Saint Peter and Saint Paul...unity through individual diversity! (Contribution)

Yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

Throughout the Universal Church, we are constantly reminded of the heroic attributes each man dedicated towards the spread of the Gospel to the entire world.

Saint Peter, the Prince of the Apostles and the Christologically bestowed head of the Church gives us a great example of human weaknesses transformed into great accomplishments of his successful preaching and ministry, initially to the Judaic followers of Jesus and finally to the entire Roman Empire.

His martyrdom at Rome illustrates the unwavering faith Peter maintained in the mystery of Jesus’ Paschal Mystery and inspired Gospel message.

Saint Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles presents an equally “larger than life” image of a man that experienced the power of the Gospel’s conversion through his own transformation from a persecutor of the Christian faith to one of the greatest influences on the entire course of Catholicism and its spread throughout the world.

In a modern world, that easily transports messages and information throughout the world in literally seconds, the massive evangelical success of both Saint Peter and Saint Paul is unsurpassed by their travels, teachings and ministry to both heirs to the covenant of Abraham and the covenant of Jesus on the cross.

Petrine and Pauline traditions are the fundamental cornerstone that influences the continuation of the Apostolic ministry of Peter’s Successor, Pope Benedict XVI.

Since the death of both pillars of the Church, Peter and Paul, the Vicar of Christ has consistently applied and spread the teachings of the Apostles to the ends of the entire earth.

In Rome the Pope celebrated the true universality of the Church’s missionary and apostolic teachings with the imposition of pallia upon forty nine metropolitan archbishops, that are united all over the world to the manifestation of Saint Peter and Saint Paul’s legacy in the foundation and continuation of the Church of Rome.

Throughout the centuries, the Universal Church has celebrated the exceptional Gospel witness of both of these great men. Both Saints Peter and Saint Paul are continued illustrations of the desire for Christian unity the Church seeks throughout the ministry of both Eastern and Western representations of the Catholic faith.

This hope for restored unity is indicated by the presence of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople at Saint Peter’s in Rome to share in the Liturgy of the Word with Peter’s Successor and witness the Catholic Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Pope Benedict since the inception of his Petrine ministry continuously presents every opportunity for East and West to heal the schismatic wounds that have separated the Roman Church and the Church of Constantinople since 1054.

Ecumenical progress and modern history are being initiated with the joint participation of His Holiness Benedict XVI and His Beatitude the Metropolitan Patriarch.

As Catholics, we continuously hope and pray for juridical and sacramental reunion with our distressed brothers and sisters of the Eastern Church.

Benedict also imposes the pallia on new archbishops today. The pallium is a symbol of a metropolitan archbishops union with the Successor of Saint Peter. The most ancient traditions of the Church always recall this universal symbolism of doctrinal and legislative unity with the Bishop of Rome.

It is especially notable that Benedict XVI is wearing a different form of the pallium than which we are accustomed.

However, the modification of this sign and symbol of authority and unity indicates Benedict’s constant desire to achieve the continuity of hermeneutics throughout the Universal Church.

Clearly, the change in papal vesture indicates the Church has very many methods of indicating its sacramental and theological message through multitudes of sacred signs and symbols.

The uniquely different methodologies of Saint Peter and Saint Paul are great examples of the plurality of the Universal Church’s methodology in catechesis and evangelization; however, the theological essence is always the same.

Today is also a Solemnity all members of the Church should celebrate with great devotion and attention. It shows the true and essential diversity that exists liturgically and legislatively in both Eastern and Western branches of our faith. Different in liturgical expressions, but united in doctrinal beliefs.

Perhaps the inclusion of the Patriarch of Constantinople at today’s celebration of the Catholic liturgy will offer a kairotic moment towards reunification so that the words of Jesus might be fulfilled, “That they may be one!” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Sotto Voce

Former gang member to speak at World Youth Day

A British former gang member will appear alongside Pope Benedict XVI during the World Youth Day evening vigil on July 19 to describe how God dramatically changed his life.

John Pridmore, 44, was once an enforcer in the London underworld whose life involved stabbings, guns, major drug deals and vicious gangs.

After he nearly killed a man in a 1991 fight outside a bar, his life changed radically.

He has since become a public speaker, having addressed an estimated one million people in various parishes, schools and prisons.

His book, “From Gangland to Promised Land,” has become a best seller.

Pridmore will also appear on stage at the “Receive the Power Live” concert on Friday, July 18 at Barangaroo in Sydney Harbour.

He will be joined by singer-songwriter Darlene Zschech and Hillsong United, Matt Maher and his Band and other artists.

The Barangaroo venue has been specially constructed for World Youth Day.

It has a capacity for 150,000 people and those unable to attend the concert will be able to watch it on large TV screens around Sydney.
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Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul links missionary and unitive dimensions, Pope says

Before the thousands of pilgrims gathered on Sunday in St. Peter's Square, Pope Benedict XVI recalled that the missionary dimension represented by St. Paul must always be accompanied by the dimension of unity represented by St. Peter, upon whom Christ built His Church."

“Christians cannot give sound witness to Christ if they are not united together,” he said.

Introducing the Sunday Angelus prayer, the Holy Father said he felt that the coincidence of the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul with the observance of Sunday is "favorable to giving greater emphasis to an extraordinary event: the Pauline Year."

The Holy Father inaugurated the Pauline Year on Saturday evening in a ceremony held next to the tomb of St. Paul. The Pauline Year will last until June 29, 2009.

"Historians put the birth of Saul, who would become Paul, between 7 and 10 A.D. Therefore, upon the passage of about two thousand years, I wanted to convene this special jubilee which will naturally center upon Rome, and in particular the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls and Paul's place of martyrdom at the Tre Fontana Square," said the pontiff.

The jubilee year, he said, will involve the whole Church and will especially focus on places important in St. Paul’s life: his birthplace Tarsus, the Holy Land, the Island of Malta, and pilgrimage destinations in present-day Turkey.

He also emphasized that the Pauline Year is a celebration of the whole Church, in all corners of the earth, because "the horizon of the Pauline Year cannot but be universal, as was St. Paul, the Apostle par excellence for those whose relation to the Hebrews was ‘distant’ but, ‘thanks to the blood of Christ,’ they ‘have become close.’ That is why in a world that is increasingly 'small', but where many have not yet met the Lord Jesus, the jubilee of St. Paul invites all Christians to be missionaries of the Gospel."

Later the Holy Father recalled that "this missionary dimension needs to be accompanied by one of unity, represented by St. Peter, the 'rock' on whom Christ built His Church. The charisms of the two great Apostles are complementary for the building of a single people of God. Christians cannot give sound witness to Christ if they are not united together."

He then asked for prayers for particular intentions.

"The Pauline Year, evangelism, communion within the Church and the full unity of all Christians: Pray for these great intentions entrusted to the heavenly intercession of Mary, Most Holy Mother of the Church and Queen of the Apostles," the Holy Father concluded.

He then prayed the Angelus with those present and gave them his Apostolic blessing.
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Filipino priest is a first for Rochester

Scores of priests in white robes marched into Sacred Heart Cathedral on Saturday for the first ordination of a Filipino priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester.

Choir music rose into the vaulted apse of the cathedral and flowed from the top of the grandiose organ down to the entrance of the church at 296 Flower City Park in Rochester.

The atmosphere was reverent, but more than anything, the jubilance of the occasion was evident on the faces of the faithful.

The feeling was that of a much-anticipated wedding, when the room is bursting with hope.

Waiting for the ordination to begin, Edison Tayag fielded hugs from friends and well-wishers.

He moved like a ball of energy, excitement lighting his eyes, but a peaceful expression on his face.

"I've been preparing for this since seven years ago," Tayag said. "When I felt I was called, I was afraid at first, and so not knowing whether to say yes or whether to say no, I said, 'God, take over.' And this is an affirmation of God taking over."

A youthful 34-year-old who enjoys hiking and kayaking, Tayag was born in the Philippines.

He was raised with his two sisters and brother by parents Eduardo, a woodworker, and Ofelia, an elementary school teacher.

Before going into the seminary, Tayag was a physical therapist for nearly 10 years, working in the Philippines before coming to the United States.

He arrived with little more than a bag of his possessions in each hand and continued his practice in Florida, Connecticut, Brooklyn, Brockport and Montour Falls, Schuyler County.

According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, about 39 percent of newly ordained priests are in their 30s, and one-third were born outside the United States, with the largest numbers coming from Mexico, Vietnam, Poland and the Philippines.

There is also a growing number of Catholic Filipinos, points out Renato Aonan, the canon lawyer for the Tribunal, the judicial arm of the Diocese.

"It's really a big day for our Filipino community," said Aonan, who also is Filipino.

One of the groups present at the ordination were young men taking part in a discernment retreat called "24 Hours with the Lord," which is aimed to help them decide if they have been called to the priesthood.

Julia Lenhard of Penfield said her 18-year-old son Samuel Spinelli is one of the men taking part in the retreat.

Spinelli "has mentioned (becoming a seminarian) on and off throughout his life," Lenhard said. "It's really exciting. I'll be proud of him whatever he does."

Tayag's journey into priesthood began seven years ago with the same group, when he attended another ordination and felt that he was called to the priesthood.

There is only one priest ordained into the Diocese of Rochester annually, and that it is a great joy for the entire community, said Bishop Mathew Clark, who presided over the ordination.

"It's a reminder to us all that we need to be alert to God's call in each of our lives and to translate into prayer what we learn from sharing our gifts with others, what we learn from the feedback of the community –– and that we put all of that into what we want to do with our lives," Clark said.

There are currently 148 non-retired priests in the diocese, including externs from other dioceses and priests from other religious orders.

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate projects the number of diocesan priests will decline to 96 by 2015 and only 62 by 2025 if current trends continue.

Tayag will be assigned for the summer to Our Lady of the Lakes in Penn Yan before returning to Rome this fall to complete his studies.

Asked if he had any specific goals he hoped to achieve as a priest, Tayag laughed and said:

"It's better for me to wait for the music before I dance. That way I'm in tune with it."
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Love-cheat priest Joseph Creegan sues church for unfair dismissal

A MONSIGNOR sacked after having an affair has stunned the Catholic Church by bringing a landmark action against them - for unfair dismissal.

Joseph Creegan, whose married mistress confessed to their 18-year fling, has rocked the Vatican by seeking cash for lost wages through an employment tribunal.

Lawyers for the church are set to argue that Creegan did not work for them...but for God.

A senior priest and expert in canon law insisted last night: "His relationship is with God, he is a servant of God, not of the diocese or the bishop."

The former monsignor is bitter that he not only lost his job but his grace and favour house in Dundee.

He now works in a tax office in the city and shares a £350,000 house with former parishioner Anne Ogden in Balmerino, Fife.

Described as an "enforcer" for the church, Creegan is said to have compiled a dossier which details raging alcoholism and secret affairs in the Catholic Church.

Its contents are said to be explosive - fuelling speculation that the diocese will settle his case with a massive payout rather than hear damaging allegations aired at a tribunal.

A source said: "He has threatened to reveal all he knows about scandals he claims he has helped to cover up in Dunkeld diocese over the years."

Monsignor Creegan's relationships with two women were exposed earlier this year by the Sunday Mail.

In January, we revealed Creegan had been spending nights at the home of Anne Ogden, 48.

That prompted his jealous long-term 62-year-old mistress to confess to Bishop Vincent Logan.

She told him they had a secret sexual affair for 18 years, holidayed together and jointly owned a boat.

Creegan later became involved with Ogden when he was supposed to be counselling her through the break-up of her marriage.

Ogden's husband Graham later described the priest as "a dark cloud hovering over our marriage".

Bishop Logan quickly suspended Creegan.

An explosive statement issued by the church read: "Bishop Logan acted as soon as he was given specific and irrefutable evidence about the allegations which had been made earlier.

"Mgr Creegan has accepted the decision.

"Bishop Logan deeply regrets any hurt and upset which has been caused to people by Mgr Creegan's conduct over the years."

Shortly after, Creegan was sacked and told to get out of his grace and favour riverside apartment paid for by the diocese. Yesterday Creegan refused to comment on the tribunal.

The Dunkeld diocese also declined to make a statement.

The case was set to be heard tomorrow in Dundee but will be postponed as church lawyers have asked for more time.

The news that Creegan has taken his case to court has sent shock waves through the Roman Catholic community.

His case could now go all the way to the House of Lords.

Sarah Sheils, an employment law specialist with Thompsons Scotland, compared the action with that of Church of Scotland minister Helen Percy.

In 1997, Percy took a sex discrimination claim against the Kirk to the House of Lords before she settled her case out of court for £10,000.

She claimed she had been forced to resign by elders after admitting sexual impropriety - but the same elders turned a blind eye to male ministers accused of the same thing.

Sheils said: "The diocese will argue that he is a servant of God and not an employee of theirs.

"If they succeed, then his case will fall because only employees can go to a tribunal.

"He will then have to decide if he wants to appeal and it could easily end up at the House of Lords, who have yet to rule on whether members of the clergy are employees with the same rights as everyone else."

Alan Draper, a Dundee University lecturer and former adviser to the Bishops Conference, said: "It really is shocking that the hierarchy are once again acting in this manner.

"Regardless of the morality of the man or what he is supposed to have done, he has been denied due process.

"If you or I were to be sacked, we would have access to due process and a fair hearing."

But one senior priest and legal expert insisted: "There is no employer/employee relationship.

"Once a priest is incardinated into a parish he is on his own. A priest can walk away, disappear any time he likes, there are no priest police to bring him back."

"It's a bit like an NHS GP. They work for themselves but they almost always get their living from the NHS. But the NHS does not employ them."
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Catholicism threatened in former Soviet republic

A Catholic priest in Georgia has warned of growing hostility toward the Catholic Church.

"There's no problem going to church and taking part in services. The hardship starts when a Catholic wants to function normally in social life," said Fr Maciej Mamaj, a Polish priest in Georgia's northern Meskhetia region.

"Non-Orthodox pupils and students feel stressed and discriminated against, while those who work are often pressured to become Orthodox and told they must if they want jobs," he told Poland's Catholic information agency, KAI.

"A climate of hostility to Catholicism reigns in society, where the local nationalism supposes every Georgian should be Orthodox."

The priest said young Georgians routinely were warned not to befriend Catholics or enter Catholic churches.

He also said anti-Catholic remarks were common on radio and television.

"If the anti-Catholic trend isn't reversed, we risk losing large concentrations of our faithful," Fr Mamaj said.

"We need a stronger system for defending Georgian Catholics against Orthodox pressures. Although it may be better simply to proclaim the Gospel and maintain our ecumenical direction, Catholicism is threatened with total disappearance."

Catholic and other non-Orthodox churches, which are considered minority churches, are denied legal status as national associations and frequently complain of harassment and discrimination in Georgia.

More than 80 percent of the country's 4.6 million inhabitants are Orthodox.

Less than 1 percent of Georgians are Catholic.

Father Mamaj said a Catholic-Orthodox commission had met only twice and failed to establish a dialogue.
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No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

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New Bishop of Down & Conor Ordained

Monsignor Noel Treanor has been ordained as the new Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor at St Peter's Cathedral in west Belfast.

Monsignor Treanor succeeds Bishop Patrick Walsh, who was in the post from April 1991.

Irish President Mary McAleese attended the ceremony.

The diocese is the second largest on the island of Ireland.

Monsignor Treanor, 57, is from Monaghan and was previously a parish priest in Clogher.

For the past 19 years, he has been based in Brussels working with the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community.

He said the appointment marked a new and unexpected phase in his life.

The diocese covers Belfast and is the second largest in Ireland with a Catholic population of 330,000.

Reflecting on his appointment Msgr Treanor said there was promise in the air.

"Christians must lend their shoulders, their talents to building a society rooted in respect for the dignity of every human person and dedicated to pursuing justice for all, especially the underprivileged, the needy and the poor," he said. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Priest Shortage Means Germany Has to 'Borrow' from India

A German Catholic diocese has unveiled plans to "borrow" about 12 priests from India's Kerala state because it cannot recruit enough German men to lead prayers and run parishes.

The diocese of Hildesheim in northern Germany will pay for the 12 to fly to Germany and for them to learn German.

The clergymen are to spend 10 to 15 years ministering to German Catholics before returning to their home diocese of Palai.

The German Catholic Church, which is funded by taxes on parishioners' income, has hired Dutch, Belgian and Polish priests to fill shortfalls for decades, but priest recruitment in those nations has been slipping, too.

Hildesheim, one of 27 Catholic dioceses in Germany, has 265 priests currently, but it has only ordained 33 men in the past decade and has only one ordination set this year.

Its guest priest roll includes 38 Poles, three Indians and a Congolese man.

Catholic priests take a vow not to marry and generally work very long hours on modest salaries. Germany has made very little use of deacons, a grade of clergy who are allowed to marry.

Officials said the newcomers would work as curates for three years and would then be given parishes of their own.

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Abrupt Departure for Catholic Bishop

In a surprise move, Pope Benedict XVI has sent Finland's Roman Catholic bishop back to Poland after just seven years in the post.

The 55-year-old Josef Wróbel will become one of four assistant bishops in the Archdiocese of Lublin, where he previously worked as a professor at a Catholic university.

Wróbel formally resigned as bishop on Saturday, and will leave the country on Tuesday.

A caretaker will be appointed to run the diocese until the Pope names a new bishop.

Wróbel served as bishop of the Diocese of Helsinki since 2001. He was the fourth Roman Catholic bishop in Finland since independence.

His two predecessors each held the post for more than 30 years.

The last was the Dutch-born Paul Verschuren, who served from 1967 until shortly before his death in 2000.

The Roman Catholic Church claims just under 10,000 members in Finland, half of them foreign-born.
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Australian cardinal hopes pope will confront sex abuse

Australia's senior Catholic leader said Sunday he would welcome Pope Benedict XVI addressing the issue of paedophile priests when he visits for World Youth Day next month.

The pontiff apologised for the actions of child-abusing clergy during a visit to the United States in April, leading to speculation he may do the same for victims of predator priests in Australia.

Sydney Archbishop Cardinal George Pell said Australian bishops had already apologised for instances of child sex abuse, but that if the pope commented on the issue "it would probably be a welcome contribution."

"We're not proud," Pell said. "We faced up to it, I think pretty well for quite some time now, and I think it would be appropriate for the pope to say something on that score."

The pope is due to arrive in Australia on July 13 and take three days vacation before his official welcome to Sydney at a harbourside ceremony for the start of World Youth Day.

The event, which will conclude on July 20 with a papal mass, is organised by the Catholic Church for young people to celebrate and learn about their faith.

Pell said he expected between 100,000 and 120,000 pilgrims to travel from overseas and 80,000 to 100,000 from within Australia for the event.

He said the number of pilgrims coming from Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands was double the anticipated number and had reached 6,000.

Pell defended the city's hosting of the event, which will see roads closed and other disruptions, saying he was confident it would prove profitable.

"There are many more Catholics than, for example, followers of rugby union and so it's appropriate for the government to sponsor both say the Rugby Union World Cup (in 2003) and the World Youth Day," he said.

"And one reason, perhaps not the most important one, is because of the financial benefits that the whole of Australia will gain."

The first World Youth Day was held in Rome in 1986 and the event is now held in an international host city every two to three years. The last was in Cologne, Germany, in 2005.
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The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

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Pirates a major maritime concern: Vatican

In a message for Sea Sunday next month, Cardinal Renato Martino of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers has warned that the threat of pirates to seafarers and the welfare of the world's fishing communities are major concerns.

"Sea Sunday is annually a day set aside for the remembrance and prayer for all those who are mariners, fishers and port workers, together with their families and dependents," Cardinal Martino said, according to a Zenit report.

"This is therefore an opportunity for us to remember the issues that seafarers daily confront in undertaking their professional and seafaring life."

The message noted an area of "particular concern all over the world, that of the fishing profession".

"The fishing communities in fact are battling against the more negative aspects of globalisation and are confronted with economic, social and ecological problems of international proportion," he said.

"Everywhere [the Apostleship of the Sea] has to manifest solidarity with them and intensify its pastoral mission in this area, as these next years will be decisive if we want the oceans to live, the fishing communities to survive and to continue harvesting fish, on which more than one billion people rely, till now, as their main source of protein."

Cardinal Martino affirmed that in this area, Pope Benedict's call for a "globalisation of solidarity" is particularly relevant.

He also noted the problem of piracy.

"In some parts of the world, this is prevalent and presents a real threat to the security of vessels and their crews," he said. "AOS therefore must support every move by the international community and local authorities to address this problem."

Finally, the cardinal mentioned a highlight of the apostleship's work: that of fostering ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.

"We rejoice too ... for the ecumenical collaboration and interreligious dialogue taking place aboard ships, in the ports and in seafarers' centres," the message said. "Our presence and witness express the solicitude and proximity of the Church to all those who are involved in the maritime environment, especially to the poorest and those most in need.

"We pray that this celebration of Sea Sunday will enable us to renew our commitment to human promotion and evangelisation. May Mary, Stella Maris, intercede for us in asking for God's grace, so that AOS may ever more remain committed to the building up of God's Kingdom in the maritime world."
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No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

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Pope: Rome, unity and mission to all peoples at feast of Peter and Paul

Side by side with the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, in the presence of 40 Catholic metropolitan archbishops to whom he gave the pallium, Benedict XVI today celebrated the liturgy of the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul in the Vatican basilica.

A liturgy rich in symbols: the Greek Orthodox patriarch sat beside the Catholic pontiff; the Gospels were proclaimed by two deacons, Greek Orthodox and Latin, who brought the book of the Gospels to be kissed by the pastor of the other confession; the Creed was proclaimed together in the Greek formula of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan symbol; the fraternal exchange of peace between the pontiff and the patriarch.

Unity and collegiality, "romanità" and universality, ecumenism and mission were woven together in the words of Bartholomew I and in those of the pope, while the assembly applauded both. No risk of ritualism or of abstract theology: all of the emphases, the search for theological and pastoral unity, the symbol of the pallium, the very commemoration of the martyred apostles are a function of the mission to the world, for "peace" - as Bartholomew I said - or in order to bring about, as the pope said, "a new kind of city that must be formed continually anew in the midst of the old human city, which remains under threat from the opposing forces of sin and human egoism".

After the proclamation of the Gospel, Benedict XVI introduced the address by Bartholomew I, which emphasised the profound unity and friendship that binds Constantinople ("the new Rome") and the "old Rome".

He affirmed that theological dialogue "continues forward, beyond the considerable difficulties that remain and the well-known problems", and expressed his hope that soon, "as soon as possible", full unity may be reached.

The visit of the delegation from the patriarchate to Rome for the feast of the holy apostles - which has become a tradition - is itself an expression of this desire, and of a form of unity already present.

This year, Bartholomew I himself wanted to be present in order to repay the pope's visit to Constantinople last November, but above all to inaugurate together the Pauline Year, at the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Saint Paul. Bartholomew I said that for them as well, this is "the Year of the apostle Paul", in which the Church of the East has planned pilgrimages to Rome and to the places of the apostle's activity in Turkey (Ephesus, Miletus, etc.) and to Greece, Rhodes, and Crete.

In his homily, the pontiff emphasised above all the value of Rome, as the place of the martyrdom of the two apostles: "Through their martyrdom, they became brothers; together they were the founders of the new Christian Rome".

And he added: "The blood of the martyrs does not call for vengeance, but rather reconciles. It does not present itself as an accusation, but as 'luce aurea' . . . as the power of love that overcomes hatred and violence, thus founding a new city, a new community. Because of their martyrdom, they - Peter and Paul - are now part of Rome: through martyrdom, Peter as well became a Roman citizen forever. Through martyrdom, through their faith and love, the two apostles show where real hope lies, and are the founders of a new kind of city that must be formed continually anew in the midst of the old human city, which remains under threat from the opposing forces of sin and human egoism".

Benedict XVI asked "why" Peter and Paul came to Rome. "[For Paul,] going to Rome was part of the universality of his mission to all peoples. The road to Rome . . . was an integral part of his task of bringing in the Gospel to all the gentiles - of founding the catholic, universal, Church. Going to Rome was for him an expression of the catholicity of his mission. Rome must make the faith visible to all the world, it must be the place of encounter in the one faith".

For his part, the pope continued, Peter is the one who opened the doors of the pagans to the Christian faith (see the episode with the centurion Cornelius, Acts 10). "Peter", the pope explained, ". . . left the leadership of the Christian-Jewish Church to James the Less, in order to dedicate himself to his true mission: to his ministry for the unity of the one Church of God formed from Jews and pagans. St Paul's desire to go to Rome emphasises - as we have seen - among the characteristics of the Church, above all the word 'catholic'. St Peter's journey to Rome, as representative of the peoples of the world, falls above all under the word 'one': his task was that of creating the unity of the catholica, of the Church made up of Jews and pagans, of the Church of all peoples. And this is the permanent mission of Peter: to make it so that the Church never be identified with a single nation, with a single culture or a single state. That it always be the Church of all. That it unite humanity beyond all boundaries, and, in the midst of the divisions of this world, make present the peace of God, the reconciling power of his love".

The unity of the Church, guaranteed by the ministry of Peter and of his successors, is not an end in itself, but a necessity for the world, which is always divided: "Thanks to the uniformity of technology, thanks to the worldwide network of information, thanks also to the connection of common interests, there now exist in the world today new ways of unity, which are however leading to an explosion of new disagreements, and giving a new impetus to old ones. In the midst of this external unity, based on material things, we need interior unity all the more, which comes from the peace of God - the unity of all those who through Jesus Christ have become brothers and sisters. This is the permanent mission of Peter, and also the particular task entrusted to the Church of Rome".

The last part of the homily was dedicated to the 40 archbishops who received the pallium from him today, a collar made of lamb's wool, embroidered with five crosses (a symbol of the five wounds of Christ). Among the archbishops - from all over the world - there were also some from Asian dioceses: Archbishop Fouad Twal, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem; John Hung Shan-Chuan of Taipei (Taiwan); John Lee Hiong Fun-Yityaw, of Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia); Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, from Moscow. The archbishop of Patna, William D'Souza, will instead receive the pallium in his see.

"When we take the pallium upon our shoulders", the pope explained, "this gesture reminds us of the Shepherd who takes upon his shoulders the lost sheep, which on its own was not able to find the way home, and brings it back to the fold". But Jesus Christ "also wants men who will 'carry' together with Him" lost humanity.

"The pallium", he added, "becomes a symbol of our love for the Shepherd, Christ, and of our loving together with Him - it becomes a symbol of the call to love men as He does, together with Him: those who are searching, those who are questioning, those who are sure of themselves and those who are humble, the simple and the great; it becomes a symbol of the call to love all with the power of Christ and in view of Christ, so that they may find Him, and in Him, themselves".

The pallium, he added finally, is a sign of collegiality, of unity among all the bishops and with the pope: "No one is a Shepherd on his own. We are successors to the Apostles thanks only to being in collegial communion, in which the college of the Apostles finds its continuation. Communion, the 'we' of the Shepherds, is part of being Shepherds, because the flock is only one, the one Church of Jesus Christ And finally, this 'with' also refers to communion with Peter and with his successor as the guarantee of unity".

Before the conclusion, Benedict XVI wanted to recite the Angelus, and in his reflection before the Marian prayer he again emphasised the value of the Pauline Year, which will last until June 29, 2009.

"This special jubilee", the pope said, "will naturally have Rome as its centre of gravity, and in particular the basilica of St Paul outside the Walls and the place of martyrdom, at Tre Fontane. But it will involve the entire Church, beginning from Tarsus, Paul's birthplace, and from the other Pauline locations that will be the destinations for pilgrimages in modern-day Turkey, as also in the Holy Land, and the island of Malta, where the apostle landed after a shipwreck and sowed the fertile seed of the Gospel. In reality, the horizon of the Pauline Year can be nothing but universal". Paul, in fact, was "the apostle of those far off". "In a world that has become 'smaller'", he added, "but in which many still have not encountered the Lord Jesus, the jubilee of St Paul invites all Christians to be missionaries of the Gospel".

"This dimension of mission", he continued, "must always be accompanied by that of unity, represented by Saint Peter, the 'rock' on which Jesus Christ built his Church. As the liturgy emphasizes, the charisms of the two great apostles are complementary for the edification of the one People of God, and Christians cannot give valid witness to Christ if they are not unified among themselves".

At the end of the celebration, to emphasize further the great harmony with the Eastern Church, the pope and the patriarch of Constantinople blessed the faithful together.

They then went to the tomb of Saint Peter, beneath the altar of confession, for a shared moment of silent prayer.
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Year of Vocations Prayer

Prayer for Vocations

O Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom and divine love, impart Your knowledge, understanding, and counsel to the faithful that they may know the vocation wherein they can best serve God.

Give them courage and strength to follow God's holy will.

Guide their uncertain steps, strengthen their resolutions, shield their chastity, fashion their minds, conquer their hearts, and lead them to the vineyards where they will labour in God's holy service.

Amen.

Much of wedlock consists of two persons in mortal emotional combat for dominance and power (Contribution)

I was recently asked to give a re-assessment of a document first published 40 years ago, which made a great splash at the time.

The document was called 'Humanae Vitae', and I had, of course, condemned it when it appeared in July 1968.

My generation's reaction to it was the Catholic equivalent of the Bob Dylan ballad The Times They Are A-Changin.

The 1968 headlines summed up the papal encyclical with a pithy dismissal: "Pope Slams Birth Control."

That was it.

Silly old Pope Paul VI.

He hadn't cottoned on to the idea, at all, that the times they were a-changing.

So, when asked to re-assess it, 40 years on, I actually read the encyclical from start to finish, which I had never deigned to do before.

It begins -- "Humanae Vitae tradendae munus gravissimum ... " The English goes: "In their function of transmitting human life a married couple freely and responsibly collaborate with God. Though many hardships may ensue, their task is also one of joy."

As I read on, the text struck me as lyrically poetic and idealistic. One commentator had called it "the triumph of theory over practice". But theories and ideals we also must have.

"The love between the couple is faithful unto death, as both the bride and bridegroom know, the day they freely make their vows to keep the marriage bond.

"To live by this is difficult but not impossible, and from it flows a wealth of dignity."

Surprisingly, the encyclical is in parts progressive. It condemns coercive sex -- what we would now call marital rape. "Intercourse is not an act of love once it is demanded regardless of the partner's state or feelings. Such a demand goes right against the moral order that should reign within a couple's close relationship."

It is sensitive to such issues as women's changing roles, and concern about over-population: " ... the rapid growth of births, and growing fear that human life may far outstrip the means of its survival." It affirms the "right use of reason" in the exercise of "responsible parenthood" and accepts that issues can be multi-faceted.

It doesn't claim -- contrary to legend -- that couples should have as many children as possible, and allows that there may be good reasons for family limitation.

But still, there at the heart of the matter is that which begat the worldwide headlines: Pope Slams Birth Control.

It concedes that procreation is not the be-all and the end-all in the conjugal relationship. "Procreation is a goal ... but not for each and every act of love." But it still affirms that conjugality must "stay destined towards a chance of life".

And here's the corker: "Human procreation is not a thing a couple can decide upon just as they please, without a thought for our Creator's plan." This is where the encyclical belongs to a way of thinking that has almost passed away: we now think we can decide upon anything just as we please.

The encyclical supposes all kinds of ideas that have now disappeared: for example, taking for granted that sexual relations are only licit between a married couple. Indeed, taking for granted that the fruitfulness of sexual relations means that only heterosexuality represents the natural law.

Humanae Vitae is not as black-and-white as it was painted in the media at the time. (And how critical it was of the media! "Mass media today can be abused, by putting over dirt and deprivation." Prettier in the Latin -- "communicationis instrumentis sensus commovet dissolutosque mores".)

Yet it recommends an ideal that most people can never match -- and admits as much. "Steady self-control" is required in matters of love and family life: and sometimes "you have to be an ascetic" to master this. It recommends the "rhythm method" of natural fertility because "such discipline requires a constant effort ... and helps a married grow in grace."

Even those who disagreed with its findings at the time (many Catholics, including the Pope's own Papal Commission, said that sensible family planning should have been given the green light) were also too idealistic. Even the dissenters believed that the conjugal life of most couples was dedicated to a perfection of holy matrimony.

If only! Much of holy wedlock consists of two persons in mortal emotional combat for dominance and power. Holy matrimony is also bickering, fights, walk-outs, petty jealousies, sulks, grievances, dark resentments, and being driven demented by hearing a spouse's repeated old jokes. Factor cat-and-dog domesticity into the equation, Papal Commission!

An Irishwoman, a mother of 10, upon hearing a celibate priest preach on the ideals of marriage and parenthood in Humanae Vitae, was said to have sighed: "I wish I knew as little about it as he does!"

And yet for all that, it remains a fascinating historical document, conjuring up a high-minded vision of a gentle and considerate Christian couple finding rapture and fulfilment through the sunny uplands of the right moral order.
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Pope receives Ecumenical Patriarch

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos (Bartholomew I) was received by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Saturday.

Vartholomeos, who is paying an official visit to Vatican after accepting the Pope’s invitation to attend the celebrations for the feast day of the Apostles Peter and Paul, said afterwards that "the celebrations of the Apostles is an opportunity to seal the engagement for reconciliation and reinforce of the solidarity between the two Churches". +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Teen proposes national no-drive day on feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Thirteen-year-old Jennifer Sekar doesn't drive and she wants to make sure no one else does either, at least for one Saturday this year.

The Fremont teenager hopes 1 million people will not drive Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a strong advocate of caring for the earth.

She said keeping that many drivers off the road for one day will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10,000 tons.

Jennifer's idea, called "A Day of Rest," got off the ground in May and is gaining momentum on the Web site www.adayofrest.org.

On the site, Jennifer is collecting online pledges, not for money, but for a promise to not drive any powered vehicle Oct. 4 and to spend the day with family and friends.

"You can always be without a car," Jennifer said, "but without family and friends, you can't really do much. 'A Day of Rest' would be a really good time to strengthen people's friendships and bonds with their families."

The family bond is strong for the Sekar family, members of St. Joseph Church in Fremont, who are all helping with the no-driving project. Jennifer's father, Richard, and her 18-year-old sister, Rebecca, helped her create the project's Web site, including the pledge form found there.

Her mother and relatives are all drumming up pledges.

In an interview with the Catholic Voice, newspaper of the Oakland Diocese, Jennifer said she became dedicated to helping the environment after doing a third-grade school project about saving the earth.

"As I grew up, I knew I wanted to do something different to make a difference," she said.

In March, after learning that polluting the environment was on a list of "new sins" that a Vatican official said are affecting society, she came up with the no-driving plan.

In the project's first month, she received just a little more than 100 pledges. To date, most of the pledges have been from family and friends.

But Jennifer -- whose first environmental endeavor was, as a third-grader, to ban disposable plates at the Sekar home -- has a wider audience and bigger numbers in mind.

"If a couple of people get off the road for one day, that's a success in itself, but we're hoping to get a bigger amount off the road," she said.

So she has written about her idea to local mayors, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other federal lawmakers. She also has contacted the mayors of New York City and Los Angeles and talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, asking them to promote her project.

The Sekars also plan to contact Catholic leaders starting with Oakland Bishop Allen H. Vigneron, hoping to get his endorsement.

Although Jennifer has not received any response yet from prominent officials, she said local efforts were quickly gaining momentum and feedback has been very positive.

Her pastor, Msgr. Manuel Simas, has included information about the no-driving day in the bulletin and in parish announcements.

Jennifer also planned to speak about the project at several Masses over the summer.

Jennifer's father said his daughter's efforts to reduce pollution have brought about a "cultural change" in their home.

For example, the family now brings cloth bags to the store and he takes public transportation to the airport for his frequent business trips even though it doubles the commute time.

Jennifer said she plans to hold herself to the same standards when she gets her driver's license by limiting her own time behind the wheel and by carpooling.
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Beatified body arrives for Sydney's World Youth Day

The body of Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died in 1925 and was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1990, arrived in Australia on Friday in readiness for its adoration by pilgrims during next month's World Youth Day in Sydney.

It's the first time the remains have travelled to a World Youth Day, an event held somewhere in the world every four years. Frassati died from polio at the age of 24 after a brief illness.

An engineering student from a rich family, he helped the poor and has been elevated by the Vatican into a role model for young Catholics.

His relatives say his body was intact when his coffin was opened in 1990 in the lead-up to his beatification, which is the penultimate stage before sainthood.

Frassati's coffin will be on display in St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. It will not be open.

The highlight of World Youth Day will be a mass presided over by Pope Benedict XVI, who will be in Sydney July 12-21.
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Catholic Priest Carries Olympic Torch In Taiyuan

Catholics from the Shanxi provincial capital have mixed feelings about a priest carrying the Olympic torch along its relay route.

Father Paul Meng Ningyou, vicar general of Taiyuan diocese and pastor of Immaculate Conception Cathedral, was the 122nd of 208 torchbearers in Taiyuan, an important industrial city 400 kilometers southwest of Beijing.

The 45-year-old priest, who wore the torch-relay T-shirt, ran along Binhe East Road on the bank of the Fenhe, a tributary of the Yellow River.

Some local Catholics who watched the live TV broadcast of the relay told UCA News the TV anchor introduced Father Meng as a “religious personnel” of the Taiyuan Catholic cathedral who was elected a deputy of the Taiyuan People’s Congress in 2007.

The 39-kilometer relay leg proceeded smoothly that morning.

Father Meng was the only religious worker to carry the torch in Taiyuan, and the only priest known to have done so since the relay began on the mainland on May 4.

The vicar told UCA News on June 26 that he represented the five major religions -- Buddhism, Catholicism, Daoism (Taoism), Islam, Protestantism -- in bearing the torch to spread the Olympic spirit of love and fraternity, which is in harmony with the teachings of religions.

“This is God’s will that through this special way the Catholic Church could show the public it is no longer a marginalized group, but gradually plays a more active role in the society,” he remarked.

Government officials chose 100,000 people to line the relay route and arranged for special teams stationed along the way to cheer the torchbearers on. They forbade other people from venturing outdoors during the relay.

A priest who teaches at Montecorvino Major Seminary in Taiyuan told UCA News he was glad to see Father Meng as a torchbearer, because it brought social recognition that “we Catholics are equal with all Chinese people.”

Catholics are a small minority here and even suffer discrimination and injustice in some rural areas, explained the priest, who requested anonymity. Taiyuan diocese has about 80,000 Catholics in a total population of 3 million.

Some seminarians told UCA News that although Father Meng’s participation in the relay was a positive sign, they believe authorities were cautious and limited his exposure on television.

They said they noticed that other torchbearers had their name, date of birth and company or school flashed on the screen, but not for Father Meng, their philosophy lecturer. After receiving the torch, he appeared for less than a minute on television before the camera swung away from him. The camera returned to him only when he passed on the torch to the next runner.

Because of his brief TV appearance, they said they did not think Father Meng’s participation in the relay would have any appreciable impact on the public's perception of the local Church.

An elderly Catholic layman surnamed Liu, who also watched the live broadcast, told UCA News he wanted to see Father Meng carry the torch after learning about his participation in the event. However, he had to watch it on TV like others not chosen as spectators.

Liu said he did not thinks the priest’s participation would create much social impact, since Father Meng participated in his capacity as a local People’s Congress deputy and not as a Catholic priest.

Another Taiyuan priest, Father Anthony Wu Jinwei, told UCA News on June 26 that a devout Catholic relative, Liu Guoping, also took part as the 11th torchbearer. The 45-year-old, who runs a successful duck breeding business, received a Model Worker of Taiyuan award in 2007.

Liu told UCA News after the relay that he represented the agricultural sector but had also identified himself as a Catholic to those around him during the event. He added that the participation of two Catholics in the relay would bring honor to the Church.

With the Taiyuan relay leg, the Olympic torch made its way through 18 provinces and municipalities.

The relay, which began in Greece and went through countries around the world before coming to Hong Kong, Macau and then the mainland, will end in Beijing before the Summer Olympics begin on Aug. 8.
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Church will play changed but significant role in education: Archbishop Martin

Catholic Education will remain “as a creative partner alongside others” in playing “a changed but significant role in Irish education".

So said Catholic Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at a major Department of Education Conference in Dublin yesterday.

He stressed he had “no ambition to be patron of Catholic primary schools “beyond the number required to respond to the desire of parents who wish their children to attend such schools".

The archbishop was happy to “expand the role of other patronage models” and go through a “structured divestment by the Catholic patron” depending on their wishes.

The contribution of the Catholic Church in education was something more fundamental and enduring than just the current structures, he said.

“The Catholic Church is involved in education because, driven by convictions drawn from the teaching of Jesus Christ. It has a fundamental commitment to the good of people, especially young people and to their right to education in the fullest sense.”

The archbishop acknowledged that what was done in the name of the Catholic Church in education in the past was not always what should have been done.

“In some cases, I am ashamed of what happened. But I am also proud of what has been achieved, especially by truly great teachers,” he added.

The origins of the presence of religious orders in education in Ireland were linked to commitment to the poor and excluded, said Dr Martin, This work was continued today by many retired religious sisters, who “are out there in the new realities of the developing areas of the city providing education to families with poor language skills.”

The archbishop repeated that he would be unhappy if Catholic schools were to become “mainly elitist.”

There was an emergency in education, he said, pointing to constrained public spending, but it was not just a matter of balancing the books in economic terms.

“ We also have an obligation to best balance the other books also: to see how we can best bring about a correspondence between the real needs of the coming generations and the services that we provide.”

At the highest level, investment in research was the key to ensuring that Ireland would be in a technological leadership position in the world. At the other end of the scale, the quality of and access to basic education was the key to inclusion rather than exclusion, said the archbishop.

He pointed to the deplorable conditions of some schools. Investment in “fundamental infrastructure” did not just mean roads, and broadband, but more essentially, education and health care.

Quoting the ideas of Communion and Liberation founder, Luiggi Guissani, Dr Martin said education was about “the human soul, not in the technical sense, but in the sense of real young people aiming to be truly mature and rounded human persons.”

Education must lead young people to assume responsibility for shaping their own destiny in freedom and personal integrity, and this happened “through closeness and trust between the young person and the educator which us born from love.”

The verification of education, took place within a community, “where together with his or her peers he can encounter the experience of the values he aspires to. This is where the Catholic school belongs.”

He went on “This integration of faith, values and life is the characteristic contribution of the Catholic school, not just to its pupils but to society. This is the special contribution which a Catholic school places at the service of those parents who wish to transmit their values to the upcoming generation, not as some external or only partially relevant addition to education.”

In the past, said Dr Martin, Irish society, in some measure, provided this verification, but not so today in the same way and so young people needed Christian communities where they can experience the support of peers with similar interests and experiences. “Without such support the young person will be gobbled up in the centrifugal spin of a pluralism without an anchor.”

However the Catholic school could neither be an “illusory haven”, nor a ghetto. It had to maintain its own ethos and be open to people wishing to explore that ethos.

"But for that to work the ethos must be there and must be strong and part of the real world of the school community,” he added.

The heart of a Catholic school was an integrated vision of the meaning of life, based on belief in a God who is love, which the finds an echo in a community of believers who reflect that vision of life in their lives. Without that coherent commitment the originality of the Catholic school is lost, he said.

It would only be able to carry out its specific role if there were viable alternatives for parents who wished to send their children to schools inspired by other philosophies.

“The demand is there. The delay in provision of such alternative models has made true choice difficult for such parents and indeed for many teachers. It also makes it more difficult for Catholic schools to maintain their specific identity and bring their specific contribution to a pluralist society,” he said.

Among the other speakers at yesterday’s conference, were Education Minister Batt O’Keefe, and representatives of all the main school patronage bodies. The conference is looking at new models for the management of primary schools.

In the past year, two State-run primary schools have been established for the first time, under aegis of the Co Dublin Vocational Education Committee (VEC).

The Department of Education has agreed to religious education during school hours, but the Catholic Church and other religions are looking for guarantees that pupils will receive instruction from suitably qualified staff.

In his address Dr Martin reiterated that religious education was a positive contribution to the formation of young people to live in a truly pluralist world. “This is why I would hope that in any form of State primary school, as opposed to private patronage models, religious education according to the wishes of parents would find an appropriate place in the normal curriculum.”

Currently the Catholic Church has patronage over 3,000 of the 3,200 primary schools in the State.
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Archdiocese of Indianapolis ordains 25 deacons

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis, cut from the wilderness nearly 175 years ago, turned a new page in its long history today when it restored an ancient office of the church that has lain largely dormant for Roman Catholics since the Dark Ages.

Twenty-five men — all but one married and most grandfathers — were ordained this morning as deacons of the church.

Aside from men on their way to becoming priests, it’s an office Catholics had abandoned until the 1970s.

Deacons are familiar to Protestants, but in the Catholic faith, they are a notch below priests but more than the average parishioner. Catholic deacons are vested the authority to conduct baptisms, weddings and funerals, preach at Mass and lead prayer services.

Unlike priests, though, they may not hear confessions, anoint the sick and consecrate the Eucharistic bread and wine.

“We aren’t clergy and we are not lay people,” said Mike East, one of the newly ordained deacons. “We walk with a foot in each role.”

Described in the Bible as helpers who took care of orphans, widows and the poor, deacons disappeared from Roman Catholicism by the 7th Century as the priesthood became preeminent, said Rev. Bede Cisco, the Benedictine monk who oversaw the local revival.

In the wake of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century, groups like Baptists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists once again embraced the role of deacons, said Greg Wills, professor of church history at Louisville’s Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Performing duties such as preparing communion and caring for needs in the church, they were deemed “essential” to a well-ordered congregation.

But Catholics opened the door for the return of deacons only in the early 1960s, following the Second Vatican Council.

A few American dioceses began ordaining deacons in the early 1970s. Chicago’s archdiocese, one of the early adopters, now has more than 600 deacons.

The Diocese of Lafayette, which includes Indianapolis’ northern suburbs, brought back deacons earlier this decade.

Over time, a handful of deacons from other dioceses transferred to Indianapolis, including five here now.

But until 2004, when American bishops adopted a fresh set of guidelines for deacons, the archdiocese declined to grow its own.

“I think here the real need for it wasn’t seen clearly because they still had enough priests to take care of a lot of ministry,” Cisco said. “Folks were more concerned about allowing the lay ministry to grow and develop as fully as possible.”

For the American Catholic Church, which is still growing thanks to immigration, deacons hold the promise of bearing the burden of ministry at a time when the priesthood is shrinking. Handling things like baptisms and funerals should reduce pressure on overburdened priests.

“We need more people involved in church ministry,” Cisco said. “And deacons give us another way.”

Today's ordination at the Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral was highlighted by the moment when the deacons lay prostrate on the floor in a prayer symbolic of their decision, in a sense, to lay down their lives for the church.
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"Spe Salvi" Ready for iPods

Benedict XVI's encyclical on hope is now available in audio file.

With the collaboration of Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the audiovisual agency h2onews.org has launched an audio recording of "Spe Salvi," the Pope's second encyclical. And it is free.

The papal document can be downloaded in mp3 format, ready for copying to an iPod or other device, or recorded onto a CD.

The encyclical is available in Spanish, English, French, Italian, German and Portuguese. And it is soon to be made available in Chinese and Arabic.

The encyclical was recorded in English by Christopher Blum of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts of New Hampshire.
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The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

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Romanian church denounces formation of clergy trade union

The Romanian Orthodox Church has condemned the formation of a trade union among its clergy, and has said that priests should follow church procedures in making demands and airing grievances.

"Certainly, some Orthodox priests have trouble making ends meet, especially those with families," said Constantin Stoica, a spokesperson for the Bucharest patriarchate, which governs the church, "but we have ways of solving their problems inside our church."

In May, 20 priests from Iasi, Neamt and Bacau applied to the Iasi court to register their Mother of God Protection union in northeastern Romania, while 35 other priests in Oltenia said they were considering strike action after registering a separate Good Shepherd union at Craiova on 22 May.

The Good Shepherd's vice-president, the Rev. Nicolae State, told Romania's Gandul daily newspaper on 28 May that the union would fight low clergy pay, and demand the right for priests to make parish decisions without diocesan approval.

"There is an abyss between the church hierarchy and the priests who serve in churches," State said. "We are put under pressure, and have already lost some of our members."

In a statement, the Bucharest patriarchate dismissed the moves. "The initiatives to set up clergy trade unions are taken by priests tempted by the spirit of rebellion and division, and moving away from church discipline and communion," the patriarchate said.

"A priest is not a lay employee of a commercial firm but invested by his hierarch with the responsibility of a holy mission designed to save and serve the community of the faithful," the statement added. "He cannot go on strike and not baptise children, wed spouses, hear confessions, bury the dead or administer Holy Communion because his wage is too small."

The patriarchate added that its priests were required to take their problems to church bodies, and not trade unions.

Under a 1999 law that currently faces amendment in the national parliament, the Romanian state pays part of the clergy's income. Local parish contributions make up the rest.

The church's spokesperson said that leaders of the Orthodox church hoped to obtain pay rises in current negotiations with the state, and especially for priests from poorer parishes in Transylvania and northern Moldavia.

"But there are also networks of solidarity within the church which enable financial burdens to be shared," Stoica added.

According to a 2001 census, 87 per cent of Romania's 23 million inhabitants belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church.
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Pope praises Card. Ruini for missionary spirit, welcomes Card. Vallini as vicar

Pope Benedict XVI brought together around 400 people from the Diocese of Rome on Friday to thank Cardinal Camillo Ruini for his service as the Vicar of Rome and to introduce Cardinal Agostino Vallini as the new vicar.

Among the developments of Ruini’s tenure that the Pope highlighted was the spread of a spirit of mission.

Pope Benedict began his words by recalling the pontificate of Pope John Paul II.

"The closing years of last century, and the first years of the new were a truly extraordinary time," said Benedict, "and all the more so for people who, like us, had the good fortune to experience them alongside a true giant of the faith and of the mission of the Church, my venerated predecessor."

Collaborating closely with John Paul II, "we were 'drawn along' by his exceptional spiritual strength, rooted in prayer, in profound union with the Lord Jesus Christ and in filial intimacy with His Most Holy Mother. John Paul II's missionary charisma had ... a decisive influence on his pontificate, in particular on the period of preparation for the Jubilee 2000. And this was directly evident in the diocese of Rome, the Pope's own diocese, thanks to the constant commitment of the cardinal vicar and his collaborators."

Two examples of Cardinal Ruini’s commitment, said the Pope, are "the Rome Citizens' Mission and the Dialogues in the Cathedral.” Both of these groups showed “a Church which, at the very moment in which she was gaining a greater awareness of her own diocesan identity, ... opened herself ... to a missionary mentality ... destined to last not just the length of a season, but ... to become permanent."

Cardinal Ruini was also praised by the Pope for his great concern for promoting the missionary outreach and his willingness to help inform it with his “outstanding capacity for theological and philosophical reflection.”

“The apostolate, especially in our own time, must be constantly nourished by thought in order to explain the significance of gestures and actions which otherwise lapse into sterile activism,” Benedict XVI said.

The Holy Father also brought to mind how he spent time with Cardinal Ruini working to respond to the “most urgent pastoral questions” of the diocese, while taking account of the “social and cultural context of the city."

Honoring the cardinal’s faithfulness to the Church, the Pope said, “dear cardinal, you have given an example that goes beyond the initiatives of the moment, an example of commitment to 'thinking the faith' in absolute conformity to the Magisterium of the Church, with careful attention to the teachings of the bishop of Rome and, at the same time, while constantly listening to the questions that arise from contemporary culture and from the problems of modern society."

After his words to Cardinal Ruini, Benedict XVI greeted Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the new vicar of the diocese of Rome, who was previously the prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.

Welcoming him to his new office, the Pope said, "I entrust it to you bearing in mind the pastoral experience you gained first as auxiliary in the great archdiocese of Naples, then as bishop of Albano, to which experiences you add proven gifts of wisdom and cordiality."
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce