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PDF versionPopes of the 20th Century: John XXIII
by Richard McBrien on Aug. 17, 2010
I began writing this weekly column in early July, 1966. It was long before all of my undergraduate students and all but a handful of my graduate students were born.
In that first year, the week of November 4th to be exact, I did a column on the theology of revelation and how Pope John XXIII, who had died three-and-a-half years earlier, had embodied that theology in his own life and ministry.
The column described the late pope as “one of the most dramatic and most effective revelation-events of our time.”
What is a revelation-event and how do individual persons become an expression of it?
A revelation-event is any happening by which God becomes a tangible reality in the lives of ordinary people.
St. Paul gave us the basic formula: “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). In other words, Christ must find concrete expression in others if he is to be understood and embraced.
But even a great saint like Paul is far removed from us. Pope John XXIII is more meaningful than St. Paul for those who lived through the Second Vatican Council and the years following it.
“Imitate John, and you shall imitate Christ,” I wrote. “Imitate his spirit of warmth and love, his openness to all peoples, of every race, nation, religious belief and non-belief. Imitate his concern for the humble and the neglected, for the ‘cast-offs’ of our society. Imitate his spirit of resignation to God’s will in the face of suffering and certain death.”
“Why is it,” I asked, “that the life and ministry of Pope John XXIII struck such a responsive chord in the hearts of all mankind, believer and non-believer alike? ...Why is it that people...were touched by the example of the Good Shepherd visiting the sick, the orphans, and those in prison? Why is it that people...found inspiration and hope in the sickness and suffering and dying of John XXIII?”
“The contemporary theology of revelation,” the column concluded, “is eminently pastoral and practical. [We] must be ever more sensitive to the presence of God in the people and in the reality around [us].”
Pope John XXIII was such a person.
Nowhere was the Second Vatican Council’s purpose articulated more clearly or more forcefully than in the opening address of the pope who convened it.
This council, Pope John XXIII insisted, was not being held to condemn errors in the Church or in the world at large, as Pope Pius IX had done in his Syllabus of Errors in 1864, or as Pope Pius X had done in his anti-Modernist decree of 1907, or as Pope Pius XII had done in his encyclical Humani generic in 1950.
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“The post-French Revolution Pian Church had reached the end of its line,” my column for the week of November 5, 1982, pointed out.
“The Church was now summoned by a new, positive, hoped-filled voice of leadership to correlate the Church’s ‘sacred patrimony of truth’, as Pope John XXIII called it, with ‘the new conditions and new forms of life introduced into the modern world which have opened new avenues to the Catholic apostolate’.”
“The substance of the ancient doctrine...is one thing,” the pope declared, “and the way in which it is presented is another.”
This was not the time for negativism and condemnations, he warned, even as he was surrounded by “prophets of gloom, who are always forecasting disaster, as though the end of the world were at hand....”
“That grand Johannine vision still lives in the Church,” I wrote in that column more than 28 years ago. It lives on “in the hearts and minds of [many] of its active members....”
I reminded readers in my column for the week of August 21, 2000, that John XXIII is “widely regarded as the most beloved pope in history.” Indeed, many of the bishops at Vatican II had petitioned Pope Paul VI to proclaim John a saint then and there.
But because Paul VI was concerned about the feelings of the council’s defeated minority, he declined to do so. Instead, he announced that John XXIII’s cause for canonization would be linked with that of Paul VI’s own mentor, Pope Pius XII–an idea, as we now know, that was doomed from the start.
When John XXIII died on the evening of June 3, 1963, virtually the whole world mourned. Even the Union Jack was lowered to half-mast in the bitterly divided city of Belfast.
In the early Church John XXIII would have been proclaimed a saint by popular demand.
The pity is that many younger Catholics today never knew him.
Related columns:
- Popes of the 20th Century: Paul VI, Aug. 23, 2010
- Popes of the 20th Century: John XXIII, Aug. 17, 2010
- Popes of the 20th century: Introduction, Aug. 9, 2010
© 2010 Richard P. McBrien. All rights reserved. Fr. McBrien is the Crowley-O’Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame.
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"The pity is that many
"The pity is that many younger Catholics today never knew him."
- And few who read this website have actually read anything he ever wrote. Which is a shame, as he had the intellect of a giant and was orthodox to the core!
Here is a list of his many writings. His encyclicals are there, and also many of his other letters, addresses and even his homilies!
Well said, Pete. Because
Well said, Pete. Because Vatican II is related by so many to an increase in dissent and public disagreement with the Church's teachings, it is assumed by many that Blessed John XXIII must have been some radical progressive. Those assumptions would be profoundly wrong.
Blessed John was orthodox and he believed in the teachings of the Church. He called the Council not to reform the teachings but to reform the teaching methods. That is a profound difference. Years ago, whole language methods were introduced to teach the concepts of grammar, reading and writing. The substance and rules of the English language were not changed, just the manner in which those rules and that substance is presented to students. Just so, Vatican II hoped to present the eternal truths of the Church in all their orthodoxy and all their beauty and in their fullness, to the world in a fresh and new way.
The Council was hijacked, following the Council's end, by radical progressives who saw this as their opportunity to introduce massive and profoundly damaging "reform" into the Church. They were aided and abetted by a weak Roman Pontiff who opposed the Councl when Blessed John first suggested it and who continued the Council's work only because he feared the public outcry that would attend his ending it. Pope Paul VI saw the danger that the so-called "Spirit of Vatican II" was introducing into the life of the Church (he called it "the smoke of Satan" which had "entered the sanctuary"), but he was too weak to effectively combat it. He left that task up to his successors.
One can be fairly certain that if Blessed John had lived to see the end of the Council, the results would have been profoundly different and the political, theological and liturgical battles that waged in the Church over the last 40 years would likely not have happened. It is only now, after the pontificate of Venerable John Paul II, the Great, and during the papacy of Pope Benedic XVI that we are seeing the restoration and return to the actual teaching and meaning of the Council.
Blessed John XXIII must have wept over the way in which the radicals perverted the original message of the Council to serve their own agendas. He is undoubtedly cheering as the Church returns to that original message even as we speak.
My God, I thought historical
My God, I thought historical revisionism belonged to the atheist Communists, but I guess it belongs to the ultra orthodox and neofacist SSPX too!
Who set you up Pete as a
Who set you up Pete as a paragon of "orthodoxy" and to decide who is "orthodox" and who is heterodox? I think you might have been a lot more comfortable back in the days of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter", judging alleged witches, listening to three hour sermons from Cotton and Increase Mather, and tending to other puritanical frolics.
I would not classify myself
I would not classify myself as a paragon of anything.
However, it is easy to determine if something is orthodox in their teaching with regards to the Catholic Faith. Here is the definition of 'Orthodox' as given by Webster's dictionary:
ORTHODOX - of, pertaining to, or conforming to the approved form of any doctrine, philosophy, ideology, etc.
So, did Bl John XXIII's teaching, writings (even those that were not meant to be delivered to the entire church with full apostolic authority) 'conform to the doctrine and philosophy' of the Catholic Church? The answer, as anyone who takes the time to read his writings as I have will know, is YES!
I'm guessing you're one of the people that loves to talk about the 'Spirit of Vatican II' as well, but has never once ever read the actual documents from the council. I challenge you, since you seem to have this idea that Bl John XXIII was some kind of heterodox freethinker, to actually READ his encyclicals (which I can guarantee that you have not yet done.) They are free to read online using the link I provided.
Most of the people on this website have never heard or read a single line this pope wrote. It's easy to prove too, which I do on occasion. I'll take a paragraph or two from one of his writings that pertains to the subject being discussed and post it, unaccredited, as a comment. Usually people will then rail against the content of the comment, about how intolerant it is, or how I'm being a Pontius Pilate wannabe (an actual comment I got). Then, when I reveal the source of the comment... silence.
So, I note the simple, easily demonstrated fact that John XXIII was totally orthodox in his teaching, and that somehow makes me a puritan? Hmmm, more logic and less bile on your part would keep you from sounding quite so unhinged.
Pete expressed an opinion,
Pete expressed an opinion, his own vision, and he is entitled to it.
Whenever I hear a liberal
Whenever I hear a liberal Catholic talk about what a great Pope John XIII was, I always think of the people who play "Born in the USA" during a 4th of July fireworks show.
"The pity is that many
"The pity is that many younger Catholics today never knew him,"is such a profound statement of truth. Not only in Father Mcbrien's excellent article, but also in the many wonderful positive memories and positive comments that follow that give eloquent testimony to why "Good Pope John" was so "beloved."
When I went to Saint Peter's 3 years ago, I saw the body of my saintly pope in a glass casket. The fact that his body is completely free from decay gives testimony to his holiness. Even the granduer of St. Peter's was overshadowed by the sight of Pope John. It is a memory I will never forget. I have lived through 5 popes, and none of them come close to Pope John's stature, not even JPII.
It is also a pity that the list of his many writings were not provided in English so we could read them. If we could then we would find that his later writings during the Council were not as "orthodox to the core" as you claim.
Of course having the list all be in Latin or Italien was necessary to support your false "core" claim. ( In later comments Alba also takes exception to someone's claim that John's writings were never supportive of reform- This is bogus and a political distortion of the facts of history to support a medievalist agenda.)
McBrien's description of John
McBrien's description of John XXIII's impact on the world is clear and correct. What a pity JPII saw fit to regress from the truths of Vatican II. The Imperial Papacy was more like JPII had seen in chiefs of governments in his own Poland for 1,000 years: all rulers, conquerors, dictators etc. Never a ruler who was democratically elected or universally conversant with the people. How can we bring back that spirit of JXXIII?
Your comments on Poland's
Your comments on Poland's history only reveals your ignorance of it. Poland was ruled before the partitions by magnates who elected the king and had the right of individual personal veto over any decisions mad by the Polish diet. I do not want to belittle John XXIII or his accomplishments, but it worth recalling that at John Paul II's funeral there were cries of "Santo subito!"
You miss two points about
You miss two points about John XXIII:
The Council fathers wanted to declare him a saint then and there before the Council ended. Those who didn't like the fresh and invigorating reforms thoought it best to forget about his sainthood. Well, is on now!! (Got underway when JPII removed his body from its burial place in keeping with the procedure when a person is put for sainthood. JPII wanted that excellent and showy place and he took it as John was removed. Eh what?) Do you really contend that Pope JOhn Paul II did not reverse the supreme changes in law that were made by Vatican Council II? Where have you been living? On this planet?
You aren't going to bring
You aren't going to bring back the spirit of John XXIII with Benedict16, that is a guarantee. No way. He's as much of a totalitarian, if not more so, than his predecessor from Poland.
The laity need to start moving this 2000 year old vessel away from the shoals and the rocks which Benedict and the romantic reactionaries he's appealing to want to take it.
We need a new Ecumenical Council called by the People of God . If we don't get it, not a shekel goes into the Temple treasury from anyone until it is convened.
The bishops will have to be made to make a choice. They either call for Vatican III with the people, or they can face the ire of the sheep and have to cool their heels outside the pope's throne room. Waiting to explain to Benedict why no more loot is coming into the papal and diocesan coffers.
Alban: You are right about
Alban: You are right about the Spirit of John XXIII. Christ's love and mercy shined through him. He died too soon to complete the Council. Unfortunately Paul VI was too fearful and a tiny minority of curial officials and ultra medieval bishops stifled the Spirit of reform. All the votes of the Council were lopsided victories for the Majority typically 2300 in favor of reform and 187 against. That small minority led by ultra medieval curial cardinals played on Paul VI fears and caused him to withdraw 3 issues from the Council: Artificial contraception, Return of the married priesthood, and Reform of the hierarchy. In addition they caused the concept of collegiality to have no power. What was born out of this stifling of the Council was the shortage of priests, the abuse of power by the hierarchy in blindly following the Vatican's directives to cover up scandals, and the alienation of the laity over contraception. These last 3 issues continue to undermine the papacies of JPII and B16. Vatican control down to the parish level is the result. Our current ultra radical pope wants a smaller more orthodox(medieval)church, a remnant after driving out everyone who dares to dissent. The irony is that the Worldwide Abuse of Power by the Vatican controlled hierarchy that was hand-picked by the medieval JPII and B16 is going to cause a drastic loss in church membership and revenue. The people in the pews know how the Vatican contributed to the cover up scandals on 6 continents. They know how much money was wasted by an arrogant corrupt hierarchy. Without a new pope to fix B16's mess, there very well may a schism in the church.
So... just to get this
So... just to get this straight.
You want to attempt to bribe the Vicar of Christ and the successors of the apostles using money so you can change whatever teachings and doctrines strike your fancy.
Yup, sounds like a recipe for success right there!
The threat of witholding your
The threat of witholding your pennies is worthless. Benedict has said, as far back as the 70s, that the Church of the future will be smaller, poorer, and purer. You can keep your money, we don't want it.
Just the opposite of Christ's
Just the opposite of Christ's great commission.
I think Dante has a special place in hell for B16.
I shall remember this comment
I shall remember this comment on Sunday, Alban, and drop a few more shekels into the Temple treasury than I would otherwise have done, each one a hot coal on your foolish, seething head. Those who hate the Church should leave. They will find in the Anglican church a home where all the "reforms" you want have been put in place—but not for long, because those "reforms" are killing that ecclesial community as surely as they would have killed Holy Mother Church.
Oremus pro pontifice beata nostro!
I'm an Anglican and I find my
I'm an Anglican and I find my communion live and kicking, while your Latin is really bad. If you're going to be pretentious, learn your declensions.
Blessed Pope John was
Blessed Pope John was certainly a beloved figure revered by so many, and it is indeed a pity that younger Catholics did not know him. Unfortunately, his hopes and dreams for the Council were never fully fulfilled, especially concerning the liturgy.
Additionally and ironically, in his great Constitution, Veternum Sapientia, Blessed Pope John wrote the following about the Latin language:
“Of its very nature Latin is most suitable for promoting every form of culture among peoples. It gives rise to no jealousies. It does not favor any one nation, but presents itself with equal impartiality to all and is equally acceptable to all.
Nor must we overlook the characteristic nobility of Latin’s formal structure. Its ‘concise, varied and harmonious style, full of majesty and dignity’ makes for singular clarity and impressiveness of expression …
Furthermore, the Church’s language must be not only universal but also immutable. Modern languages are liable to change, and no single one of them is superior to the others in authority. Thus if the truths of the Catholic Church were entrusted to an unspecified number of them, the meaning of these truths, varied as they are, would not be manifested to everyone with sufficient clarity and precision. There would, moreover, be no language which could serve as a common and constant norm by which to gauge the exact meaning of other renderings.
But Latin is indeed such a language. It is set and unchanging. It has long since ceased to be affected by those alterations in the meaning of words which are the normal result of daily, popular use …
Finally, the Catholic Church has a dignity far surpassing that of every merely human society, for it was founded by Christ the Lord. It is altogether fitting, therefore, that the language it uses should be noble, majestic, and non-vernacular.”
to share.
to share.
"Nowhere was the Second
"Nowhere was the Second Vatican Council’s purpose articulated more clearly or more forcefully than in the opening address of the pope who convened it."
And if Pope John had lived to see the self-destruction of his Church (which continues today) that resulted from the Council, he would have wept bitterly. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit. VCII will be regarded by history as the worst of all of the Councils.
how do you draw cause and
how do you draw cause and result here?
Your conclusions are entirely unsupportable, as it has yet to be implemented.
Really Charles. How do you
Really Charles. How do you account for the fact that where the council was implemented the most, such as Belgium, Holland, Canada,the church is dying faster than where it was given a more conservative spin. The same applies to individual dioceses, bishops and religious orders.
let us see your stats
let us see your stats then.
In any case, the COuncil was never implemented . . .
Really Gerard? How do you
Really Gerard?
How do you account that since Poland was freed from the communist sphere by JPII (Yes, I give him full credit for this) but then ruled over by the conservative JPII, and now the uber conservative B16, that Poland has sunken into the religious abyss that it is in now???
Poland has one of the most liberal abortion laws in Europe, a steadily declining Catholic population, declining Mass attendance and now they are fighting to remove a Cross that was erected?
CAN'T blame that on Vatican II or the progressives!
For that matter, can't blame it on the church. Blame the last 2 pontiffs.
I agree with you Charles. The
I agree with you Charles. The reforms of the Council were never fully implimented. Key pieces of the reforms were stifled, stymied, and never implimented due to curial opposition and fear. As a result the reforms were only half way implimented. It became like a cake with some of the ingredients left out and the cooking time shortened by the counter measures taken by JPII and B16, selecting only medieval bishops starting in 1978 and making the training in seminaries follow a medieval curriculum. The opposition to the reforms started with Paul VI. Complicating matters were 2 factors: As far as the faithful were concerned the Roman Catholic Church was the "ONE TRUE CHURCH" and it NEVER CHANGED.This was not true of course, but it was what the people were taught to believe. This is why there was confusion and anger. Typical was the comment of one man who said to me "if it was a mortal sin not eat meat on Friday before and now it is not a mortal sin then I've been lied to." The hierarchy botched the implimentation of the reforms and were unprepared for the opposition and confusion they encountered. It took the re-education of an entire generation. Meanwhile the ultra medieval cardinals of JPII's Vatican not only took measures to stop further reform, but also implimented a plan to reverse the reforms of the Council. Now that the covert part of the plan is in place, you are seeing the overt claims of "continuity" which infact is a re-writing of history saying things like "the reforms never mandated a liturgical change from Latin to the Venacular." This is a lie!! So is the Vatican claim that they "are not reforming the reforms." It is a lie!!
The radical medievalists worship the romanticized myths of the Medieval Church. The medieval period came after the fall of civilization. It was a brutal time of ignorance, pestilence, plague, torture, injustice, corruption and superstition. The hierarchy was so corrupt the position of bishop was up for sale and the reformation and religious wars that followed can be traced directly back to the arrogant corrupt hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. So much for returning to the "Glorious" days of the old Latin church. I grew up in that church. I know the history. The history of the church is full of error and corruption for anyone who cares to study it. The Roman Catholic Church has survived inspite of the corruption of the hierarchy, not because of it. You need look no further than all the corrupt cover ups by the so-called "holy" leaders we have today, all hand picked for 30 years. The truth is, all the scandals have yet to be revealed. The hierarchy has absolute unchecked power, and "absolute power corrupts absolutely."
What a sad year - 1963. The
What a sad year - 1963. The death of a saint in June; a martyr in November. And it formed a unique generation. Many of it now struggle to pass on the the "grand Johannine Vision" and the posibility that was inherent in "Camelot," to a generation which seems bound and determined to rush headlong into 1900 politically and religiously. May the goals and goodness of John XXIII and the policies that we dream might have come from JFK somehow find a rebirth in those younger than those of us old enough to remember them.
John XXIII is the best thing
John XXIII is the best thing about the RCC in the 20th Century and so far into the 21st Century. No other hierarch comes close to his love of people and God; his understanding of human nature and his natural ability to bring good out of evil.
As JPII proclaimed far too many Saints along his ideological thrust; it would now be an insult to sanctify John XXII unless he were proclaimed a Saint and Doctor of the Church at the same time.
I keep his mighty profile in
I keep his mighty profile in the front flap of my Liturgy of the Hours
John XXIII as a saint and
John XXIII as a saint and Doctor of the Church. A magnificent idea!
a reality like Dorothy DAy
a reality
like Dorothy DAy and Monsenor Romero, and FAther Ellacuria, a reality not needing official declaration, which is merely redundant of this truth
Thank you for this moving
Thank you for this moving tribute to Pope John XXIII!I hope and pray that his spirit may remain alive in midst of all the troubles that beset the Church in our time!
Thank you Fr. Richard for
Thank you Fr. Richard for fleshing out a memory. When Pope John XXIII died, I was graduating from high school. For a man of his stature, he is the greatest true example, in my lifetime so far, of how I imagine Christ was with ordinary people of his time.
Thank you Richard McBrien for
Thank you Richard McBrien for this wonderful tribute to Good Pope John. In the age of the mendacious bishops, it is easy to forget that one such as this was pope just a half century ago.
What a wonderful reminder and
What a wonderful reminder and tribute to that hopeful time in the life of the Catholic Church.
Thank you.
Thank you for your
Thank you for your outstanding explanation and exposition of the life and ideas and inspired actions of this holy man. Without him I would not have stayed in the church and I experienced such joy in the staying. He is a saint in my mind and heart. I believe those who followed were filled with jealousy and not love. The Church they are creating reflects these emotions. We must find and follow Christ. The Holy Spirit will lead us.
“The substance of the ancient
“The substance of the ancient doctrine...is one thing,” the pope declared, “and the way in which it is presented is another.”
I have read this quote from John XXIII before, and it has extended my understanding and reasoned perspective of infallibility statements of dogma, doctrine, etc. The way in which dogma, doctrine has been presented in the past (and still understood today by many) may have been distorted by a very limited understanding of the underlying substance of the doctrine by the messenger of the doctrine.
I am of an "older vintage" of Catholic education. My Catholic education included a very literal understanding of dogma,credal statements of doctrine, etc., similar to my childhood understanding of fairy tales, etc. This, of course, does not mean I do not accept the "truth" of fairy tales, scripture, dogma, etc., but it does mean that literalism is no longer the only level of understanding I hold. Metaphor and other literary devices are part of expressing truths. I have to be a thinking Christian, utilizing the tools education to understand. "Faith seeking understanding" according to St. Anselm.
Unfortunately Mary you are
Unfortunately Mary you are twisting the very thing Pope John said.
how so, gerard? seems mighty
how so, gerard?
seems mighty straightfoward as much as you find it distasteful
So true about non-Catholics.
So true about non-Catholics. I was a military TV announcer on Okinawa and had the honor of narrating a 30" tribute to Pope John, produced and written by a non-Catholic sailor who had been greatly moved by the life of Pope John XXIII. There was no shortage of news film of the kind and simple things that he had done for his fellow man. It is good to be reminded of his impact.
but did you need to scream
but did you need to scream Good Morning, Okinawa!?
What music to my ears to dear
What music to my ears to dear this tribute to John XXXIII ! I am 75 years old and have lived through 5 Popes and none of the other 4 have shown forth the grace and holiness and genuine led by the spirit guidance as this beloved Pope! I am so grateful to have started my adulthood in the church under his wonderful and loving spirit and have often wondered why his cause for canonization has been so long delayed while John Paul is already on the fast track. It was during John Paul's time and now Benedict that the beautiful spirit that opened the windows of our church has been persistently rolled back. Now I find that I don't really pay attention to Rome any more or even most of the Bishops appointed by those last two popes. My faith is still strong but it is centered on the God from whom it comes and the Mass and sacraments which are still most important in my life. If it weren't for John I wonder if I would still be a Catholic at this point in my life.
At the time of Pius XII's
At the time of Pius XII's death and the eventual election of John XXIIIrd,I was attending the installation of the first Bishop of Miami ( Bp. Coleman Carroll)I was ordained 1 year earlier and most of my early life was spent during Pius XII's pontificate. All I recall is the Pope appearing at the window of the Vatican blessing the populous below in the courtyard,,"In nomine Patris et Filii.et Spritus Sancti....Ahhhmen!" Latin of course!He was a holy man, a member of Italy's aristocracy. He also seemed a "prisoner" of the Vatican and the wary Curia. At that time most of us knew nothing about the controversy surrounding his possible silence in the wake of the Holocaust during World War II. On the other hand, I remember much about John XXIII an aging Cardinal of Venice reportedly elected as an "interim pope" who died prematurely in the midst of Vatican II which he initiated. What I remember most was John's reported response to a question about his first act as Pope: "I want to open the windows of the Vatican to let in some air and light!!" Amen. The rest has been a rush to history-reversed under 3 popes!!
Too bad about Miami. Instead
Too bad about Miami. Instead of bishop Carroll, we have the entire south Florida, well known for sexual abuse in one form or another on a grand scale, wall-to-wall with transferred sexual molesters in Roman collars.
not to mention that televised
not to mention that televised FAther Cutie who left to become a married Episcopalian after getting caught on tape with his mistress
For most Catholics in the
For most Catholics in the pews we do not need a pronouncement from Rome.
I was a child during Vatican II and the wonderful changes that took place once the windows and doors of the Church were opened. Yes it is to Saint John XXIII that we pray for guidance for the Church he so dearly loved and served.
May St John XXIII help us in this time of confusion and betrayal by the Curia and Pope. May St John XXIII's intersession help the Church heal and return to the reforms of Vatican II.
I share Fr. McBrien's sense
I share Fr. McBrien's sense of loss. I had the wonderful pleasure of seeing Pope John XXIII at his summer residence at Castelgandolfo in 1961. He was absolutely magnetic as he exuded love and admiration for all the people who had come into the audience hall to greet him, cheer him, and reach out to be blessed by him.
Everyone in that hall knew we were in the presence not only the bishop of Rome, but in the presence of a saint too.
John XXIII, pastoral to the
John XXIII, pastoral to the core, and because of his "new" message of governance, anathema to the present hierarchical structure. Paul VI's joining John XXIII with Pius XII was a death knell for John; how different could two people be. Paul VI began the slide backward because of his timidity, and JPII delivered the final blow to Vatican II. Perhaps not so final after all as some of us remember John XXIII and are willing to speak truth to power and resist th slide back to the medieval imperial model so cherished by too many of the current hierarchy. Holy Spirit help us see your way.
You are right, I do not know
You are right, I do not know Pope John the XXIII, even though I entered into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church at a Newman Center as a student in 1983, clearly into a Vatican II Church and inspired by the Basic Christian Communities of Latin America. So, I feel challenged to learn more about John XXIII. One of the main draws to the RC is the incredible history of "saints" who continue to teach us. And more importantly, for me, the Mystery that holds church together despite all its human flaws and injustices within the institutional church. The Church is bigger than the people, thank goodness! All we have to do is read the many horrific stories in the Hebrew Scriptures to know God's love is amazingly boundless, and strangely the many stories of betrayal give me hope, that we can continually be renewed to live the way of God's peace, justice and mercy. Thank goodness for the prophets in our time who challenge us to live the Gospels and a life dedicated to the common good of our global community, and for those who refuse to be silent such as those who demand justice who have been abused in multiple ways by so-called church authorities, including women who demand leadership roles of equality.
Being one of the graduate
Being one of the graduate students who were alive when John was Pope, I have a few personal connections. First, I went to work in Turkey in Feb. 1963, while John was still the Pope, It seemed special to be there because he had been the Papal Delegate to Turkey and Greece from 1935, through 1939, the year I was born, until the end of December 1944, when he became the Pope's ambassador to France, which had just been liberated from the Germans. The church where he resided in Istanbul had in its courtyard the famous monument the Turks built to Pope Benedict XV, whom they saw as Protector of the East during WWI. In the weekend of Pentecost, 1963 I went on the Orient Express to Vienna to meet a Georgetown friend who was studying in France. (The friend never came, it turned out.) We arrived in Vienna early in the morning on June 3. Since it was Pentecost, the whole city was shut down, not only for Sunday but for Monday and Tuesday as well, the custom in Europe, in celebration of the feast. Several of us who came on the same train joined a tour of the city. As we got on the bus at a little before 7:00am, the bus driver/tour guide announced that the news had just come over his radio that Pope John had died minutes earlier (7:49 in Rome, but 6:49 in Vienna. We all sat in hushed silence pondering this great event. Finally the driver said, This is a terrible occasion, but I know that good Pope John would not want you to sorrow on his behalf, he would surely say to you, say a quick prayer for me and then go on with your tour and enjoy it for me. Have a great day! So we all stood heads bowed in silence and then said a Hail Mary for the Pope and then climbed into our seats and took off for a tour that ended with dinner and dancing at one of the wine restaurants in Grünzing. It did seem like the right thing to do.
My favorite church interpreter, maybe even over John Allen, Peter Hebblethwaite, wrote a wonderful detailed biography of John XXIII that contains some amazing stories of Pope John's time in Turkey, leading up to WWII (when the Turks remained neutral) and the genocide of the Jews, and all he tried to do to alleviate suffering and let people know what was really going on during those times. What an amazing guy! I'm very happy that I had reason to get to know him a little better because of our overlapping interests, Turkey and the Vatican Council. I'm sure a lot of people pray to him, saint or not, and one day he'll make it, in spite of those in our times who are trying to reverse the work of the Council.
I am so grateful that the
I am so grateful that the Holy Spirit sent Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli to the church when I was a youth. By convening Vatican II, Pope John XXIII brought enthusiasm, spirit and hope to a world community of people who embraced wholeheartedly his message. I cannot imagine where I'd be today otherwise.
I am so grateful that the
I am so grateful that the Holy Spirit sent Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli to the church
HOORAH! At last someone has mentioned the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is invoked prior to every papal election. Given the size of the College of Cardinals, it just possible that no one Cardinal or group of Cardinals could elect someone without a sense of the Holy Spirit. For 2000 years, election to the Papacy has been similar to a sentence of death (there is at least the possibility that one resigned but none in the last thousand years). For a man to accept election is the same as ceasing to be -- even the name changes. The next time the given name is heard is after the Carmelengo hits him on the forehead to see if he truly is dead. While the Cardinals might vote under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, their motives might not be limited by the Holy Spirit.
I just got done reading,
I just got done reading, "Journal of a Soul" and "The Official Biography of John XXIII." I was born less than 9 months after his death. I always admired this man. What a genius and holy man. The best Pope by far in modern history. We can really use another one like him. I just don't see one like him on the horizon.
guys...have any of you read
guys...have any of you read John XXIII??? He despised liturgy when it was not traditional...he despised liturgical abberation and abuse...and mandated the latin language for 8 years for ordination...and is far far far far more traditional and a catholic than you guys are making him out to be...please do your research...i hesitate to advise you of this so that you can turn your anger to him as you have done with Popes Benedict and John Paul II...but its better you know the truth...hes the only pope of the twentieth century to celebrate the Extraordinary Form in its full Papal form....neither Pius X...XI...or XI nor Benedict XV (not XVI)....ever did...stop portraying him as a man about revolution and calling for sweeping changes in the liturgy...its slander against the Holy Father...
Michael Kramerq, DOn't
Michael Kramerq, DOn't forget John XXIII dies before the votes are taken on the liturgy. If he wanted Vatican II to simply rubber stamp the Tridentine Mass, he would have done so long before his death.
There is no proof whatsoever John XXIII ever intended to keep the traditional liturgy untouched. A liturgy which he did indeed love and celebrate himself. If did have such intentions, he would never have called Vatican II in the first place.
One of his principle objectives in calling the Council was to reform the Mass to make it more intelligible to all people, and to increase the popular participation in through expanded scriptural offerings and in the vernacular.
Take your own advice Michael and do some research. Read some of John XXIII's sermons and addresses after he called for the Council in 1958. There is a rich selection of it from 1959 to 1962. Therein, you will see he was very much wedded to liturgical reform.
Michael Kramerq DON"T MISLEAD
Michael Kramerq DON"T MISLEAD by misrepresentation. See Alban's excellent comments, especially his last paragraph.
guys... have you read John
guys... have you read John XXIII ??? Your citations are misleading!(SEE ALBAN'S RESPONSE to your comment)Your last accusation of "slander" betrays your agenda and your "selective" reading.
It is hard to see that
It is hard to see that history can avoid indicting the perversity and illegitimacy of the present papacy; “perverse” because it intentionally pursues the perverse agendum of the previous papacy, namely, to gut the essential “liberation” accomplishment of the Second Vatican Council; and “illegitimate” because the present pope was elected by appointed electors who shared the agendum to overreach Vatican II and restore Tridentine theology/ ecclesiology.
The “sensus fidelium” is aggressively (violently) oppressed, repressed and suppressed. The People are denied their rightful role to be and to function as Church.
The aggressive cult of patriarchal “orthodoxy” makes clear that the Abrahamic fetish of gratuitous violence amongst brothers obtains and thrives, to the fright of women and children and to the destruction of nature. God help us!
Thank you, Fr McBrien!
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978443247
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978451857
http://www.divinicom.com
Benedict 16 represents the
Benedict 16 represents the sedevacantists and the heretical SSPX's last grasp at the brass ring. Without Pope Benedict doing cartwheels to ingratiate himself before them, these crypto Vichy scum would have been anathematized and left to drift out to sea a long, long time ago.
I too am grateful for Pope
I too am grateful for Pope John 23 who came along in my late adolescence and who brought me from a religion of fear to one where I could believe in a God of Love. This article has been the catalyst for me to do more reading and thinking about this wonderful man, especially the concept of "revelation event" and the definition offered by Fr. O'Brien....."A revelation event is any happening by which God becomes a tangible reality in the lives of ordinary people." That is what Pope John 23 was for me. He was a shepherd and the way he modeled/imitated Jesus for me remained helpful throughout my life. I hadn't realized just how much of an impact he had on my spiritual life. I still remember a statement that was attributed to him...."we are not on earth to build a museum but to tend a garden" so I've been planting seeds ever since then. (don't think I quoted this verbatim but it is the essence of his message that made such an impact on me)
Thank you for this beautiful
Thank you for this beautiful article. As other posts have noted,many of us would not be Catholic today without the wonderful spirit of Pope John. I can remember as a highschool student being so upset that we would no longer have the latin Mass. Why, what would I do with my missle which explained the English version of what was being said on the altar.We had a wonderful priest at our school who said I would one day rejoice at the opening of the church for all of us to participate. Well he was so correct and because of this saint I remain a strong Catholic even in these trying days.
My prayer is that the Holy Spirit send us a pope as inspired as Pope John XXIII.
It's a tragedy that John
It's a tragedy that John XXIII died before Vatican II was completed. I think the outcome would have been much different. Paul VI seemed overwhelmed by the whole process. John would have led with his gentle, yet firm demeanor, and Vatican II would have been more positive and caused less divisiveness.
Please actually read some of
Please actually read some of John's writings and addresses. He would have more likely concluded the council early and almost certainly have taken a more conservative line than Paul VI. HAve you ever read John's autobigraphy. He had great devotion to Pius X whom he said he wanted to emulate.
yeah
yeah sure
source?
anyway
that's what they all said . . .
Since you always ask for
Since you always ask for sources, Chuck, perhaps you could give some indication of your source that refutes that Blessed John XXIII revered and wanted to emulate St. Pope Pius X? Oh, wait, you never cite sources for your propositions, your insatiable demands for others to do so is just a rhetorical device to silence those with whom you disagree.
Perhaps if you start practicing what you preach, people will be more inclined to respond to your demands for sources.
The sadder part is that John
The sadder part is that John Paul I (Albino Luciani) was murdered and could not be the implementer of Vatican II that the College of Cardinals had elected him to be. John XXIII appointed him a Bishop the same day he elevated Montini to a Cardinal. He picked both his predecessors on the same day (Dec. 15, 1958) shortly after his own election.
It is sad that this healthy man with such a vibrant spirit and loving soul was taken so soon. Even a 5 year papacy would have ensured Vatican II a continued life. It is mind blowing that the same College of Cardinals could have elected such a polar opposite. Someone must have stood up at that conclave and said we will kill any liberal elected. It must have been a scene similar to that in The Godfather II when Frankie Pantangelo was about to testify in federal court against Michael Corleone. As he was about to testify, top mafioso walked into the courtroom with his brother from Italy. He changed his mind real quick and suddenly forgot everything he was going to say.
I grieve the loss of a pontificate that would have been a pleasure to live through.
Please do not forget also
Please do not forget also that it was John XXIII that condemned Theillard de Chardin, who insisted that Latin be retained in the western church, who brought back many osolete practices of the papal court that had been abolished by Pius XII, who (in his encyclical on the anniversary of Leo the Great) insisted that the primacy of the pope was the basis of any reunion with the eastern churches, who appointed Cardinal Ottaviani as secretary of the holy office, who appointed curial cardinals to head all of the concilair commissions, who, at the end of the first session of Vatican II stated that he hoped the council could be concluded within only one more year, etc etc.... My point is that if you are going to talk about the REAL John XXIII you need to do more than mention merely the things you like. This piece, like the previous one on earlier popes is pure propaganda.
ger, so, dude, why do you
ger, so, dude, why do you read it?
we got the leading scholar in the field here, who has published the standard text on this topic in his Lives of the Popes, recently reivsed to include the current.
Dude, mind if I take his word over yours?
yours reads like pure propoganda with a bone to pick with someone, whereas the Reverend FAther RIchard P. McBrien always reads like straightforward academic research brilliantly and comprehensible written.
sorry, ger, dude . . .
Gerard on Aug. 18, 2010. You
Gerard on Aug. 18, 2010.
You stated:
"Please do not forget also that it was John XXIII that condemned Theillard de Chardin, who insisted that Latin be retained in the western church, who brought back many osolete practices of the papal court that had been abolished by Pius XII, who (in his encyclical on the anniversary of Leo the Great) insisted that the primacy of the pope was the basis of any reunion with the eastern churches, who appointed Cardinal Ottaviani as secretary of the holy office, who appointed curial cardinals to head all of the concilair commissions, who, at the end of the first session of Vatican II stated that he hoped the council could be concluded within only one more year, etc etc.... My point is that if you are going to talk about the REAL John XXIII you need to do more than mention merely the things you like. This piece, like the previous one on earlier popes is pure propaganda."
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1) Angelo Roncalli as Apostolic Delegate to Turkey and Greece---encouraged the priests there to utilize the native languages of the Catholics during the Liturgy---so that the people could worship God in their native tongue---not in Latin. In addition, Angelo Roncalli---extended tremendous effort to see that Jewish refugees in several countries were able to return to their homes in safety.
2) Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani was appointed Pro-Secretary of the Holy Office in January 12, 1953 by Pope Pius XII. On November 7, 1959---he was named chief doctrinal guardian as Secretary of the Holy Office.
3) Cardinal Ottaviani, the Secretary of the Holy Office, was a friend and collaborator with Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Ottaviani and Cardinal Augustin Bea (personal friend of John XXIII and who represented the Pope a number of times during the Council) argued heatedly over the subject of religious liberty. Ottaviani was opposed to the separation of Church and State (SSPX. 'The Role of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X in the Heart of the Church', January 1982).
4) It was Ottaviani, as Secretary of the Holy Office, who tried to drag the activities of the Council especially when dealing with the formulation of the liturgy in the vernacular. Opposing his delaying actions, was German Cardinal Joseph Frings. Young Fr. Joseph Ratzinger was adviser to Cardinal Frings.
5) John XXIII did not condemn de Chardin---in fact, Chardin's presence was certainly felt during this Council, as was the theology of Yves Conger (who had been silenced during the pontificate of Pius XII), and John Courtney Murray. As Papal Nuncio to France, in 1944, Roncalli gained understanding of France's Worker Priests. Roncalli also saw that those bishops who callaborated with the German occupation of France---were retired.
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"Summary of the research work of the International Angelo Roncalli Committee" by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation---Dec. 7, 2000
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I would suggest, Gerald, that before you state that the essay and those who support it, are supporting pure propaganda---you should carefully study the major presentations of each session of the Vatican Council. Also, you need to know who the key players were---who represented the liberal side as well as the conservative side. You need to know who presented the Pope's position (who had John's confidence)---during the debates (certainly not Ottaviani) during the Council, especially after John was diagnosed with gastric carcinoma on September 23, 1962.
There is so much hype about
There is so much hype about John XXIII & the Council. As if everything prior to the Council in the Church was bad & the Council ushered in this new & glorious era. What actually happened is a breakdown in the Church. If you examine the documents of Vatican II closely you will see very little that was new. And what was new like religious freedom (properly understood) was already in the pipeline of the Church.
The changes to the Mass were largely a mistake which is borne out by the precipitous decline in Mass attendance in Europe. In America percentage wise Mass attendance has been cut in half. And on & on, nothing but decline in the Church. It is very sad. There is only a remnant of faithful such as myself left.
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