From July 6 until September 27, 2009, Radio Vatican will broadcast commercials in 5 languages (Italian, English, Spanish, French and German) for the Italian Electricity Company Enel on FM band. The operation should yield a benefit “between 100,000 and 200,000 € per year”, in a “yearly budget of 20 million €, according to Fr. Federico Lombardi, the spokesman for the Holy See.  This contribution which is “neither insignificant nor substantial” should be used “for new initiatives, and new programs”, he told the press.

Paradoxically, while praising the merits of the electricity produced by Enel, the leaders of Radio Vatican are studying means of doing without it. Indeed, Bishop Renato Boccardo, Secretary of the Governatorate of Vatican City State, made known that  a project of installation of solar panels on the location of the radio antennas, north of Rome, was presently being studied. (Source: Imedia)

Churches for Sale in Quebec

In less than 50 years, religious practice in Quebec dropped from 80% to 5%. And churches are up for sale. Thus the Church of Saint Mary Margaret in Magog, closed in 2007, will be reconverted into a library in 2010. In Sherbrooke, the restaurant “l’Olive bleue” was built in a former church, and since last April, the Church of Christ the King has been turned into a climbing center. Likewise, the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, which closed its doors in 1995, has become an entertainment hall, “Le Vieux clocher de Sherbrooke”. In Rimouski, a church of the 19th century became the Regional Museum of Rimouski. The Church of St. John Bosco, in Montebello, will be transformed into a theater. In the Saint-Roch district, in Quebec city, the Church of St. John of the Cross has been remodeled into apartments. Other churches are now garages or pubs. In Three Rivers, the Church of St. Cecilia, one of the most beautiful in the city, and which is celebrating its 375th anniversary, is about to be sold to Spect-Arts to become an entertainment hall. (Source: Apic)

American Bishop Sentenced because his Bells Ring!

A bishop has been given a 10-day suspended prison sentence because of his cathedral bells ringing. In a judgment given on June 3, the tribunal decided to limit to 60 the amount of decibels which bells can reach, and only for 2 minutes on Sundays and on certain feast days. Up to now, they struck the hour between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm. The neighbors for the Cathedral of Christ the King sued so that they would no longer hear bells ring. Bishop Richard Painter, of Phoenix, Arizona, said that he was going to appeal. (Source: Apic)

The Pope’s Vacations

For the third time, Benedict XVI will spend part of his vacation in the Vale of Aosta, in the village of Combes d’Introd, from July 13 until July 29. During his sojourn, on July 19, the pope will go to Romano Canavese, in the diocese of Ivrea, a little village where the Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone was born. The pope will pray the Angelus on the Piazza Ruggia, in front of the Church of Sts. Peter and Soluteur. The next Sunday, July 26, the pope will pray the Angelus at his residence in Combes. General audiences will not be permitted on July 15, 22 and 29, and will be resumed on August 5. Upon his return from the Vale of Aosta, the pope will go directly to his residence in Castel Gandolfo. During the summer, there will be no private or special audiences.

Benedict XVI’s vacation, in the company of his brother Msgr Georg Ratzinger, are devoted to prayer and writing. During these two weeks of vacation spent in the mountains of the Vale of Aosta, the pope should mainly rest and take a few excursions in the area. (Source: Imedia)

In the district of Kandhamal (State of Orissa), the center of anti-Christian violence since the month of August 2008, the situation is calm again today. But these are deceiving appearances, warned Archbishop Cheenath: “Christians fear to go back home because they do not want to be subject to blackmail on the part of the Hindus, who promise to give them back their properties if they convert to Hinduism.” In the camps for displaced people, set up by the government, the Christians do not feel any more secure. The authorities wish to close the camps  and bring strong pressure to bear upon the refugees so that they agree to go back home. On the other hand, no culprit having been brought before the tribunals, Christians fear to live again next to their former persecutors. If some Hindu extremists had been  arrested, they were quickly set at liberty, the archbishop stated.

Persecuted Catholics

“Today, Christians in Kandhamal have nothing more to expect from a material point of view. Some have lost dear ones. They have seen their houses set on fire, their belongings plundered, destroyed or stolen, and their lands are henceforth taken away by others,” Archbishop Cheenath, who sees in this, ironically enough, a refutation of the theses of the Hindu religion. “These Christians have lost everything, and, if they accept to ‘convert’ to Hinduism, Hindus promise that they will recover their goods, their lands, and that they will no longer be harassed. Now, Christians refuse such a bargain, they remain true to their Christian Faith. This is proof enough that they did not become Christians for the sake of improving their material conditions,” the archbishop went on, and he added that he was sure that 99% of the Christians who accepted to “be re-converted” to Hinduism will return to the Christian Faith as soon as the pressures made to bear upon them will cease.

Asked about the conditions which would make a return to a normal situation in Kandhamal, the archbishop said: “When governments are weak, prospects are gloomy.” The persecutions against religious minorities in India respond to the mottos and political program of the Sangh Parivar, the organization at the heart of Hindu circles. As soon as the federal government in Delhi, and the local government of a State show themselves weak, Hindus take action,” he added.

Archbishop Cheenath had  pointed out that, on the occasion of the preceding partial or municipal elections in the State of Orissa, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Party of the Indian People), the political showcase of Hindu nationalists, had met with serious defeats to the benefit of secular parties. On the eve of the legislative elections, he added, the coalition between the BJP and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), a regional party of secular inspiration, which was supporting the government in power in Orissa, had gone to pieces.

The Role of the Maoists

Concerning the activity of the Maoists in Orissa, the archbishop was keen to re-affirm that Catholics have no link with this movement of rebellion. Maoists posted a list of fourteen persons whom they held responsible for the anti-Christian attacks of these past months, and have promised to kill them. Two of them had already been murdered — one of them on March 19, by a Maoist commando of some 15 people. Archbishop Cheenath condemned such actions and underlined that they are possible only because of weak government and justice. Thus Prabhat Panigrahi, local leader of the Rashtriya Swayamesevak Sangh (RSS) an extremist branch of the Bharatiya Janata Party (Party of the Indian People) who fell under Maoist gunshots, on March 19, had indeed been arrested because of his responsibility in anti-Christian attacks, but he had been set free on March 14 without trial.

On June 1st, the federal government announced that the paramilitary forces deployed in the district of Kandhamal were to be withdrawn from the area within the next thirty days. The federal Forces, and the Central Reserve forces  had been sent since August 24, 2008, to put an end to the anti-Christian violence two weeks after they had begun. “The situation remains very tense, and a withdrawal of the federal forces will only spread panic among the populations, declared Fr. Ajay Singh, director of social action in the archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. Several thousand  people are still living in camps for displaced people,” he explained to the Agency Churches in Asia, and they are loathed to go back to their village lest they be attacked again. And he quoted the attack on May 31 in the vicinity of Raika by Hindu extremists against 5 houses belonging to Christians, burning down 3 of them.  “In such a context, the withdrawal of federal forces is not a good decision, and Christians cannot trust local police forces who gave proof of their partiality,” Fr. Singh concluded. According to the local press, the governor of the State of Orissa has asked the Minister of the Home Office to leave in his state a thousand men from the Central Reserve Police Forces.

The general elections began on April 16. Fides news agency gave a report of the first ballot which must renew the lower Chamber of the Indian Parliament only on April 20. Only 54% of the citizens of the district of Kandhamal, in Orissa, were able to vote. The local Church made known that the 3,000 to 50,000 refugees still present in the camps organized and managed by the government were given the right to vote. The Catholic hierarchy had addressed itself to the authorities of the State, to request that the legislative vote be delayed, especially in the district of Kandhamal, but without  receiving an answer. The vote took place in this area without any noteworthy incidence and without violence, but Hindu militants sent death threats to Christians,  giving them command to vote for the nationalist Hindu Party the Baratiya Janata Party. Many of those who ran the risk of voting despite the threat,  were sent away under the pretext that “their papers were not in order,” reported Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), an organization representing Christian minorities in India. Religious were subjected to the same pressures.   Out of the whole community of the Missionaries of Charity in Sukananda (Kandhamal), only two sisters were able to go with a valid voting card.

On April 14, the Naxalite Maoist (from the name of the village of Naxalbari, in the State of Western Bengali,  in which the first armed actions by an organization called the Group of Warriors for the People took place). This group, the armed branch of the Communist party in India, attacked a mine of  bauxite in Orissa, then on April 15, they carried out several simultaneous attacks in Jharkhand, Biha and Chhattisgarh, which caused some twenty casualties, specified the agency Churches in Asia, in a communiqué on April 23. On April 22, the group of rebels took 300 passengers in a train in Jharkhand as hostages (they were released a few hours later), and attacked a convoy of trucks, causing one death. In some States, Maoists who called for the boycott of the elections, have kidnapped voting officials and threatened to cut off the hands of voters.

Legislative Elections Put Hindu Extremists in Minority

The second ballot opened on April 23 in the States of Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar. The electors in Orissa had to elect 21 parliament members for the Lower Chamber of the Indian Union as well as their representatives at the Parliament of the State, while confronted with the double threat from the Hindu extremists and the Naxalite rebels. Manmohan Sing, India’s Prime minister, considers today that Naxalite Maoists are the “greatest threat to national security.” Security measures were reinforced in the center and the east of the country, where the rebels are more active, after the deadly attempts which took place during the first part of the Indian legislative election. This area, called the “red corridor” includes States among the poorest of the Indian Union: Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Maharasthra, and Andhra Pradesh. Orissa deployed almost 6,000 men belonging to paramilitary organizations in the sensitive areas to prevent  possible attacks. The murder of Prabhat Panigrahi, on this past March 19, fueled anti-Christian hostility again.

Archbishop Cheenath affirmed that: “the unstated program of the members of the BJP (Party of the Indian People) is to drive Christians out of Kandhamal, which is the district of Orissa in which most of them live […]. This is what they clearly attempted to do before the elections, and if they win again, there is no doubt that they will continue in the same direction.”

May 16 had been appointed for the count of the results. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, only won 160 seats out of the 543 which the Lok Sabha, the federal Parliament, numbers. With 262 elected, the Congress Party and its allies are only 10 seats short of the absolute majority in the Assembly, and it will not be difficult for the party of Sonia Gandhi to gather a stable majority. The defeat of the BJP as well as of the Communists of the Third Front, 79 members of parliament, should leave greater freedom to the Congress Party to lead the country. The outgoing Chamber  governed with the support of the Communists  had to delay  some reforms with which its allies disagreed Hence, it will be held as the only one responsible if religious violence occurs without being immediately punished. Likewise, in a context of worldwide economic crisis, fight against poverty will be one of the most important priorities of the team led by Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister who was re-elected.

On Saturday, May 16, a few hours after the results had been announced, the Catholic Bishops Conference  of India (CBCI), in a press release declared itself “satisfied” with “the good choice” of Indian electors who gave a quasi majority to the United Progressive Alliance, the formation led by the Congress Party. The bishops announced that they trusted the new government to keep the promise made during the electoral campaign of preserving the country from any sectarian deviation and to bring back serenity within the population, and most particularly among religious minorities. The Catholic bishops recalled that Christians in India had always supported political parties which labored for the well-being of the poor and the oppressed and that, before the elections, they had called to elect representatives in favor of a government which would defend the secular principles of the country. Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, spoke of a victory of religious liberty and said he was proud of his country.

In the State of Orissa, the Biju Janata Dal was victorious in the elections after distancing itself from the Party of the Indian People (Bharatiya Janata Party) which obtained only one seat for Orissa in the People’s Chamber in New Delhi. Henceforth having the majority in the Parliament of Orissa, the Biju Janata Dal will know how to show its concern for the safety of minorities, Fr. Joseph Kalathil, General Vicar for the archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar wants to believe. Fr. Mritunjay Diggal, the archbishop’s secretary, specified that the government of the State had affirmed to the leaders of the Catholic Church that the safety of Christians will be ensured. He added that it belonged to the local government to see to it that the local police give “priority to the responsibility for public order and the defense of people.”

The Pope’s anxiety

This year, Benedict XVI entrusted Archbishop Thomas Menamprampil, of Guwahati (Assam, India) aged 72, the task of writing the meditations for the Stations of the Cross in the Coliseum on Good Friday. In union with the Christians persecuted in the world, and particularly in Orissa, Archbishop Menamparampil implored: “May the harassments that believers undergo complete in them the sufferings of Christ that bring salvation.”

In the morning of May 29, Benedict XVI granted private audience to several ambassadors near the Holy See who had come to present their accreditation letters. In a message handed to Chitra Narayanan, the diplomat representing India, the Holy Father had written: “I express my deep anxiety for the Christians who have suffered during the outbursts of violence in some areas within your frontiers” and he “appealed to all to show proof of respect toward human dignity by rejecting hatred and renouncing violence under any form.” Benedict XVI mentioned the recent legislative elections, expressing the wish that the newly elected MPs — and among them the head of the government Manmohan Singh — “be ready to overcome particular interests, taking the wider viewpoint of the common good which is an essential and indispensable objective of political authority.”

In his new cabinet, Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh has appointed ten untouchable members versus seven in the previous government. From six, the number of ministers of Muslim religion went down to five (Muslims make up 13% of the population of India); Christians, who represent less than 2.3% of the Indian population, number three ministers: Orthodox K.V. Thomas, age 63, Protestant Vincent Pala, 41 years old, and a young Catholic Lady, Agatha Sangma, age 28. The minister of  Defense is A. K. Antony, from the State of Kerala, born in a Christian family he now claims to be an atheist. With five other ministers he refused to take the oath “in the name of God” as it is customary in New Delhi. (Sources: apic/imedia/eda/fides/vatican.va)

Concerning this affair, the diocesan priests of the Republic of Central Africa have condemned “the hold some expatriate missionaries have in all the levels of responsibility of the Church of Central Africa.” They note that the Vatican had named “without prior dialogue”, Fr. Dieudonné Nzapa-La-Ayinga, as apostolic administrator of Bangui. The priests have suspended their “strike”, “but we still contest the nomination of Fr. Nzapa-La-Ayinga ,” Fr. Mathurin Pazé Lékissan told AFP.

Mgr. Paulin Pomodimo had replaced, in July 2003, Mgr. Joachim Ndayen, archbishop of Bangui for 33 years. The announcement of his resignation – following a Vatican enquiry last March, carried out by Mgr. Robert Sarah, Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, who also relieved many other diocesan priests of their duties, who were not living in accordance with the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience – has provoked a stir within the local clergy.

Quoting a “source close to the Catholic Church”, the Central African Press Agency (ACAP) stated that “the Holy See has repudiated the diocesans in favor of the Holy Ghost fathers.” According to this government press agency, the Central African priests have denounced the hegemony of the expatriate priests over the natives, sparking off a crisis marked by the non-celebration of Masses in the parishes whose priests are Central Africans. During his visit in March, Mgr. Sarah had criticized in particular the priests “who are leading double lives” and invited those who were in such a situation to give up “their priestly ministry.”

Some Central African priests have condemned this, believing furthermore that they are victims of a smear campaign, within and outside the country. As well as Mgr. Pomodimo, Mgr. François-Xavier Yombandje, the bishop of Bossanoa, aged 53 years, was also forced to resign from his pastoral duties on May 16. According to information gathered by the agency I.Media in Rome, these bishops were suspected of associating with women and of having fathered children. Some of the local clergy of Central Africa and the native bishops do not always have a moral attitude in conformity with their priestly or episcopal commitment. Interviewed by the Roman agency, authorized Vatican sources restricted themselves to stating that these dismissals have come about “after insurmountable internal problems in the running of the diocese.” At the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, under whose authority these dioceses lie, it is hoped that these matters will be regulated “discreetly” and refused to comment on this series of resignations. (Sources: Apic/Imedia)

By way of an example, Archbishop Tlhagale stated that “many faithful enter Church without making the sign of the Cross with holy water, many do not genuflect, not even bowing their heads before the presence of Christ in the tabernacle.” He also condemned the fact that communion rails had been removed, since it has never seemed “more imperative that worshippers kneel for the reception of the Body of Christ.” “Our churches are like markets, both before and after Mass, partly because we have moved the tabernacle to a place apart, or simply because we have lost our sense of the Blessed Sacrament. We have abandoned silence and an atmosphere of prayer in church. Wherever we are, we must return to the centrality of the tabernacle. We need to rediscover the culture and the practice of genuflection and silence,” he continued. “The law of the Church obliges us to fast for one hour before Holy Communion. The chewing of gum during Mass is quite simply disgusting,” said the archbishop.

He called on the priests, as guardians of the Blessed Sacrament, to promote Eucharistic Adoration and to ensure that “Christians be well acquainted” with the documents on the Eucharist. “Help us to translate them into the vernacular, if need be,” he added. Finally Archbishop Tlhagale invited them to set up Eucharistic movements in parishes and organize Eucharistic processions “in order to give public witness of our faith.” “It is the supreme treasure of the Catholic Church,” recalled the archbishop, because “the Eucharist gives to Catholics a unique identity. The lack of Eucharistic celebrations due to a lack of priests is weakening our Catholic identity.”

(Sources: apic / cisa / fides)

This pastoral letter, entitled De la divine liturgie is to serve as a “guide” for a liturgy “more Catholic and more holy”. Pointing out “several liturgical deviances which need to be corrected,” the archbishop listed his concerns: “all sorts of songs are performed”, the faithful no longer make the “distinction” between rousing hymns, the songs of other religious denominations and liturgical chant. During the meditation, the psalm recommended is “spurned” in favor of any old song. At the offertory, “the offertory procession looks more like recreation time, during which dance demonstrations and comic acts are performed.”

In view of these practices which “lead away from the Sacred Liturgy”, Archbishop Kutwa has ordered that there be no more performance of songs “of other religious denominations or lively songs” during the Eucharistic Celebration, because it must be understood that “liturgical chant alone is allowed”. So, the psalm must never be replaced and should be executed according to “the psalmodic mode”. During the offertory procession there “must no longer be bare-chested girls or transparent clothes,” the men “will no longer wear just their underwear” and no disguise will be worn or anything else which might cause amusement. The archbishop concluded by drawing attention to the multiple signs of the Cross which the faithful make during the Mass, outside of the liturgy.

(Sources: apic /Nordsud)

“The withdrawal of the excommunication of the four bishops of the Society of St. Pius X on January 21 of this year did not solve all the difficulties, yet it is a significant measure for the restoration of confidence. On the way toward a complete normalization, there never was any intention on the part of the Holy See to stifle the daily life of the Society, as some German bishops patently desire,” affirmed the former General Superior of the Society of St. Pius X.

Bishop Müller had judged that new ordinations should no longer take place until the canonical situation of the Society had been clarified. On this past March 28, ordinations to the sub-diaconate should have taken place in Zaitzkofen. But as a token of good will, the present General Superior of the Society, Bishop Bernard Fellay, had decided to transfer the ordination to Ecône in Valais. On this occasion, he had said that “he was particularly disgusted with the attitude of the German bishops who never cease to show toward us a hostility devoid of charity and continually incriminate our intentions.”

On Sunday, June 7, a new chapel of the Society of St. Pius X was blessed in Fulda. The local bishop, Heinz Josef Algermissen opposed the celebration, judging this blessing “provoking” and calling it “an act jeopardizing the unity of the Church” because of the feast of St. Boniface taking place on the same day in Fulda. He recalled that the building of a chapel must be submitted to the local bishop for authorization, and that the latter was responsible for his consecration. Now, according to him, the Society of St. Pius X never addressed itself to him concerning this chapel.

Fr. Franz Schmidberger  gave a public answer broadcasted on June 5. The Society had tried “unfortunately in vain” to enter in a dialogue with the bishop to find a solution satisfactory to both parties. Concerning the coincidence of the date of the blessing of the chapel and of the feast of St. Boniface it was “completely fortuitous,” he assured. We cannot speak of provocation. The Society of St. Pius X had until June 10 to vacate the building which had been used as a chapel up to then. This is why the blessing of the new chapel was scheduled on the preceding Sunday. (Sources: Apic, and private sources)

On Wednesday, May 13, before the president of Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, Benedict XVI stated again that the Holy See supported “the right” of his people to “a sovereign Palestinian homeland (…) secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders.” The pope especially entreated young Palestinians not to resort to “violence” or “terrorism.” On his part, President Abbas, denounced Israeli occupation, and insisted that “it was time to put an end to the sufferings” of Palestinians. The President of Palestinian authority again vehemently complained about Israel’s building of a separation wall on the West bank and condemned Israeli measures which isolate East-Jerusalem from the rest of the Palestinian Territories. “On this Holy Land, there are those who keep building walls of division, instead of building bridges for coexistence, and who attempt, by sheer force of occupation to force the Christians and Muslims of this country to exile, so that our holy places be turned into mere sites for tourism, instead of being thronged by faithful,” he said.

In his address, Benedict XVI also assured the population of the Gaza strip “of his deep compassion” after the deadly offensive launched by Israelis last December and January. “This afternoon I will pay a visit to the Aida Refugee Camp, in order to express my solidarity with the people who have lost so much. To those among you who mourn the loss of family members and loved ones in the hostilities, particularly the recent conflict in Gaza, I offer an assurance of deep compassion and frequent remembrance in prayer.”

During his address pronounced in English, the pope also wanted to “plead with all the parties to this long-standing conflict to put aside whatever grievances and divisions still stand in the way of reconciliation, and to reach out with generosity and compassion to all alike, without discrimination.”

In particular, Benedict XVI “called on the international community to bring its influence to bear in favor of a solution.” “It is my earnest hope that the serious concerns involving security in Israel and the Palestinian Territories will soon be allayed sufficiently to allow greater freedom of movement, especially with regard to contact between family members and access to the holy places,” the pope also said.

In the morning of May 13, Benedict celebrated Mass on the Manger’s Square, for a crowd of 5,000 faithful, in front of the Basilica of the Nativity, on a podium decorated with a star and two doves and facing an oversize Palestinian flag. Choirs of Christians from various rites (Latin, Greek-Catholic, and Syro-Catholic) took part in the Mass. He assured the 50 some Christians from Gaza who attended the Mass, that he was praying “that the embargo would be soon lifted.” “Be not afraid,” the pope told them, asking them to be “a bridge of dialogue and constructive cooperation in the building of a culture of peace to replace the present stalemate of fear, aggression and frustration.” “I ask you to bring back to your families and your communities my warm embrace, and my sorrow for the loss, the hardship and the suffering you have had to endure,” he declared to this small group. Other faithful from Gaza wished to come to Bethlehem but were not authorized to come. As a matter of fact, Israel has been a total embargo for the Gaza strip since the Hamas had come in power in June 2007.

Meeting the press after the Mass, Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Press Bureau of the Holy See, explained that the pope wished to “take part in the suffering” of the prisoners and would meet with “two couples of prisoners’ parents, one Muslim and the other Christian, during his visit to the Palestinian refugee Camp in Aida, at 4:30 pm.” The spokesman of the Vatican insisted that this meeting took place after Benedict XVI’s interview at the Presidential Palace in Jerusalem on May 11 last,  with the parents of Gilad Shalit, the French-Israeli soldier who has been kept as a hostage by the Hamas for almost three years.I’m not sure of the meaning of this last sentence. Besides, Fr. Lombardi pointed out that there were today “11,000 Palestinian prisoners” and that this action “was very important for the pope.” During his visit to the Palestinian refugee camp managed by the United Nation World Agency for Refugees (UNRWA), the Jesuit Father also said that Benedict XVI will offer the sum of 50,000€ to have three classrooms built in the camp which accommodates almost 5,000 people.

During his visit of the Aida Camp, the pope declared: “Towering over us, as we gather here this afternoon, is a stark reminder of the stalemate that relations between Israelis and Palestinians seem to have reached – the wall.” Built by Israel from 2002 onwards, this 350-km long wall encircles all of the West Bank and particularly the Palestinian Refugee Camp of Aida. From the tribune set up some 50 meters from the very high concrete wall, in the courtyard of the UNRWA boys’ school, the pope esteemed that “In a world where more and more borders are being opened up – to trade, to travel, to movement of peoples, to cultural exchanges – it is tragic to see walls still being erected. How we long to see the fruits of the much more difficult task of building peace! How earnestly we pray for an end to the hostilities that have caused this wall to be built!” On both Palestinian and Israeli side “great courage is needed if fear and mistrust is to be overcome, if the urge to retaliate for loss or injury is to be resisted. It takes magnanimity to seek reconciliation after years of fighting. Yet history has shown that peace can only come when the parties to a conflict are willing to move beyond their grievances and work together towards common goals, each taking seriously the concerns and fears of the other, striving to build an atmosphere of trust. There has to be a willingness to take bold and imaginative initiatives towards reconciliation: if each insists on prior concessions from the other, the result can only be stalemate,” Benedict XVI underlined.

On his part, Mahmoud Abbas paid tribute to the “exemplary stand taken by the Vatican” concerning the Palestinian cause in general, and the cause of the refugees in particular. The president of the Palestinian Authority also wished to address “a message of peace” to his “Israeli neighbors”, asking them also to cease occupation and colonization. Behind the pope could be read painted on the wall, inscriptions such as No Peace without Justice, No Justice without return Home, or We need bridges not walls, both in English and Italian.

Founded in 1948, Aida Camp received from its beginning the inhabitants of the neighboring villages of Jerusalem destroyed by Israel in 1948. In memory of the Naqba (‘catastrophe’ of forced Palestinians emigration after the creation of Israël), 61 black balloons were let loose, on each were the names of the Palestinian villages destroyed exactly 61 years ago. Besides, a key was handed to the pope, as a symbol of the houses which the Palestinians had to abandon in haste and which they hope to recover.

That same May 13, while visiting the Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem, Benedict XVI defined this institution as “one of the smaller bridges built for peace” making his own the words of Fr. Ernst Schnydrig, the founder of the establishment. In the pope’s eyes, this pediatric hospital which receives children of all religious denominations is “a quiet oasis for the most vulnerable.”

Thursday, May 14, in Nazareth

On Thursday May 14, during the Mass celebrated before 40,000 pilgrims on the Mount of Precipice, facing the town of Nazareth, in Galilee, Benedict XVI invited the faithful to model themselves upon the example of the Holy Family. He also mentioned the figure of St. Joseph, inviting them to follow his example of “manly piety”, “fidelity to one’s word”,  “integrity”: “authority placed at the service of love is infinitely more fruitful than the power which seeks to dominate.” “How much our world needs the example, guidance and quiet strength of men like Joseph!” the pope stated.

“Sadly, as the world knows, Nazareth has experienced tensions in recent years which have harmed relations between its Christian and Muslim communities.” He was thereby referring to the controversy which arose, in 2000, as a consequence of the Muslim community intention to build a mosque upon the tomb of an ancient Muslim leader, hardly  100 meters from the Basilica of the Annunciation. Benedict XVI then asked all persons of good will in both communities to remedy the damages caused and to work at building bridges, so as to find means for peaceful cohabitation. With nearly 80,000 inhabitants, 35% of them Christians, Nazareth is the largest Arab town in Israel.

In the afternoon of May 14, in Nazareth, delegations from the Vatican and from the State of Israel broached upon the subject of the negotiations which have been going on for some 10 years or so around the Fundamental Agreement (see DICI 195). Benedict XVI and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a 15-minute private interview, in a room of the Franciscan Convent in Nazareth, an interview “focused on the manner to cause the peace process to progress in the Middle East.”

At the end of a meeting with officials from various religious leaders in Nazareth, in which he took part, at the end of the afternoon on the 14^th,  Benedict XVI prayed for peace holding hands with a rabbi and a Muslim leader. In the auditorium of the Shrine of the Annunciation, located next to the Franciscan Convent, a Jewish leader proposed to the pope a prayer for peace as a song containing the words “Salam, Shalom, Lord grant us peace.” The Jew sang in Hebrew, Arabic, English, German and Latin. After a while, a very smiling  Benedict XVI began to singsong this prayer, and then in quite an unpredictable gesture, rose together with his neighbors, holding hands on one side with Rabbi David Rosen, president of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious  Consultations, and on the other side with a Druze Muslim religious leader. Prior to this, before the assembled religious leaders, Benedict XVI affirmed that: “Our different religious traditions have a powerful potential to promote a culture of peace, especially through teaching and preaching the deeper spiritual values of our common humanity.” And he added: “By molding the hearts of the young, we mold the future of humanity itself. Christians readily join Jews, Muslims, Druze, and people of other religions in wishing to safeguard children from fanaticism and violence while preparing them to be builders of a better world.”

Swiss News Agency Apic, did not hide its surprise before such a gesture which seems to indicate a change in the pope’s attitude:  “Regularly warning against relativism and syncretism, Benedict XVI never showed any great liking for interreligious gestures and prayers in common. In October 1986, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was careful not to take part in the interreligious prayer meeting for peace organized in Assisi upon John Paul II’s initiative. At the time, he made no bones about his reservations concerning interreligious meetings. If he did not attend the 1986 meeting, in 2002, he was however among those who traveled to the second meeting organized around John Paul II.”

On Thursday evening, during the Vespers celebrated in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Benedict XVI exhorted Christians to have the courage to stay in the Holy Land and to remain united. Before the bishops, priests, and religious of Galilee, the pope considered Christians in the Middle East as  “effective instruments of a genuine reconciliation” between the three great monotheistic religions. “Have the confidence to be faithful to Christ and to remain here in the land that he sanctified with his own presence!” “You have a part to play in God’s plan for salvation, by bringing Christ forth into the world, by bearing witness to him and spreading his message of peace and unity. For this, it is essential that you should be united among yourselves, so that the Church in the Holy Land can be clearly recognized as ‘a sign and instrument of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race’ Your unity in faith, hope and love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, enabling you to be effective instruments of God’s peace, helping to build genuine reconciliation between the different peoples who recognize Abraham as their father in faith.”

Friday, May 15, at the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem

On Friday, May 15, during his visit to the Holy Sepulcher, in the old city of Jerusalem, Benedict XVI invited the Christians in the Holy Land to allow hope to “take root in their hearts.” Pronouncing his address only a few meters from Christ’s tomb, Benedict XVI expressed the wish that “hope may rise up ever anew, by God’s grace, in the hearts of all the people dwelling in these lands!” May “it abide in your families and communities, and inspire in each of you an ever more faithful witness to the Prince of Peace!” In the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher which “bears mute witness both to the burden of our past, with its failings, misunderstandings and conflicts,” Benedict XVI invited the attending communities to overcome (…) every conflict and tension born of the flesh, and to remove every obstacle, both within and without, standing in the way of our common witness to Christ.”

Prior to this, the pope had gone to the See of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Before Patriarch Theophilos III, he underlined the “great symbolic significance” of his visit. Calling to mind those of Paul VI (1963-1978) to the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras 1^st, as well as John Paul II’s meeting with Patriarch Diodoros, Benedict XVI wished that his visit would give a new impetus to the labors of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches. The pope also expressed the wish that Christians may “find the strength to redouble [their] efforts to perfect [their] communion, to make it complete, to bear united witness to the love of the Father.” “I pray that the aspirations of the Christians of Jerusalem will be understood as being concordant with the aspirations of all its inhabitants, whatever their religion: a life of religious freedom and peaceful coexistence and – for young people in particular – unimpeded access to education and employment, the prospect of suitable housing and family residency, and the chance to benefit from and contribute to economic stability.”

In his farewell address at the Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Benedict XVI said to Israelis and Palestinians: “Allow me to make this appeal to all the people of these lands: No more bloodshed! No more fighting! No more terrorism! No more war!” Before Israeli President Shimon Pérès, the pope condemned the Holocaust again, during which “so many Jews were brutally exterminated under a godless regime,” without however using the word “nazi”, something with which the Jewish community had already reproached him after his visit to Yad Vashem. Besides, the pope spoke of the wall encircling the West Bank, “One of the saddest sights for me during my visit to these lands,” and which does not prevent violence in the Near East. On his part, Shimon Pérès called upon the pope to help separate religion from terrorism. And he thanked Benedict XVI for his denunciation of the Holocaust and of anti-Semitism.

Calling himself a friend of both the Israelis and of the Palestinian people, the pope recalled the very close relationships between Christians and Jews. “We are nourished from the same spiritual roots. We meet as brothers, brothers who at times in our history have had a tense relationship, but now are firmly committed to building bridges of lasting friendship.”

Mentioning the “wall” separating Israel from the Palestinian Territories the pope prayed “for a future in which the peoples of the Holy Land can live together in peace and harmony without the need for such instruments of security and separation, but rather respecting and trusting one another, and renouncing all forms of violence and aggression.” Benedict XVI asked that: “it be universally recognized that the State of Israel has the right to exist, and to enjoy peace and security within internationally agreed borders. Let it be likewise acknowledged that the Palestinian people have a right to a sovereign independent homeland, to live with dignity and to travel freely.” He also noted “the great efforts that both governments are making to secure people’s well-being.” “This land is indeed a fertile ground for ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue,” the pope stated.

Read DICI Analysis: Is What Unite Us Greater than What Divides Us?

Can we, without jeopardizing the profession of the Catholic Faith, insist upon what brings us close to Jews and Muslims, while leaving in the dark what separates us from them? It may not be pointless to recall here three answers given to this question. The first emanates from progressivist historian René Rémond, the second from Thomistic philosopher Louis Jugnet, and the third from St. Augustin.

René Rémond, who can hardly be suspected of traditionalist leanings, recognizes that there is a risk of syncretism in his book Christianity under Accusation (Le christianisme en accusation – Desclée De Brouwer, 2000, p. 45-46): Since the last council, “non-Christian traditions are no longer assimilated to error. Hence the classical schema which for so long had preserved the cohesion of the Catholic people burst into pieces: the clear-cut and absolute opposition between truth and error. Besides, the Church adopts the same attitude in the domain of ecumenism: if she still speaks of Christian unity as an ideal to be reached, it no longer strives to bring the various Christian denominations in her fold. She is no longer ‘unionist’ (…) Today this concept of ecumenism has even been extended to other religions. The common opinion is not far from the idea that the various traditions have all the same worth. So why not go to seek elsewhere, in a kind a journey or as a spiritual tourist, what is lacking to us? This can lead to a kind of syncretism…”

Louis Jugnet in Note on the Possession of Truth (Note sur la possession de la vérité), a text written long before today’s interreligious dialogue, stated: To say that we possess the truth, “does not mean that outside of the doctrine we propound everything is false in the opposite doctrines. (…) Catholic theologians do in no wise deny that there are some truths in Protestantism, Judaism, Brahmanism. But the question raised is quite different. It is a question of knowing whether these truths are, so to speak, at ease, in liberty and at home in the opposite doctrines. Now, our opinion is that these truths only have a partial, fragmentary, and incomplete part to play, and they are wrapped up in blatant errors which warp them and falsify their genuine scope. Hence, what dominates in a false doctrine, and by which it risks to be utterly disastrous, is the spirit of this doctrine, a spirit of error and negation.” And Louis Jugnet supports his reasoning upon the following example: “Judaism and Islam always insist upon God’s unity (which is a truth), but they do so purposely, and unilaterally so as to exclude the Christian dogma of the Trinity.”

This caused St. Augustine to say, not in his own name, but in the name of Jesus-Christ: “In many things they are with me, in a few things not with me; but in those few things in which they are not with me the many things in which they are will not profit them.” (In Ps. 54, §19, quoted by Leo XIII in his encyclical of June 29, Satis Cognitum, on the unity of the Church.) This quote of the Bishop of Hippone is also found in the study From Ecumenism to Silent Apostasy sent to all the cardinals by Bishop Bernard Fellay in January 2004, and to which, to this date, none has given a theological answer. Doubtless the issue of interreligious dialogue (and ecumenism) will be one of the major topics of the doctrinal discussions between the Holy See and the Society of Saint Pius X announced by the decree of January 21, 2009, which calls them “necessary.”

During his sermon, the Pope drew attention to the fact that any disciple, and therefore most specially a priest, shares the same joy as that of Jesus knowing the name and the Face of the Father, but he also “shares his suffering, seeing that God is not recognized, that his love is not returned”. Quoting Saint John, who declared that the world does not recognize us because it does not know Jesus, the Holy Father added that this is what priests still experience today: “the world does not understand the Christian; it does not understand the ministers of the Gospel. This is partly due to the fact that it ignores God, and partly because it does not want to know Him. The world does not want to know God so as not to be disturbed by his will and therefore, it does not want to listen to His ministers; this could cause a crisis. Here we must pay attention to a de facto reality: that this “world”, interpreted in the evangelical sense, also lures the Church, infecting her members and even ordained ministers. With the word “world”, Saint John indicates and seeks to define a mentality, a way of thinking and living that can pollute even the Church itself that in fact does pollute her, thereby requiring constant vigilance and purification. Until God is fully manifest, even His sons are not yet fully “like Him”. We are “in” the world, and we risk being also “of” the world, the world in the sense of this mentality. And in fact at times we are. Because of this, Jesus at the end did not pray for the world in this same sense but for his disciples, so that the Father may keep them from evil that they may be free and different from the world, while living in the world

By giving His life for the multitudes, “Jesus sacrificed Himself for those that His Father had entrusted to Him so that they may be consecrated in truth, meaning in Him”. Reminding us of this, the Holy Father particularly insisted on the importance of prayer and its link with the priesthood. Being ordained a priest, he said, means entering in a sacramental and existential way into the prayer of Christ for His own. “This is why priests have a particular vocation to prayer”. Priests have “a calling to remain in Christ” as the Evangelist John says, and this abiding in Christ is achieved especially through prayer. Our ministry is totally tied to this “abiding” which is equivalent to prayer, and draws from this its efficacy. In this perspective, we must think of the different forms of prayer of a priest, first of all holy daily Mass which is the greatest and highest act of prayer, and constitutes the centre and the source from which the other forms receive “nourishment”: the Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharistic adoration, Lectio divina, the Holy Rosary, meditation.

“The priest who prays a lot, and who prays well, is progressively drawn out of himself and evermore united to Jesus the Good Shepherd and the Servant of the Brethren. In conforming to Him, even the priest “gives his life” for the sheep entrusted to him.”  (Sources: apic/imedia/VIS/vatican.va)