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Vatican
Vatican reveals plan to welcome disaffected Anglicans
Synod leaders: Church needs to get its house in order
A great weekend for affirmative orthodoxy in Prague
Healing the schism with traditionalists
Vatican reveals plan to welcome disaffected Anglicans
Responds to request made by group known as Traditional Anglican Communion
Synod leaders: Church needs to get its house in order
'Selfishness, greed and ethnic conflicts are destroying our societies'
Self-mortification must be moderate, monitored
Feb. 05, 2010VATICAN CITY -- Reacting to a report that Pope John Paul II practiced self-mortification, including flagellation, experts in spirituality said ascetical practices are part of the Christian tradition, but should be used in moderation and under the guidance of a mature spiritual director.
"Union with the redeeming suffering of Christ comes through accepting the trials and suffering of life or, like in the case of Pope John Paul II, with the voluntary choice of physical suffering," said Cardinal Georges Cottier, theologian of the papal household under the late pope.
Vatican preparing documents on prayer, brothers
Feb. 02, 2010VATICAN CITY -- Cardinal Franc Rode, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, told Vatican Radio Feb. 2 that his office was working on two documents: a joint document with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments on the importance of prayer in the life of religious; and a document highlighting the importance of religious brothers in the church.
Church takes Gospel values to public debate
Feb. 01, 2010VATICAN CITY -- Catholic teaching and the truths of the Gospel have a right to be heard in public debate, especially in a country where so many people claim to be Christian, Pope Benedict XVI told the bishops of England and Wales.
However, the church must recognize dissent within its own ranks and not accept it as being part of a balanced discussion, he said Feb. 1 in an address to bishops who were making their "ad limina" visits.
The meeting with the bishops, who were at the Vatican to report on the status of their dioceses, took place as Pope Benedict prepares to visit Great Britain in September.
Pope John Paul practiced self-mortification
Jan. 26, 2010VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II always took penitence seriously, spending entire nights lying with his arms outstretched on the bare floor, fasting before ordaining priests or bishops and flagellating himself, said the promoter of his sainthood cause.
Msgr. Slawomir Oder, postulator of the late pope's cause, said Pope John Paul used self-mortification "both to affirm the primacy of God and as an instrument for perfecting himself."
Pope confirms Bertone as Vatican secretary of state
Jan. 22, 2010
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, and Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cut a ribbon to open an art exhibit in Rome Oct. 7. (CNS)
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI has reconfirmed Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone as Vatican secretary of state, praising the Italian prelate's capability, humanity and sense of faith.
As required of all Vatican department heads, Cardinal Bertone had offered his resignation when he turned 75 last December. He was named head of the Secretariat of State in 2006.
'The Simpsons' and the Vatican press
Jan. 21, 2010
The Simpson family is pictured in "The Simpsons Movie." (CNS/FOX)
Analysis
Oddball combinations never fail to amuse. On their own, neither poodles nor break dancing constitute a novelty, but find a break-dancing poodle and YouTube awaits. In the same spirit, a recent paean to “The Simpsons” in L’Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican newspaper, sparked chuckles around the world.
After all, Homer Simpson is the postmodern everyman who once mused, “What’s that religion with all the well-meaning rules that don’t work out in real life? ... You know, Christianity.” For the Vatican’s in-house organ to pay tribute on the show’s 20th anniversary is, therefore, noteworthy.
Pope defends outreach to Anglicans
Jan. 19, 2010VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI defended his plan to make it easier for Anglicans to convert to Catholicism, saying that it served the “ultimate purpose” of dialogue between the two denominations.
The pope spoke on Friday, Jan. 15, at a special plenary session of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Catholic church's highest doctrinal authority.
Pope welcomed to Rome synagogue despite tensions
Jan. 18, 2010
Pope addresses gathering in Rome synagogue
Heading into Pope Benedict XVI’s much-anticipated Jan. 17 visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome, one towering question loomed. What impact would the recent move towards sainthood for Pope Pius XII, the wartime pontiff whose alleged “silence” on the Holocaust has long fueled controversy, have on the broader Jewish-Catholic relationship?
In the wake of the visit on Sunday, two answers seem equally clear:
- One, fraternal relations between Jews and Catholic will survive the latest round of tensions over Pius XII, with the enthusiastic welcome given to Benedict XVI as proof of the point.
- Two, those tensions also aren’t about to disappear.
This was only the second papal trip to the Rome synagogue, after John Paul II’s groundbreaking visit in April 1986. Benedict was greeted warmly, including an emotional reunion with the former Chief Rabbi of Rome, Elio Toaf, who hosted John Paul twenty-four years ago.
A time to act for Catholic-Jewish reconciliation
Jan. 15, 2010
Workers prepare the grounds outside Rome's main synagogue Jan. 14 in advance of Pope Benedict's visit. (CNS)
Editor's note: Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit the Great Synagogue of Rome Jan. 17. It will be only the second such occasion after the groundbreaking visit by Pope John Paul II in 1986. The visit coincides with the Italian Catholic church's celebration each Jan. 17 of a day for Catholic-Jewish dialogue. The visit is being watched especially close after a year of tension relations between Catholics and Jews.
The recent decree by Pope Benedict XVI advancing the sainthood of Pope Pius XII is another serious blow to Catholic-Jewish relations. Pius’ record during the Shoah remains a legitimate historical question and is, as well, the subject of a long-time emotional disagreement between some in the Vatican and Jewish leaders.
Pope meets, forgives Christmas Eve attacker
Jan. 13, 2010VATICAN CITY -- As a sign of his forgiveness, Pope Benedict XVI met with the woman responsible for knocking him down during a Christmas Eve Mass, a papal spokesman said.
The pope met with Susanna Maiolo after leading his weekly general audience Jan. 13 in the Vatican's Paul VI hall, Father Federico Lombardi said in a written statement.
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