ZENIT, Daily dispatch
The World Seen From Rome
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VATICAN DOSSIER
* Pope Calls Christians to Protect Planet
* Church Embraces New Cardinals
* College of Cardinals: a Profile
WORLD FEATURES
* Cardinal Brady's Firsthand Wisdom for Mideast Talks
* Reaching Out to the Divorced and Remarried
NEWS BRIEFS
* Take the Bus, Urge Taiwan's Bishops
* Orthodox Bishop's Oratorio to Premiere in U.S.
INTERVIEW
* What Christopher Dawson Lamented in Modernity
LITURGY
* Participation in Protestant Events
DOCUMENTS
* Papal Address to University Federation
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VATICAN DOSSIER
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Pope Calls Christians to Protect Planet
Says Rich Nations Shouldn't Abuse Resources of Poor Countries
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says a "moral awakening" in favor of the environment is needed, and rich countries should not abuse the resources of developing nations.
This exhortation forms part of the message sent in the Pope's name by Archbishop Fernando Filoni, "sostituto" of the Vatican Secretariat of State, to the 92nd Social Weeks of France, celebrated in and around Paris from Nov. 16 to 18.
The pontifical message affirmed, "It is necessary to rejoice at the fact that our contemporaries recognize more and more the need for a lasting development in order to leave to future generations a truly inhabitable planet, in the perspective offered by the Creator."
The text voiced fears of men and women of today, such as "exhausting the resources of the planet, the rapid thawing of the glaciers, the increase of the greenhouse effect, the increase of natural disasters, excessive emission of carbon dioxide."
"These are some of the warning signs that call for a moral awakening in favor of the earth," the Pope asserted. "Once again, poorer countries will have to suffer the most serious consequences provoked by the attitude of the industrialized world and the trust -- sometimes excessive -- in scientific and technical progress."
Benedict XVI said that God gave man his Spirit so that, with the use of reason, humans may design projects "oriented toward permitting a better distribution of the natural resources and of the goods of the earth," including a restrained use of forests and biological reserves."The richest nations are called not to abuse improperly the resources of the developing countries without returning to them the revenue derived from the resources of their land and underground," he affirmed. "It is a matter of the elemental principles of justice and equity and the universal destination of the goods of the earth. Besides, it is a work system about which it is necessary to reflect."
The Pope asked that each Christian "adopt new behaviors in order to serve as guardians of nature and the environment. Human intelligence has many possibilities for stimulating a new, lasting development."
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Church Embraces New Cardinals
Courtesy Visits Show Affection of Multitudes
By Marta Lago
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Courtesy visits to the 23 new cardinals were characterized by warm embraces from the ecclesial community, represented by people of every age and condition, including those who have worn the red hat for years.
Families, friends, bishops, priests, religious and numerous members of the College of Cardinals filled the halls of the Vatican for a few hours after Saturday's consistory where men from 14 countries received the red hat.
Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, archbishop of Prague, who received his red hat in 1994, joined the visitors and awaited his turn to greet the new cardinals. He spoke to ZENIT about the "beautiful event" that the universal Church had just lived.
"The cardinals have come from the entire world: One could say that the Pope increased his 'council' of collaborators, and this is a lovely symbol in this world" because the Church governs "with the brothers," he emphasized.
"I found the Holy Father always content, smiling," Cardinal Vlk said, recalling Friday's day of reflection with the Pope, and the consistory itself. "It has been a joyous ceremony; everyone was glad to meet each other. It has been beautiful, beautiful "
Trembling hearts
Each of the 23 new cardinals was given a place to receive his visitors in the Vatican. In a festive atmosphere, large groups and lines of friends waited to offer courtesy gifts, flowers, and above all their congratulations and an embrace.
Newly elevated Cardinal Agustín García-Gasco described to ZENIT his excitement: "I am very happy, thinking also that [my elevation] has been a great gift for Valencia," where he is archbishop. That Spanish archdiocese hosted Benedict XVI last year on the occasion of the 5th World Meeting of Families.
Newly elevated Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, the Polish president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, said that heaccepted the honor "above all with a feeling of enormous gratitude toward the Pope for this new sign of trust," he said.
"I have accepted this appointment with joy, but with a trembling heart too, because I realize that it is a gift and a challenge at the same time," he told ZENIT. "And I ask the Lord to grant me the strength to not disappoint, above all Jesus, but also the Holy Father."
The Pope also gave the red hat to a Jesuit priest, Urbano Navarrete, former rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University.. On Saturday, the emotions were described as many and intense, but the new Spanish cardinal related to ZENIT one feeling in particular: "When I was prostrate before the Roman Pontiff the only thing that I said to him was, 'Thank you for the trust that you have placed in me.'"
Cardinal Navarrete added: "In my heart there was also the idea that it is not only the trust that has been placed in me personally, but also the confidence that it implies in the institution in which I have worked all my life, which is the Gregorian University, and in a certain sense as well, in the Society of Jesus, where I have been since my youth."
In the middle of the bustle, in the atrium of Paul VI Hall, he spoke about another element of the experience: "The number of people I know, more from Rome that from other place, who came spontaneously to greet me -- also from the pastoral realm, because for 44 years I have dedicated every Sunday morning in Rome to hearing confessions, without missing a day, unless for health reasons."
And now that he is a cardinal, the Jesuit wishes to continue the ministry of confession -- "because it is to be present in direct contact with the people of God."
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College of Cardinals: a Profile
70 Nationalities Show Church's Catholicity
By Jesús Colina
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The College of Cardinals is a representation of the Church's catholicity, Benedict XVI affirmed Monday, and the 70 countries represented by those wearing red hats is proof enough.
With the new cardinals elevated in Saturday's consistory, the College of Cardinals has 201 members. Of those, 120 could vote in a conclave to elect a Pope. Eighty-one cardinals are over the age 80, and thus no longer eligible to vote.
More than half of the cardinals are European: a total of 104, of whom 60 are possible electors.
Latin America has 34 cardinals (21 electors), while 20 come from the United States or Canada (16 electors).
From Africa come 18 cardinals (nine electors); from Asia, there are 21 (12 electors); and from Oceania, four (two electors).
Italy is historically the country with the largest number of cardinals: Currently it has 42 (21 electors). It is followed by the United States, which has 17 (13 electors). Spain has 10 cardinals (six electors); France and Brazil both have nine (six and four electors, respectively).
Continuing this list is Poland with eight cardinals (four electors) and Germany with seven (six electors). Mexico and India both have six cardinals (four and three electors, respectively). Argentina has four (two electors).
Six countries have three cardinals each: Australia, Ireland and Switzerland (one elector each); Philippines (two electors); and Colombia and Canada (3 electors each).
Great Britain, Portugal, Hungary, Ukraine, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Chile, Nigeria, Ghana, Vietnam and Korea have two cardinals each.
There are 39 cardinals from religious congregations.
Of the current cardinals, seven were elevated by Pope Paul VI, all of whom are now over the age of 80. Pope John Paul II elevated 156 of the current cardinals; 90 of them are still electors. And Benedict XVI has elevated 38 cardinals, 30 of whom are electors.
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WORLD FEATURES
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Cardinal Brady's Firsthand Wisdom for Mideast Talks
Irish Prelate Says Respectful Dialogue Is Key to Peace
By Mary Shovlain
ROME, NOV. 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Sean Brady said that respectful dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian leaders meeting today in Annapolis, Maryland, could lead to something bigger in the Mideast peace process.
Cardinal Brady, archbishop of Armagh, in Northern Ireland, spoke with ZENIT about achieving peace in areas plagued by decades of violence. "The way to peace is through dialogue," he said, noting his own experience. "Sometimes it's difficult to establish that dialogue, but it must not be just any old dialogue, it must be respectful dialogue: people who listen to each other with respect, and in that way, try to build trust.
"Dialogue, building trust, are small steps that eventually lead to bigger steps."
The cardinal affirmed such a dialogue was key for the peace process in his country. He said it was "the way pioneered by Senator George Mitchell, who set the scene for us in Northern Ireland."
Stepping forward
The first result from the Annapolis meeting today was a joint statement read by U.S. President George Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In the statement, the Mideast leaders pledged to resume stalled peace talks aimed at establishing a resolution by the end of next year.
The U.S. bishops declared last Sunday a day of prayer for the success of the meeting, an appeal that Benedict XVI seconded in his address before Sunday's midday Angelus. The Holy Father asked people to "implore the Spirit of God for peace for that region so dear to us and to give wisdom and courage to all the protagonists in this important meeting."
Cardinal Brady said he was "delighted" to hear the Pontiff's request for prayers. "I would urge people everywhere to continue to pray with the Holy Father," he said.
The 68-year-old prelate added: "I mean, one of the first people I met at the consistory was the patriarch of Baghdad, the Chaldean Cardinal Delly, who was telling me about the terrible situation there. I know it from firsthand myself, in the sense that Father Ragheed Ganni was shot there in June and he studied at this college [the Pontifical Irish College].
"So, these situations are tragic; they are terrible, but we mustn't give up. God's plans are plans of peace for everybody. And it's up to us leaders to keep reminding everybody to pray for the peacemakers so they may not lose heart, no matter what the setbacks."
[Kathleen Naab contributed to this article]
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Reaching Out to the Divorced and Remarried
Schoenstatt Apostolate Teaches Couples They Are Children of God
ASUNCION, Paraguay, NOV. 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Church's mission to lead everyone toward salvation should always embrace those who are divorced and civilly remarried, say members of a ministry for Catholics who have experienced broken marriages.
Benedict XVI spoke about divorced and remarried people during a question-and-answer session while on vacation last summer. He encouraged priests to help these couples grow closer to the Lord through their suffering.
The Pope's address was an affirmation for a couple from Paraguay, Sonia and Eduardo Morales, of the Catholic Schoenstatt movement. The Morales had already taken the first steps in a ministry for divorced and remarried couples in 2005, at a meeting of the Latin American bishops' council.
In that gathering, each of the countries represented spoke on the theme of "Irregular Families." The presentations led the couple to ask themselves: If Schoenstatt is for everyone, don't we have to do something for these children of God who find themselves in this situation?
The Morales shared their idea with other members of Schoenstatt. And two years ago, "Pastoral de Esperanza" (Ministry of Hope) was added to the pastoral initiatives of the movement's family ministry, along with courses for dating and engaged couples and other ministries that aim to answer Pope John Paul II's call: "Save the family at all costs."
Mother and teacher
In May 2006, with a conference from Father Antonio Cosp and about 30 couples, the ministry was born, Kornelia Fischer, a Schoenstatt representative, told ZENIT.
"'Pastoral de Esperanza,'" she said, "wants to be an answer from the Church, which cannot be indifferent to these painful situations, which as Mother and teacher [] fulfills its mission of leading to salvation all the baptized."
Fischer continued: "The desire to welcome them in truth, with warmth and respect, moves [those who minister to these couples] to accompany them with hope in overcoming the strong impact of a separation, and taking on the challenge of building solidly the bases of a new life. Schoenstatt wants to show them that they are still children of God, like before the separation, and that the attitude of children who know they are loved will help them to experience healing forgiveness and open untold paths of spiritual growth."
The ministry does not take on roles of mediation or negotiation in conflicts, she added. Nor does it offer couples therapy.
Fischer said that Schoenstatt, as an ecclesial movement, wants to fulfill that which John Paul II urged in "Familiaris Consortio": "The Church's pastoral concern will not be limited only to the Christian families closest at hand; it will extend its horizons in harmony with the heart of Christ, and will show itself to be even more lively for families in general and for those families in particular which are in difficult or irregular situations. For all of them the Church will have a word of truth, goodness, understanding, hope and deep sympathy with their sometimes tragic difficulties."
The ministry works by offering a yearlong cycle of formative talks and monthly get-togethers, in which leaders seek to strengthen the couples in their Christian faith and support them in their roles as parents.
Spiritual retreats also form part of the process, during which the movement seeks to teach the couples what the Pontifical Council for the Family encouraged: "Bring these, our brothers and sisters, to understand that the Church loves them, that she is not distant from them and she suffers for their situation. The divorced and remarried are and will continue to be her members because they have been baptized and conserve the Christian faith."
The retreats, said Fischer, are a chance for these couples to have "a very special blessing, an opportunity to again feel like they are beloved children of God."
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NEWS BRIEFS
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Take the Bus, Urge Taiwan's Bishops
TAIPEI, Taiwan, NOV. 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Bishops in Taiwan are urging the faithful to make better use of public transportation and "go green" to safeguard the environment.
In their pastoral letter from last Wednesday, the Social Development Commission of the Chinese Regional Bishops Conference in Taiwan said that at the beginning of 21st century, the spirit of reconciliation with nature has yet to fully implemented, and the situation of the planet is worsening.
The bishops said that Christians should act as good stewards to safeguard creation, reducing domestic waste, minimizing the use of water and electricity, and making better use of public transportation. They said that Catholics, as citizens, should actively care for the environment.
The bishops advised the faithful not to be influenced by consumerism and the "fast food" culture. They criticized the search for unlimited economic development, citing it as a cause of pollution.
The bishops' appeal echoes repeated calls from Benedict XVI on protecting the environment. Most recently, in a letter sent to the 92nd Social Weeks of France, the Pope asked that each Christian "adopt new behaviors in order to serve as guardians of nature and the environment."
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Orthodox Bishop's Oratorio to Premiere in U.S.
Washington Boys Choir to Join Russian Musicians
WASHINGTON, D.C., NOV. 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The world premiere of Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev's newest musical work is set for the U.S. capital in December.
The premiere of "Christmas Oratorio" is set for Dec. 17 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It will be performed by the Russian Defense Ministry Symphony Orchestra together with the Choir of the Tretyakov Gallery and the Youth Choir of the Musical College by the Moscow Conservatory. The Washington Boys Choir will join the Russian musicians at the finale of the "Oratorio."
"At the heart of this composition lies the Gospel narrative of the birth and early days of Jesus Christ's life on earth," Bishop Alfeyev of Vienna and Austria said. "The dramatization is essentially one of movement from darkness to light, from the Old Testament to the New, from the painful expectation of the Messiah to the triumphant joy of mankind's salvation by God incarnate."
Hilarion Alfeyev, 41, studied violin, piano and composition before entering monastic life at age 20. He was consecrated bishop at age 35.
He is the representative of the Moscow Patriarchate to the European Union in Brussels and a member of the Mixed Commission for the Dialogue Between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.
Bishop Alfeyev recently premiered his "The Passion According to St. Matthew" both in Moscow and in Rome, and later in Australia.
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INTERVIEW
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What Christopher Dawson Lamented in Modernity
Interview With Author Jaime Antúnez
By Jesús Colina
SANTIAGO, Chile, NOV. 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- When a society loses its religion, sooner or later it loses its culture. This is one of the reflections of English historian Christopher Dawson, highlighted in a book on his philosophical contribution to the study of history.
Jaime Antúnez Aldunate, editor of the Chile-based review Humanitas, is the author of "Filosofía de la historia en Christopher Dawson" (Philosophy of History in Christopher Dawson), a man he says was the best Catholic historian of the 20th century. The book is available in Spanish from Ediciones Encuentro.
In this Interview with ZENIT, Antúnez reflects on the main principles of Dawson's thought and how his reflections can be applied to modern culture. Dawson lived from 1899 to 1970.
Q: In your book, you make it clear that Dawson the historian can also be analyzed as Dawson the philosopher.
Antúnez: Indeed, he can. No one could deny the depth and originality of a significant number of his philosophical intuitions springing from a meditation on history, even if they sometimes lack a certain systematic nature.
I looked specifically at his writings on the meaning of human acts. I must say that on the subject of the philosophy of history, Dawson is a strenuous defender of what he calls metahistory -- his own and most genuine field of thought -- an area in which history, theology, sociology, political science, anthropology, art and philosophy cohabit and complement each other.
The concept of culture has particular relevance in Dawson's metahistory. This concept is a common thread throughout his body of work and enriches his thought. It is based on a well-balanced equation of material elements, covering everything from geography to spiritual elements.
This formula surpasses the imbalance that had arisen from various philosophical determinisms, such as materialism that denies the importance of the spiritual realm. In Dawson's equation the spiritual factor -- the final guarantee of human liberty -- always prevails.
For Dawson, the synthesis of a culture is obtained on the level of rationality, with the highest expression of rationality being the intelligibility of religion. More specifically, he suggests that the light provided by Judeo-Christianity to understand history finds its natural fulfillment in the presence of the divine: God has first revealed himself to human beings and has later become human through the incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity. Incarnation and Trinity constitute, therefore, the core of Dawson's metahistory.
Q: Can you explain how Dawson understands the role played by consciousness in religion and culture?
Antúnez: Dawson explains that when man adores the mystery expressed in nature, or simply nature, we are still in the stage of paganism. However, when the forces governing nature lead human beings to perceive God in the soul, in the deepest darkness of consciousness, the grounds for a religious evolution are already lain, as seen in historical religions.
In this same line of thought, the world of culture comes to exist through the cooperation between the psyche and reason, and, achieving this unity has been the historical function of religion. World religions have been the cornerstones of world cultures. And as a result, if taken away, the arches will fall and the buildings will collapse.
Dawson concluded that over the centuries it has been repeatedly confirmed that religion is the greatest cohesive force of culture and it constitutes the cornerstone of every major civilization; so much so that when a society loses its religion, sooner or later it loses its culture.
Q: In 1945, just at the end of World War II, Dawson wrote that the barriers of culture and religion have fallen and, for the first time in history, the whole physical world comes to be one. What did he mean by this, given that tumultuous period?
Antúnez: The cultural reality that he observed originated in Europe and was inspired, though not exclusively, by the philosophy of the Enlightenment. The same materialistic tendency exists today, but not so much in the force of ideological structures. It exists in Western scientific techniques that provide the common structure of human existence and the basis upon which the new, universal, scientific civilization is being created.
The challenge for religion, Dawson noticed, and particularly for the great universal ones, is this scientific world, one [that is] unified, organized and controlled by knowledge and scientific techniques. Religions survive and continue to have an influence on human life, but they have lost their organic relationship with society; a relationship that was expressed in the traditional synthesis of religion and culture, in the West as well as in the East.
Not just in 1945, but before our eyes is the most extensive, comprehensive and intense secularization the world has ever seen. From this Dawson concludes that a culture of this sort is not in any way a culture in the traditional sense; that is, it is not an order that assembles all the aspects of human life into one living spiritual community.
Q: How did Dawson tackle the topic of philosophy of progress that came from the Enlightenment agenda?
Antúnez: In 1929, Dawson's book "Progress and Religion" dealt with the ideological perspective of the concept of progress adopted in modern culture, beginning mainly with the Enlightenment, and its consequences.
Coinciding with other authors who wrote analyses of this period on the history of thought -- such as Nicolas Berdiaev and Jean Guitton -- Dawson noticed that in the 18th century, due to the influence of Enlightenment philosophers, a sort of replacement of religious sentiment takes place. Faith in a beneficent and provident Creator and maintaining the main precepts of Christian morality, Dawson said, were "divested of their supernatural dimension and adapted to a utilitarian, rational scheme of contemporary philosophy."
In this way, moral law was deprived of the ascetic and spiritual elements and put on a level with practical philanthropy. Moreover, the providential order was transformed into a mechanistic natural law. This took place particularly in the idea of progress. Consequently, the belief in moral perfectibility and in the indefinite progress of the human race replaced the Christian concept of eternal life as the final aim of human effort.
Q: Have these concepts been handed down to us today?
Antúnez: Several events throughout the 19th century, especially the catastrophic circumstances at the beginning of the 20th century, deeply shook the stability of the creed of progress. This does not play down, however, the timeliness and scope of the problem.
Though it is true that this faith in progress in the terms formulated by the Enlightenment philosophers would not be accepted today, it still remains as a backdrop, permeating, to a great extent, the problems of our times.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger observed in the 1980s that our times are "found at the halfway point between millenarian irrationality and hopeless positivist rationality." This coincides well with Dawson's early prediction, expressed in 1927, that a new culture was about to be born. He said it would be one that would not recognize a hierarchy of values and that, abandoning itself to the chaos of feelings, would allow "the most astonishing perfection of scientific technology to be dedicated purely to ephemeral ends."
Q: From all of this, did Dawson have a deep-rooted, critical vision of modernity as culture or did he see anything redeeming in it?
Antúnez: In light of Dawson's analysis, it is the human being and his position in the universe that, as a result of the phenomena described above, was altered.
Even though he says in "Progress and Religion" that the new synthesis of modern man is superior in relation to the physical world compared to the synthesis of the 13th century, in its totality it is inferior. Human beings not only lost their central place in the universe as the link between the superior reality of the spirit and the inferior reality of matter, but "they were left in danger of being expelled from the intelligible order." This is due to the fact that the universe is conceived as a closed mechanical order, governed by mathematical laws, in which there is no room for the spiritual and moral values that were previously considered as the absolute reality.
However, Dawson's critique of modern culture does not imply -- thanks to human freedom -- an irreversible or a predetermined process. As with everything human, its persistence or defeat depends on human will. Nor does this necessarily imply a regress in the field of scientific and technological advances. On the contrary, considering them as positive results of the civilization in which they came to light, the Christian one, they are elements, among many, to be reintegrated into a search for a spiritual unity of culture.
[Carrie Gress contributed to this interview]
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LITURGY
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Participation in Protestant Events
And More on the Chalice Pall
ROME, NOV. 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: Is it correct for a priest to take part in a Protestant funeral by doing a reading and being up with the minister? Further, is it correct for a lay Catholic to do readings at a Protestant marriage or baptism? -- K.C., Melbourne, Australia
A: The essential lines of a response to this question are outlined in the Ecumenical Directory published by the Holy See. Referring to non-sacramental Protestant worship, such as funerals, it says:
"117. In some situations, the official prayer of a Church may be preferred to ecumenical services specially prepared for the occasion. Participation in such celebrations as Morning or Evening Prayer, special vigils, etc., will enable people of different liturgical traditions -- Catholic, Eastern, Anglican and Protestant -- to understand each other's community prayer better and to share more deeply in traditions which often have developed from common roots.
"118. In liturgical celebrations taking place in other Churches and ecclesial Communities, Catholics are encouraged to take part in the psalms, responses, hymns and common actions of the Church in which they are guests. If invited by their hosts, they may read a lesson or preach.
"119. Regarding assistance at liturgical worship of this type, there should be a meticulous regard for the sensibilities of the clergy and people of all the Christian Communities concerned, as well as for local customs which may vary according to time, place, persons and circumstances. Catholic clergy invited to be present at a celebration of another Church or ecclesial Community may wear the appropriate dress or insignia of their ecclesiastical office, if it is agreeable to their hosts."
While there is no specific mention of a priest or other Catholic assisting at Protestant baptisms and weddings, the document gives the following general norm for Catholic participation in Protestant sacramental worship:
"135. For the reading of Scripture and preaching during other than Eucharistic celebrations, the norms given above (n. 118) are to be applied." Catholics may also serve as witnesses at other Christian weddings as may Protestants at Catholic ones (Directory, No. 136).
The case of a priest assisting at a mixed marriage in an official capacity is more complex and is often subject to special laws emanated by each bishops' conference. These laws adapt the general indications given in canon law and the Ecumenical Directory to a particular country.
Therefore we may conclude that a Catholic priest or layperson may participate as a guest at a Protestant funeral, wedding or baptism for any justified reason. This is especially likely to happen in countries where many churches and ecclesial communities are present beside the Catholic Church.
If invited, a Catholic priest may read a lesson, preach and may also impart to Protestants any appropriate blessings from the Catholic Book of Blessings (Directory, No. 121).
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Follow-up: Using the Chalice Pall
Pursuant to our observations on the use of the chalice pall (Nov. 13), a reader commented: "How you respond to liturgical inquiries might be enhanced by your becoming more familiar with versions of the Missale Romanum from 1962 and before. Although there are no current rubrics for the use of the pall, questions about proper use could be more adequately examined according to historical usage rather than 'common practice' or one's own 'common sense.'
"I think your questioner below was looking for something more 'authoritative,' shall we say. In the Missale Romanum of 1962, the pall is not removed during the epiclesis, but only when the time came for the consecration of the wine. Further, after the consecration, every time the pall is removed there is a genuflection, and every time it is replaced, there is a genuflection. It would seem that history might provide us some guidance here."
Our correspondent is, of course, correct in saying that reference to practice before the current reform can be most useful in interpreting some current doubts. And I have often been enlightened by reference to liturgical texts and manuals from that period.
These texts have also recovered much of their actuality, now that the possibility of celebrating Mass according to the 1962 missal has been universally extended.
Our reader's observations, however, also show the difficulty involved in deciding if a rubric from the 1962 Roman rite may be applied "tout court" to the present celebration or if it is no more than a useful rule of thumb.
Thus, for example, the rule that there is a genuflection every time that the pall is removed or replaced, certainly does not apply to the present form of Mass. The present form clearly specifies the genuflections to be made during Mass.
Since the use of the pall is no longer obligatory, the earlier norms are not legally binding for when the pall happens to be used for the present rite. The earlier norms, however, can indicate the maximum possible use of removing the pall only for the consecration of the wine.
Therefore, even though the earlier norms can be a useful guide we must necessarily have recourse to other criteria such as custom and common sense in interpreting their use for the present rite.
Indeed, many liturgical rubrics originated as custom and common sense and only gradually became fixed as precise and exact norms.
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Readers may send questions to liturgy@zenit.org. Please put the word "Liturgy" in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country. Father McNamara can only answer a small selection of the great number of questions that arrive.
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DOCUMENTS
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Papal Address to University Federation
"Whoever Wants to Be a Disciple of Christ Is Called to Go Against the Tide"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of Benedict XVI's Nov. 9 address to the members of the Italian Catholic University Federation.
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ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO MEMBERS OF THE ITALIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY FEDERATION (FUCI)
Clementine Hall
Friday, 9 November 2007
Dear Young Friends of FUCI,
This visit you are making at the conclusion of the 110th anniversary celebrations of the birth of your Association, FUCI, the Italian Catholic University Federation, is particularly welcome. I address to each one of you my cordial greeting, beginning with the National Presidents and the Prime Ecclesial Assistants, and I thank them for the words they addressed to me in your name. I greet Bishop Giuseppe Betori, General Secretary of the Italian Bishops' Conference, and Bishop Domenico Sigalini of Palestrina and Assistant General Chaplain of the Italian Catholic Action, who have accompanied you to this Audience and whose presence witnesses to how strongly FUCI is rooted in the Church in Italy. I greet the diocesan Chaplains and the members of the FUCI Foundation. To each one of you I renew the Church's appreciation for the work your Association does in the university world at the service of the Gospel.
FUCI is celebrating its 110 years: a fitting occasion to review the ground covered and its future prospects. Safeguarding the historic memory is valuable because, by considering the validity and consistency of its own roots, it is more enthusiastic in continuing the itinerary begun. On this joyful occasion, I willingly take up the words that approximately 10 years ago my Venerable and beloved Predecessor John Paul II addressed to you on the occasion of your centenary: "The history of the past 100 years", he said, "actually confirms that the FUCI experience is a significant chapter of the Church's life in Italy, especially of that vast and multiform lay movement which found in Catholic Action its main support" (Discourse, 29 April 1996; L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 22 May, n. 3, p. 4).
How can one fail to recognize that FUCI has contributed to the formation of entire generations of exemplary Christians, who have been able to transform the Gospel into life and with life, committing themselves on the cultural, civil, social and ecclesial levels? I am thinking in the first place of the young Blesseds Piergiorgio Frassati and Alberto Marvelli. I recall illustrious personalities like Aldo Moro and Vittorio Bachelet, both barbarously assassinated. Nor can I forget my Venerable Predecessor Paul VI, who was an attentive and courageous General Ecclesial Chaplain of FUCI in the difficult years of Fascism, and also Bishop Emilio Guano and Bishop Franco Costa. Moreover, the recent 10 years have been characterized by FUCI's decisive commitment to rediscover its true university dimension. After several debates and heated discussions, Italy began during the mid-'90s a radical reform of its academic system, which now presents a new profile, rich in promising perspectives,
combined, however, with elements that raise legitimate concern. And you, both at the recent Congresses and on the pages of the Ricerca journal, are constantly concerned with the new configuration of academic studies, the relative legislative modifications, the topic of student participation and the ways in which the global dynamics of communication affect formation and the transmission of knowledge.
It is precisely in this environment that FUCI can fully express even today its original and ever-current charism: the convinced witness of the "possible friendship" between intelligence and faith, which implies the ceaseless effort to unite maturation in faith with growth in studies and the acquisition of scientific knowledge. In this context the expression so dear to you, "To believe in study" is meaningful. In effect, why should one who holds the faith renounce the freedom to seek the truth, and why should one who freely seeks the truth renounce the faith? Instead, it is possible, precisely during the university years and thanks to them, to realize an authentic human, scientific and spiritual maturation. "To believe in study" means to recognize that study and research - especially during the university years - have an intrinsic power to widen the horizons of human intelligence, as long as academic study remains demanding, rigorous, serious, methodical and progressive. Indeed, on
these conditions, it represents an advantage for the global formation of the human person, as Bl. Giuseppe Tovini used to say, observing that with study young people would never have been poor, while without study they would never have been rich.
At the same time, study constitutes a providential opportunity to advance on the journey of faith, because a well-cultivated intelligence opens the heart of man to listen to the voice of God, emphasizing the importance of discernment and humility. I referred precisely to the value of humility at the recent Agorà [meeting] at Loreto, when I exhorted Italian youth not to follow the dictates of pride, but rather, the realistic sense of life open to the transcendent dimension. Today, as in the past, whoever wants to be a disciple of Christ is called to go against the tide, not to be attracted by the interesting and persuasive appeals which come from various platforms that propagandize behaviour marked by arrogance and violence, presumption and gaining success by every means. Contemporary society is marked by such an unbridled race for appearances and possessions and unfortunately to the detriment of being, and the Church, expert in humanity, does not tire to exhort especially the young
generations to which you belong, to remain vigilant and not to be afraid to choose "alternative" ways that only Christ can indicate.
Yes, dear friends, Jesus summons all his friends to characterize their existence by a sober, solidary way of life, to weave sincere and free emotional relationships with others. He asks you, dear young students, to commit yourselves honestly to study, cultivating a mature sense of responsibility and a shared interest in the common good. The university years are therefore a training ground for convinced and courageous Gospel witness. To accomplish your mission, seek to cultivate an intimate friendship with the divine Teacher, placing yourself at the school of Mary, Seat of Wisdom. I entrust you to her maternal intercession and, while I assure you of my remembrance in prayer, I warmly impart to all with affection a special Apostolic Blessing, which I willingly extend to your families and loved ones.
© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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