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MONDAY January 31, 2000 vol. 11, no. 21 SECTION THREESee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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WORLD NEWS & VIEWS with a Catholic slant: | ||
Concluding the Plenary Council of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith the Holy Father reasserted that, contrary to progressive thought in some ecclesial circles since Vatican II, the Church has never changed its stance on the doctrine of "No salvation outside the Church" for the Roman Catholic Church is the one founded by Jesus Christ as the means for salvation through the Sacraments and Four Marks which only the Catholic Church possesses and is confirmed in John 3: 5 and Luke 10:16. He reiterated that the Council Fathers of Vatican II strongly endorsed this but some since then have misinterpreted this doctrine in compromising ecumenical principles. continued inside
VATICAN CITY, JAN 28 (ZENIT).- The various religions are not equivalent,
because Christ is the Savior of mankind. John Paul II was emphatic this
morning, when he received the participants of the plenary session of the
Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which today
concluded the sessions begun on January 25.
The Pontiff addressed certain ambiguities that have arisen in
theological circles, which consider inter-religious dialogue as a
justification for syncretism. The Holy Father said that "in some
ecclesial environments, a mentality has arisen over the last few years
that tends to relativize Christ's revelation and his unique and
universal mediation in regard to salvation." If this is permitted, the
Church would also lose her reason for existing because she would no
longer be "the universal sacrament of salvation."
"It is against the faith of the Church to hold the thesis on the limited
character of Christ's revelation, which would find its complement in
other religions." According to this theory, "the truth about God could
not be accepted and manifested globally and completely by any historical
religion, not even Christianity, nor by Christ himself."
The Holy Father continued with an interesting clarification. The truth
of Jesus, "full and complete revelation of the mystery of God," must be
carefully distinguished from "the understanding of the infinite mystery"
that must "always be studied and pondered in the light of the Spirit of
truth."
"The truth about God is neither abolished nor reduced because it is
expressed in human language. On the contrary, it continues to be unique,
full and complete, because he who speaks to us and acts is the incarnate
Son of God," the Pope explained.
Therefore, one cannot coherently accept Christ and reject the Church he
founded. The Pope recalls that it was Jesus himself who established "his
Church as a salvific reality: as his Body, through which he himself acts
in the history of salvation." Vatican Council II itself, which opened
the doors to dialogue with other religions, confirmed at the same time
with total clarity, that "the pilgrim Church is necessary for
salvation."
"Therefore, it is an error to consider the Church as one more road to
salvation together with that of other religions, which would be
complementary to the Church, although converging with the it toward the
eschatological Kingdom of God. Consequently, a certain mentality of
indifference characterized by religious relativism that leads to
believing that religions are equivalent among themselves, must be
excluded," continued John Paul II.
The Holy Father recalled the passage of the Council which states that
"Christians can reach eternal life under the influence of grace, if they
seek God with a sincere heart. But, in their sincere quest for the truth
of God, they are in fact ordered to Christ and his Body, the Church. In
any event, they are in a deficient situation, compared to those in the
Church who have the fullness of the means of salvation." Because of
this, the Church has been, is, and will be missionary, in the sense that
she announces Christ -- "Way, Truth, Life." If in dialoguing with
believers of other religions the Church were to renounce her message,
the dialogue would no longer be such, as the Church would lose her
identity.
Finally, the Pope asked the members of the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith to continue to foster the ecumenical dialogue with other
Christians. He congratulated them for the work carried out in
preparation for the signing of the Joint Lutheran-Catholic Declaration
on the Doctrine of Justification, and he encouraged them to continue on
this road, in spite of the difficulties.
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With the violence that has ravaged Indonesia, specifically East Timor and the Spice Islands over the past several months, it will be an interesting meeting between the Holy Father and President Abdurrahman Wahid, Indonesia's Muslim leader ever since B.J. Habibe was forced to stepped down after the East Timor trajedy. The two are expected to discuss the violence and toleration toward Christians by this largest of Muslim nations anywhere in the world. continued inside.
VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid will
meet with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican on February 5.
The Indonesian leader will visit the Vatican during an official trip to Italy.
His conversations with the Holy Father will certainly focus on the violence
between Muslims and Christians (predominantly Catholic) on the Molluccan
Islands.
The conversation will probably also include some discussion of the peace
process in East Timor, which has recently won its independence from
Indonesian after years of repression and bloodshed.
The episodes of violence in the Indonesian islands have continued for over a
year, and cost well over 1000 lives. During an Angelus audience in March
1999, Pope John Paul called for an end to the fighting. More recently, in his
annual January address to members of the diplomatic corps, the Pontiff
mentioned the islands as one of the world's major trouble spots; he called for
the Indonesian people to "break the chains of violence, and heal the wounds
of hatred."
Although the violence in islands such as Ambon has pitted Muslims against
Christians, most observers agree that the issues behind the fighting are not
religious. The demographic make-up of the islands' population has changed
significantly in recent months, as the collapse of the Indonesian economy in
1998 prodded many Muslim workers to relocate to the islands, where
Christians had been a substantial minority. Indonesia's Ambassador to the
Holy See, Irawan Abidin, has observed that the conflicts involve clashes
between displaced workers (mostly Muslim) and established merchants
(often Christian).
Beyond the economic factors, however, some observers have charged that
the rioting in Ambon has been deliberately provoked by Indonesian military
officials, who are seeking an excuse to assert greater control. Ambassador
Abidin has reported that the Indonesian government is investigating reports
that the riots have been deliberately provoked and staged by outside
agitators.
Wahid came to power in 1999 as the first democratically elected president of
Indonesia, which is the world's most populous Muslim country.
A major confrontation is looming at the height of the summer festivities for Jubilee 2000 and it follows the pattern of the prince of darkness who loves to imitate through mockery. Mocking Jubilee 2000 the international Homosexual movement is planning a global World Gay Day 2000 right in the Holy See's back yard in July, not only an afront to all Catholics believe, but tying up traffic and other Jubilee 2000 events for devout pilgrims who will be exposed to the overt "in your face" confrontation expected. The Holy See is very upset with the City of Rome for granting a permit without consulting with the Vatican. continued inside.
ROME (CWNews.com) - Italian newspapers reported today the
Vatican is expected to protest plans for a global
homosexual pride festival in Rome this summer.
World Gay Pride 2000 is scheduled between June 28 and July
9 and is expected to be attended by one million people,
dropping the controversial event in the middle of the
Catholic Church's Jubilee Year 2000. The festival, which is
expected to include the usual expressions of antagonism
toward the Catholic Church for its teachings on the
immorality of homosexuality, has received 350 million lire
($178,000) from Rome's city government.
The city of Rome and the Vatican City-State have a unique,
symbiotic relationship due to the 2,000-year history of the
Church in Rome and embodied in the 1929 Lateran Treaty.
According to Italian newspaper reports, Vatican officials
have asked why they were never consulted when Rome first
considered hosting the gay pride festival during the Holy
Year. The Vatican also believes that Rome's staging of the
rally contravenes the spirit of the Lateran Treaty, La
Repubblica and Il Giornale newspapers said.
While Jubilee 2000 is a boon to the city of Rome, it can also be a bane for Roman officials are scrambling to free extra money to handle the growing homeless situation which this year, because of Jubilee 2000, has brought many more homeless than usual into Rome. Add to that the death of eight people and the unusually frigid winter weather in the eternal city and there are nervous politicians trying to find answers to accommodate everyone. continued inside.
ROME (CWNews.com) - Nine homeless people have died of
exposure in Rome since the Holy Year began on Christmas
Eve, causing charities and churches to scramble to help the
needy and blame an excessive focus on restoring the city's
architectural wonders for the Jubilee.
"It is the worst death rate of at least the last 10 years,"
said Mario Marazitti of the Sant'Egidio community, one of
the groups offering aid. "The homeless are having more
difficulty in finding shelter." He added that city
authorities concentrated on "the beauty of Rome ... without
a precise choice to meet the needs of the weakest."
Italy is usually a winter haven for Europe's wandering
homeless population, but Rome has experienced an unusually
sharp cold spell this month. On Wednesday, Italy's
government announced it was freeing $15 million in
emergency funds for the homeless in Rome and eight other
cities.
The Holy Year is also bringing more homeless to Rome, some
of whom may think the influx of pilgrims will make the city
an easier place to find aid, said Monica Scifoni, spokesman
for the city council's homeless agency.
In a show of solidarity throughout Scotland the Scottish bishops are solidly behind Cardinal Thomas Winning in defeating a measure that would weaken standards in Britain by giving gays a green light to promote homosexuality. The cardinal has come under heavy attack from gay organizers over the past several weeks for his strong stand against repealing Section 28. His leadership in this crusade to keep it on the books is gaining support from other religious leaders in Scotland as well once they realize the consequences. continued inside.
EDINBURGH (CWNews.com) - Scotland's eight Catholic bishops
have declared their support for Cardinal Thomas Winning
fight against the classroom promotion of homosexuality as a
valid lifestyle.
On Sunday, priests throughout the country will read a
message from the bishops warning that children will be left
vulnerable by scrapping of the Section 28 law and asking
churchgoers to pray for their Members of the Scottish
Parliament (MSPs) when they vote on the controversial
legislation.
The bishops' message reads: "To take away a law which
prohibits the promotion of homosexuality and replace it
with 'guidelines' risks leaving our children extremely
vulnerable to the message that a homosexual lifestyle is an
equally valid moral choice to marriage.
It continues: "We ask all people of good will to pray for
our legislators in their different tasks. We pray we can
build a Scotland of justice for all, free of bigotry and
intolerance but ever mindful of God's law and morality."
A spokesman for the Catholic Church told the Daily Record:
"It is a message of solidarity to show that it is not just
Cardinal Winning who is speaking on his own on this."
According to today's Universe newspaper, the British
government has turned to the Catholic Church for help in
sorting out the whole Section 28 row. Senior Labour MP
Stuart Bell told the Catholic media: "The debate in the
media, led by the churches, is killing this bill. So the
government has to be very wise and listen carefully to what
the churches have to say.
"A conscience is a conscience," Bell continued. "and you
cannot ask an MP to vote against their conscience. It would
be smart if Labour was to allow its Anglican and Catholic
MSPs to vote against it, rather than force them to either
vote against their conscience or abstain."
The National Board of Catholic Women and the Union of
Catholic Mothers have also joined the campaign against the
repeal of Section 28.
The Charlemagne Corridor in the Left Atrium was officially sanctioned as the "Passage of Pardon" on the Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas as a special confessional corridor that will attract priests from all over to administer the Sacrament of Reconciliation in numerous languages to all Catholics visiting St. Peter's this Jubilee Year. It is in keeping with the theme of reconciliation and the austere corridor between the main part of St. Peter's and St. Peter's Square will now become a focal point for recollection and the Sacrament of Penance. continued inside.
VATICAN CITY, JAN 28 (ZENIT).- The Charlemagne corridor of St. Peter's
was dedicated today for recollection and confession, in keeping with the
Jubilee message of conversion.
Among those attending the inaugural ceremony were Cardinals Virgilio Noč
and Roger Etchegaray, Arch-priest of the Vatican Basilica and President
of the Vatican Committee for the Great Jubilee respectively, as well as
Archbishop Giovanni Battista Re, Substitute for General Affairs at the
Secretariat of State.
In the Bull "Incarnationis Mysterium," the Pope underlines that "the
summit of the Jubilee is the encounter with God the Father through
Christ the Savior, present in his Church in a very special way in the
sacraments." Consequently, "every Jubilee road has as its starting point
and end the celebration of the sacrament of Penance and of the
Eucharist, Paschal mystery of Christ, our peace and reconciliation."
The Holy Father's words inspired the idea of creating a large and
tranquil place of silence for the millions of pilgrims who will come to
Rome during this Holy Year, where recollected prayer is possible, in
preparation for confession as an "encounter" with the Father of Mercies.
There are two lines of confessionals flanking the walls of the
monumental passage that rises to the Basilica. The ambience is simple
and austere. The sacrament of Reconciliation will be administered here
in dozens of languages. The Vatican Secretariat of State has suggested
to priests who work in the Roman Curia to volunteer to spend several
hours a week in the confessionals at the disposition of pilgrims. In the
center of the corridor there are many pews for prayer, facing the wall
that opens to the passage. A large picture of the Holy Door has been
placed in the passage, crowned by a crucifix with the "good thief." The
picture is surrounded by the 14 Stations of the Cross. Pilgrims will
also find books and a number of aids to prepare better for God's
forgiveness through this sacrament.
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The Pope could be in a quandary when he visits Jerusalem in late March this year on his "Jubilee Journey" to the Holy Land. That is because if he respects the Jewish faith by stopping at the Wailing Wall it will be akin to recognizing that Israel has sovereignty to Jerusalem according to Israel's Prime Minister who is making a political statement that could force the Holy Father to bypass this important cultural event because the Sovereign Pontiff has insisted his visits in retracing the heritage of Christianity must be strictly spiritual. continued inside.
JERUSALEM (CWNews.com) - Israel's chief rabbi said on
Thursday if Pope John Paul II stops at the Western Wall in
Jerusalem during his upcoming visit to the Holy Land in
March that action is tantamount to Vatican recognition of
Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem.
In each announcement concerning the upcoming visit, the
Vatican has carefully maintained its neutrality on the
sensitive issues surrounding the disputes between Israel
and Palestinians, including the status of Jerusalem. Israel
claims the whole city as its eternal capital, while
Palestinians claim East Jerusalem which Israel captured
from Jordan in 1967.
The Vatican does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over
East Jerusalem, but has also said that any solution to the
dispute must maintain open and equal access for each of the
three religions which look to the city as a holy site.
"This is recognition of Israel's sovereignty not just over
new (west) Jerusalem but the Old City as well," Chief Rabbi
Meir Lau told Israel radio. "There are one billion Catholic
followers ... for whom the Pope visiting with the chief
rabbis of Israel in the ancient area by the Western Wall
has great significance." The Vatican has not commented on
Rabbi Lau's comments, but has said the papal trip is a
spiritual pilgrimage and political statements should not be
connected to it.
