Pope tweets in Latin leaving many followers in the dark

From http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/pope-tweets-in-latin-leaving-many-followers-in-the-dark/story-e6frep26-1226558026455

 THE POPE tweeted in Latin for the first time yesterday - drawing a blank response from many followers who don't speak the dead language.
"Unitati christifidelium integre studentes quid iubet Dominus? Orare semper, iustitiam factitare, amare probitatem, humiles Secum ambulare," he wrote for his Latin handle @Pontifex-ln.
This translates as "What does the Lord command to those wholly eager for the unity of those following Christ? To always pray, to continually do justice, to love uprightness, to walk humbly with Him", according to University of Cambridge scholar Tamer Nawar.
The tweet urges his followers to pray always for the reunification of Christian churches, the BBC reports. The Orthodox church has been split from Rome for a millennium and Protestants parted ways with the Vatican in the 16th century.

But Pope Benedict's message left many Twitter users baffled, with one writing "Benny, nobody understands a word of Latin!"
The Pontiff personally approves the messages that are tweeted in his name in nine languages to his 2.5 million followers and his handle name - Pontifex- means "builder of bridges" in Latin. With just over 5,000 followers, the Pope's Latin Twitter account has the smallest following of all his profiles.
The 85-year-old joined the social media phenomenon a month ago and reportedly beat teen heartthrob Justin Bieber to set a new record for the percentage of his followers who re-tweeted his first Twitter missive, Reuters reported. The Vatican told Reuters that 50 per cent of the Pope's followers re-tweeted his first December 12 message while only 0.7 per cent of the 18-year-old singer's followers re-tweeted his most popular tweet.
Benedict's Latin tweet reflect his keen desire to revive a language that has been phased out in the four decades since Catholic masses have been said in other languages. In November he set up a new department at the Vatican to study and promote Latin.
The Vatican daily L'Osservatore Romano claimed the dead language is perfect for Twitter's 140-characater messages and suits Pope Benedict's aim to use the medium to "reach out to everyone".

Social networks need more logic, love and less ranting, says Pope

From http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/01/24/social-networks-need-more-logic-love-and-less-ranting-says-pope/

Social media need to promote more logic, kindness and Christian witness than bluster, star-status and division, Pope Benedict XVI has said.

Given that the online world exposes people to a wider range of opinions and beliefs, people need to accept the existence of these other cultures, “be enriched by it” and offer others what “they possess that is good, true and beautiful”, the Pope said.
Christians are called to bring truth and values to the whole world – online and off – remembering that it is ultimately the power of God’s word that touches hearts, not sheer human effort, he said in his message for World Communications Day.
The theme of the 2013 celebration – marked in most dioceses the Sunday before Pentecost, this year May 12 – is “Social Networks: Portals of Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelisation”. The papal message was released on the feast of St Francis de Sales, patron of journalists, January 24.
Social media “need the commitment of all who are conscious of the value of dialogue, reasoned debate and logical argumentation”, the Pope said.
Social forums need to be used wisely and well, which means fostering balanced and respectful dialogue and debate, he said, and paying special attention to “privacy, responsibility and truthfulness”.
Too often, popularity – garnered either from fame or strategic powers of persuasion – determines the “significance and effectiveness” of online communication, not “intrinsic importance or value”, he said.
Catholics can “show their authenticity” by sharing their hope and joy, and its source in Jesus Christ. Catholics also should give witness by the way they live their lives and how their “choices, preferences and judgments” are fully consistent with the Gospel, he added.
Mgr Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, told reporters during a briefing that the Pope is asking everyone to take responsibility for creating a more humane culture online by being respectful, honest and contributing to the growth and wellbeing of individuals and society through social networks.
Very often in new media “the more provocative I am, the more strident, the more extreme I am in my views, the more attention I get”, he said. But, he said, the Pope “is calling for the importance of the quiet voice of reason; we need moderation, reason and logic otherwise our debates are going nowhere”.
Archbishop Claudio Celli, the council’s president, said even Catholic sites and forums can be plagued by an aggressive and divisive atmosphere.
“The problem isn’t so much displaying straightforward fidelity to particular dogmatic statements of the faith,” he said. The problem is how to best show God’s mercy and love, which is often more credibly and effectively done with actions and not just words, he argued.
“I knew my mother and father loved me not because they showered me with solemn declarations, but because they let me experience first-hand what it means to be loved,” the archbishop said.
The same needs to happen in the realm of faith, because what humanity needs more than anything is to experience first-hand God’s love and mercy, he said.
In his message, the Pope said: “Dialogue and debate can also flourish and grow when we converse with and take seriously people whose ideas are different from our own.”
Social networks are an important place for people of faith to reach out to others “by patiently and respectfully engaging their questions and their doubts as they advance in their search for the truth and the meaning of human existence”, the Pope said.
If evangelising is to bear fruit, he said, people need to remember that “it is always because of the power of the word of God itself to touch hearts, prior to any of our own efforts.”
The level of debate can be toned down and sensationalism avoided when people begin to put more trust in the power of God’s work “than any confidence we place in human means,” he said.
“We need to trust in the fact that the basic human desire to love and to be loved, and to find meaning and truth – a desire which God himself has placed in the heart of every man and woman – keeps our contemporaries ever open to … the ‘kindly light’ of faith,” Pope Benedict said.
He also reminded people to use online networks to invite others into a faith community, religious celebrations and pilgrimages – “elements which are always important in the journey of faith”.

Cardinal: If Lefebvre had seen proper Mass, he may not have split

Rome, Italy, Jan 18, 2013 (CNA).

According to a Spanish cardinal, the superior general of the Society of St. Pius X once said that if the group's leader had seen the Mass celebrated properly, he may not have broken off from the Church.

Cardinal Antonio Canizares, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, made this statement on Jan. 15 in response to questions from reporters after he delivered an address on Vatican II at the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See.

“On one occasion,” Cardinal Canizares recalled, “Bishop (Bernard) Fellay, who is the leader of the Society of St. Pius X, came to see me and said, ‘We just came from an abbey that is near Florence.  If Archbishop (Marcel) Lefebvre had seen how they celebrated there, he would not have taken the step that he did.’”
“The missal used at that celebration was the Paul VI Missal in its strictest form,” the cardinal added.

The Paul VI Missal contains the ordinary form of the Mass promulgated after the Second Vatican Council and is one of the points of contention that led to the schism with the Society of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Lefebvre.

The Lefebvrists have insisted on continuing to celebrate the Mass according to the missal promulgated by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

Cardinal Canizares later spoke with a reduced number of reporters and further amplified his remarks about the Lefebrvists and the Paul VI Missal.

He elaborated on the idea that if the schismatic archbishop had seen the new Mass celebrated properly and reverently, he may not have rejected it.

“Even the followers of the Society of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Lefebvre, when they participate in a Mass that is properly celebrated, say, ‘If things were this way everywhere there would have been no need for what happened’ and for what really caused this separation,” he said.

The cardinal went on to explain that Vatican II offered more than simply changes.

“If offers a vision of the liturgy in continuity with the entire Tradition of the Church and the theological reflection it makes about the liturgy,” he said. “The changes are a consequence of this theological reflection within ecclesial Tradition.”

To show that the liturgy should not be a cause for division, Pope Benedict XVI published the Motu Propio “Summorum Pontificum” in 2007 to establish universal use of the 1962 missal.

The Holy Father has taken several other steps towards reconciliation with the Society of St. Pius X. 
On Jan. 21, 2009, he lifted the excommunications imposed on the four bishops ordained by Lefebfvre in 1988, including Bernard Fellay.

In doing so, however, he stressed that they should give “full recognition to the Second Vatican Council,” as well as to the magisteriums of the popes after Pius XII as a condition for full communion.

In addition, Pope Benedict XVI gave the society the chance to end the schism in 2011 by accepting a doctrinal preamble.

In 2012, the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei,” charged with the ongoing dialogue with the Society of St. Pius X, announced that the society had requested “addition time for reflection and study” of the proposed preamble.

Vigil for Life: Over 30,000 people gather to oppose introduction of abortion legislation

Pope Benedict appoints new head of the Irish Catholic Church

See http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2013/01/18/after-abuse-scandal-pope-benedict-appoints-new-head-of-the-irish-catholic-church/

Gay marriage could signal return to ‘centuries of persecution’,

From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9795680/Gay-marriage-could-signal-return-to-centuries-of-persecution-say-1000-Catholic-priests.html

In one of the biggest joint letters of its type ever written, they raise fears that their freedom to practise and speak about their faith will be “severely” limited and dismiss Government reassurances as "meaningless".

They even liken David Cameron’s moves to redefine marriage to those of Henry VIII, whose efforts to secure a divorce from Katherine of Aragon triggered centuries of bloody upheaval between church and state.

They claim that, taken in combination with equalities laws and other legal restraints, the Coalition's plans will prevent Catholics and other Christians who work in schools, charities and other public bodies speaking freely about their beliefs on the meaning of marriage.

Even the freedom to speak from the pulpit could be under threat, they claim.

And they fear that Christians who believe in the traditional meaning of marriage would effectively be excluded from some jobs – just as Catholics were barred from many professions from the Reformation until the 19th Century.

The comments are contained in a letter to The Daily Telegraph, signed by 1,054 priests as well as 13 bishops, abbots and other senior Catholic figures.
They account for almost a quarer of all Catholic priests in England and Wales.
It comes as opponents of gay marriage launch a lobbying campaign targeting MPs in 65 of the most marginal seats.
The Coalition is due to publish its Equal Marriage Bill, allowing couples of the same sex to wed at the end of this month.
Legal opinions commissioned by opponents have argued that teachers could face disciplinary measures under equality laws if they refuse to promote same-sex marriage once the change has been implemented.
Hospital, prison and army chaplains could also face challenges if they preach on marriage being between a man and a woman, it is claimed.
Until 1829 Catholics and other religious dissenters in Britain and Ireland were barred from entering many professions or, in many cases, even meeting to worship under a body of restrictions collectively known as the penal laws.
The priests write: “After centuries of persecution, Catholics have, in recent times, been able to be members of the professions and participate fully in the life of this country.
“Legislation for same sex marriage, should it be enacted, will have many legal consequences, severely restricting the ability of Catholics to teach the truth about marriage in their schools, charitable institutions or places of worship.
“It is meaningless to argue that Catholics and others may still teach their beliefs about marriage in schools and other arenas if they are also expected to uphold the opposite view at the same time.”
Arguing that marriage as traditionally understood is “the foundation and basic building block of our society”, they add: “We urge Members of Parliament not to be afraid to reject this legislation now that its consequences are more clear.”
Last night the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Philip Egan, one of the signatories, insisted that the comparison with the penal laws was “dramatic” but not an exaggeration.
“It is quite Orwellian to try to redefine marriage,” he said.
“This is strong language but something like this totalitarian.
“I am very anxious that when we are preaching in Church or teaching in our Catholic Schools or witnessing to the Christian faith of what marriage is that we are not going to be able to do it – that we could be arrested for being bigots or homophobes.”
Rev Dr Andrew Pinsent, a leading Oxford University theologian, who also signed the letter, said: “We are very sensitive to this historically because of course the reformation started in England as a matter of marriage.
“Henry VIII could have been forgiven for his adultery but he didn’t want to do that, he wanted to control marriage and redefine what was a marriage and wasn’t.
“Because the Church would not concede that point, that launched three centuries of great upheaval in English society, and from the Catholic point of view life was very difficult.
“We fear that what is happening now is that a network of laws are being put in place which would violate our freedom of conscience.”
He added: “I think people in the Westminster bubble have underestimated the level of concern in the country – at a local level there is great concern about these things.”
In recent weeks the Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, and several other leading Catholics in Britain have stepped up their attacks on David Cameron’s plans, echoing concern in a series of pronouncements from Pope Benedict.
But the letter is the first large scale protest initiated by local priests.
Rev Mark Swires, one of the organisers, said it had taken weeks to compile the signatures but that it showed the strength of opinion in the pews.
“This is a grass roots initiative by priests, it isn’t an initiative by the hierarchy of the church.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The Government’s proposals for equal marriage do not change anything about teaching in schools.
“Teachers will continue to be able to express their own personal beliefs about marriage.
“Schools have a requirement to ensure they do not teach anything that would be considered inappropriate to a pupil’s age, religious or cultural background and they must ensure pupils are presented with balanced, factual information about the nature and importance of marriage for family life and bringing up children.
“This will not change.”

11 Reasons the Authority of Christianity Is Centered on St. Peter and Rome

St. Peter's List December 19, 2012:

Bl. John Henry Newman said it best: “To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.” History paints an overwhelming picture of St. Peter’s apostolic ministry in Rome and this is confirmed by a multitude of different sources within the Early Church. Catholic Encyclopedia states, “In opposition to this distinct and unanimous testimony of early Christendom, some few Protestant historians have attempted in recent times to set aside the residence and death of Peter at Rome as legendary. These attempts have resulted in complete failure.” Protestantism as a whole seeks to divorce Christianity from history by rending Gospel message out of its historical context as captured by our Early Church Fathers. One such target of these heresies is to devalue St. Peter and to twist the authority of Rome into a historical mishap within Christianity. To wit, the belief has as its end the ultimate end of all Catholic and Protestant dialogue – who has authority in Christianity?
Why is it important to defend the tradition of St. Peter and Rome?
The importance of establishing St. Peter’s ministry in Rome may be boiled down to authority and more specifically the historic existence and continuance of the Office of Vicar held by St. Peter.
The rest of the list is cited from the Catholic Encyclopedia on St. Peter and represents only a small fraction of the evidence set therein.

The Apostolic Primacy of St. Peter and Rome

It is an indisputably established historical fact that St. Peter laboured in Rome during the last portion of his life, and there ended his earthly course by martyrdom. As to the duration of his Apostolic activity in the Roman capital, the continuity or otherwise of his residence there, the details and success of his labours, and the chronology of his arrival and death, all these questions are uncertain, and can be solved only on hypotheses more or less well-founded. The essential fact is that Peter died at Rome: this constitutes the historical foundation of the claim of the Bishops of Rome to the Apostolic Primacy of Peter.
St. Peter’s residence and death in Rome are established beyond contention as historical facts by a series of distinct testimonies extending from the end of the first to the end of the second centuries, and issuing from several lands.

1. The Gospel of St. John

That the manner, and therefore the place of his death, must have been known in widely extended Christian circles at the end of the first century is clear from the remark introduced into the Gospel of St. John concerning Christ’s prophecy that Peter was bound to Him and would be led whither he would not — “And this he said, signifying by what death he should glorify God”(John 21:18-19, see above). Such a remark presupposes in the readers of the Fourth Gospel a knowledge of the death of Peter.

2. Salutations, from Babylon

St. Peter’s First Epistle was written almost undoubtedly from Rome, since the salutation at the end reads: “The church that is in Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you: and so doth my son Mark” (5:13). Babylon must here be identified with the Roman capital; since Babylon on the Euphrates, which lay in ruins, or New Babylon (Seleucia) on the Tigris, or the Egyptian Babylon near Memphis, or Jerusalem cannot be meant, the reference must be to Rome, the only city which is called Babylon elsewhere in ancient Christian literature (Revelation 17:5; 18:10; “Oracula Sibyl.”, V, verses 143 and 159, ed. Geffcken, Leipzig, 1902, 111).

3. Gospel of St. Mark

From Bishop Papias of Hierapolis and Clement of Alexandria, who both appeal to the testimony of the old presbyters (i.e., the disciples of the Apostles), we learn that Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome at the request of the Roman Christians, who desired a written memorial of the doctrine preached to them by St. Peter and his disciples (Eusebius, Church History II.15, 3.40, 6.14); this is confirmed by Irenaeus (Against Heresies 3.1). In connection with this information concerning the Gospel of St. Mark, Eusebius, relying perhaps on an earlier source, says that Peter described Rome figuratively as Babylon in his First Epistle.

4. Testimony of Pope St. Clement I

Another testimony concerning the martyrdom of Peter and Paul is supplied by Clement of Rome in his Epistle to the Corinthians (written about A.D. 95-97), wherein he says (chapter 5):
“Through zeal and cunning the greatest and most righteous supports [of the Church] have suffered persecution and been warred to death. Let us place before our eyes the good Apostles — St. Peter, who in consequence of unjust zeal, suffered not one or two, but numerous miseries, and, having thus given testimony (martyresas), has entered the merited place of glory”.
He then mentions Paul and a number of elect, who were assembled with the others and suffered martyrdom “among us” (en hemin, i.e., among the Romans, the meaning that the expression also bears in chapter 4). He is speaking undoubtedly, as the whole passage proves, of the Neronian persecution, and thus refers the martyrdom of Peter and Paul to that epoch.

5. Testimony of St. Ignatius of Antioch

In his letter written at the beginning of the second century (before 117), while being brought to Rome for martyrdom, the venerable Bishop Ignatius of Antioch endeavours by every means to restrain the Roman Christians from striving for his pardon, remarking: “I issue you no commands, like Peter and Paul: they were Apostles, while I am but a captive” (Epistle to the Romans 4). The meaning of this remark must be that the two Apostles laboured personally in Rome, and with Apostolic authority preached the Gospel there.

6. Taught in the Same Place in Italy

Bishop Dionysius of Corinth, in his letter to the Roman Church in the time of Pope Soter (165-74), says:
“You have therefore by your urgent exhortation bound close together the sowing of Peter and Paul at Rome and Corinth. For both planted the seed of the Gospel also in Corinth, and together instructed us, just as they likewise taught in the same place in Italy and at the same time suffered martyrdom” (in Eusebius, Church History II.25).

7. Rome: Founded by Sts. Peter and Paul

Irenaeus of Lyons, a native of Asia Minor and a disciple of Polycarp of Smyrna (a disciple of St. John), passed a considerable time in Rome shortly after the middle of the second century, and then proceeded to Lyons, where he became bishop in 177; he described the Roman Church as the most prominent and chief preserver of the Apostolic tradition, as “the greatest and most ancient church, known by all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul” (Against Heresies 3.3; cf. 3.1). He thus makes use of the universally known and recognized fact of the Apostolic activity of Peter and Paul in Rome, to find therein a proof from tradition against the heretics.

8. St. Peter Announced the Word of God in Rome

In his “Hypotyposes” (Eusebius, Church History IV.14), Clement of Alexandria, teacher in the catechetical school of that city from about 190, says on the strength of the tradition of the presbyters: “After Peter had announced the Word of God in Rome and preached the Gospel in the spirit of God, the multitude of hearers requested Mark, who had long accompanied Peter on all his journeys, to write down what the Apostles had preached to them” (see above).

9. Rome: Where Authority is Ever Within Reach

Like Irenaeus, Tertullian appeals, in his writings against heretics, to the proof afforded by the Apostolic labours of Peter and Paul in Rome of the truth of ecclesiastical tradition. In De Præscriptione 36, he says:
“If thou art near Italy, thou hast Rome where authority is ever within reach. How fortunate is this Church for which the Apostles have poured out their whole teaching with their blood, where Peter has emulated the Passion of the Lord, where Paul was crowned with the death of John.”
In Scorpiace 15, he also speaks of Peter’s crucifixion. “The budding faith Nero first made bloody in Rome. There Peter was girded by another, since he was bound to the cross”. As an illustration that it was immaterial with what water baptism is administered, he states in his book (On Baptism 5) that there is “no difference between that with which John baptized in the Jordan and that with which Peter baptized in the Tiber”; and against Marcion he appeals to the testimony of the Roman Christians, “to whom Peter and Paul have bequeathed the Gospel sealed with their blood” (Against Marcion 4.5).

10. Come to the Vatican and See for Yourself

The Roman, Caius, who lived in Rome in the time of Pope Zephyrinus (198-217), wrote in his “Dialogue with Proclus” (in Eusebius, Church History II.25) directed against the Montanists: “But I can show the trophies of the Apostles. If you care to go to the Vatican or to the road to Ostia, thou shalt find the trophies of those who have founded this Church”.
By the trophies (tropaia) Eusebius understands the graves of the Apostles, but his view is opposed by modern investigators who believe that the place of execution is meant. For our purpose it is immaterial which opinion is correct, as the testimony retains its full value in either case. At any rate the place of execution and burial of both were close together; St. Peter, who was executed on the Vatican, received also his burial there. Eusebius also refers to “the inscription of the names of Peter and Paul, which have been preserved to the present day on the burial-places there” (i.e. at Rome).

11. Ancient Epigraphic Memorial

There thus existed in Rome an ancient epigraphic memorial commemorating the death of the Apostles. The obscure notice in the Muratorian Fragment (“Lucas optime theofile conprindit quia sub praesentia eius singula gerebantur sicuti et semote passionem petri evidenter declarat”, ed. Preuschen, Tübingen, 1910, p. 29) also presupposes an ancient definite tradition concerning Peter’s death in Rome.
The apocryphal Acts of St. Peter and the Acts of Sts. Peter and Paul likewise belong to the series of testimonies of the death of the two Apostles in Rome.

Keep Ireland Prolife

See http://www.pledgeprolife.com/

Calling Jews 'enemies' is 'unacceptable,' Vatican spokesman says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) 

The Catholic Church remains committed to deepening its relations with Jews and finds it "absolutely unacceptable" to consider the Jewish people as enemies, the Vatican spokesman said.

"It is absolutely unacceptable, impossible, to define the Jews as enemies of the church," Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi said.

In an audio recording posted on YouTube Dec. 30, the head of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X called the Jewish people "enemies of the church," saying Jewish leaders' support of the Second Vatican Council "shows that Vatican II is their thing, not the church's."

Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the society, said those most opposed to the church granting canonical recognition to the traditionalist society have been "the enemies of the church: the Jews, the Masons, the modernists."

The remarks were made during a nearly two-hour talk Dec. 28 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy in New Hamburg, Ontario.

While the society's Swiss headquarters did not respond to a Catholic News Service email request Jan. 4 for comment, the society's U.S. district published a press release on its website Jan. 5.

"The word 'enemies' used here by Bishop Fellay is of course a religious concept and refers to any group or religious sect which opposes the mission of the Catholic Church and her efforts to fulfill it: the salvation of souls," it said.

The group said, "this religious context" is based on Jesus telling the Pharisees in the Gospel of St. Matthew: "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."

"By referring to the Jews, Bishop Fellay's comment was aimed at the leaders of Jewish organizations, and not the Jewish people," the statement said, adding that any accusations of the society being anti-Semitic were false and an example of "hate speech made in an attempt to silence its message."

Father Lombardi told CNS that the Second Vatican Council document "Nostra Aetate," as well as many papal speeches and Vatican initiatives, reflected the church's continued, firm support "of dialogue and deepening relations" with the Jewish people. "Nostra Aetate" described Christians and Jews as having a common heritage and a profound spiritual bond, and denounced any form of contempt of the Jews.

Pope Benedict XVI's visits to the Western Wall in Jerusalem and synagogues in Cologne, New York and Rome also represent "very significant gestures of the church's good relations and dialogue with Jews," the spokesman said.

In his talk, Bishop Fellay spoke about the society's three years of discussions with the Vatican over the society's future and explained how he interpreted behind-the-scenes communications about the talks.

Apparently speaking without a text, the bishop said he has been receiving mixed messages from the Vatican for years over if and how the group might be brought back into full communion with the church.

He claimed that top Vatican officials told him not to be discouraged by official statements from the Vatican, because they did not reflect Pope Benedict's true feelings.

Pope Benedict launched a series of doctrinal discussions with the SSPX in 2009, lifting excommunications imposed on its four bishops, who were ordained in 1988 without papal approval, and expressing his hopes they would return to full communion with the church.

In 2011, the Vatican gave SSPX leaders a "doctrinal preamble" to sign that outlines principles and criteria necessary to guarantee fidelity to the church and its teaching; the Vatican said the SSPX leaders would have to sign it to move toward full reconciliation.

But Bishop Fellay said he repeatedly told the Vatican that the contents of the preamble -- particularly acceptance of the modern Mass and the council as expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church -- were unacceptable.

He said the only reason he continued discussions with Vatican officials was because others "very close to the pope" had assured him that the pope was not in agreement with hard-line official pronouncements from the Vatican.

According to Bishop Fellay, retired Colombian Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, then-president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei," the office responsible for relations with traditionalist Catholics, had told him in March 2009 that the society would be formally recognized.

When the bishop asked how that could be possible when recognition hinged on accepting the teachings of Vatican II, he said the cardinal replied that such a requirement was only "political" and "administrative" and that, "by the way, that is not what the pope thinks."

Bishop Fellay said he continued to get similar messages from other Vatican officials, even as the formal talks continued. The verbal and written messages were very credible, he said, because they came from officials who saw the pope "every day or every two days."

He said he wouldn't give names, but he did claim "the secretary of the pope himself" was among those who told him not to worry too much about hard-line Vatican positions.

Even if the doctrinal congregation ruled against the society, he claimed the secretary told him, the pope "will overrule it in favor of the society."

"So, you see, I got all of these kinds of messages which were not fitting together," Bishop Fellay said.

The unofficial assurances were what kept him engaged in talks, he said, since the Vatican's official demands, which carried the pope's approval, "would mean the end of our relation with Rome."

Bishop Fellay said Pope Benedict wrote to him, emphasizing that full recognition required the society accept the magisterium as the judge of what is tradition, accept the council as an integral part of tradition and accept that the modern Mass is valid and licit.

Bishop Fellay said, "Even in the council there are some things we accept," as well as reject, however, the group wishes to be free to say, "there are errors in the council" and that "the new Mass is evil."

The group will not accept reconciliation if it means no longer being able to make such pronouncements, he said.

Coptic Leaders Say Egypt’s Constitution ‘Prepares the Way for Islamic Caliphate’

Catholic Herald January 7, 2013:

Egypt’s new constitution “prepares the way for an Islamic caliphate”, according to the acting leader of Coptic Catholics, who is among three bishops to condemn the document as a fundamental attack on human rights.
The bishops expressed their profound disappointment with the constitution signed into law on December 26, saying only extremist Muslims’ rights were guaranteed by the new document and that at particular risk were women, young people and religious minorities.
Bishop Kyrillos William, administrator of the Coptic Catholic Patriarchate of Alexandria, said: “We were waiting for a constitution that represents the whole of Egypt but instead we have one that only represents one group of people.
“We can see that the religious orientation of this constitution prepares the way for an Islamic caliphate.”
Bishop William was among three Coptic Catholic bishops, including Bishop Joannes Zakaria of Luxor and Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina of Giza, who told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need that the constitution was a threat to civil liberties.
Bishop William said: “Everywhere in the constitution there are clauses saying everything should be in accordance with Islamic law.
“The president [Mohammed Morsi] promised to build a civic, modern and democratic state but we do not think that this constitution is in any way in accordance with that.”
Among the bishops, there was concern that the constitution would force non-Muslim women to wear Islamic headscarves and would legitimise the marriage of under-age girls.
The bishops said that, apparently in line with Sharia law, the constitution permits women who are “sexually mature” to marry, which they said strongly implies acceptance of teenage marriages.
Bishop Zakaria said: “The Islamists want to apply Sharia law especially with regard to women. It is very bad for women and very bad for non-Muslims in society.”
Bishop Aziz said the constitution was “not good news” and “does not take into consideration human rights for all”. He said it implicitly sanctions child labour, only warning against forcing youngsters to do work that is too demanding for them.
Citing Article 219, Bishop William said: “The constitution not only outlines the principles of Sharia but describes in detail all of the values and opinions contained in the Sharia. It will be terrible – everything will be interpreted according to Sharia.”
The bishops said this heavy insistence on Sharia undermined the credibility of Article 3 in the constitution which asserts the rights of Christians and Jews as well as Muslims.
Bishop Zakaria said: “It was already hard to get permission to repair a church in [former] President Mubarak’s time, now it will be ever harder.
“But it will be much worse for Shiite Muslims, Baha’is, Buddhists and others who are not even recognised in the constitution.”
Both Bishop William and Bishop Aziz accused the government of severe electoral malpractice in last month’s constitution referendum, saying that with a voter turnout of only 33 per cent the president had no right to pass it into law.
Bishop William referred to reports that ballot slips rejecting the constitution had been found in toilets and that pro-constitution campaigners had bribed voters with oil, rice and other goods.
The referendum followed long-running controversy over the drafting of the constitution.
The Coptic Orthodox Church withdrew from the talks on the constitution in April in protest at the reportedly Islamist content proposed. Coptic Catholic and Protestant representatives quickly followed suit. Secular parties also later pulled out.
The bishops said the parliamentary elections due later this year will be a vote of confidence on the new constitution and the government’s handling of it.
Bishop William said: “The people should fight for their rights. The Church cannot speak in their name but we can make people aware of the issues through our Justice and Peace committees.”

What did the Pope say about abortion yesterday?

From http://www.thejournal.ie/pope-comments-abortion-law-744943-Jan2013/

POPE BENEDICT yesterday criticised legal efforts around the world to decriminalise abortion, ahead of three days of committee hearings in Ireland on proposed new legislation bringing legal clarity to the area.
The pontiff was speaking at a gathering of diplomats accredited to the Holy See when he criticised the proposal of any law which decriminalised abortion, describing such moves as “gravely contrary to the moral law”.
The remarks came in the midst of a lengthy speech, extracts of which were distributed by the Vatican Information Service and which are reproduced below. The passage referring to abortion is emboldened for convenience.

Civil and political authorities before all others have a grave responsibility to work for peace. They are the first called to resolve the numerous conflicts causing bloodshed in our human family, beginning with that privileged region in God’s plan, the Middle East. I think first and foremost of Syria, torn apart by endless slaughter and the scene of dreadful suffering among its civilian population. I renew my appeal for a ceasefire and the inauguration as quickly as possible of a constructive dialogue aimed at putting an end to a conflict which will know no victors but only vanquished if it continues, leaving behind it nothing but a field of ruins. Your Excellencies, allow me to ask you to continue to make your Governments aware of this, so that essential aid will urgently be made available to face this grave humanitarian situation. I now turn with deep concern towards the Holy Land. Following Palestine’s recognition as a Non-Member Observer State of the United Nations, I again express the hope that, with the support of the international community, Israelis and Palestinians will commit themselves to peaceful coexistence within the framework of two sovereign states, where respect for justice and the legitimate aspirations of the two peoples will be preserved and guaranteed. Jerusalem, become what your name signifies! A city of peace and not of division; a prophecy of the Kingdom of God and not a byword for instability and opposition!
As I turn my thoughts towards the beloved Iraqi people, I express my hope that they will pursue the path of reconciliation in order to arrive at the stability for which they long.
In Lebanon, where last September I met the various groups which make up society, may the many religious traditions there be cultivated by all as a true treasure for the country and for the whole region, and may Christians offer an effective witness for the building of a future of peace, together with all men and women of good will!
In North Africa too, cooperation between all the members of society is of primary concern, and each must be guaranteed full citizenship, the liberty publicly to profess their religion and the ability to contribute to the common good. I assure all Egyptians of my closeness and my prayers at this time when new institutions are being set in place.
Turning to sub-Saharan Africa, I encourage the efforts being made to build peace, especially in those places where the wounds of war remain open and where their grave humanitarian consequences are being felt. I think particularly of the Horn of Africa, and the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where new of acts of violence have erupted, forcing many people to abandon their homes, families and surroundings. Nor can I fail to mention other threats looming on the horizon. Nigeria is regularly the scene of terrorist attacks which reap victims above all among the Christian faithful gathered in prayer, as if hatred intended to turn temples of prayer and peace into places of fear and division. I was deeply saddened to learn that, even in the days when we celebrated Christmas, some Christians were barbarously put to death. Mali is also torn by violence and marked by a profound institutional and social crisis, one which calls for the effective attention of the international community. In the Central African Republic, I hope that the talks announced as taking place shortly will restore stability and spare the people from reliving the throes of civil war.
The building of peace always comes about by the protection of human beings and their fundamental rights. This task, even if carried out in many ways and with varying degrees of intensity, challenges all countries and must constantly be inspired by the transcendent dignity of the human person and the principles inscribed in human nature. Foremost among these is respect for human life at every stage. In this regard, I was gratified that a resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in January of last year, called for the prohibition of euthanasia, understood as the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being.
At the same time, I must note with dismay that, in various countries, even those of Christian tradition, efforts are being made to introduce or expand legislation which decriminalizes abortion. Direct abortion, that is to say willed as an end or as a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law. In affirming this, the Catholic Church is not lacking in understanding and mercy, also towards the mother involved. Rather, it is a question of being vigilant lest the law unjustly alter the balance between the right to life of the mother and that of the unborn child, a right belonging equally to both. In this area, the recent decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights regarding in vitro fertilization, which arbitrarily redefines the moment of conception and weakens the defence of unborn life, is also a source of concern.
The European Union also requires far-sighted representatives capable of making the difficult choices necessary to rectify its economy and to lay solid foundations for growth. Alone, certain countries may perhaps advance more quickly, but together, all will certainly go further! If the differential index between financial taxes represents a source of concern, the increasing differences between those few who grow ever richer and the many who grow hopelessly poorer, should be a cause for dismay. In a word, it is a question of refusing to be resigned to a ‘spread’ in social well-being, while at the same time fighting one in the financial sector.
Investment in education in the developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America means helping them to overcome poverty and disease, and to create legal systems which are equitable and respectful of human dignity. Certainly, if justice is to be achieved, good economic models, however necessary, are not sufficient. Justice is achieved only when people are just! Consequently, building peace means training individuals to fight corruption, criminal activity, the production and trade in narcotics, as well as abstaining from divisions and tensions which threaten to exhaust society, hindering development and peaceful coexistence.
Continuing our meeting today, I would like to add that peace in society is also put at risk by certain threats to religious liberty: it is a question sometimes of the marginalization of religion in social life; sometimes of intolerance or even of violence towards individuals, symbols of religious identity and religious institutions. It even happens that believers, and Christians in particular, are prevented from contributing to the common good by their educational and charitable institutions. In order effectively to safeguard the exercise of religious liberty it is essential to respect the right of conscientious objection. This ‘frontier’ of liberty touches upon principles of great importance of an ethical and religious character, rooted in the very dignity of the human person. They are, as it were, the ‘bearing walls’ of any society that wishes to be truly free and democratic. Thus, outlawing individual and institutional conscientious objection in the name of liberty and pluralism paradoxically opens by contrast the door to intolerance and forced uniformity.
Moreover, in an ever more open world, building peace through dialogue is no longer a choice but a necessity! From this perspective, the joint declaration between the President of the Bishops’ Conference of Poland and the Patriarch of Moscow, signed last August, is a strong signal given by believers for the improvement of relations between the Russian and Polish peoples. I would also like to mention the peace accord concluded recently in the Philippines and I would like to underline the role of dialogue between religions for a peaceful coexistence in the region of Mindanao.
To conclude our encounter, I would like to recall that, at the end of the Second Vatican Council – which started fifty years ago – the Servant of God, Pope Paul VI, sent out messages which remain relevant, including one addressed to world leaders. He encouraged them in this way: ‘Your task is to be in the world the promoters of order and peace among men. But never forget this: It is God […] who is the great artisan of order and peace on earth’. Today, as I make those sentiments my own, I convey to you, the Ambassadors and other distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps, as well as to your families and colleagues, my very best wishes for the New Year. Thank you!

The Oireachtas health committee today begins three days of hearings on the proposed legislation, hearing input from medical, legal and lobby groups on what should and should not be included in the legislation.
The Catholic Church will be one of six groups to offer input in a two-hour session on Thursday morning, alongside representatives from the Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and Muslim faiths, and from Atheist Ireland.

Vigil for Life January 19th 2013

Rethinking the Magi

From http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathyschiffer/2013/01/three-kings-no-forty-no-sixty-rethinking-the-magi/

Q:  What do you know about the Magi?
If you answered that they were three wise men from the East named Balthazar, Gaspar, and Melchior, think again:  All that may be about to change!
That’s because an ancient document from the Vatican Archives, uncovered just a few years ago and recently translated from the original Syriac, casts new light on the Nativity story and on the Three Wise Men.
Brent Landau, professor of religious studies at the University of Oklahoma, spent two years translating the document from the Syriac language.  He has just published The Revelation of the Magi, which Professor Landau believes to be a firsthand account of their journey to pay homage to the Christ Child.
The fragile manuscript is actually an eighth-century copy of a story which was written down hundreds of years earlier, less than 100 years after the Gospel of Matthew was written.  Matthew, in his Gospel, gives a very brief account of the Magi’s visit; but the newly released document goes into much greater detail, even differing on some major points.

IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES

Who Were The Magi? – According to the recently translated The Revelation of the Magi, they were descendants of Seth, Adam and Eve’s third son who was born after Cain slew Abel.  They belonged to a religious sect which engaged in rituals and silent prayer.
Origin – It’s long been believed that the Magi originated from Persia; but according to The Revelation, they traveled a much greater distance—originating in the ancient kingdom of Shir, now associated with ancient China.  The manuscript describes in detail a sacred mountain, and a sacred spring where a ceremony of purification was conducted.
Number – Although Matthew’s Gospel doesn’t say how many Magi made the trip to worship the newborn Child Jesus, tradition has held that there were three wise men—most likely because Matthew names three gifts (gold, frankincense and myrrh).  According to Landau’s The Revelation of the Magi, however, there were many more—perhaps scores of Magi who made the trip.
What They Saw in the Star – But the biggest news of all is the manner by which the Magi actually saw the Child.  Matthew talks about the visitors but stops short of explaining just how they came to worship Him.  A beloved tradition emerged, showing the Wise Men bowing, entering the humble stable where the Christ Child was laid; but many scholars believed that the Holy Family had already fled to Egypt to escape Herod, and that it was in Egypt that the meeting actually occurred.
According to Professor Landau, though, what the Magi saw was the Star itself.  “It transformed into a small luminous human being,” he said, “who was Christ Himself in a pre-existent, celestial form.
“It is saying that Jesus Christ and the Star of Bethlehem are the same thing, and Jesus Christ can transform himself into anything. 
“The star guides them to Bethlehem and into a cave where it transforms into a human infant who tells them to go back and be preachers of the Gospel.”
Well, now.  Professor Landau is right, of course—Jesus can do anything.  This story, though, is so far afield from anything we’ve heard in the Scriptures these last 2,000 years.
Could it be true?  I suppose.
Do I believe it?  I don’t know.
Salvation history is replete with encounters and anecdotes, familiar stories we’ve come to know and love.  This one is different in that it presents facts and details that have never before been expressed.  As far as I can tell, there is nothing in the story that negates any part of Scripture.  Instead, it would seem to enhance the Nativity scene with new and rich details.
But it will not be you or I who make the decision whether to accept the document as legitimate.  The archeologists will continue to study and confirm the authenticity of the parchment itself; and Vatican theologians will eventually confirm whether there is anything in The Revelation of the Magi which specifically contradicts the Scriptures, thereby rendering it not to be believed.
Let us take our cue from Mary, the Mother of God.  Let us wait, pondering these things in our hearts.