"España es grande en todo, también en el número de los mártires por la fe en Cristo"
Nov 21, 2007
El cardenal Tomas Spidlik, S.J., estuvo a finales del mes pasado en Madrid, donde inauguró el Congreso Internacional de Espiritualidad, que con el título "Experiencia y misterio de Dios", organizó la Universidad Pontificia de Comillas. Nombrado cardenal por Juan Pablo II, este jesuita predicó en el triduo previo al cónclave para la elección de Benedicto XVI y es un gran especialista en la espiritualidad del Oriente cristiano.
(VERITAS, 21/11/2007) Madrid - Con ocasión de su paso por Madrid el cardenal concedió a Veritas una entrevista en la opinó también sobre la Beatificación de 498 mártires del siglo XX en España, afirmando que "España es grande en todo, también en el número de los mártires por la fe en Cristo". Luego añadió "¡Rezamos para que no ofrezca su grandeza para alguna idea equivocada!"
Sobre la Compañía de Jesús, el cardenal Spidlik cree que está "como todo el mundo", en un período de "grandes cambios", que hay que saber "leer espiritualmente".
Este cardenal checo, de 88 años, que vivió la ocupación nazi en su país, afirma que "el totalitarismo siempre nace de la confusión, cuando se pierde la fe en los valores necesarios para la vida" y advierte que "hay que tener cuidado con esto también en nuestros tiempos".
"Los confundidos se cansan de la confusión y tal vez piden que llegue alguien que "haga orden" en el nombre de alguna ideología vacía de vida, propagándola con una etiqueta del derecho, hasta el derecho de matarse a mutuamente, pero según un orden preestablecido", subraya.
Respecto a la situación de la Iglesia en la actualidad, el cardenal sostiene que "la situación de la Iglesia está siempre atada a la cultura en la que ha conseguido penetrar", pero matiza que "hay una diferencia: La cultura generalmente no resucita, mientras que la Iglesia lo hace siempre en nuevas culturas".
De su larga vida, lo que el cardenal más agradece a Dios es "el hecho de haberme ayudado a ver su providencia en los acontecimientos de mi vida, también en los que con una mirada superficial hubieran podido parecer contradicciones o cosas que me desfavorecían. De una cosa que parecía negativa siempre ha crecido algo creativo en mi vida".
Cardinal Spidlik on the significance of Christmas
Dec 22, 2006
The Czech-born Catholic theologian Tomas Spidlik is a specialist on Eastern and Slavic Christian spirituality and also a prolific author.
(radio.cz, 22-12-2006) Even though he has not lived in this country since 1951, many Czechs know his voice well from his regular appearances on Vatican Radio. Cardinal Spidlik spoke earlier to Radio Prague on the line from the Vatican about the significance of Christmas.
"They always ask me if Christmas is a family or a religious holiday. And I say both. Because we don't believe in a god - we believe in God that became Man. That's the big difference between Christianity and other religions. That's why Christmas is a Holy festival and also a celebration of Man. If it did not celebrate humans it would not be Christian and therefore there is no wonder that Christmas has evolved as a family holiday. That's what is nice about it."
Although he has lived abroad since the 1950s, Cardinal Spidlik still holds fond memories of Christmas back home.
"What was nice about our Czech Christmas was that there was always a lot of singing. Speaking is not enough - but singing involves our whole personality. It is nice when people get together to sing. That's why there are so many Czech Christmas carols. The Czech word 'koledy' comes from the Latin 'calendae' - the first days of the month. Teachers in the old times had to earn money at Christmas by singing and so they composed many, many carols and they became a typical Christmas feature."
And finally, over the phone from his home in the Vatican, Cardinal Tomas Spidlik extended his Christmas greetings to his compatriots in the Czech Republic.
"I would like to wish my Czech homeland all the best. I have never felt as a foreigner here but I have never felt as an Italian either. What I learnt in my homeland, I have been able to expand abroad with the help of others. I am grateful to my motherland for everything. I wish all Czechs to be able to gain all the best from their own homeland - and have a Blessed Christmas."
SHU bestows honorary Doctor of Theology degree on Italian Cardinal
Nov 30, 2006
Another step towards achieving spiritual unity and understanding was taken by the university when it bestowed an honorary Doctor of Theology degree upon His Eminence, Cardinal Tomas Spidlik, S.J., at a special convocation at the Italian Parliament in Rome, Italy on Nov. 7. Also in his honor, the new Cardinal Spidlik Center for Ecumenical Understanding was established.
(The Spectrum, 11/30/06) Spidlik, who was created a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 21 of 2003, is one of the greatest experts in the spirituality of Eastern Christianity today.
He is a Jesuit priest and scholar who has spent more than 50 years pursuing dialogue and greater union between the Western and Eastern "branches" of Christianity. Spidlik is affiliated with Rome's Centro Aletti, a center for study and research attached to the mission of the Society of Jesus at the Vatican's Pontifical Oriental Institute.
"The outstanding contributions of Cardinal Spidlik to Roman Catholic and Eastern Christian dialogue are an inspiration to all of us who seek greater unity among Christians," Sacred Heart University President Anthony J. Cernera in a press release who attended the event along with other faculty members.
A small group of Trustees and friends also made the trip. This small group of guests from SHU also participated in a mini-pilgrimage to Rome and important sites to both Eastern and Western Christianity.
The university's new center was also named in his honor. The new Cardinal Spidlik Center for Ecumenical Understanding is dedicated to promoting greater religious understanding and cooperation through dialogue, research, education, publications and artistic collaboration among the Western and Eastern Churches.
In the same way that SHU's Center for Christian Jewish Understanding promotes dialogue and understanding among Christian and Jews, the new Cardinal Spidlik Center for Ecumenical Understanding will promote greater understanding among Western and Eastern Christians.
"The new Cardinal Spidlik Center for Ecumenical Understanding will build on these efforts and help to advance the mission of the University by creating opportunities for dialogue in the common search for truth," stated Funda Alp, Director of Communications.
Sacred Heart University was founded over 40 years ago at the dawn of the Second Vatican Council, which ushered in a hopeful new era of dialogue, understanding and reconciliation among Christians.
Spidlik's background includes many achievements. In June of 1955, he defended his doctoral dissertation at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. That year began his university career as a professor of Patristic and Eastern Spiritual Theology at various universities in Rome as well as around the world. He has also been the spiritual director of the Pontifical Nepomuceno Seminary for 38 years and his Sunday homilies in the Czech language have been translated and published in various languages including Polish, Romanian and Italian.
Inauguran Congreso Mundial sobre ejercicios espirituales de San Ignacio
Sept 11, 2006
El Cardenal checo Tomás Spidlik, inauguró el Encuentro Mundial sobre la obra "Ejercicios Espirituales" de San Ignacio de Loyola, evento que se realiza hasta el 26 de agosto en Azpeitia (Guipúzcoa), en el marco del 450° aniversario de la muerte del Padre fundador de la Compañía de Jesús.
(ACIDIGITAL, IBLNEWS, 23/08/2006) En el evento participan cerca de dos centenares de expertos internacionales. En declaraciones a la agencia EFE, el profesor de Espiritualidad de la Universidad de Comillas, Pascual Cebollada, explicó que esta obra, escrita en 1548, es una "generadora de experiencias religiosas desde hace cuatro siglos y medio", que da al hombre diversas formas de encontrar a Dios y conocerse mejor a sí mismo.
El Cardenal Spidlik nació el 17 de diciembre de 1919 en Boskovice, Moravia, en Checoslovaquia (hoy República Checa). Ingresó a la Compañía de Jesús en 1940 durante la ocupación nazi. Se ordenó sacerdote el 22 de agosto de 1949 en Maastrich.
En 1990 el Instituto Bibliográfico Americano de Raleigh, en Carolina del Norte, Estados Unidos, lo eligió "persona más admirada de la década".
Predicó los Ejercicios Espirituales para el Papa y la curia Romana en marzo de 1995. Es consultor de la Congregación para las Causas de los Santos y consultor de la Congregación para los Institutos de Vida Consagrada y las Sociedades de Vida Apostólica. Es un gran escritor y experto en la espiritualidad de la cristiandad oriental.
Fue creado Cardenal en el Consistorio del 21 de octubre de 2003. Debido a que ya había sobrepasado los 80 años de edad, no participó en el cónclave de 2005. Sin embargo, se dirigió a los cardenales en la apertura de éste en la Capilla Sixtina.
We Have not Achieved the Spiritual Unity of Europe
Oct 15, 2004
Although the Czech Republic is one of the most atheist and secular societies in Europe, it is quite well represented in the higher echelons of the Catholic Church. Besides Czech prelate Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, the Jesuit scholar Tomas Spidlik has also been ordained a cardinal, which means that two current members of the sacred college of Rome hail from the Czech Republic. This week, Cardinal Spidlik paid a visit to his homeland for the first time since being ordained in October last year.
(Radio Prague, 26-02-2004) The Czech Republic has had two Catholic cardinals since the ordination of Tomas Spidlik in 2003. This week, Cardinal Spidlik was in the Czech Republic for the first time since then. Ironically, his visit coincided with a spat between the Czech state and the Vatican after President Vaclav Klaus had rejected a draft treaty between Prague and the Holy See. Despite this, Cardinal Spidlik is philosophical about his homeland's relations with the Catholic Church:
"I explained it to our president with a very simple comparison - when two young people get married, I tell them they love one another but that this will pass. I then tell them that they will have difficulties, which will pass also, but that they should never stop speaking to one another. When people keep talking to one another then the issue will be resolved."
Cardinal Spidlik is well known in the Czech Republic from his days as a broadcaster for Vatican Radio during the communist era. He is also a renowned scholar of Eastern spirituality. One of the reasons for his visit was to give a lecture on spirituality in the European Union. This is something Cardinal Spidlik feels is lacking despite closer economic integration:
Europe is unifying economically and politically, but we have not achieved the spiritual unity of Europe. And that is something that we can anticipate, because in 2000 years we have amassed many beautiful things."
Cardinal Spidlik believes that Europe should focus on the ethical ideals that contributed to the continent's development so that it can establish common spiritual values. It could then present these to the rest of the world and use them as a bridge between the East and West.
Despite his own deep religious convictions, Cardinal Spidlik comes from one of the most secular countries in Europe. Although statistics show that a majority of Czechs claim to be atheist, Cardinal Spidlik doubts whether this actually proves that Czechs have really turned their backs on their Christian heritage and embraced modern rationalist values:
"Statistically, it is very relative. For instance, Czechs don't like to say that they are religious, but what they feel in their hearts is another issue. The Czechs are in the centre of Europe. They have always had western German civilization, but their origins are in the east. I always say that they have the German head and the Slavic heart. And when these are not sufficiently in harmony with each other, the consequences are catastrophic. We must find harmony and not be in conflict."
When Theology Becomes Ecumenical Art
Oct 15, 2004
["L'Espresso", December 9, 1999] There are secret Vaticans, and only the pope can show you the most secret one of all. It is in the second loggia of the Apostolic Palace, a few steps away from the Sistine Chapel and Raphael's frescoes. There one finds a door bearing the inscription "Redemptoris Mater," Mother of the Redeemer. For those who enter, it's like eighth heaven.
John Paul II was also enchanted the first time he visited it, on November 14, 1999. He exclaimed, "But these are visions from Revelation."
These marvels are accessible only to the pope's most intimate guests, those he invites to his morning Mass. This is because "Redemptoris Mater" is the name of the pope's second private chapel, the larger of the two, the one in which he celebrates morning Mass once or twice a week, when his guests number a few dozen and cannot fit into the other chapel.
Up until 1996, the chapel was an anonymous rectangular room, with tapestries on the wall. But then came the astonishing metamorphosis. The cardinals had donated a sum of money to the pope for the fiftieth anniversary of his priestly ordination, and the pope decided to spend it for the complete remodeling of the chapel. He had a dream in mind: to create a monument of art and faith in the Vatican that would be a symbol of the union between the East and the West, between Byzantium and Rome. And to whom would he entrust the realization of his dream? To two Jesuits who had done more than a little to set it aflame.
The first, Tomas Spidlik, from Moravia, had been his Lenten preacher in 1995, and is a front-ranking scholar of Eastern theology. The second, Marko Ivan Rupnik, from Zadlog in Slovenia, is also a theologian who looks to the East, but he is, in the first place, an artist. He directs the Ezio Aletti Study and Research Center, in a small building near the basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, a meeting place for scholars and artists from Eastern and Western Europe. In 1993, John Paul II had expressed admiration for two of his paintings, remarkable for their equilibrium between Byzantine iconography and ancient and modern Western art.
Rupnik was at the time already a painter of genius. But he had never tried decorating the 600 square meters of a church with mosaics. He transfered his studio to within the four walls of the Vatican chapel and created something like a medieval workshop, with male and female assistants who had come from central Europe and had been trained at the Aletti Center. He called in other artists as a sort of chorus, enlisting a Russian Orthodox, Alexander Kornoukhov, to paint the heavenly Jerusalem in a pure Eastern style, ancient and dreamy, behind the altar; and a mosaic artist from Spilimbergo, Rino Pastorutti, to create the arched vault, with the icon of Christ the Pantokrator – but everything followed the outline of the unifying vision conceived by Rupnik and his master Spidlik.
They even took their working methods from the old workshop. They used tiles hand-cut one by one, millions of them, even bringing them from distant places, from Val Camonica, from the Julian Alps, from rivers and beaches, including pebbles and seashells. They used enamel made in Spilimbergo and Venetian gold and gold leaf. They wanted to make the stones speak in their natural striations and tonalities as well, and in their various dimensions, from two millimeters to twenty-five centimeters.
And what a visionary explosion meets the eye in the three mosaic walls that Rupnik not only designed, but also executed personally! Nothing interrupts the "continuum" of shapes and colors – red, blue, gold, ivory – all setting the stage for the story of the Son of God who comes down among men so that men may return to the Father, arriving at the transfiguring fulfillment of all in the second coming of Christ and in the final resurrection of the body. The vision is pure and rarefied theology. But there is nothing like the biblical story to render it concrete, vibrant, and lively.
On the wall that features the descent of God, the Nativity is a delicate burial of the divine infant in a shroud of swaddling clothes and in the tomb of a crib, a prophecy of his death burial. And the baptism in the Jordan shows Jesus, posed as if upon the cross, being immersed in the watery abyss of human sin. The scene proceeds to the descent among the dead, but which is also the resurrection of Jesus, and with him of Adam and Eve and the forerunners, brought forth from the kingdom of death, with all the tombs uncovered by the earthquake made by the Risen One. Eve is making the same movement as she did when she plucked the fruit of death in Eden, but now her hands reach out to caress the hand of Christ.
Everything around this descent of God into the world is a whirl of flaming petals, the cosmic flower that the Risen One brings to bloom. And there are images of the salvation that comes to every sinner. Jesus sits at table with them, intent upon the sinful woman who is anointing his feet with perfume. He himself washes the feet of the disciples. He sets the table for the pagan woman who asked him only for the crumbs. On the cross, he reveals himself as the Son of God to the centurion, also a foreigner, faceless like all outcasts, but watched, recognized, and loved by Mary.
The front wall shows the return of man to God. This is also a great blaze of light and form, the Pentecostal rain of fire that covers the earth and makes it bloom. Joachim and Anne seem almost to dance as they are drawn by God into a whirlpool of nuptial love. The Good Samaritan and the wounded man (see photo) now have the same face, and a single halo encircles them. The drops of flame return to God through martyrdom: that of St. Paul and that of the Jewish Edith Stein, with the barbed wire of Auschwitz wrapped around the burning bush, the symbol of Moses and of monasticism.
But the most moving section of all is the entrance wall, which depicts the last times. The figure of Christ the Judge leaps to the fore of the rose-hued heavenly gyre as the priest of the eternal liturgy of paradise, with Adam and Eve, who find again the tree of life – lost to them in primeval Eden – in the cross that graces the ethereal altar. And surrounding the Christ of the end times is the flow of the penultimate times, recapitulated in him. Moses parts the Red Sea. Noah in the ark saves the animals from the flood. Jonah is there with the giant whale that plunges into the waves after casting him back up into life. There are the ranks of martyrs with their names written in the language of each one, both Catholics and those of other confessions, like the Lutheran Elizabeth von Tadden, killed by the Nazis, or the Orthodox Pavel Floreskij, a victim of the Soviets. And then there are the resurrected who lack a name and fame, but are now all marked by the "tau" of salvation, in a land gleaming with sunlight: a child with a ball, a painter with his palette, an engineer with a computer. In one corner, John Paul II emerges with a model of the church in his hand: a worthy commissioner.
At the bottom of the corner opposite that of the flood is the Last Judgment. But where are the damned? The archangel Michael leans with his hand on the scale to give more weight to good works. And only one black demon is falling into the red stain of the abyss. Farther down there is a curtain. It's impossible to see who's back there. Are there one hundred thousand of them? Just one? Nobody? Christ is Judge insofar as he is Savior: the Savior of those who reach for his proferred hand. Regarding those who refuse the offer there are only silence and mystery. More than just an artistic milestone, this amazing mosaic is a great theological masterpiece.
"España es grande en todo, también en el número de los mártires por la fe en Cristo"
Cardinal Spidlik on the significance of Christmas