Holy See – Page 12

Benedict XVI launches News.va with his new iPad

Today, Pope Benedict launched a new Vatican website with a new iPad.

The Pope made tweet today –the first ever by a Supreme Pontiff– when he launched the brand new news portal, News.va. This news portal collects all the communications into one place: the news will be updated in English at least 3 times a day.

And, what did the Pope say? His Holiness tweeted:

“Dear Friends, I just launched news.va. Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI.”

He tweeted in English.

Watch the Pope as he’s presented with the iPad.

Angelo Scola, 69, cardinal-archbishop, TO Milan

Long predicted by the ever-present vaticanisti, Angelo Cardinal Scola, until now the Patriarch (archbishop) of Venice, is nominated to be the archbishop of Milan. Cardinal Scola replaces Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, 77, who has served Milan since 2002 and who celebrates 54 years of priesthood today, in fact.

Two former 20th century archbishops of Milan have been elected Pope: Achille Ratti and Giusseppi Montini; and one 20th century predecessor is a beatus of the same See: Ildelfonso Schuster, OSB. But we can also say that Pope Paul VI is a Servant of God. Of course, Scola becomes the successor to the great Saint Ambrose and Saint Charles Borromeo!

The Archdiocese of Milan has been in existence since the 1st century and is said to be the largest diocese in the world with more than 4.88 million faithful of 5.29 inhabitants (as of 2009) in 1625 square miles with more than 1100 parishes and nearly 3000 priests. There are 5 auxiliary bishops in the archdiocese; there are 9 suffragan Sees. Milan also just had three of her children beatified: Sister Enrichetta Alfieri (1891-1951), Fathers Serafino Morazzone (1747-1822) and Clemente Vismara (1897-1988) on the 26th.

Scola’s biography is widely accomplished … The new Ambrosian archbishop has been a priest for 41 years, a bishop for nearly 20 and a cardinal for almost 8. His titular Church in Rome –one of my favorites and the one where Pope Clement the XIV is buried– is the Church of the Twelve Apostles.

Vincent Long Van Nguyên responds to a call to venture into a new depth

The Church in Melbourne, Australia saw the Holy Spirit
consecrate a former boat person turned Conventual Franciscan priest turn
auxiliary bishop on Thursday. The witness of his life is testimony of the hand of God leading.

Vincent Long Van Nguyên is the first Vietnamese bishop in Australia and one of
three in the English speaking world. The USA has Bishop Dominic Mai Luong of
Orange County, California and Bishop Vincent Nguyên Manh Hieu of
Toronto.

Father Vincent Long Van Nguyên OFM Conv, is now an Auxiliary Bishop of
Melbourne holding the title of Bishop of Thala. But his personal narrative is
beautiful.

In 1981, Long was an 18-year-old refugee who arrived in Australia
knowing no English, having no personal connections with anyone, knowing nothing
of Australian culture. One can only say that 31 years ago Long was given the
gift of a new life in moving -with tremendous difficulty–from oppression to
freedom.

Continue reading Vincent Long Van Nguyên responds to a call to venture into a new depth

Consultors for the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization named by Pope today

Today, Pope Benedict XVI appointed as consultors of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization the following:

Fr. Francois-Xavier Dumortier, S.J., rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University;
Fr. Pierangelo Sequeri, vice rector and professor of Fundamental Theology at the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy and lecturer in Aesthetics of the Holy at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brera, Milan;
Sr. Sara Butler, M.S.B.T., professor of dogmatic theology at Mundelein Seminary;
Sr. Mary Lou Wirtz, F.C.J.M., general superior of the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and president of the Union of Superior Generals (UISG);
Dr. Chiara Amirante, founder and president of the New Horizons Association of the diocese of Anagni-Alatri, Italy;
Mr. Kiko Arguello, a co-initiator of the Neo-Catechumenal Way;
Prof. Lucetta Scaraffia, professor of contemporary history in the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy at “La Sapienza” University.
The list of cardinals and bishops who will be advisors to Archbishops Rino Fisichella and José Octavio Ruiz Arenas can be seen here (they were announced some time ago).

Assemblying this new pontifical council has been very slow. The address of the offices and websites have yet to be made known! Communications and members of the consultors should been, in common estimation, ought to have been done more quickly. The presence of two American sisters, one of whom was a professor of mine, is noteworthy. You can’t get much better than Sister Sara Butler. Plus, I am elated that Fathers Julián Carrón, Pascual Chavez Villanueva and Fernando Ocariz are on this list. Perhaps a few more North and South American laity could have been appointed. But that will come in time.

Vatican seeks Guidelines in dealing with cases of sexual abuse of minors by clerics

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith delivered a circular letter to the world’s bishops asking for help in working for the common good of the faithful –protecting children from abusive priests. The CDF wants each of the bishops’ conferences around the globe to develop the appropriate processes assist the diocesan bishops in helping victim, educating the ecclesial community, forming priests, and being clear agents of charity and justice.

Cardinal Levada’s letter to bishops.

The Circular Letter can be read here.

The explanatory letter from the Press Office

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

Vatican newspaper online

The Roman Observer (in Italian L’Osservatore Romano) is now online –and free till August.

The miracle of a significant web presence is due to the leadership of the paper’s editor Mr. Vian.

Independently founded in 1861 to defend the papal states against Garibaldi political expediencies in a new political era of “unified” Italy. Pope Leo XIII bought the newspaper in 1885. LO is a semi-official news outlet.

L’Osservatore Romano online….

Fr Keith Newton introduced as new head of Ordinariate

Saturday, January 15th not only saw the ordination of three former Anglican bishops as Roman Catholic Priests, but also one of them, Father Keith Newton, was appointed by the Holy See as the first Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Father Keith Newton’s press conference is heard here.

The Ordinariate on wiki

Papal document establishing Office of the New Evangelization: Ubicumque et Semper (Everywhere and always)

Apostolic Letter in the Form of Motu Proprio

Ubicumque et Semper

of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI

Establishing

the Pontifical Council For Promoting the New Evangelization

It is the duty of the Church to proclaim always and everywhere the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He, the first and supreme evangelizer, commanded the Apostles on the day of his Ascension to the Father: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20). Faithful to this mandate, the Church–a people chosen by God to declare his wonderful deeds (cf. 1 Peter 2:9)–ever since she received the gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:14), has never tired of making known to the whole world the beauty of the Gospel as she preaches Jesus Christ, true God and true man, the same “yesterday and today and for ever” (Heb 13:8), who, by his death and Resurrection, brought us salvation and fulfilled the promise made of old. Hence the mission of evangelization, a continuation of the work desired by the Lord Jesus, is necessary for the Church: it cannot be overlooked; it is an expression of her very nature.

Continue reading Papal document establishing Office of the New Evangelization: Ubicumque et Semper (Everywhere and always)

Dolan appointed consultor new Vatican Office

Pope Benedict XVI is building his new team of consultors for the papal agency, the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, charged to proclaim the Gospel always and everywhere in a secularized world. This new team really becomes the minds that will build the architecture for the work of the Council. This new Vatican office is slated to be one the most important Vatican offices dealing with building the Kingdom of Heaven. The head of the new council is Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

Today, list has, among others, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York. He joins the likes of:

The Eminent Lord Cardinals: Christoph Schönborn, OP, Archbishop of Vienna (Austria); Angelo Scola, Patriarch of Venice (Italia); George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney (Australia); Josip Bozanić, Archbishop of Zagreb (Croatia); Marc Ouellet, PSS, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops; Francisco Robles Ortega, Archbishop of Monterrey (Mexico); Odilo Pedro Scherer, Archbishop of São Paulo (Brasil); William Joseph Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Stanisław Ryłko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity; and their Excellencies: Claudio Maria Celli, titular Archbishop of Civitanova, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communication; Nikola Eterović, titular Archbishop of Cibale, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops; Pierre-Marie Carré, Coadjutor Archbishop of Montpellier (France); Timothy Michael Dolan, Archbishop of New York (USA); Robert Zollitsch, Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany); Bruno Forte, Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto (Italy); Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham (Great Britain); André-Joseph Léonard, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussel, Malines-Bruxelles (Belgium); Adolfo González Montes, Bishop of Almería (Spain); Vincenzo Paglia, Bishop of Terni-Narni-Amelia (Italy).

All of the members of the consultors have some experience of and leadership in the ongoing work of evangelization in their respective milieu. Noteworthy, several of the cardinals and bishops have connections with Communion and Liberation and Sant’Egidio, Schonstatt movements, the Emmanuel Community and the Christian Life Community.

This Council is not only orienting its work to Europe but to the entire world, giving God a voice.