Pope's Repubblica Interview Removed from Vatican Web site

Catholic World News, November 15, 2013

Source: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=19693

The text of a controversial interview with Pope Francis which appeared in the Italian daily La Repubblica has been removed from the Vatican’s web site.

The interview, conducted by Repubblica’s founder Eugenio Scalfari, had caused an international sensation. In the text published by the Italian newspaper, the Pope was recorded as saying that he was not interested in converting the atheist journalist, that youth unemployment is the world’s most serious problem, and that it is sufficient for a non-believer to follow his own conscience. The Pope was also harshly critical of attitudes that he said were commonplace at the Vatican.

Later it emerged that the text published in La Repubblica was not an exact transcript of the papal interview. In fact, the octagenarian Scalfari had not taken notes during his conversation with the Pontiff, and had reconstructed the Pope’s remarks from memory.

Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, told reporters that because the Pope’s words were not reproduced exactly, it seemed inappropriate to carry the text on the Vatican web site. He said that the Secretary of State, not the Pope himself, had made the decision to remove the text—contradicting reports in the Italian press that the Pontiff had been unhappy with the presence of the interview on the Vatican site.

Father Lombardi continued to assure reporters that the interview was a fair representation of the Pope’s general thoughts, if not his specific words.

Pope’s call resonating with bishops

The Boston Globe, 18 November 2013

James Carroll

Source: http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/columns/2013/11/18/pope-francis-sets-new-tone-bishops-listen/857EbQ1Ac9DUyjwkNq0qVK/story.html

So will the charismatic Pope Francis actually make any difference in the structure of a Catholic Church in which almost every bishop was appointed by his two very conservative predecessors? In no nation has the hierarchy shown its colors as a force for reactionary politics more than the United States, where something over 400 bishops have, as a group over the last decade, practically served as a branch of the Republican Party. That is why the leadership elections held in Baltimore last week at the annual meeting of the US Catholic Bishops Conference are so telling. The so-called Francis effect was showing.

In Rome last June, Pope Francis gave a decisive speech to a meeting of the Apostolic Nuncios, the Vatican’s diplomatic corps. One of the most important duties of these papal representatives is to recommend priests for promotion to bishop. The pope was explicit in saying what sort of men he wanted. “Be careful,” he said, “that the candidates are pastors close to the people, fathers and brothers; that they are gentle, patient, and merciful; animated by an inner poverty, the freedom of the Lord, and also by outward simplicity and austerity of life; that they do not have the psychology of ‘princes.’ ” Pope Francis warned, in particular, against men who are “ambitious,” who “seek the episcopate” — the ecclesiastical climbers whose eye is always on the next rung up.

One of the nuncios who heard that address, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Vatican ambassador to the United States, gave a talk of his own last week, speaking to the American bishops. Archbishop Blase J. Cupich of Spokane, Wash., characterized the nuncio’s message for The New York Times: “Pope Francis doesn’t want cultural warriors, he doesn’t want ideologues. That’s the new paradigm for us, and it’s making many of us think.”

The next day, the bishops voted for new officers. They elected as president Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., who was already serving as vice president. The choice of Kurtz was a return to the tradition of elevating the number two officer, a tradition the bishops violated three years ago in choosing Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, one of the fiercest culture warriors in the hierarchy. With Dolan, the bishops escalated their confrontation with the Obama administration; they focused intensely on abortion, contraception, and gay marriage as all-trumping questions.

That is precisely the concentration Pope Francis famously criticized as an obsession in the interview that appeared in America magazine in September. “It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time,” the pope said. “We have to find a new balance, otherwise the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards.”

Last week, it was in the election of the conference vice president that the American bishops showed they were listening. They elevated Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, but the paradigm shift showed itself in whom they did not choose: The finalist whom DiNardo beat was Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia. He first came to national attention when, as archbishop of Denver during the 2004 presidential campaign, he raised the issue of whether prochoice John Kerry was unworthy of communion, and whether even voting for him would be sinful. If the Tea Party had a Catholic offshoot, Chaput would be its head.

Also passed over for the position was Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, whose former status as an up-and-comer among the bishops had been signaled by his selection to lead the so-called “Religious Liberty Campaign”— the frontal assault on Obama administration policies, including the Affordable Care Act. In collusion with right-wing fundamentalist Protestants, the Lori-led effort upended the real meaning of religious liberty. It sought to recast advances for gay people and women as an infringement upon the faithful. Most astonishingly, the campaign reignited the long-settled public issue of contraception as a political flashpoint.

The election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as pope has already shown itself to be a Catholic turning point. Far more than a lovable figure who is good with children, concerned for the poor, and compassionate toward the disabled, he is quietly proving to be a savvy institutional leader, too. That the American bishops have changed course, setting their compass to his, is another reason to be hopeful. The house of cards is a little steadier.

More Christians Persecuted than in the First Centuries

Vatican City, 17 November 2013 (VIS)

Source: http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2013/11/more-christians-persecuted-than-in.html

At midday today the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered below in St. Peter's Square. Before the Marian prayer, the Pope commented on Jesus' discourse in Jerusalem about the end of time. Jesus exhorted the apostles not to be deceived by false messiahs and not to be paralysed by fear, but rather to live this moment of waiting in hope, as a time of witness and perseverance.

The Holy Father emphasised the relevance of these words even to us now in the twenty-first century. “It is a call to discernment”, he said. “Even nowadays, in fact, there are false 'saviours' who seek to take Jesus' place: leaders of this world, gurus, holy men, people who want to attract hearts and minds, especially of young people. Jesus warns us: 'do not follow them'. And the Lord also helps us not to be afraid when faced with wars and revolutions, natural disasters and epidemics: Jesus liberates us from fatalism and false apocalyptic visions. … He reminds us that we are entirely in God's hands! The adversity we encounter on account of our faith and our adhesion to the Gospel are opportunities for witness; they should not turn us away from the Lord but rather encourage us to abandon ourselves more fully to Him, to the strength of His Spirit and His grace”.

“In this moment”, he continued, unscripted, “let us think of the many Christian brothers and sisters who suffer persecution for their faith. There are many of them. Perhaps more than in the first centuries. Jesus is with them. Let us also be united with them by our prayer and our affection. Let us admire their courage and their witness. They are our brothers and sisters, who in many parts of the world suffer for being faithful to Jesus Christ. Let us extend our heartfelt and affectionate greetings to them”.

Francis highlighted Jesus' promise to us as a guarantee of victory: “'Stand firm, and you will win life'. … This is a call to hope and patience, to know how to await the certain fruits of salvation, trusting in the deep meaning of life and history; the trials and difficulties form part of a greater design, and the Lord, the master of history, guides all to its fulfilment. Despite the disorder and catastrophes that afflict the world, God's plan of goodness and mercy will prevail”.

Conclusion of the Year of Faith in Tanzania

Homily by Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, Apostolic Nuncio to Tanzania, at the celebration marking the conclusion of the year of faith at Bagamoyo (Tanzania), on 10 November 2013

Your Eminence

My brother Archbishops and Bishops

Priests, civil leaders, religious

Men and women of Faith

         As we celebrate this thanksgiving Mass on the occasion of the official conclusion of the Year of Faith, let me start with the words of Christ: “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness” (Jn12:46).

         This light has come to the world two thousand years ago. This light is the characteristic of the Kingdom of God, established by Christ the King. He came to establish a Kingdom here on earth, a kingdom not of dominion and power but principally a Kingdom of Faith expressed in love and respect.

We form part of this kingdom. We too received this light, this faith in our hearts brought by tireless missionaries. In a special way I thank the Holy Ghost Fathers for their selfless dedication and sacrifice in bringing this light, this faith which started here, in Bagamoyo. This is the reason why we celebrate this Mass of faith today in this place.

The people were happy with this faith, with this light. But somehow along the way, faith came to be associated with darkness. Many people came to associate faith no longer with the person of Christ but more on faith on the human self, on the me, so that conviction and belief was no longer centered on the person of Christ but on the individual self. It became as a subjective light, capable perhaps of warming the heart and bringing personal consolation but not as something which could be proposed to others as an objective and shared light, which points the way. In the absence of this great light who is the person of Jesus Christ, everything became confused. It was impossible to tell good from evil, or the road to our destination from other roads which take us in endless circles, going nowhere. The Kingdom of God built here on earth has experienced an absence of God himself and has experienced a spiritual “desertification”. In recent decades, we have seen what a life or a world without God looked like, but now we see it everyday around us. This void has spread. A crisis between faith and life has spread on many people. There was an urgent need to see once again that faith is a true light, the person of Jesus Christ himself, capable of illuminating every aspect of human existence.

Year of Faith Ends: More than Eight Million Pilgrims

Vatican City, 18 November 2013 (VIS)

Source: http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2013/11/year-of-faith-ends-more-than-eight.html

A press conference was held in the Holy See Press Office this morning to present the Day for Contemplative Life, a Year of Faith initiative, which will take place on 21 November, and the celebrations marking the end of the Year of Faith: a meeting of catechumens with the Pope (23 November) and the closing Holy Mass (24 November). The speakers in the conference were Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation, along with Archbishop Jose Octavio Ruiz Arenas, and Msgr. Graham Bell, respectively secretary and under-secretary of the same dicastery.

“We have come to the end of a Year dedicated entirely to the renewal of the faith in believers, but there remains the wish to keep alive the teaching we have received during these months”, said Archbishop Fisichella, who remarked that more than eight million pilgrims who have visited the tomb of St. Peter to profess their faith during this year. Likewise, he commented that to conclude the Year, “we have thought of a series of different 'signs' intended to demonstrate the continuity of faith and the path we are called to walk to prevent it from becoming obvious in everyday life”.

The first sign is given by the Pope Francis' planned visit to the Camaldolese nuns of the monastery of Sant'Antonio Abbate all'Aventino, Rome, where he will meet with the community. This day, which coincides with the anniversary of the entry into the convent of Sister Nazarena Crotta, the last recluse to live within its walls, will be dedicated to those who have chosen a cloistered life in order to dedicate themselves fully to a life of prayer and contemplation.

The second event will take place on Saturday 23 November, which will be dedicated to catechumens, with the theme “Ready to cross the theshold of faith”. More than five hundred catechumens will be present, accompanied by their catechists, from 47 different countries from all five continents. The Pope will receive 35 of them at the entrance of St. Peter's Basilica and will ask them the traditional questions that form the rite.

Finally, the Year of Faith will conclude with a Holy Mass on Sunday 24 November in St. Peter's Square at 10.30 a.m., and will be marked by three signs intended to highlight the importance of the moment: the exposition of the relics of St. Peter, the delivery by Pope Francis of his Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii gaudium”, and a gesture of charity towards the Philippine population. During the Eucharist, a collection will be carried out as a contribution by the Year of Faith pilgrims to those affected by the catastrophic typhoon in the Philippines.

Archbishop Fisichella concluded by mentioning that “often, accustomed as we are to emphasising elements of crisis, we forget to look at the many positive signs of hope that are genuinely present in the Church. The Year of Faith has enabled us to experience this. And it is for this reason that, supported by such impressive, enthusiastic and convinced witness, expressed especially in the silence of everyday life, we look to the future with greater serenity, strengthened by the experience of this Year, the positive effects of which we hope will be felt for a long time to come”.