Action: Support 'Aid the Church in Need'

Sent in by AmP reader Michael:

Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy Father dedicated to helping suffering and persecuted faithful worldwide. As the voice of the suffering Church, we reach out to assist people in need in over 145 countries, supporting  more than 5,000 projects each year. Our donors have made a positive difference in the lives of literally millions of people worldwide, but the need is still great. Please consider making a gift to support a program, or offer general support. Another way to help is by Offering a Mass. You may also wish to view specific Projects in Need that are in urgent need of funding.

Kmiec gets a cold reception; Malta picks up on previous rumors

I have to wonder how Malta - a proudly Catholic county - feels about getting Doug Kmiec as their U.S. ambassador. 

The Malta Today, for instance, over the weekend picked-up on previously-reported rumors published by the Catholic News Agency that Kmiec was refused as Holy See ambassador before getting Malta as a second-pick (ph/t: Catholic Culture).

In other news, Wales is reportedly displeased with the recently-announced assignment of Richard Rich as its new attorney general.

update: in support of my claims here, CNA notes "Maltese newspaper editor comments on Kmiec’s proposed ambassadorship" saying Kmiec is "somewhat of a poisoned chalice".

Pic/Video: Papist Annie from OZ with WYD backdrop

Another excellent submission of AmP gear in action!

Anne of the Under Her Starry Mantle blog explains:

Hi Thomas, We finally got to Sydney as planned, my gregorian chant choir, Schola Cantorum was singing down there.

The photo has the Sydney Habour Bridge on one side, and if you look very carefully, on the other side of my head, you can just see the Sydney Opera House. This photo was taken from Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo. The Habour was where the Holy Father went across on the boat last year.

We had been down there last year for WYD with our six children. The Holy Father passed us only a metre away on the Monday morning he flew out. 

I'm wearing my 'organic cotton' AmP t-shirt 'cause I'm very alternative with health things, great to see the offer for organic material was there!

God Bless, Anne.

Anne also included a very important message:

Haha! Well done. AmP Apparel also makes excellent Christmas presents for the kids. ;-)

See other examples of American Papists wearing AmP gear around the world right here.

AmP Challenge: No more claiming the US Bishops are "partisan" on abortion

In the interest of dialogue with our liberal Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ, I challenge them to explicitly and totally repudiate the pernicious claim that US Bishops, when they speak about abortion, are engaging in "partisan politics." This same claim is similarly made about American Catholics when they, essentially, mimic the talking points of the US Bishops.

The claim that US Bishops, and those who agree with them, are "partisan" when it comes to abortion is deeply hypocritcal, because such a claim is, itself, a partisan charge made exclusively by liberals.

How common is this theme of calling US Bishops and their supporters "partisan" when they speak about abortion? Well, it is very common (see below). Most recently, these liberal partisans have taken to using recent L'Osservatore Romano articles as proof that "their" side is the right one. Well, they are in for a surprise, as I will demonstrate.

Here are some of the chief offenders (note how they all claim L'Osservatore Romano is on their side):

• Joe Feuerherd at National Catholic Reporter: "Less than four months into the new administration we don’t plan a mea culpa. Rather, we agree with L'Osservatore Romano, that the administration has demonstrated thoughtfulness and moderation, even as some of its less temperate Catholic critics declare, "We are at War!"
• Michael Sean Winters of American Magazine: "Chaput sneers at Jenkins. He sneers at Obama. (I am assuming he sneers at L'Osservatore Romano which had a far different interpretation of the President's visit to Notre Dame.)"

And yet in L'Osservatore Romano's own June 5th edition, it said this:

"Obviously the Holy See and L’Osservatore Romano have been, are and will be fully at the side of the U.S. bishops in their commitment in favor of the inviolability of human life in whatever stage of its existence.

Other interpretations have no foundation, especially those that have wanted to use the newspaper’s articles to make it appear that the teachings of the U.S. episcopate on the inherent evil of abortion were an exercise in partisan politics, supposedly in contrast with a different strategy of the Holy See."

L'OR is crystal clear: the interpretation that "the teachings of the U.S. episcopate on the inherent evil of abortion [is] an exercise in partisan politics" ... has "no foundation".

With that said, will Joe Feuerherd again "agree with L'Osservatore Romano" on this point about US Bishops and those who agree with them? Will Michael Sean Winters cease his sniping at Archbishop Chaput and other teaching bishops, or will he do a 180 and himself "sneer at L'OR" now that the newspaper isn't agreeing with his liberal talking points?

If they don't take up this challenge, we can be sure of three things:

1. The entire time they were agreeing with L'Osservatore Romano, it wasn't because they were trying to be faithful Catholics, it was because L'OR was agreeing (they thought) with their liberal talking points
2. They are in fact selectively picking-and-choosing what things they agree with the Vatican on, again filtering what they hear and agree with through a partisan, liberal a priori position
3. They themselves are guilty of engaging in the sort of "partisan politics" which they have accused the US Bishops and those who agree with them of embracing. This is text-book hypocrisy.

To make my case even stronger, I'd ask AmP readers to send me examples of Catholic columnists claiming that the US Bishops are engaging in partisan politics, and especially of recent examples where they claim L'Osservatore Romano is in effect "taking their side." I'd also ask AmP readers to note when this claim is made, in its various forms, from this point forward. I intend to call them on it every time they do it.

Why am I being so blunt about this? Well, certainly there here are many, many things wrong with the current state of debate between liberal Catholics and other Catholics when it comes to the issue of abortion and politics in America, but with this challenge, I hope to begin systematically rooting-out and definitively putting-to-rest one of the most pernicious and offensive of these errors.

I think such charges against our bishops are corrosive to constructive dialogue. Let's at least agree that when they speak about abortion, they are speaking from the heart of the Church, not a partisan talking-points page.

update: readers have asked for more proof of my claim that some notable individuals have systematically set themselves up against the bishops on the issue of abortion, along partisan lines. I have removed my quotation from Stephen Schneck for lack of further evidence. More proof for the other two:

• Joe Feuerherd (Feb 22, 2008 - Washington Post): "[Bishop Doran] is not alone among Catholic bishops in his attempt to anathematize the Democrats, to make the party and its candidates illegitimate in the mind of the electorate." ... "Sounds like I'll be voting for the Democrat -- and the bishops be damned."
• Michael Sean Winters (April 30, 2008 - America Magazine): "I hope the bishops who are in such high dudgeon about Obama will demand that Dr. Glendon be forbidden from receiving any Catholic honors until she renounces her association with the Bush administration."

And for good measure, I've re-added a third:

• Fr. Thomas Reese, SJ (November 7, 2008 - Washington Post): "This division between the vocal, partisan bishops and the silent, nonpartisan bishops will be a major issue at the Baltimore meeting."

A clarification from L'OR about its favorable Obama coverage?

Maybe, but not enough yet:

The Vatican newspaper has once again emphasized that when it comes to the Obama administration and pro-life issues, the Vatican and the U.S. bishops are in full agreement and that no compromise is possible on the right to life.

The newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, said it was a mistake to view its press coverage of Obama — which has been positive on many issues — as evidence that the Vatican is following a “different strategy” than the U.S. bishops in dealing with the new administration.

The comments came in the newspaper’s June 5 edition, in an article criticizing the Obama administration’s restoration of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.

The newspaper appeared to be defending itself against accusations by some U.S. Catholic commentators that its editorial line was too soft on Obama. (CNS Blog)

I wouldn't say "too soft". I'd say "out of touch with reality." But here is L'OR's clarification:

"It is appropriate to underline that in reporting on recent statements and initiatives of the president of the United States, L’Osservatore Romano has certainly not intended to express appreciation for his positions on questions of ethical importance.

... Obviously the Holy See and L’Osservatore Romano have been, are and will be fully at the side of the U.S. bishops in their commitment in favor of the inviolability of human life in whatever stage of its existence. Other interpretations have no foundation, especially those that have wanted to use the newspaper’s articles to make it appear that the teachings of the U.S. episcopate on the inherent evil of abortion were an exercise in partisan politics, supposedly in contrast with a different strategy of the Holy See.

... President Obama has shown himself to be open to dialogue and the U.S. bishops have welcomed this possibility in a positive manner. But in doing so, they have reaffirmed, and quite rightly, that in dialogue no compromise is ever possible on the fundamental question of the right to life."

Three replies, one for each of the paragraphs quoted above:

1) What L'OR has said certainly leaves it open to exactly that question. What could it have been praising except questions of ethical importance?

2) L'OR expressly denies the claim made by some (mostly pro-Obama liberal Catholics) that "the teachings of the U.S. episcopate on the inherent evil of abortion were an exercise in partisan politics". I'm waiting for pro-Obama liberal Catholics to apologize for continually making this charge. Now is a time for them to prove that they themselves weren't engaging in partisan politics. I'm not holding my breath.

3) Again we are confronted with the problem of dialogue. President Obama has "shown himself to be open to dialogue", L'OR claims. Well, no he hasn't. Because he has shown no openness to re-examining his position that abortion is a fundamental right of women. The technical description for this state of affairs is a dead-lock. It will continue as long as the bishops maintain their position (i.e., forever), and as long as Obama maintains his (forever, barring our vigorous activity to promote a culture of life at every level of our society and also ... well, prayer and fasting).

I'll limit myself to these thoughts at present. But I am happy to see some clarification come from L'OR. Their statement creates the possibility for charitable correction as well as honestly assessing the facts.

This Friday, Support the "Packed With Love" Campaign

This organization contacted me recently about spreading awareness about their new campaign:

Catholic Medical Mission Board—the leading U.S. based Catholic charitable organization focused exclusively on global healthcare—needs your support. Visit “Packed With Love” to put your name on a shipment of medical supplies that will be delivered to resource-poor countries and that can truly save lives. If you add your name, you can watch your box begin its journey and you will be updated on the impact it has on those it reaches. Please share with friends and family!

Since 1928, CMMB’s medical donation program has distributed over $1.7 billion of medicines and medical equipment to improve healthcare in developing nations the world over.

Visit http://www.packedwithlove.org/ to send love and support to those in need.

In response to a question I posed to them about CMMB's adherence to Catholic principles, I was so impressed by their response that I copied below a portion of it:

"As a Catholic organization, CMMB does not—and has not—distributed condoms or advocated their use as a means of preventing the transmission of HIV from one person to another. The education programs CMMB supports focus on individual responsibility, monogamy, abstinence, respect, religious faith, and basic healthcare. We provide to our partners complete and accurate information about condoms as part of our prevention efforts. CMMB follows national guidelines established by the ministry of health, and those of the presiding Conference of Catholic Bishops in each country where we have HIV and AIDS programs."

Now that's the type of organization I support, and would urge other papists to support as well.

Acts of mercy like this one are particularly good to perform on Fridays.

Prayers: Swine flu empties Mexico City's churches

Catholics in Mexico City were unable to attend Mass today for fear of the swine flu (which Drudge has been reporting):

Churches stood empty Sunday in heavily Roman Catholic Mexico City after services were canceled, and health workers screened airports and bus stations for people sickened by a new strain of swine flu that experts fear could become a global epidemic. (AP)

Here is the communique from the Archdiocese of Mexico.

Let's pray for those who could not attend Mass today, and pray for a speedy end to this outbreak.

Confirmed: New Archbishop of Westminister Vin Nichols

Ruth Gledhill gets the scoop {update: and it's confirmed.}

"As we report in The Times, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham will tomorrow, Friday, be announced as the new Archbishop of Westminster. There will be a press conference at 11am at Archbishop's House, Ambrosden Avenue when he will be named as successor to Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, ending months of speculation.

Read all about 'Vin', as he is known, on the diocesan website. He is a 'safe pair of hands', a man with a big heart and of increasingly conservative beliefs, who will be warmly welcomed in Westminster and beyond."

Damian Thompson (my go-to source for informed, orthodox UK Catholic news) is delighted by the news:

"... all the signs were that the job was going to a less suitable candidate. "Vin", as he is known, may be ambitious – but for a long time now he has been ambitious on behalf of the Catholic Church. He has fought the Catholic corner a good deal harder than many of his fellow bishops, most recently seeing off plans to force Catholic schools to accept a quota of non-Catholic students. He has also given the BBC a hard time for its anti-Catholic stance.

I don't think +Vincent would have been the first choice of many, if any, Catholic traditionalists, who were hoping that the Pope would choose a dynamic conservative outsider. The Archbishop of Birmingham is dynamic, all right, but it would seem ridiculous to describe him as conservative or an outsider.

And yet... Vin Nichols has become more conservative over the years, and more independent-minded."

Sources say the news will be announced this morning at 11AM (UK time).

update: Catholic Herald has a statement congradulating Abp. Nichols, statements from Christian leaders welcoming him, and a full story + video of the nomination (what good coverage!). VIS:

The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham, England, as metropolitan archbishop of Westminster (area 3,634, population 4,664,000, Catholics 472,600, priests 669, permanent deacons 8, religious 1,560), England. He succeeds Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

update 2 - Whipers has video of the press conference and Q&A. I'm too lazy to embed them.

Pope Benedict XVI creates new diocese in the Philippines

Yep, the pope can do this sort of thing:

Pope Benedict XVI has created a new diocese in the Philippines and named its bishop.

An article posted on CBCP Web site said the Pope elevated the Prelature of Libmanan in Camarines Sur and appointed Fr. Jose Rojas, 52, as its bishop.

... The Libmanan diocese has nearly 500,000 Catholics. It has 27 parishes and 51 priests.

Following the Pope’s order, the Philippine Catholic Church now has a total of 16 archdioceses, 52 dioceses, seven apostolic vicariates, five territorial prelatures, and one military ordinariate.

Cool - it's wonderful seeing the Church grow. The successor to Peter lives!

Picture: International Papist

During the early morning hours, while the over-all visitor and comment count may drop, the world board lights up with international AmP visitors, as this snapshot taken at 2AM EST reveals:

And yes, that's every inhabited continent represented. Call it a "Catholic" hat-trick. Avete, Papists!

Rumor: John Paul II to be beatified on April 2, 2010?

CNA (website seems to be having problems today):

Pope John Paul II could be beatified on April 2, 2010, according to a report in the Polish newspaper Dziennik, which claims the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints has already made the decision.

At the beginning of this month, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow said the beatification process of Pope John Paul II was about to be concluded and that Benedict XVI himself wanted to close the process “as soon as possible” because that “is what the world is asking for.”

The beatification process of John Paul II began on June 28, 2005, two months after the death of the Pontiff thanks to a dispensation granted by Pope Benedict. The dispensation waived the normal five-year waiting period after a person dies that the Church requires before a cause for canonization can be opened.

April 2nd, of course, would be the fifth anniversary of the late Holy Father's passing.

Tom McFeely reports on the rumors in the Italian press, which are corroborative.

Here is the website for the Cause of John Paul II, Servant of God.

Mark the calednar and buy your plane tickets!

Liturgy: S. Africa protest over new Catholic Mass translation

There is a new translation of the Mass into English that will debut soon. From the large portions I've read, it is excellent: better and more faithful to the authoritative Latin text than our current translation.

Dissidents of the Church do not like it. To them, it represents "turning back the clock on Vatican II", or similar nonsense. In fact, it has been the intention of the Church since the Council that any translation into the vernacular should be faithful to the original Latin.

This Associated Press article is a preview of the resistance we can expect to the new translation:

A new translation of the Roman Catholic Mass that is to be introduced worldwide in a few years is getting an accidental trial run in South Africa, where some parishioners are complaining it's too hard to understand.

The controversy comes as Pope Benedict XVI travels Tuesday to Cameroon on his first papal pilgrimage to the continent that has the fastest growing congregation of Catholics.

Critics say the new, more literal word-for-word translation is part of an attempt to roll back the progress made decades ago when the church halted its insistence on Latin.

Before Communion, for example, the prayer "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you" becomes "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof." "One in being with the Father" becomes "consubstantial with the Father" in the Nicene creed.

And the congregation's response to the greeting that opens Mass with the priest saying "The Lord be with you," changes from "And also with you" to "And with your spirit."

In a misunderstanding, some South African church leaders started using the new version prematurely in some parishes, even though the English-language prayers won't be approved for global use for at least a couple of years. But instead of pulling back in the face of their mistake, they are continuing to use the liturgy.

Distribution of the prayers has fueled debate over whether the new translation — meant to more closely follow the original Latin text — will help deepen parishioners' prayer life or alienate them from the church.

"I think the church has been very lucky that the South Africans jumped the gun because it's showing the Vatican that there is going to be a worldwide problem when these new translations are put into effect," said Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.

"Once again the Vatican isn't listening to the critics, and we're going to have another major embarrassment to the pope when these translations are put into effect and are forced on the people in the pews," he said.

For the record - every one of those changes is for the good. People should not have such a short memory when it comes to these things, just because the new translation takes a little getting used to should not mean we should never, as a universal Church, return to the beauty of the traditional prayer of the Church, which is older than a generation.

Resist dissenters like Fr. Reese - reclaim the beauty that is ours as sons and daughters of the Church!

update: Fr. Z agrees.

[Photo Credit: The Catholic Sun]

Vatican backtracks on brazilian excommunications?

There is now an attempt to explain the Church's reaction to this difficult situation (blogged before here):

A senior Vatican official has criticized the excommunication of a Brazilian woman whose nine-year-old daughter had an abortion after being raped, as well as the medical team who performed it.

... "Unfortunately the credibility of our teaching took a blow as it appeared, in the eyes of many, to be insensitive, incomprehensible and lacking mercy."

... Brazilian bishops said Thursday the excommunication of the mother and doctors of the girl, who was pregnant with twins and allegedly raped by her stepfather, was wrong and would not be applied.

The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil decided that the child's mother acted "under pressure from the doctors" who said the girl would die if she carried the babies to term.

... Dimas Lara Barbosa, the body's secretary-general, told reporters the mother therefore could not be excommunicated. "We must take the circumstances into consideration," he said.

As for the doctors, there was no clear case that they should be expelled from the church either, he said, contrary to the position taken by Archbishop Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, who announced the excommunications.

Barbosa said only doctors who "systematically" conduct abortions are thrown out of the church. (Agence France-Presse)

Explaining why the Church does something is never a bad idea. In the meantime, we'll have to see what happens. It's always better for the Church to be an active voice in the debate, otherwise the enemies of the Church will be happy to create their own narrative. And you can guess what that will look like - we've all seen it before.

"Nine-Year-Old's Abortion Outrages Brazil's Catholic Church"

This is a tough one:

The case of the pregnant 9-year-old was shocking enough. But it was the response of the Catholic Church that infuriated many Brazilians. Archibishop Jose Cardoso Sobrinho of the coastal city of Recife announced that the Vatican was excommunicating the family of a local girl who had been raped and impregnated with twins by her stepfather, because they had chosen to have the girl undergo an abortion. The Church excommunicated the doctors who performed the procedure as well. (TIME)

Cardinal Re responds to the backlash:

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Roman Catholic Church’s Congregation for Bishops, told La Stampa, an Italian daily newspaper, that the case was sad, but that “the real problem is that the twins conceived were two innocent persons, who had the right to live and could not be eliminated.” (NYT)

Not surprisingly, both TIME and the NYT fail to report an important detail: did Archbishop Sobrinho formally excommunicate the parties who procured the abortion? You see, under Canon Law, anyone who procures the abortion is automatically excommunicated - no special intervention of the bishop is necessary.

So yes, this is a tough case - and it puts the Church in the worst possible light. But the fact of the matter remains that there were two innocents destroyed here. And added to the first grave wrong of the rape, is the second grave wrong of this double murder.

Expect the individuals who disagree with the Church's stance of defending innocent life to take as much advantage of this situation as possible, especially in Brazil. It's the closest they can ever get to a "winning argument." And they are masters of using the leverage provided by "hard cases."

Of course, nothing should be hard about defending the innocent.

update: LifeSiteNews gets all the important points on this story right.

All spiritual bouquets are not created equal

Lest yesterday's post leave doubt in people's minds - I have no problem with offering spiritual bouquets.

This one, for instance, for Pope Benedict XVI, "amid the anti-Catholic sentiment in the media of today" is just fine by me.

People, churches not spared in Australian bushfires

Please pray for our Catholic friends and all poor souls effected by these horrible bushfires:

Churches have launched prayers for bushfire victims in Victoria, where 126 people are already confirmed dead.

The ABC reports that across Victoria people are looking to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, as the state attempts to come to terms with the deadliest bushfire disaster in Australian history.

... A number of churches have been destroyed but no details are yet available.

Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart said today that his thoughts and prayers are with the communities suffering under the destructive force of the unprecedented bushfires in Victoria. (CathNews)

There are many AmP readers down under - you are in our close prayers today.

U.N. to receive 350k signatures calling for defense of life

Mine was one of them, and many of them were yours:

A coalition of pro-life and pro-marriage groups on Wednesday will present to the United Nations a petition containing at least 350,000 signatures asking that U.N. member states interpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as protecting unborn children from abortion and protecting the traditional family.

The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) was the primary organizer of the petition drive, called “U.N. Petition for the Unborn Child and the Family.” It was joined by the Pro-Life Federation of Poland, the Institute of Family Policy of Spain, United Families International of the US, and U.S.-based Concerned Women for America. (CNA)

US Bishops to get extra year to prepare Ad Limina report

Until mid-2010, is the bottom-line. This delay caused by the Vatican's considerable backlog.

The Vatican's considerable backlog caused by several factors, including many new bishops:

According to the Vatican's official statistical yearbook, at the end of 1983 there were 2,285 diocesan bishops in the world and they had 651 coadjutor or auxiliary bishops.

By the end of 2006 -- the year covered in the most recent edition of the yearbook -- there were 2,705 diocesan bishops with 606 coadjutor or auxiliary bishops.

In essence, that means that in 1983 the pope would have had to meet an average of 457 diocesan bishops each year in order to see them all every five years. By 2006, the average number of meetings needed each year rose to 541. (CNS)

Here's a solution: let me meet with them first, and I'll screen out the baddies. ;-)

Kmiec for Vatican Ambassador?

A double dose of stupid this week from Michael Sean Winters.

Last Friday I took apart Winters' attempt to claim that Tom Daschle's appointment as Secretary of HHS was a "step in the right direction."

Now I find that Winters is arguing that Doug Kmiec would be a good choice (indeed, the "perfect candidate") for US ambassador to the Vatican.

Oh boy, here we go again. Luckily, we don't have to go far....

Longtime associates of Professor Kmiec denounced him, often in ways that lacked all charity, suggesting bad logic or bad motives or both. There is no better way to answer those who argued that no Catholic could vote for Obama in good conscience than to see the man who wrote the book (literally!) defending the proposition that Catholics can and should vote for Obama being received in the Sala Clementina by Pope Benedict XVI!

Winters implies that "longtime associates" turned on Kmiec. In fact, Kmiec turned on them. Kmiec turned himself around several times. For instance, after originally supporting the Republican Mitt Romney, Kmiec then supported Obama. After originally claiming "beyond life issues", Obama was a good choice for Catholics, Kmiec went on to claim the Obama was the natural choice, "upon even a moment's reflection." In other words, which side in this debate has been "longtime" in their position? That's right - not Kmiec.

As for the "lacking all charity" jab, Kmiec continually hides behind a smokescreen of holier-than-thouness, without ever engaging his opponents in substance. In fact, Kmiec's normal tactic is to claim that anyone criticizing him, de facto, must be speaking uncharitably. The reality that the criticism might be founded in reason and fact, seems to conveniently escape him. Having watched this debate closely, most interlocutors seemed to be trying their best to reach Kmiec, scratching their heads all the while. They've demonstrated an over-abundance of charity, considering they are dealing with someone who they genuinely believe is undermining the cause of defending unborn life in our country.

And it is so untrue for Winters to claim that the Kmiec-critique contained "bad logic, bad motives or both." In fact, Kmiec seemed to run from a debate with intellectual Catholics whenever he could. He refused to publicly dialogue with bishops, he continually turned down opportunities to debate his position with prominent pro-life Catholics, opting instead for a well-funded, whirlwind tour of Catholic campuses where he rallied for Obama. Controlled Q&A sessions with liberal undergraduates is not where you test the mettle of your position. And shilling for a candidate who raised the ire of an unprecedented number of American bishops is not good credentials for a diplomatic appointment to the Holy See.

Oh, and Winters last claim that Pope Benedict's meeting with Kmiec would somehow be an endorsement of Kmiec's position is simply ludicrous. The Pope takes what he gets, and I'd love to see Winters come out and say that the Pope's meeting with Mary Ann Glendon (the current Republican ambassador) is somehow an endorsement of her entire public career. For someone who claims so much knowledge of what the position of ambassador entails, it's amazing that he would have these sort of blindspots still.

... okay, that's just one short paragraph of Winter's post that I've decided to answer.

Winters similarly displays a certain unexplainable myopia in his presentation of the situation. Again:

Notwithstanding the sparring over abortion, Kmiec’s influence in the campaign grew from there – helping the campaign draft platform language supporting economic assistance that would encourage the decision of a pregnant woman to choose life, writing his book explaining why Obama might be voted for in good conscience (the book ranked #1 for a number of weeks in its category on Amazon), and then personally carrying the message to the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan.

I have to wonder where Winters is getting his statistics. Currently Kmiec is ranked #31 in Political Reference and #59 in Government Elections. By contrast, Archbishop Charles Chaput's book, Render Unto Caesar, which I have talked about often and represents the most comprehensive, authoritative refutation of Kmiec's argument, is currently (still!) #1 in Catholic Inspirational, #1 in Roman Catholicism, and #1 in Church & State.

If Winters is really serious in claiming that Amazon rankings are a measure of the influence and level of acceptance an individual's arguments merit ... well, Catholics who are reading, read Chaput, not Kmiec.

A final observation:

Kmiec has shown no interest in an administration appointment.

What sort of interest should Kmiec show? When was the last time, when asked, anyone being considered for a post said "yes, I'd be thrilled to accept it, and eager"? Again, Winters says things he presumes are arguments, but upon reflection, turn out to actually be counter-arguments.

In other words, if Kmiec is uninterested in an appointment, he has a very funny way of showing it - because throwing oneself into the pro-Obama movement is an unlikely way to remain hidden from view in an Obama administration (which would make Winters wrong). And if Kmiec is interested in an appointment ... well, everything he has done makes sense, and, again, Winters is wrong.

Regardless of what happens to Kmiec, it's encouraging to see that Winters is already laying the groundwork for his canonization cause. In the meantime, Kmiec should focus on fixing his credentials.

update: I'm not surprised and pleased to see that a certain official of the Vatican's Secretary of State agrees with me.

[photo credit: ProLifeProObama]

John Allen on the future of U.S-Vatican relations

On the whole, I support John Allen's contribution:

"For the record, nobody from the Obama transition team has solicited my advice about relations with the Vatican, and I would frankly be surprised if the question were yet on their radar screen. Others, however, are already speculating about how things might shake out; on Wednesday, for example, Reuters moved a story predicting a “tricky” relationship between Rome and the Obama White House because of the abortion issue. As a thought exercise, I decided to pen an open letter to the president-elect about U.S.-Vatican ties over the next four years."

Allen also tells a story from the Clinton years I found worth repeating:

Finally, one last piece of unsolicited advice: Mr. President-Elect, whatever else you do, please try to avoid repeating the mistakes of the last Democratic administration with regard to the Vatican.

In his memoirs, former Vatican Ambassador Raymond Flynn tells a depressing story from 1994 illustrating what I mean. During the lead-up to the U.N. conference on population in Cairo in 1994, Pope John Paul II called Flynn to the Vatican on a Saturday morning to personally request a telephone conversation with President Clinton. Flynn relayed the request urgently to the White House that afternoon, and got no response. He called again on Sunday and on Monday, both times with no results. Frustrated, Flynn then got on a plane to Washington on Tuesday. He cooled his heels outside the president’s office that night and most of Wednesday. Finally, he was admitted to the White House’s pre-Cairo war room, where he was told by Assistant Secretary of State Timothy Wirth that “nobody is getting a chance to lobby the president on this one.” Dumbfounded, Flynn explained that the Bishop of Rome is not a lobbyist, and that it would be seen as a profound act of disrespect if the president wouldn’t even get on the phone. After almost a week, Clinton finally agreed to take the pope’s call.

The episode was symptomatic of a basic disinterest within the Clinton team about the Vatican, which at times shaded off into hostility. The result was that the U.S.-Vatican relationship during the Clinton years was more often defined by predictable differences than by imaginative areas of common purpose.

For what it’s worth, Mr. President-Elect, my advice is to get on the phone if the pope calls. Better yet, initiate the conversation yourself. You might be surprised about where it goes.

It's no secret that the Clintons were basically jerks to Pope John Paul II when they could get away with it.

"Black Pope could follow Barack Obama's election, says US archbishop"

I hope this is an example of a mainstream paper misinterpreting Archbishop Gregory's meaning - but some of the quotes are just hard to get around:

The election of Barack Obama as the first African-American US President could pave the way for the election of the first black Pope, according to a leading black American Catholic.

Wilton Daniel Gregory, 60, the Archbishop of Atlanta, said that in the past Pope Benedict XVI had himself suggested that the election of a black pontiff would "send a splendid signal to the world" about the universal Church.

Archbishop Gregory, who in 2001 became the first African American to head the US Bishops Conference, serving for three years, said that the election of Mr Obama was "a great step forward for humanity and a sign that in the United States the problem of racial discrimination has been overcome". Like Mr Obama Archbishop Gregory comes from Chicago, and was previously Bishop of Belleville, Illinois. (UK Times)

There are some obvious problems here:

• The selection of popes does not follow "the trend" set by our selection of American Presidents. The idea that Rome looks to where the American voter is tending ... is just silly.
• I'd like to see Pope Benedict's exact quote, but I'm sure he wasn't advocating some sort of affirmative action in the selection of popes for the universal Church, and I dislike this whole notion that the Catholic Church has to elect a black pope to prove that it does not discriminate. That's an American hang-up, not the Universal Church's. Frankly, you could make a better argument that the Vatican tends to be euro-centric, and as an American shouldn't I be complaining about that? Nope. So what - we've been getting great popes.
• I'm happy to hear Archbishop Gregory say the election of Obama means that racial discrimination "has been overcome", though I doubt the USCCB will uniformly act as if it agrees in the future.

The other quotes from Archbishop Gregory are more nuanced and I get the distinct feeling he's being re-read through the Times' lenses.

I do also resist this attempt by the Times and other papers to claim some sort of Vatican endorsement of Obama as Obama. Every official statement I've seen so far from the Vatican is an endorsement of Obama as President.

And it's no surprise - Obama will be the leader of the most powerful country in the world and the Church is a universal institution with universal interests and considerations to take into account.

And I'd like to see the original interview in La Stampa.

Oh and - seriously - Richard Owen gets put up in Rome by the Times to report "trends" and make "predictions" like this?

Next up ... "Does the recent mention of iPods at the World Synod of Bishops signal that the Church is switching from PCs to Macs?!"

update: the AFP's headline is even worse: "Catholic Church ready for black pope: US archbishop".

... yeah, because I can just see those cardinals in the Vatican reading their morning paper:

"Good heavens! The Americans elected a black man as their President! Why - do you know what this means? It means we can finally have a black pope! This is awesome news. I'd like another espresso, please."

Yeah, right.

Statements: Pope, Vatican, Bishops react to Obama victory

The CNS blog is tracking the statements. Here are the significant ones....

• Fluff from Vatican spokesman Lombardi.
• More substance from Cardinal George, president of the USCCB: "We pray that you will use the powers of your office to meet them with a special concern to defend the most vulnerable among us and heal the divisions in our country and our world. We stand ready to work with you in defense and support of the life and dignity of every human person."
• The Pope's message was private: "Asked if the pope mentioned any specific issues he was concerned about, Father Lombardi responded, "peace, solidarity and justice."
• L'Osservatore Romano, meanwhile, the official Vatican Newspaper: "the article said, the vote for Obama was "very pragmatic" because he was the "more convincing" candidate for "an electorate needing new hope, especially for a quick economic recovery."

"Muslims seek crisis management plan with Vatican"

Reuters:

Muslim scholars due to meet Pope Benedict and Roman Catholic officials this week hope the Vatican will agree to joint crisis management plan to defuse tensions that flare up between Christianity and Islam.

Violent protests in the Islamic world after a Danish newspaper printed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad might have been averted if Christians and Muslims had spoken out jointly against such unrest and the provocation behind it, they say.

Let's be awkwardly specific: what needs to be managed is the crises caused by ... muslims.

On the papal horizon: hope for Africa

Zenit:

Benedict XVI will make his first trip to Africa to give hope to peoples that suffer violence and poverty, says a Vatican spokesman.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, affirmed this on the most recent edition of Vatican Television's "Octava Dies."

The Holy Father announced at the end of the world Synod of Bishops his plans to travel to Angola and Cameroon next March, an announcement that Father Lombardi called "an important piece of news."

Hope, surely. But the Pope's third encyclical will be released by then and could provide the theme for his Africa trip, much like his second encyclical provided the theme for his visit to the United States.

Pope Benedict picks three alternative endings for Mass

No - not in the way you are thinking. I'm referring to the very last prayers that the priest says:

The Vatican has prepared three alternative endings for the priest's words of dismissal at Mass, to emphasize the missionary spirit of the liturgy.

Pope Benedict XVI personally chose the three options from suggestions presented to him after a two-year study, Cardinal Francis Arinze told the Synod of Bishops in mid-October.

The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published an interview Oct. 17 with Cardinal Arinze, head of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.

He said along with "Ite, missa est," the Latin phrase now translated as "The Mass is ended, go in peace," the new options are:

"Ite ad Evangelium Domini annuntiandum" (Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord).

"Ite in pace, glorificando vita vestra Dominum" (Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life).

"Ite in pace" (Go in peace).

Quotable Arinze:

The idea for alternative words at the end of Mass was raised at the 2005 Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist. Many bishops wanted the final words to reflect a more explicit connection between Mass and the church's mission of evangelization in the world.

Cardinal Arinze said the concern was that, for many Catholics, the present words of dismissal sounded like "The Mass is ended, go and rest." (John Thavis)

Love that cardinal.

Open Thread: other stuff

Everything non-political here. Yes, as in stories not related to politics. What are you reading? What's happening? What have I missed? What is the pope up too? Any good links? Any funny pictures for a caption call?

No worries: Vatican money is safe

In case you were wondering, the Vatican isn't going under anytime soon:

top official of the Vatican bank has offered assurances that its deposits are safe from the world financial meltdown, an Italian Catholic magazine said Monday.

Angelo Caloia said in interview released Monday, days ahead of publication in Famiglia Cristiana magazine, that the bank only makes safe investments.

"Our assets are solid and we have no lack of liquidity," said Caloia, president of the supervisory council of the Institute for the Works of Religion—the bank's official name.

The bank's depositors are religious orders, dioceses, Roman Catholic charities, other religious organizations and the Vatican itself.

In a rare interview, Caloia said the bank stayed away from derivatives—the financial instruments blamed for many of the steep loses in the current financial meltdown.

Caloia was also quoted as saying that the bank makes no loans and as a result "we have no uncollectable losses." (AP)

The Catholic Church in America, being the richest in the world, is heavily responsible for the operating expenses of the universal Church:

The Rev. Thomas J. Reese in his book "Inside the Vatican" said a cardinal told him in 1994 the bank had $4 billion in deposits and annual income of $40 million.

The Vatican, in its annual financial statement issued in July, reported it had been hurt by the weak dollar as many of its contributions come from individuals and dioceses in the United States. It listed a deficit of some $14 million in 2007.

The Vatican is very prudent with its investments, overall, and it is my rough guess that many Catholic organizations in America try to practice the same prudence. After all, we're not out here to make money, just cover costs.

So don't expect a Vatican IPO anytime soon, the grace of the Holy Spirit never fails.

Ph/t: AmP sister Catherine.

Anglican leader Rowan Williams accepts authenticity of Lourdes

My apologies for not covering this story more closely, it is highly news-worthy, even unprecedented:

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, was today branded a ‘papal puppet’ after he became the first leader of the Church of England to accept visions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes as historical fact.

He asserted that 18 visions of Our Lady allegedly experienced by Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 were true.

His words shocked millions of Protestants worldwide because they not only signified a break with Protestant teaching on the Virgin Mary but also Dr Williams’s personal acceptance of the Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, which is explicitly linked to the apparitions.

The archbishop made his remarks during a three-day visit to the shrine in the French Pyrenees - the first ever by a leader of the Church of England. In a homily he preached at an international Mass there, Dr Williams spoke about the apparitions without any qualifications.

... He also praised the lives of the saints, another devotion seen as distinctively Roman Catholic.

... The archbishop’s pilgrimage comes just a week after Pope Benedict XVI made his own pilgrimage to the shrine.

He was invited to the shrine by Jacques Perrier, the Catholic Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes.

Dr Williams was joined there by the German Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, who celebrated the international Mass.

He was also joined by an unprecedented pilgrimage of 10 Church of England bishops, some 60 Anglican priests and about 400 Anglican lay worshippers, a number of whom are considering becoming Catholics in protest at the decision of the General Synod in July to pave the way for the creation of women bishops. (UK Mail Online)

The rest of the story recounts how Dr. William's actions and words have a whole set of people really, really steamed. What courage Dr. Williams has shown for following-through on the pilgrimage he set out on.

What does this mean in the broader context, in terms of the Anglican communion and Anglican-Catholic relations? Time will tell, but I'd appreciate any good commentary people have come across. Drop a link in the comment box!

Japan's next prime minister is Catholic

BBC News: "Members of Japan's ruling party have selected a bluff conservative, Taro Aso, as their new leader, meaning he is almost certain to become the next PM."

He would be the first Catholic PM in Japan's history.

More about Taro Aso on his Wikipedia page. He also loves comics, was quickly profiled by Time, faces a tough future, is a very big departure from previous PMs, and appears to be quite the renaissance man.

Now, here's my question: presuming he wasn't born Catholic (which would surprise me), when/how did he convert? Can anyone find out?

Rowan Williams joins call to end violence in Orissa

Another voice added:

he Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has added his voice to calls for an immediate end to the violence being waged against Christians in India’s Orissa state.

“I hope that Christians and people of faith around the world will make known their horror at this violence, their support for the rebuilding of lives and the churches, orphanages and schools destroyed, and for work towards future reconciliation,” Williams said in a letter sent to the Most Rev. Joel Dal, moderator of North India.

Rights groups estimate that around 16,000 Christians have fled the area, with many seeking shelter in makeshift government refugee camps. According to Reuters news agency, one temporary camp in Raikia village has 8,000 people crammed into two floors of a government office, where they are sleeping on the bare floor and surviving on a rice and lentil meal given twice daily. (Christian Post)

More on these ongoing attacks, from Reuters:

On a starry night last week, as Lal Mohan Digal prepared to go to bed, a mob of raging, machete-wielding Hindu zealots appeared above the hills of his mud house and swarmed over this bucolic hamlet in Orissa.

By dawn, Christian homes in the village were smoking heaps of burnt mud and concrete shells. Churches were razed, their wooden doors and windows stripped off.

"We could hear them come shouting 'Jai Shri Ram'," Digal said, referring to the rallying cry of Hindus hailing their warrior-god.

The mob poured kerosene on the thatched rooftops of the village homes, then threw matches. Church spires were hacked down.

The Hindu part of the village was untouched. For four days Digal and his stricken Christian neighbours hid in the teak forests, before being herded to a government-run relief camp.

The violence replicated itself in village after village, as the rural Kandhamal district of Orissa convulsed from some of the worst anti-Christian attacks in India.

Also: see my post from yesterday.

Violence against Christians in Orissa subsiding? {updated}

{updated 4:30pm, see below}

Despite some reports of violence spreading, overall, the situation appear to be improving:

Violence against Christians in the Indian state of Orissa appears to be subsiding after 26 people were killed and 4,000 Christian homes, churches and centers were destroyed by Hindu extremists.

Fides News Agency is reporting that local police authorities say the violence has tapered off after a curfew was established on Monday. The police are continuing to patrol public places, town squares, centers, streets and around churches to prevent the outbreak of further violence.

Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, said this past Saturday that because Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government did not deploy government troops to the region, the violence has lasted for a week. (CNA)

Thank God. Let's keep the region in our prayers.

Previous reports on this story:

• September 1: Sandro Magister, others, on the growing Hindu violence
• August 29: Pray for Christian victims of Hindu persecution in India

update: not so, says someone very close to the situation...

Your rhetorical question seems to imply that the worst is over for Christians in Orissa. According to my Indian confreres here in Rome (and in Orissa)... Not so! I would suggest the blog "ORISSA BURNING" for continued reports on the situation.

Many of my SVD confreres are reported there or are listed as victims of the violence:

• Fr. Simon Lakra, SVD
• Fr. Edward Sequeira, SVD
• Fr. Babu Joseph, SVD
• Fr. Augustine Kanjamala, SVD
• Archbishop Raphael Cheenath, SVD
• The more than 140 SVD priests and brothers in Orissa would ask that you continue to make public the persecution of Christians and their forced re-conversion to Hinduism.

- Fr. David Streit, SVD, Asst. Secretary General, Rome

I had no intention of dropping the story, and will continue watching and posting.

Pope Benedict receives Ingrid Betancourt

A joyful meeting:

Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt met with Pope Benedict XVI on Monday to thank him for his prayers during her captivity, the Vatican said.

Betancourt, who was released July 2, had expressed a desire to meet the pontiff. The former presidential candidate in Colombia credited her religious faith with helping her survive more than six years of captivity in the Colombian jungle at the hands of leftist rebels known as FARC.

Betancourt said meeting the pope was "a dream come true."

She told Benedict of how she found comfort, during the worst days of her captivity, in her Catholic faith and in the knowledge that millions in Europe and across the world were calling for her release as well as that of her fellow prisoners. (AP)

Pray for Christian victims of Hindu persecution in India

I would be gravely amiss if I did not mention this developing story.

John Allen has published an extensive, one-stop-read article on the topic:

Islamic radicalism is causing great consternation these days, and rightly so. Christopher Hitchens has said it represents "an intricate cultural and political challenge that will absorb all of our energies for the rest of our lives," and while other assertions from Hitchens may be open to debate, it's tough to take issue here.

One risk, however, is that the scramble to do something about Islam may obscure other important inter-religious challenges. Dramatic events in India this week illustrate just such a conundrum, one that deserves more attention than it seems to be getting: The worrying rise of Hindu extremism.

Allen goes on to detail what has happened, why it is happened, and why it is significant not only for the present and future of Catholics in India, but also for the universal Church.

On Tuesday, the Vatican issued a statement:

"In reference to the tragic news coming from India concerning violence against the faithful and the institutions of the Catholic church, the Holy See, while expressing solidarity with the local churches and religious congregations involved, condemns these acts that injure the dignity and liberty of persons and compromise peaceful civil co-existence. At the same time, it appeals to all parties so that, with a sense of responsibility, all oppression may be ended and a climate of dialogue and mutual respect may be restored."

Bottom line: The Vatican is watching, and isn't happy.

For those desiring more, breaking information there is a blog "Orissa Burning" which is cataloguing the atrocities. This post, in particular, is noteworthy:

"The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India on Thursday released the number of people killed and list of Christian churches and institutions attacked and destroyed in the continuing violence that started on Monday. [Read it here.]" (Ph/t: Amy.)

That should be something to get started. The story seems to be getting scant attention in the mainstream media.

Franciscan monks attacked "clockwork orange-style"

Where did this come from?

Italians have been left shocked by a ferocious assault on Franciscan monks by hooded thugs at a monastery in the foothills of the Alps, which has been compared to incidents seen in the film 'A Clockwork Orange'.

Father Sergio Baldin, 48, the guardian of the San Colombano Belmonte monastery near Turin, and three elderly monks from the Franciscan order of Friars Minor, were having their evening meal when they were attacked by three hooded men who gagged and bound them before punching, kicking and beating them with clubs.

... Cardinal Severino Poletto, the Archbishop of Turin, who visited the victims in hospital, said the attack was "beyond comprehension". The only possible explanation was that the assailants had been "either drugged or possessed, or both", he said. (UK Times)

Just evil.

Steve Skojec, who gets the hat tip for this story, adds:

I think it would be good to keep both the intentions of the victims and the conversion of the attackers in our prayers. It might also be worthwhile to enlist the aid of another Franciscan, St. Anthony of Padua, in finding the assailants and bringing them to justice.

Amen.

Video: Japan's "Catholic" Wedding Trend

Yikes!

Revealing quote: "So-called 'Catholic' weddings now make up 60% of all weddings in Japan, yet the population is only 1% Christian."

Who's performing these so-called "Catholic weddings"? Non-Catholic profiteers.

"Reunion of 'tenth-born children' sets Guiness Book world record in Argentina"

Now here's a cool idea:

Forty one people who are the “tenth-born” child in their family met in Buenos Aires in July to honor St. Gianna Beretta Molla, establishing a Catholic “Guinness” world record.

Promoted by the Argentinean Catholic daily, “Cristo Hoy,” which has one of the largest circulations in Latin America, the event attracted the attention of the press because of its message of love for the family and life conveyed by those who attended the gathering. (CNA)

I wonder if American Catholics could hold an event to challenge it.

Confirmed: Vatican laicizes former bishop to become president of Paraguay

If it's true [update: it is true], this is the first time it's happened, and Cardinal Re was mistake in his prognosis (see below):

Pope Benedict granted Paraguay's president-elect a historic waiver to allow the former bishop to take office next month without violating church rules, a Vatican representative said on Wednesday.

The Pope gave Fernando Lugo a special dispensation, downgrading him to layman's status, said Orlando Antonini, the Vatican's ambassador to Asuncion.

Lugo was elected president in April, ending more than 60 years of one-party rule in the poor South American country notorious for corruption and contraband.

"It's the first time this is granted. It was accepted because the people have chosen him and ... because his clerical status is incompatible with serving as president," Antonini told a news conference.

"The Pope has granted him the loss of his clerical status ... he's a layman now," Antonini said after meeting with Lugo. (Reuters)

I'm surprised that this story is not being reported more widely. Reuters, however, can normally be trusted to get this sort of thing basically right [update: it did this time.]

Prensa Latina adds more details:

Papal Nuncio to Paraguay Orlando Antonini delivered Lugo the resolution in which the former San Pedro bishop requested on December 28, 2007 the loss of his clerical state to aspire to the presidency in the April 20 general elections.

"The Holy See after trying to dissuade Lugo not to present himself to the Republic's presidency has suspended him in the priestly exercise," said Antonini, who noted that the Pope granted him a definitive and perpetual dispensation.

This really is the final resolution, arriving earlier than expected.

Back in May, when I last covered this story, Cardinal Re said this solution was impossible:

Lugo was named a bishop in 1994. He had since asked Benedict XVI to be able to "renounce his ecclesial ministry […] to take up again the condition of a layperson in the Church."

The petition was not accepted because, as Cardinal Re noted, "the episcopacy is a service accepted freely forever."

Curious and Curiouser.

update: considering they held a press conference, I'd say it's official:



Orlando Antonini, Vatican's ambassador to Asuncion, speaks during a news conference, in Asuncion July 30, 2008, after a meeting with Paraguay's President-elect Fernando Lugo. Pope Benedict granted Paraguay's president-elect a historic waiver to allow the former bishop to take office next month without violating church rules, Antonini said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Jorge Adorno (PARAGUAY)



Paraguay's President-elect Fernando Lugo (L) meets with Orlando Antonini, Vatican's ambassador to Asuncion, in Asuncion July 30, 2008. REUTERS/Jorge Adorno (PARAGUAY)

update 2: The Associated Press reports.

update 3: Here is the text of the Vatican communique from Cardinal Re in Spanish, with excerpts of it here in English. update 4: Here is an English translation of the most important part of the communique.

Update: Body ID'd as priest who flew on party balloons

The foreseen conclusion:

DNA tests confirmed that a body found off the coast of Brazil is that of a priest who disappeared while flying over the Atlantic buoyed by hundreds of brightly colored party balloons, authorities said Tuesday.

The Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli set off from the Brazilian port city of Paranagua on April 20 strapped to 1,000 helium-filled balloons in an attempt to raise money to build a rest stop and worship center for truckers.

But the 41-year-old Roman Catholic priest soon lost contact with his ground team, and the cluster of yellow, orange, pink and white balloons was found in the water a day later. (CNN)

The reaction:

The brother, Moacir de Carli, said the news came as a relief.

"Now we can have a respectable burial service," he told the Agencia Estado news service.

For several days after the priest's disappearance, rescue crews in boats, planes and helicopters scoured a vast stretch of ocean and densely forested mountains.

God rest his soul. And for the rest of us - let's stick to prayer and dry land.

Tip: Reserve your papal tickets by fax!

"Using the latest in 1980s technology!"

No, seriously, it's good to know this is offered:

Visitors to the Vatican can now make reservations for papal audiences by fax.

A service provided by the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household enables pilgrims to make reservations weeks or days before their trip to Rome for activities such as Wednesday audiences or Masses celebrated by the Pontiff at St. Peter's. The tickets are free.

By downloading and faxing a document available on the Web page, pilgrims can make the reservations. The tickets can be retrieved at the ticket office located just inside the Bronze Door (by the right colonnade of St. Peter’s Square). [Zenit]

The previous methods for getting a papal event ticket included a) sending a snail mail to your diocese, or b) asking in person at the diocese or (my personal favorite) c) begging for extra/spare tickets outside the gates.

On integrating refugee conservative anglicans stateside

As a blogger, one of the most rewarding experiences one can have is watching several disparate stories suddenly fall into place nicely. Now of course, the danger is to let oneself impose an order that isn't actually there, but in this case I think there's some encouraging signs that the pieces are actually lining up....

First up, Damian Thompson (who is rapidly becoming my trusted source for UK Anglican/Catholic information, think of him as the British Rocco), has published that "The Catholic Church will expand its provision of "Anglican Use" parishes in the United States in order to allow whole communities of traditionalist Anglicans into the Roman fold".

The source for this development is Abp. John Myers of Newark, a canonist of the first order, speaking at this summer's Anglican Use Conference in San Antonio. The radioactive quote:

“We are working on expanding the mandate of the Pastoral Provision to include those clergy and faithful of 'continuing Anglican communities’,” Archbishop Richard J Myers said in San Antonio, Texas at a conference for “Anglican Use” parishes of the Roman Catholic Church.

Anglo-Catholic bishops attending the Lambeth Conference confirmed to ReligiousIntelligence.com that discussions were underway with the Vatican over their reception into the Roman Catholic Church, and were hopeful a way could be found for them to go over to Rome with their dioceses. [Religious Intelligence UK]

[More from his address to the conference:]

Through the Anglican Use liturgy, individuals from the Episcopal Church who reconcile with Rome have the option to worship in a manner that is familiar to them, which many practiced from childhood, and which has nourished their faith in Jesus Christ.

... (In some cases the sense of the sacred conveyed in the Anglican Use liturgy has been a vehicle of return for Catholics who had fallen away from the practice of their faith because of liturgical abuses during the implementation of the Novus Ordo.)

... Catholic faithful who worship according to the Anglican Use must never see themselves as different from other Catholics or somehow privileged among other Christian Communions. We are Catholics together, obedient to the Holy Father, to those bishops in communion with him and ever faithful to Magisterial teaching.

... The struggle is real. The choice is not always easy. However, the Holy See’s allowance of the Anglican Use liturgy for now might help to make the burden a little easier for some to bear. The mark toward which we press as Catholics and as Christians is Jesus Christ. He is our goal and we can only find Him through the Church he founded on Peter.

[Read his entire keynote address here.]

For more information on the Anglican Use rite (I've blogged about related topics previously):

• The Anglican Use Society - and do note: one of the speeches given at this year's conference was by a former episcopal bishop! Read more about that here. I believe I blogged about him when the news broke, but can't find it in the archives immediatly.
• Anglican Use on Wikipedia - also lists the Anglican Use parishes in the U.S (11 or 12)
• CIN provides the rubrics of the Anglican Use liturgy in a single page

Now here's the final, fun part: the part where I tie a couple separate strands together:

The exhumation of Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman has been requested by the Vatican to make veneration easier for his devotees. The prominent nineteenth-century convert from the Church of England is being considered for beatification, the last step before he is declared a saint.

Cardinal Newman’s body was buried in a small cemetery at Rednal in 1890. According to the Telegraph, the Vatican wants his remains to be moved to a marble sarcophagus in the Birmingham Oratory.

Father Paul Chavasse, Provost of the Birmingham Oratory, explained the reason for the request: "One of the centuries-old procedures surrounding the creating of new saints by the Catholic Church concerns their earthly remains. (CNA)

CWNews speculates that his beatification could take place "before the end of this year."

And how appropriate, that simultaneous upon the prospect of numerous Anglicans returning to the barque of peter, the Anglican-convert par excellence would be elevated to the dignity of a blessed!

And lest we forget the spiritual... "Is Cardinal Newman Praying for His Anglican Brethren?".

It's such a harmonious picture, the plan seems a bit more than human.

Update: body of "flying balloon priest" found off Brazil

A story that began on a lighthearted note ("Brazilian balloon priest missing at sea; feared apostasized, raptured"), which quickly turned ominous ("Local Bishop claims no responsibility for "balloon priest") has today ended in sadness:

The body of "flying priest" balloon adventurer Adelir de Carli has been recovered some 100 kilometres off the Brazilian coast, local media reports said Saturday.

Father de Carli went missing in April while attempting to fly with 1,000 helium-filled party balloons tied to a chair. The body was recovered by a tugboat crew off Rio de Janeiro state, reports said.

Police said clothing, a rucksack and shoes left little doubt that the body was that of the priest. DNA tests would be conducted to provide final proof.

Father de Carli, 42, had set out on April 20 on what was planned to be a 20-hour flight from the town of Paranagua, in the state of Parana, to Dourados, in neighbouring Mato Grosso do Sul, to break a 19-hour world record and "to promote religion," as he put it. (TopNews)

God rest his soul. And may this case dissuade others from attempting such stunts.

Flash: Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis assigned high-level post in Rome

The notification from today's Vatican news bulletin:

The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke of Saint Louis, U.S.A., as prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.

This is big news. It is a gain for the universal church on the one hand, and a loss for the Church in America on the other. But that's just a start. (For previous coverage of stories related to Abp. Burke, click here).

Related links:

• CNS: Pope appoints U.S. Archbishop Burke to head Vatican's highest court
• St. Louis Catholic: Holy Father Tabs Archbishop Burke as Prefect of Apostolic Signatura
• STLToday: Burke leaving St. Louis for Rome; what’s next for the local Catholic church?
• AMDG: St Louis Loses Archbishop Burke to Rome
• AP: St. Louis Archbishop gets Vatican post

Update, more links:

• Whispers: The "Chief Justice": A St Louis Cardinal
• John Allen: Burke to head Vatican's supreme court
• Ed Peters: First thoughts on Abp. Burke's promotion to the Signatura

Update 2, more links and news:

• CNS: Pope appoints U.S. Archbishop Burke to head Vatican's highest court
• Whispers: More Burke (read the screed quoted from Fr. Thomas Reese)

Finally, at the Archdiocesan website, the following announcement:

he Archdiocesan College of Consultors―a seven-member board of advisors made up of priests of the Archdiocese of St. Louis―has elected the Most Rev. Robert J. Hermann, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, to serve as archdiocesan administrator.

In this role, Bishop Hermann will oversee the day-to-day operations of the archdiocese until the installation of a successor to Archbishop Raymond L. Burke.

You can also find a bevy of information (and video!) at the St. Louis Archdiocesan website about Abp. Burke's appointment, including a Q & A, the official news release (PDF), and his biography.

With all this St. Louis buzz in the air, I hope my readers will especially appreciate the exclusive post I have planned for tomorrow.... stay tuned!

[I'm trying to see if I can embed the video of the Archbishop below. If you don't see anything below, it didn't work, and you can find it right here (scroll down).]

Report: Pope prefers Communion on the tongue

Hey cool. So do I:

In interview published in the Wednesday edition of L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict’s new Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Monsignor Guido Marini, says he believes that people receiving Communion kneeling and on the tongue will become common practice at the Vatican.

..."it is necessary not to forget the fact that the distribution of Communion on the hand remains, up to now, from the juridical standpoint, an exception (indult) to the universal law, conceded by the Holy See to those bishops' conferences who requested it,” the liturgical master of ceremonies reminded.

..."It could also be noted that the (Pope's) preference for such form of distribution which, without taking anything away from the other one, better highlights the truth of the real presence in the Eucharist, helps the devotion of the faithful, and introduces more easily to the sense of mystery. Aspects which, in our times, pastorally speaking, it is urgent to highlight and recover." (CNA)

Really, why not receive on the tongue?

In a related discussion, my father opines:

I have just published a short article proposing that the Communion fast (1983 CIC 919) be calculated from the start of Mass (instead of from the reception of Communion) and that the fast be extended to three hours (instead of the current one hour). See Edward Peters, "The Communion Fast: a Reconsideration", Antiphon 11 (2007) 234-244 (PDF). Briefly, my reasons are [read them here.]

Also good.

Photos: Pope Benedict XVI Ordains 29 Men to the Priesthood

A busy day in Vatican City at St. Peter's Basilica:

The joy intrinsic to the ordination and the sorrow caused by news of violence coming from tormented Africa marked Benedict XVI’s day today as he ordained 29 deacons from the diocese of Rome this morning in St Peter’s Basilica. The Pope later talked about the rite and made an appeal for Somalia, Darfur and Burundi. He also mentioned his ‘mission’ to the United States and extended his best wishes to Orthodox Christians who celebrate Easter today, thus renewing his hope in full unity. (AsiaNews.IT)

Selected photos:

My, but doesn't this picture speak volumes? Here's the official photo caption:

New ordained priest Jarjis Robert Sayd of Iraq looks on during a ceremony lead by Pope Benedict XVI in which he ordained 29 new priests, in St. Peter Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday, April 27, 2008.

More photos at New Liturgical Movement.

Four new saints to be declared this October

CNA:

On Saturday, Benedict XVI declared that four people will be recognized as saints in a ceremony to be held on Sunday October 12. The blesseds who will be canonized [include]:

• Gaetano Errico was an Italian teacher, born in 1791, who showed immense dedication to his students. He not only educated his students but formed them spiritually with Christian doctrine and moral values.
• Maria Bernarda Butler will be the first modern Swiss woman to be canonized.
• The third Blessed is Anna Muttathupandathu born in Kerala, southern India, in 1910. She was a professed sister of the Congregation of Poor Clares of the Third Order of St. Francis. Also known as Alfonsa of the Immaculate Conception, she died in 1946 and will become India’s first female saint.
• Blessed Narcisa was born on October 29, 1832 in the city of Nobol, Ecuador. Her parents were farmers and devout Christians. During her youth she was a seamstress and showed a great love for prayer.

Claim: Catholic Church in India approves condoms for married couples

Of course, claims like this surface a few times a year, and with it - invariably - the corresponding claim that the Vatican is preparing to revise it's own stance on condom use in certain cases. DNAindia.com:

Faced with widespread criticism that its strident anti-condom stand has killed millions of people affected with AIDS, the Catholic church may review its policy. Church sources say the Vatican is preparing a document on allowing the use of condoms in certain cases.

Church sources said Pope Benedict XVI, who had two years ago maintained that “we have not changed our minds about the condom thing”, is moving away from the “absolutist stand of his precedessor John Paul II”.

On the eve of World AIDS Day, the Indian Catholic church sources said on Thursday that married couples could use condoms.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), under the banner of the National Catholic Coalition for HIV & AIDS in India, is organising a pledge by one million youth across the country between November 30 and December 1.

Though the five pledges do not exhort the youth to use condoms, church sources said married couples may use condom. It is forbidden for others on the grounds that it promotes promiscuity.

I'm currently looking for some sort of confirmation regarding these claims made about the Catholic Church in India allowing condoms to infected married couples. If anyone finds one, please let me know.