Author: Paul Zalonski

Pope in Venice: the gate between East and West

Benedict, Angelo and Georg May 8 2011.jpgThese last two days Pope Benedict has been visiting the Patriarch of Venice, Angelo Cardinal Scola and the Archdiocese of Aquileia with an estimate crowd of 300K.

This is the first visit of a pope to Venice in 26 years. The Pope prayed at the Basilica of Saint Mark (in front of the saint’s relics preserved there for a 1000 years), addressed civil, culture and business leaders, the bishops, priests, religious and students and mingled with the people.
Note the Pope’s mode of transportation!
Benedict & Angelo Scola.jpg
Among the things the pope noted was that the “patrimony of civil traditions, culture and art, found rich development thanks to Venetians’ embrace of the acceptance of Christian faith. Over the centuries the faith transmitted by the first evangelists weaved itself evermore deeply into the social fabric, and eventually became an essential part of it.”
The asked the Lord to send the Venetians the grace of a “sincere and fruitful faith, a faith that can nourish both great hope, and the patient search for the common good.”

Father Carrón tells us that John Paul was a pope seized by Christ

Father Julián Carrón, president of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation was interviewed by the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano on the beatification of Pope John Paul II. Father Carrón said that “beatification of John Paul II … is a ‘strong invitation’ to conversion.”

Keeping in mind what Blessed John Paul did for Communion and Liberation in recognizing the charism proposed by Father Luigi Giussani, Father Carrón recalled the words of John Paul who considered that a Movement “becomes a special instrument for a personal and ever-new adherence to the mystery of Christ.” For those who follow the path to Christ offered by Communion and Liberation will know that the vocation of being a part of Communion and Liberation –given by the Holy Spirit– means bringing “the truth, beauty and peace that are encountered in Christ the Redeemer” to the world.

Father Carrón’s remarks can be read here: Interview with Fr Carrón on the JP II Beatification.pdf

Rome’s Pontifical Liturgical Institute celebrates 50 years, Pope marks event

PIL cinquanta logo.jpgThis week the Pontifical Liturgical Institute centered
at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm (AKA Sant’Anselmo) held the Ninth International
Congress on the Liturgy in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of Institute’s
foundation. The theme of the congress was “The Pontifical Liturgical Institute:
Between Memory and Prophecy.” In the Clementine Hall, the Pope met with Abbot Notker Wolf, Abbot Primate and Chancellor of the Pontifical Athenaeum, Dom Juan Javier Flores, professors and participants in the Congress. The Italian version of the Pope’s talk is here; he English translation: Benedict XVI to Pontifical Liturgical Institute May 6 2011.pdf  The Pope said several noteworthy things, among them:


“Blessed John XXIII, recognizing the requests of
the liturgical movement that sought to give new impetus and a new spirit to the
Church’s prayer, shortly before Vatican Council II and during its celebration,
asked the faculty of Benedictines on the Aventine Hill to establish a center
for study and research to ensure a solid basis for conciliar liturgical
reform,” said Pope Benedict XVI.

Continue reading Rome’s Pontifical Liturgical Institute celebrates 50 years, Pope marks event

Pope tells Biblical Commission –and Church– not to reduce Bible to mere human genius

The Pontifical Biblical Commission is a group of theologians and scriptural scholars who help the Pope and the teaching mission of the Church exploring particular questions and concerns about the nature and reality of divine revelation and Christian life. The PBC is meeting this week in Rome led by Cardinal William J. Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; the theme is “Inspiration and Truth of the Bible.” Interesting. Did we forget that the sacred Scriptures were inspired by the Holy Spirit? One way of figuring out why something is important to the Pope or to sacred Magisterium is to be aware of the work done by these commissions. So, yes, there seems to be skepticism among the faithful that the Scriptures are revealed by God through the agency of human language. Recall, however, this is not the first time in salvation history that the Church has had to deal with this question: think of the various heresies from the early Church, the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment periods and even with the extreme use of the historical critical method of Scripture study. His Holiness reminds not only the professionally trained scholars but all of us that there can be in no way a reduction in how we interpret the Bible.


Here are the key points of what Benedict said to the PBC:

Continue reading Pope tells Biblical Commission –and Church– not to reduce Bible to mere human genius

Pope addresses the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences: true freedom of religion permits human fulfillment & the common good

The regular cycle of the Pope’s work is addressing those groups that advise him on a variety of subjects like theology, law, science, politics, life issues, etc. Benedict’s address to Professor Mary
Ann Glendon, President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, talks about the theme of “Universal
Rights in a World of Diversity: the Case of Religious Freedom.” He reminds not only the head of this academy about the deep roots of Western culture being Christian, but it was Christianity that gave humanity the awareness of the various freedoms we know and love, that contribute to human flourishing and many time even take for granted. It was the Christian gospel that upheld and promoted the dignity of the human person, protected women and children, that organized labor freedom of worship, and other social systems. Most notably, the Pope reminds us, that the freedoms spoken of in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human
Rights have their roots in our belief and life in Christ. However, we can’t become smug –too satisfied– with what we’ve been given, even freedom. The Pope’s talk is not long but here are some germaine points for us to consider:

Deeply inscribed
in our human nature are a yearning for truth and meaning and an openness to the
transcendent; we are prompted by our nature to pursue questions of the greatest
importance to our existence. Many centuries ago, Tertullian coined the term libertas
religionis (cf. Apologeticum, 24:6). He emphasized that God must be worshipped
freely, and that it is in the nature of religion not to admit coercion, “nec
religionis est cogere religionem” (Ad Scapulam, 2:2). Since man enjoys the
capacity for a free personal choice in truth, and since God expects of man a
free response to his call, the right to religious freedom should be viewed as
innate to the fundamental dignity of every human person, in keeping with the
innate openness of the human heart to God. In fact, authentic freedom of
religion will permit the human person to attain fulfilment and will thus
contribute to the common good of society.

Continue reading Pope addresses the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences: true freedom of religion permits human fulfillment & the common good

Blessed John Paul II’s body placed in final burial spot

Bllessed John Paul final burial spot.jpg

This evening –Rome time– Blessed John Paul II’s body was given its final resting place in the Vatican Basilica. He rests near to the famous Pietá of Michelangelo.
The video clip of the John Paul’s newest move can viewed here.

Bl John Paul II's new resting place.jpg
Blessed John Paul II, pray for us.

Divine Mercy: known in peaceful embrace of sacramental forgiveness

Continuing for just a moment on the reality of Divine Mercy –given yesterday’s feast on the Second Sunday of Easter– there are few thoughts of Blessed John Paul II’s that I think are worth reflecting on when, in the canonization homily he delivered for Padre Pio’s canonization (16 June 2002), he stated:

“I am the Lord who acts with mercy” (Jeremiah 9,23)


Padre Pio hearing confessions.jpg

Padre
Pio was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making himself available to all
by welcoming them, by spiritual direction and, especially, by the
administration of the sacrament of Penance. I also had the privilege, during my
young years, of benefiting from his availability for penitents. The ministry of
the confessional, which is one of the distinctive traits of his apostolate,
attracted great crowds of the faithful to the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo.
Even when that unusual confessor treated pilgrims with apparent severity, the
latter, becoming conscious of the gravity of sins and sincerely repentant,
almost always came back for the peaceful embrace of sacramental forgiveness.
May his example encourage priests to carry out with joy and zeal this ministry
which is so important today, as I wished to confirm this year in the Letter to
Priests on the occasion of Holy Thursday.

Perhaps priests –indeed, all of the faithful– ought to review the Holy Father’s Holy Thursday 2002 letter to priests. I once made a statement: Don’t trust a priest who doesn’t regularly sit in the confession box. I think it is reasonable advice. 

Mauro Lepori: “…Only by re-proposing the fascination of the Mystery of Christ” does one overcome difficulties

Lepori 2010.jpgThe newly elected Abbot General of the Order of Cistercians, Abbot Mauro-Giuseppi Lepori, OCist, has been a part of the lay ecclesial Movement, Communion and Liberation for many years.

In the February issue of Traces, Abbot Mauro was interviewed by Davide Perillo in an article titled, “Called to Live for Him.” Here Abbot Mauro talks about his election as Abbot General of the Order of Cistercians, his vocation, Jesus Christ, community life, individualism life within the Movement of Communion and Liberation, St Benedict, and more. I recommend the article.
A previous post on Abbot Mauro-Giuseppi can be read here.

Vatican Press Office Director speaks on bin Laden

The Vatican Press Office Director Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi’s
responded to journalists’ questions on yesterday’s killing of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Father Lombardi stated:


Osama bin
Laden – as we all know – was gravely responsible for promoting division and
hatred between peoples, causing the death of countless innocent lives, and of
exploiting religions to this end.

Faced with the death of a man, a Christian
never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of each and every
one of us before God and before man, and hopes and commits himself so that no
event be an opportunity for further growth of hatred, but for peace.

Let us remember before the Throne of Grace all those who have died on 9/11 and those who continue to suffer from the effects of this attack.