Climb every mountain!

      In today's editorial we rejoice at the news of the Holy Father moving mountains to waive the canonical rule for canonization stipulations in the case of Mother Teresa. We also celebrate the anniversaries of numerous "mountain men" who climbed to the top through their dedication to the Cross and God's Will for today are the birthdays of Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XII two giants among Vicars of Christ over the past two centuries who scaled heights few others are willing to attempt. For today's commentary entitled Maybe that's what is meant by "lonely at the top!", click on CATHOLIC PewPOINT.

Renaissance Pope takes Rome by storm; reunifies Church in wake of schism and awakens love of the arts in all

      The question of supremacy of the Pope had been finally settled at the end of Pope Eugene IV's papacy; now it was time to heal the wounds of schism and ill feelings and start afresh. The man tabbed was Pope Nicholas V the cardinal of Bologna who had been weaned on the arts, bringing the concept of the Renaissance to Rome. In less than eight years Nicholas effected massive restorations and the beginning of a total makeover that would establish the Vatican as a leader of the Renaissance movement. Nicholas V is considered the "Father of the Renaissance in Rome" and the founder of the Vatican Library. These accomplishments were tempered by a lack of reform of the disciplines for the clergy and the definitive fall of Constantinople to the Turks. For the ninety-fifth installment titled Pope Nicholas V: First in the line of the Renaissance Popes , click on THE HISTORY OF THE MASS AND HOLY MOTHER CHURCH.

The twilight of the times

      As we near the twilight of the time when Mary's Divine Son will usher in the New Advent - the Reign of the Sacred Heart, Our Lady reminds us to stay the course and continue during Lent to meditate on His Passion, reminding us of the events at Lazarus' home just before the Last Supper as she describes in her Meditation to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart in part three of Meditative Lesson 3, WITH THE APOSTLES ON THE EVE OF PASSOVER as we continue these inspiring lessons on the Passion throughout Lent. Click on "IT IS CONSUMMATED!"

CATHOLIC CANVAS: Daily Dose of curious contents of the Church

Congregation for the Causes of Saints

      Pope John Paul II has waived the stipulation for the canonization procedure in the exception of Mother Teresa. Since he wrote the Apostolic Constitution Divinus Perfectionis Magisteri on January 25, 1983 he has the right as the Supreme Pontiff to do this and he has exercised this right to the applause of countless Catholics and millions others around the world. The normal process goes through the Congregation for the Causes of Saints which handles matters connected with beatification and canonization causes in accordance with the revised procedures the Pope decreed in 1983 in his Apostolic Constitution above. The Curial Office is headed by Bishop Jose Saraiva Martins as Prefect. This office was first created by Pope Sixtus V in 1588 as the Congregation of Rites and went untouched until 1930 when Pope Pius XI changed some of the legislation. Pope Paul VI in his Apostolic Constitution of 1969 changed the title to its present moniker and defined the canonization functions and procedures which were restructured and revised by John Paul II in the aforementioned Divinus Perfectionis Magisteri. With the Holy Father's declaration that he is waiving some of the requirements, it expedites Mother's canonization process. In effect, she has been sent to the head of the class of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, a Curial Office that has a ten-year backlog on candidates for beatifications and canonizations. This makes it highly possible that she could have an "express" to being formally recognized as a saint of the Church even though billions the world over already considered her a "living saint" while she walked among us just a while ago. (sources: 1999 Catholic Almanac Our Sunday Visitor; The Official Catholic Directory, P.J. Kennedy & Sons).

SIMPLY SHEEN: Begetting Blessings

      They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminary did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".

"As the tree bears fruit and the hen hatches her eggs, so every mother, by the act of birth, is bound up with the life of all living things, and of her it may be rightly said, "Blessed is the fruit of thy womb."

      This is what Our Lord laments in Message #415 conveyed to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart in early October 1993 while she was enroute on pilgrimage to Betania where Our Lady is appearing and to Los Teques where the Eucharistic Miracle from Betania is preserved. His Blessed Mother followed up the words of her Divine Son the next day while the Hidden Flower prayed before the Shrine in Betania on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, beseeching all her little ones to seek God's Mercy before the Font runs dry and the Justice is meted out. For Message #415 and #416, click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."

Great News! Pope clears way for expediting Mother Teresa's canonization!

      Just as we predicted last year, the Holy Father has made it official. He has surprised many by waiving the mandatory five-year waiting period for canonization after a person's death, making that exception for the twentieth century's most beloved living saint Mother Teresa who passed away in Calcutta in September 1997. For more, click on Express to Sainthood

Romanian Prime Minister predicts problems for Papal visit later this year

      Resistance by certain Orthodox factions to the Holy Father's visit to Romania possibly this May has the Romanian Prime Minister Radu Vasile more than a little concerned. He expressed these apprehensions in Bucharest late last week when he voiced doubt the Pope would be able to say Mass in Transylvania as Pope John Paul II has expressed a desire to do. Vasile fears reprisal from Orthodox dissidents and feels the Pope would be safer with a Bucharest-only visit because it would be better guarded. For more, click on Romanian resistance.

Pope leaves a wake-up call for lukewarm lay Catholics at Laity Conference while entreating all to make charity the watchword for Lent

      The Holy Father capped the end of his annual Lenten retreat with an address to the 18th Assembly for the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome this weekend, calling for a wake-up call to stir the apathy so prevalent among many of the Catholic laity who don't always obey everything the Church teaches. He called for a greater need to preach through word and action in fulfillment of the calling all have been given by God. He followed this up Sunday with his Angelus address on charity and its vital emphasis during Lent. For more, click on Wake-up call.

Human Rights proponents gather in Guatamala as bishops release pastoral on "Truth Commission"

      In the city where the celebrated trial for the murder of Guatamala's chief advocate for human rights Bishop Juan Gerardi plods on at a snail's pace, over 300,000 from all over the Americas descended this week for a Human Rights Fair while at the same time the Guatamalan Bishops' Conference released a pastoral letter on the "Truth Commission" findings that document 80% of the violations against human rights were committed by the Guatamala military, also highly suspected in the Bishop's death last April. For more, click on Guatamala get-together.

For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site at the CWN home page and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales. Both CWN and NE are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provides this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.

    Dear children! Also today I am with you in a special way contemplating and living the passion of Jesus in my heart. Little children, open your hearts and give me everything that is in them: joys, sorrows and each, even the smallest, pain, that I may offer them to Jesus; so that with His immeasurable love, He may burn and transform your sorrows into the joy of His resurrection. That is why, I now call you in a special way, little children, for your hearts to open to prayer, so that through prayer you may become friends of Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call.
For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE AND MORE