Church and World
Abp. Piacenza Appointed Prefect of the Roman Congregation for the Clergy
The name of Cardinal Claudio Hummes’ successor as prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy has just come out. It is the secretary of the same dicastery, Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, a 66-year-old Italian who considers himself a spiritual son of Cardinal Giuseppe Siri, Archbishop of Genoa for more than 40 years, who ordained him priest.
Intellectually brilliant, Msgr. Piacenza is equally ultraconservative. This choice is obviously not neutral. It is question of rewarding one of the key individuals in the recently concluded Year of the Priest. But, beyond this, Msgr. Piacenza incarnates an architraditional vision of the priest. It is a detail, but his unfailing attachment to ecclesiastical garb is telling. Priests will no doubt once again be urged to wear it, especially the cassock, or the Roman collar at the very least.
This choice is certainly a cold shower for his predecessor in this charge, the Brazilian Claudio Hummes, formerly Archbishop of Fortaleza, then of Sao Paulo, a once rather progressive Franciscan of 76 years who never renounced the enthusiasms of his youth (liberation theology) despite a clear turn to spirituality, if not conservatism. In comparison with Piacenza, however, he cuts the figure of a man of the Left. It is known that he defended the priestly ordination of married men, which will obviously not be the case of Piacenza.
Archbishop Piacenza’s nomination bears the Pope’s personal stamp. Directly vertical promotions (from secretary to prefect of a congregation for instance) are rare and not advised. Except for exceptional confidence in an outstanding man. Especially when the individual has never been in direct pastoral charge of a diocese. An outstanding man as is undoubtedly Mauro Piacenza in the Pope’s eyes. In his plan of restoration.
(Source: Quoted from “Golias” on La Porte Latine)
United States: For Life, the Bishop of Fargo Keeps His Promises!
As he had announced, the Most Reverend Samuel Aquila, Bishop of Fargo, North Dakota, led a procession on Sunday, September 26, 2010, to the town’s abortion clinic. Nearly 800 of the faithful joined the procession from St. Mary’s Cathedral, where the bishop had offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for life. The bishop headed the procession carrying the Blessed Sacrament. At the abortion clinic, he remained unruffled by the pro-abortion demonstrators assembled near the abortuary, the walls of which he generously sprinkled with holy water. After the aspersion, he took up the monstrance and led his flock, reciting the Rosary, back to the Cathedral.
(Source: La Porte Latine)
Twenty-four New Cardinals at Next Consistory
On October 20, Benedict XVI announced he will hold a consistory on November 20, during which he will create 24 new cardinals, bringing to 203 the number of members of the Sacred College, of whom 121 would be electors in the conclave. This will be the third consistory of his pontificate. As of this date, the cardinal electors created by Benedict XVI will be at 50, the current cardinal electors who were created by John Paul II will be at 71.
Seven senior officials of the Roman Curia will form part of the Sacred College:
Certain holders of titular cardinal seats around the world were also chosen by Benedict XVI:
In addition, two bishops and two priests will be honorary or non-elector cardinals:
While he has logically made cardinals of Archbishop Angelo Amato (Causes of the Saints), Bishop Mauro Piacenza (Clergy), Bishop Fortunato Baldelli (Major Penitentiary) and Archbishop Raymond Burke (Apostolic Signature), appointed ex officio, Benedict XVI has also chosen to confer the cardinal purple upon three of eight presidents of pontifical councils who are also bishops (of whom two were recently appointed): Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi (Culture, on the picture), Bishop Kurt Koch (Christian Unity) and Archbishop Robert Sarah (Cor Unum), thus giving more influence to these departments.
The unexpected choice of Guinean Archbishop Robert Sarah seems to have been guided by the desire to insert a little more representation of the Africans into the bosom of the College of Cardinals; likewise the choice of retired Archbishop of Lusaka (Zambia), Bishop Joseph Mazombwe Medardo. The appointment of Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa (DRC), was expected. If one adds the appointment of the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria, Archbishop Antonios Naguib, all together on the African continent there will be 12 Cardinal electors. Africans will then represent 10% of voters, compared with 8% previously.
Unsurprisingly, Benedict XVI appointed some incumbent bishops of cardinal seats around the world whose predecessors have already reached 80 years. But in the absence of Latin American candidates, he chose to offer the red biretta to two prelates: retired Archbishop Raul Eduardo Vela Chiriboga of Quito (Ecuador) and Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida (Brazil). Interestingly, Quito and Aparecida are not traditional cardinal seats. Henceforth, North and South America together will have 36 cardinal electors.
In revealing the list of future princes of the Church, Benedict XVI has pointed out that his choices reflect “the universality of the Church.” Nevertheless, Europeans will remain as the majority among the cardinal electors (62 out of 121) and the Italians (25), as always, are well represented, as more than one elector in five are natives of the Italian peninsula.
In offering a cardinal biretta to Bishop Kurt Koch, the very recently appointed president of the Council of Christian Unity, Benedict XVI intends to show the importance he attaches to ecumenism. This has not failed to put a spotlight on the Swiss prelate in the wake of the announcement of the names of the cardinals who will be created next month: “It is probably not due to my person that the Pope has chosen for me to so quickly become a cardinal, but due to my office, so as to give a clear sign demonstrating the importance he gives to ecumenism and relations with Judaism.”
The entry into the College of Cardinals of Bishop Gianfranco Ravasi will open to him the doors to the next conclave where, according to some vaticanistas, he could be consider papabile as the head of the “anti-restorationist” block which is opposed to the course of the current Pope. This is a significant story reported by Italian journalist Sandro Magister in 2007, at the time of his appointment as head of the Council for Culture: “For years, Bishop Ravasi has been a candidate for everything” including the Archbishop of Milan, his diocese, but until now he has been passed over. In 2005 he seemed to be in line to acquire the bishopric of Assisi, the city of St. Francis—a small diocese, but a great world forum. However, on June 25th the members of the Congregation charged with the appointments of new bishops met together for the final considerations and on the table was a press clipping. It was an article about Bishop Ravasi published March 31, 2002, in the Sunday supplement of the daily financial newspaper Il Sole delle 24 Ore. The article focused on Easter and the title was: “He was not raised, he arose.”
As at each consistory, the Pope chose to offer the cardinal biretta to some prelates or bishops over the age of 80, and thus ineligible to vote, but to recognize “their generosity and dedication in service to the Church.” Among them, Bishop Domenico Bartolucci, choirmaster of the Sistine Chapel from 1956 to 1997, aged 93. Benedict XVI pays homage to this master of classical choir who is attached to the traditional liturgy and whose departure in 1997 hurt Cardinal Ratzinger. Furthermore, by raising to the cardinalate Bishop Elio Sgreccia, the retired President of Pontifical Academy for Life, the Pope acknowledges the many battles this Italian prelate has waged against abortion and euthanasia.
(Source: DICI)
“You are a monk, you must remain a monk!”
Herculean Labors
If the grain of wheat…dies, it will bear much fruit
“the three-cord rope does not break.”
1 Fr. Matthew was sent from this foundation in 2000 to join Rev. Fr. Angel and found the monastery of Bellaigue.
2 Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue.
3 The average is 25!
4 Decree of Institution, October 23, 2010.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 Ritus de Canonica Erectione Monasterii.
8 Antiphon “Confirma hoc,” Ritus de Canonica Erectione Monasterii.
9 Ibid.
10 Decree of Institution, October 23, 2010.