Lefebvrian bishop Williamson to be tried all over again

A procedural error has “saved” Bishop Richard Williamson’s skin. 

The controversy that broke out three years ago surrounding the Holocaust denier prelate, shows not signs of abating. 

During a visit to Germany, Williamson had denied the Jewish Holocaust had taken place and that the gas chambers and Nazi concentration camps had existed. 

He was subsequently jailed for these comments. 

Now, however, “just because of a procedural error”, the trial held against the ultraconservative prelate will have to be repeated. 

Last July, Williamson was charged with inciting racial hatred and sentenced by the German Court of Regensburg to a 6.500 Euro fine.   

The decision was taken by the Nuremburg Court of Appeal, which accepted the petition presented by the lawyers of the 71 year old British cleric who is a member of the Society of Saint Pius X.

The trial will have to pick up from the fist instance stage and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Regensburg will be able to ask for a remand “on the same criminal charges.” 

The sentence has been debated a great deal and a spokesman for the Bavarian city’s public prosecutor’s office immediately announced another request for a remand. 

Mgr. Williamson, a formed Anglican who converted to Catholicism, was found guilty of doubting the existence of gas chambers in Nazi concentration camps, in a television interview broadcast in Sweden.

The 71 year old English bishop has a turbulent past. In 1988 he was consecrated bishop Mgr. Lefebvre. 

This caused a schism and John Paul II excommunicated him immediately. Twenty years later, in 2009, Benedict XVI revoked the excommunication. 

According to Canon law, Williamson was still excluded from full communion with the Church.

But protests against clemency being given to a Holocaust denier skyrocketed. 

The Pope said he was in the dark about Williamson’s anti-Jewish sentiment. 

The Vatican’s request for the bishop’s retraction, led to an evasive reply by the latter. 

The Holy See raised its voice in vain, even going as far as self-criticism for its revocation of the bishop’s excommunication. 

 Williamson continues to fuel debate. 

Meanwhile, Williamson’s case continues to be the subject of much debate. 

Diocese of Limerick unaware of Vatican plan to appoint new bishop over Easter

THE Diocese of Limerick has received “no indication” from the Vatican that a new Bishop of Limerick will be appointed over Easter.

Reports suggest that the vacancies in Limerick and Cloyne - two of seven dioceses around the country currently without bishops - will be the first to be filled.

But a spokesman said there had been “no indication to the diocese as to when an appointment will be made although we do hope that it will be sooner rather than later”.

Limerick has been without a bishop since the resignation of Dr Donal Murray in December 2009. 

His departure was clouded in controversy after his handling of child abuse complaints while auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Dublin was criticised in the Murphy Report. 

Part of the reason for the delay in appointing new bishops was the Vatican’s intention to reform the Irish Church in the wake of the abuse scandals.

An apostolic visitation from the Vatican visited Ireland last year as part of that process but the Diocese of Limerick has heard nothing from Rome since.

While it has been speculated that some smaller dioceses will be amalgamated, the Diocese of Limerick, as one of the largest in the country, is expected to survive in tact and this could allow for a new bishop to be installed in the coming weeks.

While Limerick priests have criticised the Vatican for the delay, there may now be fresh impetus from Rome following the appointment of Charles Brown as the new papal nuncio to Ireland earlier this month.

Vatican Bank president calls for reindustrialization of US, Europe

Amid austerity measures following a recession marked by the indebtedness of “families, businesses, financial institutions, and states,” the president of the Vatican Bank foresees an end to the “delocalization” of industrial production. 

“Europe and the United States, after years of productive delocalization must now be reindustrialized in order to sustain internal employment and to rediscover new competition,” writes Ettore Gotti Tedeschi. 

“As soon as possible an effort will be made to reduce imports and to reimport production. Envisaging any other scenario would allow one to foresee social tensions difficult to handle.” 

“The whole world must join forces if it is to emerge from the crisis and achieve an equitable distribution of wealth--which began with globalization--to be implemented without selfishness but rather with solidarity and justice,” he adds. 

“The global world cannot sustain further delocalization.”

Does the Vatican need a Freedom of Information Act? (Comment)

Does the Vatican need a Freedom of Information Act?  

The Act supposedly gives us British citizens the right to know what information the government is holding about us, or indeed about other matters, with certain safeguards. 

It does have its disadvantages, I suppose: time-wasters can make a lot of work for civil servants in this way; however, freedom of information does mean that government is held accountable to the people, and it does help do away with the culture of secrecy that often seems to attach itself to government.

But why might the Vatican need to embrace a Freedom of Information Act? I can think of several reasons. 

First of all, the current “Vati-leaks” scandal. According to this recent headline, the supposed whistleblower  claims that the Vatican is “ruled by [an] ‘omerta’ code of silence”. 

This sort of language, which equates the chief organs of Church governement with a criminal conspiracy, is pretty maddening for normal Catholics like myself. 

But if there were freedom of information, it would be much harder to claim that the Vatican was addicted to cover-up.

Then there is the matter of the Vatican refusing to release the secret files it holds on paedophile priests. 

You know the secret files? 

You can read about them here, in an article dating from earlier this month. The trouble with these secret files, which are often mentioned in internet comments, is that they are secret, and as such, may not exist at all. Freedom of information requests, I assume, have to be specific; and a freedom of information act would mean an end to this misleading insinuation that the Vatican is sitting on mountains of information which may not, in fact, exist.

If this were not enough, there is the endless stream of newspaper articles dealing with the Vatican’s refusal to release more supposed secret archives which someohow or another will reveal the truth about Pope Pius XII, the Nazis and the Second World War.

The trouble is that the Vatican secret archives are not really secret. They have been the subject of an exhibition (hardly the best way to keep a secret, I would have thought) and they are regularly opened to scholars who are doing research. Disappointingly for conspiracy theorists, Wikipedia describes the Secret Archives as follows:

The use of the word “secret” in the title “Vatican Secret Archives” does not denote the modern meaning of confidentiality. Instead, it indicates that the archives are the Pope’s personal property, not belonging to those of any particular department of the Roman Curia or the Holy See. The word “secret” was generally used in this sense as also reflected in phrases such as “secret servants”, “secret cupbearer”, “secret carver”, much like an esteemed position of honor and regard comparable to a VIP.

In fact, credit where credit is due, the Vatican is a fairly transparent organisation considering most of its employees are Italians, and that Italy does not have a long tradition of public accountability. 

Moreover, most Italians are less than enamoured of the supposed right of the public to know what they consider, with some justification, none of their concern. True, Italian has no word for privacy; but it does have numerous phrases, some of them rather robust, meaning the equivalent of “Mind your own business.”

Even if transparency became the order of the day, and every request for information was answered fully and thoroughly, this might be no guarantee against the numerous conspiracy theories that are a staple of Italian life, and which have been popularised in the Anglophone world by people like Dan Brown. 

Take the case of Emanuela Orlandi, the teenage girl who disappeared in Rome in 1982. 

(There is a good Wikipedia summary here in English, and a fuller Italian version here). Reading the accounts, and given that witnesses saw the teenage girl get into a man’s car, it seems overwhelmingly likely that the 15 year old was the victim of a sex attacker who murdered her. 

But because she was the daughter of a minor Vatican official and had, most unuusally, a Vatican passport, her tragic disappearance has been spun into part of a huge web of intrigue, and numerous suppositions, some by people who have had no first hand knowledge of the affair, and who were in one case clearly mentally ill, have been allowed the status of quasi-unchallenged facts. 

Given that so simple and tragic a case can become so bloated a tissue of monstrous supposition, and still exert its hold thirty years later, what hope is there that anyone will ever believe the Vatican, even when they tell the truth?

Gangster Enrico De Pedis was buried in a Catholic basilica in Rome

One of Italy’s most notorious gangsters, Enrico De Pedis, is buried in a Roman Catholic basilica near Piazza Navona.

Why the Vatican allowed a top mobster to be buried in Sant’Apollinare has been a source of furious speculation since 1997, when the resting place of De Pedis — gunned down seven years earlier — was first revealed.

The answer taking shape looks like something bestselling author Dan (The Da Vinci Code) Brown would have had trouble dreaming up.

The story goes back to the 1980s and includes money-laundering allegations against the Vatican’s bank, the attempted assassination of the late Pope John Paul II, the murder-suicide of two Vatican Swiss guards, and the widely publicized kidnapping of a teenage girl.

The shocking tale’s many threads began meshing in the mid 2000s. 

They were revived this week by the latest in a series of leaks that have rocked the Vatican — leaks observers believe are the result of an internal power struggle, one that has fuelled speculation about jostling to succeed Pope Benedict XVI.

This time, a January letter from Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican’s spokesperson, has made its way to the media.

The three-page letter, revealed by a program on the state-owned Rai Tre channel, focuses on the kidnapping of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old Vatican City resident who disappeared in 1983. She was last seen leaving her regular piano lesson outside the Vatican City walls. Her father was a clerk in the office organizing papal events.

Last summer, a former member of De Pedis’ infamous Magliana gang, Antonio Mancini, was interviewed by La Stampa newspaper after spending years in jail. He said De Pedis had loaned the Vatican a huge sum of money. There is speculation it was to help fund Solidarity, the 1980 democracy movement in Poland, John Paul’s homeland.

Mancini said Orlandi was kidnapped to pressure the Vatican when some of the money wasn’t returned. De Pedis’ girlfriend had said similar things a few years earlier.

At the time, the Vatican was the main shareholder of Banco Ambrosiano, which had gone bankrupt. Roberto Calvi, Ambrosiano’s head, was found hanging from a London bridge in 1982.

Mancini said part of De Pedis’ peace deal with the Vatican included burial in Sant’Apollinare, a church built in the 18th century and now run by the ultra-conservative Opus Dei movement. Church officials say De Pedis was buried there because he helped the poor. They’ve had less to say about the ruthless, Rome-based gang he headed.

In January, Orlandi’s brother led a demonstration in front of the church, demanding the tomb be opened. Since an anonymous call to Rai Tre in 2005, there has been talk of it perhaps containing evidence of Orlandi’s disappearance. The Orlandi family wants to know if the body in the tomb is indeed De Pedis’.

In his letter, Lombardi alludes to the rumours, according to excerpts released by Rai Tre. He also notes the cardinal in charge of the basilica has said he’s willing to have the tomb opened.

“I don’t understand why this hasn’t happened yet,” Lombardi writes.

Lombardi then discusses the Vatican’s refusal to help Italian police on some aspects of the Orlandi kidnap investigation. He wonders “if the non-collaboration with the Italian authorities . . . was a normal and justifiable affirmation of Vatican sovereignty, or if in fact circumstances were withheld that might have helped clear something up.”

Reached by the Star, Lombardi laughed when asked about the letter.

“You don’t have anything more important to write about?” he said. “I’ve had enough of this story. It seems like such a secondary thing to me that I have no comment to make.”

Earlier leaks of Vatican documents included recent private letters to the Pope complaining of corruption and cronyism in the awarding of contracts. 

Other documents emerged reigniting allegations of money-laundering at the Vatican’s bank. 

Finally, a bizarre confidential letter from a Vatican official described a presumed plot to kill Benedict and discussed his potential successor.

The day before Lombardi’s letter became public, another TV channel broadcast an interview with a man claiming to be a Vatican employee who leaked one of the documents. He looked like the Mafia turncoats Italians are used to seeing on TV — much of his face was covered by sunglasses, hat and scarf, and his voice was disguised.

He complained about the failure to investigate the Orlandi kidnapping and alluded to the death of two Vatican Swiss guards in 1998. 

In that incident, Alois Estermann, commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard at the Vatican, was killed, along with his wife, by Cedric Tornay, a young Swiss guard who then shot himself.

That murder-suicide has spawned books filled with theories as to what really happened. 

One widely quoted scenario comes from Ferdinando Imposimato, a former magistrate who officially investigated some of the biggest criminal cases in Italy, including the shooting of Pope John Paul in 1981, and cases involving De Pedis’ gang.

Imposimato is convinced secret police services in the former Soviet Union were involved in the plot to kill John Paul. He says Estermann was a spy for East Germany’s Stasi secret police, and was involved in Orlandi’s kidnapping. 

She was targeted because her father was the first to suspect Estermann as a spy, and told Imposimato so in 1981. 

Estermann was eventually killed, Imposimato says, because he knew too much.

Imposimato is now working with the Orlandi family. 

Both are pushing for a full investigation — and the opening of De Pedis’ tomb.

Puccini meets Watergate in 'Vatileaks' scandal

Perhaps only the Vatican could invent a scandal that manages to be almost comically silly and overblown, then suddenly ugly and mean, and finally deadly serious, all wrapped into one wildly complicated Italian melodrama.

Think Puccini meets Watergate, and you’ll have some inkling of the climate in Rome in mid-February.

Beginning in late January, supposedly confidential Vatican documents began appearing in the Italian press, with fresh revelations at one stage coming almost every day. 

As the leaks mounted, so did official frustration; a Vatican spokesman publicly slammed the “disloyalty” of it all, while the Vatican newspaper compared the leakers to a bunch of “wolves.”

One sure sign a scandal has made the big time is when a single word is enough to conjure it up, like “Watergate” or “Enron.” 

In this case, the Vatican’s own spokesman, Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, supplied the sound bite. 

By comparing the current mess to the Wikileaks saga, Lombardi inadvertently gave birth to “Vatileaks.”

As of this writing, nobody really knows who’s behind the avalanche of secret documents, or what their motives are for putting them into play. 

Most observers concur, however, that it’s not about whistleblowers trying to promote reform, but rather personal and political axes being ground.

This much is for sure: The Vatican has a mess on its hands. Internal tensions seem to be slipping out of control, while even the Vatican’s best friends are beginning to wonder if this is any way to run a railroad.

By now there are almost too many leaked documents making the rounds to keep track, but big-ticket items have included:

• Letters written to the pope and to the secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, by the current papal ambassador in the United States, Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, complaining of corruption in Vatican finances and a campaign of defamation against him (NCR, Feb. 17-March 1). At the time, he was the No. 2 official in the Vatican City State, and desperately trying to avoid being sent away.
• An anonymous memo written about a new Vatican law against money laundering, which suggests the law contains an enormous loophole -- that it blocks action against any offense before April 1, 2011, when the law came into effect.
• Leaked materials fueling charges that the Institute for Works of Religion (the so-called “Vatican Bank”) recently transferred millions of euros to foreign banks to evade Italian controls, and that it’s dodged various Italian inquests.
• Another anonymous document, written in German, describing a conversation Italian Cardinal Paolo Romeo of Palermo, Sicily, allegedly had during a trip to China, in which he predicted Pope Benedict XVI would be dead within 12 months and replaced with Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan, Italy. Retired Colombian Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos passed that document along to the pope.
• Two internal Vatican memos, including one written by Cardinal Attilio Nicora, who heads a new financial watchdog agency, warning that recent modifications to the Vatican’s anti-money-laundering law would be seen as a “step back” on reform, and could create “alarm” among international regulatory bodies.

The Vatican has launched a couple of internal mole hunts to try to determine the source of the leaks. To date, about the only thing for sure is that at least some of the documents seem to be coming from the Secretariat of State, meaning Bertone’s own shop.

One of the ironies of the Vatileaks saga is that it’s the fact of the leaks, not really their content, that seems to be doing the Vatican the most harm.

In terms of substance, the story of an anti-papal plot, for instance, collapsed under its own preposterousness. 

Even if one is prepared to believe that a cardinal in the 21st century might scheme to kill the pope, how credible is it that he would openly discuss it during a business trip to China?

On the financial front, the documents seem more serious, painting a picture of ongoing cronyism and occult transactions despite pledges of reform. 

The Vatican has issued unusually detailed, point-by-point explanations, trying to argue that either the document’s conclusions were mistaken, or that it offered a snapshot of an internal debate that has already been resolved.

On that score, most observers seemed inclined to a wait-and-see attitude. 

The Vatican is up against a June deadline for compliance with benchmarks established by MONEYVAL, a secular European task force designed to fight money laundering. 

MONEYVAL is undertaking the first external evaluation of where the Vatican’s widely touted financial glasnost stands.

Looking back, the publication of the Viganò letters that began the avalanche of leaks may have done the Vatican a favor.

Before the letters appeared, the impression had been that Viganò was a strong financial reformer who basically got the shaft, dispatched to Washington as a face-saving way of getting rid of him in Rome. 

The letters, however, also revealed a somewhat defensive streak, making it easier to believe his removal may have been about personality rather than policy.

The Vatican has also tried to reframe the overall picture that these leaks paint.

One of the more creative attempts along those lines has come from Italian Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and one of 22 new cardinals created by Benedict in a Feb. 18 consistory ceremony.

In essence, Filoni argued that the documents demonstrate the existence of robust internal debates within the Vatican, just like in “any other institution.” 

Their disclosure therefore offers a rebuttal, Filoni said, to critics who “always say there’s no democracy or open discussion in the church.”

In the end, however, there are two elements of the Vatileaks crisis that can’t just be explained away, or dissolved by spin.

First, the scandal is another sign of administrative and managerial drift during this papacy. 

Benedict regards himself as a teaching pope, taking scant interest in governance, and sometimes over these past six years his senior aides have looked like the gang that can’t shoot straight.

There’s little indication those dynamics will change. 

The Vatileaks story may thus set the stage for a serious discussion of governance, beginning with the Vatican itself, the next time the cardinals gather to elect a pope.

Second, this is one of those rare scandals that have the Vatican’s allies and supporters riled, not just its critics and foes. 

For one thing, senior Catholic leaders around the world would like to think they can share confidential information with the pope and Bertone without reading about it in the newspapers, but right now it would be tough to justify that assumption.

More basically, both the leaks and the apparent motives behind them reduce confidence that Vatican decisions will be made on merits, rather than being swept into petty internal squabbles -- especially, it has to be said, if they end up in the Secretariat of State.

As in any organization, it’s hard for headquarters to move the ball on its priorities if it’s lost the confidence of its branch managers, and in truth, the Vatican may be closer to that scenario than it realizes.

Speaking on background, one senior prelate in Rome for the Feb. 18 consistory said that while he continues to prize Benedict’s spiritual leadership, he’s never seen the administrative side of the Vatican in such bad shape.

“I wouldn’t bring a problem here right now,” he said, “to save my life.”

The comment hints at one final Vatileaks irony.

For decades, some theologians and Catholic reformers have argued that bishops around the world should become less deferential to Rome. 

In fact, some have wanted that decentralization in the worst way -- and that may be exactly what’s happening.

Benedictine Torch in Malta

The Benedictine Order has chosen Malta to hold its annual event of peace, hope and fraternity, known as the Benedictine Torch, which every year since 1964, has been the main feature of a pilgrimage beginning from the city chosen to light the torch and ending in Monte Cassino (Rome, Italy) at the Shrine of St Benedict. 

This year, the Benedictine Torch will be lit in Malta by Archbishop Paul Cremona OP, on Sunday, 4 March, during a Mass which he will celebrate together with Mgr Pietro Vittorelli, Archabbot of Montecassino Abbey, and Mgr Renato Boccardo, Archbishop of Spoleto, Norcia. 

The Mass, which will be animated by the Benedictine Choir of Monte Cassino, will be held at St John’s CoCathedral, at 5.30 p.m. After the celebration of Mass, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi will welcome the Benedictine Torch at the Auberge de Castille, Valletta. 

On 14 March, the Torch will be taken to the Vatican to be blessed by Pope Benedict XVI, and will then be taken to the Shrine of St Benedict in Monte Cassino on 20 March.

Last year, the Torch was lit in London during a special service in Westminster Abbey. 

It was the first year in which the torch had been lit in a non-Roman Catholic Church. 

The following day, the Torch of Saint Benedict was taken to Westminster Cathedral where a Mass was celebrated by the Archbishop of Westminster. 

The pilgrimage of the Torch ended in Monte Cassino with a special service on St Benedict’s Day, 21 March.

In 1964, when Saint Benedict was proclaimed Patron Saint of Europe, it was decided that the lighting of a torch would take place annually in various countries, to represent European unity. 

The torch is now known as the Torch of Saint Benedict. 

Since 1992, the year of the Maastricht Treaty, it has also become a symbol of peace.

Saint Benedict was chosen as the symbol and the Saint to testify to the common Christian cultural roots which the 27 EU countries share. 

The lighting of the torch represents the light of Saint Benedict, which spans over Europe bringing peace, fraternity and friendship.

Top commentator claims massive lack of Vatican cooperation in Ireland

Ireland’s leading religious commentator, Patsy McGarry of the Irish Times, who broke many stories about the child sex abuse scandals, has weighed in on who is to blame for the breakdown between church and state.

In an opinion article written for The Irish Times, McGarry sheds light on the blatant lack of cooperation from the Vatican in relation to matters of the Irish Catholic Church.

McGarry bluntly writes, “The central issue over Ireland and the Vatican has been Rome’s lack of co-operation with two inquiries set up by this State to investigate criminality – the systematic enabling and cover-up by Catholic Church authorities of the rape of Irish children over decades.”

McGarry recounts how prior to becoming pope,  Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger contacted every Catholic bishop in the world in 2001 urging them to send forward any documentation  “with a semblance of truth” of alleged abuse within the Church.

In response, the Murphy commission, which investigated abuse in Dublin, wrote to the congregation in September 2006 seeking co-operation. It got none. This was only the first failed attempt at cooperation; more were to follow.

McGarry writes how rather than cooperate, the Vatican “complained to Dublin that the commission had not used proper channels, ie it had not gone through the Department of Foreign Affairs. As should have been known in Rome the Murphy commission could not use the Irish State’s “proper channels” as it was also investigating this State’s handling of allegations.”

“So, in February 2007 the commission wrote to the papal nuncio in Dublin asking for relevant documents. There was no reply. In early 2009 it again wrote to the nuncio, enclosing a draft of its report for comment. There was no reply.”

In summation, McGarry concludes “That was how the Holy See treated two inquiries set up by our government to investigate the gravest of abuses of thousands of Irish children by priests. It ignored them. This had nothing to do with Catholicism but centrally involved inter-state relations. Because of it, and whatever may happen in the future, the decision to close the Irish embassy to the Holy See was appropriate and proportionate, regardless of the costs argument.”

“It is time common sense entered this row.”

Irish-American pols group skips salute to Cardinal Dolan

It's not just the folks at the Empire State Building who are snubbing Cardinal Dolan — a group of Irish-American state legislators in Albany have dissed him, too.

A push to make Dolan the guest of honor at the March 12 annual dinner for the New York State American-Irish Legislators Society was squashed amid internal controversy, multiple sources said.

“Dolan was the first one mentioned to honor, given his recent ascension to cardinal, and originally it looked like it was leaning that way,” said one supporter of the idea. “It was a no-brainer.”

But some Assembly Democratic members are said to have balked because of the church’s vehement opposition both to same-sex marriage and a bill to extend the statute of limitations for past victims of sex abuse by priests.

“It was clear there were certain members of the majority who would be unhappy and uncomfortable if the honoree was the cardinal,” a second member of the society said.

It was decided, instead, to honor Brian O’Dwyer, the liberal lawyer .

Several members of the bipartisan group groused that an honoree’s political views shouldn’t be a major consideration.

“We’re an Irish organization,” said one source. “Our guest of honor should be a prominent person in the Irish community.”

Dolan, he said, “is a newly elevated cardinal and he is a fine Irishman and a prominent player on the stage. You can make the argument I disagree with Mr. O’Dwyer’s politics, but I think he’s a fine Irishman and a great honoree — only he should have been next year.”

Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Staten Island), the society president, denied Dolan was snubbed.

Cusick said Dolan was one of several names recommended, but was not chosen after his staff said the cardinal would be unable to attend.

A Dolan spokesman said Dolan is scheduled to leave Albany that evening for Washington to chair a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Eucharistic Congress 2012 - Prayer

 

 

Lord Jesus,
You were sent by the Father
to gather together those who are scattered.

You came among us, doing good and bringing healing,
announcing the Word of salvation
and giving the Bread which lasts forever.

Be our companion on life’s pilgrim way.

May your Holy Spirit inflame our hearts,
enliven our hope and open our minds,
so that together with our sisters and brothers in faith
we may recognise you in the Scriptures
and in the breaking of bread.

May your Holy Spirit transform us into one body
and lead us to walk humbly on the earth,
in justice and love,
as witnesses of your resurrection.

In communion with Mary,
whom you gave to us as our Mother
at the foot of the cross,
through you
may all praise, honour and blessing be to the Father
in the Holy Spirit and in the Church,
Now and forever.

Amen

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for March 2012

General Intention: Contribution of Women.

That the whole world may recognize the contribution of women to the development of society.
 

Missionary Intention: Persecuted Christians.

That the Holy Spirit may grant perseverance to those who suffer discrimination, persecution, or death for the name of Christ, particularly in Asia.

Cardinal Brady to be special guest at Limerick Choral Festival

The Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh, Cardinal Seán Brady, is to be a special guest at the upcoming 8th Limerick Choral Festival.

This year's event has attracted more than 40 choirs from all parts of the country, including, for the first time, participants from Northern Ireland, with Saint Paul's High School in Newry travelling to Limerick for the festival. 

Speaking at the launch, festival organiser Joe O'Connor said that for the first time ever, “we have choirs from the North, which we are very happy about, because we are hoping it will develop into an international festival by 2015.” 

Among the prominent Church choirs taking part are Our Lady Queen of Peace Choir, Limerick Gospel Choir, Glenstal Abbey and Saint Mary's Church choir.  

This year also, Saint Mary's Cathedral Choir from Killarney will take part in the event for the first time. 

However, Joe O'Connor said that he hoped that more church choirs would take part over the coming years. 

“We would like to see more church choirs taking part because it was originally founded as a church music festival and we are still very much trying to develop that aspect of it.”

The Archbishop of Armagh will lead the celebration of Solemn Vespers with the combined choirs of the festival in Saint Joseph's Church on Saturday March 3 at 5:00pm.  

It is also expected that Cardinal Brady will present the main church choir of the year award.

The festival runs from March 2 to 4 in Saint Joseph's, The Redemptorists and Augustinians.  

More information on the choral festival can be found at www.limerickchoralfestival.com.

Paint, plaster and printed programs: Cubans prepare for Pope Benedict

The Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, home to the 400-year-old statue of Cuba's patroness, has always been an impressive sight: a towering pale yellow basilica perched in the picturesque foothills of the Sierra Maestra.

It's where Pope Benedict XVI will visit March 27, making him the most prominent of tens of thousands of pilgrims expected to make the trek to the shrine of La Caridad, as the image is known, in this 400th anniversary year.

He also will celebrate open-air Masses in Havana and Santiago de Cuba and meet with government and church leaders. But his main reason for coming, according to the Cuban bishops' conference, is as a pilgrim of La Caridad. The Mass in Santiago also will be dedicated to La Caridad.

In the past three years, the shrine at El Cobre has undergone a gradual transformation in anticipation of the 400th anniversary. Peeling plaster has been repaired; new paint brightens walls; new dormitory rooms for pilgrims have been added and the existing ones updated. A chapel area has been remodeled for grateful and hopeful people to leave medallions and other remembrances for their petitions.

Funding for the repairs and upgrades came from across Cuba and from donors around the world. Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros, a Cuba native, and Santiago de Cuba Archbishop Dionisio Garcia Ibanez toured the United States a year ago, encouraging people to visit Cuba as pilgrims and raising money to make it all possible.

Glass cases hold some of the more poignant and well-known tributes: sports paraphernalia, letters, and an article about writer Ernest Hemingway's gift of his Pulitzer Prize -- the gold medallion itself is locked away. A marble tabletop nearby holds candles lit by those offering their prayers

As worshippers inside observed World Day of the Sick Feb. 11, Vatican security agents toured the property and workers scrambled to finish turning a dirt parking lot behind the church into a paved, garden courtyard. A work schedule with the Sept. 8 feast of La Caridad as its goal got pushed up by six months in December when the pope's visit was announced.

Just down the hill from the dormitory building is the new residence at which local officials say Pope Benedict will be the first overnight guest. The residence was intended as a home for retired Archbishop Pedro Meurice Estiu of Santiago, who died last July before the home was completed.

The pope's time at the sanctuary of El Cobre will be private and is scheduled for just one hour. Father Eugenio Castellanos, rector of the shrine, said people will be welcome on the grounds during the pope's visit, but they will not be allowed inside the church. He said arrangements will be made so people outside can hear whatever the pope may say and view his visit on television screens.

Mass in Santiago de Cuba March 26 will be held in Antonio Maceo Revolution Square, scene of the 1998 Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II. Archdiocesan organizers expect up to half a million people to come from across eastern Cuba, throughout the Caribbean and the United States.

The Cuban government announced that people who wish to attend the Masses will be able to take the time off work with pay. Church officials in Santiago and Havana said the government had not yet been decided whether the days would be declared public holidays to help with traffic flow.

The Mass in Santiago will be in the late afternoon, with participants expected to gather throughout the day. Tens of thousands of people are expected to line Pope Benedict's route between El Cobre and Santiago, as well as the streets between Havana's Jose Marti International Airport and his first stop in the capitol, where he will meet with the bishops of Cuba and civil authorities.

The March 28 Mass in Havana will be in Revolution Square, also the same location where Pope John Paul celebrated Mass.

Msgr. Jose Felix Perez Riera, executive secretary of the Cuban bishops' conference, told Catholic News Service that the church is printing 300,000 copies of the program for the Havana Mass but that, as of early February, planners could only guess at how many people might attend. In 1998, an estimated 150,000 people attended the papal Mass in Havana.

In 1998, the four Masses celebrated by the pope were fairly evenly spaced across the island, in Havana, Santa Clara, Camaguey and Santiago de Cuba, Msgr. Perez noted. The two liturgies planned for Pope Benedict's visit are at opposite ends of the country, making for bus rides of four to five hours or more for many people who might want to participate.

Msgr. Perez said he had been quoted a price of $1.25 per mile per person for hiring buses, a prohibitive price in a country where the average monthly salary is about $20.

Dubs hardman Ger to show spiritual side in Croker...as religious volunteer

HE is an on-pitch tough guy but Dublin star Ger Brennan has a spiritual side too. 

The All-Ireland winner will be one of 82,000 people in Croke Park this summer -- but for once all eyes won't be on his football skills.

Instead he will be lining out as a volunteer for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress.

For the week prior to the closing ceremony in Croke Park on June 17, the RDS will be filled with 25,000 people daily and the Dubs defender will be involved in a host of diverse events being organised by the Congress, such as youth festivals, music festivals and practical workshops.

"I am a volunteer with the Congress and, with my football profile, I have been helping to promote the Congress since September to get people throughout the country involved," said the All-Ireland winner.

"The Congress are looking to have between 2,000 and 3,000 volunteers for the week of the Congress and in the lead up to the event," says Ger who has a Masters degree in pastoral theology from NUI Maynooth.

 

Demands

"It's a massive operation and a lot of work is going into it. Previously, since September 2010, my role was as a full-time youth coordinator with the Congress until the demands of football took over. I was working with the 26 dioceses of Ireland and the youth directors, and seeing how we could help promote the aims of the Eucharistic Congress to young people."

"I was in this role for a year, involved in the initial stages of the Congress. I had to forgo this though and opt to be a volunteer where I am able to support the youth committee in the organising of events at the Congress itself," said the talented All-Ireland medal holder, who also possesses a spiritual side. 

The Congress is a massive event for Ger personally and for Irish people.

"Before I got involved I wouldn't have known what the Eucharistic Congress was. However I began to realise what a big event it was and it gave me an opportunity to look at the aspects of my faith, what I believed in and challenged myself to reflect more deeply on what it means to be a Catholic," admits the secondary school teacher who now teaches Religion and Irish at St Kevin's College in Finglas. 

Ger's strong faith was instilled in him as a child at home in Dorset Street with his large family and also in the Jesuit school, Belvedere College.

"I was the fifth of nine kids and we would have gone to Mass and I would have been very involved in my local parish as a young kid. There would have been a good youth club there as well so it would have been very normal for me being over in the church," the Dublin back told the Herald. 

When the Eucharistic Congress was last held in Ireland in 1931, one million people attended in the Phoenix Park, but numbers are expected to be down on that this year.

 

Dwindled

"Numbers have dwindled because people have got distracted from what is important and being involved in the Church for me is something which gives me life. The abuses which happened in the Church have lowered people's trust in the Church and resulted in them not being involved. I would rather be involved in the Church trying to make the change than being on the outside giving out. I think it's a good time to hold a Congress in Ireland as it's good to engage in the question of what life is all about. It gives me a sense of worth on my relationship with God and making the most of your gifts and talents," he said. 

Such strong spirituality and sport make a good mix. For Ger, faith and football are intertwined with each other. 

"It's great having faith when it comes to football. I don't over think things too much and say a prayer and thank God for all my gifts and talents which calms me down and no matter what I do there is always a bigger picture so I don't get caught up with things," he said.

Holy Land Custodian writes to Shimon Peres calling for an end to church vandalism

In a letter to Israeli President Shimon Peres, Fr Pierbattista Pizzaballa has called for a end to acts of vandalism against churches and private property that "hurt the feelings of Christians in Israel", not to mention "hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visiting Jerusalem and the holy land".

Fr Pizzaballa wrote the letter after a series of Hebrew-language graffiti appeared on the walls of the Narkis Street Baptist Church, on a Christian cemetery on Mount Zion and on the Greek Orthodox monastery in the Valley of the Cross. 

The graffiti included "Jesus is dead," "Death to Christianity," "We will crucify you" and "Mary is a whore". 

The tyres of three cars parked nearby were also slashed.

This kind of vandalism has been dubbed "Price tag", a euphemism for hate crimes by Israeli extremists, perhaps settlers, against mosques, Arab places of gathering and Israeli pacifists.

For Israeli police, the recent spate of attacks against Christian targets is the work of isolated individuals, not of extremist nationalists and settlers.

Still, they express racism and hatred. A few years ago, Hebrew graffiti and acts of scorn against Christians appeared on the walls of the Cenacle. Some priests have also complained that they were spat upon and verbally attacked by young Yeshiva students.

"These actions," Pizzaballa wrote, "which as far as I know haven't led to any arrests, are but one painful example in a series of similar actions being carried out recently without hardly any hindrance. As you know, it is not my practice to write letters such as this. The various Christian communities live quietly and peacefully in Israel, with respect, appreciation and good relations with Jews and Moslems."

"Unfortunately, throughout the years we have learned to ignore provocations and continue our daily life. Still, it seems that this time red lines have been crossed and we cannot remain silent. These shocking slogans sprayed on Christian sites of prayer, especially in Jerusalem, hurt the feelings of all the Christians in Israel, regardless of their creed, as well as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visiting Jerusalem and the holy land, and millions more, worldwide."

"I would be grateful," he continued, "if you would use all your power and influence with the authorities so that this dangerous pattern of action will be eradicated and these actions stopped, before they become a habitual part of Christian life in Israel."

Priest Walks Out Of Woman’s Funeral Because Of Her Gay Daughter (Contribution)

The battle in this country between the right and the left is raging. 

Since the right has no answers to the economic questions we face, they’ve decided to concentrate on dividing the country on so-called “moral” issues, one of those being the demonizing of gay and lesbian people. 

Little by little, they are losing the battle, as we see states individually legalizing gay marriage and recognizing that our forefathers intended that ALL are created equal and marriage is an equal right. 

But that doesn’t stop the right from carrying on their battle.

Something terrible happened this past weekend in Maryland and the fact that it was Maryland, a state that has just proclaimed that all are equal and has enshrined that concept into state law, goes to highlight the lengths to which the right will go. 

In this instance, the right was personified by Father Marcel Guarnizo, who officiated at the funeral of a former family member of mine. 

She was no longer a family member because I divorced the man who was her blood relative. 

But with social media these days, a person can remain in touch with those who, although there is no longer a family connection, are still people who are valued.

My friend Barbara, the daughter of the deceased woman, was denied communion at her mother’s funeral. She was the first in line and Fr. Guarnizo covered the bowl containing the host and said to her,  “I cannot give you communion because you live with a woman and that is a sin according to the church.” 

To add insult to injury, Fr. Guarnizo left the altar when she delivered her eulogy to her mother. 

When the funeral was finished he informed the funeral director that he could not go to the gravesite to deliver the final blessing because he was sick.

I will tell you a little about the woman who drove that priest from the altar. 

She is kind, she is smart, she is funny and she works hard promoting the arts. 

She pays her bills, she cares deeply for her family and she loved her mother and her mother loved her right back. 

And now she will never set foot in a Catholic church again and who can blame her?

It is time for Christians of all stripes to stop and think about the teachings of the Jesus they proclaim to love so deeply and revere so much. 

I spent twelve years in Catholic school and the Jesus I was told about would never have turned away anyone for any reason and certainly not on the occasion of burying a parent. 

Fr. Guarnizo has a lot to learn about Christianity and the Catholic Church has a lot to learn about the teachings of Jesus if behavior of this sort is tolerated.

I am not about to paint all Christians with a broad brush. 

There are those out there who understand that the teachings of Jesus boil down to one thing. 

And that thing is Love. 

For if you love, you do not deny a person the solace of communion with the Creator, if that is their belief. You judge not, lest ye be judged. 

Only God knows the true heart of any person and in the end, if there is to be judgment, it will not come from some misguided, prejudiced priest who needs to go back to the seminary and learn the basics. 

And if he can’t find them there, then he needs to get down on his knees and pray to his Jesus to forgive him the terrible trespass he visited upon a grieving woman on the occasion of the death of her mother.

This is but one small story but it is indicative of the battle raging in America today. 

It is an ugly battle and one I never thought I would see. 

But it is here and we must deal with it. 

We must keep politics out of religion and religion out of politics. 

Perhaps if we can get back to a place where the separation of church and state are once again accepted as one of the founding principles of this country, stop trying to out-Christian each other, stop vilifying other religions and other people based on purely human and not godly concepts, we will begin to mend the fractures that are tearing us apart today. 

To do that, the Father Guarnizos and the Rick Santorums of the world will have to undergo a radical change of heart and I don’t think they have it in them. So it is up to the rest of us.

As for me, I send my love and condolences to my friend Barbara and all of the other family members who were made to witness such an egregious display of prejudice in such an inappropriate setting. 

To Father Guarnizo, I say, “Jesus would weep.”