Pope Francis Makes A Curial Appointment That Is A Franicscan Surprise!

The Italian news website, The Vatican Insider, has posted a story about Pope Francis' first major Curial appointment.  He has appointed Father Jose Rodriguez Carballo, OFM, as Secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated life and the Societies of Apostolic Life (formerly known as ‘The Congregation for Religious’).  Father Carballo is currently serving his second term as the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, (The Franciscans).  The Pope will raise the Spanish friar to the office of archbishop. 

This will be the second religious to hold the office in recent memory, the first being Archbishop Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis, who is a Redemptorist, and held the office from 2010 to 2012.

It will be interesting to see how this appointment will affect the relationship between some American religious women communities and the Vatican. This Papacy continues to be full of surprises!

Reunification in Doubt?

The online news website Vatican Insider, has a story about disagreements within the Society of St. Pius X about ending the schism that has existed between it and Rome.  Three of the Lefebvrian bishops are reported to be asking the head of the Society, Bernard Fellay, not to continue with the reunification process.  They see no fundamental changes in the Holy See's adherence to the teachings of Vatican II.  The disagreements between the Society and the Vatican are still too deep, in their view, for union to take place.  Here is the link..

The LCWR and the Vatican

The Catholic blogosphere has been humming over the actions taken by the Vatican concerning the Leadership Conference of Religious Women.  The National Catholic Reporter’s website has been reporting continually on this story, and offering commentary on it.  Here is a link to their reports.

The LCWR has been famous for pushing the envelope on hot button issues within the Church; and within society at large.  They challenged the Church leadership on certain policies, and certain teachings of the Church.  The LCWR leadership decided to play a prophetic role within the Church, and we all know what happens to prophets.

 Now the Vatican is in smack down mode, appointing an American bishop to oversee “reforms” of the LCWR structure.  The liberal side blames the American bishops, claiming that this is their revenge for the LCWR supposedly supporting the Obama healthcare program; and for their disrespect of the bishops’ authority.  The conservative side is clamoring for the LCWR to be dissolved, and their member congregations be brought to heel..

Most of the nuns I have known have been dedicated women of God, striving to live the Gospel of Jesus.  They are out there in the world, performing works of charity, doing their best to build up the Church.  Their congregations have progressive and conservative members; they wear a habit or just street clothes.  Some of their communities are slowly dying out; others are receiving new members in great numbers. 

Ideally, there should have been a dialogue by all sides, an understanding arrived at.  Unfortunately, I think one side sees dialogue as a weakening of their authority; the other side may be wedded to their ideology.  Wherever the truth lies, it is a sad day for the Church.

Reunification At Last?

The Catholic blogosphere has been abuzz with the news that there may be finally a reunification of the the Society of Saint Pius X, with the Roman Catholic Church.  John Allen posted a story on the National Catholic Reporter website, and the Catholic News Service also posted a report.

The Vatican, after much discussion with the Lefebvrites, gave them a "doctrinal preamble."  If the SSPX agreed to the document, then reunion was possible.  No details about what is in the document has been revealed, so we do not know how much of the store the Vatican is willing give away in order to heal the only major schism since Vatican II.  Of course in many ways the SSPX is like North Korea, just when you think you have a deal, they change the rules.  In this case, the leaders of the Lefebvrites are submitting changes to the preamble.  Many find it hard to believe that they would agree to rejoin the Church unless Rome totally repudiates the teachings of Vatican II.

The Lefebvrites are living in the past, struggling to hold onto a vision of the Church that no longer speaks to the hearts of a majority of Catholics in the world today.  Unfortunately, there seems to be those leaders in the Church who also wish to turn back the clock.  There does need to be continuity with tradition and the teachings  that have to come to us from the time of the Apostles; but there also needs to be a flexibility that will allow the Church to meet the needs of a world in changing times.  The Church leadership needs to be careful that in its desire to bring them back into the fold, that the SSPX does not become a weight its neck, holding it back.

The Vatican, Closed Parishes, And Diocesan Reorganization

I have recently been exploring a Catholic news website called Vatican Insider. It is sponsored by the Italian publication, La Stampa. I came across a post reporting on a Vatican document being prepared, which will provide guidelines to American bishops on how to reorganize their dioceses. It specifically addresses the closing or merging of parishes, and the sale of Catholic hospitals.

The reason for the creation of this document is the number of dioceses that have been closing parishes, and the controversy it causes in the Catholic community, and the economic impact it has on the American dioceses. It is being reported that one possible recommendation is that while a parish may be closed, the church itself could be maintained by a responsible lay family or group, with a priest coming in to celebrate Sunday Mass.

This could be a partial solution for the situation that exists here in the Archdiocese of Boston. There have been churches of closed parishes that have been occupied for years by former parishioners, who refuse to let go of their church. But a parish is more than a church, it is a community of clergy and laity, active in charitable works, a place where persons, child or adult, is formed in the faith. And most importantly, it is a community that comes together and encounters Christ in the Eucharist. We are seeing now, and will see in the future, that some parishes will no longer have the resources, either in people or finances. All bishops and parish communities will have to face that fact, and address it.

Hopefully, the guidelines that will come out from Rome, will provide a common structure and procedure that could lessen the pain, the sense of loss, that people feel when a parish is closed.

These Stories Make Me Nervous

There have been two stories in the Catholic news services that are making me very nervous. One is a Catholic News Service story that the National Catholic Reporter posted on their website. It was a report of the Vatican issuing instructions to local bishops, telling them to make access to celebrations of the Tridentine Mass easier. The other CNS story, posted on the blog “Pray Tell,” reports the comments made by a Vatican official. He stated that it is the Pope’s intention not to have two forms of the Mass existing side by side, but to merge elements of both into one liturgy

Now I grew up during the time when Vatican II was still in session. The Mass my family and I attended was the Tridentine Liturgy, and I mean attended, not participated in. We observed the liturgy being celebrated. When I became an altar boy, I memorized the liturgical Latin, but the words had no meaning for me. The Eucharistic liturgy that came out of the Vatican II renewal was meant for all the people of God. We, the laity, can actively participate in the celebration, worshiping in a language we can understand, being able to witness, to see the miracle that is the consecration; the Body and Blood of Our Jesus Christ, present on the altar.The current liturgy is not perfect, that is because of the human element. But this liturgy has become a very important part of my faith life. Now I understand why there are those who still find the Tridentine liturgy attractive, but for me, it does not represent my understanding of what it means to be Church, to be the People of God in today’s world.

So instead of trying to turn the clock back, we need to listen to the faithful, what are they looking for in the Eucharistic liturgy, and how can we improve it so that it will answer the spiritual needs of all the Church.

New Controversy About New English Missal?

The Jesuit publication, America magazine, published on their website an open letter to United States bishops, written by Father Anthony Ruff, OSB. Father Ruff, a liturgist, was informing the bishops that he could no longer in good conscience speak in support of the new English translation of the Roman Missal, due for implementation in Advent of 2011. He is concerned about the way the approval of the translation was handled by the Vatican.

Now the translation that the American bishops approved and sent to Rome for confirmation already had its critics; but the confirmed translation that came back from the Vatican, with additional changes, caused further uproar, even among some of the supporters of the original translation.

From my seat in the ecclesial bleachers, this appears to be further proof that there are factions in the Vatican that do not trust the local bishops of the world; and really do not trust the theologians, the liturgists, and translators of the world. They seem to have a real need to keep a tight rein on the local churches, for fear that that whole universal Church will collapse. The problem is that if you hold the reins too tight, then you stifle the energy, the fire, the spirit the local churches can bring to society.

Time To Move On. Time For New Beginnings.

The National Catholic Reporter has posted on their website the Catholic News Service story of the Vatican rejecting the appeals of various closed parishes of the Archdiocese of Boston, to reverse the closings. These parishes were closed in 2004, when the Archdiocese determined that they had neither the funds nor the personnel to keep these churches open. At least three of these closed parishes have been occupied by former parishioners, maintaining 24/7 vigils.

I remember well those days; the Archdiocese called it a reconfiguration plan, a process to close inactive parishes. I personally felt that, however necessary it was, the process was ill conceived, and poorly implemented. It was another blow to a Catholic community already battered by the clergy abuse scandal. My own parish was on the short list to be closed. It was a very anxious period, but we survived because we successfully made the case to stay open. That said I really feel that it is time for these former parishioners to accept the inevitable, mourn your losses, and move on. The Catholic community is more than any one parish; it is a body of believers, united with all other believers in the world through our bishops, united in and through the Body of Christ. It is time to rejoin your sisters and brothers in Christ, and seek new beginnings

Impact on the Future Church

Conventional political wisdom is that every U.S. President wishes to make at least one appointment to the Supreme Court, or at best, several appointments; because he (or she) will then continue to have an impact on the country long after he has left office. The same could be said about the appointment of bishops in the Catholic Church.

Because of his long reign, Pope John Paul II could be said to have the most impact on the life of the Church, for good or ill, than most recent pontificates. And that influence is still being felt. Pope Benedict XVI has made some episcopal appointments, but he now has made a curial appointment that could definitely shape the future of the Church, and will be a part of his legacy. As reported by Rocco Palmo in his blog, “Whispers in the Loggia,” Cardinal Archbishop George Pell of Sydney, Australia, is rumored to soon be appointed Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. This is a sort of good news, bad news story; depending, of course, on your ecclesial point of view. Good news, if the rumor is true, observations have been made that this is another instance where the Pope has looked outside the Curia for someone to head a very crucial Vatican post. He is looking for bishops who have been out in the field, with real life experience in leading the local Church. The bad news is that Cardinal Pell is about as conservative as you can get, and is not shy about getting in people’s faces when it comes to certain issues, like the Church’s teachings on sexual relationships, women’s ordination, and the liturgy. Cardinal Pell, with the Holy Father, is on the verge of having an impact on the life of the Church that could be felt long after they both have left the Church’s stage. Heaven help us!

Wake Up!

“When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, ‘So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’” (Mt 26: 40-41, NAB)


There is in our kitchen cupboard a coffee mug similar to the one pictured; only mine is white, with black lettering. I had ordered it from an American Zen Buddhist monastery in New York. On it are the words: “Wake Up!” It ties in with the goal that every practicing Buddhist wishes to achieve; enlightenment. Now I had wanted t write about something else, based on my viewing of a documentary on the Buddha, whose name can be translated as “The Awakened.” But as I reflect more and more on the clergy abuse scandal, the more I want to take another tack for this column. And what I want to say, what I want to shout to my Church is: “Wake Up!”

To our Holy Father, the Vatican Curia, and to the bishops: “Wake Up!” This scandal is not some invention of anti-Catholic media; it is real, real people have been harmed. There is so much hurt and anger, that it cannot be kept secret, it is coming out, and will continue to come out. They need to wake up and acknowledge their role in covering up the abuse, and allowing it to continue. They need to wake up and see the victims, care for them, heal them, and beg their forgiveness. They need to wake up and see how the Church’s clerical culture has contributed to the scandal and explore what changes must be made.

To my fellow lay Catholics: “Wake Up!” We have a right to a voice in how our Church is governed. We have a right to make our concerns known to our bishops and pastors; and ask that they be addressed, and not be ignored. We need to wake up, and realize that we can never again be silent when abuse occurs, and demand that the crime be addressed and the victims cared for. We need to wake up and realize that we also have a duty to defend faithful priests, and a duty to defend the Church against malicious rumors. And finally we need to wake up and realize that we need to continue to be faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and live it.

To all of us, I say: “Wake Up!”

"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words"

There is an old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This cliché came to mind when I saw the picture of Franc Cardinal Rode on the website, Ad Dominum. Cardinal Rode oversees the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and is responsible for initiating the Apostolic Visitation of America’s congregations of religious sisters. He has also been commenting on the state of religious brotherhoods. If I was to judge by the picture of him in all the splendor of the cardinal robes and court, I would get the impression that he wants to turn back the clock; back to a time when Vatican cardinals ruled and clergy and laity obeyed.

I would like to contrast that picture with the one of Boston’s Cardinal Archbishop, Sean O’Malley OFM Cap. Ever since he came to Boston, he has continued to wear his Capuchin habit during his work days, even after he was made a Cardinal. To help with the Archdiocese’s financial crisis, he sold the mansion that was the Cardinal’s Residence; and has lived in the rectory of Holy Cross Cathedral. The only time you see him wearing the scarlet is when protocol requires it.

Now Cardinal Sean and Cardinal Rode may share similar views on many issues. But when you compare the two styles, which attracts more to the Gospel life?

Civility in the Catholic Blogosphere

American Catholic.Org is carrying a story from the Catholic News Service about a meeting held at the Vatican on Catholic communications, which included what was happening on the World Wide Web. The attending cardinals and media experts were all commenting on the number of so-called "Catholic" websites and blogs that contain a lot of hatred, name calling, fire and brimstone directed not only at the world, but also to fellow Catholics.

I have commented before about the lack of civility in today's society, especially among Christians, Catholics in particular. Is it any surprise that our young people are turned off about the Church, when they see the lack of love, and courtesy in some Catholic blogs, as they surf the Web. What they are looking for is authenticity; they want to see the Gospel being lived.

At this Vatican meeting, there was suggestions about establishing a code of ethics for Catholic bloggers. Some of the participants doubt the effectiveness of such a code. One thing is clear to me, that we need to encourage a more respectful tone, not only in the blogosphere, but also in discussions taking place the living Catholic community. We need live and love as the early Christians did, so that the whole world will recognize us as followers of Christ.

My Life with Nuns

The story of the Vatican making a visitation, an investigation, of the state of women religious life has been in the news lately. There have been stories on National Public Radio, and on one of their talk shows. The National Catholic Reporter has been covering this story, and has been publishing stories and essays on their Website.

All this has brought back memories of my life with nuns. It began with elementary school. My parents were determined to have me educated in a Catholic school, so when their first choice was filled, they put me and my brothers and sisters in the only other Catholic school in town. It was run by a congregation of Franciscan Sisters that originated from Poland. To hear my parents talk about it, the sisters had a hard life in the parish, the pastor was a bit of a tightwad, and at times the parents had to get together and bring food for the sisters. My experience with them was mixed. I remember that there were a few sisters who were nice and professional, but there were others who should never had been allowed in a classroom. If there was not physical abuse, there was definitely psychological abuse. After I and one brother graduated from the school, my parents pulled the rest of my siblings out and put them in public schools.

After elementary school, came high school. I entered a high school that was run by the Sisters of Notre Dame da Namur. The Second Vatican Council had ended; the religious orders and congregations were making some changes. The sisters at the high school all had change to “street” clothing, although a few did keep the veil. They all wore their distinctive cross. I enjoyed being taught by them, and they definitely improved my view of religious sisters.

My most intensive contact with nuns came when I entered the formation program for the Franciscan friars. I had contact with the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, who not only taught in the parish school, but were also involved in caring for the poor. There was a Poor Clare monastery, where the nuns wore modified habits, but still deeply involved with the contemplative life. I assisted a priest who celebrated Mass for a community of Missionaries of Charity. Then there were the sisters I met attending a summer school at St. Bonaventure University, joining with them in prayer, in classes, and socializing with them. Since leaving the Franciscan formation program, I have had a sister as a spiritual director.

There has been criticism that too many of the religious sisters are challenging the Church, its policies, its view of women. But if one looks at the history of religious life, one sees that many of the communities’ founders pushed the envelope. St. Clare of Assisi, founder of the Poor Clare nuns, was always challenging the Pope to allow her community to live evangelical poverty. Many congregations founded in this country, met with resistance from local bishops for various reasons, yet they prevailed. They did so because of persistence, respect and love for the Church, and divine grace. Now there are those individual sisters and communities who might push the envelope too far, and in such cases, they must be held accountable, but with charity and compassion.

Vatican II called on religious communities to reexamine their current lives in the light of their founding charism. A community should not be judged on whether they wear habits or not, but whether they are living the Gospel, serving the poor, showing compassion to the outcast, showing the power of God’s love by the example of their lives. We should not try to force religious communities into the same mold, but allow the Holy Spirit to guide them, inspire them, enflame them. And they in turn will inspire us.