Roman Catholic Blog

The USCCB's Catholic News Service Promotes New Book By Progressive Former Papal Liturgist, Archbishop Piero Marini

Archbishop Piero Marini

Here's the story: Archbishop's book tells of battles over control of liturgical reform

Here's a quote:

In a new book, a Vatican archbishop has chronicled the birth pangs of the liturgical reform generated by the Second Vatican Council and warned of a Roman Curia tendency to return to a "preconciliar mindset."

The book, "A Challenging Reform," was written by Archbishop Piero Marini, who recently ended a 20-year tenure as papal liturgist. His Vatican career began in 1965 in the office charged with implementing liturgical renewal.

Archbishop Marini recounted the rise of a decentralized and dynamic reform movement in the 1960s and its "curialization" in the 1970s by Vatican officials afraid of losing control.

Many of the hard-won liturgical changes were accompanied by tensions and disagreements inside the Vatican's central bureaucracy, he said.

The archbishop's book, published by Liturgical Press, was scheduled for presentation Dec. 14 in London, where the author was being honored at a reception hosted by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.

The book offered an unusual look behind the scenes at the Vatican, beginning with the Second Vatican Council's approval in 1963 of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, which launched an extensive revision of Catholic worship.

In 1964, Pope Paul VI established the Consilium for the Implementation of the Constitution on the Liturgy, an international body that operated with considerable independence from existing Roman Curia offices.

From the beginning, Archbishop Marini wrote, the consilium's efforts met with resistance from traditionalist Curia members, who tried to curb the reform by "opposing real liturgical change and maintaining the status quo."

In 1969, the consilium was transformed into the Congregation for Divine Worship. Just six years later, the worship congregation was disbanded under growing criticism from other Vatican offices.

"This was probably one of the first signs of a tendency to return to a preconciliar mindset that has for years now characterized the Curia's approach," Archbishop Marini said in the book's conclusion.

"As more and more time passes since the Second Vatican Council, an event charged with such hope and desire for renewal, its distinctive contributions seem to be increasingly questioned," he said.

My thoughts:

The archbishop's perspective may assist Catholics in discerning the reason why Archbishop Piero Marini recently ended his 20-year tenure as papal liturgist.

Any thoughts?

Andrzej Cartoon Site

Andrzej has done many excellent cartoons that have been featured for some time on Roman Catholic Blog (and other blogs, as well). Now there is a MySpace page with a collection of Andrzej cartoons. (The one featured above is one of my favorites.)

Here's the main page: Andrzej Cartoon Site

Here's the page with all the cartoons: Cartoons

This Man Is A Prophet

I wish I had seen this post before Cardinal Ratzinger was elected. Larry O'Connor is a seer.

Conclave Day 2: Still No Pope

After two more rounds of balloting this morning, the College of Cardinals was unable to agree on a choice for the new Pope. There will be two more rounds of balloting this afternoon.

Dan m. from New England Republican contends in a comment below that Ratzinger's chances are high early in the conclave and toward the end -- the middle stretch is least favorable to his chances. And that appears to be where we are now.

Cardinal Ratzinger's "Dictatorship of Relativism Homily: Full text

Thanks to William at Eagle and Elephant, here's a link to Cardinal Ratzinger's "Dictatorship of Relativism" homily from Monday morning's pro eligendo summo Pontifice Mass. William found it at the Vatican Radio website (which I'll add to the links. Thanks again, William!). You can also read it at HughHewitt.com (HT Prying1).

I'll post the full text here, as well:

At this hour of great responsibility, we hear with special consideration what the Lord says to us in his own words. From the three readings I would like to examine just a few passages which concern us directly at this time.

The first reading gives us a prophetic depiction of the person of the Messiah – a depiction which takes all its meaning from the moment Jesus reads the text in the synagogue in Nazareth, when he says: “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4,21). At the core of the prophetic text we find a word which seems contradictory, at least at first sight. The Messiah, speaking of himself, says that he was sent “To announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God” (Is 61,2). We hear with joy the news of a year of favor: divine mercy puts a limit on evil – the Holy Father told us. Jesus Christ is divine mercy in person: encountering Christ means encountering the mercy of God. Christ’s mandate has become our mandate through priestly anointing. We are called to proclaim – not only with our words, but with our lives, and through the valuable signs of the sacraments, the “year of favor from the Lord”. But what does the prophet Isaiah mean when he announces the “day of vindication by our God”? In Nazareth, Jesus did not pronounce these words in his reading of the prophet’s text – Jesus concluded by announcing the year of favor. Was this, perhaps, the reason for the scandal which took place after his sermon? We do not know. In any case, the Lord gave a genuine commentary on these words by being put to death on the cross. Saint Peter says: “He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross” (1 Pe 2,24). And Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians: “Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree’, that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Gal 3, 13s).

The mercy of Christ is not a cheap grace; it does not presume a trivialization of evil. Christ carries in his body and on his soul all the weight of evil, and all its destructive force. He burns and transforms evil through suffering, in the fire of his suffering love. The day of vindication and the year of favor meet in the paschal mystery, in Christ died and risen. This is the vindication of God: he himself, in the person of the Son, suffers for us. The more we are touched by the mercy of the Lord, the more we draw closer in solidarity with his suffering – and become willing to bear in our flesh “what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” (Col 1, 24).

In the second reading, the letter to the Ephesians, we see basically three aspects: first, the ministries and charisms in the Church, as gifts of the Lord risen and ascended into heaven. Then there is the maturing of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, as a condition and essence of unity in the body of Christ. Finally, there is the common participation in the growth of the body of Christ - of the transformation of the world into communion with the Lord.

Let us dwell on only two points. The first is the journey towards “the maturity of Christ” as it is said in the Italian text, simplifying it a bit. More precisely, according to the Greek text, we should speak of the “measure of the fullness of Christ”, to which we are called to reach in order to be true adults in the faith. We should not remain infants in faith, in a state of minority. And what does it mean to be an infant in faith? Saint Paul answers: it means “tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery” (Eph 4, 14). This description is very relevant today!

How many winds of doctrine we have known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking… The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves – thrown from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism, and so forth. Every day new sects are created and what Saint Paul says about human trickery comes true, with cunning which tries to draw those into error (cf Eph 4, 14). Having a clear faith, based on the Creed of the Church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas, relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and “swept along by every wind of teaching”, looks like the only attitude (acceptable) to today’s standards. We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.

However, we have a different goal: the Son of God, true man. He is the measure of true humanism. Being an “Adult” means having a faith which does not follow the waves of today’s fashions or the latest novelties. A faith which is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ is adult and mature. It is this friendship which opens us up to all that is good and gives us the knowledge to judge true from false, and deceit from truth. We must become mature in this adult faith; we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith. And it is this faith – only faith – which creates unity and takes form in love. On this theme, Saint Paul offers us some beautiful words - in contrast to the continual ups and downs of those were are like infants, tossed about by the waves: (he says) make truth in love, as the basic formula of Christian existence. In Christ, truth and love coincide. To the extent that we draw near to Christ, in our own life, truth and love merge. Love without truth would be blind; truth without love would be like “a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal” (1 Cor 13,1).

Looking now at the richness of the Gospel reading, I would like to make only two small observations. The Lord addresses to us these wonderful words: “I no longer call you slaves…I have called you friends” (Jn 15,15). So many times we feel like, and it is true, that we are only useless servants. (cf Lk 17,10). And despite this, the Lord calls us friends, he makes us his friends, he gives us his friendship. The Lord defines friendship in a dual way. There are no secrets among friends: Christ tells us all everything he hears from the Father; he gives us his full trust, and with that, also knowledge. He reveals his face and his heart to us. He shows us his tenderness for us, his passionate love that goes to the madness of the cross. He entrusts us, he gives us power to speak in his name: “this is my body…”, “I forgive you…”. He entrusts us with his body, the Church. He entrusts our weak minds and our weak hands with his truth – the mystery of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; the mystery of God who “so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (Jn 3, 16). He made us his friends – and how do we respond?

The second element with which Jesus defines friendship is the communion of wills. For the Romans “Idem velle – idem nolle”, (same desires, same dislikes ) was also the definition of friendship. “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (Jn 15, 14). Friendship with Christ coincides with what is said in the third request of the Our Father: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. At the hour in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus transformed our rebellious human will in a will shaped and united to the divine will. He suffered the whole experience of our autonomy – and precisely bringing our will into the hands of God, he have us true freedom: “Not my will, but your will be done”. In this communion of wills our redemption takes place: being friends of Jesus to become friends of God. How much more we love Jesus, how much more we know him, how much more our true freedom grows as well as our joy in being redeemed. Thank you, Jesus, for your friendship!

The other element of the Gospel to which I would like to refer is the teaching of Jesus on bearing fruit: “I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain” (Jn 15, 16). It is here that is expressed the dynamic existence of the Christian, the apostle: I chose you to go and bear fruit…”. We must be inspired by a holy restlessness: restlessness to bring to everyone the gift of faith, of friendship with Christ. In truth, the love and friendship of God was given to us so that it would also be shared with others. We have received the faith to give it to others – we are priests meant to serve others. And we must bring a fruit that will remain. All people want to leave a mark which lasts. But what remains? Money does not. Buildings do not, nor books. After a certain amount of time, whether long or short, all these things disappear. The only thing which remains forever is the human soul, the human person created by God for eternity. The fruit which remains then is that which we have sowed in human souls – love, knowledge, a gesture capable of touching the heart, words which open the soul to joy in the Lord. Let us then go to the Lord and pray to him, so that he may help us bear fruit which remains. Only in this way will the earth be changed from a valley of tears to a garden of God.

In conclusion, returning again to the letter to the Ephesians, which says with words from Psalm 68 that Christ, ascending into heaven, “gave gifts to men” (Eph 4,8). The victor offers gifts. And these gifts are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Our ministry is a gift of Christ to humankind, to build up his body – the new world. We live out our ministry in this way, as a gift of Christ to humanity! But at this time, above all, we pray with insistence to the Lord, so that after the great gift of Pope John Paul II, he again gives us a pastor according to his own heart, a pastor who guides us to knowledge in Christ, to his love and to true joy. Amen.

Looking For Text of "Dictatorship of Relativism" Homily

I've been searching for the full text of Cardinal Ratzinger's "Dictatorship of Relativism" homily, given this morning at the pro eligendo summo Pontifice Mass. If anyone has a link, I would be eternally grateful for it.

I heard Hugh Hewitt promising to have it up on his blog soon, but if anyone else can direct me to a site that has it, I'd like to get it up here4 ASAP.

It is a phrase that will echo for some time to come -- and so easily dominates the mewlings of the waning liberal forces within the Church Militant.

Has The Ratzinger Tide Ebbed?

The Donegal Express believes each day of black smokes diminishes the chances of a Ratzinger Papacy.  Neil Young's Film Lounge agrees:

Right you are. In my rankings he dropped from 4th to 10th as soon as the first puffs appeared and no bells were heard. The more I look at it, the stronger Castrillon Hoyos emerges as the next pope. Any chance he could take the name Formosus II, I wonder?

Conclave Day 1: Black Smoke, No Pope

CWNews.com and Reuters report black smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signalling the College of Cardinals had fialed to elect a pope. Actually, it would have been a surprise had it been otherwise -- no one expected white smoke on the first day of the conclave.

(photo credit: Associated Press)

According to CWNews.com, thetell-tale smoke rose from the chimney at 8:04 p.m. in the Roman evening -- although the smoke's initial chromatic ambivalence sent mixed messages to the gathered faith and media:

When the first puff of smoke came from the chapel chimney, it was at first difficult to determine whether the smoke was black, indicating no decision, or white, indicating the election of a pope. A few people even shouted, "Bianca, bianca" ("White, white"). But after a few moments, it became clear that thick black smoke was pouring from the pipe. It was accommodated by cries of surprise and the crackling of camera flashes.

The Dictatorship of Relativism

I thought it worth quoting the Catholic World News story at more lenght regadring Cardinal Ratzinger's homily to a pro eligendo summo Pontifice (for the election of the Supreme Pontiff) Mass today concelebrated with the 115 cardinal electors:

In a further meditation on the Letter to the Ephesians, the cardinal focused on St. Paul's remarks about those who are "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine." That description, he said, captures the troubles of the current age. "The little ship bearing the thoughts of many Christians has often been shaken," he explained, mentioning the ideological forces "from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertarianism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism." In our era, he said, "a dictatorship of relativism is being formed," which the faith must oppose.

"Dictatorship of Relativism" -- what a powerful phrase. I hope the cardinals took that homily to heart and will bear it in mind during this conclave. It's homilies like that cause me to hope that when the white smoke does rise, it's Ratzinger who appears at the balcony.

Ratzinger Fires Back

Cardinal Jospeh Ratzinger seems to be firing back at his heterodox German counterpart, Cardinal Walter Kaspar (reported by Reuters).

At Mass just a few hours beforew entering the conclave, Ratzinger -- considered the papbili frontrunner -- warned against accomodating this world in order to make the Roman Catholic Church more "relevant":

"An adult faith is not one that follows tides of trends and the latest novelties," he said in a homily, denouncing a "dictatorship of relativism" that denied the existence of absolute truths promoted by the 2,000-year-old Church.

This appears to be a direct reponse remarks by Kaspar.

CWNews.com has a more in-depth story here.