SUMMARY:
-
POPE FRANCIS GREETS UKRAINIAN CARDINALS AND PRAISES CARDINAL KASPER'S
“KNEELING THEOLOGY”
-
THE POPE: IT IS NECESSARY TO PROMOTE A SOLID AND ORGANIC LITURGICAL
INITIATION AND FORMATION
-
CONSISTORY: THE CARDINALS AND THE POPE CONDEMN VIOLENCE IN THE NAME
OF RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION AND EXPRESS CONCERN FOR CURRENT CONFLICTS
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
POPE
FRANCIS GREETS UKRAINIAN CARDINALS AND PRAISES CARDINAL KASPER'S
“KNEELING THEOLOGY”
Vatican
City, 21 February 2014 (VIS) – The second and final day of the
extraordinary Consistory of the College of Cardinals to reflect on
theme of the family began at 9.30 this morning in the New Synod Hall.
Before
work commenced, Pope Francis addressed the cardinals: “I would like
to send a greeting, not only personally but in the name of all those
present here, to the Ukrainian cardinals – Cardinal Jaworski,
archbishop emeritus of Leopoli, and Cardinal Husar, major archbishop
emeritus of Kiev – who have suffered greatly in these days and who
encounter many difficulties in their homeland. I think it is good to
send this message in the name of all of us here: are you in
agreement?”, a proposal which was received with applause.
“Another
thing: yesterday, before sleeping – although not in order to go to
sleep! – I read and reread Cardinal Walter Kasper's document and I
would like to thank him, as I found it to be a work of profound
theology, and also a serene theological reflection. It is pleasant to
read serene theology. And I also found what St. Ignacius described as
the 'sensus Ecclesiae', love for the Mother Church. ... It did me
good, and an idea came to mind – please excuse me, Eminence, if I
embarrass you – but my idea was that this is what we call
“practising theology on one's knees”. Thank you, thank you”.
THE
POPE: IT IS NECESSARY TO PROMOTE A SOLID AND ORGANIC LITURGICAL
INITIATION AND FORMATION
Vatican
City, 21 February 2014 (VIS) – The fiftieth anniversary of the
conciliar Constitution “Sacrosanctum Concilium” on the Sacred
Liturgy – the first document promulgated by Vatican Council II –
is an cause for “gratitude for the profound and wide-ranging
renewal of liturgical life, made possible by the conciliar
Magisterium … and at the same time urges relaunched commitment to
welcoming and more fully implementing this teaching”.
Thus
began Pope Francis' message to Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera,
prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of
the Sacraments, on the occasion of the conclusion of the symposium
“Sacrosanctum Concilium. Gratitude for and Commitment to a Great
Ecclesial Movement”, organised by this dicastery in collaboration
with the Pontifical Lateran University.
“Sacrosanctum
Concilium”, promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 4 December 1963, and the
further developments of the Magisterium in the furrow it has traced
“have improved our understanding of the liturgy in the light of the
divine Revelation, as the 'exercise of the priestly office of Jesus
Christ' in which 'the whole public worship is performed by the
mystical body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the head and His members'.
Christ is revealed as the true protagonist of every celebration, and
He associates with Himself 'the Church … His beloved Bride who
calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the Eternal
Father'. This action, which takes place through the power of the Holy
Spirit, possesses a profound creative force able to attract every man
and, in some way, the whole of Creation”.
“To
celebrate true spiritual worship means to offer oneself as a living
sacrifice, sacred and agreeable to God. A liturgy detached from
spiritual worship would risk becoming empty, declining from its
Christian originality to a generic sacred sense, almost magical, and
a hollow aestheticism. As an action of Christ, liturgy has an inner
impulse to be transformed in the sentiments of Christ, and in this
dynamism all reality is transfigured”. The Pontiff quoted Pope
emeritus Benedict XVI who, in his Lectio divina to the Pontifical
Major Roman Seminary in 2012, explained that “our daily life ...
must be inspired, profuse, immersed in the divine reality, it must
become action together with God. This does not mean that we must
always be thinking of God, but that we must really be penetrated by
the reality of God so that our whole life — and not only a few
thoughts — may be a liturgy, may be adoration”.
To
our gratitude to God for what it has been possible to achieve, the
Pope stated that it is necessary to unite “a renewed willingness to
go ahead on the path indicated by the Council Fathers, as there
remains much to be done for a correct and complete assimilation of
the Constitution of the Holy Liturgy on the part of the baptised and
ecclesial communities. I refer, in particular, to the commitment to a
solid and organic liturgical initiation and formation, both of lay
faithful as well as clergy and consecrated persons”.
CONSISTORY:
THE CARDINALS AND THE POPE CONDEMN VIOLENCE IN THE NAME OF RELIGIOUS
AFFILIATION AND EXPRESS CONCERN FOR CURRENT CONFLICTS THROUGHOUT THE
WORLD
Vatican
City, 21 February 2014 (VIS) – This morning, 150 cardinals
participated in the extraordinary consistory on the family, reported
Fr. Lombardi S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, in today's
briefing for journalists. He also communicated that the cardinals had
expressed their warmest wishes to Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli, who
celebrates his 90th birthday today, and that at 7 a.m. they
concelebrated Holy Mass with the Pope in the chapel of the Domus
Sanctae Marthae.
The
participants in the Consistory entrusted to Fr. Lombardi the reading
of the following declaration, approved by the Holy Father, which
summarises the thoughts of the Pope and the College of Cardinals:
“During
the extraordinary Consistory, the Holy Father and the College of
Cardinals raised a special prayer to the Lord for the many Christians
who, in various parts of the world, are increasingly frequently
victims of acts of intolerance or persecution. To those who suffer
for the Gospel, the Holy Father and the Cardinals wish to renew their
assurance of their constant prayers, urging them to stand firm in
their faith and to forgive their persecutors from their hearts, in
imitation of Jesus Christ.
“Equally,
the thoughts of the Pope and the Cardinals turned to those nations
which in this period are riven by internal conflicts, or by serious
tensions which have consequences for civil co-existence, such as
South Sudan or Nigeria, in a climate of growing indifference. At this
time there is particular apprehension with regard to the evolution of
the difficult situation in Ukraine, where it is hoped that all
violence will cease immediately and that harmony and peace will be
re-established.
“Similarly,
a great cause for concern is the continuing conflict in Syria, where
it appears that the parties are still far from finding a lasting and
peaceful solution, as well as the situation in the Central African
Republic, which assumes greater proportions day by day. Initiatives
on the part of the international community to promote peace and
internal reconciliation, to guarantee the restoration of security and
the rule of law, and to allow the indispensable access of
humanitarian aid, are becoming increasingly urgent.
“Unfortunately,
it is evident that many of the current conflicts are described as
being of a religious nature, not infrequently surreptitiously placing
Christians and Muslims in opposition, whereas in reality these
conflicts have origins of a mainly ethnic, political or economic
nature.
“The
Catholic Church, on her part, in condemning every form of violence
perpetrated in the name of religious belief, will not cease in her
commitment to peace and reconciliation, through interreligious
dialogue and the many charitable works which provide daily assistance
and comfort to the suffering throughout the world”.
After
reading the declaration, Fr. Lombardi described the progress made
today, during which the Pope announced the name of the three
presidents of the Synod on the Family: Cardinals Andre Vingt-Trois,
archbishop of Paris, France; Luis Antonio G. Tagle, archbishop of
Manila, Philippines; and Raymundo Damasceno Assis, archbishop of
Aparecida, Brazil. The three presidents represent three different
continents.
Forty-three
presentations were given yesterday afternoon and this morning, and
others are expected to take place as many cardinals have registered
to speak. “We do not know if they will all be able to do so”,
explained Fr. Lombardi. “Some will submit their contribution in
writing, so that it can be included among the proceedings and may be
useful for joint reflection by the Synod”.
Among
the themes considered are the concept of the family according to a
Christian anthropological perspective and its value in the context of
a secularised culture which presents a different concept of the
family, sexuality and the person and in which the Christian approach
at times encounters difficulties. “Reflection did not take place in
a climate of complaint”, commented Lombardi, “but rather of
realism, observing the difficulty faced by Christianity in a culture
that tends to go in another direction. John Paul II's 'Theology of
the Body' was quoted on a number of occasions, as well as the
encyclical 'Familiaris consortio' and the Catechism of the Catholic
Church'. Another issue related to various aspects of the pastoral
care of the family, especially preparation for marriage and
matrimonial and family spirituality”.
The
cardinals also considered the problem of remarried divorcees from the
perspective of canon law, and spoke about the procedures for
annulment with a view to their improvement and simplification. With
regard to the administering of the Sacraments to remarried divorcees,
there were broad ranging and detailed discussions, but no decisions
or pronouncements were made on the issue. “There was neither
tension nor anxiety in relation to this matter, but rather a positive
approach characterised by discernment and a concerted search for the
best way to combine fidelity to the words of Jesus with divine mercy
and attention to specific situations, always with great sensitivity”,
said the director of the Press Office, who repeated that a single
direction should not be expected of the Consistory, but rather an
encouraging introduction to the path of the Synod, which by working
with this breadth of vision, will be able to advance the Church's
pastoral response to the heartfelt hopes held by many in this area.
Finally,
the cardinals discussed various specific areas of family pastoral
ministry, such as migration or religious ignorance.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 21 February 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Bishop
Antonio Francisco dos Santos of Aveiro as bishop of Porto (area
3,010, population 2,114,000, Catholics 1,913,000, priests 492,
permanent deacons 61, religious 920), Portugal.
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