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A letter from a headless synod?
A letter from a headless synod? Skip to content As the synodal sessions in Rome approach their half-time break, participants are preparing to vote on the text of an interim report on their work. The assembly has also decided to issue a “Letter to the People of God” — a novelty, given the make up of the institution. The synodal assembly’s decision to address the whole Church on its own behalf is remarkable for a body which exists as a consultative help to the pope, and whose conclusions are meant to be subject to his discernment and authority. Do attendees in Rome see themselves as dependent on Francis for legitimacy? Or is the body now setting itself up as its own voice, separate from the pope, and pursuing its own agenda? If the latter, does it risk deepening the ecclesiastica...
In Unprecedented Letter ‘to the People of God,’ 300 Synod Delegates Urge More Synodality…
In open letter, synod urges more synodality Skip to content An open letter published by the synod on synodality Wednesday said that the Church should focus more on the idea of synodality ahead of the October 2024 final session of the Church’s years-long consultative process. The Oct. 25 text also emphasized discipleship of Jesus Christ, and commitment to both service of the poor and protection of the environment. “We hope that the months leading to the second [Vatican] session in October 2024 will allow everyone to concretely participate in the dynamism of missionary communion indicated by the word ‘synod,’” said the letter, which was addressed to Catholics around the world. “This is not about ideology, but about an experience rooted in the apostolic tradition,” the letter adde...
Pope Benedict XVI: The Doctor of the Church for Our Time…
The word “doctor” means teacher, not healer, which is why we call certain saints “Doctors of the Church.” They are the great teachers who opened up the truth of the faith for their age, handing on and illuminating the timeless gift of God’s revelation anew. I am convinced that Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI will be acknowledged as a Doctor of the Church in the coming years. Even without the recognition, he truly served in this role by helping our secular age to come to know Jesus Christ more fully, especially as he is encountered in faith and the beauty of the liturgy. He pinpointed our major challenge — the eclipse of God in the world — and also the solution: an encounter with Christ that opens up life’s great adventure. Ratzinger possessed a unique gift of speaking profou...
Questions to enliven the Synod on Synodality…
The first session of the “Synod on Synodality,” currently meeting in Rome, is slated to be followed by a second such month-long affair in October 2024. Both aim to build a “Synodal Church of Communion, Participation, and Mission,” which is certainly a laudable goal. Two weeks into Synod-2023, however, it must be asked whether the Synod’s methodology is conducive to serious conversation characterized by the parrhesia – the frank speaking – so often recommended by Pope Francis. The Catholic Church has been holding synods since 1967, two years after Paul VI created the Synod of Bishops. No one involved in these gatherings over the past half-century is likely to argue that a perfect method for making synods interesting, effective, and humanly bearable has ever been devised. Rhetoric can,...
How Our Yards Can Make Us Human Again…
To be human is to be a craftsman, an ‘artist.’ And for this reason we should not only be concerned about agriculture but also seek in some way to practice it ourselves. Socrates in Xenophon’s Estate Manager goes to the heart of the matter: Whoever said that agriculture is the mother and nurse of all arts was right, because when agriculture is faring well, all the other arts are strengthened too. Mother and nurse of ALL arts. Here is a profound matter of the first importance. In every area of human practicality, the proper approach is that of ‘art.’ An art is a know-how, a reasoned ability of taking determinate means to achieve an end. Each person cannot be an expert in the various arts; it takes time, study, and experience to master an art. But nonetheless in all we do, such as in building...
A Beautiful Glimpse Into the Life of Pope Benedict XVI…
Who Believes Is Not Alone My Life Beside Benedict XVI By Georg Gänswein With Saverio Gaeta St. Augustine’s Press, 2023 274 pages, $24 To order: staugustine.net Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI lived a fascinating and exceptional life. Millions of faithful Catholics not only have a desire to honestly know Joseph Ratzinger better, but have legitimate wonders surrounding the events of his final decades, some of which have been largely veiled until now — until this book by Archbishop Georg Gänswein. (The book was first published earlier this year in Italian under the somewhat more provocative main title Nient’altro che la Verità [Nothing But the Truth], but St. Augustine’s Press has translated it to English with a new title.) In early 2003, Cardinal Ratzinger asked Msgr. Georg Gänswein to be...
Love Commanded: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Upcoming 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time…
Readings:Exodus 22:20–26Psalm 18:2–4, 47, 511 Thessalonians 1:5–10Matthew 22:34–40 Jesus came not to abolish the Old Testament law but to fulfill it (see Matthew 5:17). And in today’s Gospel, He reveals that love—of God and of neighbor—is the fulfillment of the whole of the law (see Romans 13:8–10). Devout Israelites were to keep all 613 commands found in the Bible’s first five books. Jesus says today that all these, and all the teachings of the prophets, can be summarized by two verses of this law (see Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18). He seems to summarize the two stone tablets on which God was said to have engraved the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 32:15–16). The first tablet set out three laws concerning the love of God, such as the command not to take His name in vain; the second cont...
My Roman nemesis, bottle episodes, and the Seinfeld synod…
My Roman nemesis, bottle episodes, and the Seinfeld synod Skip to content Ciao amici, Greetings from Rome and the synod on synodality. We’re entering into the home stretch now, with just a few more days of deliberations, and then the votes on the synod’s interim report. At this stage, borrowing from the late Arizona congressman Morris Udall, one bishop told me that “everything’s been said already, but not everybody has said it.” So the synod goes on. In fact, I’ve got a lot to say about the synod. But first let me tell you about my Roman nemesis. He wants to take me out, I’m pretty sure. But this has nothing to do with Vatican finance, exposing corruption, or any other kind of reporting. At least I don’t think it does. I’ve been coming to Rome on business for at lea...
What’s eating Germany’s Diocese of Essen?
What’s eating Germany’s Essen diocese? Skip to content Germany’s Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck presented a stark picture of his diocese at Saturday’s synod on synodality press conference at the Vatican. Subscribe now Speaking to journalists in Italian Oct. 21, the Bishop of Essen said: “We almost no longer have seminarians. I’ve been bishop of Essen for 14 years. In these 14 years, I have buried almost 300 priests and ordained 15. And this is our reality.” Earlier in the press conference, Overbeck had presented the rationale for Germany’s “synodal way” — a highly controversial three-year initiative that brought together the country’s bishops and select lay people to discuss far-reaching changes to Catholic teaching and practice. Overbeck’s remark about the state of the priesthood in th...
Consider the awe and wonder of Jesus Christ — someone who loves you so much, that he was willing to die for you…..
The series of exceptional events we encounter in the post-Pentecost discourse from St. Peter expressed in Acts of the Apostles[1] reveals something important about the proclamation of the Kerygma or the content of the Christian message. The entire Petrine address to the Apostles and the men of Judea involved expressing the exceptionality of Jesus Christ to develop a personal conversion to Him. As St. Peter initiates his kerygmatic discourse, he clarifies what has just occurred during the Pentecost event, that is, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He continues his discourse by explaining the importance of proclaiming the name of Jesus as part of accommodating their life now to Jesus Christ. The events of the Paschal Mystery are reiterated to show that the Son of God came to save manki...
Vatican Releases New Statistics: Africa Had Biggest Increase in Catholics, While Numbers Fell in Europe…
The number of lay missionaries and catechists fell dramatically in the Americas, by almost 4,000, compared with modest gains in Africa and Europe and a larger gain of nearly 670 in Asia. Africa was the only continent that registered a rise in the number of major seminarians, with a net gain of 187 — Africa also has the largest number of major seminarians overall, with nearly 34,000. In contrast, Asia, Europe, and the Americas had triple-digit losses, while Oceania’s numbers were virtually unchanged. Worldwide, the number of major seminarians fell by nearly 2,000 to around 110,000. The total number of minor seminarians rose worldwide, however, with a gain of over 300 to 95,714. Africa again led the pack with a gain of more than 2,000, while Asia hemorrhaged the most with 1,216.&...
I was inside the Vatican but outside where it mattered most. These two saints set me straight…..
Traditionally the feast of a saint is celebrated on the anniversary of his/her death, the day the person left for his/her eternal abode. However, in the case of Pope John Paul II, his feast was fixed for October 22, when his pontificate was officially inaugurated. I had the privilege to get to know Him and spend time with Him as a Pontifical Swiss Guard. The following video will allow you to catch a glimpse of what it meant to “serve a Saint”. Services Marketplace – Listings, Bookings & Reviews Entertainment blogs & Forums
