Archbishop Koch pledges unity with Pope as he assumes new Vatican post

Vatican City,  (CNA).- The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity is not an entity independent from the Pope, its new president confirmed on Wednesday. Archbishop Kurt Koch spoke with L’Osservatore Romano newspaper about some of the highlights from his meetings with the Pope this past week.

Archbishop Koch told L’Osservatore Romano (LOR) on Wednesday that the meeting of the Pope’s former theology students was “a concrete, lively and positive experience.” He said that the participants’ conclusion after examining the reform of the Second Vatican Council over the weekend was that “(l)oyalty to tradition, openness to the future: is the most correct interpretation of Vatican II, which remains the magna carta of the Church also in the third millennium.”

As a result of the “interesting and rich” debate, he explained to LOR, the members were able to see “how the spiritual dimension is fundamental in every aspect of Christian life. “And this is true,” said the archbishop, “from my point of view, also in the ecumenical dialogue that constitutes the field of work most directly before me.”

At the end of June, Archbishop Koch received the call from Rome to move from his place as auxiliary bishop of Basel, Switzerland to lead the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Although he shared few details of his audience with Benedict XVI on Monday morning, the archbishop did tell LOR that he and the Pope spoke about his “new ecumenical challenge because the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity is not independent (from the Pontiff) but it has a mandate from the Pope to see how dialogue may develop in the future.”

Exiting the presidency of the council earlier this summer, Cardinal Walter Kasper said looked to the future of dialogue “with hope, which is not human optimism, but Christian hope. The “torch” of unity, he added, passes on to a new generation that “will surely look at the dialogues undertaken with new eyes.”

HILDEGARD OF BINGEN: EXEMPLARY MINISTRY OF AUTHORITY

VATICAN CITY, 1 SEP 2010 (VIS) – The Holy Father held his general audience this morning in the square in front of the Apostolic Place of Castelgandolfo, where he is spending the summer. His catechesis was dedicated to St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), a great seer known as the “Teutonic prophetess”.

Before focusing on the saint the Pope turned his attention John Paul II’s 1988 Apostolic Letter “Mulieris dignitatem”, which examined “the precious role women have played and continue to play in the life of the Church”. The Church, that text states, “gives thanks for all the manifestations of the feminine ‘genius’ which have appeared in the course of history”.

“During the centuries we customarily call the Middle Ages”, said Benedict XVI, “certain female figures also stood out for the sanctity of their lives and the richness of their teachings”. One of these was Hildegard of Bingen, born to a noble family who chose to dedicate her to the service of God.

Having received an appropriate human and Christian formation at the hands of her teacher Jutta of Spanheim, Hildegard entered the Benedictine convent of St. Disibod where she received the veil from Bishop Otto of Bamberg. In 1136 she was elected as mother superior, a role she carried out using “her gifts as a cultured and spiritually elevated woman, capable of dealing with the organisational aspects of life in the cloister”, said the Pope.

Soon afterwards, due to the large number of vocations, Hildegard founded another community, located in Bingen and dedicated to St. Rupert, where she spent the rest of her life. “The manner in which she exercised the ministry of authority remains exemplary for all religious communities”, noted the Holy Father. “She aroused saintly emulation in the practice of good works”.

While still superior of the convent of St. Disibod the saint began to dictate her mystical visions to her spiritual advisor, the monk Volmar, and to her own secretary, Richardis of Strade. “As is always the case in the lives of true mystics, Hildegard wished to place herself under the authority of the wise, in order to discern the origin of her visions, which she was afraid could be the fruit of illusions and not from God”.

To this end she spoke with St. Bernard of Clairvaux who calmed her fears and encouraged her. In 1147, moreover, she received the crucial approbation of Pope Eugene III who, in the Synod of Trier, read out one of the texts dictated by Hildegard which had been presented to him by Archbishop Henry of Mainz.

“The Pope authorised the mystic to write her visions and to speak in public. From that moment Hildegard’s spiritual prestige grew to the point that her contemporaries gave her the title of the ‘Teutonic prophetess’”, said Benedict XVI.

“The sign of an authentic experience of the Holy Spirit, the source of all charisms”, the Pope concluded, “is that the individual possessing supernatural gifts never boasts of them, never shows them off and, above all, demonstrates complete obedience to ecclesiastical authority. All gifts distributed by the Holy Spirit are, in fact, intended for the edification of the Church and it is the Church, through her pastors, who recognises their authenticity”.

Cardinal Danneels denies cover-up charges, says he was unprepared for meeting

Brussels, Belgium,  (CNA).- Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Belgium has denied he intended to cover up a bishop’s sexual abuse and said he was “unprepared” for his meeting with a victim who secretly taped their conversation. His spokesman acknowledged the transcripts of the meeting but claimed they do not show enough nuance.

A 42-year-old nephew of the former Bishop of Bruges Roger Vangheluwe accused his uncle of sexually abusing him. The nephew made a recording of his April 8 meeting with the cardinal, transcripts of which were published in two Belgian newspapers on Saturday.

According to Reuters, the tapes feature the former head of the Belgian Catholic Church urging the alleged victim to accept a private apology or to wait a year until Bishop Vangheluwe’s retirement before making his accusations public.

“The bishop will resign next year, so actually it would be better for you to wait,” the cardinal said, according to the meeting transcript. “I don’t think you’d do yourself or him a favor by shouting this from the rooftops.”

In the transcript the cardinal said he cannot discipline the bishop or inform higher authorities, including Pope Benedict. He said the bishop should turn himself in, but also warned the victim about trying to blackmail the Church.

The victim denied he wanted to blackmail anyone and said in the meeting that his uncle “dragged my whole life through the mud, from 5 until 18 years old.”

“Why do you feel so sorry for him and not for me?” the victim asked.

A second tape records the cardinal and Bishop Vangheluwe meeting with the victim and a relative of his. In that tape the bishop apologized and said he has searched for a way to make up for his misdeeds.

According to Reuters, the victim decided to publish the tapes to counter allegations he had tried to blackmail the bishop.

Bishop Vangheluwe resigned on April 23, admitting he had sexually abused a boy about 20 years earlier.

In a Sunday statement Cardinal Danneels’ interim spokesman Toon Osaer said that it was never the cardinal’s intention in his conversation with the victim to “hush up” the abuses committed.

“The cardinal granted the request of the family to be a mediator within the family circle after these abuses. In the confidential context of a family meeting, different approaches were examined in search of a reconciliation,” the statement continued.

“In no moment was pressure exerted, neither on the family nor on the victim, to keep the facts secret …  Cardinal Danneels repeats that he condemns the abuses committed by the bishop emeritus and he deeply regrets them.”

According to the spokesman, the prelate is also disappointed that a confidential conversation was recorded and released without the knowledge of both parties.

While the Belgian media is focusing on the cardinal’s failure to tell journalists about his attempt to persuade the victim to remain silent, Danneels’ spokesman claimed this showed his willingness not to break the confidentiality of the meeting and expose a victim who had not yet gone public.

Osaer told the Associated Press on Monday that the cardinal realizes “that the whole approach, as it was, was not the right one.” The cardinal was unprepared for the meeting and improvised his comments.

The spokesman added said that the transcript of the meeting was not in doubt, but he said it was not complete enough to give a more nuanced understanding of the meeting. “It is not correct to say that Danneels implied — let’s give forgiveness and that’s it,” Osaer said

Cardinal Rivera: Massacre points to social disorder and loss of values in Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico  (CNA) — The Archbishop of Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera, expressed profound sadness last week over the murder of 72 immigrants in the state of Tamaulipas. He called the incident “more evidence of the social disorder and loss of values” dominating “some areas of the country.”

In a statement, the cardinal said that the massacre also points to “the lack of a comprehensive immigration policy in Mexico that is consistent with the needs demanded by human mobility regarding the humanitarian treatment of immigrants, just as Mexico is demanding of the United States.”

This “shameful tragedy” must not go unpunished, the cardinal said. He then called on the governments of America “to take immediate actions to ensure that such deplorable acts never happen again.”

“Pope Benedict XVI has said in the context of migrant ministry that ‘human mobility is a co-responsibility of States and international organizations,’ and in this sense, Mexico is obliged to make every effort to safeguard the fundamental rights of those who enter the country without documents, with the dream of achieving a life of greater dignity,” he said.

The refusal of the victims to cooperate in the drug trade—which was the reason for their deaths—is “a true message of hope and faith,” the cardinal stated. “The sacrifice of these innocent people conveys the universal message about the defense of values and the love of their families.”

Mother Teresa never celebrated birthday, 100 years marked for God’s glory

Rome, Italy (CNA/EWTN News).- The day of her baptism was actually more important to Mother Teresa than her birthday. Although she may not have celebrated her 100th birthday herself, the day was marked by her order in Rome, and many other places,  “to give honor and glory to God.”

Many of the Missionaries of Charity (MC) sisters and brothers based in Rome came together at San Lorenzo in Damaso Church on Thursday to celebrate Mother Teresa’s Aug. 26 birthday. Two main events highlighted the afternoon, the inauguration of a nearby exhibit documenting Mother Teresa’s life and a Mass presided over by Cardinals Angelo Comastri and Marc Ouellet.

In the break between the events, CNA was able to speak to some of the members of the MC community in Rome about the significance of the day for them. According to their responses, the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s birth is important not so much for the fact that it’s her birthday, but, rather, as a celebration of her continued presence.

One sister thought that the foundress “would have been laughing” at all of the fuss made for the occasion.

Community members, however, didn’t let the opportunity to better themselves slip away, as Sr. Elia, who works in the office for Mother Teresa’s cause for canonization, told CNA.

She said, “For us, honestly, we prepared the celebration with great joy to give honor and glory to God, but the rest is actually to deepen our spirit, so that we are more faithful to the spirit that Mother left behind.

“That’s actually how we are trying to live (the day),” she said, “and really to follow Jesus more closely and to be more dedicated to what he has called us to do.”

As for Mother’s 100 years, Sr. Elia explained that Mother didn’t even celebrate her birthday.

“Everybody thought she was born on the 27th which was her baptism date, for which it is also the 100th anniversary, but I think it’s important for me … because it shows that life and what you make of your life comes from God . That (is what) you can see in Mother.”

The life she received, said Sr. Elia, she gave back totally to God. “And what a life God gave to such a small person!

Turning to the bigger picture, the young sister said that everyone today has the same graces that were offered to Mother Teresa, “the same Eucharist, the same Jesus, the same call,” and everyone is able to make a difference.

Of the centenary celebration, she concluded, “it’s not so much remembering the person that left,” rather, it’s about the fact “that you and I have the same call, the same God, the same grace and you can do something good for God, to do small things.”

As for Mother Teresa’s cause for canonization, Sr. Elia said, “keep praying for a miracle.”

Mother Teresa’s birthday was marked on Thursday with special celebrations taking place in Calcutta, India, her birthplace of Skopje, Macedonia and dozens of other cities worldwide

Pope Benedict, Mother Mary Prema remember Mother Teresa for anniversary

Rome, Italy, (CNA/EWTN News).- The “exemplary model” of Blessed Mother Teresa was highlighted in a letter from Pope released for the 100th anniversary of her birth. An accompanying message from the current mother superior of the Missionaries of Charity reproposed Mother Teresa’s call to change the world through small acts performed with great love. 

Celebrations of all types, especially those of the Eucharist are being observed across the globe on Thursday to honor the foundress of the Missionaries of Charity (MC) and her legacy of love. According to a letter dated May 18, but just released for the Aug. 26 occasion, the Pope has also been “spiritually” joining in with the year’s celebrations.

The Holy Father remembered Mother Teresa as an “exemplary model of Christian virtue” in the brief message to MC superior general, Mother Mary Prema. He expressed his confidence that this year’s celebrations of her lifetime would be “an occasion of joyful gratitude to God for the inestimable gift that Mother Teresa was in her lifetime and continues to be through the affectionate and tireless work” of the order she founded.

The Pope also asked that the love showed by Mother Teresa continue to inspire the order’s members as they carry out their service, drawing from her example and spirituality and choosing, as she did, to “take up Christ’s invitation, ‘Come, be my light’.”

In a letter sent to members of the order this month, Mother Mary Prema wrote that their foundress is a continuing inspiration to people of all ages, economies, religions and origins. 

Mother Teresa’s message that “’God has created us for greater things – to love and to be loved’,” wrote the mother superior in the note made public by the Mother Teresa Center on Wednesday, “makes us look beyond the struggles, loneliness and grievances of our daily life.”

We are called to love God and to share that love with others, she explained, “beginning with our families.”

Quoting again the words of the foundress, she wrote, “Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family, we never know how much good just a simple smile can do.”

Mother Mary called for the centenary to be observed by “sharing the joy of loving and being loved” and praying “to know better God’s love for us,” suggesting also that small acts done with great love “will ‘make our lives something beautiful for God’.” 

These simple actions will serve to transform the world, she concluded, because, as Mother Teresa said, “A smile generates smiles and love generates love.”

Around 5,000 sisters and nearly 500 brothers are currently working to carry out the work that Mother Teresa began 60 years ago

AP Writer Sees Open Sale of Hardcore Pornography in Baghdad Streets as a Good Sign, but Not Everyone in Iraq or U.S. Would Agree

NEW YORK, NY (MetroCatholic) –  According to an Associated Press story (T. El-Tablawy, “Porn offers window into Iraq’s chaotic politics”) released yesterday, “Change…is afoot in Iraq. Hundreds of porn DVDs are stacked elbow deep…on a table…on a downtown sidewalk.” The story continues: “Its reemergence…reflects how security has improved but also how the fragile government is busy with more pressing issues than spicy videos.”

The story also observes that “with the Western troops and their supporting army of foreign security contractors came the porn once strictly forbidden under Saddam’s regime” and that the titles of many videos now available, “along the lines of ‘The Rape of the Coeds’ – offer disturbing insight into the possible psychological effects the years of indiscriminate violence have had on Iraqis…”

Robert Peters, President of Morality in Media, comments:

It is interesting that in a 957 word article about the open sale of pornography in Baghdad streets, no mention is made of the harms of pornography and no one is quoted who is against it.

It is also interesting that the AP writer would infer that the presence of Western military and other personnel contributed to the current situation without mentioning that this could negatively affect the war against terrorism. According to a Gallup poll (”Iraq and the West: How Wide is the Morality Gap,” Gallup, 11/25/03): “Gallup’s Poll of Baghdad asked a representative sample of adults to describe in their own words what, if anything, they most resent about the West… More than a third (36%) of Baghdad residents said they believe Western culture has undermined moral standards by spreading sexually indecent influences ['pornography' and 'fornication'].”

It is also interesting that under Saddam Hussein’s regime pornography was “strictly forbidden.” Since Saddam was not known for his religious fervor, why would he have “forbidden” porn? Could it be that Saddam recognized that pornography was detrimental to society? Did he understand that allowing open sale of pornography would cause political unrest?

It is also interesting that the AP writer would attribute interest in sexually violent pornography to the effects that “indiscriminate violence” has had on the Iraqi people. Earlier this month, a U.S. citizen living in Montana made a complaint to the http://www.obscenitycrimes.org/ tip line about a hardcore pornographic website that provided links for (among other things) “anal rape,” “forced sex,” and “beaten.” The website has connections to California and the Netherlands.

It is also interesting that the AP writer, who concedes that the videos he observed “ranged to the startlingly extreme, including bestiality” would describe these videos as “spicy.” The word “spicy” is defined in part as, “Slightly scandalous; risqué: a spicy Hollywood romance” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/).  

Not surprisingly, the AP writer quoted an unnamed Iraqi official who said authorities “currently have bigger challenges than cracking down on porn vendors…” That is also the thinking of the Obama administration, which has turned a blind eye to the proliferation of hardcore adult pornography on the Internet and elsewhere and the adverse affects of that proliferation on our own nation.

Pope exhorts world to follow St. Augustine in not fearing the Truth

Castel Gandolfo, Italy,  (CNA/EWTN News).- Addressing all people on their “walk” on Earth, the Holy Father called for a continued search for the “profound truth” in the line of St. Augustine on Wednesday. Referring to the example of this Church Father, he said that no one should be afraid to encounter the Truth, which could “find us, get hold of us and change our lives.”

Pope Benedict addressed around 3,500 people between those gathered in the outer square and those in the inner courtyard of the Pontifical Villa at Castel Gandolfo for Wednesday’s general audience.

He spoke of the importance of the accompaniment of saints as “travel companions” for all people on the earthly pilgrimage, saying that “everyone should have a saint that is familiar to them, to feel their proximity with prayer and intercession, but also to imitate them.”

The saints can be of great help as guides to loving the Lord and aiding human and Christian growth, the Pope said, pointing out his own personal links to Sts. Joseph and Benedict. He explained that he has also had the “great gift of closely knowing” St. Augustine through study and prayer.

Referring to this 5th-century saint as “a good ‘travel companion’” in his ministry and life, the Pope said that St. Augustine’s “restless and constant search for Truth” is “still current in our age when it seems like relativism is paradoxically the ‘truth’ that must guide thoughts, choices and behaviors.”

Turning to the lack of superficiality in this saint’s life, Benedict XVI explained that he did not seek “pseudo-truths incapable of giving lasting peace to the heart,” rather he looked for “that Truth that gives meaning to existence and is ‘the shelter’ in which the heart finds serenity and joy.”

While St. Augustine’s route was a difficult one, the Pope recalled, an important element of his life was that “he never stopped, he was never contented with that which gave him just a glimmer of light.

“He knew how to look into the intimacy of himself and he realized … that that Truth, that God that he sought with his strength was more intimate to him than himself, He was always beside him, He had never abandoned him, He was waiting to be able to enter in a definitive way in his life.”

Augustine understood, highlighted the Pope, that he did not find the truth, but it was “the very Truth, that is God, that sought and found him.”

Reaching the core his message, Pope Benedict said, “often we prefer to live just a passing moment, deceiving ourselves that it brings lasting happiness; we prefer to live – because it seems easier – with superficiality, without thinking; indeed, we are scared to seek the truth or maybe we are scared that the Truth might find us, get hold of us and change our lives, as happened for St. Augustine.

“Dear brothers and sisters, I would like to say to everyone, also to those who are in a moment of difficulty on their walk of faith, or also to those who participate little in the life of the Church or to those who live ‘as if God didn’t exist,’ not to be afraid of the Truth, not to ever interrupt the walk towards it, not to ever cease searching for the profound truth about themselves and about the things with ‘the interior eye’ of the heart.”

Concluding, he said, “God will not fail to give the Light to show and the Heat to make the heart feel that He loves us and that He desires to be loved.”

Church’s position on gay adoption remains firm, asserts archdiocese

Mexico City, Mexico  (CNA) — The spokesman for the Archdiocese of Mexico City, Father Hugo Valdemar, clarified this week that recent statements by the archdiocese’s assistant director for radio and television did not reveal conflict within the Church regarding homosexual adoption.

In an interview with CNA , Fr. Valdemar explained that the remarks by Fr. Jose de Jesus Aguilar Valdes, assistant director for radio and television, “in no way imply the withdrawal of support for Cardinal Sandoval. The Archdiocese of Mexico City continues firm in its position of his defense as has the entire Mexican episcopate.”

Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez of Guadalajara made headlines recently for accusing the mayor of Mexico City of bribing the country’s Supreme Court justices to rule in favor of same-sex marriage and gay adoption. The mayor has since filed a defamation suit against the cardinal.

Fr. Valdemar added that Fr. Aguilar’s comments were distorted by the media.

The Archdiocese of Mexico City’s news service published an interview this week, clarifying that in Fr. Aguilar’s previous comments, he discussed “the Church’s position on marriage between a man and a woman …  and the importance that the family be based on a father and a mother.” The priest added that the Catholic Church “does not reject homosexuals, but  invites them to seek salvation.”

In the latest interview, Fr. Aguilar criticized the media for deliberately “taking my ideas out of context or changing some of my words in order to cause a scandal from something I did not say.” Only a few in the media have “acted with objectivity and have made an effort to give context to the Church’s rejection of adoption by same-sex couples.”

He rejected claims that he suggested the Archdiocese of Mexico City supports gay adoption. Fr. Aguilar explained that he had previously mentioned to the media a case in which he “met a homosexual person who raised a child.  He never expressed his sexual preferences to the child and was never in relationship while he raised him.

“I mentioned that he adopted him under the old laws and as a single person,” however “this anecdote was taken out of context.”

“I was quoted as saying I knew numerous gay couples who raised children who came out fine.  This is false,” the priest said.

Fr. Aguilar emphasized that there is no disagreement between the Archdiocese of Mexico City and Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez. “Both Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera as well as the bishops of the Mexican episcopate have expressed solidarity with the Archbishop of Guadalajara in his vital defense of life and family values,” Father Aguilar said.

“For my part I am faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and her shepherds,” he continued.  “The Church loves homosexuals and offers all the means for them to achieve salvation.  I regret that the Church’s charity is being misinterpreted with the passage of laws that contravene the ideal of the family,” the priest said.

In light of immigrant expulsions in France, Pope calls for education in brotherhood

Castel Gandolfo, Italy,  (CNA/EWTN News).- Following Sunday’s Angelus prayer, Pope Benedict XVI invited parents to educate their children in “universal fraternity.” The call came just days after President Nicolas Sarkozy gave the go-ahead for the expulsion of certain illegal immigrants from France.

According to French news reports, last week President Nicolas Sarkozy followed through on the first of close to 1,000 expulsions of illegal Roma and Gypsy immigrants planned for this month.

AFP reported that from Aug. 19-20 more than 200 individuals accepted a government handout of 300 euros (380 dollars) as they volunteered to be flown back to Romania. Those who have the same legal status in France and do not come forward will reportedly be ordered by the government to leave in September without any compensation.

Citing the message from Sunday’s liturgy that all men are called to salvation, the Holy Father, in his French-language greeting, said that this is “an invitation to know how to accept legitimate differences among humans, just like Jesus came to bring men together from all nations and languages.”

In this context, the Pope called for parents to educate children in “universal fraternity.”

The recent policy of expulsion has been contested by a number of Church, human rights and opposition government officials. The secretary of the Pontifical Council dedicated to migrant and itinerant peoples, Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, told Vatican Radio on Friday that additional pressure was put on the people in question as 51 illegal encampments had been dismantled since the beginning of the month, creating “a situation of non-freedom.”

In a separate statement to AFP the archbishop argued that the deportations are against European norms, “One cannot generalize and take an entire group of people and kick them out.”

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