Showing posts with label Consistory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Consistory. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Consistorium 2022: A Missed Opportunity


 Cardinal Walter Brandmüller laments Pope Francis' gag order for the cardinals who are supposed to advise him.

By Roberto de Mattei*


There is a relationship between grace and nature analogous to that between faith and reason. There is an imbalance when there is faith without reason or grace without nature and vice versa, but the perfect balance is not in putting these realities on an equal footing. On the contrary, it consists in bringing them into their legitimate order, subordinating nature to grace, of which the former is the premise, just as the premise of faith is the reason, but which is subordinate to faith.


This helps us understand what "spirit of faith" or "supernatural spirit" means, depending on whether we are referring to the primacy of faith over reason or grace over nature. It means not renouncing the indispensable role of reason and nature, but seeing everything through the eyes of faith and expecting even the impossible from the work of grace.


Today that spirit of faith has been lost in the Christian people, beginning with their church leaders. The spirit of faith and the supernatural has been replaced by the political spirit with which Christians claim to understand and intervene in reality through reason alone, without resorting to the decisive action of grace.

Pope Francis has repeatedly recalled that the true reformers of the Church are the saints, yet his approach to the world's great issues always appears political and therefore "worldly" rather than "supernatural" and moved by a spirit of faith. This “political” approach dominated the recent consistory, held August 29-30th in the Vatican in the presence of some 180 cardinals, which missed a great opportunity to address the serious problems afflicting the Church today. The focus of the meeting of the cardinals was officially the reform of the Curia, which is contained in the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium being proposed, but the Pope has prevented the cardinals from expressing themselves in joint session on this and other subjects, as it were, he muzzled them.


The consistory is a meeting of the pope with the cardinals, who according to the code of canon law (canons 349-359) are his first advisers. For at least seven years, Pope Francis has not allowed the cardinals to speak and express their opinions at this solemn gathering. Everyone had expected this to happen at the end of the August meeting, but the consistory was fragmented into language groups at the behest of the pope, paralyzing the cardinals and preventing the open and direct dialogue that last took place in February 2014.


We are reminded of this truth by an important cardinal and great historian, Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, whose voice, which was not allowed to be heard in the consistory hall, echoes outside the hall. The Vaticanist Sandro Magister has allowed us to get to know them by publishing the speech that the cardinal had prepared but was not allowed to deliver.


Cardinal Brandmüller recalls in his document the function of cardinals anchored in canon law, which in ancient times found its symbolic expression in the rite of the "aperitio oris", the opening of the mouth. A rite, the cardinal explained, which “meant the duty to speak openly one's convictions, one's advice, especially in consistory. This openness – Pope Francis speaks of 'parrhesía' – was particularly important to the Apostle Paul. At the moment, unfortunately, that openness has been replaced by a strange silence. The other ceremony of closing the mouth, which followed the 'aperitio oris', referred not to truths of faith and morals, but to official secrets”.


"Today, however," Cardinal Brandmüller added, "we should emphasize the right, indeed the duty, of cardinals to speak clearly and frankly, especially when dealing with the truths of faith and morals, the 'bonum commune' of the Church. The experiences of the last few years have been very different. In the consistories - which were convened almost exclusively for the canonization processes - cards were distributed to ask for the floor and of course spontaneous interventions followed on any subject, and that was it. There was never a debate, an exchange of arguments on any particular subject. Apparently a completely useless procedure", although the primacy of the Successor of Peter in no way "precludes a fraternal dialogue with the cardinals, who are obliged to cooperate conscientiously with the pope” (can. 356). The more serious and urgent the problems of pastoral leadership, the more necessary is the involvement of the College of Cardinals”.

 

The cardinal, who is a Church historian, continues:


“When Celestine V wanted to renounce the papacy in 1294, recognizing the special circumstances of his election, he did so after intensive discussions and with the consent of his electors. A completely different view of the relationship between pope and cardinals was represented by Benedict XVI, who - a unique case in history - renounced the papal office for personal reasons without the knowledge of the college of cardinals that elected him. There were only 70 electors until Paul VI, who increased the number of electors to 120. This increase in the size of the electoral college, almost doubling it, was motivated by an intention to conform to the hierarchy of lands far from Rome and to honor those churches with the Roman purple. The inevitable consequence was that cardinals were installed who had no experience with the Roman Curia and thus with the problems of the pastoral leadership of the universal Church. All of this has serious consequences when these cardinals from the periphery are called to elect a new pope.”


Currently, it is like this:


“(...) many, if not the majority, of the voters do not know each other. Yet they are there to elect the Pope, one of them. It is obvious that this situation makes it easier for operations of cardinal groups or classes to favor one of their candidates. In this situation one cannot rule out the danger of simony in its various forms.”


The Cardinal's document concludes with a suggestion:


"Finally, it seems to me that the idea of restricting voting rights in the conclave, for example, to cardinals resident in Rome deserves serious consideration, while the other cardinals could share the 'status' of cardinals above octogenarian."

 

These are clear, unmistakable words that should make the entire College of Cardinals think.

Pope Francis' refusal to give the floor to the cardinals stems from the political and secular perspective of his pontificate. He fears that free and open discussion will weaken the exercise of his power, unaware that the truth can never harm the Church and the souls subject to Her. The spirit of faith, which is opposed to the spirit of politics, consists precisely in seeking in all things what is highest and most sublime, what is best for the glory of God and the good of souls, always looking to the commandments of the Gospel.

The alternative is between the truth of the Gospel and the power of the world. Proclaiming the truth of the Gospel does not mean talking about immigration or the climate emergency, but about the novissima- Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell - and the divine providence that governs all events of the created universe. Preaching the Gospel means using the voice of the Church to condemn sin, especially public sin, foremostly abortion and LGBT doctrines, which the world considers “civil rights achievements”. It means speaking of holiness and not of synodality, because it is from holiness and not from political mechanisms that the necessary reform (renewal) proceeds within the Church: a renewal of the people who form Her and not of Her divine ones and immutable constitution.


A cloak of silence has now fallen over the consistory. And the silence of those who should speak is the greatest punishment our Lord can inflict on His Church.


Roberto de Mattei , historian, father of five children, professor of modern history and history of Christianity at the European University of Rome, chairman of the Lepanto Foundation, author of numerous books, most recently in German [Possibly English] translation:  Defense of Tradition: The Insurmountable Truth of Christ, with a foreword by Martin Mosebach, Altötting 2017 and  The Second Vatican Council. A Hitherto Unwritten Story, 2nd ext. Edition, Bobingen 2011.


Books by  Prof. Roberto de Mattei in German translation and books by  Martin Mosebach are from our partner bookshop..


Translation: Giuseppe Nardi
Image : Corrispondenza Romana

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com


AMDG

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Bergoglio's Contradictory Models for Cardinals

What connects Cardinals Casaroli and Nguyên Van Thuân, what makes them different?



On August 27, Pope Francis created new cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica, modeling them on two well-known more recent confreres.

(Rome) Pope Francis created 19 new cardinals during an extraordinary consistory on Saturday 27 August. For the first time in recent Church history, a cardinal uprising took place in midsummer. Francis suggested role models for the new wearers of the purple.


Three months ago, the head of the Church had unexpectedly announced a renewed expansion of the College of Cardinals, although the electoral body had not yet needed to be filled up. The maximum number of papal electors was expanded by Paul VI., but at the same time fixed at 120 cardinals. This number is now significantly exceeded.


More unusual was that Francis scheduled the consistory for the creation of cardinals in midsummer, fueling two kinds of speculation: his possible resignation or plans for renewed corona restrictions in the winter half-year (or concerns about such) that would make it difficult, if not impossible, for the College of Cardinals to meet.


All the cardinals-elect were present in Rome on Saturday, including Msgr Richard Kuuia Baawobr, the unknown bishop of Wa in Ghana. It was still possible for him to get there, but then he suffered a fainting spell, "something with the heart," said Francis, which is why his creation will only take place soon. A date for this has not yet been given.


In his homily, Francis named two deceased confreres as role models for the cardinals to aspire to - two quite contrasting churchmen: Cardinal Secretary of State Agostino Casaroli (1914-1998) and Cardinal François Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân (1928-2002), Archbishop of Saigon in Vietnam.


Cardinal Casaroli, as the Vatican's top diplomat, was responsible for the controversial "Ostpolitik" towards the communist dictatorships. According to the official interpretation, the Holy See thereby eased the fate of the persecuted Church behind the Iron Curtain. However, this had its price: the Church remained silent on Marxism and its real-socialist derivatives. In fact, since John XXIII. a current in the Church, some of which openly sympathized with socialism and strived for the unification of socialism and Christianity. 


Cardinal Nguyên Van Thuân, on the other hand, was a victim of communism and was considered one of the "living martyrs". He had to spend thirteen years in a real-socialist prison belonging to his tormentors, from 1975 to 1988, when his release was obtained through diplomatic channels on condition that he go into exile. John Paul II called him to the Roman Curia and made him head of a dicastery. 


In his homily, Francis, in connection with Cardinal Casaroli, had Pope John XXIII. mentioned, while in the official text version of the website of the Holy See John Paul II appears. A Freudian slip of the tongue, as some Vaticanists thought with a smile?


How do two such contradictory moments in recent Church history fit together? This question was heard repeatedly over the past weekend. Pope Francis did not ask them, because the relationship to socialism that shaped both figures was not an issue. Cardinal Casaroli was mentioned by Francis because he frequently visited a prison for juvenile delinquents in Rome; Cardinal Nguyên Van Thuân for praying for his jailers. Both cases had pastoral aspects. The reasons and background why Nguyên Van Thuân had "jailer" remained hidden.


Pope Francis said:


"A cardinal loves the Church, always with the same spiritual fire, whether he is concerned with big or small issues, whether he is meeting the great of this world - he must do that, very often - or the little ones who are great before God. I am thinking, for example, of Cardinal Casaroli, justly famous for his open-mindedness, with which he accompanied the new possibilities of Europe after the Cold War with an intelligent and patient dialogue - and God forbid that human short-sightedness should close horizons from him again! But in God's eyes the visits he made regularly to the young inmates of a juvenile prison in Rome, where he was called "Don Agostino," are equally valuable. He practiced great diplomacy - the martyrdom of patience, such was his life - and at the same time he visited the youth of Casal del Marmo weekly.  And how many such examples could be cited! I remember Cardinal Van Thuân, who in another significant historical context of the 20th century was called to shepherd the people of God and at the same time inspired by the fire of Christ's love to care for the soul of the jailer who guarded his cell door. These people were not afraid of the "big", of the "maximum", but they also got involved with the everyday "small". After a meeting where Cardinal Casaroli reported to John Paul II on his last mission - I don't know, whether in Slovakia or in the Czech Republic, one of these countries, it was a question of high politics – the Pope called him on leaving and said: “Ah, monsignor, one more thing: do you keep going to these young prisoners?” – “Yes ’ – ‘Never leave them!’. The great diplomacy and the small pastoral matter. That is the heart of a priest, the heart of a cardinal.”


Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image : Vatican.va (screenshot)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Monday, May 22, 2017

Pope Bergoglio Surprise Creation of New Cardinals

(Rome) Only six months after the recent consistory on the creation of new cardinals, Pope Francis announced yesterday the next cardinal appointments. Such a short-term succession of cardinal appointments was the last thing that happened in 2012 immediately before Pope Benedict XVI's surprise resignation.
The announcement made by Pope Francis on Sunday said that he felt an urgent need to appoint new cardinals who were eligible for election in an imminent conclave.
The full number of the papal electors currently stands at 120 cardinals who have not yet reached 80 years of age. At present, this includes 116 cardinals. In the first half of 2018, seven current papal electors will leave for reasons of age. Then the number will remain constant until the end of January 2019. With the five new cardinals, 49 of the 121 pope voters will have been appointed by Francis.
With the announcement of the creation of five new cardinals, Pope Francis will even slightly exceed the full figure for eight months.
The Cardinals' Consistory was announced by Francis for the 28th of June. Of the five new cardinals, four come from the margins:
Msgr. Jean Zerbo, Archbishop of Bamako (Mali)
Msgr. Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona (Spain)
Msgr. Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm (Sweden)
Msgr. Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, Apostolic Vicar of Paksé (Laos)
Gregorio Rosa Chávez, Auxiliary Bishop of San Salvador (El Salvador)
Three of the five new cardinals are from the Diaspora, which is why the question of the representation of the Cardinals from countries and dioceses, which are hardly known to Catholics (Mali, Sweden, Laos), have been raised. Whether the periphery or the center ( Pope Francis allows for an overweights from the periphery once again), a "Bergoglian" identity is common to the appointed men.
Above all, the appointment of an Auxiliary Bishop to the Cardinal raises questions. The reigning Archbishop of San Salvador is younger than his auxiliary bishop coming to the purple. Monsignor Rosa has been an auxiliary bishop since 1982 and was appointed by Pope John Paul II. Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas was appointed in 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI.
In the Cardinal, and thus to his advisors, the Pope can appoint whom he will, but the elevation of Monsignor Rosa is at least unusual. Auxiliary Bishop Rosa is the oldest of the new Cardinals at 74 years.
On the 28th of June there will be a total of 227 cardinals.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Photo
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG:

Saturday, February 11, 2012

It's Official: German Jesuit Will be at Consistory for Cardinal's Hat

Father Karl Josef Becker SJ
Edit: we'd reported earlier, a bit prematurely that the Cardinal was going to get the hat after all.  There is some confusion about this.  Surely it's all just a misunderstanding.  It had been reported that Father Becker wasn't able to come owing to poor health.  He's in good health and he's coming to the Consistory.

The 83 year old German theologian, Father Karl Josef Becker will now be actually raised to the rank of Cardinal on 18. February. Previously it had been said he would not be able to participate in the ceremony because of health reasons and would receive the hat privately.

Vatican City (kath.net/KNA) The 83 year old German theologian, Father Karl Josef Becker will no participate in the ceremony naming the Cardinals on the 18th of February. This has been confirmed by the Vatican. Recently it was said that the Jesuit would not be able to participate in the ceremony because of health reason and would receive the hat privately.

Becker, a longtime advisor of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine and the Faith belongs to the 22 clergy that Benedict XVI has nominated for inclusion in the College of Cardinals. Among them will be the Berlin Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki. At a festive Consortium, the candidates receive their purple colored biretta and Cardinal's ring. On the day before the members of the College of Cardinals as well as the Candidates invited to a day of recognition in the Vatican. The meeting is held under the theme Mission and New Evangelization.

Link to kath.net...