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01 Jan 2012 - Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord; Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, Cycle B

The great blessing scripture speaks of this week is Jesus Christ, born of Mary, the one through whom God became human. As a human being, Jesus lets all of us become adopted children of God. But spiritual childhood is not simply a matter of spiritual childishness. In a homily at the conclave that elected him pope, Benedict XVI emphasized the importance of being "true adults in the faith." While we are children of God, we are also called to mature faith. What can you say to the people to help them be both mature and childlike—to make the life of faith neither too simple nor too complicated?

pope benedict xvi spiritual mature Faith

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Controversial statements and reinstatements

01 Feb 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"World Day for Consecrated Life" celebrated this year on the 8th is intended "to help the entire church to esteem ever more greatly" those in religious life, Pope John Paul II said at its inception in 1997. This week, however, controversy surrounding the reinstatement of an excommunicated religious leader may overshadow the celebration. Jewish groups from around the world and Catholics from a number of quarters said they were shocked by Pope Benedict XVI's decision to overturn the excommunication of British-born Richard Williamson, one of four traditionalist Catholic bishops whose excommunications were lifted last Saturday. Williamson has made statements denying the full extent of the Holocaust of European Jews. The move is a "serious blow for Jewish-Vatican relations and a slap in the face of the late Pope John Paul II who made such remarkable efforts to eradicate and combat anti-Semitism," said Rabbi David Rosen, the international director of interreligious affairs for the New York-based American Jewish Committee. Williamson told Swedish television in an interview broadcast a week ago: "I believe there were no gas chambers" and that no more than 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps, rather than 6 million. In attempting to heal the rift, Benedict expressed his "full and unquestionable solidarity" with Jews during his weekly audience on Wednesday. The German-born pope said the attempt to exterminate Jews in the Holocaust should remain a warning to all humanity. Recalling his visit to the Auschwitz death camp in 2006, Benedict condemned the "pitiless killing of millions of Jews, innocent victims of blind racial and religious hatred." Elan Steinberg, vice-president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants, said: "Clearly the damage remains. As welcome as the pope's remarks are they contain a glaring omission, the demand by the Vatican that Williamson renounce his heinous views." Elie Wiesel, the death camp survivor, author, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, said Benedict had given credence to "the most vulgar aspect of anti-Semitism" by rehabilitating Williamson. On Wednesday Israel's chief rabbinate severed ties with the Vatican in protest of the pope's reinstatement of Williamson. The Jewish state's highest religious authority sent a letter to the Holy See expressing "sorrow and pain" at the papal decision. "It will be very difficult for the chief rabbinate of Israel to continue its dialogue with the Vatican as before," the letter said. Chief rabbis of both Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews were parties to the letter. Source: Articles by Philip Pullella for Reuters, Ian Deitch for the Associated Press, and Ecumenical News International

society of pope pius x john paul ii benedict xvi richard williamson david rosen american jewish committee holocaust elan steinberg elie wiesel chief rabbinate world day for consecrated life
Let the healing begin

08 Feb 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We hear in this Sunday's psalm that "the Lord rebuilds Jerusalem." In an effort to rebuild relations with the Jewish community that were damaged last week, the Vatican on Wednesday issued a statement demanding that a prelate who denied the Holocaust recant his positions before being fully admitted as a bishop into the Roman Catholic Church. The statement also said Pope Benedict XVI had not known about Bishop Richard Williamson's views when he agreed to lift his excommunication and that of three other traditionalist bishops. The Vatican's Secretariat of State issued the statement a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in an unprecedented move, strongly urged the German-born pope to make a clearer rejection of Holocaust denials, saying there had not been adequate clarification from the Catholic Church. The Holy See on January 24 announced the rehabilitation of four bishops excommunicated in 1988 after being consecrated without papal consent [see the February 1 issue of this Preaching in Light of the News]. The bishops had been consecrated by the late traditionalist Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who in 1969 founded the Society of St. Pius X opposed to the liberalizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council, including its outreach to Jews. Just days before his excommunication was lifted, Williamson was shown on Swedish state television saying historical evidence "is hugely against 6 million Jews having been deliberately gassed" during World War II. Williamson has since apologized to the pope for having stirred controversy, but he did not repudiate his comments, in which he also said only 200,000 to 300,000 Jews were killed during World War II and none were gassed. Though the Vatican quickly said it did not share Williamson's views when the controversy erupted, Jewish groups voiced outrage at his rehabilitation and demanded stronger action be taken in order to restore relations. "This was the sign the Jewish world has been waiting for," said Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, after Wednesday's Vatican statement. Earlier, Cardinal Walter Kasper, in charge of ecumenical relations for the Holy See, admitted different parts of the Vatican administration had not talked to each other enough and failed to check for potential problems. Elan Steinberg, vice president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants, thanked Merkel for her "righteous comments" and said the process to heal the "deep wound that this crisis caused to the Catholic-Jewish dialogue" could now begin. Source: Articles by BBC News and Nicole Winfield for the Associated Press.

elan steinberg world jewish congress ronald lauder vatican holy see walter kasper jews society of st pius x angela merkel holocaust denial benedict xvi richard williamson holocaust american gathering of holocaust survivors and
Catholics can indulge once again

15 Feb 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In Moses' time, we learn in this Sunday's reading from the Book of Leviticus, lepers were instructed to cry out, "Unclean, unclean!" Catholics who may feel "unclean of spirit" are being offered a different option these days: plenary indulgences, which are reportedly making a comeback in an increasing number of dioceses worldwide after having fallen out of favor decades ago. Like the Latin Mass and meatless Fridays, the indulgence was one of the traditions that faded from mainstream Catholic practice in the 1960s and 1970s in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. Its revival is seen in some quarters as part of a conservative resurgence that has brought some quiet changes and some highly controversial ones, such as Pope Benedict XVI's recent decision to lift the excommunications of four schismatic bishops who challenged the council's reforms. The return of indulgences began with Pope John Paul II, who authorized bishops to offer them in 2000 as part of the celebration of the church's third millennium. But the offers have increased markedly under his successor Benedict XVI, who has made plenary indulgences part of church celebrations nine times in the past three years. According to the websites of a number of U.S. dioceses, Catholics can receive an indulgence by fulfilling the basic requirements of going to confession, receiving Holy Communion, saying a prayer for the pope, and achieving "complete detachment from any inclination to sin." Praying for others and performing acts of charity are also part of gaining an indulgence. But the return of this practice has raised questions, especially for Lutherans, whose churches were born in part from controversy over indulgences. "It has been something of a mystery to us as to why now," said Reverend Michael Root, dean of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina. The renewal of indulgences, he said, has "not advanced" the dialogue. "Our main problem has always been the question of quantifying God's blessing," Root said. "Confessions have been down for years and the church is very worried about it," said Father Tom Reese, S.J., former editor of the Jesuit weekly America. In a secularized culture of pop psychology and self-help, Reese said, "the church wants the idea of 'personal sin' back in the equation. Indulgences are a way of reminding people of the importance of penance. "The good news is we're not selling them anymore," he added. Source: An article by Paul Vitello for the New York Times

Penance confession benedict xvi john paul ii plenary indulgences indulgences second vatican council michael root thomas reese
Pope promises Vatican will log on before speaking out in the future

22 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Letter to the Ephesians this Sunday speaks of humanity's transgressions before God. Pope Benedict XVI late last week acknowledged "mistakes" in the way the Vatican lifted the excommunication of four bishops from a breakaway Catholic group, including a prelate who had denied that Jews died in Nazi gas chambers. In a letter issued on March 12 to Roman Catholic bishops around the world, the pope described as an "unforeseen mishap" the case of British-born Richard Williamson, one of the four bishops belonging to the ultra-traditionalist Society of St Pius X. "I have been told that consulting the information available on the Internet would have made it possible to perceive the problem early on," Benedict, 81, said in the letter. "I have learned the lesson that in the future in the Holy See we will have to pay greater attention to that source of news." The pope's spokesman, Federico Lombardi, on February 27 said Williamson must publicly retract his views on the Holocaust before he can be officially reinstated. Until now Williamson's apologies have been "generic and ambiguous," Lombardi said. Source: Articles by Bloomberg.com and Ecumenical News International

internet richard williamson benedict xvi holocaust denial society of st pius x excommunication federico lombardi
No stone unturned

12 Apr 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We hear in this Sunday's psalm of stones rejected becoming cornerstones and in the gospel choices of stones moved or rolled away. Residents of the historic city of L'Aquila in central Italy are struggling to find survivors amidst mounds of stone and rubble after a powerful earthquake struck early Monday morning. Rescue workers continuing their search still held out hope to find somebody alive as the week wore on. Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the rescue efforts would likely continue at least until Easter Sunday. With 260 fatalities confirmed thus far, the quake's aftershocks sent new fears through the tent camps that shelter thousands of survivors. Since the quake, some 430 aftershocks have rumbled through, including some strong ones, said Marco Olivieri of the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology in Rome. Pope Benedict XVI said Wednesday that he would visit the shocked and injured people of the area as soon as possible. The pope praised the relief operations as an example of how solidarity can help overcome "even the most painful trials." The Vatican said the pope would make the trip after Easter Sunday and that he does not want to interfere with relief operations. Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said about 17,700 people left homeless by the quake had found shelter from the chill night air in the tent camps. An additional 10,000 people were housed in hotels along the coast, bringing the overall number of homeless to almost 28,000. A funeral for the victims is scheduled for Friday morning and is to be conducted by L'Aquila Bishop Giuseppe Molinari. Fifteen people remain missing, officials said. Source: An article by Vanessa Gera for the Associated Press

benedict xvi laquila earthquake roberto maroni marco olivieri italy silvio berlusconi giuseppe molinari
Give peace a chance

17 May 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power," this Sunday's psalm intones. Pope Benedict XVI is calling for the power of peace and reconciliation on a tour of nations in the Middle East this week. In Israel on Monday he called on both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to work toward saving the fragile peace process. "I come, like so many others before me, to pray at the holy places, to pray especially for peace--peace here in the Holy Land, and peace throughout the world," the pope said. "I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstanding difficulties, so that both peoples may live in peace," Benedict said. The pope's visit to Bethlehem Wednesday took on increased significance as he endorsed the idea of a homeland while standing on Palestinian soil. With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his side, Benedict said, "Mr. President, the Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders." To get to Jesus' traditional birthplace of Bethlehem, the pope crossed through the towering concrete slabs of the separation barrier Israel has erected to wall off the West Bank's Palestinian areas. On a visit to a nearby refugee camp, he expressed regret over Israel's construction of the separation barrier. He also urged young Palestinians to "have the courage to resist any temptation to resort to acts of violence or terrorism." While Benedict's trip was intended to boost interfaith relations, it has been fraught with political land mines. Israelis have criticized the German-born pope for failing to adequately express remorse for the Holocaust, while Palestinians are pressing him to draw attention to the difficult conditions of life under Israeli rule. Source: Articles by United Press International and Mohammed Daraghmeh and Diaa Hadid for Associated Press

Peace israel palestinians benedict xvi middle east mahmoud abbas bethlehem
Saint Paul remains in the spotlight

05 Jul 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Saint Paul in this Sunday’s reading from 2 Corinthians speaks of “a thorn in the flesh” that was given to him by the Lord to keep him humble. Scientific testing on what are believed to be the saint’s remains “seem to confirm” that they do indeed belong to Paul, Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday. Benedict said archaeologists recently unearthed and opened the white marble sarcophagus located under the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome, which for some 2,000 years has been believed to be the tomb of St. Paul. “Tiny fragments of bone” in the sarcophagus were subjected to carbon dating, showing they “belong to someone who lived in the first or second century,” the pope said in a Sunday homily carried on Italian television. “This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul,” the pope said at a service in the basilica to mark the end of the Vatican’s Pauline year. It was the second major discovery concerning Saint Paul the Vatican announced in as many days. On Saturday the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano disclosed the June 19 unearthing of a fresco inside another tomb depicting Saint Paul which Vatican officials said represented the oldest known icon of the apostle. Articles by CNN and Nicole Winfield for the Associated Press

Saint Paul benedict xvi icon fresco sarcophagus tomb paul l’osservatore romano
The cry of the poor

12 Jul 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The prophet Amos, from whom we hear this Sunday, urged the Jewish people to keep the needs of the poor always in mind. Pope Benedict XVI issued an encyclical Tuesday that calls for a new world financial order guided by ethics and the search for the common good. Caritas In Veritate (Charity in Truth) has been in the works for two years and its publication was delayed to incorporate fallout from the recent economic crisis. In the third encyclical of his pontificate, Benedict denounced a profit-at-all-costs mentality for bringing about the global financial meltdown. He pressed for reform of the United Nations and international economic and financial institutions to give poorer countries more of a say in international policy. "The economy needs ethics in order to function correctly--not any ethics, but an ethics which is people-centered," Benedict wrote. He has spoken out frequently about the impact of the crisis on the poor, particularly in Africa, which he visited earlier this year. But the 144-page encyclical marked a new level of church teaching by linking the Vatican's long-standing social doctrine on caring for the poor with current events. While acknowledging that the globalized economy has "lifted billions of people out of misery," Benedict pinpointed the unbridled growth of recent years as having caused unprecedented problems as well, citing mass migration flows, environmental degradation, and a complete loss of trust in the world market. He urged wealthier countries to increase development aid to poor countries to help eliminate world hunger, saying peace and security depended on it. He specified that aid should go to agricultural development to improve infrastructure, irrigation systems, transport, and sharing of agricultural technology. Father Drew Christiansen, S.J., editor of the Catholic newsweekly America and a leading social ethicist, said he was most intrigued by the pope's call for a new sector of society to work alongside government, market, and civil society: for-profit entities that work for the common good, which Christiansen suggested could include "fair trade" product makers and micro-finance institutions. "I am not sure these enterprises yet constitute a sector of economic life," Christiansen wrote. "But they are harbingers of a different, conscientious kind of economics that would not repeat the mistakes of the last 30 years." Source: An article by the Associated Press

Poor charity in truth encyclicals social teaching social doctrine economy drew christiansen fair trade micro-finance economics benedict xvi united nations caritas in veritate
Weary bishop resigns in Scranton

06 Sep 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The healing power of Jesus is on display in this Sunday's gospel. Citing the need for physical healing from the effects of stress and insomnia, Bishop Joseph F. Martino, 63, of the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania requested permission from the Vatican to resign from pastoral duties. On Monday the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI had accepted the early resignation of the staunchly conservative bishop. At a news conference in Scranton on Monday, Martino said he had been experiencing insomnia, "crippling physical fatigue," and frequent bouts of the flu brought on by the stress of his work as bishop. Martino also acknowledged that "there has not been a clear consensus regarding [his] pastoral initiatives or way of governance" of the 350,000-member diocese following parish and school closings, which caused considerable controversy in the 11-county church. "As the song says, you have to know when to hold them and when to fold them, and I think it is time for me to move on," he said, adding that he felt he left the Diocese of Scranton "a little leaner, with greater energy to do the work of God more efficiently and more effectively." Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia will serve as apostolic administrator for the diocese until a new bishop is named. Martino's resignation at the age of 63 was highly unusual, coming as it did more than a decade before the age, 75, at which bishops must submit their resignations. His resignation was accepted under a provision of canon law that allows for a bishop to leave his seat "because of illness or some other grave reason" that has made him "unsuited for the fulfillment of his office." The steadfastly pro-life bishop's tenure in the diocese was marked by controversy. He clashed with Catholic colleges, local and national politicians, the Catholic teacher's union, parishioners, and even his fellow bishops when he disagreed with them. Some have suggested he may have become too controversial a figure for the Vatican's liking and been asked to resign. Martino, however, said the idea had seeds in a passing conversation he had with Cardinal Rigali a year ago. "There were times when I thought that perhaps the best thing I could do for the diocese really would be to move on," he remembered telling the cardinal. "Things roll along and you begin to realize a small thought is a very good thought that needs to be implemented," he said. Source: Articles by Laura Legere for the Scranton Times Tribune, Amy Sullivan for TIME, Catholic News Service, WNEP-TV, and the Associated Press

bishops benedict xvi justin rigali resignation scranton joseph martino bishop joseph f martino diocese of scranton

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