good resource of practical information on the even more practical implications of said move by the C of E.

Check it out!

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The brick wall on the Third Way

Well, the Church of England, Great Britain's state established church has done it! They've approved of the ordination of Female Bishops, a move only preceded by the Church's American and Australian offshoots.

The Times are reporting that the vote was approximately two to one in favour of ordaining women to the episcopate, but contends that none of the amendments previously discussed by Church leaders to foster havens for traditionalists were passed indicating including "Super Bishops" akin to the churches flying bishops, not to be confused with the flying nun.

The decision led to members warning of the prospect of traditionalists seeking supervision from conservative archbishops in overseas provinces, as conservatives have in the US, after the dispute over gay ordination.

Catholic and evangelical bishops are also understood to have held secret talks in Rome to discuss how to proceed with unity talks once women are ordained, and what, if any, kind of recognition might be granted to Anglo-Catholics by Rome.

This happened in the 70's when the ECUSA, now headed by a woman, ordained the first women priests, many conservative clergy and congregants (though by no means a huge number) swam the Tiber, joining the Roman Catholic Church. A group of commutative Anglo-Catholics known as the TAC have made public their beseechings to the Holy See already.

Ruth Gledhill said in her blog that " If motion failed or was close, would be a sign that no clear unifying ecclesiology existed in the CofE." [sic]

I contend that the vote in favour of the measure has in fact rendered the existence of a unifying ecclesiology, if any ecclesiology, non-existent. The next step for the original "Church of England" is to become as riddled and mired in heterodoxy, schism and increasing irrelevance much as the North American Churches she founded some centuries ago presently are.

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Will Bush Convert?

The Times London has an article on the visit by President Bush with Pope Benedict XVI.

The money quote is the rumours among Italian press corps that W. might swim the Tiber like his pal Mr. Blair did a few months ago.

That's doubtful, but if said conversion were happening, I'm sure members of the Catholic left would be as staunch in their cries for Bush to repent of his support for the war/torture/etc, as their conservative coreligionists were that Blair repent of his pro-choice stances.

The article has an interesting sky news report in Italian (if you know the language, or are familiar with it)

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The Vatican's Ten Commandments of the Environment (Update)

Previously I noted the Vatican had released the list but couldn't find it in English. Well, they've been released according to one source and here they are. BTW they're more guiding principles than they are actual commandments.

1) The Bible lays out the fundamental moral principles of how to affront the ecological question. The human person, made in God's image, is superior to all other earthly creatures, which should in turn be used responsibly. Christ's incarnation and his teachings testify to the value of nature: Nothing that exists in this world is outside the divine plan of creation and redemption.

2) The social teaching of the Church recalls two fundamental points. We should not reduce nature to a mere instrument to be manipulated and exploited. Nor should we make nature an absolute value, or put it above the dignity of the human person.

3) The question of the environment entails the whole planet, as it is a collective good. Our responsibility toward ecology extends to future generations.

4) It is necessary to confirm both the primacy of ethics and the rights of man over technology, thus preserving human dignity. The central point of reference for all scientific and technical applications must be respect for the human person, who in turn should treat the other created beings with respect.

5) Nature must not be regarded as a reality that is divine in itself; therefore, it is not removed from human action. It is, rather, a gift offered by our Creator to the human community, confided to human intelligence and moral responsibility. It follows, then, that it is not illicit to modify the ecosystem, so long as this is done within the context of a respect for its order and beauty, and taking into consideration the utility of every creature.

6) Ecological questions highlight the need to achieve a greater harmony both between measures designed to foment economic development and those directed to preserving the ecology, and between national and international policies. Economic development, moreover, needs to take into consideration the integrity and rhythm of nature, because natural resources are limited. And all economic activity that uses natural resources should also include the costs of safeguarding the environment into the calculations of the overall costs of its activity.

7) Concern for the environment means that we should actively work for the integral development of the poorest regions. The goods of this world have been created by God to be wisely used by all. These goods should be shared, in a just and charitable manner. The principle of the universal destiny of goods offers a fundamental orientation to deal with the complex relationship between ecology and poverty.

8) Collaboration, by means of worldwide agreements, backed up by international law, is necessary to protect the environment. Responsibility toward the environment needs to be implemented in an adequate way at the juridical level. These laws and agreements should be guided by the demands of the common good.

9) Lifestyles should be oriented according to the principles of sobriety, temperance and self-discipline, both at the personal and social levels. People need to escape from the consumer mentality and promote methods of production that respect the created order, as well as satisfying the basic needs of all. This change of lifestyle would be helped by a greater awareness of the interdependence between all the inhabitants of the earth.

10) A spiritual response must be given to environmental questions, inspired by the conviction that creation is a gift that God has placed in the hands of mankind, to be used responsibly and with loving care. People's fundamental orientation toward the created world should be one of gratitude and thankfulness. The world, in fact, leads people back to the mystery of God who has created it and continues to sustain it. If God is forgotten, nature is emptied of its deepest meaning and left impoverished.If, instead, nature is rediscovered in its role as something created, mankind can establish with it a relationship that takes into account its symbolic and mystical dimensions. This would open for mankind a path toward God, creator of the heavens and the earth.

All of these, the Bishop has said, come from the Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church. Did you know you can order a copy of said compendium from the USCCB? Perhaps it would make a good addition to the Mei family library....

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The Vatican's Ten Commandments of the Environment

The Vatican used the opportunity of the first ever Milan Festival for the Environment to issue 10 new commandments in support of the post-modern environmental movement (which excludes environmentalism as a religion: i.e. PETA, Greenpeace, and is quite a bit more pragmatic). I can't find a list of them yet which means it's not been translated from the Italian just yet.

This of course comes after last years proclamation of the 10 Commandments for Driving, and earlier this years expansion of the seven deadlies to include some new ones.

I wonder how long it'll take the MSM to pick this one up...

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Was there really a need to clarify?

"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is. "

- Bill Clinton

According to CNS:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a clarification approved by Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican said its 2005 document prohibiting the admission of homosexuals to the priesthood applies to all types of seminaries.That includes houses of formation run by religious orders and those under the authority of the agencies dealing with missionary territories and Eastern churches, said a statement signed by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state.The two-sentence clarification was published May 17 by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. It came in response to "numerous requests for clarification," the Vatican said.In 2005, after more than eight years of study, the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education issued "Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations With Regard to Persons With Homosexual Tendencies in View of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders."The nine-page instruction said the church cannot allow the priestly ordination of men who are active homosexuals, who have "deep-seated" homosexual tendencies or who support the "gay culture." It urged bishops, major superiors and "all relevant authorities" to make sure the norms were followed.

Two of the three make sense - it would be counter-productive to have a rule of clerical celibacy and make exceptions for homosexuals.

And actively supporting gay culture to a degree is understandable in so far as it would be scandalous for a priest to participate in gay sacramental marriages (that phrase is a complete oxymoron), and to a lesser degree marches or displays of bear behaviour or participating in leather daddy conferences.

The one I suppose I take exception with is the "deep-seated" clause. It seems rather counter productive to force people out of the seminary who have healthily integrated their sexuality into the construct of their being and therefore been able to comply with the same rigors and requirements of not being sexually active as their heterosexual counterparts.

After all it's the pushing back and not discerning appropriate integration that led to much of the scandal over the past few years, and the priesthood - like all "helping" vocations is a huge draw for homosexuals who tend to be (generalisation) programmed for those types of callings.

I suppose in the end it's that need for clarification that should serve as a testament to the fact of my previous statements about "helping" vocations, and to a degree about the need for a comprehensive understanding of appropriate integration of sexuality into ones priestly vocation.

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Mary is my Home Girl

Zenit has an interesting article today on one Cardinal's efforts to have the church recognize a fifth Marian Dogma. Cardinal Topo believes by adding this particular dogmatic pronouncement that it'll benefit ecumenical and inter religious dialogue. So what does the Cardinal propose?

He proposes that Mary be named "the Spiritual Mother of All Humanity, the co-redemptrix with Jesus the redeemer, mediatrix of all graces with Jesus the one mediator, and advocate with Jesus Christ on behalf of the human race."

The good Cardinal's petition is supported by many in the magesterium - many Bishops and Archbishops as well as other Cardinals, but speaking as a laymen, and a convert - while I'm fine with the first statement, Spiritual Mother of All Humanity, the latter statements are going to be difficult pills to swallow. Perhaps its a poor choice of words, or perhaps my own knowledge of Catholicism, certainly lacking compared to the theological depth of Cardinal Topo, limits me from understanding those phrases.

If anything this proposal reminds me of an old joke about The Trinity being in a recession and the Father and Son agreeing that they have to phase out the Holy Spirit. To me declaring Mary the co-redemptrix and co-mediatrix, is taking to much away from the person of Christ and diminishing core Trinitarian values by replacing what is essentially the purpose of the Holy Spirit as font of all blessings (graces).

Perhaps this is the ultimate 'end' of western Christo-centric theology (as developed from the filioque) where we confuse the role of the trinity and seem to promote neo-modalism. Am I completely off? Any takers on elucidating this matter for me? Gashwin? AmP? Amy? St. Lizzy? St. Izzy?

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China and Bibles

Via Gashwin, there's a project afoot that's being allowed by the government in Beijing. The Pope has endorsed it, check out Gashwin's post and consider 1) praying for the project and 2) possibly donating money. $4 is all they need to produce a package of materials including a Bible and a DVD. Consider giving!

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