Pope Benedict -- Assessment and Reviews

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rcesq	Cardinal O'Malley looks back at the Papal visit	#381	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1525 04/26/08 00:43:46 Moderator	BRIGHTON -- In an April 23 interview with The Pilot, Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, shared his thoughts on the Holy Father's six-day trip to the United States. Q: How would you summarize the Holy Father's trip? A: The Holy Father chose as the theme for his apostolic visit, "Christ our Hope." I think he brought us closer to Christ by his presence and filled our hearts with hope in Christ's promises and in our future as his people. * * * Q; It was a busy trip… A: I was just pleased that the Holy Father seemed to hold up so well during the trip. It was an exhausting trip. Many people are commenting how quickly he went up the steps and his obvious enthusiasm. For an 81-year-old who has not had the greatest health it was truly a "tour de force." Q: Which was your personal interaction with the Holy Father? A: I was able to be at a couple of meals -- obviously in small groups -- at the nunciatures in Washington and New York. I had the opportunity to speak briefly with the Holy Father on those occasions. He was very pleased with the visit and I know he was very moved with the meeting with the victims. I ate with him in New York the following day after our meeting in Washington and there he commented how moving that experience had been for him. Q: Can you explain your involvement in that unannounced meeting in Washington that brought together the Holy Father with five local victims of sexual abuse by clergy? A: After it was announced that the Holy Father was going to Washington and New York and that Boston was not included, the bishops of the region joined me in writing a letter to the Holy Father asking him to reconsider and talking about the pastoral needs that we have in New England. Then the response came back that, given the very taxing nature of the trip, that they (Vatican officials) really hesitated to add anything else. So I wrote back again asking if the Holy Father would meet with victims and after that the Holy Father responded and asked me to make the necessary arrangements. Q: Why was this meeting not part of the official schedule? A: We did our best to keep it a very discreet meeting because we did not want to turn it a media circus and we were afraid that if people found ahead of time that that was just what would happen. Also, some of the survivors who accompanied us wished to remain anonymous and it would have made it impossible for them to participate under the public scrutiny. So, I am just thankful that we were able to carry it off without becoming public before hand. * * * Q: Why do you think this was a crucial meeting? A: I think it was important for the victims to feel as though they had access to the Holy Father. Obviously, not all victims but someone representing them and in a small enough group, in a context that it would allow for a very personal interchange between the Holy Father and the victims. It was not a formal address; the Holy Father made his initial comments and then he spoke with each of the victims individually, he clasped their hands, he blessed them, he prayed with them. I think for the Holy Father, pastorally, it was very important to experience this. Certainly he has heard through the bishops and through others the devastation of sexual abuse but it is another thing to encounter personally the survivors and to learn first hand of their suffering and pain. Q: There was a very moving moment when you handed a book to the Holy Father with over 1,000 names of victims… Photo/ Barbara Thorp A: Yes, over 1,000 names, first names, done in calligraphy and very beautifully and artistically prepared, with prayers and other reflections interspersed among the names. It was a way to try to underline the fact that the meeting was to be representative of all the victims, not just the ones who were there, or even the ones whose names appeared in the book, and also to underscore the dimension of the problem. The names in the book represent names that have come to us, of cases that have come to us in the last 50 years. It was obvious from the Holy Father's demeanor that it was a very poignant moment in the visit. Q: The pope has spoken on a variety of issues during this trip. Beyond the pope's remarks on sexual abuse, what other themes would you highlight? A: The call to greater fidelity, and our discipleship and to interior life. The stress on prayer, the very deep grasp the Holy Father has of what's happening in our world with the conflicts in values and the dangers of secularization and the dictatorships of relativism and the need to present the beauty of the Gospel in its entirety in a convincing and enthusiastic way. The connection he always makes between our life of faith and the joy of the Gospel, something that refers to often. That struck a note particularly with young people and educators. Q: As you accompanied the Holy Father at many events, which was your perception of the American people's affection for him? A: So many people told me that they were watching him on television and following everything very closely. I was impressed in New York by the fact that, at one point, we were caught in the traffic -- they had closed these roads and we just sat there for 20 minutes -- and the people were getting out of their cars and talking to each other. But I was very surprised that people were not angry. I was very uneasy that this was happening because of the Holy Father and yet, on the other hand, I was pleased to see how the people of New York just accepted this. Even things like that were an indication to me of the positive attitude that people had towards the visit, even those who were not, perhaps, Catholic. I had people approach me in the street and tell me that they weren't Catholic but they were so pleased with the Holy Father's visit. * * * Cardinal reflects on apostolic visit, meeting with victims
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rcesq	Cardinal Roger Mahony Thanks Pope Benedict	#382	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1526 04/26/08 00:52:49 Moderator	From The Tidings, an extraordinary confession by Cardinal Roger Mahony: Pope Benedict XVI came as our Pastor and as our Shepherd, and he spoke to us of our most human joys and sorrows, our hopes and our failures. He came in the name of Jesus Christ and he reminded us "to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus" [Hebrews 12:2]. * * * For me personally, the two most memorable moments of grace with our Holy Father were ones shrouded in quiet prayer, silence and few public words: his meeting with victims of sexual abuse in Washington, D.C., and his visit to Ground Zero in New York. Both of these events had the dignity of silence, the depth of sadness, and the promise of hope-filled prayer - and both captured deeply the most wounded parts of our Church and of our country. Yes, the great outdoor Masses were inspiring, the meetings with ecumenical and interfaith leaders were moving, and the gathering with young people and seminarians was memorable. But the power of those times of quiet healing moved me more deeply than all the rest of the Holy Father's many public appearances. At first, I didn't know why. After all, concelebrating Mass with the Pope and tens of thousands of people was surely uplifting and a source of joy for us all. Slowly the realization became real: those times of quiet healing grace were exactly what I needed at this time in my own journey of faith. My own mistakes and failures over the years had continued to burden me - a weight that I failed to realize was holding me down. The gentle and quiet manner of Pope Benedict touched me in the most vulnerable depths of my soul. I felt uplifted by our Shepherd and my heavy burdens somehow seemed lighter. How did our Holy Father accomplish this? Through his consistent call to faithful discipleship in Jesus Christ, and his reassurance that we are truly saved by hope in our loving God! His recent Encyclical Letter, Spe Salvi [Saved by Hope], continues to point us forward and upward on our journeys. He does not allow us to remain mired in our sins and faults, but instead, kept repeating the call to "true freedom" in Jesus who has come as "the way, the truth, and the life" for each one of us. I return to Los Angeles a different disciple of Jesus than when I left a week ago. Thank you, Lord, for sending us not only the Vicar of Christ and the Successor of Peter, but also a brother and friend who knows Jesus personally and gave us six extraordinary days of grace and hope! Those of you who know something about American Church politics may understand when I say: WOW! This is phenomenal.
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Benodette	Pope’s Ground Zero	#383	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5271 04/27/08 20:01:42	The US visit from a Muslim viewpoint - by Khalid Hasan, in the Pakistan Daily News No king, emperor or potentate, much less the leader of a democratic state, can possibly hope to receive the kind of American welcome given to Pope Benedict XVI, who came, conquered and left. He landed in an Alitalia plane from Rome at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, a facility where only visiting heads of state and governments on official visits arrive. They are greeted by senior officials, and only rarely by a member of the President's cabinet (which unlike our expanding cabinet numbers just around a dozen). The Pope was received by President Bush and Mrs Bush, who had been joined by one of their daughters, with the women elegantly dressed in black. In the three or four days the Pope stayed, first in Washington then in New York, the press could not have enough of him. The Washington Post, which for the last many years has not been known for what one might call sound editorial and news judgement, devoted its front page and several inside pages, profusely garnished with pictures, to the pontiff. Other newspapers did not allow themselves to fall too far behind either. As for television channels, some were more effusive than others, but effusive they all were. This is not a Catholic country, although the Catholics are a majority among Christians. Pope Benedict has stepped into the shoes of a man who had come to be both respected and loved around the world, a man who had the greatness of spirit to forgive the young Turk who tried to kill him. His would have been a hard act to follow for anyone, much less the former Cardinal Ratzinger... Various scholars and theologians say, according to a report in The Washington Post, that in the first days of his papacy, Benedict did appear to downgrade interfaith dialogue, removing Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, an Arabic speaker and noted Muslim scholar, from his role as president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue and sending him to Egypt as nuncio, or the Vatican ambassador. The Catholic Church under its current leader is certainly going to become much more conservative in opposing liberal trends. Ruether pointed out that this clampdown on progressive Catholic thought and on the openness to debate on controversial issues has included the most creative and respected Catholic theologians of the last half-century. Was it then Pope Benedict's conservatism that endeared him to Washington's first family? In New York, Pope Benedict visited a synagogue. Perhaps he needs to draw inspiration from his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who became the first Pope in history to visit a mosque when he stepped inside one in Damascus in May 2001. On that trip, he also asked for a joint act of contrition "for all the times that Muslims and Christians have offended one another." It was a grand gesture of reconciliation that did more for better inter-faith understanding than any comparable gesture from any other quarter. The Pope's castigation of Islam has not been forgotten by Muslims, although he has tried to mend fences since he spoke those unfortunate words about Islam. He has said that he wants to reach the Muslims through dialogue. .. I don't think he did enough to apologise," said Omar T Mohammedi, a member of the New York City Commission on Human Rights. Wael Mousfar, a Brooklyn Muslim community leader, told the newspaper, "For a person of his stature to come out and say this about Islam, it amazes me, it's sad. Islam is the target of everyone nowadays; he just jumped on the bandwagon and joined the crowd." In New York, the Pope visited Ground Zero, which could only have brought to the surface the memory that those who staged the 9/11 attacks were Muslims, although Muslims who had been misled into believing that by sacrificing their lives and causing thousands to lose theirs, they were glorifying Islam. Perhaps in the months and years to come, Pope Benedict will make the kind of grand gesture of amity, goodwill and understanding towards Muslims that his predecessor did, as that alone will wipe out the unpleasant memories his name still triggers. Pope's Ground Zero
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Benodette	Benedict’s Own Five Issues	#384	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5292 04/30/08 12:15:02	National Catholic Register - Before Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States, we identified five key issues in his pontificate that we should watch for. The list was a good guess - but the man we once called the "Pope of Surprises" didn't stick to our script. With the benefit of a little hindsight, here is a more accurate list of the key issues that were on Benedict's mind when he came to America. Doctrine - When Pope Benedict himself declared (at Nationals Park) the purpose for his coming, he used this formal language: "In the exercise of my ministry as the Successor of Peter, I have come to America to confirm you, my brothers and sisters, in the faith of the apostles."He hammered home the same point in his address to Catholic universities, reminding them that the Church is mater et magistra (mother and teacher) and reiterating Church teaching on their relationship to the magisterium. He told the bishops on April 16: "It cannot be assumed that all Catholic citizens think in harmony with the Church's teaching on today's key ethical questions. Once again, it falls to you to ensure that the moral formation provided at every level of ecclesial life reflects the authentic teaching of the Gospel of life." .. Abuse crisis - When, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he spoke of the scandal - decrying the "filth" in the Church - his words were well-chosen and direct. So were Pope Benedict's in America. On the airplane coming to the United States, he spoke of his "deep shame," and said, "we will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry." To the bishops he spoke of the Church's "enormous pain," and said the scandal was "sometimes very badly handled." To the congregation at Nationals Park, he said "No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse.".. World unity - Pope Benedict didn't speak about peace to the extent we expected. But he did speak about a concept that's very much connected with it: world unity.Americans have always had a certain suspicion of the United Nations - and of world unity. With good reason. It's right to fear for the loss of sovereignty and to be watchful that worldwide anti-life policies aren't foisted on entire nations. The Holy Father's remarks to the United Nations raised those issues pointedly. .. Dialogue - It's only natural that he would focus so much on interreligious and ecumenical dialog, given this larger theme of global unity. It's as if Pope Benedict were calling people to understand each other despite their differences, and providing an example in himself by demonstrating how a pope interacts with leaders in other major religions. .. Renewal - The overarching theme of the Holy Father's visit, though, was renewal. He called the Church in America to return to the faith, reconcile with the past and build the Kingdom of Christ in the future. And to do so, Pope Benedict used language we haven't heard for years. He declared "a great jubilee of the Church in America." He told the bishops to prepare for "the new springtime of the faith." He spoke of "the New Evangelization" and prayed for "a new Pentecost" for America's Church. And he summed it all up with his "Thy Kingdom Come" message at Yankee Stadium, about the apostolate.... Benedict's Own Five Issues
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galantarie	Glendon Interview: Papal View of America/ 18th Century "Enlightement"	#385	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 4402 05/02/08 08:43:37 Member	"I see many parallels between Benedict and de Tocqueville … the European who is fascinated with the United States, who does not regard the United States as a model to be copied,* but rather as an example that proves that something is possible. If it's possible there, it would be possible in another form over here. … When he came, his affection for the United States was palpable...." INTERVIEW W/ GLENDON by JOHN ALLEN, JR. U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon (CNS/Giancarlo Giuliani) ____________________________________ *: I personally saw this in the late 1960' with Ian Fairborn Smith and the hopeful "independent" State of Rhodesia". Instead we ended up with a (predicably) communist and terrorist situation in Zambowe which neglects both reason and faith to this very day...culminating in the death of so many innocents....! "I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it." [Ratzinger:"Salt of the Earth"] May Our Papa's radiant-light continuously shine forth to illuminate Christ for the world! Last Edited By: galantarie 05/02/08 08:50:38. Edited 1 time.
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Benodette	Is Liberal Catholicism Dead?	#386	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5314 05/04/08 10:10:54	Time Magazine - by DAVID VAN BIEMA He may not have been thinking about it at the time, but Pope Benedict, in the course of his recent U.S. visit may have dealt a knockout blow to the liberal American Catholicism that has challenged Rome since the early 1960s. He did so by speaking frankly and forcefully of his "deep shame" during his meeting with victims of the Church's sex-abuse scandal. By demonstrating that he "gets" this most visceral of issues, the pontiff may have successfully mollified a good many alienated believers - and in the process, neutralized the last great rallying point for what was once a feisty and optimistic style of progressivism. The liberal rebellion in American Catholicism has dogged Benedict and his predecessors since the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65. "Vatican II," which overhauled much of Catholic teaching and ritual, had a revolutionary impact on the Church as a whole. It enabled people to hear the Mass in their own languages; embraced the principle of religious freedom; rejected anti-semitism; and permitted Catholic scholars to grapple with modernity. But Vatican II meant even more to a generation of devout but restless young people in the U.S. rather than a course correction, Terrence Tilley, now head of the Fordham University's theology department, wrote recently, his generation perceived "an interruption of history, a divine typhoon that left only the keel and structure of the church unchanged." They discerned in the Council a call to greater church democracy, and an assertion of individual conscience that could stand up to the authority of even the Pope. So, they battled the Vatican�s birth-control ban, its rejection of female priests and insistence on celibacy, and its authoritarianism. Rome pushed back, and the ensuing struggle defined a movement, whose icons included peace activist Fr. Daniel Berrigan, feminist Sister Joan Chittister, and sociologist/author Fr. Andrew Greeley. .. Remarks Tilley, "For a couple of generations, progressivism was an [important] way to be Catholic." Then he adds, "But I think the end of an era is here." .. Is Liberal Catholicism Dead?
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Benodette	Seeing Eye To Eye With The Pope	#387	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5315 05/04/08 10:16:45	Tampa Tribune - The rare opportunity came our way. The Catholic Diocese of St Petersburg and the Archdiocese of New York granted my sister, brother and me tickets to Pope Benedict XVI's Mass at Yankee Stadium on April 20... Earlier in the week, I tried to get close to the pope during his stops at the United Nations, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Jewish synagogue and the parish in Yorkville and on his one-mile popemobile trip along Fifth Avenue. Security was tight, and we were kept at a distance. However, I got photos of his limousine coming away from the United Nations and going up and down Park Avenue, which was closed to traffic. The popemobile drew enormous crowds on Fifth Avenue, and it did happen: I made eye contact with Pope Benedict on Park Avenue . The pope looks directly at as many people as he can. I remember a Jewish lady exclaiming, "He looked straight at me!" It is a humble but penetrating look with his light brown eyes. I believe he sees us in depth more than we realize, and that he "reads us" more than we realize. Pilgrims like me had the same experience at the Vatican piazza when he offered his first public Mass as pope... In April 2005, I was in the Vatican when the 266th pope succeeded John Paul II. Both are examples of the best the church could offer God and humanity. Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, had been a hero to me since the early 1990s. He assisted John Paul II in keeping us connected to our Catholic roots when the world wanted us to compromise our core identity as followers of Jesus Christ. I had read three of his books by that time and noticed his ability to communicate complicated scenarios in simple and loving language. "Salt of the Earth" was special because his confidence that God would overcome the mistakes of humanity and the church was evident. When Benedict was elected only two days into the conclave, I knew that the progressive experiment within my church had become exhausted. For too many years we appeared to be a church that had lost its way. Even though bishops were only 1 percent of our priesthood, the inability of those in the United States to weed out child predators was the glaring symptom. (Benedict addressed the bishops about this in New York City.) The cardinal electors saw the Holy Spirit's guidance and gave us Benedict. However, I witnessed that many of the media in the Vatican piazza were being approached by naysayers saying, "He was in the Hitler Youth" and "He is pre-Vatican II.".. Seeing Eye To Eye With The Pope
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Benodette	Pacing the pope: Pope's seclusion is prudence, not disappearing act	#388	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5367 05/11/08 03:21:51	AFP/Getty From John Thavis at CNS Every pontificate has its rhythm, and sometimes Pope Benedict XVI's seems to have more than one. In recent weeks, journalists have seen the 81-year-old pontiff go from seven-hour days on the public stage to virtual seclusion behind the Vatican walls. Predictably, that led to one alarming report -- promptly denied by the Vatican -- about the pope's supposedly "fragile heart." In fact, what may appear from the outside as warning signs probably reflect a more subtle process: pacing the pope. In the week leading up to Pope Benedict's six-day visit to the United States, his activities were reduced to a minimum. He gave no speeches, met with no groups and only a few individuals, and limited his public appearances to a weekly general audience and a Sunday blessing. In Washington and New York, the pope sailed through a busy schedule -- 16 major events -- with no evident problems, a fact that pleased his aides immensely. But once he got back to Rome, he took another rest and held no public audiences for a week. Some might call it a disappearing act. Vatican officials would simply call it prudence. "They're being careful, but I don't think it's because of any particular health concern," said one Vatican official who has known the pope for years. If the pope's doctors had serious worries about his health, they simply wouldn't let him travel or would at least prohibit long intercontinental voyages, he said. In early May, the Vatican confirmed that the pope would fly to Australia for a World Youth Day celebration in July. That seemed to suggest a clean bill of papal health. But the announcement fueled speculation when it was disclosed that after landing in Australia the pope would spend three days doing absolutely nothing in order to get over jet lag. Once again, pacing took precedence over public image: Pope Benedict didn't have to hit the ground running. "There's no mystery. It's just logical for the pope to rest after such a long flight," said the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi. One papal aide emphasized that the pope's careful pacing applies not only to foreign trips but also to his schedule all year long. "If you look closely at the pope's agenda, you'll see that there's a systematic effort to avoid periods of excessively intense activity," he said. "As soon as he was elected, he made it clear that his activity would not be frenetic like that of (Pope) John Paul II. He sets priorities," he said. Pacing the pope: Pope's seclusion is prudence, not disappearing act
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Benodette	Director of Vatican daily explains why Pope speaks of early Christians	#389	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5384 05/13/08 02:33:02	CNA - In an interview with the Catholic organization "Early Christians" (http://www.earlychristians.org), Giovanni Maria Vian, director of the "L'Osservatore Romano," explained why Pope Benedict XVI is dedicating his Wednesday catechesis to the lives and witnesses of the early Christians. During the interview, Vian called the early Christians "a light that comes from afar," as Paul VI called them, and explained that they constitute "the Christian tradition, and this is the reason for the Pope's decision to speak about them in the weekly meetings he has with the faithful and with visitors." He has chosen to speak "first about the apostles and the very first generations of Christians, and after about the Fathers of the Church." Vian also explained the significance of the fact that Pope Benedict's reflections help preserve the Church's tradition. "Tradition means 'to transmit,' and tradition is a fundamental and essential concept of the Christian faith. This choice by the Pope is important because it is an invitation to Christians to renew their relationship with the tradition of the faith," he said... He went on to point out that one of the main characteristics of Benedict XVI is that he is "so imbued with Christian tradition that he does not need to include many quotes; rather, he himself is so immersed that he speaks as a Father of the Church, what he says is understood, even though they are profound discourses. It is a way of drawing close to the Christian experience in a very lofty but understandable way." Director of Vatican daily explains why Pope speaks of early Christians
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rcesq	No Policy Positions; Rather, Training Catholics in Prudential Judgment	#390	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1533 05/15/08 03:05:58 Moderator	From the Action Institute, a commentary by Samuel Gregg D.Phil. Following Benedict XVI's recent visit to America, there was some grumbling from social justice activists that the pope said relatively little about matters ranging from climate change to third-world debt. This reflects, they suggested, the pope's disinterest in "real" issues. From his papacy's beginning, Benedict has indeed proved remarkably reluctant to enter into detailed discussion of policy questions. There are two reasons for this. First, just after being elected pope, Benedict reaffirmed that the Catholic Church does have non-negotiable positions on particular matters, most notably the protection of innocent human life, marriage, and religious liberty properly understood. But Benedict also reaffirmed the Church's teaching that, as far as other policy issues are concerned, lay Catholics are free to make their own prudential judgments, guided, of course, by Catholic principles. Even within the Catholic Church, it is not well-understood that Catholics enjoy remarkable liberty to take a variety of positions on most policy questions. The second reason for Benedict's disinterest in policy details, however, ultimately reflects his view about how Catholics ought to approach social-political questions. In this regard, perhaps the greatest influence upon Benedict's social thought--his grey eminence--is a French Jesuit theologian who died 17 years ago. Born in 1896, Henri de Lubac experienced the twentieth century's upheavals at first hand. He fought in the trenches of World War I, participated in the French Resistance during World War II, worked as a theological expert at Vatican II, and served as friend and intellectual interlocutor to both Karol Wojtyla and Joseph Ratzinger. Like Ratzinger, de Lubac was considered somewhat avant-garde before Vatican II. He consequently experienced considerable unpleasantness at the hands of overzealous church officials. But after Vatican II, de Lubac--like Ratzinger--emerged as a formidable defender of Catholic orthodoxy. De Lubac also continued to endure harassment for his views. This time, however, the odium theologica came from heterodox theologians such as Hans Kung whose agenda amounted (as it still does) to dissolving Catholicism into a secularized, hyper-politicized, bureaucratized, and doctrinally-empty pseudo-Christianity. But Ratzinger and de Lubac's similarities go beyond this. They shared the conviction that the road to Church renewal is not immersion in whatever happens to be the latest intellectual fashion. Authentic renewal, de Lubac held, could only occur by going back to the original sources of Christian inspiration--most notably, Scripture grounded in the Church's Tradition as well as the Church Fathers--and then using this as a basis to think about the present. This, de Lubac argued, was the best way to articulate a distinctly Christian message to the modern world. A good example of how this applied to social issues is de Lubac's book, Catholicisme: Aspects sociaux du dogme (1938). In his Memoirs, Ratzinger recalls the impact this text had on his own thought. Indeed, it is directly cited in Benedict's encyclical Spe Salvi. Catholicisme draws upon Scripture and early and medieval Church Fathers to think through what the nature of the Church itself suggests about the individual's place in society. The beauty of this approach is that it brings to the surface ideas that cannot be neatly categorized as "right" or "left." Rather, it produces a distinctly Christian perspective that explodes our increasingly sterile secular political categories. This method was on display during two recent speeches delivered by Pope Benedict. * * * Benedict's 'Grey Eminence'
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rcesq	Insiders Views of Pope Benedict	#391	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1561 05/23/08 17:06:11 Moderator	ROME, MAY 23, 2008 (Zenit.org).- If you want to understand Joseph Ratzinger, the man and the Pope, the starting point is the love of God, affirmed a cardinal who has worked closely with him. Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, gave an inside look at the personality of Benedict XVI when he participated Tuesday in the book launch of "Benedictus," by Giuseppe de Carli. "The key to the person and the ministry of Benedict XVI is the love of God," the cardinal said, affirming that the Pontiff's first encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est," "represents the particularity of this Pontiff." * * * Pope of the people According to Cardinal Saraiva Martins, "Benedictus" documents "the development of the presence of Benedict XVI on the international scene of the third millennium, and shows how, step by step, the Pope is entering, with his reserved, stately style, into the hearts of the people." The cardinal added that without leaving aside his intellectual depth, the Holy Father is "becoming the Pope of the people, because the people clearly perceive his message, even when it is full of uncomfortable truths, that is, demanding [truths] that call for a commitment." The prelate continued: "He is always guided by a fatherly love that does not resign itself to seeing his children drown in mediocrity. * * * His way of presenting himself "to the Church and the world is never invasive: his tone of voice lacks the slightest element of arrogance, his discreet, humble, cordial approach manages to open the hearts of many to his proposals." Fundamental Offering another view, Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, recalled how the Pope, two days after his election, called him urgently to ask help with the design of the papal coat of arms. The Italian prelate is an expert in ecclesiastic heraldry. "I immediately discovered his fundamental characteristics," the cardinal said, "which the book amply points out: the aspect of the man's simplicity, humanity, sincerity, spontaneity, but also the timidity. And I noted that this is accompanied right away with an element of decisiveness, matured in reflection." Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and thus one of Cardinal Ratzinger's closest collaborators just before the election to the See of Peter, described the pontificate as a continuation of his previous style. He explained: "That which we see now in the Holy Father in reality is that which Ratzinger was as the prefect of our congregation. "The same intellectual lucidity, the same zeal for the defense of doctrine, the same simplicity in human relationships, the same humility in his person." A smile Paging through "Benedictus," the archbishop said, one sees four outstanding qualities. "[The Pope's] radiant, spontaneous, good-hearted and contagious smile" was first on the list. Then, Archbishop Amato noted, the Holy Father is characterized by "his willingness to dialogue, matured in his years of university teaching and sharpened in his meetings with bishops from around the world," who visited him in his role as prefect of the Vatican congregation. "He is a man of dialogue, woven together not with frigidity or indifference, but with an interior passion, because he is an intellectual with heart," he said. The prelate proposed that the "communicative strength of the Pope proceeds from the reasonableness of his speech -- as much when he speaks of Christ or illustrates the truth of the faith, as when he critiques the pathologies of postmodern mentality." * * * Vatican Officials Give Insider's Look
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Benodette	Author Notes Secret to Pope's Efficacy	#392	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5441 05/27/08 03:03:30	Zenit - Benedict XVI is an effective communicator, not just because every talk he gives is like an "encyclical in miniature," but because there is a secret to his efficacy, affirmed the author of a biography of the Pope. That secret, says Giuseppe De Carli, is the beauty "that convinces almost more than rational arguments: love, friendship with God, the joy of being Christian. ... Tell me that this is not a Pope who is happy to be Christian." De Carli, head of the Vatican bureau of the Italian public broadcaster Radiotelevisione Italiana, and a 20-year veteran in covering the See of Peter, has just released "Benedictus: Servus Servorum Dei" (Benedict: Servant of the Servants of God)... The volume opens with De Carli's description of the Pope as "a man of timid character on the stage of the world." De Carli said he hopes the book "will be at least be placed among those contributions that help in some way to understanding Benedict XVI's personality." .. De Carli described the present Pontiff as the "father of the Church of our time, a great catechist, a theologian-pastor or a pastor-theologian.""We have gone from the communicative and charismatic eruption of John Paul II to a kind of effective communicative minimalism with Pope Ratzinger," the author proposed. "It is effective because it is not supported by the physicality of gestures." Every talk given by Benedict XVI is an "encyclical in miniature," De Carli said. The Pope's intellectual profile "is that of one who knows how to teach," and "his public, in its many-sidedness, would be surprised by an advertiser." De Carli suggested: "Pope Wojtyla's style was centrifugal -- he obliged the media to abandon all logic and follow him toward everything and everyone. Benedict XVI's style is centripetal -- he obliges the media to turn toward the mystery that the Church represents with its liturgical tradition. Author Notes Secret to Pope's Efficacy
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Benodette	Ten texts help crack pope's pontificate, mission, ministry	#393	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5476 06/02/08 15:09:38	CNS - If there's one thing people learned about Pope Benedict XVI during his U.S. visit, it's that he's got content. His talks and sermons were minilessons on the faith and its relationship with the world, blending the advice of a pastor with the reflections of a theologian. The collected talks are now being read and pondered by Catholics across the country who want to delve a little more deeply into the pope's message during his April visit. But what about the rest of his pontificate? What about the hundreds of speeches, homilies, encyclicals, messages, prayers and letters that he's produced during the first three years as pope? For those unable to keep up with everything Pope Benedict does and says, here is a starting point: a list of 10 fundamental texts that can help people understand the man, his thought and his ministry. One caveat: The list makes no claim to be a "top 10," just a useful anthology. And where the works are particularly lengthy, this list indicates specific chapters or passages. 1. The pope's sermon at his inauguration Mass April 24, 2005. Less than a week after his election, he spelled out clearly how he saw his ministry and the mission of the church. A snippet: "The purpose of our lives is to reveal God to men. And only where God is seen does life truly begin. Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is. We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary." Ten texts help crack pope's pontificate, mission, ministry
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rcesq	A Well-Rounded Pope	#394	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1612 06/11/08 22:04:23 Moderator	ROME, JUNE 11, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is impressive in his well-rounded character -- a man who goes easily from playing the piano to visiting world leaders to explaining to children the mystery of the Eucharist, affirmed a scholar from a Roman university. Legionary of Christ Father Juan Pablo Ledesma talked with ZENIT about the German Pope -- his most striking qualities and the ideas that presumably govern his thought. ZENIT approached Father Ledesma, dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university, following a conference he helped to organize last month on "The Voice of the Christian Faith: 'Introduction to Christianity,' by Joseph Ratzinger -- Benedict XVI -- 40 Years Later." * * * Interview on Benedict XVI's Qualities and Fundamental Ideas
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rcesq	Effect of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum	#395	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1641 07/02/08 15:13:47 Moderator	From The Catholic Herald, a review of the effect of Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum and his accompanying Apostolic Letter The Pontiff liberated the traditional Mass a year ago next week with the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum. Noted liturgical blogger Shawn Tribe describes how the Motu Proprio has already begun to transform the Church 4 July 2008 Pope Benedict XVI's ornate vestments, above, reflect his desire to underline the continuity of the Roman Rite A year ago an event occurred in the life of the Church whose influence was significant enough that it might be said to have demarcated a new era: the post-Summorum Pontificum era. Of course, in proclaiming "eras" one must be careful of hyperbole, but it is arguable that the papal Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, which clarified the place of the usus antiquior (or the 1962 Missale Romanum) in the life of the Church, created a situation which is bound to have far-reaching effects on the liturgical landscape of the Church. Of course, to speak of far-reaching effects is not to say that these effects will all be immediate, or will not happen by degrees over time. After all, the shifts in understanding and approach to the Catholic liturgy, on both the academic and practical level, are not going to change overnight. It will take time, and measuring the impact of the Motu Proprio is not simply the project of a few months, but rather one of years. Still, it is possible even a year out to take stock of what the early fruits of the Motu Proprio have been. For the most part, typical parish life yet remains typical parish life, and this was to be expected. Any sense that the papal Motu Proprio would be a magic fix that would introduce overnight a massive introduction of traditional liturgy could only be unrealistic - though how many really expected this is questionable - a minority, no doubt. . . . *** * *** Aside from training, there has also been a noticeable increase of Masses now being offered according to the 1962 Missal. Some of the most encouraging of these developments are those now being offered at Catholic university campuses where they were not previously offered. . . . * * * New personal parishes and the like are also being established. . . . * * * Another barometer for the times is the fact that at least a few seminaries have already begun to adapt to the new liturgical situation within the Church. . . . * * * A final visible effect is the fact that a popular Catholic media company, the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), has begun airing occasional Masses in the ancient liturgy from their beautiful Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Alabama. . . * * * This perhaps presents us with a natural transition into those effects of the Motu Proprio which might not be as visible yet, but which are nonetheless worth considering and examining. In my capacity as editor of The New Liturgical Movement I can attest to the fact that there is a great deal of interest behind the scenes that, as of yet, is not visible, but which is preparing to blossom. Psychologically, the effects of the Motu Proprio have been significant. While there are yet indeed stalwart ideologues who are steadfast in their opposition to the ancient liturgy, or others who yet cling to the notion that the "extraordinary form" intends to imply that this form of the Roman liturgy is to be a marginal note in the life of the Church, there has been a noticeable shift in general openness toward the ancient Roman liturgy. . . . * * * An aspect that has not been touched upon, but which should be mentioned, is that all of this in turn should eventually have a positive effect on the modern form of the Roman liturgy as well by virtue of re-introducing many to the received liturgical tradition - which certainly seems to be an aspect the Pope also had in mind. . . . * * * The Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, set off a kind of "quiet revolution" within the Church. Revolution is perhaps too strong a word and one which carries negative connotations typically, but the word is apt insofar as we are referring to a significant shift and change as regards the status quo. It is a shift that will occur on various fronts, by degrees, and over time. The ingredients are already present and slowly but surely momentum is building, something we have already seen in this first year. Whether one's focus is upon the ancient liturgy or a reform of the reform, there is much to be thankful for in this past year, and much reason for anticipation and hope for what the future will bring - even despite the opposition and challenges that yet exist. But all that said, for those who wish to see these things effected now is not a time to rest on one's laurels for much work remains to be done. Those interested in fostering and nurturing the effects of the Motu Proprio must take upon themselves an evangelical and apologetic spirit, seeking to promote the riches of the liturgical tradition of the Church with joy, prudence, charity, excellence and vision. In many regards the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, has given us the tools to begin to implement what he agreed as a cardinal was so necessary: a new liturgical movement. Indeed, it seems no exaggeration to suggest that we are seeing the substantial beginnings of just that. In a year Pope Benedict XVI has reshaped the liturgical landscape
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Benodette	The pope’s desire to re-evangelize Europe	#396	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5619 07/05/08 05:07:46	Catholic Star Herald - When Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope, many commentators and Vatican observers were somewhat surprised at his decision to take the name of Benedict. It has since become evident that his high regard for both St. Benedict of Nursia and Pope Benedict XV influenced his decision. Both of these men played crucial roles in the history and unity of Europe, and so Benedict XVI's self-understanding of his pontificate has often been described as centered on re-evangelizing Christian Europe. In a powerful lecture given in Subiaco, Italy (the cradle of the Benedictine Order) the day before John Paul II's death, Ratzinger laid out his vision of the current ideological problems plaguing contemporary Europe. The context of the speech was the debate surrounding the Preamble of the European Constitution's two most controverted points, whether to include a reference to God and whether to acknowledge the Christian roots of Europe in the text. Not surprisingly, Ratzinger was displeased with the negative position in the very public discussions on the topic. However, the depth of his reasoning sheds light on his overall vision of the problems inherent in recent European history. He first asks "Who would be offended? Whose identity is threatened?" Many argued that inclusion of reference to God and Christianity would be injurious to adherents of other religions. However, Ratzinger claims that it is not these references which offend those who practice other faiths, but rather the attempt to build the human community completely without reference to the divine that does so. The clash of cultures in Europe is less between the great religions, which have undeniably struggled against one another throughout history but have largely come to live rather amicably together, as it is between a reflective, metaphysical philosophy committed to morality and a radical Enlightenment rationality which is intent upon the desire to see God evicted from the forum of public life. The pope's desire to re-evangelize Europe
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Benodette	Out of John Paul's shadow	#397	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5645 07/12/08 04:24:19	The Age - WORLD Youth Day in Cologne three years ago was perhaps the defining experience of Liz Hamilton's life so far. The then 20-year-old from the outer-Melbourne suburb of Greensborough went to observe the newly elected Benedict XVI, and was not disappointed. "It was fantastic. About 800,000 people came, there were people everywhere. It was so festive, celebratory. People were singing and laughing, swapping cultural tokens like badges, hats and T-shirts," she recalled this week. Based on his depiction in the media, she expected Benedict to be stern, even hard, but she found him surprisingly warm. "I thought he was a beautiful man with a real gentleness and humanness, so thoughtful. He spoke in five languages, and when he spoke in English I just cried - it was really moving." Having the Pope celebrate Mass for her, even as one in a million, was a thrill she is determined to repeat in Sydney, where he arrives tomorrow. "I'm looking forward hugely to seeing him again, even if he is just a speck on a stage." When Joseph Ratzinger was elected the 266th pope on April 19, 2005, and took the name Benedict, there were many in the church who thought he would be just a speck on the stage. They expected a pale shadow of John Paul II, mimicking his policies and priorities but without the charisma or the charm. Nicknamed "God's rottweiler", "the Panzerkardinal" and an ecclesiastical "Darth Vader", as Ratzinger he was seen as the church's mailed fist. As Benedict, the reality has been more velvet glove, and he has proved very much his own man. There have been continuities, but in many ways he has been a stark contrast - more self-effacing, gentle and intellectual - to the previous pope, for whom he was chief adviser and doctrinal watchdog. There have been no heresy hunts, few confrontations, a much less visible presence and much less travel. His writings, including encyclicals on love and hope, have been optimistic. A profound and subtle theologian, he has sought to engage and


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