Cardinal Baum turns 80; ineligible for conclave
Nov 22, 2006
American Cardinal William Baum, the retired head of the Apostolic Pentitentiary, celebrates his 80th birthday day (November 21), and thus becomes ineligible to vote in a papal election.
Rome, Nov. 21 (CWNews.com) - There are now 188 members of the College of Cardinals, of whom 115 are eligible to take part in a conclave.
At the conclave of April 2005, Cardinal Baum was one of only two participants who had not been appointed to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II. The other, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was elected Benedict XVI.
A former Archbishop of Washington, DC, Cardinal Baum was called to Washington in 1980 to become prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education. Later, in 1990, he became of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican tribunal with jurisdiction over indulgences and disputes concerning the "internal forum"--such as issues that arise between a penitent and a confessor. Retiring from that post in 2001, the American prelate has continued to live in Rome.
Born in Dallas, Texas, William Baum was ordained to the priesthood in 1951. After 5 years in a Kansas City parish he was sent to Rome for further studies, and obtained a doctorate in theology. He participated in the discussions of Vatican II as an expert on ecumenical affairs, and in 1964 he became secretary to the US bishops' committee on ecumenism. He served there until 1970, when he was named Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Becoming Archbishop of Washington in 1976, Baum was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Paul VI that same year. (While working at the US bishops' conference, Cardinal Baum was instrumental in arranging the appointment of another future cardinal, Bernard Law, to work on the committee for ecumenical affairs. Later, when Baum was appointed Archbishop of Washington, Law succeeded him as head of the Missouri diocese.)
Cardinal Baum, who has made his full-time residence in Rome since 1980, remains an active member of the Congregations for Bishops, for Eastern Churches, for Evangelization, and for Religious.
The Protestant Observers and the Compilation of the Novus Ordo
Oct 17, 2004
From The Order of Melchisedech. A Defence of the Catholic Priesthood, by Michael Davies, 1979 and 1993.
On 3 May 1970 Documentation Catholique published the text of a speech made by Pope Paul VI to the members of the Consilium, the body responsible for implementing the very generalized principles of liturgical reform included in the Liturgy Constitution of Vatican II.
The cover of this issue of Documentation Catholique was devoted to a picture of Pope Paul VI posing with the six Protestant Observers who had been invited to participate in the work of the Consilium.
This photograph proved to be a source of astonishment and even scandal to large numbers of the faithful who had had no idea that Protestants had played any part in the compilation of the new Catholic rites. It resulted in public controversy in a number of countries, which was followed by official denials that the Observers had, in fact, played any part in the compilation of the new rites.
In contrast with this Mgr. W.W. Baum (now Cardinal Baum), an ardent ecumenist, made the following statement in a personal interview with the Detroit News on 27 June 1967:
“They are not simply there as observers, but as consultants as well, and they participate fully in the discussions on Catholic liturgical renewal. It wouldn't mean much if they just listened, but they contributed.” (My emphasis).
In order to place this statement in its correct context it must be made clear that, at the time he made it, Mgr. Baum was executive director of the American Catholic Bishops' Commission on Ecumenical Affairs, and the first Catholic spokesman ever invited to address the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, an American Protestant denomination. During his address he revealed to the delegates that Protestant scholars "have had a voice" in the revision of the Catholic liturgy. As a follow-up to this revelation, Harold Acharhem, Religious Correspondent of the Detroit News, obtained the interview with Mgr. Baum from which I have quoted.
The account given by Cardinal Baum, and the denials issued by Archbishop Bugnini and the Vatican Press Office are clearly contradictory.
Intervention of Card. Baum at the Second Extraordinary Synod in 1985
Oct 15, 2004
"The Church, in the Word of God,
Celebrates the Mysteries of Christ
for the Salvation of the World"
Today a new problem is being raised: that of determining the limits of historical-critical method. We often hear accusations that scientific exegesis has become closed in on itself, becoming autonomous and torn away from the faith. There is a rupture between Bible and Church, between Scripture and Tradition. Frequently the work of exegetes is purely critical - dealing with the original formation of the text - and makes little effort to penetrate its inner meaning. Bowing before the exigencies of "science," exegetes are no longer disposed to interpret Scripture in the light of faith, and hence they end up calling in question essential truths of faith, such as the divinity of Christ, the Virginal conception, the salvific and redeeming value of Christ's death, the reality of the Resurrection, and the institution of the Church by Christ.
The results of this so-called scientific exegesis are being diffused in seminaries, theological faculties and universities. They are reaching the ordinary faithful now, by means of catechisms and even at times in preaching. Dei Verbum had recommended a scientific exegesis, but within the limits of our faith: in this field the mere application of the historical-critical method is not enough. For that very reason the Council had insisted on the unity between Scripture and Tradition (nos. 9-10), requiring that Scripture be read and explained "in eodem Spiritu quo scripta est" - in the same Spirit in which it was written (no. 12). Insisting on the unity of the whole of Scripture, in the light of the Church's living tradition and the analogy of faith, the Constitution laid down norms for theological and ecclesial exegesis which should assist in deepening our faith. A fruitful result of this Synod would be for the Bishops to take this situation actively in hand, with a view to promoting the understanding and reception of what remains one of the fundamental documents of the Council - perhaps the most important. This responsibility lies first and foremost with the Bishops - masters and teachers of the faith - rather than with theologians and exegetes. In preparing manuals of theology for instructing candidates for the priesthood, one must be very conscious of the teaching of the Council and of the rich theological patrimony of the Church based on the Fathers and Doctors this should be done in a spirit of fidelity to Dei Verbum, especially as regards the relationship between Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium.
Cardinal Baum turns 80; ineligible for conclave