Le Pape salue la «vie exemplaire» de Mgr Schotte
Jan 16, 2005
Nul n'est prophète en son pays. Alors que la mort du cardinal Pieter Jan Schotte passe, pour ainsi dire, inaperçue en Belgique, le pape Jean-Paul II a adressé, mardi, un message aux proches du défunt pour souligner combien il avait apprécié «le service généreux» de son collaborateur dont il souligna aussi «la grande attention aux questions sociales en pleine fidélité à l'Evangile».
(La Libre Belgique, 12/01/2005) Mgr Schotte que le Pape avait fait cardinal en 1994 était un proche collaborateur de Jean-Paul II qui put apprécier son action à la tête du Synode des évêques. Un secrétaire général particulièrement dynamique chargé de traduire concrètement dans les faits les décisions du concile, fût-ce vingt ans après la clôture des travaux mais il est vrai que l'Eglise a l'éternité devant elle! Reste que ce Ouest-Flamand allait s'acquitter avec beaucoup de détermination de sa tâche tout en se voyant entre temps confier d'autres tâches comme la direction du Bureau du travail du Vatican. Une certitude: Mgr Schotte après avoir reçu la barrette de cardinal avait été souvent cité comme un successeur potentiel du Pape mais ses chances diminuèrent de manière inversement proportionnelle au poids des ans. Lorsqu'on interpellait le cardinal sur ce point, il esquivait la question, s'estimant peu armé pour affronter pareille tâche mais il n'était certainement pas «sans biscuits», avec une expérience de diplomate du Saint-Siège (qui l'avait approché déjà sous Paul VI) qui avait aussi pris pied dans diverses congrégations.
Un indice non négligeable de cette réputation nullement flattée: ce vendredi, ses funérailles seront célébrées à la basilique Saint-Pierre en présence du Pape en personne alors que la messe sera présidée par le cardinal Ratzinger.
Par ailleurs, on a également appris le décès d'un autre Belge actif à Rome: Mgr Werner Quintens qui y dirigea le Collège belge pendant un quart de siècle tout en étant jusqu'en 2003, conseiller ecclésiastique à l'ambassade belge près le Saint-Siège est mort lundi à Ostende.
A noter que la disparition du cardinal Schotte ramène le collège des cardinaux électeurs à 120, soit le minimum pour élire un nouveau Pape.
The role of bishops in the Church and in the world
Jan 16, 2005
Two years after the gathering of representatives of the world’s Catholic bishops in Rome, the Pope used the twenty-fifth anniversary of his election last week to promulgate its conclusions – an exhortation on the role of the bishop, the “servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the hope of the world”. The main interest of Pastores Gregis is how it deals with objections to Roman centralisation. It does so by declaring the concept of subsidiarity to be a dead letter when applied to the Church.
(The Tablet, 25 October 2003) The Pope’s signing of the post-synodal apostolic exhortation in a solemn ceremony before his assembled cardinals and bishops was the first act of the jubilee celebrations on 16 October, Austen Ivereigh reports from Rome. The 195-page document was a search for the “ideal model of a bishop”, Cardinal Jan Schotte, secretary general of the synod of bishops, explained at a press conference the following day. Secular society “tends to impose on the Church its own norms and models”, he said, picturing the bishop as a manager, an administrator, or executive. But “the only model applicable to the bishop is that of Jesus as the Good Shepherd”, he said.
Some 175 delegates of bishops’ conferences spent a month in 2001 deliberating over the results of a preceding consultation with the universal Church. The result was a summary report, or relatio, to which the Pope had now replied, said Cardinal Schotte, adding: “I can say that this is perhaps the best synod I have attended – without tensions, very open, with a deep discussion of all aspects.”
But journalists who covered the 2001 synod recall the countless appeals by bishops, many of them heartfelt, for greater understanding by the Vatican of local conditions and challenges and for respect of the bishop’s local authority. About a quarter of the delegates had raised the matter of Roman centralisation. They asked why the Catholic social principle of subsidiarity did not apply to the governance of the Church. Dismayed at finding these appeals ignored in the relatio, many of the bishops bypassed the official summaries by handing reporters the full texts of their speeches in an attempt to get the matter aired.
They are unlikely to be happy with section 56 of Pastores Gregis, which meets the complaint by dismissing the terms in which it is framed. It reads: “The synod fathers considered that, as far as the exercise of episcopal authority is concerned, the concept of subsidiarity has proved ambiguous and they called for a deeper theological investigation of the nature of episcopal authority in the light of the principle of communion.”
Asked to explain, Cardinal Schotte said subsidiarity was “an old cow we have met on many railway tracks”. The question of its application to church governance had been aired at the 1967 synod, repeated at that of 1974, and again in 1985 by bishops from Latin America, he recalled. But the conclusion of recent study by experts had reached a “very negative” conclusion: subsidiarity was a principle of Catholic social teaching relevant to civil society in which sovereignty rests ultimately with the people. “But this is to follow a model which is not that of the Church”, he said. “In the Church everything comes from Christ and not from popular sovereignty.” He added: “I think that the debate should be considered closed.”
The synod held from 27 September to 26 October 2001 had occurred six years after the previous one – ordinary synods are supposed to happen every three – because the jubilee of 2000 had intervened, Cardinal Schotte explained. It was the twentieth since 1965, when Pope Paul VI established the synods; they were a regular feature of the early Church. Paul VI’s vision was for one synod every two years, but after bishops complained that this was too many, Pope John Paul had reduced their frequency to one every three years. Since 1967, the first of the modern synods, there has overall been more than one every 2.5 years.
Taiwan: Catholics Committed in Evangelization of Mainland China
Jan 16, 2005
The Catholic Church in Taiwan is committing herself to be a bridge for the evangelization of mainland China, highlighted this week Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte, Secretary general of the Synod of Bishops. In declarations to Fides during his trip to Taiwan, Cardinal Schotte said that Church in the island "welcomed the mandate issued by the Pope in 1984. It is giving serious attention to his call to be a bridge between the universal Church and the Church in mainland China, today a martyr Church."
(dailycatholic, January 31, 2001) The Cardinal stressed that this is being achieved "not so much through great projects and programs in China, but rather through 'normal' contact with Chinese Catholics." "For example" he explained, "contact between families, between priests, or religious, whose acquaintance was made either before the separation or after. Also through exchange of teachers and religious who go to mainland China to give formation courses or updating conferences." This approach, he emphasized, "makes use of every opportunity to demonstrate genuine concern for the Church in mainland China. This sort of approach can step over the limits set by Beijing's 'official' attitude towards the Church and the Holy See."
Regarding the reality of the Church in Taiwan, Cardinal Schotte noted that the island has "one of the most developed societies in the Far East. Progress means ever higher standards of living and here lies the challenge to the Church in Taiwan, pastoral work must be adapted to meet the changing times." "The Church" he said, "must develop new pastoral activity in towns and parishes to help people discover the religious dimension of life, and not to be content with reaching only material wellbeing."
Sister named to high-level Vatican post
Jan 16, 2005
In a historic breakthrough, a woman has been named to one of the top three positions in a congregation, the most powerful type of Vatican office. The move could defy conventional wisdom under John Paul II that because congregations exercise ecclesiastical power in the name of the pope, their top officials must be clergy.
(National Catholic Reporter, May 7, 2004) Rome - Vatican-watchers say the appointment could also have broad implications for the role of women in the church, especially taken in tandem with other recent "firsts"--the appointment of two women to the International Theological Commission and a woman to head a pontifical academy.
On April 24, John Paul II named Salesian Sr. Enrica Rosanna, a 65-year-old Italian, as undersecretary of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life. The office is commonly known as the "Congregation for Religious," and it has responsibility for the 140,000 religious order priests in the world, 55,000 brothers and 800,000 sisters.
Among other things, Rosanna will now have authority over a staff of 30, including some 15 priests. Rosanna told NCR April 25 that she hopes to bring "a distinctively feminine way of seeing things" to her work.
The Roman curia is composed of three types of offices: congregations, tribunals and councils. Because the congregations exercise what is known as "jurisdiction," meaning the power to issue binding decisions that draw upon the pope's own delegated authority, they have long been regarded as "first among equals" in the Vatican. Each has three superiors: the prefect (a cardinal), a secretary (usually an archbishop), and at least one undersecretary (usually a monsignor).
The extent to which positions that exercise jurisdiction are open to lay people is a debated point.
As recently as last June, a senior Vatican official told NCR that he did not believe women could hold "management" positions in the Roman curia.
"Right now the dicasteries have jurisdiction, and so they participate in episcopal authority. We're a hierarchical organization and power comes from ordination. So for now, there cannot be a woman," said Belgian Cardinal Jan Schotte, at the time head of the Synod. "If the job is redefined, you could have a woman, but then it would not be the same dicastery as we think of now when people say there should be a woman."
Rosanna's nomination comes on the heels of the March 6 appointments of American Sr. Sara Butler of the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity, and German laywoman Barbara Hallensleben to the International Theological Commission, plus the March 9 nomination of Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon as president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. In both cases, it was the first time women have been selected for those roles.
Kardinal Schotte prägte die Kirche
Jan 15, 2005
Zwei Jahrzehnte lang gehörte der, wie gestern gemeldet, verstorbene Kardinal Jan Pieter Schotte zu den prägenden Persönlichkeiten der katholischen Kirche. Als Generalsekretär der Bischofssynode koordinierte der belgische Priester von 1985 bis Februar 2004 die Institution, die vom Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzil als Organ der kirchlichen Kollegialität eingerichtet wurde, die - freilich nur beratend - die Kirchenleitung auf eine breitere Basis stellen sollte. Erstes Projekt des Scheut-Missionars Schottes war im Herbst 1985 die außerordentliche Bischofssynode anlässlich »20 Jahre Konzilsende«.
(kna, 11-1-2005) Zuvor hatte sich der joviale Belgier als Sekretär im Sozialministerium einen Namen gemacht. Und bis zu seinem letzten Tag leitete er das delikate vatikanische Arbeitsbüro, das für alle arbeitsrechtlichen Fragen der Vatikanangestellten zuständig ist.
Zu den ordentlichen Bischofssynoden und den Sondersynoden - etwa für die Niederlande, den Libanon oder die Ukraine - traten in den 90er Jahren etliche Kontinentalsynoden. Den Anfang machte 1994 das Bischofstreffen für Afrika, es folgten Amerika, Asien und Ozeanien und Europa. Eine erste Sondersynode für Europa gab es bereits 1991, die - nach Ansicht mancher Beobachter zu spät - die jahrzehntelang getrennten und mit dem Fall der Mauer wieder vereinten Kirchen von Ost und West zusammenführen sollte.
Im Laufe der vielen Synoden entwickelte und perfektionierte Schotte dabei ein ausgeklügeltes System - was die Teilnehmerstruktur sowie den Ablauf betrifft.
Nach einem ausgefeilten Kriterienkatalog versuchte er möglichst viele offizielle kirchlichen Gruppen und Interessen in die Synode einzubinden.
Kritik wurde freilich laut, die Synode lasse im Plenum nur Statements und Monologe zu, aber keine unmittelbare Diskussion.
Allerdings überzeugte Schotte seine Kritiker stets mit der Gegenfrage. Angesichts der begrenzten Zeit, der Teilnehmerzahl und der geltenden Statuten fand sich bislang keine vernünftige Alternative.
The Faith is not Being Transmitted
Jan 11, 2005
Even before the European bishops began their deliberations, the Secretary General of the Synod, Cardinal Jan Schotte, had told reporters that the most pressing concerns for the Church in Europe “are not political or social, but involve the need for a new evangelization of the continent.”
(CWR, November 1999) Rome - Speaking to reporters in Rome on September 30, Cardinal Schotte said that the European bishops must confront the reality that many Catholics have lost their “understanding of the faith.”
“We know very well that many Catholics are not going to Mass every Sunday,” the Belgian cardinal said. “The faith is not being transmitted, as it once was, through the families, the schools, and the parishes.” Cardinal Schotte concluded that the fundamental challenge now facing the Church on the continent is a plain one: “Since we no longer have a Christian culture in Europe, we must find new ways to pass on the faith.”
That Blessed Rage for Order
Jan 11, 2005
For one thing, Belgian Cardinal Jan Schotte, the man who runs the synod, suffers from that “blessed rage for order” described by poet Wallace Stevens.
(NCR, October 19, 2001) Rome - For one thing, Belgian Cardinal Jan Schotte, the man who runs the synod of bishops, suffers from that “blessed rage for order” described by poet Wallace Stevens. He is, in other words, a bit of a control freak. He said not long ago, in response to a question from Newsweek’s Bob Kaiser, that the Catholic church has no more obligation to open its meetings to the public than the Coca-Cola Corporation.
Schotte has argued that bishops from politically delicate spots need the protection of secrecy. Fine — close the doors for their talks, but let us in for the rest.
But it would be unfair to make Schotte the fall guy, because I think something more fundamental is afoot. I believe the church is experiencing an evolutionary shift. It lived for centuries out of the psychology of empire, in which accountability was to God and the prince. It now finds itself struggling to adapt to democratic culture. In fits and starts, the transition is happening; for all its imperfections, the very existence of the synod is a sign of headway. This is a historical process, however, that resists being rushed.
After 150 Years
Jan 11, 2005
Homily by Jan Pieter Cardinal Schotte, C.I.C.M., Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Washington, D.C.8 December 2004.
Your Eminences,
Your Excellencies,
My brothers in the priesthood,
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
It is certainly an honor and a privilege to stand here before you as the Special Envoy of His Holiness Pope John Paul II and to preside in His name at this concluding celebration of the Marian Year proclaimed by the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Today we are united here to give glory to God for the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary.
I wish to reiterate here before you the gratitude of our Holy Father to the Cardinal Archbishop of Washington, his Eminence Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, to the Rector of the Shrine, Reverend Monsignor Michael Bransfield, and to all the Members of the Board of Directors of the National Shrine for having taken the initiative to honor this special anniversary in a very particular way.
As the Holy Father recalled, the Church in the United States, in 1846, elected Mary as the Patron of the Nation under the title of the Immaculate Conception, and crowned this choice with the building of this splendid Basilica, with the help of the generous gifts of all the faithful and in a special way of the order of the Knights of Columbus. In doing so, they not only erected a sterling testimonial of their devotion to the Blessed Mother, but they also committed the Catholic Church in the United State of America to cherish and to practice an unwavering devotion to Mary for all times to come.
Today, it is a special joy for me to find myself here in front of this beautiful audience of Catholic faithful gathered in this House of God to manifest your faith in the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
You are present here to give thanks to God and to the Church for the proclamation of this dogma. But your presence is also a testimony to your willingness to accept the obligation of an enduring Marian devotion which the Hierarchy in 1846 assumed in your name. Some will ask: could they do it? Yes, they could and they did. In doing so they expressed their total trust in the fidelity to their catholic identity of the future generations of Catholics in the United States. They had no doubt that the baptized Catholics would honor their baptism in their lives, that they would accept the basic truths of the Catholic faith as proposed in the dogmas, the teachings of the Holy Father and the Magisterium. They did not entertain the thought that Catholics could become: "pick and choose" believers who would call themselves faithful Roman Catholics but who personally would reject some of the basic truths of our faith. You, Catholics of today, continue to be the bearers of this obligation in the present time.
May I also recall that the Community gathered here extends to many thousands more who are able to participate in our celebration thanks to the television and radio broadcast from this Basilica. Our thoughts go to the many sick people, the shut-ins, the elderly and the suffering who in their homes are united with us in the manifestation of our Marian devotion. To them I say that the Holy Father, in his present condition of suffering and physical impairment, is more than ever profoundly united with all of them. He is a tower of strength and an example for all of us but especially for those who suffer.
It is fitting that we recall here the many manifestations of the Holy Father’s convinced and radiant Marian devotion. This same morning, he presided in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome a concelebration with the Cardinals on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in union with similar celebration in many other parts of the world.
Our Blessed Mother, as we know, takes a special place in the faith and spirituality of our Holy Father. At his election, now more than 25 years ago, against the advice of the specialists in heraldry, he insisted in placing in his coat of arms the letter M for Mary, and choose as his motto "Totus tuus", to give a clear indication of his trust in our heavenly mother. In the first years of his pontificate, he gave us the encyclical "The Mother of the Redeemer" in which he emphasized that the ultimate sense of Marian devotion is to bring us closer to our Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to share with you a special personal memory that I find very revealing. It was in 1980, in Nairobi, during the first apostolic visit to Africa. At the end of the day, when we arrived at the residence for dinner, we were three hours late on the program and the bishops of Kenya were waiting for their audience with the Holy Father. The Staff were waging the Holy Father to shorten his address to the bishops. Instead the Holy Father decided on another course. He told the bishops: "since we have not much time left, let us first go to the Chapel and recite the Rosary together"; and so they did: the rosary, the Holy Father's address in full, and a few minutes with each bishop separately for a photo opportunity. We sat at table at 11.00 p.m. for supper. Nobody complained for all understood how strongly the Holy Father believes in the power of the rosary.
In today's gospel reading, we are reminded of the true foundation of the Church's devotion for Mary: she accepted, on faith, to become the mother of the Redeemer. This, her special vocation, demanded that she was made worthy of such exceptional honor. By the grace of God, she was conceived without sin: Mary, even virgin, accepted to become the mother of God.
Such has been the constant faith of the Church throughout the centuries. It was fitting therefore that this belief, so deeply grounded in the faith of Christians, be solemnly proclaimed by the Church. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary thus became the coronation of every Catholic's Marian devotion and so it remains today, for every one of us.
Dear brothers and sisters, today we should revive and strengthen our resolve to be faithful and to express unabashedly, our acceptance of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. It belongs to our catholic faith; it is an essential part of our Catholic identity. We cannot call ourselves true sons and daughters of the Catholic Church if we do not commit ourselves to a true devotion to the Blessed Mother. This is true for each one of us personally, but also for our families, our parishes and dioceses. Maybe, in recent decades, through a wrong interpretation of the teaching recalled in the documents of Vatican II, Marian devotion has not always been assigned the place it deserves. The time has come to revert this course. Each Catholic, each parish and each diocese must ask what can be done, through practical initiatives, to make the Marian devotion flourish again in our Catholic Church. Our pastors have a special responsibility in guiding and encouraging, with timely initiatives, the devotion to Mary of all the faithful. Our Catholic identity demands nothing less.
In the course of the celebration of the Marian Year in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, so many wonderful events have taken place and we cannot but be profoundly grateful for what has been achieved. This closing ceremony should not be the end. We must turn it into a new beginning for an enhanced role for our Marian devotion and for giving this National Shrine an enhanced role in the life of the Church in the United States. The National Shrine should become a focal point for the expression of the devotion to our Blessed Mother.
I feel bold enough, as Special Envoy of the Holy Father, to address a solemn invitation to all Catholics: come to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception as pilgrims, come numerous, come frequently, come with your families and with your parishes.
In so many countries, pilgrimages visit with regularity and in large numbers, the major shrines dedicated to our Blessed Mother. The National Shrine in Washington, D.C. must become a similar place that attracts the Catholic pilgrims of this Nation. Come to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Our Mother Mary will bless you, your families, your parishes.
So be it.
Synode des Evêques: Un "message d´espérance pour le monde"
Jan 11, 2005
Comment s´élabore cet "Instrumentum"? Le processus synodal: "Aucun synode n´est une île"
CITE DU VATICAN, Vendredi 1er juin 2001(ZENIT.org) - Le processus synodal implique une étroite concertation et plusieurs consultations des évêques du monde entier pendant plusieurs années, avant même le commencement des débats: . Mais aussi, les synodes s'enrichissent au fur et à mesure des assemblées précédentes: "Aucun synode n'est une île", explique le cardinal Schotte.
Pour ce qui est du prochain synode, Tertio millennio indiquait le projet des synodes pour préparer le Jubilé, rappelle le cardinal Schotte. Ils ont en effet eu lieu: Afrique 1994, Liban 1995, Amérique 1997, Asie et Océanie 1998, Europe - n°2 - 1999. Ce sont des synodes "spéciaux".
Les synodes "ordinaires", se tiennent normalement tous les 3 ans. Or, le synode sur l'évêque a été reporté en raison des synodes continentaux et des célébrations jubilaires. Il était impossible de le situer en octobre 2000, avec le succès croissant du Jubilé et de la charge de l'agenda du pape qui n'aurait pas pu être présent au synode.
Auparavant, d'autres synodes ordinaires se sont tenus autour du charisme d'autres composantes du peuple de Dieu: Laïcs 1987, Formation sacerdotale 1990, Vie consacrée 1994. "Maintenant, il s'agit de parler de nous mêmes", constatent les évêques.
Ce report à 2001 permet deux choses, explique le cardinal Schotte:
- intégrer l'expérience des synodes continentaux
- et l'expérience du Jubilé (à Rome et dans les Eglises locales)
En effet, le cardinal Schotte fait remarque qu'"aucun synode ne peut faire abstraction des autres… Aucun synode n'est une île dans un processus limité à un seul thème. Ils appartiennent à une réflexion continuelle de l'Eglise. Ils se complètent, s'aident mutuellement".
Le processus synodal, explique l'orateur, est une forme "d' "auto-consultation" des évêques, en toute liberté". La dynamique synodale commence, explique-t-il, avec les propositions de thèmes: un dialogue est en route dès ce moment-là. La recherche du thème suppose ce premier processus de consultation des conférences épiscopales, de la curie, des patriarcats. Il doit permettre de dégager un consensus sur 3 thèmes par ordre de préférence, chaque proposition devant s'accompagner d'une motivation du choix proposé. Après cette consultation, le thème est choisi par le pape: jusqu'ici il a toujours correspondu au thème le plus demandé par les évêques
Le synode entre dans la première phase de rédaction, des "lineamenta" rassemblent une première fois les réflexions des évêques sur le thème choisi: comment l'aborder, que proposer? Et c'est à partir de ces réponses que le secrétariat du synode élabore "l'Instrumentum laboris". Il représente donc "une réflexion ordonnée à partir de ce que les conférences épiscopales ont communiqué", conclut le cardinal Schotte.
Mais le processus de consultation et d'écoute se poursuit pendant le synode lui-même: "les interventions en salle par les évêques sont faites en toute liberté", insiste le Secrétaire général. Il se poursuit également dans les discussions en groupe, lors du vote final sur les propositions à présenter au pape et l'élaboration du message.
"En tout, il y a 8 moments, continue le cardinal, où les évêques peuvent exprimer leur point de vue, depuis le choix du thème jusqu'au résultat final, confié au Secrétariat du synode qui présente un texte au pape pour son exhortation post-synodale".
Le cardinal Schotte et le secrétariat sont aidés actuellement de 8 conseils d'évêques: une centaine en tout, en dialogue permanent, grâce à de réunions périodiques, et ces réunions s'accompagnent, dit-il d'une "interrogation permanente sur les procédures comme sur les contenus".
Concrètement, pour le synode qui nus occupe, le cardinal Schotte note que la consultation a obtenu 56,75 % de réponse, ce qui est inférieur à l'habitude. Pourquoi? Essentiellement, remarque le cardinal, en raison de l'écart dans le temps entre deux synodes (7 ans, "les évêques ont eu trop de temps"!), des engagements jubilaires, et du renouvellement des conférences épiscopales. S'il y a eu "une certaine inertie".
En guise de comparaison, la préparation du synode pour la Famille (1980) avait obtenu 50 % de réponses, pour le sacrement de Pénitence (1983) 42 %, pour les Laïcs 59 %, la Vie consacrée, 68 % et les Prêtres 63 %.
Mais cette consultation reflète cependant bien l'ensemble du paysage ecclésial, ajoute le cardinal, parce que les réponses représentent tous les continents et tous les types de conférences, de celles de 300 évêques (disposant d'un "staff" de 500 personnes, et de bâtiments onéreux) à celle comprenant un seul évêque.
"Nous avons examiné le tout, comme représentatif de la pensée des évêques du monde, lors des réunions du Conseil du synode pour établir les lineamenta", explique encore le cardinal Schotte. Les lineamenta ont ensuite été retournés aux évêques, ont été bien accueillis , ont été utilisés par les conférences épiscopales, même pour des sessions. Et le même schéma a été maintenu pour l'Instrumentum (sauf l'insertion du ch. II).
Les synodes et l´information: les "paramètres"
Jan 11, 2005
Pour "le respect de la totale liberté de l´évêque". L'information, au cours du synode, repose sur des paramètres précis et offre des rendez-vous réguliers avec la presse, expliquait ce matin le cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte.
CITE DU VATICAN, Vendredi 1er juin 2001 (ZENIT.org) - Les paramètres dont il faut tenir compte, expliquait le Secrétaire général du synode, sont au nombre de deux. D'une part le "respect du but du synode", c'est-à-dire que les évêques puissent effectivement exprimer leur avis devant pape et de leurs confrères sur le sujet de leur choix. D'autre part, le respect de la totale liberté de l'évêque, dans le choix de ce qu'il veut dire au pape et à ses confrères.
"Ces deux éléments, précisent le cardinal Schotte, se sont pas discutables, il faut les garantir. Il existe une zone à protéger pour préserver la liberté de parole de chacun".
Or, le cardinal explique que plusieurs formules ont été essayées par le passé. Au début, on communiquait effectivement les textes des interventions à la presse. Mais des évêques ont protesté, en disant: "si tout ce que je veux dire au pape devient public, alors je ne parle pas". Ce qui a fait adopter la formule de la présentation de résumés à la presse.
Là encore, des évêques ont protesté, explique le cardinal. Tel ou tel disait: "Ce n'est pas là-dessus que je voulais insister, je n'ai pas dit cela"… C'est alors qu'il a été demandé aux intervenants de fournir eux-mêmes un résumé pour la presse. "Ils décident eux-mêmes de ce qu'ils veulent donner à la presse, ce qui garantit la liberté de chacun, surtout al liberté de parler dans la salle du synode".
Le droit à l'information", ainsi, n'est "pas un droit absolu à tout", s'exclame le cardinal en prenant deux exemples tirés du monde politique et de l'économie: Il n'existe pas de transmission en direct du conseil des ministres ou du conseil d'administration de … (une grande compagnie de boisson pétillante internationale, qui n'est pas Orangina), même si le sort de milliers de gens en dépend dans différents pays.
Quels sont les éléments d'information dont dispose la presse, et qui est donc accessible aux fidèles et au monde? Tout d'abord, 2 ou 3 conférences de presse, avant et au cours du synode, par des évêques différents à chaque fois, et qui ont toute liberté de choix pour leurs interventions. Il y a des "points presse" quotidiens en différentes langues, les bulletins quotidiens de la salle de presse avec les résumés, et les publications sur le site Internet du Vatican.
Cardinal Schotte urges fidelity, reverence for Eucharist
Jan 11, 2005
Throngs of Catholics celebrated the Vigil Mass of Corpus Christi at the America's Center in St. Louis, and marched in a mile-long Eucharistic procession to the Gateway Arch during a Eucharistic Congress on June 15-16. About 32,000 people participated in the events of the Congress, which commemorated the one-hundredth anniversary of a similar event in Saint Louis.
(Adoremus Bulletin, July-August 2001) Cardinal Schotte, in his keynote address, described how Christ's presence in the Eucharist had influenced his life since he was a boy living in Belgium. He recounted that during World War II, he was instructed to carry the Eucharist from his village church (which Allied troops had to destroy as a security measure) to another church nearby. That event marked a significant development in his appreciation for the Eucharist, he said.
The Cardinal also observed how Church architecture can affect a Catholic's faith in the Real Presence -- for better or for worse. He recounted a visit to a Wisconsin church that had been built in 1846. What he found inside the majestic brick walls of the church disturbed him:
"[There was] no altar ... no crucifix ... I thought I had walked into a Protestant church", Cardinal Schotte said. He also lamented that the tabernacle of the church had been removed from view and that the pews and kneelers had been ripped out of the church, replaced by common folding chairs. The "altar", which was in the nave -- and not the front -- of the church, resembled a "dining room table", the cardinal said.
Cardinal Schotte reminded the audience that Catholics are not free to invent their own understandings of the Eucharist but must conform to the Church's teaching on the Real Presence. He also stated that the faithful need constant reminders of Christ's Presence in the Eucharist, which is why the tabernacle should be directly behind the altar, in plain public view, he stressed.
"It is not that we are lacking documents ... but what we need is to be reminded perpetually, constantly of this great mystery", said the cardinal.
He challenged the congregation to confront nagging problems hindering the Church in America, such as indifference toward the Faith, "cafeteria Catholicism", and lack of respect for Christ's Real Presence.
Cardinal Schotte also urged the customary practice of kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, observing that contemporary liturgical innovations that downplay kneeling have damaged the faith of Catholic youth.
"If you want to have a true relation to God, you have to go down on your knees before God", he said; and added that "we have to go through the gesture of kneeling" in order fully to appreciate Christ's Presence in the Eucharist.
Cardinal Schotte called for a re-discovery of traditional Eucharistic piety, saying that "in a certain way we have walked through a desert for the last ten years". He praised Archbishop Rigali for promoting Eucharistic Adoration in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis and encouraged those present to make the Eucharist the "source and summit of Christian life" (cf. Lumen Gentium, 11).
The Solemn Mass on Saturday evening began with a procession of young men considering priestly vocations and the seminarians, deacons and priests of the archdiocese.
Cardinal Schotte was the principal celebrant at the Mass, with Archbishop Rigali, Bishop Braxton, and other bishops and clergy concelebrating. The petitions for the prayers of the faithful were read in several languages, including Korean and Tagalog. The Archdiocesan choir chanted Lauda Sion, and sang Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, and a Handel Offertory hymn.
In his homily, Cardinal Schotte encouraged the faithful to receive communion and to adore the Eucharist frequently, in order to recognize "our littleness" before God, who humbles Himself in the Sacrament of the Altar.
The priests and deacons administered Communion. As at the 1999 Papal Visit, bearers of gold and white umbrellas accompanied the Blessed Sacrament during Communion. An Apostolic Blessing, given to the people by Cardinal Schotte in the name of the Holy Father, concluded the Mass.
In a later interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinal Schotte said that he was encouraged and impressed with what he witnessed during the Congress.
"After Vatican II, there was such a shift in emphasis to the Mass", he observed. "Now, there is more interest in other devotions like Eucharistic Adoration, Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist -- and it is coming from young people".
Cardinal Schotte Reflect on European Synod 1999
Jan 11, 2005
FIDES spoke with Cardinal Jan Schotte, the secretary general for the Synod of Bishops, Oct. 26, 1999
SCHOTTE: This Synod for Europe impressed me most for the progress which the bishops of the East and West have made in collegiality. At the first special assembly for Europe (1991) the bishops from the East were obviously afraid of being colonized by those of the West. They were afraid of groups arriving with heavy artillery and ordering them how to organize their Church. Now this fear has disappeared. This is thanks to greater contact and exchange between bishops from both sides of Europe. In this Synod we saw collaboration between people at an equal standing, with the same concerns, the same problems. And the work achieved is precisely the fruit of this collegiality.
FIDES: Some say the structure of the Synod is obsolete
SCHOTTE: How can a structure which has only had 16 assemblies be obsolete? On the contrary, we are still experimenting, so as to progress in collegiality. Authentic collegiality at the universal level must be found through the Synod since it is the Church's only truly universal structure.
Remarks about the Synod being obsolete can only come from those who apply models of civil society to the Church. They see it as a sort of parliament, which elects its representatives, who vote in turn for other higher representatives, and so on. Whereas here at the Synod, everything begins with the bishops and their ordination. This makes the Synod a sacramental institution.
The Procedure Does not Leave Room for 'Prime Donne'
Jan 11, 2005
Transmitting the faith in a religiously illiterate culture is the challenge facing the Synod of Bishops, says the assembly's secretary-general.
VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 30, 2001 (Zenit.org).- Belgian Cardinal Jan Schotte told reporters Saturday, "The assembly's question will be, What kind of bishop does the Church need in the third millennium?"
"The role of the bishop must be seen in relation to Jesus Christ," he said. "To be his servant does not mean to be at the service of society, but at the service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and in this way, by definition, the bishop becomes an evangelizer - all this for the hope of the world."
To illustrate this message, Cardinal Schotte mentioned the case of Cardinal Edward Michael Egan, archbishop of New York, who, 10 minutes after the Sept. 11 attacks on the Twin Towers, went to the scene of the tragedy to administer the sacraments and be with the people.
Cardinal Schotte emphasized that it is important that in the synod, which opened today, every bishop "express himself and speak about the work of his diocese." He said that 213 of the 247 bishops present head dioceses.
According to the Belgian cardinal, the answers to a pre-synod questionnaire sent by the assembly's secretariat reveal "the importance for the bishop of the spiritual journey and formation." The questionnaire was sent to dioceses, episcopal conferences and religious congregations.
"The bishops' primary concern is to see how it is possible to transmit the faith in today's culture, and how it is possible to overcome the religious illiteracy of the members of the Church," Cardinal Schotte added.
He explained that special attention is being given to the regulation of the sessions, so that all bishops have the same opportunity to speak. All will have eight minutes to express their point of view, he said.
"All the bishops are equal; the procedure does not leave room for 'prime donne,' to use an expression borrowed from the opera," the cardinal confirmed.
He noted that the synod, which opened today and runs until Oct. 27, concludes the cycle of assemblies on ministries and states of life in the Church. Previous assemblies focused on the family (1980), the laity (1987), priests (1990) and consecrated life (1994).
Local Tridentine Community Celebrates its First Confirmation
Jan 11, 2005
Twenty confirmands receive sacrament from Cardinal Schotte. Milwaukee’s Tridentine Community held its first Confirmation Saturday, Dec. 20. 2003.
(Milwaukee Catholic Herald, January 1 2004) Twenty confirmands, including two adult converts and students aged 11 to 18, received the sacrament at St. Mary Help of Christians, 1210 S. 61st St., where the community rents space, in order to celebrate the Old Latin Mass.
Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican, conferred the sacrament. Fr. John Rausch, Fr. Robert Skeris, chaplain of the Tridentine community, and Fr. Joseph L. Cunningham assisted, along with Deacon Gerard Saguto, a member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.
The cardinal made the point in his sermon. “He said that the real true crisis, living in Europe, is … people living without faith,” Gerard Papa, father of a confirmand said. “They’ve moved away from concept of God and God centered civilization. (The cardinal) wanted all of the confirmands to thank their parents for getting them to this point.”
The ceremony was important, said Papa, since “it helps to get away from the idea that (Tridentines are) some sort of second-class Catholics.
“The 1984 indult (an exception to general church law) and the liturgical commissions ... have made clear traditional Catholics have a high place in the official church’s population,” he said.
But sacramental ceremony, with a cardinal, makes it clear to the local community that, “We do count.... We are here, we’re a vital part of this archdiocese … we’re growing obviously, and we’re going to need our own parish (and school) down the road.”
Papa’s daughter, Geralynne, said that she found the confirmation ceremony “amazing.”
“I was just amazed by the whole thing,” she said. “I felt really honored to be there in the presence of a cardinal. We were all expecting Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan to come, but then we found out there was a cardinal — that was awesome, a really great experience.”
Le Pape salue la «vie exemplaire» de Mgr Schotte
The role of bishops in the Church and in the world
Kardinal Schotte prägte die Kirche