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A civilization of love cannot be built without God’s grace
Aug 07, 2008 Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte 0
Cardinal Turcotte delivering the homily at the Knights conference on Wednesday.
Quebec City, Aug 6, 2008 / 08:50 am (CNA).- A civilization of love cannot be built without the transforming power of God’s grace and it must be lived out in ordinary life, Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte told the Knights of Columbus convention this morning.
Noting that the theme of the convention begins with the expression “Building a civilization of love,” Cardinal Turcotte explained that, “This is a desire that bursts forth from the human heart – to live in a society patterned on love.”
“We live in an age of globalization, where every idea and every point of view can now be easily spread and shared. In the midst of all these voices, how can we discover a sure path for progress?” he asked.
Today the universal Church celebrates the feast of the Transfiguration, and this is precisely where Cardinal Turcotte finds the answer for building a civilization of love.
He relates the biblical events this way: “Jesus takes some of his closest friends with him on a mountaintop, and he begins to shine with glory. His face is as dazzling as the sun. But it is still his human face. Who he is, as a human being, is still present. His human nature is still intact. His divine nature is powerfully revealed – but only by gazing on his human face. It is a face we see today in our brothers and sisters, and in particular the poor and helpless. To build the civilization of love means to seek the face of Jesus in others.”
Although “the genuine Christian knows that God and humanity are not in competition,” said the cardinal, the Transfiguration also teaches us with the presence of Moses, the great Law-giver, that “our pursuit of a civilization of love does have certain limits it cannot cross. We must never do evil, even if it seems to be for a greater good.” The prophet Elijah’s appearance also reminds us to be prophets in the way that we speak and work, love our spouses, provide parenting, invest and donate, vote and defend human life and dignity, he asserted.
Another aspect of the encounter with Jesus on the mountain highlighted by the prelate was the seemingly strange command from Jesus that the disciples “Tell no one of the vision.”
“It must have been tough to keep this secret, but it would have taught these disciples an important lesson: while extraordinary experiences are good, the living ‘ordinary’ presence of Christ is just as important. It is not grace OR nature. It is not Jesus OR the world. Yes, we must learn to live in an ordinary world, but as a beginning, not an end,” Cardinal Turcotte reflected.
Today, opposition towards the idea of God and a fear of faith are common, the Canadian cardinal observed. But, the reason for this is that people think “these will require them to deny the ordinary goodness of this life. It because they do not know our secret: that the face of God is found reflected in the face of our neighbour. This is the secret that makes the civilization of love possible."
"The civilization of love is not about getting rid of ordinary life, but about living it in an extraordinary way. In a transfigured way. And in a way that invites others to see the face of Jesus and be transfigured too,” Cardinal Turcotte said in closing.
Cardinal Hummes: The Church is proud of the ‘vast majority’ of priests
Aug 07, 2008 Cláudio Cardinal Hummes, O.F.M. 0
You, beloved brothers, are the great treasure.
Vatican City, Aug 6, 2008 / 10:33 am (CNA).- In a pastoral letter sent to the priests of the world on the feast of St. John Maria Vianney, the prefect for the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, said, “The Church rejoices and is proud of the vast majority of her priests, who are good and extremely praiseworthy.”
According to Vatican Radio, the cardinal explained that the Church knows she can count on her priests because “she knows and explicitly recognizes that the vast majority of our priests, despite their human weaknesses and limits, are decent priests who give their lives every day to the Kingdom of God, who love Jesus Christ and the people entrusted to them. They are priests who are sanctified in the daily exercise of their ministry, who persevere until the end in the harvest of the Lord.”
“It’s true there is a small percentage of priests who go astray, sometimes gravely, but the Church desires to repair the evil they have done,” he noted.
Recalling the feast of the Cure d’Ars, the patron of parish priests, Cardinal Hummes underscored the urgency of embarking upon missionary work “in the regions and environments where the Christian faith was preached centuries ago.”
“It is a mission or missionary evangelization within our own flock, meant for those who we baptized but, for different reasons, we did not sufficiently evangelize or who lost their initial fervor and went astray,” he said.
“The post-modern culture of today’s society,” the cardinal observed, “is relativistic, secularized and agnostic, also has a strong erosive effect on the religious faith of many.”
“The Church by nature is missionary. The Church knows that she cannot stay at home and limit herself to welcoming and evangelizing those who seek her in their communities and parishes,” the cardinal said. “It is essential we get up and go in search in the places where people and families reside, live and work…All members of the ecclesial community, pastors, religious and the laity, are called to this mission,” he said.
“When priests are on the move, the Church is on the move,” Cardinal Hummes added. “Otherwise, it would be very difficult to carry out the mission. You, beloved brothers, are the great treasure, the dynamism, the pastoral and missionary inspiration at the foundation, where our baptized live in community.”
Homily of Marc Cardinal Ouellet
Aug 07, 2008 Marc Cardinal Ouellet, P.S.S. 0
Opening Mass
126th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus
Quebéc, August 5, 2008
Dear Knights of Columbus,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Archdiocese of Québec is very honoured to host the 126th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus in Québec city on the four hundredth anniversary of foundation of the city. I greet you all on behalf of the local Church and population, thanking you wholeheartedly for the Blessing of your presence and your personal witness. I greet the Supreme knight, Carl Anderson, his wife Dorian, all the cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay people who are taking part in this Convention. Welcome!
Je suis très heureux de souhaiter la plus cordiale bienvenue à tous les Chevaliers de même qu’à leurs familles, et de vous inviter à découvrir Québec en cette année exceptionnelle du 400ième de sa fondation. Que son site enchanteur, ses murs fortifiés et ses monuments vous inspirent et vous rappellent l’histoire émouvante des fondateurs et fondatrices de l’Église en Amérique du Nord. A los hermanos y hermanas de habla castellana un saludo muy cordial con el augurio de una estadia agradable en la ciudad de Quebec.
May you enjoy Québec city, the city of Champlain and Laval, a city of explorers and saints, the cradle of Evangelization in North America, a Eucharistic city which has hosted some weeks ago the 49th International Eucharistic Congress. This memorable World event was deeply appreciated and remains engraved in our hearts as a milestone on the path of the Church’s mission in our times. I see the presence here of the Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus as a sort of epilogue of this World event, an opportunity to ponder and gather the fruits of this extraordinary Blessing. The Supreme Convention bears always witness to Christ by Eucharistic adoration, fraternity and commitment of charity and service in many works of mercy and solidarity. But it must be even more so this year in Quebec City in the wake of the International Eucharistic Event celebrating the gift of God for the life of the world.
The presence of the Ark of the New Covenant in our midst symbolizes the renewed Eucharistic commitment we are invited to promote in the life of the Church. The great success of the Congress was due to the prayer and involvement of many actors and benefactors, among which -- I tell you sincerely -- the Knights of Columbus were the most committed organisation at all levels. The Knights took care of the pilgrimage of the Ark across Canada for the spiritual preparation, they did a great deal of volunteer work and provided an extraordinary financial support. May God reward you with many spiritual blessings and prosperity. May He grant you a special Gift of love, fruitfulness and hope during this Supreme Convention in Quebec City.
Dear brothers and sisters, in Canada we celebrate today the feast of Blessed Father Frederic Janssoone, a Franciscan Friar born in France in 1838, who came to Canada in 1888 as a preacher and a promoter of charities in favour of the Holy Land. He had a strong devotion to the way of the Cross and to our Lady and was an outstanding preacher of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. He was so inspiring and creative that the people were fascinated by his ability to sell the good news by all kind of means, not only from the pulpit, but also by publications, pilgrimages, collections and the development of the third order Franciscan. Father Frederic was a priest of great zeal and creativity. He is recognized to be the cofounder of the national Shrine of Notre-Dame du Cap in the city of Trois-Rivières. He died in Montreal in 1916 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
Saint Paul’s celebration of Christian Love in chapter 13 of the Letter to the Corinthians fits perfectly the description of the main inspiration in the life of Blessed Father Frederic, « le bon Père Frédéric» as he was called, as well as the inspiration of our Convention in the Eucharistic City of Québec. Pope Benedict titled His Apostolic Exhortation after the Synod on the Eucharist: Sacramentum caritatis, the Sacrament of Charity, which is one of the best names of this Most Holy Sacrament. He invites us to draw from the wellspring of Christ’s Eucharistic love the grace to be transformed in this love and the courage to better witness the coming of the Kingdom in our world.
During the Eucharistic Congress, several key witnesses called us to adoration and action in facing the challenges of today’s world. Against violence, hatred, addictions, despair, the love stemming from the Eucharist is able to foster hope, reconciliation and peace. Jean Vanier, Nicolas Buttet, Marguerite Barankitse and many others reminded us what Saint Paul says about love. Love is kind, patient, generous, humble and hopeful. In family life, we are called to bear witness to Christ by being faithful and fruitful. In public life we are called to respect other beliefs but at the same time to be committed to one’s own faith and mission. « Christian recognize your dignity » and behave accordingly, used to repeat Saint Gregory the Great to his flock. Thus, « you shall be my people, and I will be your God », says the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah.
As an international Catholic Fraternity, the Knights of Columbus have a special role to play in witnessing the love of Christ in today’s world under the wise leadership of Pope Benedict the XVIth. At forty years of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae and despite the cultural opposition to this Church teaching, we are called to revisit this document and to realize how prophetic it was and still is. It speaks of human love and openness to life. It discards contraception as a threat for human love and a slippery slope towards demoralization of our society. The message has not yet been truly received despite the confirmation that came from the evolution of the culture towards divorce, abortion, homosexuality and destruction of marriage and family. These sad consequences were foretold to some extent in the message of Humanae Vitae. May we thank God for the teaching of the Church and reaffirm our faith in her wisdom, despite the critics we hear from within and outside the Church.
It seems to me that the Knights have grown a lot over the years, not only in prosperity but also in spiritual awakening, family committment and social solidarity. May we continue to grow in holiness on the personal level and to be present as a social body on the public scene, particularly by promoting the values of the family, among which the sacredness of human life from the moment of conception to the last breath of natural death. It is not easy to embody those values in today’s context, especially in Canada where the culture of death is making further steps of domination by rewarding publicly an activist of abortion. It is time for us to wake up and to hear the word of the Lord: « Do not be afraid » when the storm hits the boat, « come to me » and « hold firm my hand », the hand of the Church. May our reaction to the sad events in the world not be of « little faith » but of a new faith commitment to hold firmly the Church teaching on human life and love and to engage with courage the cultural challenges by promoting more strongly a culture of life and a civilization of love.
Let us now welcome the gift of God in the Holy Eucharist, bread of life, bread from Heaven, a foretaste of eternal life. While longing for a renewed sense of adoration and thanksgiving in the Church, let us offer ourselves to God in order to be transformed by His Spirit of Truth and Love and to be sent to the world with greater Hope and Joy. The Kingdom of God has come near, believe in the Good News! Amen!
At Lambeth, Cardinal Kasper Calls for Another Newman
Aug 06, 2008 Walter Cardinal Kasper 0
He was the most famous of the converts to the Church of Rome. The pope's representative at the conference of Anglican bishops asks them to return to the model of the apostolic Church. No to women bishops, and to gay bishops. The complete text of the address
by Sandro Magister (chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it)
ROMA, July 31, 2008 – The Lambeth Conference, the meeting held once every ten years among the bishops of the Anglican Communion from all over the world, heard yesterday from Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the pontifical council for promoting Christian unity.
The complete text of his address is presented further below. Kasper highlighted the growing distance between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, especially since some of the Anglican provinces began ordaining women to the priesthood in 1974, and to the episcopate beginning in 1989.
Another reason for the estrangement emphasized by Kasper concerns the authorization to bless homosexual unions, and the ordination as bishops of persons in same-sex relationships.
But apart from relations with the Church of Rome, these decisions have created dramatic divisions above all within the Anglican Communion itself. The strongest opposition comes from the developing world, especially from Africa. Of the 44 provinces that make up the Anglican Communion – Kasper noted – 28 ordain women to the priesthood, and 17 allow the ordination of women to the episcopate as well. The others do not. Each province decides for itself, and opposes those that decide differently. To such an extent that – in Kasper's words – "we now need to take account of the decision of a significant number of Anglican bishops not to attend this Lambeth Conference."
The fragmentation within the Anglican Communion is so serious that Casper asks:
"In such a scenario, [...] who will our dialogue partner be? Should we, and how can we, appropriately and honestly engage in conversations also with those who share Catholic perspectives on the points currently in dispute, and who disagree with some developments within the Anglican Communion or particular Anglican provinces?"
In effect, those in the Anglican Communion who do not accept the ordination of women and the legitimization of homosexuality often enter the Catholic Church.
But the attraction to Catholicism is also of a more general nature. It has to do with an overall understanding of the Church and of Christian tradition since apostolic times until today, which some see as being more faithfully realized in the Catholic Church.
In his address, Cardinal Kasper recalled the "ecclesiological arguments" that convinced the most famous of the 19th century converts, Cardinal John Henry Newman, to embrace Catholicism. And he expressed the hope that there might emerge in the Anglicanism of today a new Oxford Movement, the movement of return to the tradition of the apostolic Church inspired by Newman.
Since 1980, when the Church of Rome established rules for men ordained to the priesthood or episcopate in the Anglican Communion to enter the Catholic Church, it is calculated that more than 80 of them have taken this step, often followed by large portions of their respective dioceses and parishes.
The latest ceremony to welcome an Anglican minister into the Catholic Church took place privately, last December 1 in Rome, in the papal basilica of St. Mary Major.
On one side was the American cardinal archpriest of the basilica, Bernard Law. On the other was the former Anglican (or Episcopalian, as they are usually called in the United States) Jeffrey Steenson, former bishop of the diocese of Rio Grande, which covers New Mexico and part of Texas, accompanied at the ceremony by the Catholic archbishop of Santa Fe, Michael J. Sheehan.
Steenson, 55, married with three children, was ordained a priest in the Catholic Church, which does not recognize Anglican orders as valid. He will teach patristics at the seminary, a subject in which he is an expert.
About a dozen other Episcopalian ministers from the United States are waiting to be welcomed as priests into the Catholic Church. Three of them are bishops emeritus: John Lipscomb, of the diocese of southeast Florida, Clarence Pope, of Fort Worth, and Daniel Herzog, of Albany.
But within the Anglican Communion, there are many more who are sympathetic toward the Catholic Church than those who "cross the Tiber" and convert.
For example, these Anglo-Catholic sentiments were expressed in Sydney by the Anglican bishop Robert Forsyth, who last July 18, welcoming Benedict XVI to his city, described the Church of Rome as "a rock in the rapids." And he explained:
"Were it not for Rome's strong insistence upon Christ as the only Saviour of the world, upon the 'Catholic faith', the nature of the Triune God, the divinity of Christ, the importance of sacred Scripture and of the objectivity of Christian morality, then the life of other Christian churches would have been so much more difficult, certainly for us here in the West."
Another Australian, Archbishop John Hepworth, is primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, a branch of Anglicanism that has made the formal proposal to the Holy See to enter into a "corporate reunion" with the Catholic Church. On July 25, the apostolic nuncio in Australia, Giuseppe Lazzarotto, delivered to Hepworth a letter from Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, pledging that the Holy See will examine the proposal with "serious attention." The Traditional Anglican Communion numbers about 400,000 members, in many countries.
Here follows the address from Cardinal Kasper to the Lambeth Conference, delivered on July 30, 2008:
Roman Catholic Reflections on the Anglican Communion
by Walter Kasper
It is my privilege to bring to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, to each of you here present, and to all the participants of this highly significant Lambeth Conference, the greetings of Pope Benedict XVI and of the whole staff of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. All of us are with you in these days; we are with you in our thoughts and in our prayers, and we want to express our deep solidarity with your joys, and with your concerns and sorrows as well.
Permit me to begin by extending my thanks to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and to the staff coordinating ecumenical relations at Lambeth Palace and at the Anglican Communion Office, for the invitation to take part in this important gathering and for the opportunity to offer some reflections on our common concerns. It is a strength of Anglicanism that even in the midst of difficult circumstances, you have sought the views and perspectives of your ecumenical partners, even when you have not always particularly rejoiced in what we have said. But rest assured, what I am about to say, I say as a friend.
When I saw what you proposed as subject, "Roman Catholic Reflections on the Anglican Communion", I thought that you could have chosen an easier one. This is a wide open title encompassing many aspects of history and doctrine, and I can only touch upon some of them. But it seems to me that there is a hidden question in the title, asking not so much what Catholics think about the Anglican Communion, but about the Anglican Communion in its present circumstances. I could imagine a less uncomfortable question.
My paper will be divided into three sections: an overview of our relations in recent years; ecclesiological considerations in light of the current situation within Anglicanism; and a brief reflection on underlying questions beneath current controversies and points of dispute within Anglicanism, especially those which have also had an effect on your relations with the Catholic Church. In the conclusion, I will offer a response to a quite unexpected question posed to me a few months ago by the Archbishop of Canterbury, which puzzled me a great deal, namely, what kind of Anglicanism do you want? – what a question! I hope that you yourself know the right answer – and what are the hopes of the Catholic Church for the Anglican Communion in the months and years ahead? Here the answer is easier: We hope that we will not be drawn apart, and that we will be able to remain in serious dialogue in search of full unity, so that the world may believe.
I. Overview of Relations in Recent Years
Let me in this first section refresh our memories, lest we forget what and how much we have already achieved in the last 40 years. When the Second Vatican Council, in its Decree on Ecumenism, turned its attention to the “many Communions (which) were separated from the Roman See” in the 16th century, it acknowledged that “among those in which Catholic traditions and institutions in part continue to exist, the Anglican Communion occupies a special place” (Unitatis redintegratio §13). This statement is grounded in an ecclesiological understanding that from the Catholic perspective, the Anglican Communion contains significant elements of the Church of Jesus Christ. In their 1977 Common Declaration, Archbishop of Canterbury Donald Coggan and Pope Paul VI identified some of those ecclesial elements when they wrote:
"As the Roman Catholic Church and the constituent Churches of the Anglican Communion have sought to grow in mutual understanding and Christian love, they have come to recognize, to value and to give thanks for a common faith in God our Father, in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit; our common baptism into Christ; our sharing of the Holy Scriptures, of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, the Chalcedonian definition, and the teaching of the Fathers; our common Christian inheritance for many centuries with its living traditions of liturgy, theology, spirituality and mission."
In this text, we can hear Archbishop Coggan and Paul VI pointing to what is the common ground, the common source and centre of our already existing but still incomplete unity: Jesus Christ, and the mission to bring Him to a world that is so desperately in need of Him. What we are talking about is not an ideology, not a private opinion which one may or may not share; it is our faithfulness to Jesus Christ, witnessed by the apostles, and to His Gospel, with which we are entrusted. From the very beginning we should, therefore, keep in mind what is at stake as we proceed to speak about faithfulness to the apostolic tradition and apostolic succession, when we speak about the threefold ministry, women’s ordination, and moral commandments. What we are talking about is nothing other than our faithfulness to Christ Himself, who is our unique and common master. And what else can our dialogue be but an expression of our intent and desire to be fully one in Him in order to be fully joint witnesses to His Gospel.
It has often been said, and is worth restating, that the dialogue was dynamized by the desire to be faithful to Christ’s expressed will that His disciples be one, just as He is one with the Father; and that this unity was directly linked to Christ’s mission, the Church’s mission, to the world: may they be one so that the world may believe. Our witness and mission have been seriously hampered by our divisions, and it was out of faithfulness to Christ that we committed ourselves to a dialogue, based on the Gospel and the ancient common traditions, which had full visible unity as its goal. Yet full unity was not and is not an end in itself, but a sign of and instrument for seeking unity with God and peace in the world.
With this in mind, when we can look back at what the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) has accomplished over the past nearly four decades, we can say with confidence that it has indeed borne good fruit. The first phase of ARCIC (1970-1981) addressed "Eucharistic Doctrine" (1971) and "Ministry and Ordination" (1973), and in each instance, claimed to have reached substantial agreement.
The official Catholic response (1991), while requesting further work on both subjects, spoke of these texts as “a significant milestone” which witnessed “to the achievement of points of convergence and even of agreement which many would not have thought possible before the Commission began its work”. The "Clarifications on Eucharist and Ministry" (1993) produced by members of the Commission were seen to “have greatly strengthened agreement in these areas” according to Catholic authorities. The first phase of ARCIC also produced two statements on the subject of "Authority in the Church" (1976, 1981), the theme at the heart of the divisions of the 16th century.
While the texts of the second phase of ARCIC (1983-2005) have not been put forward for a formal response in either the Catholic Church or the Anglican Communion, and have not led to a conclusive resolution or to a full consensus on the issues addressed, they have each suggested a growing rapprochement. "Salvation in the Church" (1986) resonates, in many ways, with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine on Justification signed by the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation in 1999. Building on the understanding of the Church as koinonia which was first set forward in the introduction of ARCIC I’s Final Report, ARCIC II offered the Commission’s most mature work on ecclesiology in The "Church as Communion" (1991).
"Life in Christ" (1994) was able to identify a shared vision and a common heritage for ethical teaching, despite differing pastoral applications of moral principles. "The Gift of Authority" (1999) returned to the theme of authority, and made important progress on the need for a universal ministry of primacy in the Church. "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ" (2005) took important and unexpected strides towards a common understanding of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
As you well know, the ordination of women to the priesthood in several Anglican provinces, beginning in 1974, and to the episcopate, beginning in 1989, have greatly complicated relations between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. I will return to this subject in due course. With this obstacle in mind, and seeking to determine what was nonetheless possible in furthering our relations, an important initiative was carried out not long after the last Lambeth Conference. In May of 2000, my predecessor, Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, and Archbishop George Carey, invited 13 Anglican Primates and the corresponding Presidents of Catholic Episcopal Conferences, or their representatives, to Mississauga, Canada, in order to assess what had been achieved in the ARCIC dialogue, and in light of both those achievements and the difficulties which marked our relations, to offer recommendations for possible steps forward.
I have been to many ecumenical meetings in my life, and I am happy to say that this was one of the best meetings I have ever attended. The spirit of prayerfulness and friendship, the serious reflection not only on the work of ARCIC but also on ecumenical relations in each particular region represented, and the profound desire for reconciliation which pervaded the Mississauga gathering, renewed hope for significant progress in relations between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. One of the fruits of the Mississauga meeting was the establishment of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM), a commission principally composed of bishops. During the past week of this Lambeth Conference, you have studied IARCCUM’s statement, Growing Together in Unity and Mission. Synthesizing the work of ARCIC, this document offers the Commission’s assessment of how far we have come in our dialogue, and identifies remaining questions needing to be addressed.
Over the past 40 years, we have not only engaged jointly in theological dialogue. A close working relationship between Anglicans and Catholics has grown, not only on an international level, but also in many regional and local contexts. As Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop Rowan Williams noted in their Common Declaration of November, 2006, “As our dialogue has developed, many Catholics and Anglicans have found in each other a love for Christ which invites us into practical co-operation and service. This fellowship in the service of Christ, experienced by many of our communities around the world, adds a further impetus to our relationship.”
Indeed, it is not at all a small thing that we have achieved and that was given to us through the years of dialogue in ARCIC and IARCCUM. We are grateful for the work of these commissions, and we Catholics do not want those achievements to be lost. Indeed we want to continue on this path and bring what we started 40 years ago to its final goal.
This leaves me all the more saddened as I have now, in fidelity to what I believe Christ requires – and I want add, in the frankness which friendship allows – to look to the problems within the Anglican Communion which have emerged and grown since the last Lambeth Conference, and to the ecumenical repercussions of these internal tensions. In the second section of this paper, I would like to address a series of ecclesiological issues arising from the current situation in the Anglican Communion, and to raise some difficult and probing questions. But before doing so I want to reiterate what I said when in November 2006 the Archbishop of Canterbury came to Rome to visit Pope Benedict: “The questions and problems of our friends are also our questions and problems.” So I raise these questions not in judgement, but as an ecumenical partner who has been deeply discouraged by recent developments, and who wishes to offer you an honest reflection, from a Catholic perspective, on how and where we can move forward in the present context.
II. Ecclesiological considerations
What I want to say in this second section is – of course – not a magisterial treatise on ecclesiology. Again I only want to remind you of some common insights of the last decades which can be or should be helpful in finding a way – hopefully a common way – forward.
Ecclesiological questions have long been a major point of controversy between our two communities. Already as a young student I studied all of the ecclesiological arguments raised by John Henry Newman, which moved him to become a Catholic. His main concerns revolved around apostolicity in communion with the See of Rome as the guardian of apostolic tradition and of the unity of the Church. I think his questions remain and that we have not yet exhausted this discussion.
Whereas Newman dealt with the Church of England of his time, today we are confronted with additional problems on the level of the Anglican Communion of 44 regional and national member churches, each self-governing. Independence without sufficient interdependence has now become a critical issue.
Two years ago, the IARCCUM statement "Growing Together in Unity and Mission" addressed the situation within the Anglican Communion, and its ecumenical implications, as follows: “Since this (Mississauga) meeting, however, the Churches of the Anglican Communion have entered into a period of dispute occasioned by the episcopal ordination of a person living in an openly-acknowledged committed same-sex relationship and the authorisation of public Rites of Blessing for same-sex unions. These matters have intensified reflection on the nature of the relationship between the churches of the Communion... In addition, ecumenical relationships have become more complicated as proposals within the Church of England have focussed attention on the issue of the ordination of women to the episcopate which is an established part of ministry in some Anglican provinces” (§ 6). In addition to developments in relation to this latter point, we now need to take account of the decision of a significant number of Anglican bishops not to attend this Lambeth Conference, and of proposals from within Anglicanism which are challenging existing instruments of authority within the Anglican Communion.
In the next section, I will address some of these issues more directly, but here I intend to focus specifically on the ecclesiological dimension of these current problems, making reference to what we have said together about the nature of the Church, and to initiatives of the Anglican Communion to address these internal disputes.
In March, 2006, the Archbishop of Canterbury invited me to speak at a meeting of the Church of England’s House of Bishops, addressing the mission of bishops in the Church. While the backdrop of that address was the possible ordination of women to the episcopate, the central argument about the nature of the episcopal office as an office of unity is relevant to all of the points of tension in the Anglican Communion identified above.
In brief, I argued that unity, unanimity and koinonia (communion) are fundamental concepts in the New Testament and in the early Church. I argued: “From the beginning the episcopal office was “koinonially” or collegially embedded in the communion of all bishops; it was never perceived as an office to be understood or practised individually.” Then I turned to the theology of the episcopal office of a Church Father of great importance for Anglicans and Catholics alike, the martyr bishop Cyprian of Carthage of the third century.
His sentence “episcopatus unus et indivisus” is well known. This sentence stands in the context of an urgent admonition by Cyprian to his fellow bishops: “Quam unitatem tenere firmiter et vindicare debemus maxime episcopi, qui in ecclesia praesidimus, ut episcopatum quoque ipsum unum atque indivisum probemus.” [“And this unity we ought firmly to hold and assert, especially those of us that are bishops who preside in the church, that we may also prove the episcopate one and undivided.”] This urgent exhortation is followed by a precise interpretation of the statement “episcopatus unus et indivisus”. “Episcopatus unus est cuius a singulis in solidum pars tenetur” [“The episcopate is one, each part of which is held by each one for the whole.”] (De ecclesiae catholicae unitate I, 5).
But Cyprian goes even one step further: he not only emphasises the unity of the people of God with its own individual bishop, but also adds that no one should imagine that he can be in communion with just a few, for “the Catholic Church is not split or divided” but “united and held together by the glue of the mutual cohesion of the bishops” (Ep. 66,8)... This collegiality is of course not limited to the horizontal and synchronic relationship with contemporary episcopal colleagues; since the Church is one and the same in all centuries, the present-day church must also maintain diachronic consensus with the episcopate of the centuries before us, and above all with the testimony of the apostles. This is the more profound significance of the apostolic succession in episcopal office.
The episcopal office is thus an office of unity in a two-fold sense. Bishops are the sign and the instrument of unity within the individual local church, just as they are between both the contemporary local Churches and those of all times within the universal Church.
This understanding of episcopal office has been set forward in the agreed statements of ARCIC, most especially in Church as Communion and in ARCIC’s statements on authority in the Church. Church as Communion (§45) states that:
"For the nurture and growth of this communion, Christ the Lord has provided a ministry of oversight, the fullness of which is entrusted to the episcopate, which has the responsibility of maintaining and expressing the unity of the churches (cf. §§ 33 & 39; Final Report, Ministry and Ordination). By shepherding, teaching and the celebration of the sacraments, especially the eucharist, this ministry holds believers together in the communion of the local church and in the wider communion of all the churches (cf. § 39). This ministry of oversight has both collegial and primatial dimensions. It is grounded in the life of the community and is open to the community's participation in the discovery of God's will. It is exercised so that unity and communion are expressed, preserved and fostered at every level — locally, regionally and universally."
The same agreed statement communicates the understanding of both Anglican and Roman Catholic Communions that bishops carry out their ministry in succession to the Apostles, which is “intended to assure each community that its faith is indeed the apostolic faith, received and transmitted from apostolic times” (Church as Communion, 33).
ARCIC’s "The Gift of Authority" developed this further in stating: "There are two dimensions to communion in the apostolic Tradition: diachronic and synchronic. The process of tradition clearly entails the transmission of the Gospel from one generation to another (diachronic). If the Church is to remain united in the truth, it must also entail the communion of the churches in all places in that one Gospel (synchronic). Both are necessary for the catholicity of the Church (§26)."
The text adds that each bishop, in communion with all other bishops, is responsible to preserve and express the larger koinonia of the church, and “participates in the care of all the churches” (§39). The bishop is therefore “both a voice for the local church and one through whom the local church learns from other churches” (§38). "The Gift of Authority" (§37) also underlines the role played by the college of bishops in maintaining the unity of the Church: "The mutual interdependence of all the churches is integral to the reality of the Church as God wills it to be. No local church that participates in the living Tradition can regard itself as self-sufficient... The ministry of the bishop is crucial, for his ministry serves communion within and among local churches. Their communion with each other is expressed through the incorporation of each bishop into a college of bishops. Bishops are, both personally and collegially, at the service of the communion."
While there is not time here to draw out more of the ecclesiology of ARCIC, suffice it to say that in our dialogue, we have been able to set forward a strong vision of episcopal ministry, within the context of a shared understanding of the Church as koinonia.
It is significant that the Windsor Report of 2004, in seeking to provide the Anglican Communion with ecclesiological foundations for addressing the current crisis, also adopted an ecclesiology of koinonia. I found this to be helpful and encouraging, and in response to a letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury inviting an ecumenical reaction to the Windsor Report, I noted that “(n)otwithstanding the substantial ecclesiological issues still dividing us which will continue to need our attention, this approach is fundamentally in line with the communion ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council. The consequences which the Report draws from this ecclesiological base are also constructive, especially the interpretation of provincial autonomy in terms of interdependence, thus ‘subject to limits generated by the commitments of communion’ (Windsor n.79). Related to this is the Report’s thrust towards strengthening the supra-provincial authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury (nn.109-110) and the proposal of an Anglican Covenant which would ‘make explicit and forceful the loyalty and bonds of affection which govern the relationships between the churches of the Communion’ (n.118).”
The one weakness pertaining to ecclesiology that I noted was that “(w)hile the Report stresses that Anglican provinces have a responsibility towards each other and towards the maintenance of communion, a communion rooted in the Scriptures, considerably little attention is given to the importance of being in communion with the faith of the Church through the ages.” In our dialogue, we have jointly affirmed that the decisions of a local or regional church must not only foster communion in the present context, but must also be in agreement with the Church of the past, and in a particular way, with the apostolic Church as witnessed in the Scriptures, the early councils and the patristic tradition. This diachronic dimension of apostolicity “has important ecumenical ramifications, since we share a common tradition of one and a half millennia. This common patrimony – what Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey called our ‘ancient common traditions’ – is worth being appealed to and preserved.”
In light of this analysis of episcopal ministry as set forward in ARCIC and the koinonia ecclesiology found in The Windsor Report, it has been particularly disheartening to have witnessed the increasing tensions within the Anglican Communion. In several contexts, bishops are not in communion with other bishops; in some instances, Anglican provinces are no longer in full communion with each other. While the Windsor process continues, and the ecclesiology set forth in the Windsor Report has been welcomed in principle by the majority of Anglican provinces, it is difficult from our perspective to see how that has translated into the desired internal strengthening of the Anglican Communion and its instruments of unity. It also seems to us that the Anglican commitment to being ‘episcopally led and synodically governed’ has not always functioned in such a way as to maintain the apostolicity of the faith, and that synodical government misunderstood as a kind of parliamentary process has at times blocked the sort of episcopal leadership envisaged by Cyprian and articulated in ARCIC.
I know that many of you are troubled, some deeply so, by the threat of fragmentation within the Anglican Communion. We feel profound solidarity with you, for we too are troubled and saddened when we ask: In such a scenario, what shape might the Anglican Communion of tomorrow take, and who will our dialogue partner be? Should we, and how can we, appropriately and honestly engage in conversations also with those who share Catholic perspectives on the points currently in dispute, and who disagree with some developments within the Anglican Communion or particular Anglican provinces? What do you expect in this situation from the Church of Rome, which in the words of Ignatius of Antioch is to preside over the Church in love? How might ARCIC’s work on the episcopate, the unity of the Church, and the need for an exercise of primacy at the universal level be able to serve the Anglican Communion at the present time?
Rather than answer these questions, let me remind you of what we stated at the Informal Talks in 2003, and have reiterated on several occasions since then: “It is our overwhelming desire that the Anglican Communion stays together, rooted in the historic faith which our dialogue and relations over four decades have led us to believe that we share to a large degree.” Therefore we are following the discussions of this Lambeth Conference with great interest and heartfelt concern, accompanying them with our fervent prayers.
III. Reflections on particular questions facing the Anglican Communion
In this final section, I would like to briefly address two of the issues at the heart of tensions within the Anglican Communion and in its relations with the Catholic Church, questions pertaining to ordination of women and to human sexuality. I it is not my intent to take up these points of dispute in detail. This is not necessary because the Catholic position, which understands itself to be consistent with the New Testament and the apostolic tradition, is well known. I want only offer a few thoughts from a Catholic perspective and with an eye to our relations – past, present and future.
The Catholic Church’s teaching regarding human sexuality, especially homosexuality, is clear, as set forth in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, nn. 2357-59. We are convinced that this teaching is well founded in the Old and in the New Testament, and therefore that faithfulness to the Scriptures and to apostolic tradition is at stake. I can only highlight what IARCCUM’s "Growing Together in Unity and Mission" said: “In the discussions on human sexuality within the Anglican Communion, and between it and the Catholic Church, stand anthropological and biblical hermeneutical questions which need to be addressed” (§86e). Not without reason is today’s principal theme at the Lambeth Conference concerned with biblical hermeneutics.
I would like briefly to draw your attention to the ARCIC statement "Life in Christ", where it was noted (nn. 87-88) that Anglicans could agree with Catholics that homosexual activity is disordered, but that we might differ in the moral and pastoral advice we would offer to those seeking our counsel. We realise and appreciate that the recent statements of the Primates are consistent with that teaching, which was given clear expression in Resolution 1.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference. In light of tensions over the past years in this regard, a clear statement from the Anglican Communion would greatly strengthen the possibility of us giving common witness regarding human sexuality and marriage, a witness which is sorely needed in the world of today.
Regarding the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate, the Catholic Church’s teaching has been clearly set forward from the very beginning of our dialogue, not only internally, but also in correspondence between Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II with successive Archbishops of Canterbury. In his Apostolic Letter “Ordinatio sacerdotalis” from May 22, 1994, Pope John Paul II referred to the letter of Paul VI to Archbishop Coggan from November 30, 1975, and stated the Catholic position as follows: “Priestly ordination… in the Catholic Church from the beginning has always been reserved to men alone”, and that “this tradition has also been faithfully maintained by the Oriental Churches.” He concluded: “I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful.” This formulation clearly shows that this is not only a disciplinary position but an expression of our faithfulness to Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church finds herself bound by the will of Jesus Christ and does not feel free to establish a new tradition alien to the tradition of the Church of all ages.
As I stated when addressing the Church of England’s House of Bishops in 2006, for us this decision to ordain women implies a turning away from the common position of all churches of the first millennium, that is, not only the Catholic Church but also the Oriental Orthodox and the Orthodox churches. We would see the Anglican Communion as moving a considerable distance closer to the side of the Protestant churches of the 16th century, and to a position they adopted only during the second half of the 20th century.
Since it is currently the situation that 28 Anglican provinces ordain women to the priesthood, and while only 4 provinces have ordained women to the episcopate, an additional 13 provinces have passed legislation authorising women bishops, the Catholic Church must now take account of the reality that the ordination of women to the priesthood and the episcopate is not only a matter of isolated provinces, but that this is increasingly the stance of the Communion. It will continue to have bishops, as set forth in the Lambeth Quadrilateral (1888); but as with bishops within some Protestant churches, the older churches of East and West will recognise therein much less of what they understand to be the character and ministry of the bishop in the sense understood by the early church and continuing through the ages.
I have already addressed the ecclesiological problem when bishops do not recognize other’s episcopal ordination within the one and same church, now I must be clear about the new situation which has been created in our ecumenical relations. While our dialogue has led to significant agreement on the understanding of ministry, the ordination of women to the episcopate effectively and definitively blocks a possible recognition of Anglican Orders by the Catholic Church.
It is our hope that a theological dialogue between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church will continue, but this development effects directly the goal and alters the level of what we pursue in dialogue. The 1966 Common Declaration signed by Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey called for a dialogue that would “lead to that unity in truth, for which Christ prayed”, and spoke of “a restoration of complete communion of faith and sacramental life”. It now seems that full visible communion as the aim of our dialogue has receded further, and that our dialogue will have less ultimate goals and therefore will be altered in its character. While such a dialogue could still lead to good results, it would not be sustained by the dynamism which arises from the realistic possibility of the unity Christ asks of us, or the shared partaking of the one Lord’s table, for which we so earnestly long.
Conclusion
Anyone who has ever seen the great and wonderful Anglican cathedrals and churches the world over, who has visited the old and famous Colleges in Oxford and Cambridge, who has attended marvellous Evensongs and heard the beauty and eloquence of Anglican prayers, who has read the fine scholarship of Anglican historians and theologians, who is attentive to the significant and long-standing contributions of Anglicans to the ecumenical movement, knows well that the Anglican tradition holds many treasures. These are, in the words of Lumen Gentium, among those gifts which, “belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity” (§ 8).
Our keen awareness of the greatness and remarkable depth of Christian culture of your tradition heightens our concern for you amidst current problems and crises, but also gives us confidence that with God's help, you will find a way out of these difficulties, and that in a new and fresh manner we will be strengthened in our common pilgrimage toward the unity Jesus Christ wills for us and prayed for. I would reiterate what I wrote in my letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury in December, 2004: In a spirit of ecumenical partnership and friendship, we are ready to support you in whatever ways are appropriate and requested.
In that vein, I would like to return to the Archbishop’s puzzling question what kind of Anglicanism I want. It occurs to me that at critical moments in the history of the Church of England and subsequently of the Anglican Communion, you have been able to retrieve the strength of the Church of the Fathers when that tradition was in jeopardy. The Caroline divines are an instance of that, and above all, I think of the Oxford Movement. Perhaps in our own day it would be possible too, to think of a new Oxford Movement, a retrieval of riches which lay within your own household. This would be a re-reception, a fresh recourse to the Apostolic Tradition in a new situation. It would not mean a renouncing of your deep attentiveness to human challenges and struggles, your desire for human dignity and justice, your concern with the active role of all women and men in the Church. Rather, it would bring these concerns and the questions that arise from them more directly within the framework shaped by the Gospel and ancient common tradition in which our dialogue is grounded.
We hope and pray that as you seek to walk as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies may bestow upon you the abundant riches of His grace, and guide you with the Holy Spirit’s abiding presence.
Donato un defibrillatore al cardinal Tonini
Aug 06, 2008 Ersilio Cardinal Tonini 0
Un defibrillatore Totem Elisir e’ stato donato al Cardinale Ersilio Tonini da Carlo Tavecchio, presidente della Lega Nazionale Calcio Dilettanti e vice-Presidente Vicario della FIGC e dalla Technostar, azienda ideatrice del Progetto.
(AGI) - Ravenna, 5 ago. - La donazione e’ avvenuta durante la tradizionale festa annuale del calcio organizzata a Castiglione di Cervia (Ravenna) da Alberto Mambelli, vicepresidente nazionale della Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. “La Vita e’ il bene piu’ prezioso, ci e’ stata donata e va tutelata con ogni mezzo”, ha dichiarato il 94enne cardinale Tonini. Il Totem Elisir sara’ collocato nella casa di riposo di Santa Teresa del Bambin Gesu’ a Ravenna.
Gia’ nel luglio scorso il presidente Tavecchio ha regalato 100 Totem elisir ai Comitati provinciali della Lnd. “I lutti che abbiamo purtroppo avuto negli ultimi anni nel calcio - ha ricordato Tavecchio - non sono campanelli d’allarme ma vere e proprie tragedie. Spesso l’arresto cardiaco e’ curabile solo se si e’ attrezzati ed organizzati e come Lega abbiamo ritenuto il Progetto Elisir un ottimo ed efficace strumento adatto allo scopo”. L’elemento piu’ importante del Progetto Elisir per combattere l’arresto cardiaco e’ il Totem Elisir composto da un defibrillatore e una struttura che lo contiene con le istruzioni all’uso. Pochi minuti per individuarlo usarlo e salvare una persona. L’arresto cardiaco e’ la prima causa di morte in Italia (70.000 persone, e molte di queste muoiono nei posti di lavoro o di svago). (AGI)
Cochabamba - 03/08/2008 ( INFODECOM ): 1.- Muy queridos hermanos y hermanas, un saludo cariñoso y afectivo a todos los hermanas y hermanas que nos acompañan cada domingo desde sus hogares, desde sus campos de trabajo, a toda Bolivia; para que en estos días en que todos nos gloriamos de ser Bolivianos la Palabra del Señor nos ayude a ser de veras una Patria de verdad, de justicia, de amor, de solidaridad, de libertad.
2.- Ese sueño lo tenemos cada seis de agosto y ese sueño se desvanece a partir del siete de agosto, por eso es importante escuchar la palabra del Señor; esa palabra que no engaña, esa palabra que no crea falsas ilusiones, esa palabra que nos lleva a confesar con Pablo “Nada ni nadie nos va separar del amor de Cristo” así animaba Pablo a la comunidad de Roma. ¿Quién nos va separar del amor de Cristo?, ni los sufrimientos, ni las angustias, ni las persecuciones, ni el hambre, ni la falta de ropa, ni la muerte, ni la vida, ni los ángeles, nadie nos va separar del amor de Cristo.
3.- Si este amor de Cristo lo lleváramos todos a la práctica, de repente vamos hacer que esta Bolivia sea un espacio del reino de Dios, y deje ya de proyectar una imagen, donde Dios no existe, donde su mandamiento ha sido olvidado, donde su providencia no es reconocida, esa sería la patria que queremos, lo decimos ahora para que el seis de agosto no sea un discurso más.
4.- ¿Qué nos dice el Señor hoy? Este Dios en el que nosotros creemos siempre ha tenido gran sensibilidad a todos los problemas de su pueblo: vengan a Mí, todos los que tienen sed, vengan a beber agua, los que no tengan dinero vengan, consigan trigo y coman gratuitamente. Esta es la manera de expresarse de nuestro Dios, que nos dice si se acercan a El tendrán todo y gratis, no necesitan gastar su dinero en algo que es vital; es importante que nos acerquemos porque El nos va dar la comida más deliciosa; El Dios que nos ama, el Dios que asume nuestras preocupaciones de cada día; ahora que en el mundo se dice que se nos viene hambre de todos lados, que ya no va haber pan para todos.
5.- Nosotros que constatamos día a día y también aquí en Bolivia, en Santa Cruz en muchas mesas no hay pan todos lo días, nosotros que sabemos que el alza de los precios impide adquirir aún lo necesario para nuestros niños, jóvenes, para nuestros adultos, para todos en general; aquí viene nuestro Dios y nos dice acérquese a mi, yo les voy a dar comida gratis, no es bonito que ustedes anden peleando por un poco de dinero para comprarse aquello que no necesitaría ser pagado, el pan de cada día y la vida. Ahí está el mensaje del Señor, distinto de otros que también prometen repartir pan, comida y defender la vida; El Señor nos ofrece el plato más exquisito, el de sentarnos en la mesa como hermanos, el de acercarnos unos a otros, el de estrecharnos la mano, el de compartir lo que tenemos para que nadie en esta mesa extraordinaria de la vida que es nuestro país, nadie pase hambre, nadie sea excluido, nadie tenga que estar peleando de tener un poco de dinero y que asegure su propia vida.
6.- Y por ahí va el evangelio de hoy, si lo hemos escuchado bien; es Jesús que se va al desierto y la gente cuando se entera corre también para esperarlo por allí, y cuando Jesús ve la multitud siente compasión y cura los enfermos, siente compasión, se da cuenta porque lo están buscando; tienen hambre de Dios, hambre de la verdad, hambre de la justicia, hambre de que se cumpla esa promesa de Dios entre su pueblo, que la vida sea respetada; por eso el Señor empieza curando las enfermedades y las dolencias.
7.- A nuestro Dios le interesa, escuchar, estar atento a lo nuestro y devolvernos la vida; porque sólo con la vida podemos trabajar, sólo teniendo vida podemos avanzar, sólo llenándonos de esa vida de Dios, podemos irradiar algo nuevo, algo que convoque a todos, algo que realmente satisfaga el hambre física, pero también el hambre espiritual y moral de nosotros y de nuestro pueblo.
8.- Y cuando ya va atardeciendo dice aquí Mateo, los discípulos se acercan y le dicen; este lugar es desierto y ya es tarde, despide a la gente, para que vayan a los pueblos y encuentren algo de comer; la actitud de los discípulos, seguramente ellos han escuchado ya siendo tarde y siendo una multitud de cinco mil personas, no pensaban en aquello que iban a decir y ahora que?, quién nos da de comer?, qué vamos hacer, dónde vamos a ir a conseguir, a quien vamos a asaltar?; por eso es que se acercan y toman el consejo más fácil; Señor despídelos, que se vayan , que no molesten aquí. ¿Cuál es la respuesta de Señor? No necesitan irse, si tienen hambre es aquí que tenemos que solucionar ese problema, si están amenazados de la vida, es aquí que tenemos que llenarnos de la vida verdadera, aquí a nadie se excluye, a nadie se persigue, a nadie se lo manda afuera, ustedes denles de comer.
9.- Es un llamado primero a rechazar todo egoísmo, a encerrarse en sus seguridades, abrirse a todos que realmente vienen a tocar nuestras puertas, nuestros corazones, para compartir con El. Y luego los llama a la responsabilidad, no esperen milagros, no esperen cosas asombrosas, no esperen que otros vengan a solucionar sus problemas, no esperen que le manden dinero de afuera para solucionar aquello que ustedes tienen que hacerlo entre todos. Denles ustedes de comer.
10.- Qué palabra tan fuerte y tan linda!, hoy tendríamos que escucharla también en Bolivia, No necesita irse nadie, no echen a nadie, no apunten a nadie, entre ustedes busquen la comida para todos, y no sólo la comida material también la espiritual y moral, también la comida de respeto a todos los demás, también la comida que va haciéndonos dejar todos aquellos alimentos que hieren el alma, y que van solamente sembrando injusticias y violencia.
11.- Y ellos contestaron, sólo tenemos cinco panes y dos peces; para cinco mil personas. Tráiganlos dice el Señor; ese poquito, esos que ustedes tienen allí escondido tráiganlos. Y empieza ese gesto extraordinario del Señor. Toma los panes y los dos peces levanta los ojos al cielo, pronuncia la bendición, parte los panes, los entrega a los discípulos y los discípulos lo van repartiendo a la gente que está sentada allí ya formando grupos pequeños. Esta es la manera que el Señor nos enseña a solucionar los problemas, tiene que ser compartido, compartido para que nadie pueda decir que no participó por lo menos en algo de comida, pero el Señor nos da también el camino, para esto hay que mirar al cielo, a Dios, a los valores, mientras miremos a la tierra y no levantemos los ojos; no habrá más que maldad, mezquindad, individualismo, poca sensibilidad y más ganas de encerrarse en sus propios bienes y no compartirlos con los otros.
12.- Bendecir y luego decirles a los discípulos, trabajen también ustedes, aquí está lo que mi Padre les da, la vida en forma de pan y pescado, vayan y repártanlo a los otros, compártanlos y, así lo hacen, pero el asombro está cuando dice el evangelista: todos comieron hasta saciarse, todos comieron ese plato delicioso, que ya Isaías veía que iba ser ofrecido a su pueblo a los creyentes, el plato de la hermanad, el plato de al amistad, el plato de ponerse a pensar en trabajar en conjunto, el plato de saber pensar en el bien de todos y no en el egoísmo de algunos cuantos. Después recogieron las sobras y se llenaron doce canastas, sobró. Cinco panes y dos peces, todos comen bien y sobra y aquí esta otra enseñanza lo que sobra no es para botarlo, no es para derrocharlo, lo que sobra hay que recogerlo para llevarlo a los que están lejos, aquellos que no han venido al grupo, aquellos que necesitan esa vida, hay que llevarlos a ellos, hay que abrirse.
13.- Dice doce canastos, en la Biblia simboliza las doce tribus de Israel, en Bolivia tendría que recogerse treinta y seis canastos, que las treinta y seis tribus o etnias, grupos originarios o campesinos, deberíamos llevar eso también para los otros, en lugar de llevar odios, rencores y armas para que se vayan los que no son del propio partido, del propio grupo; la enseñanza bíblica es: “Lleven el alimento de Dios, lleven la vida para todos”. Este mensaje también, mis hermanos, mirémoslo como un desafio a nuestra patria.
14.- Ya estamos casi llenos de los ruidos de las bandas, de las marchas y se mezclan también con las otras marchas que no son tan cívicas que no son tan patrióticas en las que nos andamos apaleando y persiguiendo unos a los otros; también hay de esas marchas, en esta semana que va ser semana de los ruidos, una semana que a lo mejor no nos va encontrar con ganas de trabajar por esta patria que la estamos retaceando.
15.- Tenemos poco, dicen que hay mucho en Bolivia ahora, dicen que hay hartísimo dinero. ¿Qué es lo que está ocultando entonces? Y sin embargo hay mucha gente que no come, hay mucha gente que está sufriendo, hay mucha gente que vive de temor del día de mañana; eso poco o eso mucho que hay ahora, pero bien guardado, por supuesto, hay que multiplicarlo, hay que hacerlo vida, hay que convertirlo en herramienta de vida no de muerte, hay que multiplicarlo para que todos se queden en esta Bolivia, nadie tiene que irse nos va decir el Señor ¿por que quieren ustedes que se vayan?, que se queden, pero que trabajen, que compartan con los demás y que formen realmente ese pueblo de Dios que debe pasar por las montañas, por los llanos y por la selva, cantando la verdad y la justicia y no los cantos de odio y de venganza.
16.- ¿Cómo consiguió el Señor calmar esa multitud hambrienta?. El evangelio es bien claro y a lo mejor no estamos acostumbrados a lo que el Señor ha hecho, porque nos están acostumbrando lastimosamente a hacer todo lo contrario. Les pidió que se sentaran en grupos, que se conocieran, que se hagan amigos que no se conformen sólo de escuchar la palabra de alguien, sino que se escuchen también entre ellos, que sepan reconocer la providencia y la amabilidad de Dios, que les va a dar el pan en abundancia, pero que sepan también que compartiendo entre ellos se pueden solucionar los problemas, los problemas que deshacen vidas, problemas que amenazan la vida.
17.- Ojala, Bolivia, sería muy optimista si les dijera que esta semana se sentaran para hacerse más hermanos. Ojala que los signos de belleza que se exhiben el seis de agosto no sean signos de mayores divisiones. Cuánto no desearíamos invitarles como el Señor, siéntense, conózcanse, hablen de este problema, escuchen la palabra de Señor, escúchense entre ustedes, porque nadie puede escuchar la palabra del Señor si no nos escuchamos primero entre nosotros y la solución vendrá en seguida, el poder participar, el poder compartir el hacerse amigos. Dicen que la palabra compañero que ahora está tan de moda, significa compartir el pan, compartir la amistad, compartir las ganas de vivir, compartir el orgullo de ser constructores de un pueblo que es para todos.
18.- Por allá va la vida que el Señor quiere para todos. Ojala que esta semana, el 6 de agosto y los dos días, que espero que habrá silencio, antes del fatídico domingo (porque muchos tienen miedo a ese domingo) ojala nos sentáramos para compartir y buscar salidas, salidas de libertad, de justicia y de amor para esta patria; pero si no tienen ganas de sentarse estos días, por lo menos el día11 por respeto a esa inmensa mayoría del país, que de un lado y del otro de nuestra región están pidiendo diálogo, están pidiendo soluciones; el pueblo mayoritariamente quiere paz, vida, diálogo, comprensión. Los pequeños grupos que andan por acá o por allá, haciendo que el ruido, la fuerza o que el odio se imponga, no representan el alma y el corazón del pueblo boliviano.
El Señor bendice el corazón, no las armas, bendice la vida, no la muerte, nos bendice a nosotros si nos hacemos constructores de esa vida al alcance de todos.
Amén.
Cardinal Foley entertains Knight’s dinner, asks for lifting of excommunication
Aug 06, 2008 John Patrick Cardinal Foley 0
The “States Dinner” that the Knights of Columbus hold at their annual convention is always a colorful affair as representatives from the different states and provinces express their state pride, but this year’s dinner was graced with the quick-witted humor and insights of Cardinal John Foley.
Quebec City, Aug 5, 2008 / 09:53 pm (CNA).- Aware that the city of Québec is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year, Cardinal Foley lauded the recently held International Eucharistic Congress and used it as an opportunity to request a favor of Québec’s Cardinal Marc Ouellet.
“Your Eminence, when Father John Carroll, who was to become the first American bishop …accompanied Benjamin Franklin to Québec to ask that the Canadians join in the American Revolution, the then Bishop Briand of Québec forbade his priests to have anything to do with the visitors and he actually excommunicated John Carroll.”
“Bishop Briand had his reasons, in that the British had guaranteed the Catholics of Québec freedom of religion, a freedom which was not guaranteed at that time in the original thirteen rebellious colonies, where Catholics were often discriminated against,” explained the cardinal.
“Bishop Briand saw no reason for Canadians to join the American colonies against the British, and he was very annoyed that a Catholics priest should be among those seeking to encourage Canadians to risk their religious liberty in what he considered to be a dubious cause. So he excommunicated Father Carroll—and there is no record of which I know that such an excommunication has ever been lifted.”
“Your Eminence, Cardinal Ouellet,” said Cardinal Foley, “in the interest of better Canadian-American relations and in recognition of the fact that Americans now enjoy religious liberty… I would deeply appreciate it if you might lift the excommunication against John Carroll.”
“A government official down here said he said yes,” Cardinal Foley quipped.
Since recently being assigned to work in the Holy Land as the Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, the cardinal also brought in the plight of Christians in the region.
He reminded the crowd that “we cannot permit the Holy Land to become merely a Christian museum; we must keep alive a vibrant Christian community in the land made sacred by the life, death and resurrection of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
The American cardinal closed by saying that the Church in the Holy Land is working for the “love and respect for which Jesus called –‘Love one another as I have loved you’.”
Audience du Pape aux cardinaux Camillo Ruini et Agostino Vallini
Aug 05, 2008 Camillo Cardinal Ruini 0
Cité du Vatican, le 05 août 2008 - E.S.M. - Dans la matinée du vendredi 27 juin 2008, le Pape Benoît XVI a reçu en audience, dans la Salle Clémentine, le cardinal Camillo Ruini, qu'il a remercié pour le service accompli en tant que vicaire général pour le diocèse de Rome, et le cardinal Agostino Vallini, jusqu'à présent préfet du Tribunal suprême de la Signature apostolique, dont il a annoncé la nomination en tant que successeur du cardinal Ruini.
[strong]L'Église de Rome: une Église qui vit et pense la foi strong]
Discours du Saint-Père Benoît XVI :
Messieurs les cardinaux,
Vénérés frères dans l'épiscopat et dans le sacerdoce,
chers frères et sœurs!
Je suis très heureux de vous accueillir et de souhaiter à chacun de vous une cordiale bienvenue. Je l'adresse tout d'abord et en particulier à vous, cher cardinal Camillo Ruini, que je désire aujourd'hui publiquement remercier, au terme de votre long service en tant que vicaire général pour le diocèse de Rome. J'ai déjà eu l'occasion de vous manifester mes sentiments ces jours derniers, dans une lettre qui m'a permis de rappeler les multiples aspects de ce long et apprécié ministère, commencé en janvier 1991, lorsque le serviteur de Dieu Jean-Paul II vous appela à succéder au cardinal Ugo Poletti. J'ai à présent l'opportunité de vous renouveler l'expression de ma reconnaissance devant les évêques auxiliaires, les curés préfets, les autres représentants de la réalité diocésaine et la communauté de travail du vicariat de Rome.
Les dernières années du siècle dernier et les premières du nouveau siècle ont été une époque vraiment extraordinaire, encore davantage pour ceux qui, comme nous, ont eu l'occasion de les vivre à côté d'un authentique géant de la foi et de la mission de l'Église, mon vénéré prédécesseur Jean-Paul II. Il a guidé le peuple de Dieu vers le passage historique de l'an 2000 et, à travers le grand Jubilé, il l'a introduit dans le troisième millénaire de l'ère chrétienne. En collaborant étroitement avec lui, nous avons été "entraînés" par sa force spirituelle exceptionnelle, enracinée dans la prière, dans l'union profonde avec le Seigneur Jésus Christ et dans l'intimité filiale avec sa Très Sainte Mère. Le charisme missionnaire du Pape Jean-Paul II a eu, comme il est juste, une influence déterminante sur la période de son pontificat, en particulier sur la période de préparation au grand Jubilé de l'an 2000; et on a pu le constater directement dans le diocèse de Rome, le diocèse du Pape, grâce à l'engagement constant du cardinal vicaire et de ses collaborateurs. Comme exemple de cela, je me limiterai à rappeler la Mission dans la ville de Rome et les "Dialogues dans la cathédrale", expression d'une Église qui, au moment même où elle prenait davantage conscience de son identité diocésaine et en assumait progressivement la physionomie, s'ouvrait de manière décisive à une mentalité missionnaire et à un style cohérent avec celle-ci, une mentalité et un style qui n'étaient pas destinés à durer uniquement le temps d'une saison, mais bien, comme cela a souvent été affirmé, à devenir permanents. Vénéré frère, il s'agit d'un aspect particulièrement important, dont je désire vous rendre le mérite, d'autant plus que vous l'avez encouragé et soutenu non seulement ici à Rome, mais également au niveau de toute la nation italienne, en tant que président de la Conférence épiscopale.
La sollicitude pour la mission a toujours été accompagnée et soutenue par une excellente capacité de réflexion théologique et philosophique, que vous avez manifestée et exercée dès les années de votre jeunesse, souligne Benoît XVI, . L'apostolat, en particulier à notre époque, doit se nourrir constamment de pensée, pour motiver la signification des gestes et des actions, autrement il est destiné à se réduire à un activisme stérile. Et vous, Monsieur le cardinal, vous avez offert en ce sens une contribution importante, en plaçant au service du Saint-Père, du Saint-Siège et de l'Église tout entière vos qualités d'intelligence et de sagesse bien connues. J'en ai moi-même été le témoin lors de ma précédente charge et, a fortiori, au cours de ces dernières années, où j'ai pu compter sur votre proximité pour servir l'Église qui est en Italie et en particulier à Rome. J'ai plaisir à rappeler à cet égard notre collaboration sur les thèmes des Congrès ecclésiaux diocésains, en vue de répondre aux principales urgences pastorales en tenant compte du contexte social et culturel de la ville. Nous savons tous que le "projet culturel" est une initiative particulière de l'Église italienne dû au zèle et à la clairvoyance du cardinal Ruini, mais cette expression, "projet culturel", rappelle plus en général et de manière radicale la façon de se présenter de l'Église dans la société: c'est-à-dire le désir de la communauté chrétienne - répondant à la mission de son Seigneur - d'être présente parmi les hommes et l'histoire avec un projet d'homme, de famille, de relations sociales inspiré de la Parole de Dieu et décliné en dialogue avec la culture de l'époque. Cher Monsieur le cardinal, à cet égard vous avez donné un exemple qui va au-delà des initiatives du moment, un exemple dans l'engagement pour "penser la foi", en fidélité absolue au Magistère de l'Église, avec une attention précise aux enseignements de l'Évêque de Rome et, dans le même temps, dans une écoute constante des questions qui sont issues de la culture contemporaine et des problèmes de la société actuelle.
Alors que j'exprime ma reconnaissance au cardinal Camillo Ruini, je suis heureux de communiquer que, à sa place, en tant que vicaire pour le diocèse de Rome, j'ai nommé le cardinal Agostino Vallini, jusqu'à présent préfet du Tribunal suprême de la Signature apostolique. Je le salue avec une grande affection et je l'accueille dans sa nouvelle charge, que je lui confie en tenant compte de son expérience pastorale, mûrie tout d'abord en tant qu'auxiliaire dans le grand diocèse de Naples, puis comme évêque d'Albano; des expériences auxquelles s'ajoutent des qualités démontrées de sagesse et d'affabilité. Je l'ai nommé en même temps archiprêtre de la basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran et grand chancelier de l'université pontificale du Latran. Cher Monsieur le cardinal, à partir d'aujourd'hui ma prière pour vous se fera particulièrement intense, afin que le Seigneur vous accorde toutes les grâces nécessaires pour cette nouvelle charge. Je vous encourage à exprimer en plénitude votre zèle pastoral et je vous souhaite un ministère serein et fructueux, pour lequel - j'en suis certain - vous pourrez compter sur la collaboration constante et généreuse des évêques auxiliaires et de tous les prêtres, les religieux et les laïcs qui travaillent au vicariat de Rome. Chers frères et sœurs, je profite aussi de cette circonstance pour vous exprimer à tous, qui travaillez dans les bureaux centraux du diocèse, ma vive reconnaissance et mon encouragement à faire toujours mieux, pour le bien de l'Église qui est à Rome.
Chers Messieurs les cardinaux, conclut Benoît XVI, que Dieu vous comble abondamment de ses dons. Qu'il récompense celui qui prend congé et qu'il soutienne celui qui le remplace. Qu'il multiplie chez tous l'action de grâce pour sa bonté infinie et qu'il accorde toujours à chacun la joie de servir le Christ en travaillant humblement pour son Église. Que la Vierge Marie, Salus Populi Romani, veille du ciel sur nous et nous accompagne. En invoquant son intercession, je donne de tout cœur à vous tous ici présents et à toute la ville de Rome ma Bénédiction apostolique.
Cardenal Cipriani: “Dale más importancia a esa ley que está dentro de tu corazón”
Aug 04, 2008 Juan Luis Cardinal Cipriani Thorne 0
“El elemento más importante en una persona es la educación moral, la formación de la conciencia. Cada uno tiene esa voz que le dice cuando está bien y cuando, mal, y esa conciencia hay que formarla en la familia, la escuela y la universidad”, comentó el Arzobispo de Lima en el programa Diálogo de Fe del sábado 02 de agosto.
Lima, (PRESSPERU, 03 de agosto de 2008).- A propósito de la “reforma del alma”, expresión que el Presidente de la República, Alan García, pronunció en su discurso por Fiestas Patrias, el último 28 de julio, el Pastor de Lima recordó que ésta es gratis, está al alcance de todos, teniendo como fundamento los pasajes del Nuevo Testamento de la Sagrada Escritura.
“La reforma del alma lleva consigo un intento de cambiar cada uno con la ayuda de Dios. Un cambio como si fuera una técnica no se puede. Nadie me puede obligar a ser generoso, a ser responsable, a ser fiel con mi esposa. La ley solamente puede entrar al exterior, no puede juzgar lo que pienso, deseo, quiero; en ese mundo interior está la ley de Dios. En el fondo estamos diciendo: dale más importancia a esa ley que está dentro de tu corazón”, puntualizó.
De ahí que invitó a los medios de comunicación, a quienes calificó de muy influyentes, a canalizar ese poder en el ámbito formativo. “Encontramos medios de comunicación con gran influencia que en lugar de orientar se ponen solo como un espejo, pero no te ponen la vida normal de un buen padre de familia, entonces parece que toda la basura de la sociedad hay que ponerla en primera plana. Esforcémonos en mostrar el camino correcto, y quizás nos acerquemos a una mayor justicia”.
Defensa de la vida
El Cardenal Cipriani también se refirió a aquellos comentarios contrarios a la defensa de la vida, del matrimonio y la familia, propuesta que el Arzobispo de Lima hiciera durante la Misa y Te Deum por el 187 aniversario patrio, el último lunes.
“Cómo la iglesia no va a defender el derecho a la vida, la educación de los hijos en el matrimonio, la moralidad pública. Esa crítica fácil es una tendencia que le dice a la Iglesia: ¡Quédate en tus catacumbas y háblale a los muertos! Jesucristo vive, no es un personaje de la historia; y nos pide que seamos esa voz suya; y, por lo tanto, nuestra religión es una religión de vivos, de un Cristo que está con nosotros”, mencionó.
“La Iglesia Católica tiene el derecho y el deber de dar a conocer el mensaje de Jesucristo. Lo que no tiene es el derecho de imponer; pero sí de proponer, invitar. ¡Hay de mí si no evangelizare! Por tanto, evangelizar no solo es decir que recen el Santo Rosario y vayan a misa que es muy bueno; sino que esos católicos en su vida familiar, laboral, deportiva, en cualquier lugar lleven a Cristo consigo. Como ciudadanos, arrastramos una historia real en nuestro país con una responsabilidad y deber del mismo Cristo de poner en práctica su voz, palabra y enseñanzas”, prosiguió el Pastor de Lima.
Finalmente, el Arzobispo de Lima recordó el sensible fallecimiento del Dr. Andrés Aziani, acaecido esta semana, y uno de los superiores del grupo “Comunión y Liberación” en nuestro país y promotor de la universidad Católica Sedes Sapientiae, para que Dios lo tenga en su Misericordia.
Le cardinal Kasper à la conférence des évêques anglicans de Lambeth
Aug 03, 2008 Walter Cardinal Kasper 0
Rome, le 03.08.08 - E.S.M. - L'envoyé du pape Benoît XVI à la conférence des évêques anglicans leur demande de revenir au modèle de l'Eglise apostolique. Inacceptable l'épiscopat aux femmes et aux homosexuels. Voici le texte intégral de son discours :
I. Description de nos relations au cours des dernières années
Cette première partie vise à nous rafraîchir la mémoire, pour que nous n’oubliions pas nos succès des 40 dernières années et ce qu’ils représentent. Quand Vatican II a évoqué, dans son décret sur l’œcuménisme, les “nombreuses Communions qui se sont séparées du Siège de Rome” au XVIe siècle, il a reconnu que “parmi celles où des traditions et institutions catholiques subsistent partiellement, la Communion anglicane occupe une place particulière ” (Unitatis Redintegratio n°13). Cette affirmation est fondée sur une interprétation ecclésiologique selon laquelle, pour les catholiques, la Communion anglicane contient des éléments significatifs de l’Église de Jésus-Christ. Dans leur Déclaration Commune de 1977, Donald Coggan, archevêque de Canterbury, et le pape Paul VI ont indiqué quelques uns de éléments ecclésiaux quand ils ont écrit:
"Dès lors que l’Église catholique romaine et les Églises de la Communion anglicane ont cherché à progresser dans la compréhension mutuelle et la charité chrétienne, elles en sont arrivées à reconnaître et apprécier, dans un sentiment d’action de grâces, une foi commune en Dieu notre Père, en Jésus-Christ notre Seigneur et en l’Esprit Saint; notre baptême commun dans le Christ; le fait que nous avons en commun les Saintes Écritures, le Symbole des Apôtres et celui de Nicée, la définition de Chalcédoine et l’enseignement des Pères; l’héritage chrétien qui nous a été commun pendant de nombreux siècles, avec ses traditions vivantes quant à la liturgie, la théologie, la spiritualité et la mission."
Dans ce texte, l’archevêque Coggan et Paul VI soulignent le terrain commun, source commune et centre de notre unité, déjà existante mais encore incomplète: Jésus-Christ et la mission de L’apporter à un monde qui en a un besoin si désespéré. Ce dont nous parlons, ce n’est pas une idéologie, une opinion personnelle que l’on peut partager ou non; c’est notre fidélité à Jésus-Christ dont les apôtres ont été les témoins, et à son Évangile qui nous a été confié. Dès le départ nous devons donc nous souvenir de ce qui est en jeu quand nous nous mettons à parler de fidélité à la tradition et à la succession apostoliques, quand nous parlons du triple ministère, de l’ordination des femmes et des commandements moraux. Ce dont nous parlons c’est uniquement de notre fidélité au Christ Lui-même, notre maître unique et commun. Et que peut être notre dialogue, sinon une expression de notre intention et de notre désir de ne faire qu’un en Lui, afin d’être totalement unis dans le témoignage de Son Évangile ?
On l’a souvent dit, mais cela vaut la peine de le répéter : le dialogue est dynamisé par le désir d’être fidèles à la volonté exprimée par le Christ que ses disciples soient un comme il est un avec le Père; et cette unité est directement liée à la mission du Christ et de l’Église vis-à-vis du monde: qu’ils soient un pour que le monde croie. Notre témoignage et notre mission ont été gravement perturbés par nos divisions et c’est par fidélité au Christ que nous nous sommes engagés dans un dialogue, fondé sur l’Évangile et les anciennes traditions qui nous sont communes, avec l’unité complète et visible comme objectif. Pourtant l’unité complète n’était et n’est pas une fin en soi, mais un signe et un moyen de recherche de l’unité avec Dieu et de la paix dans le monde.
A partir de là, nous pouvons dire avec confiance, en voyant ce que l’Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) a réalisé en près de 40 ans, qu’elle a vraiment donné de bons fruits. Dans une première phase (1970-1981), l’ARCIC s’est occupée de la Doctrine Eucharistique (1971) et du Ministère et de l’Ordination (1973); dans les deux cas elle a affirmé avoir obtenu un accord substantiel. La réponse officielle catholique (1991), bien qu’elle ait demandé un travail supplémentaire sur ces deux sujets, a dit que ces textes constituaient “une étape significative” témoignant “que des points de convergence et même d’accord avaient été trouvés, ce que beaucoup de gens n’auraient pas cru possible avant le début des travaux de la Commission”. Les Clarifications (1993) apportées par les membres de la Commission ont été considérées par les autorités catholiques comme “ayant grandement renforcé l’accord dans ces domaines”. La première phase du travail de l’ARCIC a aussi abouti à deux documents sur la question de l’Autorité dans l’Église (1976, 1981), thème qui fut au cœur des divisions du XVIe siècle.
Les textes de la deuxième phase du travail de l’ARCIC (1983-2005) n’ont pas été présentés pour recevoir une réponse formelle de l’Église Catholique ou de la Communion anglicane et ils n’ont pas conduit à une résolution définitive ou à un consensus complet sur les sujets traités, mais chacun d’eux a suggéré un rapprochement croissant. Salvation in the Church (1986) est en harmonie, de bien des façons, avec la Déclaration Conjointe sur la Doctrine relative à la Justification que l’Église Catholique et la Fédération Luthérienne Mondiale ont signée en 1999. Partant de l’interprétation de l’Église comme koinonia qui avait été présentée pour la première fois dans l’introduction du Rapport Final de l’ARCIC I, l’ARCIC II a proposé le travail plus abouti de la Commission en matière d’ecclésiologie dans The Church as Communion (1991). Life in Christ (1994) a réussi à dégager une vision partagée et un héritage commun pour l’enseignement de l’éthique, malgré des différences dans les applications pastorales des principes moraux. The Gift of Authority (1999) est revenu sur le thème de l’autorité et a nettement progressé sur la nécessité d’un ministère universel de primauté dans l’Église. Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ (2005) a progressé de manière importante et imprévue vers une perception commune de la Vierge Marie.
Comme vous le savez, l’ordination de femmes à la prêtrise dans plusieurs provinces anglicanes, à partir de 1974, et à l’épiscopat, à partir de 1989, a beaucoup compliqué les relations entre la Communion anglicane et l’Église catholique. J’y reviendrai le moment venu. Alors que cet obstacle était présent dans nos esprits et que nous cherchions ce qu’on pouvait faire malgré tout afin de poursuivre nos relations, une importante initiative a été mise en œuvre peu après la dernière Conférence de Lambeth. En mai 2000, mon prédécesseur, le cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, et l’archevêque George Carey ont invité 13 primats anglicans et les présidents des conférences épiscopales catholiques correspondantes, ou leur représentants, à Mississauga, au Canada, pour évaluer ce qui avait été réalisé dans le cadre du dialogue de l’ARCIC et, à la lumière des réussites et des difficultés qui marquaient nos relations, proposer des recommandations tendant à d’éventuels progrès.
Ayant assisté à beaucoup de réunions œcuméniques dans ma vie, je suis heureux de dire que c’est l’une des meilleures auxquelles j’aie jamais assisté. L’esprit de prière et d’amitié, la réflexion sérieuse non seulement sur le travail de l’ARCIC mais aussi sur les relations œcuméniques dans chaque région représentée, et le profond désir de réconciliation qui imprégnait cette réunion de Mississauga, ont renouvelé l’espoir de progrès significatifs dans les relations entre la Communion anglicane et l’Église catholique. L’un des fruits de la réunion de Mississauga a été la création de l’International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM), une commission principalement composée d’évêques. La semaine dernière, cette Conférence de Lambeth a étudié le document de l’IARCCUM, Growing Together in Unity and Mission. Ce document, qui fait la synthèse du travail de l’ARCIC, donne l’évaluation par la Commission des progrès que nous avons accomplis dans notre dialogue et identifie les questions restant à traiter.
Pendant les 40 dernières années, nous ne nous sommes pas seulement engagés ensemble dans le dialogue théologique. D’étroites relations de travail se sont développées entre anglicans et catholiques, au niveau non seulement international, mais aussi, bien souvent, régional et local. Comme le pape Benoît XVI et l’archevêque Rowan Williams l’ont indiqué dans leur Déclaration Commune de novembre 2006, “Avec le développement de notre dialogue, beaucoup de catholiques et d’anglicans ont trouvé, les uns chez les autres, un amour du Christ qui nous incite à coopérer et à nous rendre service concrètement. Cette fraternité dans le service du Christ, qu’ont ressentie beaucoup de nos communautés dans le monde, donne un élan supplémentaire à nos relations.”
Vraiment, ce que nous avons réalisé n’est pas peu de choses et nous l’avons obtenu grâce aux années de dialogue à l’ARCIC et à l’IARCCUM. Nous sommes reconnaissants à ces commissions pour leur travail et nous, catholiques, ne voulons pas laisser perdre ces succès. Nous voulons vraiment continuer dans cette voie et conduire à son terme la tâche entreprise il y a 40 ans.
C’est pourquoi je suis d’autant plus triste de devoir maintenant – dans la fidélité à ce que je crois être la volonté du Christ et avec la franchise que permet l’amitié – étudier les problèmes qui ont surgi et grandi au sein de la Communion anglicane depuis la dernière Conférence de Lambeth ainsi que les répercussions de ces tensions internes sur l’œcuménisme. Dans la deuxième partie de cet exposé, je voudrais aborder plusieurs problèmes ecclésiologiques qui résultent de la situation actuelle de la Communion anglicane et soulever des questions difficiles et profondes. Mais avant de le faire, je voudrais répéter ce que j’ai dit en novembre 2006 quand l’archevêque de Canterbury est venu à Rome voir le pape Benoît XVI : “Les questions et les problèmes de nos amis sont aussi les nôtres”. C’est pourquoi je soulève ces questions non pas comme un juge, mais comme un partenaire œcuménique qui a été profondément découragé par les évènements récents et qui souhaite vous apporter une réflexion honnête, dans une perspective catholique, sur cette question: comment et où pouvons-nous aller de l’avant dans le contexte actuel.
II. Considérations ecclésiologiques
Ce que je veux dire dans cette deuxième partie ne constitue bien sûr pas un cours magistral d’ecclésiologie. Encore une fois, je souhaite simplement vous donner un aperçu de quelques faits bien connus des dernières décennies qui pourraient ou devraient nous aider à trouver un chemin – dont j’espère qu’il nous soit commun – pour avancer.
Longtemps les questions d’ecclésiologie ont été un important point de controverse entre nos deux communautés. Lorsque j’étais étudiant, j’ai étudié tous les arguments ecclésiologiques soulevés par John Henry Newman et qui l’ont amené à devenir catholique. Ses préoccupations principales portaient sur l’apostolicité en communion avec le Saint-Siège en tant que gardien de la tradition apostolique et de l’unité de l’Église. Je pense que ses questions restent actuelles et que nous n’avons pas encore épuisé cette discussion.
Newman avait affaire à l’Église d’Angleterre de son temps. Aujourd’hui nous sommes confrontés à des problèmes supplémentaires au niveau de la Communion anglicane qui comporte 44 églises régionales et nationales, chacune étant autonome. L’indépendance sans une interdépendance suffisante est désormais un problème critique.
Il y a deux ans, le document Growing Together in Unity and Mission de l’IARCCUM présentait la situation au sein de la Communion Anglicane et ses implications sur l’œcuménisme de la manière suivante : “Toutefois, depuis cette réunion à Mississauga, les Églises de la Communion anglicane sont entrées dans une phase de disputes due à l’ordination épiscopale d’une personne engagée dans une relation homosexuelle publiquement assumée et par l’autorisation de cérémonies publiques de bénédiction pour les unions homosexuelles. Ces questions ont intensifié la réflexion sur la nature de la relation entre les églises de la Communion anglicane [...] De plus, les relations œcuméniques sont devenues plus compliquées parce que des propositions formulées au sein de l’Église d’Angleterre ont concentré l’attention sur la question de l’ordination de femmes à l’épiscopat qui est une partie bien établie du sacerdoce dans certaines provinces anglicanes” (n° 6). En plus des développements liés à ce dernier point, nous devons maintenant tenir compte de la décision d’un nombre significatif d’évêques anglicans de ne pas assister à cette Conférence de Lambeth, et de propositions émanant de l’intérieur même de l’anglicanisme et qui défient les organes d’autorité existant au sein de la Communion anglicane.
Dans la partie suivante, j’étudierai plus directement quelques unes de ces questions, mais pour l’instant je vais me concentrer spécifiquement sur la dimension ecclésiologique des problèmes actuels, en me référant à ce que nous avons dit ensemble de la nature de l’Église et aux initiatives de la Communion anglicane pour traiter ces querelles internes.
En mars 2006, l’archevêque de Canterbury m’a invité à prendre la parole à une réunion de la Chambre des Évêques de l’Église d’Angleterre, sur la mission des évêques dans l’Église. L’arrière-plan de cette intervention était la possible ordination de femmes à l’épiscopat, mais la discussion centrale sur la nature du ministère épiscopal comme ministère d’unité est liée à tous les points de tension au sein de la Communion anglicane que nous avons identifiés précédemment.
En résumé, j’ai déclaré que l’unité, l’unanimité et la koinonia (communion) sont des concepts fondamentaux dans le Nouveau Testament et l’Église primitive. J’ai déclaré: “Dès l’origine, le ministère épiscopal était “koinonialement” ou collégialement intégré dans la communion de tous les évêques; il n’était jamais perçu comme un ministère à comprendre ou à pratiquer individuellement”. Puis j’ai abordé la théologie du ministère épiscopal d’un Père de l’Église très important pour les Anglicans et pour les Catholiques, Cyprien de Carthage, évêque martyr au IIIe siècle.
Sa formule “episcopatus unus et indivisus” est bien connue. Elle apparaît dans le contexte d’une adjuration pressante de Cyprien à ses confrères &
A civilization of love cannot be built without God’s grace
Donato un defibrillatore al cardinal Tonini
Homilia del cardenal Julio Terrazas
Audience du Pape aux cardinaux Camillo Ruini et Agostino Vallini