Monday, February 27, 2012
Pope Benedict’s Twitter Followers Jump 400 Percent in a Single Day
CNA February 24, 2012:
The number of people following Pope Benedict XVI on Twitter has increased 400 percent over the last 24 hours.
On Feb. 23 his account had 2,500 subscribers, but today that figure is at more than 12,500 and is rising.
“It is quite incredible,” said Monsignor Paul Tighe, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, to CNA on Feb. 24.
“And not just the numbers who are now following the Pope’s Tweets but also the number who are then re-Tweeting his message to others. It’s great.”
The dramatic upsurge in interest in the Pope’s Twitter presence coincided with the beginning of Lent on Feb. 22.
On that day, Vatican officials began Tweeting part of the Pope’s Lenten message, an innovation they will continue every day until Easter.
Twitter is an online social networking site that enables users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters. Anyone can sign up to follow the Pope, whose messages are tweeted in English, Italian, Spanish, German and French, via @Pope2YouVatican. Soon they will also be available in Portuguese.
“It’s an important initiative for evangelization and evangelization through communication,” Fr. Paolo Padrini, the coordinator of Pope2You, told CNA.
“The initiative puts the Pope in contact with the people of God and in particular with young people, because Pope2You was created mainly for young people.”
Wednesday’s message told followers; “Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works.” Today’s Tweet explained how Lent is “a time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments.”
Msgr. Tighe says his boss at the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, got it right when he said Twitter is like “a small mustard seed that once scattered grows into bushes where birds can rest.”
The Lenten Twitter campaign is the latest attempt by the Vatican to make the most of social communications.
In June 2011, the social communications council also unveiled an online news service, www.news.va, which Pope Benedict launched with a Tweet. The site now has over 10,000 people using it every day.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) Talks Have Concluded; Papal Decision Due by Summer
Catholic Culture February 22, 2012:
Talks between the Vatican and the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) have reached a conclusion, and Pope Benedict XVI will render a final verdict on the outcome by this summer, according to a Roman news agency.
The I Media agency, citing unnamed sources involved in the talks, reports that after months of talks, “all is currently in the hands of the Pope.” In September, the Vatican presented SSPX leaders with a “doctrinal preamble,” explaining that if the traditionalist group accepted the contents of the document, it could form the introduction to a canonical decree regularizing the status of the SSPX. The group has been separated from Rome since 1988, when its founder, the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated new bishops without permission from Rome. In 2009 Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications that resulted from that act, but the SSPX bishops remain suspended from active ministry. The talks between the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and SSPX representatives have been aimed to end that separation.
Although the contents of the “doctrinal preamble” have not been made public, the Vatican is reportedly seeking an acknowledgement from the SSPX that the teachings of Vatican II are valid. SSPX officials indicated that they were not prepared to accept the document in its original form, but have submitted suggested changes. Pope Benedict will now make a final judgment on whether an agreement is possible, the I Media report indicates.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Clerical Narcissism and Lent
From http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/02/clerical-narcissism-and-lent
Feb 22, 2012
Feb 22, 2012
George Weigel
Since the introduction of the new liturgical texts this past
November, I’ve attended Mass in Australia, California, New York, Rome,
Washington, and Phoenix, and in none of these venues have I detected any
of the calamities confidently predicted by opponents of the new texts.
Not only has there been no visible distress over “consubstantial”; the
People of God seem to have rather quickly and painlessly adjusted to the
changes, so that, three months into the process, it’s a rare “And also
with you” that escapes the lips of an unthinking congregant. In fact,
most of the people who’ve spoken to me about the changes have applauded
them.
Things are not-quite-the-same with priests.
One implicit purpose of the new translations, with their deliberate recovery of a sacral vocabulary and their adoption of a more formal literary rhythm, was to discipline the tendency of priests to turn the Mass into an expression of the celebrant’s personality. The difficulties some priests have had with adjusting to the changes suggests that this tendency was, in fact, a real problem in implementing the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Prominent Catholic psychologist Paul Vitz once wrote of this as a problem of “clerical narcissism,” and while the phrase undoubtedly stings, there’s something to it—something that needs correcting.
At Mass in the cathedral church of a major American city recently, I ran headlong into the problem in a rather striking way. The celebrant in question seemed not to understand that the invitation to the penitential rite is now prescribed, and not a matter for personal chattiness. Having failed to set up the Missal properly before Mass, he nattered on about his difficulty with “new books” while searching for the Collect of the day. He belted out those parts of the Offertory that the Missal prescribes as being said “quietly.” He rearranged several phrases in Eucharistic Prayer II to his liking. And he prefaced the Prayer after Communion with another voluble commentary on the difficulty of finding the right page.
I’m sure the priest in question is not a wicked or ill-intentioned man; he doubtless imagines that he’s making the Mass more user-friendly by taking liberties with the Missal. But, objectively speaking, he’s a prime example of clerical vanity: a man who imagines that his chirpy personality is the key to what Vatican II called the people’s “full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations.” It was neither the time nor the place to challenge this essentially narcissistic assumption after Mass. But had I the opportunity, I would have told this priest, in as kind a way as I could manage, that what he deemed helpful was in fact distracting; that what he thought user-friendly was silly and offensive (as it seemed based on the notion that a congregation of adults would be amused by such shenanigans); and that what he intended as an aid to prayer was in fact an obstacle to prayer and reflection.
Bad habits built up over decades are as hard to break in liturgy as they are in any other facet of life. So it will take awhile for the nobility of the new Mass texts to elicit a similar nobility of manner from celebrants who have acquired bad habits over the years. But as Lent is an appropriate time for addressing bad habits, here’s a suggestion for all priest-celebrants: make a Lenten resolution—This Lent, I will do the red and read the black. Period.
In the Missal, rubrical instructions are in red; the words to be spoken by the celebrant are in black. Priests who simply “do the red and read the black” for the six weeks of Lent will have gone a long way toward breaking bad habits that have become default positions. They will also, I predict, garner a lot of thanks from their congregants, most of whom are quite uninterested in celebrants acting like talk-show hosts.
The point, as always, is not liturgical prissiness. The point is to celebrate the sacred liturgy so that it’s experienced as the participation in the heavenly liturgy that it is.
George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
Things are not-quite-the-same with priests.
One implicit purpose of the new translations, with their deliberate recovery of a sacral vocabulary and their adoption of a more formal literary rhythm, was to discipline the tendency of priests to turn the Mass into an expression of the celebrant’s personality. The difficulties some priests have had with adjusting to the changes suggests that this tendency was, in fact, a real problem in implementing the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Prominent Catholic psychologist Paul Vitz once wrote of this as a problem of “clerical narcissism,” and while the phrase undoubtedly stings, there’s something to it—something that needs correcting.
At Mass in the cathedral church of a major American city recently, I ran headlong into the problem in a rather striking way. The celebrant in question seemed not to understand that the invitation to the penitential rite is now prescribed, and not a matter for personal chattiness. Having failed to set up the Missal properly before Mass, he nattered on about his difficulty with “new books” while searching for the Collect of the day. He belted out those parts of the Offertory that the Missal prescribes as being said “quietly.” He rearranged several phrases in Eucharistic Prayer II to his liking. And he prefaced the Prayer after Communion with another voluble commentary on the difficulty of finding the right page.
I’m sure the priest in question is not a wicked or ill-intentioned man; he doubtless imagines that he’s making the Mass more user-friendly by taking liberties with the Missal. But, objectively speaking, he’s a prime example of clerical vanity: a man who imagines that his chirpy personality is the key to what Vatican II called the people’s “full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations.” It was neither the time nor the place to challenge this essentially narcissistic assumption after Mass. But had I the opportunity, I would have told this priest, in as kind a way as I could manage, that what he deemed helpful was in fact distracting; that what he thought user-friendly was silly and offensive (as it seemed based on the notion that a congregation of adults would be amused by such shenanigans); and that what he intended as an aid to prayer was in fact an obstacle to prayer and reflection.
Bad habits built up over decades are as hard to break in liturgy as they are in any other facet of life. So it will take awhile for the nobility of the new Mass texts to elicit a similar nobility of manner from celebrants who have acquired bad habits over the years. But as Lent is an appropriate time for addressing bad habits, here’s a suggestion for all priest-celebrants: make a Lenten resolution—This Lent, I will do the red and read the black. Period.
In the Missal, rubrical instructions are in red; the words to be spoken by the celebrant are in black. Priests who simply “do the red and read the black” for the six weeks of Lent will have gone a long way toward breaking bad habits that have become default positions. They will also, I predict, garner a lot of thanks from their congregants, most of whom are quite uninterested in celebrants acting like talk-show hosts.
The point, as always, is not liturgical prissiness. The point is to celebrate the sacred liturgy so that it’s experienced as the participation in the heavenly liturgy that it is.
George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Receiving Holy Communion During Lent
A meditation from The Liturgical
Year by Abbot Dom Guéranger,
O.S.B.
Of all the works whereby a Christian can sanctify the time of Lent, there is none so pleasing to God as to assist at the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in which is offered the Victim of man's salvation. But now that his own unworthiness is more than ever evident to him, ought he to abstain from partaking, by holy Communion, of this life-giving and purifying Host? Such is not our Saviour's will. He came down from heaven, not to judge, but to save us (St. John 3:17). He knows how long and rugged is the road we have to traverse, before we reach that happy day, on which we shall rest with Him, in the joy of His Resurrection. He has compassion on us; He fears lest we faint in the way (Mt. 15:32); and He, therefore, offers us the divine food, which gives light and strength to our souls, and refreshes them in their toil. We feel that our hearts are not yet pure enough; let us then, with a humble and contrite heart, go to Him, who has come that he may restore to our souls their original beauty. Let us, at all times, remember the solemn injunction which this Saviour so graciously deigned to give us: 'Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, ye shall not have life in you' (St. John 6:54).
If, therefore, sin has no longer dominion over us; if we have destroyed it by true sorrow and sincere confession, made efficacious by the absolution of God's priest: let us not deprive ourselves of the Bread of life (St. John 6:35), no matter how great soever our infirmities may seem; for it is for us that our Jesus has prepared the feast. If we feel that the chains of sin are still upon us; if by self-examination made with the light of the truth that is now granted to us, we discover in our souls certain stains, which the false principles of the world and too easy a conscience have hitherto made us overlook; let us lose no time, let us make a good confession: and when we have made our peace with the God of mercy, let us approach the holy Table, and receive the pledge of our reconciliation.
Yes, let us go to holy Communion, during this season of Lent, with a most heart-felt conviction of our unworthiness. If may be that hitherto we have sometimes gone with too much familiarity, on account of our not sufficiently understanding our nothingness, our misery, and the infinite holiness of of the God who thus unites Himself with His sinful creatures. Henceforth, our heart shall be more truthful; blending together the two sentiments of humility and confidence, we will say, with an honest conviction, those words of the centurion of the Gospel, which the Church puts upon our lips, when she is distributing to us the Bread of life: 'Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; say but the world, and my souls shall be healed' (Mt. 8:8).
Of all the works whereby a Christian can sanctify the time of Lent, there is none so pleasing to God as to assist at the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in which is offered the Victim of man's salvation. But now that his own unworthiness is more than ever evident to him, ought he to abstain from partaking, by holy Communion, of this life-giving and purifying Host? Such is not our Saviour's will. He came down from heaven, not to judge, but to save us (St. John 3:17). He knows how long and rugged is the road we have to traverse, before we reach that happy day, on which we shall rest with Him, in the joy of His Resurrection. He has compassion on us; He fears lest we faint in the way (Mt. 15:32); and He, therefore, offers us the divine food, which gives light and strength to our souls, and refreshes them in their toil. We feel that our hearts are not yet pure enough; let us then, with a humble and contrite heart, go to Him, who has come that he may restore to our souls their original beauty. Let us, at all times, remember the solemn injunction which this Saviour so graciously deigned to give us: 'Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, ye shall not have life in you' (St. John 6:54).
If, therefore, sin has no longer dominion over us; if we have destroyed it by true sorrow and sincere confession, made efficacious by the absolution of God's priest: let us not deprive ourselves of the Bread of life (St. John 6:35), no matter how great soever our infirmities may seem; for it is for us that our Jesus has prepared the feast. If we feel that the chains of sin are still upon us; if by self-examination made with the light of the truth that is now granted to us, we discover in our souls certain stains, which the false principles of the world and too easy a conscience have hitherto made us overlook; let us lose no time, let us make a good confession: and when we have made our peace with the God of mercy, let us approach the holy Table, and receive the pledge of our reconciliation.
Yes, let us go to holy Communion, during this season of Lent, with a most heart-felt conviction of our unworthiness. If may be that hitherto we have sometimes gone with too much familiarity, on account of our not sufficiently understanding our nothingness, our misery, and the infinite holiness of of the God who thus unites Himself with His sinful creatures. Henceforth, our heart shall be more truthful; blending together the two sentiments of humility and confidence, we will say, with an honest conviction, those words of the centurion of the Gospel, which the Church puts upon our lips, when she is distributing to us the Bread of life: 'Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; say but the world, and my souls shall be healed' (Mt. 8:8).
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Vatican rejects letter revealing plot to kill Pope within a year
Saturday February 11 2012
The Italian daily 'Il Fatto Quotidiano' published an unsigned letter, written in German, which speaks of a "mordkomplott" (death plot ) against Pope Benedict and quotes the Archbishop of Palermo, Paolo Romeo, as predicting that the Pontiff would die within 12 months.
The anonymous missive, dated December 30 and marked "strictly confidential for the Holy Father" claims to report comments made by Cardinal Romeo during a trip to Beijing last year.
It was handed over to the Pope's number two, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, last month, by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos of Colombia. The newspaper does not explain how Cardinal Castrillon came to possess the letter.
But Marco Lillo, the reporter who broke the story, speculated that German was used to convey the information directly to the Pope, who is German, while throwing prying eyes off the scent.
Yesterday Cardinal Romeo denied having made such comments. "It is so outside of reality that it should not be given any consideration," he said.
The Vatican's spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said the report was "so incredible that we cannot comment on it".
"It seems to me something that is so far from reality that I don't even want to address it," Father Lombardi said. "It seems an incredible story and I don't want to comment."
He did not deny the existence of the document, but added that it was "devoid of reality".
It is a well-known fact that Benedict is unpopular among many Church figures. But experts said yesterday the letter was more likely an indication of a plot to cause political mischief than murder.
Robert Mickens, the Rome correspondent of Catholic newspaper 'The Tablet', who has covered the Vatican for more than two decades, was sceptical.
"I rather suspect it is nonsense, written to create even more rancour," he said. "More than anything it's an indication of the ill-feeling there and of the plotting and power struggles."
He noted the anonymous letter may also have been designed to harm the prospects of Angelo Scola, the Archbishop of Milan, one of the leading candidates to succeed the 85-year-old Pontiff.
Resentment
In naming him as the likely successor should the Pope die this year, the writer is likely to have stoked up resentment and enmity against Cardinal Scola.
Veteran Vatican watcher Valerio Gigante of the the Adista religious news website, said: "It's probably been done to hurt the Pope and his secretary of state (Cardinal Bertone). And maybe to hurt Cardinal Scola, too."
Experts said the release of the document could be part of a power struggle within the Vatican administration to try and force Cardinal Bertone to leave.
Cardinal Romeo said Benedict viewed Cardinal Scola as his ideal successor because they had similar personalities and theological outlooks.
Cardinal Scola was previously the Patriarch of Venice, but was promoted to the archbishopric of Milan by Benedict in June last year. (© Independent News Service)
- Michael Day in Rome
Time To Admit It: The Church Has Always Been Right On Birth Control
Secular Business Website posts article supporting Church's Stance
See http://www.businessinsider.com/time-to-admit-it-the-church-has-always-been-right-on-birth-control-2012-2
See http://www.businessinsider.com/time-to-admit-it-the-church-has-always-been-right-on-birth-control-2012-2
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Bishops reject claims made at Rome conference
From http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0209/abuse.html
Irish Catholic bishops have accused a member of the Vatican's investigation team here of grossly misrepresenting the Irish Church's ongoing outreach to clerical child sexual abuse survivors.
A statement from the hierarchy last night rejected comments by Baroness Sheila Hollins at an international conference in Rome on the sexual abuse of children within the Catholic Church.
Psychiatrist Baroness Hollins had remarked that "in Ireland it is said that very few victims have had any counselling or therapy".
Ms Hollins is one of four people appointed by Pope Benedict to investigate abuse in the Archdiocese of Armagh, where she has met dozens of survivors.
The Irish bishops said this grossly misrepresents their - and the religious congregations' - ongoing outreach to survivors.
It said it has supported over 5,000 survivors in 250,000 separate confidential sessions with independent and fully-accredited therapists and other professionals.
The bishops also rejected Ms Hollins' comments that few survivors had received an apology or compensation.
They cited the Dublin Archdiocese, which had a €13.5 million compensation bill, and said many apologies had been given by bishops and congregational leaders to individual victims, groups and wider society.
Irish Catholic bishops have accused a member of the Vatican's investigation team here of grossly misrepresenting the Irish Church's ongoing outreach to clerical child sexual abuse survivors.
A statement from the hierarchy last night rejected comments by Baroness Sheila Hollins at an international conference in Rome on the sexual abuse of children within the Catholic Church.
Psychiatrist Baroness Hollins had remarked that "in Ireland it is said that very few victims have had any counselling or therapy".
Ms Hollins is one of four people appointed by Pope Benedict to investigate abuse in the Archdiocese of Armagh, where she has met dozens of survivors.
The Irish bishops said this grossly misrepresents their - and the religious congregations' - ongoing outreach to survivors.
It said it has supported over 5,000 survivors in 250,000 separate confidential sessions with independent and fully-accredited therapists and other professionals.
The bishops also rejected Ms Hollins' comments that few survivors had received an apology or compensation.
They cited the Dublin Archdiocese, which had a €13.5 million compensation bill, and said many apologies had been given by bishops and congregational leaders to individual victims, groups and wider society.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Gilmore's 'not an inch on Vatican' sparks crisis
From www.independent.ie/national-news/gilmores-not-an-inch-on-vatican-sparks-crisis-3010353.html
THE Government has been plunged into its first crisis after Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore yesterday categorically rejected Fine Gael calls to reverse the decision to close the Irish embassy to the Vatican.
The astonishing row over the Vatican embassy comes on the heels of a series of spats between the coalition over cuts in the Budget, which have led to a significant deterioration of relations between FG and Labour in recent weeks.
Speaking exclusively to this newspaper, the Labour leader has delivered an unequivocal rejection to his coalition partners, saying "no, the decision will not be reversed. It was a government decision".
"I have set out the position as to why it was necessary to do so. It was one of three embassies we closed. Like everyone else, the Department of Foreign Affairs had to cut its cloth to measure."
Mr Gilmore's rejection of the demands from within Fine Gael puts him at odds with reported commitments from Taoiseach Enda Kenny to review the embassy closure. Junior FG minister Lucinda Creighton yesterday said the embassy could be re-opened within two years.
Discontent about the Vatican embassy closure led to a series of dramatic, and sometimes farcical, clashes at a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting last week. During the meeting, over half the TDs called for the re-opening of the embassy.
One of the most surreal moments saw TD Peter Mathews brandish a set of rosary beads at the "secularist members of the party". The meeting became so heated that senior ministers Michael Noonan and James Reilly had to intervene to calm the mood.
Mr Noonan stressed "Enda's credentials as a sound Catholic" and at one point claimed that "he is a better Catholic than myself".
Fine Gael figures were united in the demand that the Vatican embassy would be re-opened and soon.
The clash of ideologies between the parties has intensified since Budget day, and with such strong division lines being drawn between the parties on "non-critical" issues like the Vatican embassy, several senior ministers have now begun to question the ability of the Government to last the full term.
Yesterday a senior Fine Gael figure told the Sunday Independent: "I can see us getting one more Budget through, but I can't see us getting a third one through such is the feuding and in-fighting going on at the moment."
Speaking yesterday, Mr Gilmore as Foreign Minister in the eye of the storm made it clear that despite the Fine Gael calls, the decision to close the Vatican embassy is final.
"We have appointed a secretary-general in my department as ambassador as a non-resident. He will service it from Dublin. The decision to close the embassy and not to have an ambassador in residence is not going to be reversed," he added.
And Mr Gilmore is not alone in his opposition to such a review. Labour Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin has this weekend also ruled out any reversal of the decision.
Mr Gilmore denied that the decision to close the embassy was related to his Government's criticism -- a criticism led by Taoiseach Enda Kenny -- of the Vatican's role in the Cloyne Report into child sexual abuse or that it was part of any "anti-Catholic" agenda within his own party.
He also said that if the Vatican relaxed its rules to allow countries to use their embassies to Italy to also facilitate their relations with the Holy See, then the matter could be re-examined.
"The other issue that comes into play here is the refusal of the Vatican to allow countries to use their embassy to Italy as their embassy to the Vatican. So we have had to maintain two residences, two staffs. If the Vatican relaxes its view on that then we can relook at the arrangements then."
In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Mr Howlin also rejected any suggestion of reversing the decision to close the embassy. "It was a government decision, taken by all of Government in the context of the Budget, so it doesn't arise."
The closure of the Vatican embassy, cuts to small rural schools and cuts to various welfare benefits are the central issues in the war between the two coalition partners.
At the heated Fine Gael meeting on Wednesday, Mr Kenny reassured Fine Gael backbenchers that the decision to close down Ireland's Vatican embassy would be reviewed.
Mr Kenny told the meeting of his personal good relations with the Catholic Church.
"The real threat to the Government is that rows between the alternative sets of back-benchers will spark a political crisis that can only be resolved by an election," one minister said of the dispute.
Dublin Labour TD Aodhan O Riordain yesterday apologised for his apparent support of a proposal that senior public servants be screened to ensure they do not show "inappropriate deference to the Catholic Church".
He claimed the proposal came from within his constituency organisation and he did not read it before submitting it for inclusion at the party's upcoming conference. His apparent support for such a proposal drew the ire of party colleagues.
Sunday February 05 2012
The astonishing row over the Vatican embassy comes on the heels of a series of spats between the coalition over cuts in the Budget, which have led to a significant deterioration of relations between FG and Labour in recent weeks.
Speaking exclusively to this newspaper, the Labour leader has delivered an unequivocal rejection to his coalition partners, saying "no, the decision will not be reversed. It was a government decision".
"I have set out the position as to why it was necessary to do so. It was one of three embassies we closed. Like everyone else, the Department of Foreign Affairs had to cut its cloth to measure."
Mr Gilmore's rejection of the demands from within Fine Gael puts him at odds with reported commitments from Taoiseach Enda Kenny to review the embassy closure. Junior FG minister Lucinda Creighton yesterday said the embassy could be re-opened within two years.
Discontent about the Vatican embassy closure led to a series of dramatic, and sometimes farcical, clashes at a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting last week. During the meeting, over half the TDs called for the re-opening of the embassy.
One of the most surreal moments saw TD Peter Mathews brandish a set of rosary beads at the "secularist members of the party". The meeting became so heated that senior ministers Michael Noonan and James Reilly had to intervene to calm the mood.
Mr Noonan stressed "Enda's credentials as a sound Catholic" and at one point claimed that "he is a better Catholic than myself".
Fine Gael figures were united in the demand that the Vatican embassy would be re-opened and soon.
The clash of ideologies between the parties has intensified since Budget day, and with such strong division lines being drawn between the parties on "non-critical" issues like the Vatican embassy, several senior ministers have now begun to question the ability of the Government to last the full term.
Yesterday a senior Fine Gael figure told the Sunday Independent: "I can see us getting one more Budget through, but I can't see us getting a third one through such is the feuding and in-fighting going on at the moment."
Speaking yesterday, Mr Gilmore as Foreign Minister in the eye of the storm made it clear that despite the Fine Gael calls, the decision to close the Vatican embassy is final.
"We have appointed a secretary-general in my department as ambassador as a non-resident. He will service it from Dublin. The decision to close the embassy and not to have an ambassador in residence is not going to be reversed," he added.
And Mr Gilmore is not alone in his opposition to such a review. Labour Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin has this weekend also ruled out any reversal of the decision.
Mr Gilmore denied that the decision to close the embassy was related to his Government's criticism -- a criticism led by Taoiseach Enda Kenny -- of the Vatican's role in the Cloyne Report into child sexual abuse or that it was part of any "anti-Catholic" agenda within his own party.
He also said that if the Vatican relaxed its rules to allow countries to use their embassies to Italy to also facilitate their relations with the Holy See, then the matter could be re-examined.
"The other issue that comes into play here is the refusal of the Vatican to allow countries to use their embassy to Italy as their embassy to the Vatican. So we have had to maintain two residences, two staffs. If the Vatican relaxes its view on that then we can relook at the arrangements then."
In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Mr Howlin also rejected any suggestion of reversing the decision to close the embassy. "It was a government decision, taken by all of Government in the context of the Budget, so it doesn't arise."
The closure of the Vatican embassy, cuts to small rural schools and cuts to various welfare benefits are the central issues in the war between the two coalition partners.
At the heated Fine Gael meeting on Wednesday, Mr Kenny reassured Fine Gael backbenchers that the decision to close down Ireland's Vatican embassy would be reviewed.
Mr Kenny told the meeting of his personal good relations with the Catholic Church.
"The real threat to the Government is that rows between the alternative sets of back-benchers will spark a political crisis that can only be resolved by an election," one minister said of the dispute.
Dublin Labour TD Aodhan O Riordain yesterday apologised for his apparent support of a proposal that senior public servants be screened to ensure they do not show "inappropriate deference to the Catholic Church".
He claimed the proposal came from within his constituency organisation and he did not read it before submitting it for inclusion at the party's upcoming conference. His apparent support for such a proposal drew the ire of party colleagues.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Benedict XVI performed exorcism in St Peter’s Square, claims priest
From http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2012/02/03/benedict-xvi-performed-exorcism-in-st-peters-square-claims-priest/
Benedict XVI cured two men of demonic possession when he blessed them in St Peter’s Square, a leading exorcist has claimed.
Fr Gabriele Amorth said that when the Pope blessed the men they “flew three metres backwards” and “howled no longer”.
In extracts from a new book, published yesterday by Panorama magazine in Italy, Fr Amorth explained that incident occurred when the men, known only as Giovanni and Marco, attended a general audience.
When the Pope appeared, Fr Amorth said, according to AFP: “The two possessed men fell to the floor and banged their heads on the ground. The Swiss guards watched but did nothing; perhaps they have seen how the possessed react when faced by the Pope before?
“The Pope began to wave to the crowd and Giovanni and Marco started to howl, drool, shake and fly into a rage.
“The possessed were then hit by a wild jolt, their whole bodies were hit. They flew three metres backwards … and howled no longer.”
Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi denied that the Pope had performed an exorcism.
“Even if the facts are true, it’s not correct to talk about an exorcism by the Pope, who was not warned or aware of their presence,” he said.
Fr Amorth made a similar claim about Blessed Pope John Paul II. In 2000, he said that the late pope performed an impromptu exorcism on a a teenage girl at the end of an audience in St Peter’s Square. The Vatican’s press office declined to comment on the claim at the time.
Benedict XVI cured two men of demonic possession when he blessed them in St Peter’s Square, a leading exorcist has claimed.
Fr Gabriele Amorth said that when the Pope blessed the men they “flew three metres backwards” and “howled no longer”.
In extracts from a new book, published yesterday by Panorama magazine in Italy, Fr Amorth explained that incident occurred when the men, known only as Giovanni and Marco, attended a general audience.
When the Pope appeared, Fr Amorth said, according to AFP: “The two possessed men fell to the floor and banged their heads on the ground. The Swiss guards watched but did nothing; perhaps they have seen how the possessed react when faced by the Pope before?
“The Pope began to wave to the crowd and Giovanni and Marco started to howl, drool, shake and fly into a rage.
“The possessed were then hit by a wild jolt, their whole bodies were hit. They flew three metres backwards … and howled no longer.”
Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi denied that the Pope had performed an exorcism.
“Even if the facts are true, it’s not correct to talk about an exorcism by the Pope, who was not warned or aware of their presence,” he said.
Fr Amorth made a similar claim about Blessed Pope John Paul II. In 2000, he said that the late pope performed an impromptu exorcism on a a teenage girl at the end of an audience in St Peter’s Square. The Vatican’s press office declined to comment on the claim at the time.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
How to Make a St Brigid's Cross
From http://fisheaters.com/stbrigidscross.html
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