April 2005 Archives

In the many discussions I have had with Protestants over the years regarding the Rosary one of the first questions to come up is the following: How do Catholic justify praying the Rosary in light of what Jesus said in Matthew's Gospel?

"And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words" (Matt 6:7)

At first glance it is easy to understand why this question would naturally be asked. The Rosary does consist of numerous prayers being recited repeatedly. Yet we must look deeper at Jesus' words to understand their true and contextual meaning.

Is Jesus condemning repetitive or formal prayer? Absolutely not, for in Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus Himself provides us with a formal prayer that obviously He wants us to repeat on a regular basis. Secondly, Jesus Himself "repeatedly" partook in the Jewish prayers and ritual celebrations practiced by the Jewish people of His day.

So is the Rosary, altough repetitious and formal, a prayer full of "empty phrases" and one that attempts to draw God's attention due to it's lengthiness? Absolutely not. The prayers of the Rosary are full of meaning and devotion, they are not empty, most of them are specifically scriptural. They draw our hearts and minds into a pattern of prayer that better disposes us to meditate on the life of Christ. This immediately leads us into the lengthiness of the Rosary as a prayer. The Rosary is lengthy only in that each time it is prayed a specific portion of Jesus' life is meditated upon. This isn't done in an effort to get God's attention but rather in order to provide ample time to meditate upon each specific event in the life of Christ. It is for this reason that the late John Paul II stated in his Apostolic Letter, ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE:

The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium.(2) It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb. With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.

In praying the Rosary, Catholics, through Mary grow closer to Christ, just as Christ through Mary came closer to us. This is not what Jesus was condemning in Matthew 6:7, rather this is exactly what He was encouraging in John 15:9:

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.

The love of Jesus Christ has been revealed to us in His life, death, and resurrection. It is in meditating upon these events that we find the heart and the meaning of genuine Marian devotion and the Rosary itself.

In Christ,
Joe

Renewal and conversion

15. Passing from principles, from the obligations of the Christian conscience, to the actual practice of the ecumenical journey towards unity, the Second Vatican Council emphasizes above all the need for interior conversion. The messianic proclamation that "the time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand", and the subsequent call to "repent, and believe in the Gospel" (Mk 1:15) with which Jesus begins his mission, indicate the essential element of every new beginning: the fundamental need for evangelization at every stage of the Church's journey of salvation. This is true in a special way of the process begun by the Second Vatican Council, when it indicated as a dimension of renewal the ecumenical task of uniting divided Christians. "There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart".21

The Council calls for personal conversion as well as for communal conversion. The desire of every Christian Community for unity goes hand in hand with its fidelity to the Gospel. In the case of individuals who live their Christian vocation, the Council speaks of interior conversion, of a renewal of mind.22

The new Catholic Carnival is up at the Curt Jester. It's a pretty interesting roundup of thought on Pope Benedict XVI with some other great articles included. Take a minute and enjoy.

God bless,
Jay

Priestly celibacy has been a hot topic these days in the media and among certain Catholics. Many attempt to conclude that celibacy is at the root of the sex abuse scandal that manifested itself in the Catholic Church here in America in 2002. Many Protestants and non-Christians often ask that age old question: "Why Can't Catholic Priests Get Married?" Some go so far as to claim that priestly celibacy is unbiblical and therefore must be contrary to God's Will. Yet Sacred Scripture repeatedly attests to the great value of the celibate life:

The disciples said to him, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry." But he said to them, "Not all men can receive this precept, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it." - Matt 19:10-12

Jesus Christ manifested this in His own life. It is on this fact that the Catholic Church bases her mandate of priestly celibacy as the Catechism clearly states:

1579 All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven."70 Called to consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and to "the affairs of the Lord,"71 they give themselves entirely to God and to men. Celibacy is a sign of this new life to the service of which the Church's minister is consecrated; accepted with a joyous heart celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God.72
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70 Mt 19:12.
71 1 Cor 7:32.
72 Cf. PO 16.

One might ask what this last line means? How can the Catholic Church tie priestly celibacy to the radiant proclamation of the Reign of God?

For those in Atlanta, there's a good article in the AJC (page 6) on Joe's brother who was a lector at the Pope's installation mass. He was also interviewed on NBC television last night.

For non-Catholics, at every mass typically three Biblical readings are done by lectors. An Old Testament reading (between Easter and Pentecost this first reading is normally from the Acts of the Apostles), a New Testament (non-Gospel) reading, and a Gospel reading. Justin was selected to be a lector for Pope Benedict XVI's inaugural mass, which is a pretty big honor.

Justin is in Rome at the North American College studying for the priesthood. He's an amazing man and it looks like God has something special in store for him . . . please pray for him and for all of the seminarians.

God bless,
Jay

The way of ecumenism: the way of the Church

7. "The Lord of the Ages wisely and patiently follows out the plan of his grace on behalf of us sinners. In recent times he has begun to bestow more generously upon divided Christians remorse over their divisions and a longing for unity. Everywhere, large numbers have felt the impulse of this grace, and among our separated brethren also there increases from day to day a movement, fostered by the grace of the Holy Spirit, for the restoration of unity among all Christians. Taking part in this movement, which is called ecumenical, are those who invoke the Triune God and confess Jesus as Lord and Saviour. They join in not merely as individuals but also as members of the corporate groups in which they have heard the Gospel, and which each regards as his Church and, indeed, God's. And yet almost everyone, though in different ways, longs that there may be one visible Church of God, a Church truly universal and sent forth to the whole world that the world may be converted to the Gospel and so be saved, to the glory of God".6

8. This statement of the Decree Unitatis Redintegratio is to be read in the context of the complete teaching of the Second Vatican Council. The Council expresses the Church's decision to take up the ecumenical task of working for Christian unity and to propose it with conviction and vigour: "This sacred Synod exhorts all the Catholic faithful to recognize the signs of the times and to participate actively in the work of ecumenism".7

The following was the first message of Pope Benedict XVI given at the end of the Eucharistic Concelebration with the members of the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. It is outstanding!

Wednesday, 20 April 2005

Grace and peace in abundance to all of you! In my soul there are two contrasting sentiments in these hours. On the one hand, a sense of inadequacy and human turmoil for the responsibility entrusted to me yesterday as the Successor of the Apostle Peter in this See of Rome, with regard to the Universal Church. On the other hand I sense within me profound gratitude to God Who - as the liturgy makes us sing - does not abandon His flock, but leads it throughout time, under the guidance of those whom He has chosen as vicars of His Son, and made pastors.

"Dear Ones, this intimate recognition for a gift of divine mercy prevails in my heart in spite of everything. I consider this a grace obtained for me by my venerated predecessor, John Paul II. It seems I can feel his strong hand squeezing mine; I seem to see his smiling eyes and listen to his words, addressed to me especially at this moment: 'Do not be afraid!'

"The death of the Holy Father John Paul II, and the days which followed, were for the Church and for the entire world an extraordinary time of grace. The great pain for his death and the void that it left in all of us were tempered by the action of the Risen Christ, which showed itself during long days in the choral wave of faith, love and spiritual solidarity, culminating in his solemn funeral.

"We can say it: the funeral of John Paul II was a truly extraordinary experience in which was perceived in some way the power of God Who, through His Church, wishes to form a great family of all peoples, through the unifying force of Truth and Love. In the hour of death, conformed to his Master and Lord, John Paul II crowned his long and fruitful pontificate, confirming the Christian people in faith, gathering them around him and making the entire human family feel more united.

"How can one not feel sustained by this witness? How can one not feel the encouragement that comes from this event of grace?

It's begun. Anyone who takes a moral stance in our times will be attacked in the worst ways. And the London papers have begun.

Cardinal Ratzinger, the man who lead the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has become Pope Benedict XVI. As a child of sixteen, he was drafted by the German military into the army. Desertion was punishable by death. And yet, a year after begin forced into the army, the Holy Father deserted his position for moral reasons. Is there a better man to lead us in these morally-deficient times?

As a Cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI (it's hard not referring to him as "Cardinal Ratzinger") wrote several excellent books that are available. My favorite is Introduction to Christianity, which is used by many colleges even today. In addition, there's a great website called the Ratzinger Fan Club (the site is down right now - probably because of too many visitors, but will be back up shortly). The site includes a blog named Against the Grain. It's a great collection of the new Pope's works. So we have a great opportunity to delve into Pope Benedict XVI's thoughts through his writings.

Why did he choose the name "Benedict XVI"? I thought this would be heartwarming to our protestant readers:

The second reason offered by Ratzinger was that St. Benedict, who founded the Benedictine Order, said that "Jesus Christ is first and foremost. Everything else is secondary. [Ratzinger] said those are the reasons [he] chose the name."

From a LA Times article (Hat tip to Open Book). The first reason was that the last Pope Benedict worked hard to bring Christianity back into Europe after the first World War. In many ways, this indicates his feeling that Europe needs some work in terms of their Christian identity.

Lots of great stuff out there. Beware, though, those who resent the Church's moral teachings are going to attack like mad - no one enjoys hearing they should be living their life better.

His first statement as Pope:

Dear brothers and sisters, after our great pope, John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble worker in God's vineyard.

I am consoled by the fact that the Lord knows how to work and how to act, even with insufficient tools, and I especially trust in your prayers.

In the joy of the resurrected Lord, trustful of his permanent help, we go ahead, sure that God will help, and Mary, his most beloved mother, stands on our side.

Thank you.

God bless,
Jay

Praise be to the Holy Spirit for continuing to remain and guide the Catholic Church! Thank you Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for giving to the Church yet another faithful shepherd of the People of God.

Let us rejoice and be glad on this glorious day!

In Christ,
Joe

Recently, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with an extraordinary group of young people at our local parish. The experience, in many ways, has renewed my zeal to "proclaim the Gospel always." It has truly been a blessing in my life.

One topic that seems to be of high importance to the youth is the question of sin. What is a mortal sin? What is a venial sin? How does sin separate us from God? Have I committed a mortal sin if, at the time, I didn't realize it was a mortal sin? Questions like these have frequently been asked so I felt it appropriate to provide some clarity on this matter. Let us begin by looking to the Catechism of the Catholic Church so as to understand specifically what the Church teaches about sin.

I. MERCY AND SIN

1846 The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God's mercy to sinners.113 The angel announced to Joseph: "You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."114 The same is true of the Eucharist, the sacrament of redemption: "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."115

1847 "God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without us."116 To receive his mercy, we must admit our faults. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."117

1848 As St. Paul affirms, "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more."118 But to do its work grace must uncover sin so as to convert our hearts and bestow on us "righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."119 Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God, by his Word and by his Spirit, casts a living light on sin:

Conversion requires convincing of sin; it includes the interior judgment of conscience, and this, being a proof of the action of the Spirit of truth in man's inmost being, becomes at the same time the start of a new grant of grace and love: "Receive the Holy Spirit." Thus in this "convincing concerning sin" we discover a double gift: the gift of the truth of conscience and the gift of the certainty of redemption. The Spirit of truth is the Consoler.120
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113 Cf. Lk 15.
114 Mt 1:21.
115 Mt 26:28.
116 St. Augustine, Sermo 169,11,13:PL 38,923.
117 1 Jn 8-9.
118 Rom 5:20.
119 Rom 5:21.
120 John Paul II, DeV 31 § 2.

The Church in her infinite wisdom first wants us to understand the relationship that exists between mercy and sin in the scope of salvation. Yet the Church, in that same wisdom, desires for the People of God to know what sin is and how it affects us.

Here is the next section from our Holy Father's Encyclical Letter on Ecumenism.

In Christ,
Joe

CHAPTER I - THE CATHOLIC CHURCH'S COMMITMENT TO ECUMENISM

God's plan and communion

5. Together with all Christ's disciples, the Catholic Church bases upon God's plan her ecumenical commitment to gather all Christians into unity. Indeed, "the Church is not a reality closed in on herself. Rather, she is permanently open to missionary and ecumenical endeavour, for she is sent to the world to announce and witness, to make present and spread the mystery of communion which is essential to her, and to gather all people and all things into Christ, so as to be for all an 'inseparable sacrament of unity' ".4

Already in the Old Testament, the Prophet Ezekiel, referring to the situation of God's People at that time, and using the simple sign of two broken sticks which are first divided and then joined together, expressed the divine will to "gather from all sides" the members of his scattered people. "I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord sanctify Israel" (cf. 37:16-28). The Gospel of John, for its part, considering the situation of the People of God at the time it was written, sees in Jesus' death the reason for the unity of God's children: "Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad" (11:51-52). Indeed, as the Letter to the Ephesians explains, Jesus "broke down the dividing wall of hostility ... through the Cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end"; in place of what was divided he brought about unity (cf. 2:14-16).

6. The unity of all divided humanity is the will of God. For this reason he sent his Son, so that by dying and rising for us he might bestow on us the Spirit of love. On the eve of his sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus himself prayed to the Father for his disciples and for all those who believe in him, that theymight be one, a living communion. This is the basis not only of the duty, but also of the responsibility before God and his plan, which falls to those who through Baptism become members of the Body of Christ, a Body in which the fullness of reconciliation and communion must be made present. How is it possible to remain divided, if we have been "buried" through Baptism in the Lord's death, in the very act by which God, through the death of his Son, has broken down the walls of division? Division "openly contradicts the will of Christ, provides a stumbling block to the world, and inflicts damage on the most holy cause of proclaiming the Good News to every creature".5

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4 CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of the Church Understood as Communion Communionis Notio (28 May 1992), 4: AAS 85 (1993), 840.

5 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, 1

In my continual reflecting upon the life and the teachings of Pope John Paul II I came upon this jewel. I decided that rather than just point to the Vatican website I would provide the text here in bite-size pieces allowing all of us who engage in dialogue to reflect on the words and the wisdom of the late Pope John Paul II. I am not going to allow comments on this post since my desire is that we all sincerely reflect on what he has to say to each of us. I will post a section each day over the next few weeks. If you do desire to jump ahead and read the entire encyclical letter just click on the link below.

UT UNUM SINT

INTRODUCTION

1. Ut unum sint! The call for Christian unity made by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council with such impassioned commitment is finding an ever greater echo in the hearts of believers, especially as the Year 2000 approaches, a year which Christians will celebrate as a sacred Jubilee, the commemoration of the Incarnation of the Son of God, who became man in order to save humanity.

The courageous witness of so many martyrs of our century, including members of Churches and Ecclesial Communities not in full communion with the Catholic Church, gives new vigour to the Council's call and reminds us of our duty to listen to and put into practice its exhortation. These brothers and sisters of ours, united in the selfless offering of their lives for the Kingdom of God, are the most powerful proof that every factor of division can be transcended and overcome in the total gift of self for the sake of the Gospel.

Christ calls all his disciples to unity. My earnest desire is to renew this call today, to propose it once more with determination, repeating what I said at the Roman Colosseum on Good Friday 1994, at the end of the meditation on the Via Crucis prepared by my Venerable Brother Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. There I stated that believers in Christ, united in following in the footsteps of the martyrs, cannot remain divided. If they wish truly and effectively to oppose the world's tendency to reduce to powerlessness the Mystery of Redemption, they must profess together the same truth about the Cross.1 The Cross! An anti-Christian outlook seeks to minimize the Cross, to empty it of its meaning, and to deny that in it man has the source of his new life. It claims that the Cross is unable to provide either vision or hope. Man, it says, is nothing but an earthly being, who must live as if God did not exist.

The 25th Catholic Carnival is up at Living Catholicism. Many of the posts focus on the examination of Pope John Paul II's pontificate through the years, so it's very interesting for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Take a few minutes and enjoy.

God bless,
Jay

I’m quite serious – I think it’s absolute discrimination against men that we cannot bear children. And I believe that we as men cannot stand for this any longer . . . are you with me?

Probably not, primarily because of reality: men will never be able to have children because God created them differently for a reason. Insanity is the difference between understanding “reality” and not understanding reality – men insisting that they should be able to bear children is the perfect example of this, it is impossible no matter how much you don’t like it.

What this really gets to is that God designed men and women differently, each have different strengths and weaknesses. This is reality. Some points of reality are being debated forcefully in the media today, such as the potential for women priests. Just as the argument above, women were not designed by God to be priests. This is a reality which the Church understands and which cannot change – not even the Pope can change this basic doctrine of Christianity. The Catechism puts it this way:

VI. WHO CAN RECEIVE THIS SACRAMENT?

1577 "Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination."66 The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry.67 The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.68

1578 No one has a right to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. Indeed no one claims this office for himself; he is called to it by God.69 Anyone who thinks he recognizes the signs of God's call to the ordained ministry must humbly submit his desire to the authority of the Church, who has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive orders. Like every grace this sacrament can be received only as an unmerited gift.

1579 All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven."70 Called to consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and to "the affairs of the Lord,"71 they give themselves entirely to God and to men. Celibacy is a sign of this new life to the service of which the Church's minister is consecrated; accepted with a joyous heart celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God.72

1580 In the Eastern Churches a different discipline has been in force for many centuries: while bishops are chosen solely from among celibates, married men can be ordained as deacons and priests. This practice has long been considered legitimate; these priests exercise a fruitful ministry within their communities.73 Moreover, priestly celibacy is held in great honor in the Eastern Churches and many priests have freely chosen it for the sake of the Kingdom of God. In the East as in the West a man who has already received the sacrament of Holy Orders can no longer marry.

(I also included the continuation that touches on priestly celibacy). The priest acts as a representative of Christ in administering the Sacraments. We say he acts in persona Christi as the person of Christ. The first twelve priests God choose in the Bible were all men, because this most closely reflects the reality that Christ appeared as a man. The symbolism of the Sacrament requires that the priest be a man, essentially sitting in for Christ. This is a reality - just as men can’t have children, women can’t be priests. I’m sorry if this offends you, but it is still reality and you cannot change it any more than you can change the reality of gravity or child birth.

Perhaps you can’t understand why this is a reality. Does this matter? If someone who didn’t understand gravity jumped off a building, would they still fall just as fast to the ground? Of course they would. Lack of understanding is not an excuse to change reality. Even if it were, the Catholic Church is bound by reality – Christ Himself promised that she would not fail – so God would not allow this change to take place. In other words, no matter the nature of reality, we must abide by it.

God bless,
Jay

In reflecting on the life and death of Pope John Paul II, I found myself profounding moved by the deep love he had for our Lord Jesus fully present in the Eucharist. Throughout his pontificate our Holy Father would declare certain themes for individual years. We celebrated the Year of the Family, the Year of God the Father, the Year of the Son, the Year of the Holy Spirit, the Year of Mary, the Mother of God, the Year of the Rosary, and so forth. During those years Pope John Paul II reknewed our love and understanding of the specific Scriptural and doctrinal teachings that those themes had sprung from. He pointed to the truth and value found in each one of them.

In October of 2004, Pope John Paul II declared the Year of the Eucharist. For the Year of the Eucharist our Holy Father wrote the Encyclical Letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia (in English - On the Eucharist in Its Relationship to the Church). Just on a side note, it is important for us to remember that an Encyclical Letter is an example of the papal charism of infallibility, so Catholics are required to accept, believe, and embrace this letter as absolute truth. In the introduction the pope states:

1. The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church. In a variety of ways she joyfully experiences the constant fulfilment of the promise: “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20), but in the Holy Eucharist, through the changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord, she rejoices in this presence with unique intensity. Ever since Pentecost, when the Church, the People of the New Covenant, began her pilgrim journey towards her heavenly homeland, the Divine Sacrament has continued to mark the passing of her days, filling them with confident hope.

The Second Vatican Council rightly proclaimed that the Eucharistic sacrifice is “the source and summit of the Christian life”. “For the most holy Eucharist contains the Church's entire spiritual wealth: Christ himself, our passover and living bread. Through his own flesh, now made living and life-giving by the Holy Spirit, he offers life to men”. Consequently the gaze of the Church is constantly turned to her Lord, present in the Sacrament of the Altar, in which she discovers the full manifestation of his boundless love.

We've had some problems with the mailing list since "upgrading" to a new server - the original list was actually deleted and apparently can't be fixed. However, the problems are solved now, so you can use the form to the upper right on most pages to subscribe.

Basically we send out updates about once a month pointing out interesting articles both on this site and on others (all dealing with Catholic apologetics). I personally promise we won't bombard you or send unrelated junk to your email box.

Thanks for reading, by the way.

God bless,
Jay

The 24th Catholic Carnival is now up at Dunmoose the Ageless. Another good collection of Catholic thought - primarily on and about Pope John Paul II. As always, it's highly recommended.

God bless,
Jay

Just like everyone else, I’ve been watching both the media swoon over the greatness of Pope John Paul II (something they tended not to do while he was alive) and the endless speculation on his successor. I say “everyone else” because it’s almost impossible to get away from – FoxNews and CNN in particular are running almost constant coverage of the death of Pope John Paul II. The best of this offers the world a condensed version of his teachings, the worst begins portaying him in political terms (“liberal” or “conservative”).

However in all of this, one thing is clear: the media doesn’t really get religion. So I thought I would point out a few of the big errors the media is making in all of their coverage – I’ll start with the easy ones:

• The Pope is not a Political Figure. The biggest is this insistence on viewing the pope as a political figure fulfilling a political role. The pope’s primary role is evangelical and secondary role is that of leader. His job, as Jesus taught the first pope St. Peter, is to “feed [Jesus’] sheep” and protect Truth. Thus, this pope perfectly did so – he was not a liberal or a conservative, he was an evangelical force that called all men to Truth.
  
• There are some things that will never change. I’ve seen endless speculation that the Catholic Church’s views on contraception, abortion, divorce, etc. will change. This is false. There are some things the Pope does not have the authority to do; Why? Because these items are Truth, they are reality, whether you personally realize it or not. Contraception will always be gravely sinful. Abortion and euthanasia will always be murder. Homosexual acts will always be intrinsically evil. Marriage will always be a permanent sacrament that no man can tear apart. A woman will never be a priest – priests represent and, in some sacraments, stand in the place of Christ, a man, so this cannot change. There are other things that could change, such as a celibate priesthood, but don’t expect rapid moves: priests have been celibate since the early Church and 2,000 years of tradition isn’t going to change anytime soon. So don’t get too excited by the liberal activists suggesting that Vatican II requires this type of change.
  
• The election of a new pope isn’t considered in political terms. This is a key mistake constantly made: the media expects the Cardinals to choose a pope that fits the political model they personally seem to resemble (again, liberal or conservative). The Cardinals actually see their job as discovering (if you will) whom God wants to be the next pope. They will begin the Conclave by calling on the Holy Spirit to lead their decision – and we believe it is the Holy Spirit’s decision (the Holy Spirit leads the Catholic Church). This is in light of Jesus’ promise that “the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church” in Matthew 16:18.
  
• It is almost impossible to guess who John Paul II’s successor will be. No one, during the last conclave, even suggested that the Polish Archbishop of Krakow named Karol Wojtyla would be the successor to the short pontificate of John Paul I. No one. In fact in three of the last four Conclaves a virtually unknown contender was chosen to lead the Catholic Church. This goes back to the last point: the Holy Spirit is choosing and He does a better job than men at picking the right man (for evidence: see pontificate of JPII).
  

Although this isn’t an authoritative list, it is the biggest errors most of the media is making repeatedly. By the way, I’d like to commend FoxNews for actually getting a significant number of faithful Catholics on the air, instead of bringing in those dissident priests you tend to see in the news. Even the twelve disciples included a dissident (Judas), but I’d prefer not to see him on TV spouting off about Catholicism.

God bless,
Jay

My Archbishop, Wilton Gregory (Atlanta), issued the following statement regarding the death of Terri Schiavo – it was included in the Sunday bulletin handed out at my parish and I thought it particularly underscored the realities of the situation:

In his 1995 encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, “On the Value and Inviolability of Human Life,” Pope John Paul II wrote that it is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and develop.” He said: “A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life if devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or fragile.”

One of the most fundamental and inherent human rights is the right to life, a right that must be protected above all others. Because it is an inherent right, it is not granted by and does not belong to society, or the courts, or the legislature. To deny a handicapped individual, who is unable to speak for herself, food and water, the very necessities of life, and allow her to starve to death, shows the moral confusion and tragedy of the culture of death of which our Holy Father speaks.

The removal of her feeding tube resulted in Terri’s death. This has ramifications for all Americans, especially those who are the most vulnerable among us, and puts our entire society further along the slippery slope of relativism.

Ms. Schiavo’s case is not simply an issue of one person’s life or death. It is symptomatic of a broader culture of death, rather than a culture of life, that has crept into our society, evidenced by the evil of abortion and so-called “right to die” legislation.

Christ’s way is that of love, service, trust and hope in the Lord. It is based on the belief that there is a God, a God who loves us and who forms the basis for all moral values. Once that absolute is lost, all values become relative. Once values become relative they are at the mercy of the individual, or societal, whim. Ms. Schiavo’s death was not in vain if it serves to re-awaken Americans to this basic truth. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace and mercy of God, who loves all His children.

Well said.

God bless,
Jay

The Pope's role can be traced back to St. Peter, who was the first Pope appointed by Christ. The first popes were all martyred for their faith, but even so many of the events that occur when a pope dies are traditions from centuries ago. This is an excellent article on the details of what happens when a pope dies.

One interesting point:

The day-to-day business of the Vatican will become the responsibility of the Camerlengo, or chamberlain, who right now is Cardinal Eduardo Matinez Somalo, a Spaniard. He becomes the administrative leader, and all the decisions that belong to the Pope alone—such as appointment of bishops, major new documents, canonizations, and so on—are suspended to wait for the new pope. There are other restrictions as well as UDG says: “During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, laws issued by the Roman Pontiffs can in no way be corrected or modified, nor can anything be added or subtracted, nor a dispensation be given even from a part of them, especially with regard to the procedures governing the election of the Supreme Pontiff.”

On a symbolic level, the Swiss Guard will bar the entrance to the apostolic palace with a heavy black chain. The bell of the Arco delle Campani will ring the death knell and bells throughout Rome will join them.

Meanwhile, the Camerlengo’s first duty will be to verify the pope’s death and then contact all of the cardinal-electors. (That would be all the cardinals who are less than 80 years old at the time of the pope’s death.) He would summon them all to Rome for the conclave.

The Pope will be dressed in formal vestments and will lie in state, perhaps in St. Peter’s, perhaps in what is technically his church as Bishop of Rome, St. John Lateran. The Swiss Guard will guard his body through the night. The Office for the Dead will be prayed.

When the body arrives at St. Peter’s, the hearse will enter the square where the Swiss Guard and an Italian honor guard will greet it with a salute. The cardinals then present in Rome will likely accompany the body to the steps of St. Peters and they and rows of priests, both secular and religious, will accompany it inside. They will then hold the solemn liturgy for the reception of the deceased into the basilica.

A novena of Masses (nine days) will be offered at St. Peter’s and the basilicas and churches of Rome. The people will be allowed to view the body lying in state. When Pope Paul VI died, 10,000 people per hour passed the bier of the pope to pay their respects. Between the fourth and sixth day will be the burial.

Paul VI had requested his funeral to be held outside so that as many people who wish could attend, and I suspect that John Paul has asked for that as well. We should expect that the funeral will be carried on live TV, too.

There's much more in the article. May the Holy Spirit give us as great a Pope as the one we are losing!

God bless,
Jay

The perfect choice of the Holy Spirit. May God give us another pope as good.

God bless,
Jay

UPDATE: Not so fast . . . Drudge Report took down the notice and no one else reporting this as true yet. Sorry for the false alarm (I'll get two sources next time). Here's the latest. Please pray.

UPDATE II: There is lots of confusion out there. Several "in the know" groups seem to be saying the Pope has passed away, while the news reports suggest the Vatican is denying this. I'll update again asap.

UPDATE III: The Day before Divine Mercy Sunday (a day especially close to John Paul II), our Holy Father has officially passed away. Today we have another saint in heaven praying for us.