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| Father Stefano Manelli |
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| Müller: having the last laugh? |
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| The four SSPX Bishops |
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| Is divorce a sin? No, the Tridentine Mass is... |
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| Hey, you're not looking at us! |
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| I was a Russian Altar boy not a Santa Claus. |
NOTE FROM THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Vatican City, 26 June 2012 (VIS) - Given below is the text of an English-language note issued today by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Fatih concerning the appointment of Archbishop Augustine Di Noia as vice president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei":
"Pope Benedict XVI has named Archbishop Augustine Di Noia, O.P., to the post of vice president of the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei'. The appointment of a high-ranking prelate to this position is a sign of the Holy Father’s pastoral solicitude for traditionalist Catholics in communion with the Holy See and his strong desire for the reconciliation of those traditionalist communities not in union with the See of Peter. The president of the commission is the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William J. Levada.
"The Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei' was established in 1988 by Blessed John Paul II to facilitate 'full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, religious communities or individuals until now linked in various ways to the Fraternity founded by Archbishop Lefebvre' and to promote the pastoral care of the faithful attached to the ancient Latin liturgical tradition of the Catholic Church. In 2009, the Pontifical Commission was structurally linked to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to address the doctrinal issues in the ongoing dialogue between the Holy See and the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X.
"As a respected Dominican theologian, Archbishop Di Noia has devoted much attention to these doctrinal issues, as well as to the priority of the hermeneutic of continuity and reform in the right interpretation of Vatican Council II - a critically important area in the dialogue between the Holy See and the Priestly Fraternity. Under the guidance of Cardinal Levada, with the assistance of Msgr. Guido Pozzo, secretary of the Pontifical Commission, this dialogue has been ongoing over the past three years.
"Previously, Archbishop Di Noia served as secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments where, together with the prefect, Cardinal Antonio Canizares, he oversaw the reorganisation of the dicastery and the preparation of a new 'Regolamento' following the directions of Pope Benedict’s 'motu proprio' of 30 August 2011, 'Quaerit Semper'. Archbishop Di Noia’s experience and continued association with the Congregation for Divine Worship will facilitate the development of certain desired liturgical provisions in the celebration of the 1962 'Missale Romanum'."In addition, the broad respect that Archbishop Di Noia enjoys in the Jewish community will help in addressing some issues that have arisen in the area of Catholic-Jewish relations as the journey towards the reconciliation of traditionalist communities has progressed".
"On 17 April, as requested during the 16 March meeting held at the offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Commission received the response of Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Society of St. Pius X. The text of the response will be examined by the dicastery then submitted to the Holy Father for his judgement".
"Today's news means that yesterday Bp. Fellay's response, that had been requested by Cardinal Levada at the last meeting, was delivered to the Congregation, to the Ecclesia Dei Commission, to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Now, this response, it is a response that, according to the words of those who could see it, is a very different response from the previous one, and this is encouraging, we proceed forward. But, naturally, we also find in the response the addition of some details or integrations to the text of the doctrinal preamble that had been proposed by the Congregation for a doctrinal agreement, and this response will be discussed, it will be examined first by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in one of its meetings of the next few weeks and, afterwards, it will also naturally be examined directly by the Pope. It can be said that steps forward have been taken, that is to say, that the response, the new response, is rather encouraging, but there are still developments that will be made, and examined, and decisions that should be taken in the next few weeks. I think the wait will not be long because there is the desire to reach a conclusion in these discussions, in these contacts."
"The media are announcing that Bishop Bernard Fellay has sent a “positive response” to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and that consequently the doctrinal question between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X is now resolved.
The reality is different.
In a letter dated April 17, 2012, the Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X responded to the request for clarification that had been made to him on March 16 by Cardinal William Levada concerning the Doctrinal Preamble delivered on September 14, 2011. As the press release dated today [April 17] from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith indicates, the text of this response “will be examined by the dicastery then submitted to the Holy Father for his judgement”.
This is therefore a stage and not a conclusion.
Menzingen, April 18, 2012"
For those lucky enough to be in Rome, it is interesting to note that Fr. Mark Withoos, an Australian priest who works for the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED), celebrates the Tridentine Mass most mornings at 07:00 at the Altar of the Transfiguration in St. Peter's Basilica.
The Altar of the Transfiguration, is famous for the mosaic reproduction of one of the masterpieces of Raphael (1483-1520), the great painter's last work. Jesus, bathed in light, is borne aloft between Moses and Elijah, also in ecstasy, while the Apostles Peter, James and John, prostrate, contemplate this glimpse of paradise. On the left are Sts. Felicissimus and Agapitus, who are commemorated on 6 August, the Feast of the Transfiguration.
Beneath the altar are the remains of Blessed Pope Innocent XI, his face and hands covered with silver.
Negotiations between Cardinal William Levada, the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED) and Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior of the SSPX have led to nowhere.
After seven years of numerous meetings and discussions, the Vatican has rejected the SSPX's position as "insufficient". The Vatican said that the position of the SSPX “is not enough to overcome the doctrinal problems that are the basis of the fracture between the Holy See and the Society of Saint Pius X".
Last September, the PCED had delivered the SSPX with a Doctrinal preamble in which it indicated what was needed in order to overcome the difficulties with the Catholic Church. In January 2012, the SSPX proposed some amendments to the Vatican, which were then looked over by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and allegedly by Pope Benedict XVI too.
The PCED has given a final deadline of one month for a definitive response by the SSPX.
The below quotes by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos are useful in discussions between laity and the parish priests / bishops to show what the Pope's intentions are:
"The Holy Father, who is a theologian and who was (involved) in the preparation for the (Vatican II - my note) council, is acting exactly in the way of the council, offering with freedom the different kinds of celebration."
"(Pope Benedict wants - my note) All the parishes. Not many, all the parishes (to make provisions for the Tridentine Mass - my note), because this is a gift of God. He offers these riches, and it is very important for new generations to know the past of the church."
"This kind of worship is so noble, so beautiful. The worship, the music, the architecture, the painting, makes a whole that is a treasure. The Holy Father is willing to offer to all the people this possibility, not only for the few groups who demand it but so that everybody knows this way of celebrating the Eucharist in the Catholic Church."
Way back in 2007/2008, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED) wrote to all seminaries to ask that candidates to the priesthood are trained to celebrate Mass according to the Extraordinary Form of the Latin rite, and also to understand the theology, the philosophy and the language of such Masses.
In Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI had indicated that Tridentine Masses should be made available in every parish where groups of the faithful desire it and where a priest has been trained to celebrate it. Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos had indicated that a stable group could mean just three or four people who were not necessarily drawn from the same parish. This has been the main stumbling block in Malta for seemingly unknown reasons.
(Address by Leo Darroch, FIUV President. Photo: courtesy St. Conleth's Catholic Heritage Association)Saturday 5 November 2011
On Saturday morning, delegates and a number of distinguished guests (including Suor Margherita Marchione, MPF and Princess von Thurn und Taxis) attended the Tridentine Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. This was celebrated by Cardinal Dario Castrillón Hoyos (President Emeritus of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei) in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. The text of his sermon can be found in the previous post (in Italian). Mons. Pablo Collino, Maestro Emeritus of the Julian Chapel Choir was in choir.
Just after Mass, I held private talks in the Apostolic Palace.
Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke (Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature) joined the FIUV delegates for lunch. After lunch, His Eminence gave his benediction to those present.
In the afternoon, the XX General Assembly of the Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce started with the Address by its President, Leo Darroch. The 7 new member organisations were presented, they are:
Leo Darroch was reconfirmed for a further term as President by acclamation.
The newly elected Council (including Pro Tridentina (Malta)'s representative) then proceeded to select the following officials:
Rodolfo Vargas Rubio (Spain) had earlier renounced his post as Secretary due to health reasons. He however remains as a Councillor. I would like to take this occasion to thank Rodolfo for the hard work he devoted to our cause and the assistance he gave Pro Tridentina (Malta) in the past years.
Sunday 6 November 2011
In the morning, delegates assisted at a solemn Tridentine Mass celebrated by Fr. Joseph Kramer, FSSP at the Personal Parish of Santissima Trinita' dei Pellegrini.
In the afternoon, the FIUV General Assembly held an open forum at which a number of speakers delivered papers. They were:
The XX General Assembly ended with the chant of the Salve Regina and the benediction by the priests present.
Godwin Xuereb
President, Pro Tridentina (Malta)
Councillor, Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce
