Recently in Holy See Category

May God grant us to achieve as soon as possible the full unity of all believers in Christ. May we obtain this gift through the Apostles Peter and Paul, who are remembered by the church of Rome this day that commemorates their martyrdom and therefore their birth to life in God. For the sake of the Gospel they accepted suffering and death, and sharers in the Lord's resurrection. Their faith, confirmed by martyrdom is the same faith as that of Mary, mother of believers, of the Apostles and of the saints of every age.

Blessed John Paul II

Earlier today in Rome, Pope Francis bestowed the sign of communion between himself and the metropolitan archbishops appointed in the previous year. 35 metropolitans received the pallium today on the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The Vietnamese archbishop could not go to Rome so his pallium will be given in Vietnam. 25 of the metropolitans were Benedict XVI appointees.

An excerpt of Pope Francis' homily:

As a point of comparison, sacraments are to take place during a Eucharistic celebration following the homily; They are: Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination, Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick.The pallium is a symbol of communion with the Successor of Peter, "the lasting and visible source and foundation of the unity both of faith and of communion" (Lumen Gentium, 18). And your presence today, dear brothers, is the sign that the Church's communion does not mean uniformity. The Second Vatican Council, in speaking of the hierarchical structure of the Church, states that the Lord "established the apostles as college or permanent assembly, at the head of which he placed Peter, chosen from their number" (ibid., 19). To confirm in unity: the Synod of Bishops, in harmony with the primate. Let us go forward on the path of synodality, and grow in harmony with the service of the primacy. And the Council continues, "this college, in so far as it is composed of many members, is the expression of the variety and universality of the people of God" (ibid., 22). In the Church, variety, which is itself a great treasure, is always grounded in the harmony of unity, like a great mosaic in which every small piece joins with others as part of God's one great plan. This should inspire us to work always to overcome every conflict which wounds the body of the Church. United in our differences: there is no other Catholic way to be united. This is the Catholic spirit, the Christian spirit: to be united in our differences. This is the way of Jesus! The pallium, while being a sign of communion with the Bishop of Rome and with the universal church, with the Synod of Bishops, also commits each of you to being a servant of communion.

Among some of the 19 countries represented:

1 from Vietnam

3 from Africa

3 from Brazil

3 from India

3 from Mexico

4 from the USA

5 from South America

The rite today followed the Cerimoniale Episcoporum (Ceremonial of Bishops). The pallium is not a sacrament, nor is the pallium a sacramental in nature. It is a symbol of communion between two people: the residential archbishop and the Bishop of Rome. The is generally given only to archbishops who head archdioceses and not to those who have the title of archbishop for other reasons (nuncios, Vatican curia officials, those who have received the title ad personam), but the pope can give to anyone he chooses (which hasn't happened in a long time).

(In the picture is Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin, CSsR, archbishop of Indianapolis wearing his pallium at St Peter's Basilica, Rome. Photo Paul Haring, CNS).

As reported in secular and religious media, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) --known popularly, even if inaccurately-- has been a bête noire for recent popes. The IOR is a colossal distraction for Catholics and for the seculars due to the mismanagement and problematic behavior of certain clergymen. If Pope Francis doesn't get this problem under control and fixed, his work will be weakened.

Today, it was announced that Pope Francis, following on the systemic changes made made by Pope Benedict, is very serious in his intentions to reform the IOR. The Pope established a commission and published directives.

The members of the Commission are:

Cardinal Raffaele Farina, SDB, president

Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru, coordinator

Msgr. Peter Bryan Wells, secretary

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, member

Dr. Mary Ann Glendon, member

Two of the members of the commission are Americans. All members answer solely to Francis.

Here is the Chirograph by which establishes a Pontifical Referring Commission for the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR).

"With his Chirograph of 1 March 1990, Blessed John Paul II established the Institute for the Works of Religion as a public juridical entity, giving the Institute a new configuration while maintaining its name and purpose. With the same perspective, taking into account that he wished to better adapt the Institute's structures and activities to the needs of the times; following the invitation of Our Predecessor Benedict XVI to allow the Gospel principles to permeate even the activities of an economic and financial nature; having heard the opinion of various Cardinals and other brothers in the Episcopate as well as other collaborators; and in light of the need to introduce reforms in the Institutions that give aid to the Apostolic See; We have decided to establish a Referring Commission for the Institute for the Works of Religion that will gather accurate information on the Institute's legal position and various activities, in order to allow, if necessary, a better harmonization of the same with the universal mission of the Apostolic See. The Commission is to carry out its proper duties in accordance with this Chirograph and Our working arrangements.

Here are some pictures of Bishop Anthony Wieslaw Krótki, OMI's episcopal ordination in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut this past May. He is the 6th bishop of the diocese.

The Bishop's biography is here.

Bishop Krótki, 49, a Polish born missionary of Mary Immaculate, is the new Bishop of Churchill-Baie d'Hudson, Manitoba, Canada. The Churchill Diocese is Canada's largest diocese land-wise. The snowfall is quite significant up there in this Canadian province.

He's fluent in Polish, English and can communicate in Inukitut.

According to recent statistics there are 6,100 Catholics in this diocese in 17 parishes with 7 religious order priests; no secular priests.

God bless Bishop Anthony Wieslaw Krótki, and the diocese of Churchill-Baie d'Hudson!

Pictures are courtesy of Archbishop Terry Prendergast, SJ.

In an article on May 30, 2013 by Rachel Donadio for the NY Times, "Vatican Bank Looks to Shed Its Image as an Offshore Haven" does look into the Vatican Bank's recent past. Before his retirement in February, Pope Benedict appointed Ernst von Freyberg, 54,  as the new head of the bank that causes a lot of distraction. Officially, the real name for the Vatican bank is the Institute for Religious Works (IOR) or sometimes the IOR is called the Institute for the Works of Religion. The IOR is not a commercial bank like Chase or TD Bank.

Mr von Freyberg is a German citizen, an accomplished businessman with strong Catholic roots and who is a member of the Order of Malta, a group of faith Catholics who serve the Church and society by defending the faith and serving the needs of the sick and poor. 

I, for one, would like to see the IOR vanish. In my opinion, there is a little need for the IOR. But I am happy to hear von Freyberg say, 

"Our mission is to serve and shine," the bank's president, Ernst von Freyberg, said with a smile. "Our first pillar is transparency." He spoke from an office in the medieval tower that houses the bank inside the Vatican, beneath a painting depicting a Gospel lesson, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God, what is God's."

Dear friends of the Diocese of Bergamo,

I am pleased to welcome you here, at the tomb of the Apostle Peter, in this place that is home to every Catholic. I affectionately greet your Pastor, Bishop Francesco Beschi, and thank him for the kind words he addressed to me on behalf of all.

Exactly fifty years ago, just at this moment, Blessed John XXIII left this world. Those who, like me, [are of] a certain age, retain a vivid memory of the commotion that spread everywhere in those days: St. Peter's Square had become a sanctuary in the open, day and night welcoming the faithful of all ages and social conditions, in trepidation and prayer for the Pope's health. The whole world had recognized in Pope John a pastor and a father: a shepherd because [he was] father. What made him such? How could he reach the hearts of so many different people, even many non-Christians? To answer this question, we can refer to his episcopal motto, oboedientia et pax: obedience and peace. "These words," noted the then-Archbishop Roncalli on the eve of his episcopal ordination, "are [in a way] my story and my life." (Journal of a Soul, retreat in preparation for consecration as bishop, 13-17 March 1925).

Many, nor all, but many, women religious in the USA have been feeling under pressure to address their lack of unity with Scripture and Tradition (read: Magisterium) over the last few decades. Of course, let me emphasize, not all women religious, but there are enough that have been living lives that are inconsistent with the charism of their orders, and who have taught their own theology especially on moral matters. Some have set up their own teaching authority over and against that of the Holy See. But this is not a matter of who has the right to make decisions, but it is about how all members of the baptized live in communio with the Jesus Christ and His sacrament, the Church. Their justification may very well be explained that women religious believed they are doing what the Council decreed. Will the US sisters now offer spin on what said and done in Rome today? How will they support the shepherding of Pope Francis? Will the US sisters now reassess their place as members of the Mystical Body of Christ? 

Here is the press release of the Holy See:

COMMUNIQUE OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH CONCERNING A MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENCY OF THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE OF WOMEN RELIGIOUS IN THE USA

Today the Superiors of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith met with the Presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in the United States of America. Most Rev. J. Peter Sartain, Archbishop of Seattle and the Holy See's Delegate for the Doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR, also participated in the meeting.

As this was his first opportunity to meet with the Presidency of the LCWR, the Prefect of the Congregation, Most Rev. Gerhard Ludwig Müller, expressed his gratitude for the great contribution of women Religious to the Church in the United States as seen particularly in the many schools, hospitals, and institutions of support for the poor which have been founded and staffed by Religious over the years.

The Pope's first appointment to his curia was made today when he named the Minister General of the Friars Minor, Father José Rodríguez Carballo, OFM, Secretary of the Congregation for Religious (official name: Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life). Carballo will assist the Brazilian cardinal João Bráz de Aviz.

Father José Rodríguez Carballo was born in 1953, professed temporary vows as a Franciscan in 1971 and ordained a priest in 1977.

According to the 1988 Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, the Congregation for Consecrated life --first formed in 1586-- is "to promote and supervise in the whole Latin Church the practice of the evangelical counsels as they are lived in the approved forms of consecrated life and, at the same time, the work of societies of apostolic life" (105)

The Archbishop-elect is a Spanish Franciscan who has served the Friars Minor in a variety of capacities. 

In 2003, Father José Rodríguez Carballo was elected the 119th successor of Saint Francis of Assisi when he was elected Minister General of the Friars Minor. In 2009, he was elected to the same work.

Friar José was trained in Scripture studies. He was appointed to the Synod of Bishops in 2005, 2008 and 2012. He's been a member of the Congregations of Evangelization of Peoples and the one he's the Secretary to.

Carballo succeeds in the office the American Redemptorist Archbishop Joseph Tobin who is now the archbishop of Indianapolis. The Vatican Insider has an article on the appointment of Carballo that gives some stats.

Here then, is where the mission of a cultural journal such as La Civiltà Cattolica fits in: active participation int he contemporary cultural debate, both to propose and at the same time to spread the Christian faith in a serious way. Its purpose is both to present it clearly and in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church, and to defend without polemics the truth that is sometimes distorted by unfounded accusation directed at the Ecclesial Community. I would like to point out the Second Vatican Council as a beacon on the path that La Civiltà Cattolica is called to take.

In defense of the Pope, La Civiltà Cattolica's is understood to be supportive of the Church by following the indications of the Second Vatican Council. As a journal of the Society of Jesuit and the Church its work to show a relationship faith and reason, faith and culture, faith and science, faith and the public order;to understand the world in which we live in light of the Incarnation. The Journal cuts across the various sectors of the intellectual, spiritual and cultural ambits showing a particular attentiveness with the Catholic Church through the Secretary of State;  La Civiltà Cattolica is considered to be not official but authoritative.

Keeping up appearances...by phone...with previous papal administrations. Pope Francis apparently is touching base with key people in history of the Church from the 20th century. He spoke with Archbishop Loris Francesco Capovilla, 97, one of the oldest prelates in the Church today. A priest (73 years) of Venice, he was ordained to the episcopacy in 1967 and served as the archbishop of Cheiti-Vasto and later he was the Prelate of the Shrine of Loreto. His Excellency is the former secretary of Blessed John XXIII. L'Osservatore Romano will run this story on April 3.

A simple, moving gesture: last Monday, at 6:30 p.m., the telephone rang at Ca' Maitino di Sotto il Monte, John XXIII's summer residence, where today Archbishop Loris Francesco Capovilla lives and where the Suore Poverelle cherish memories of Pope John. As usual Capovilla answered himself. It was Pope Francis who was calling him because, among the many messages of good wishes, he had received directly an Easter message written in the light of the Second Vatican Council, edited by Pope Roncalli's former Secretary, subtitled: "With Pope Francis we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pacem in Terris on 11 April 2013 and on 3 June 2013 of the passing of John XXIII:  a detailed agenda.  With the Bishop of Rome who greets the Secretary who was the companion at arms of the Pope of the Council and says to him "I see him with the eyes of my heart", Capovilla told us. "It was a very great surprise and I like to consider this telephone call made to this place where John XXIII was born rather than to me myself: as a tribute to him and to his roots". Capovilla, who will be ninety [-eight] in October, mentioned that the Pope had stressed certain parts of the message he had sent him: a few pages together with a few pictures (of Manzù's medal for the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Francis on the Loggia the evening of his election; Francis and Benedict XVI from behind, kneeling in prayer together at Castel Gandolfo; a portrait of John XXIII by Hans-Jürgen Kallmann), and some very short texts  "as precious as a homily", as Francis described them.  In their brief conversation the Pope asked Capovilla "to pray John XXIII to help the Pope and everyone to be better people",  Archbishop Capovilla continued: "I also reminded him of my age and he remarked that the spirit counts more. I told him that I have both Christian and non-Christian friends and that to this day the Lord has accompanied me". And he added that he had "humbly asked His Holiness for a blessing for the inhabitants of Sotto il Monte, for his parish community, for the relatives of the Pope of the  Council", and for "all those who work with me together with the Bishop of Bergamo".

Marco Roncalli

April 3, 2013

Reading the notes from the pre-conclave meetings of the cardinals meeting in the General Congregation is not usual reading material for most people. One has to admit that it is interesting to know what the cardinals think and what they verbalize with regard to the life of the Church and the proposal for future ministry. Zenit.org published today the notes of Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio (now Pope Francis). Nothing really new except that now we know with better certainty the perspective of the made elected the Supreme Pontiff. The notes follow:

The archbishop of Havana says that a speech given by Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) during the cardinals' pre-conclave meetings was "masterful" and "clear."

Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino spoke of Cardinal Bergoglio's speech at a Mass on Saturday in Cuba, having returned home from his trip to Rome to bid farewell to Benedict, participate in the conclave, and welcome Francis.

Cardinal Ortega said that Cardinal Bergoglio gave him the handwritten notes of the speech, and the permission to share the contents.

"Allow me to let you know, almost as an absolute first fruit, the thought of the Holy Father Francis on the mission of the Church," Cardinal Ortega said.

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th Roman Pontiff he was listed among a rather small and elite group of men who had their intellectual and spiritual formation in religious life. Bergoglio is a member of the Society of Jesus. But who are the others?

Gregory I, Boniface IV, Adeodatus II, Leo IV, John IX, Leo VII, Stephen IX, Gregory VII, Victor, III, Urban II, Paschal II, Gelasius, II, Celestine V, Clement VI, Urban V, Pius VII, Gregory XVI

Honorius II, Innocent II, Lucius II, Adrian IV, Gregory VIII, Eugene IV

Nicholas IV, Sixtus IV, Sixtus V, Clement XIV

Secular Franciscans have 2

Pius IX, Leo XIII

Innocent V, Benedict XI, Pius V, Benedict XIII

Eugene III, Benedict XII

Paul IV

Francis

Speaking in French today, Pope Francis gave his talk in Italian outlined to the world's diplomats the mission of his pontificate: building peace AND constructing bridges of dialogue,  combatting spiritual AND material poverty. This is part 2 of his "pontifical program of ministry." The Pontiff met the more than 180 accredited diplomats in Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace, the Vatican.

Heartfelt thanks to your Dean, Ambassador Jean-Claude Michel, for the kind words that he has addressed to me in the name of everyone present. It gives me joy to welcome you for this exchange of greetings: a simple yet deeply felt ceremony, that somehow seeks to express the Pope's embrace of the world. Through you, indeed, I encounter your peoples, and thus in a sense I can reach out to every one of your fellow citizens, with their joys, their troubles, their expectations, their desires.

Your presence here in such numbers is a sign that the relations between your countries and the Holy See are fruitful, that they are truly a source of benefit to mankind. That, indeed, is what matters to the Holy See: the good of every person upon this earth! And it is with this understanding that the Bishop of Rome embarks upon his ministry, in the knowledge that he can count on the friendship and affection of the countries you represent, and in the certainty that you share this objective. At the same time, I hope that it will also be an opportunity to begin a journey with those few countries that do not yet have diplomatic relations with the Holy See, some of which were present at the Mass for the beginning of my ministry, or sent messages as a sign of their closeness - for which I am truly grateful.