SSPX rejects Vatican offer

Mentioned recently, and (sadly) as predicted:

Bishop Bernard Fellay, the leader of the Society of St. Pius X, has rejected the terms offered by the Vatican for rejoining the Catholic Church. During a homily at one of his society’s seminaries on June 20, the schismatic bishop said that the five conditions for return were a message to “shut up.” (CNA)

Classy.

Vatican to SSPX: ASAP

Movement, yes. Progress? Maybe:

According to Andrea Tornielli, who claims to have a copy of the original letter sent by the Holy See to the schismatic Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the St. Pius X Society, the Holy See has given an ultimatum to the Society, with a deadline of June 28 for it to respond.

According to Tornielli, who writes on his blog for the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, Cardinal Dario Castrillón Hoyos has written a letter in his capacity as President of the Pontifical Ecclesia Dei Commission, presenting the conditions of the ultimatum that, if accepted would conclude with the final incorporation of the St. Pius X Society into the Church by means of the canonical procedure of personal prelature, similar to that of Opus Dei. [More from CNA]

(note how the story originally broke on an Italian blog. I need to add some of those to my blogroll.)

CWNews chimes in with its coverage here. InsideCatholic commentary here.

Me? I'm currently residing in the "show me" state.

3,000 Iraqis become Roman Catholics - showing Anglicans the way?

Damian Thompson (a UK journalist I'm starting to read closely), reports:

Three thousand Iraqi Christians living in America have become Roman Catholics together, in a deal with the Vatican that will spark the interest of traditionalist Anglicans who want to convert en masse without losing their cultural identity.

.... The lessons for English-speaking Christianity are almost too obvious to need pointing out. If the Catholic Church is prepared to demonstrate generosity in negotiable areas such as liturgical language and married priests, centuries of disunity can be overcome.

But, when it comes to Anglo-Catholics, that’s a big “if”. The Catholic ecumenical establishment – in Rome and, especially, in Westminster – is not keen on Anglican traditionalists, and recoils from the prospect of them worshipping together as Roman Catholics with their own communal identity.

The Iraqis in question are becoming Chaldean-rite Catholics. I studied with several Chaldean Catholic seminarians and have spoken to them about the persecution the Chaldean Catholic Church is undergoing in Iraq.

Rome to Anglicans: Decide if you are Protestants or Catholics

A controversial story from UK blogger Damien Thompson:

The Vatican said last night that the time has come for the Anglican Church to choose between Protestantism and the ancient sacramental Churches of Rome and Orthodoxy.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, told the Catholic Herald that the Anglican Communion must “clarify its identity” and stop hovering between the Catholic and Protestant traditions.

... The cardinal [Kasper] is clearly hoping for some sort of breakthrough – or break-up? – at this summer’s Lambeth Conference, which already promises to be a spectacular disaster. But I don’t think we should jump to the conclusion that his views represent those of Pope Benedict.

An Anglican-Catholic reunion looked far more likely before Anglicans decided to start ordaining women, etc.

update: The story is picking up steam, Phil Lawler talks about it here.

Pope Meets with Head of Anglican Communion, Lambeth on the minutes

Today Pope Benedict held a private meeting with Dr. Rowan Williams (see a picture here), and Vatican Radio snagged a quick pre-interview:

Dr Williams is in Rome this week for the 7th 'Building Bridges' seminar of Christian and Muslim scholars to be held this year at the English college retreat house 'Palazzola' overlooking Lake Albano in the Roman Hills.

On his way to the Vatican he told Philippa Hitchen what he hoped to discuss the Pope:

"Well it’ll be a fairly informal and low key meeting: I hope to bring him up to date on our plans about the Lambeth conference, perhaps to discuss with him a little what’s going to be happening at the conference this week at Palazzola and just touch base with him about China, the initiatives we’re involved in with regard to the churches in China.

... The full length interview with Dr. Williams is available on our English Feature Programme.

Lambeth, eh?

Reuters: "Vatican, Muslims prepare historic meeting with Pope"

Noted:

Muslim representatives and Vatican officials begin talks this week that they hope will lead to an unprecedented Catholic-Islamic meeting.

Five representatives from each side will meet on Tuesday for two days in Rome to work out the details of a larger meeting that will include Pope Benedict later this year.

Catholic-Muslim relations nosedived in 2006 after Benedict delivered a lecture in Regensburg, Germany, that was taken by Muslims to imply that Islam was violent and irrational.

Nosedived?

"Conservative rabbis 'dismayed' over Catholic prayer"

"An assembly representing Conservative rabbis worldwide expressed dismay on Tuesday over a revised Roman Catholic prayer calling for the conversion of Jews and voted to ask the Vatican to clarify the text's meaning.

The Rabbinical Assembly, which represents 1,600 Conservative rabbis worldwide, said it was "dismayed and deeply disturbed to learn of reports that Pope Benedict XVI has revised the 1962 text of the Latin Mass, retaining the rubric, 'For the conversion of the Jews.'" - Reuters

I worried that something like this might happen. It makes me wonder about the fruitfulness of the progress made so far in jewish-christian dialogue when these conservative rabbis get "dismayed and deeply disturbed" that Catholic doctrine desires them to come to believe Jesus Christ is the long-promised Messiah.

I mean, what exactly have they been dialoguing about all this time, if such a notion comes as a surprise?!

Pope Benedict issues new Good Friday prayer for the Jews

CNA reports on the decision here. A little background on the history to this move here.

Pope Benedict drafts modification to Good Friday prayer in '62 Missal

The lowdown from Rocco:

In a significant "extended hand" for the future of Catholic-Jewish dialogue, B16 has reportedly decided to change the 1962 Missal's controversial Good Friday prayer for the conversion of the Jews.

Reported today by the well-connected Andrea Tornielli of Il Giornale, a formal announcement of the move is expected "within days" -- the Triduum is, after all, but nine weeks away.

...

According to the daily, Benedict himself prepared the draft of the decision, which will be released through the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. While the passages deemed viscerally offensive will be struck, the prayer's original emphasis on conversion is to be retained.

The Pope would hope to visit the Holy Land in 2009, provided the current wrinkles in Vatican-Israeli relations are smoothed out.

Reuters' take here.

Pope Benedict responds to Muslim letter, invites them to Vatican

From today's Vatican bulletino:

On October 13, for the occasion of the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr), a group of 138 Muslim religious leaders sent an open letter to the Holy Father Benedict XVI and to other Christian leaders. The letter was entitled: "A Common Word between Us and You."

The Holy Father has replied with a letter of his own, signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State and addressed to Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, president of the Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought and one of the signatories of the original letter.

In expressing his thanks and appreciation for this significant initiative by the eminent group of Muslim figures, the Holy Father reaffirms the importance of dialogue based on effective respect for the dignity of the person, on objective knowledge of the other's religion, on the sharing of religious experience, and on joint commitment to promoting mutual respect and acceptance.

The Secretary of State's reply also mentions the Holy Father's willingness to receive Prince Ghazi and a delegation of the signatories of the letter, and also highlights the readiness of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, in collaboration with other specialized pontifical institutes, to organize a working meeting.

Secular and Catholic coverage:

• AFP / Reuters
• CNS / AsiaNews / CNA / Vatican Radio

We'll see what comes of all this.

Update: Rocco covers this story and reproduces the full text of Cardinal Bertone's letter on behalf of the Pope.

Update 2: Christopher Blosser has been following this story for some time, and has analysis.

The dalai lama dilemma

Regarding his visiting the Pope, first it was on, now it is off:

The Vatican said on Monday Pope Benedict did not have any plans to meet the Dalai Lama next month, contrary to a previous announcement that had irked China and raised concern about efforts to improve relations.

A Vatican official who spoke on condition of anonymity told reporters in October the Pope would meet the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism on December 13. The Dalai Lama is considered a traitor by Beijing since leading a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

China responded by saying the meeting might "hurt the feelings of the Chinese people" and urged the Pontiff to take actions showing he "is sincere in improving relations".

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Monday "no audience is planned" with the Dalai Lama and added there had never been an official announcement of a meeting.

The Pope has made improving ties with China a major goal of his pontificate and issued a 55-page open letter in June saying he sought to restore full diplomatic relations with Beijing that were severed two years after the 1949 Communist takeover.

Still, the Vatican has long opened its doors to the Dalai Lama but has kept such encounters low-profile.

Pope Benedict held a "strictly private" and "strictly religious" audience with him in October last year, but omitted the Dalai Lama's name from the list of people received by the Pontiff that day. - Reuters

Is the Vatican indeed weighing a dalai lama meeting with China relations?

“We shall certainly respond to the letter by the 138 Muslim scholars,” says Cardinal Tauran

AsiaNews.It:

The Vatican will “certainly” respond to the open letter to Christian leaders, foremost to Pope Benedict XVI, signed by 138 Muslim scholars, this according to Card Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

“We shall certainly respond,” he said in an interview to Vatican Radio, “because it is a positive signal sent to Christians. As I have said before there are some new elements. For example, when they mention Jesus they quote the New Testament, not the Qur’an. The text itself is not polemical and contains many positive aspects.”

“There is a willingness to collaborate on peace through religion,” the prelate added. “The letter says that Muslims and Christians represent 55 per cent of the world’s population and this has great potential to contribute to peace in the world. The positive elements in this message must be taken up.”

Vatican continues to demand religious freedom for Christians in Muslim countries

... because freedom of religion has to work both ways:

A Vatican representative, speaking at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has demanded recognition of religious freedoms in Muslim countries.

Msgr. Anthony Frontiero, the American-born Vatican representative at the OSCE, said that respect for religious freedom would entail allowing Christians to worship freely, and ending policies that bar Muslims from changing their religious affiliation.

The Vatican envoy's statement came after an Islamic leader had pushed for more concessions to Muslims living in Europe. Last week at an OSCE meeting in Madrid dedicated to the problem of "Islamophobia," the secretary-general of the Arab League, Amr Mousa, demanded that the Catholic cathedral in Cordoba, which was once a mosque, be opened once again for Islamic prayer services. [CWNews]

As for giving back Mezquita (or more properly, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin), let's talk about Hagia Sophia first, hmm?

"Cardinal Tauran outlines difficulties of dialogue with Muslims"

Some clear words from Cardinal Tauran:

The president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, warned this week of the difficulties posed by inter-religious dialogue with Muslims, since they “do [not, I presume] accept discussions about the Koran, because they say it was written under the dictates of God.”

In an interview with the French daily La Croix, Cardinal Tauran said that currently inter-religious dialogue can take place “with some religions, yes. But with Islam, not at this time. Muslims do not accept discussion about the Koran, because they say it was written under the dictates of God. With such an absolutist interpretation, it’s difficult to discuss the contents of the faith.” [CNA]

Cardinal Tauran's Tepid Response to Muslim Letter

"It is a very interesting letter" said the cardinal.

Today's VIS bulletin:

CARDINAL TAURAN: LETTER FROM MUSLIMS IS ENCOURAGING SIGN

VATICAN CITY, OCT 12, 2007 (VIS) - Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue today published a brief comment on a recent letter by 138 Muslim scholars to the Pope and other Christian leaders.

"It is a very interesting letter," said the cardinal, indicating that it is "a new document because it comes from both Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims." It is also "a non-polemical document with numerous quotes from both the Old Testament and the New Testament," he added.

Cardinal Tauran then considered what religious leaders must do to prevent the fusion of violence and religion underlining the need "to invite the followers [of religions] to share the three convictions contained in the letter: that God is One; that God loves us and we must love Him; that God calls us to love our neighbor. I would say that this represents a very encouraging sign because it shows that good will and dialogue are capable of overcoming prejudices, This is a spiritual approach to inter-religious dialogue which I would call dialogue of spirituality. Muslims and Christians must respond to one question: in your life, is God truly One?"

Okay, maybe not tepid, but that's how I read it initially. I'd like to find a full text of it (hint).

Meanwhile: "Vatican thinks theological dialogue with Islam is impossible, experts charge."