Saturday, July 14, 2007

One, Holy, Catholic, & Apostolic Church

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

RESPONSES TO SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING CERTAIN ASPECTS
OF THE DOCTRINE ON THE CHURCH

INTRODUCTION

The Second Vatican Council, with its Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, and its Decrees on Ecumenism (Unitatis redintegratio) and the Oriental Churches (Orientalium Ecclesiarum), has contributed in a decisive way to the renewal of Catholic ecclesiology. The Supreme Pontiffs have also contributed to this renewal by offering their own insights and orientations for praxis: Paul VI in his Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam suam (1964) and John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint (1995).

The consequent duty of theologians to expound with greater clarity the diverse aspects of ecclesiology has resulted in a flowering of writing in this field. In fact it has become evident that this theme is a most fruitful one which, however, has also at times required clarification by way of precise definition and correction, for instance in the declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae (1973), the Letter addressed to the Bishops of the Catholic Church Communionis notio (1992), and the declaration Dominus Iesus (2000), all published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The vastness of the subject matter and the novelty of many of the themes involved continue to provoke theological reflection. Among the many new contributions to the field, some are not immune from erroneous interpretation which in turn give rise to confusion and doubt. A number of these interpretations have been referred to the attention of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Given the universality of Catholic doctrine on the Church, the Congregation wishes to respond to these questions by clarifying the authentic meaning of some ecclesiological expressions used by the magisterium which are open to misunderstanding in the theological debate.

RESPONSES TO THE QUESTIONS

FIRST QUESTION

Did the Second Vatican Council change the Catholic doctrine on the Church?

RESPONSE

The Second Vatican Council neither changed nor intended to change this doctrine, rather it developed, deepened and more fully explained it.

This was exactly what John XXIII said at the beginning of the Council.[1] Paul VI affirmed it[2] and commented in the act of promulgating the Constitution Lumen gentium: “There is no better comment to make than to say that this promulgation really changes nothing of the traditional doctrine. What Christ willed, we also will. What was, still is. What the Church has taught down through the centuries, we also teach. In simple terms that which was assumed, is now explicit; that which was uncertain, is now clarified; that which was meditated upon, discussed and sometimes argued over, is now put together in one clear formulation”.[3] The Bishops repeatedly expressed and fulfilled this intention.[4]


SECOND QUESTION

What is the meaning of the affirmation that the Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church?

RESPONSE

Christ “established here on earth” only one Church and instituted it as a “visible and spiritual community”[5], that from its beginning and throughout the centuries has always existed and will always exist, and in which alone are found all the elements that Christ himself instituted.[6] “This one Church of Christ, which we confess in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic […]. This Church, constituted and organised in this world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him”.[7]

In number 8 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium ‘subsistence’ means this perduring, historical continuity and the permanence of all the elements instituted by Christ in the Catholic Church[8], in which the Church of Christ is concretely found on this earth.

It is possible, according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm correctly that the Church of Christ is present and operative in the churches and ecclesial Communities not yet fully in communion with the Catholic Church, on account of the elements of sanctification and truth that are present in them.[9] Nevertheless, the word “subsists” can only be attributed to the Catholic Church alone precisely because it refers to the mark of unity that we profess in the symbols of the faith (I believe... in the “one” Church); and this “one” Church subsists in the Catholic Church.[10]

THIRD QUESTION

Why was the expression “subsists in” adopted instead of the simple word “is”?

RESPONSE

The use of this expression, which indicates the full identity of the Church of Christ with the Catholic Church, does not change the doctrine on the Church. Rather, it comes from and brings out more clearly the fact that there are “numerous elements of sanctification and of truth” which are found outside her structure, but which “as gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ, impel towards Catholic Unity”.[11]

“It follows that these separated churches and Communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives from that fullness of grace and of truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church”[12].

FOURTH QUESTION

Why does the Second Vatican Council use the term “Church” in reference to the oriental Churches separated from full communion with the Catholic Church?

RESPONSE

The Council wanted to adopt the traditional use of the term. “Because these Churches, although separated, have true sacraments and above all – because of the apostolic succession – the priesthood and the Eucharist, by means of which they remain linked to us by very close bonds”[13], they merit the title of “particular or local Churches”[14], and are called sister Churches of the particular Catholic Churches.[15]

“It is through the celebration of the Eucharist of the Lord in each of these Churches that the Church of God is built up and grows in stature”.[16] However, since communion with the Catholic Church, the visible head of which is the Bishop of Rome and the Successor of Peter, is not some external complement to a particular Church but rather one of its internal constitutive principles, these venerable Christian communities lack something in their condition as particular churches.[17]

On the other hand, because of the division between Christians, the fullness of universality, which is proper to the Church governed by the Successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him, is not fully realised in history.[18]

FIFTH QUESTION

Why do the texts of the Council and those of the Magisterium since the Council not use the title of “Church” with regard to those Christian Communities born out of the Reformation of the sixteenth century?

RESPONSE

According to Catholic doctrine, these Communities do not enjoy apostolic succession in the sacrament of Orders, and are, therefore, deprived of a constitutive element of the Church. These ecclesial Communities which, specifically because of the absence of the sacramental priesthood, have not preserved the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic Mystery[19] cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called “Churches” in the proper sense[20].

The Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, at the Audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, ratified and confirmed these Responses, adopted in the Plenary Session of the Congregation, and ordered their publication.

Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, June 29, 2007, the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

William Cardinal Levada
Prefect

Angelo Amato, S.D.B.
Titular Archbishop of Sila
Secretary

Blooger's Note:
Click here to visit the Vatican's website if you wish to read the footnotes.

Labels: , , , , , ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Saturday, July 14, 2007  0 Comments

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Title for Motu Proprio: Summorum Pontificum

(via CWN)

A papal document widening use of the 1962 Roman Missal will be released on July 7, the Roman news agency I Media says, confirming reports that circulated late in June.

The motu proprio will be entitled Summorum Pontificum, I Media adds. The title of the Pope's document had not previously been mentioned in the media, despite numerous reports of its existence and intense speculation over its contents.

The German-language agency Kath.net reported on June 27 that the document by Pope Benedict XVI will be released on Saturday, July 7. The Kath.net story appeared after a special Vatican meeting in which a small group of prelates were briefed about the contents of the motu proprio. The Vatican press office later confirmed that the meeting had taken place, but did not confirm the publication date for the document.

The motu proprio is reportedly a 3-page document. It will be released in conjunction with a 4-page explanatory letter in which the Pope sets out his reason for encouraging the use of the pre-conciliar liturgy as an "extraordinary" form of the Latin rite.

Labels: , , , ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Thursday, July 05, 2007  0 Comments

Friday, March 30, 2007

The Future of Catholicism: Vatican Council III?


The Second Vatican Council was somewhat ambiguous. It opened the windows to other Churches, to the modern world and to the future. Such action has led to many changes in the life of the Church, some new emphasis on official doctrine; in some ways it also appears that the Council seemed to have acknowledged some pluralism in the Church’s life. The Council raised much hope or fears of more radical changes, the situation back then could have been one of considerable uncertainty.

Yet, the Council was often conservative, taking great care to be loyal to the papacy and to previous councils. In fact it is this conservative side that the new catechism proclaims! This was done either by the changing of the order of the subject matter, the selection of one quotation over another, placing stress on old doctrines that have been left untouched, or by reviving doctrines that the Council left unmentioned. The mood was probably different from the confusing but ‘creative’ 60’s. The intention of John Paul was to stabilize and unite the Church in one theology and one discipline. Personally, I liked the fact that the Vatican did not bless what has become the current usage where the language reflects the challenge of feminism. For example, the translation refers to ‘men’ instead of ‘people’ or ‘all’.

Despite this restoration- a genuine catechism faithful to the essential content of Revelation and up to date in method. There seems to be some danger that the detailed catechism which has been authorized solemnly may be used in a manner that would be alien to the spirit of the majority in the council, by not allowing enough local liberty.

The most significant change in Church history could probably be change from the Church as being a fortress repelling enemies by firing off dogmas to being the Church as the pilgrim people of God, loving God and God’s world, moving into a future with joyful faith. To this change, I sing te duem. This is also a ‘sign of the times’. In the 90’s two-thirds of Catholics lived in Europe and North America. Now more than three-quarters of the much larger numbers live in Latin America, Asia and Africa. As the Council registered, “the Church has become more educated and humble”. The Second Vatican II Council is likely to be the last Council to be dominated by Europe. The Church has become less white, less rich and more distant from the Vatican. The consequences of both these revolutionary developments will set the agenda for future Popes. Many of the challenges that will confront the Church and the Holy Father will be more or less the same throughout the Church, regardless of locality.

Future Popes would have inherited a severe decline in the number of priests. Many are leaving the priesthood. This decline has encouraged lay movement, like in the days of the apostles; a small compensation. However, priests- no matter how young or dedicated- would be too few to provide the sacraments, care and teaching to those who look to them. The Vatican estimates one priest to seven thousand Catholics in South America as a whole, and one to four thousand in Africa. I’m not advocating, but could this be inter alia, due to the restriction on priests to marry? This could have been the wishes of potential priests to carry out their human right of marriage.

The rising movement to release female talent in Church (as well as society) would be another issue. Certainly (and hopefully) the option of Priesthood is closed. However, an easier option to consider would be the deaconate, as Phoebe certainly was when St. Paul wrote to the Church over which you now preside (Romans 16:1-2).


Perhaps one of the hardest decisions that would have to be made would be the from the multitudes of Catholic laity that sexual intercourse which transmits love need not be always be open to the transmission of life. Would artificial contraception be allowed? In all the weight of Roman authority the answer would definitely be a resounding ‘No’. However, considering the expected doubling of the world’s population (at least twelve billion), how are Catholic clergy to regain the respect of the laity as teachers of sexual morality?

Our future Pope, whoever he may be, would inherit the legacy of many centuries. Will he be open to the possibility of substantial changes or remain conservative- faithful to Roman Catholic tradition?

We are not far from the day where we’ll hear the wide ranging criticisms coming from all corners of the Church. We need to ask ourselves: What is the authority of Sacred Scripture and of the Church? What is the heart of the Christian faith? What diversity in its expressions is right? What is sex for and what is the priesthood for?

In the sixteenth century, nationalist policies increased the force of the Protestant question: What is the authority of the Bible? In the twenty-first century, the importance of sexuality in human life may fuel explosive power to the Catholic question: What is the authority of the Church?

It can be foreseen that the future Popes would have voices coming from their own heart, warning him not to divide the Church whose unity is entrusted to him. He would also look upon Protestantism and be reminded of the innumerable divisions that we created by men and women who followed their own private judgments in defiance of the mind of the Church. He would be warned not to sacrifice the truth entrusted to his guardianship for modernism, post-modernism, agnosticism, materialism, and other passing fashions of a godless age.

We need to pray unceasingly that the ‘deposit of faith’ will be guarded conservatively, as it was under John Paul II or Paul VI or John XXIII as well as Pius XII and his predecessors.

Many marvelous and creative changes have taken place in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, including the papacy. It is Divine Will that the Church has survived the might of the Roman Empire’s persecutions, and the corruption of her own wealth and power, to be the centre of great civilization of medieval Europe. It was by the grace of God that the Council of Trent inaugurated a Catholic Reformation, pouring new energy into the life and mission of the Church after a period when it had seemed that despite many scandals reform was impossible. Likewise, it was grace that brought forth the Second Vatican II Council, changing Catholic thought and life, after a period when it was widely assumed that no further council would be necessary and the only tendency would be an ever-increasing weight of authority and dogma.

Would it be too bold of me to suggest the dangerous duty to convene the Third Vatican Council? In like of (true) ecumenism, which Vatican II blessed, it seems logical that a third council be convened to have many uncomfortable voices heard. And that dialogue could mark the beginning of full restoration of communion with each other and with the Christ who cannot be divided.

Echoing the words spoken in Rome in 1967 by Athenagoras, Patriarch of Constantinople:

The Bishop of Rome who is “the bearer of apostolic grace and the successor to a shinning company of holy and wise men who have shed lustre on this see which, by honor and rank, stands first in the living body of Christian Churches dispersed throughout the world; and whose holiness, wisdom and valiant fight for the common faith of the undivided Church are a permanent asset and treasure for the entire world”.

May God the life-giving Holy Spirit guide our Popes
so that they may teach truth and practice love.

Labels: , , , , , , ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Friday, March 30, 2007  0 Comments

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Calls to unite Anglicans and Catholics under Pope


According to some Anglicans, YES. From The Times. Andrew has commented on this in his post.

5 Reasons why I feel the Anglicans should reunite with Rome:

Labels: , , , , , , ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Thursday, February 22, 2007  0 Comments

Sunday, February 4, 2007

Pope calls for tightening up on annulment

(via The Guardian)

Pope Benedict XVI has warned Vatican judges to get tough on couples who ask the Catholic Church to annul their marriages.

The Pope ordered the clampdown after new figures showed that the church's appeals court allowed 69 annulments in 2005 for reasons which included husbands being too attached to their mothers.

The court, known as the Sacra Rota, considers petitions from couples claiming their marriages were never truly valid. Apart from the get-out clause for women married to "mummy's boys", an "inability to assume conjugal obligations", usually due to a childhood trauma, appears among the successful reasons for annulment in 2005, as do alcoholism, use of cannabis, infidelity and a serious lack of "moderation in judgment" by a partner, meaning jealousy or a propensity to lie.

The Vatican does not permit divorcees to remarry in church and a growing number of annulment requests are winding their way from lower ecclesiastical courts to the appeals court in Rome, with the majority Italian, followed by requests from America and Poland. Princess Caroline of Monaco was able to annul her 1978 marriage to Philippe Junot on the grounds that they had produced no children.

But the Pope appeared to take a hard line on Saturday when he told the court's 20 judges to "respond with courage and faith" to "a distorted interpretation of the canonical norms in force".

He has repeatedly criticised the Italian government's plans for a law defining rights for unmarried couples. The institution of marriage, he said, was in danger of becoming no more than a legal agreement, "manipulated at will", and "even denied of its heterosexual character".

The Italian prime minister, Romano Prodi, said on Saturday that a bill on civil unions was close to completion.


Comments: Following Vatican II in 1968, there were 450 in the US alone! In 1997, there were more than 73,000 annulments worldwide! This is a shocking difference from the 359 annulments from 1952 to 1956, Wroldwide!

Labels: , , ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Sunday, February 04, 2007  2 Comments

Friday, February 2, 2007

Change of Vatican policy on condoms 'not on agenda'

AN UPDATE OF: Vatican To Allow Use of Condoms?
(via Today Online)

A change in the Vatican's position on the use of condoms is "not on the agenda," according to a doctrinal official, Monsignor Angelo Amato, quoted by web-based religious media.

"Whether the use of prophylactics is licit ... does not seem to me to be on the agenda," Amato told Avvenire, the journal of the Italian Bishops' Conference published Sunday.

Several prelates including Italian Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini have said in recent remarks that the condom could be considered a "lesser evil" in certain cases, such as when used by a married couple in which one partner has AIDS or is HIV-positive.

"Opinions on these issues coming from other institutions or ecclesiastical personalities, however respectable, cannot have the authority that sometimes the mass media seems to want to suggest," Amato said.

The Church's only recommendation for avoiding the spread of AIDS is chastity -- abstinence or conjugal fidelity.

The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- headed by Pope Benedict XVI before his election as pontiff in April 2005 -- is charged with validating dogmatic positions taken by the Church.

Amato said the congregation was studying "the hypothesis of reviewing" bioethical questions raised in the 1987 document "Donum Vitae."

The aim is not "to abolish the preceding document, but to confront the various bioethical and biotechnological questions which present themselves today, which at the time were unthinkable," he said.

Amato said "new challenges" have arisen "such as an embryo which is considered a biological product rather than a human being," while according to the Catholic Church, "respect due to the human embryo is a non-negotiable anthropological principle."

The prelate could not say when the dossier would be submitted to the pope. — AFP

Labels: , , ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Friday, February 02, 2007  1 Comments

Monday, January 29, 2007

Horizontalism … Does Damage to Catholic Faith and Worship

Cardinal Arinze Address to Institut Supérieur de Liturgie

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 20, 2007 ( Zenit.org).- Here is an address given by Cardinal Francis Arinze at a colloquium to celebrate the golden jubilee of the Institut Supérieur de Liturgie of the Institut Catholique de Paris. The prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments gave the address Oct. 26.

An extract:

5. The liturgical role of the priest

It is crucial that a higher liturgical institute delineate clearly the role of the priest in the sacred liturgy. The Second Vatican Council says that "the wished-for renewal of the whole Church depends in large measure on a ministry of priests which is vitalized by the spirit of Christ" ("Optatam Totius," No. 1).

The common priesthood of all the baptized and the ministerial priesthood of the ordained priest come from Christ himself. Confusion of roles in the hierarchical constitution of the Church does damage. It does not promote witness to Christ nor holiness for clergy and laity. Neither attempts at the clericalization of the laity, nor efforts toward the laicization of the clergy, will bring down divine graces. "In liturgical celebrations," says Vatican II, "whether as a minister or as one of the faithful, each person should perform his role by doing solely and totally what the nature of things and liturgical norms require of him" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium," No. 28). It is false humility and an inadmissible idea of democracy or fraternity, for the priest to try to share his strictly priestly liturgical roles with the lay faithful.

It is not therefore superfluous to state that a higher liturgical institute, just as any theological faculty, should help people to see that the priesthood is an integral and constitutive part of the structure of the Church and that therefore we absolutely need ordained priests to celebrate Holy Mass, to absolve people from their sins in the sacrament of penance and to anoint the sick (cf. James 5:14-15).

Moreover, if fuller spiritual benefits are to come to people at weddings and funerals, then we need priests to celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice, preach spiritually enriching homilies to the people, some of whom would otherwise rarely come to Mass, give them blessing and be a sign that the Church is near them at such a milestone in their lives. No doubt, it is necessary that the priest does not merely perform liturgical functions, but that his ministerial activities come from the heart and that his pastoral presence be a spiritual nourishment for the people.

If the role of the priest is weakened or is not appreciated, a local Catholic community may be dangerously lapsing into the idea of a priestless community. This is not in line with the genuine concept of the Church instituted by Christ.

If a diocese does not have enough priests, initiatives should be taken to seek them from elsewhere now, to encourage local vocations and to keep fresh in the people a genuine "hunger" for a priest (cf. John Paul II, "Ecclesia de Eucharistia," No. 32). Non-ordained members of the faithful who are assigned some roles in the absence of a priest have to make a special effort to keep up this "hunger." And they should resist the temptation of trying to get the people accustomed to them as substitutes for priests (cf. op. cit., No. 33). There is no place in the Catholic Church for the creation of a sort of parallel "lay clergy" (cf. "Redemptionis Sacramentum," Nos. 149-153,165).

Priests on their part should show themselves transparently happy in their vocation with a clear identity of their liturgical role. If they celebrate the sacred mysteries with faith and devotion and according to the approved books, they will unconsciously be preaching priestly vocations. On the other hand, young people will not desire to join a band of clerics who seem uncertain of their mission, who criticize and disobey their Church and who celebrate their own "liturgies" according to their personal choices and theories.

A higher liturgical institute and a theological faculty are precious instruments in the hands of the Church for the sharing of the correct theology on the priest as Christ's instrument in the sacred liturgy.

Labels: , , ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Monday, January 29, 2007  0 Comments

Latinist laments 'dying language'

(By David Willey BBC News, Rome)

One of the world's foremost scholars in Latin has said he believes the language is dying out.

Father Reginald Foster, who was appointed the papal Latinist 38 years ago, says Latin is almost extinct.

He says priests are no longer compelled to study it at seminaries and find it impossible to read important theological texts.

Father Foster has also condemned the loss of Latin teaching in schools across most of Europe.

'Missing out'

Father Foster has just opened a new Latin academy in Rome near the Pantheon, in his final effort to preserve the official language of the priesthood.

He hopes to attract 130 students a year.

But the chief Latinist, who has translated speeches and letters for four popes, says he can see no future for the language he is teaching and has been forced to acknowledge that Latin is dying out.

The reason is that more junior members of the Catholic hierarchy are less enthusiastic about Latin than the recent Popes.

At the Vatican, bishops appointments are still written on papyrus in Latin as are letters of congratulations from the pope, but many bishops and cardinals write back asking for translations.

He has also condemned the loss of Latin teaching in Europe.

In Italy, most schoolchildren are still taught Latin for at least four hours a week until they are 18.

But in other European countries it has been replaced by the more modern languages.

Father Foster believes that without Latin they are missing out on important elements of history.

"St Augustine thought in Latin, you can't read his text in English, it's like listening to Mozart through a jukebox," he says.

Papal leadership

Reports that Pope Benedict XVI might re-introduce Latin mass are way off the mark says Father Foster, not least because of the pontiff's desire to avoid more controversy.

In any case, he says, it just makes the Vatican look medieval. Father Foster does, however, propose a solution - he has called on the Pope to lead by example.

Instead of a siesta, he says, Benedict should announce that he will be reading Latin in his Vatican quarters.

Labels: , ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Monday, January 29, 2007  0 Comments

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Betcha Didn't Know Vatican II Said THIS!


(via Fr. Gonzales, Overheard in the Sacristry)

Since our dear Rogue Deacon invited us on Sunday to read the documents of Vatican II so we could educate ourselves on just how screwed-over we are by the "hierarchy," let's check out some passages from Sacrosanctum Concilium that he and the rest of the "Spirit of Vatican II" crowd would just as soon we didn't read.

2. In virtue of power conceded by the law, the regulation of the liturgy within certain defined limits belongs also to various kinds of competent territorial bodies of bishops legitimately established....3. Therefore, no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.

36.1. Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.

54....steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.

115....Composers and singers, especially boys, must also be given a genuine liturgical training.

116. The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.

120. In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man's mind to God and to higher things.

121. The texts intended to be sung must always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine; indeed they should be drawn chiefly from Holy Scripture and from liturgical sources.

124....Let bishops carefully remove from the house of God and from other sacred places those works of artists which are repugnant to faith, morals, and Christian piety, and which offend true religious sense either by depraved forms or by lack of artistic worth, mediocrity and pretense.

Is it becoming clear why the liberals always cite to the "spirit of Vatican II"?



Comments: My emphasis added.

Labels: , ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Saturday, January 20, 2007  0 Comments

Monday, December 11, 2006

Universal Papal Sovereignty

67. ... the hand of God, who guides the course of history, has set down the Chair of His Vicar on earth, in this city of Rome which, from being the capital of the wonderful Roman Empire, was made by Him the capital of the whole world, because He made it the seat of a sovereignty which, since it extends beyond the confines of nations and states, embraces within itself all the peoples of the whole world. The very origin and divine nature of this sovereignty demands, the inviolable rights of conscience of millions of the faithful of the whole world demand that this sacred sovereignty must not be, neither must it ever appear to be, subject to any human authority or law whatsoever, even though that law be one which proclaims certain guaranties for the liberty of the Roman Pontiff.

Pope Pius XI, Encyclical Letter UBI ARCANO DEI CONSILIO (On the Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ), December 23, 1922.

Labels: ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Monday, December 11, 2006  0 Comments

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Highlights of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's Visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate

For more information, please visit Ecumenical Patriarchate.

November 29, 2006

6:30pm Arrival at Kemal Attaturk Airport. Greeted by
His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

7:15 pm Official
Welcome of His Holiness Pope Benedict by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew of Constantinople.

7:30pm Doxology of thanksgiving and
peace, exchange of greetings, and mutual reverence of the Holy Relics.

8:00pm Private meeting between the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Pope.

8:45pm Departure of Pope

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 30, 2006
St. Andrew Feastday

9:45am Arrival of the
Pope and welcome by the Ecumenical Patriarch.

10:00am Patriarchal Divine
Liturgy
1. Exchange of the Kiss of Peace.
2. The Pope recites the Lord’s
prayer in Greek
3. Official addresses and responses between the Pope and the
Ecumenical Patriarch.
4. The Prelates bless the Congregation present.

12:00 pm Official joint blessing of the Faithful present and those
around the world from the balcony of the Chief Secretariat, respectively in
Latin and Greek.

12:30pm Official reading and signing of the Joint
Declaration.

1:00pm Patriarchal Luncheon in honor of the Pope.

2:45pm Pope departs from the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, December 1, 2006
Papal Holy Mass at the Holy Spirit Church

8:40 am Ecumenical Patriarch is welcomed by the Pope.
1. Exchange of
the Kiss of Peace.
2. The Prelates jointly bless the faithful, respectively
in Greek and Latin.

1:15pm His All Holiness bids farewell to the Pope as
he departs from Attaturk Airport.

I hope that this comes in useful for those of you who are intending to keep track of the Holy Father's visit to Turkey. Remember to keep him always in your prayers.

In cordibus Jesus et Mariae,
Deo Juvante
Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin & Martyr

Labels: , ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Saturday, November 25, 2006  0 Comments

Friday, November 24, 2006

Vatican To Allow Use of Condoms?

AN UPDATE: Change of Vatican Policy on Condoms 'not an agenda'

It has been reported that the Chuch is reviewing it's total ban on the use of the contraceptive in bid to curb the spread of Aids. This step could be a historic shift for the Church. Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, Pope Benedict XVI's 'health minister' has been urging him to accept that in restricted circumstances, barrier contraception is the lesser of two evils.

Cardinal is a liberal force in the Church who is known to favor reform.

Apparantly, these forces in the Church are using the loophole in Pope John Paul II's, 1987 document: Donum Vitae. The document declares that the use of contraceptives could never be allowed in homosexual relationships or by men or women who were not married. The document however omitted to mention married couples.

The Italian daily, Corriere della Sera, has speculated that the Pope's decision could be announced as soon as Feb 2007- the 20th anniversary of the publication of Donum Vitae.

Papal theologian, Cardinal Georges Cottier has this to say,

"The virus is transmitted during a sexual act; so at the same time as (bringing)
life there is also a risk of transmitting death. And that is where the
commandment 'thou shalt not kill' is vaild."

Traditional Catholics would agree with me that putting oneself in the danger of sin would would be as bad as to commit sin itself. Therefore, in the first place, couples with a HIV positive spouse should not be having intercourse. The key word here is abstinece.

The sweet voices of liberalism are luring to the Church to submit to the calls by campaigners and organizations all around the world that are involved in the fight against Aids. These people believe that the legalization of the contraceptive would save millions of lives.

Well, have they (this includes Cardinal Georges Cottier) forgotten that the comdom is guilty for the development of the HIV pandemic in 1981, after the promiscuity it facilitated in the 1960's?

If anything, the condom is the cause of the pandemic, not its cure. It will trap the faithful in a destructive mindset. The sexually transmitted Herpes Simplex Virus is three times larger than HIV yet managed to create an epidemic in the USA in the condom era.

Turning to the condom for protection is a fool’s errand.
Evil is its own nemesis.

Our attempts to save our lives must never be at the cost of losing our souls. To use a condom in order to “save a life” nurtures a contradictory result instead, not only in the HIV pandemic itself but also in:

These elements of the Culture of Death, described by Pope John Paul II in 1995, are an insight into how the world has already deteriorated and how it continues to deteriorate.

We need to detach ourselves from this evil process!

Although it has been 11 years since the passing of Abp. M. Lefebvre, his mission and words are still very much alive in many of the faithful. Below is an extract of a sermon on his Sacerdotal Jubilee (23 September 1979) in Paris:

"...... Consecrate yourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary...... do not listen to these abominable slogans......
in this degenerate urban atmosphere in which we are living...... love creation
which the good Lord has made."

The Church cannot afford to compromise; when the frontline has fallen, everything behind it will disintegrate. What next: Women Priests? Married Clergy? Homosexual Marriages?

Let us ask our Immaculate Mother to pray for us sinners who have recourse to her: for the gift of PURITY. We must also pray for the the 'traditionally conservative' Vatican department responsible for safeguarding theological orthodoxy which will review the recommendations; may the Holy Spirit pilot them.

Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice,
Deo Juvante
Feast of St. John of the Cross, Confessor
Comm. of St. Chrysogomus, Martyr

Labels: , ,


# posted by Vidimusdominum : Friday, November 24, 2006  1 Comments

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]