New interview with Card. Burke

Posted on 24 March 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A new interview with His Eminence Raymond Card. Burke with LifesiteNews. Read it all there, but here is some:

Exclusive interview: Cardinal Burke says confusion spreading among Catholics ‘in an alarming way’ (full text)

Editor’s Note: Cardinal Raymond Burke spoke with LifeSiteNews Paris correspondent Jeanne Smits in Rome on January 21. We are running the interview along with an article (available here) drawing out some of the cardinal’s most significant points. Smits has also published a French version of the interview on her blog.

LifeSiteNews: Since the extraordinary synod on the family, we have entered a period of uncertainty and confusion over several “hot-button” issues: communion for divorced and “remarried” couples, a change of attitude towards homosexual unions and an apparent relaxing of attitudes towards non-married couples. Does your Eminence think that this confusion is already producing adverse effects among Catholics?

Cardinal Burke: Most certainly, it is. I hear it myself: I hear it from Catholics, I hear it from bishops. People are claiming now, for instance, that the Church has changed her teaching with regard to sexual relations outside of marriage, with regard to the intrinsic evil of homosexual acts. Or people who are within irregular matrimonial unions are demanding to receive Holy Communion, claiming that this is the will of the Holy Father. And we have astounding situations, like the declarations of the bishop of Antwerp with regard to homosexual acts, which go undisciplined, and so we can see that this confusion is spreading, really, in an alarming way.

LSN: Archbishop Bonny says Humanae vitae was disputed by many: now is the time to dispute other things. Aren’t we in a period when the Church’s teachings are being disputed more than before?

CB: Yes, I believe so. It seems now that people who before did not dispute the Church’s teaching, because it was clear that the authority of the Church prohibited certain discussions, now feel very free to dispute even the natural moral law, including a teaching like Humanae vitae which has been the constant teaching of the Church with regard to the question of contraception.

LSN: It was said after the publication of the relatio post disceptationem that there was a manipulation that consisted in putting into the synod questions that actually have nothing to do with the family. Would you accept to express yourself on how and why this “manipulation” took place? Who is benefiting?

CB: It’s clear that there was a manipulation because the actual interventions of the members of the synod were not published, and only the mid-term report, or the “relatio post disceptationem”, was given, which had really nothing to do with what was being presented in the synod. And so it’s clear to me that there were individuals who obviously had a very strong influence on the synod process who were pushing an agenda which has nothing to do with the truth about marriage as Our Lord Himself teaches it to us, as it is handed down to us in the Church. That agenda had to do with trying to justify extra-marital sexual relations and sexual acts between persons of the same sex and, in a way, clearly to relativize and even to obscure the beauty of the Church’s teaching on marriage as a faithful, indissoluble, procreative union of one man and one woman.

LSN: Who is this benefiting? As faithful Catholics, we are surprised and worried about the sudden apparition of these themes.

CB: Well, it can’t be a benefit to anyone, because it’s not true: it’s not the truth. And so it’s only doing harm to everyone. It may be perceived as a benefit, for instance, to people who for whatever reason are caught up in immoral situations. It may be seen by some as in some way to justify them. But it can’t justify them, because the acts themselves are not able to be justified.

[… SKIPPING A LOT…]

LSN: How can the Church really help all those concerned: abandoned spouses, children of legitimate marriages who are hurt by the divorce of their parents, people who are struggling with homosexual tendencies or who have in a way let themselves be “trapped” into an illegitimate union? And what should our attitude be: the attitude of the faithful?

CB: What the Church can do, and that is the greatest act of love on the part of the Church, is to present the teaching on marriage, the teaching that comes from Christ’s very words, the teaching which has been constant in the tradition, to everyone, as a sign of hope for them. And also, to help them to recognize the sinfulness of the situation in which they find themselves, and at the same time  call them to leave that sinful situation and to find a way to live in accord with the truth. And that’s the only way the Church can help. That was my great hope for the synod: that the synod would hold up to the world the great beauty of marriage, and that beauty is the truth about marriage. I always say to people: indissolubility is not a curse, it is the great beauty of the marital relationship. This is what gives beauty to the relationship between a man and a woman, that the union is indissoluble, that it is faithful, that it is procreative. But now one almost begins to get the impression that somehow the Church is ashamed of the very beautiful treasure which we have in marriage, as God made man and woman from the beginning.

[…]

There is quite a bit more.

Posted in One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged
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8 major studies of identital twins prove homosexuality Is NOT genetic

Posted on 24 March 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From OrthodoxyToday:

Identical Twin Studies Prove Homosexuality is Not Genetic

Eight major studies of identical twins in Australia, the U.S., and Scandinavia during the last two decades all arrive at the same conclusion: gays were not born that way.
“At best genetics is a minor factor,” says Dr. Neil Whitehead, PhD. Whitehead worked for the New Zealand government as a scientific researcher for 24 years, then spent four years working for the United Nations and International Atomic Energy Agency. Most recently, he serves as a consultant to Japanese universities about the effects of radiation exposure. His PhD is in biochemistry and statistics.
Identical twins have the same genes or DNA. They are nurtured in equal prenatal conditions. If homosexuality is caused by genetics or prenatal conditions and one twin is gay, the co-twin should also be gay.
“Because they have identical DNA, it ought to be 100%,” Dr. Whitehead notes. But the studies reveal something else. “If an identical twin has same-sex attraction the chances the co-twin has it are only about 11% for men and 14% for women.”
Because identical twins are always genetically identical, homosexuality cannot be genetically dictated. “No-one is born gay,” he notes. “The predominant things that create homosexuality in one identical twin and not in the other have to be post-birth factors.”

[…]

Still, many misconceptions persist in the popular culture. Namely, that homosexuality is genetic – so hard-wired into one’s identity that it can’t be changed. “The academics who work in the field are not happy with the portrayals by the media on the subject,” Dr. Whitehead notes. “But they prefer to stick with their academic research and not get involved in the activist side.”

Human beings are not slaves to their appetites and impulses, as animals are.  We make choices.  Even those who have the affliction of a strong same-sex attraction can make choices to live a virtuous life, just as those who are undoubtedly heterosexual have to make choices.

Posted in One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged , ,
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Nearly 500 faithful priests in England and Wales sign letter urging Synod to stand firm!

Posted on 24 March 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

At the UK’s Catholic Herald, for which I write a weekly column, find the following:

Nearly 500 priests in England and Wales urge synod to stand firm on Communion for the remarried

Priests says that doctrine and practice must ‘remain firmly and inseparably in harmony’

Almost 500 priests in England and Wales have signed a letter urging those attending this year’s family synod to issue a “clear and firm proclamation” upholding Church teaching on marriage.

In the letter, published in this week’s Catholic Herald, the priests write: “We wish, as Catholic priests, to re-state our unwavering fidelity to the traditional doctrines regarding marriage and the true meaning of human sexuality, founded on the Word of God and taught by the Church’s Magisterium for two millennia.”

Last year’s extraordinary synod provoked heated debate on the question of whether remarried Catholics should be permitted to receive Holy Communion – a proposal presented by retired German Cardinal Walter Kasper.

In what is thought to be an unprecedented step, 461 priests in England and Wales have joined together to urge synod participants to resist the proposal.

[… SKIPPPING TO THE LETTER…]

Full text of the letter and list of signatories:

SIR – Following the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2014 much confusion has arisen concerning Catholic moral teaching. In this situation we wish, as Catholic priests, to re-state our unwavering fidelity to the traditional doctrines regarding marriage and the true meaning of human sexuality, founded on the Word of God and taught by the Church’s Magisterium for two millennia.

We commit ourselves anew to the task of presenting this teaching in all its fullness, while reaching out with the Lord’s compassion to those struggling to respond to the demands and challenges of the Gospel in an increasingly secular society. Furthermore we affirm the importance of upholding the Church’s traditional discipline regarding the reception of the sacraments, and that doctrine and practice remain firmly and inseparably in harmony.

We urge all those who will participate in the second Synod in October 2015 to make a clear and firm proclamation of the Church’s unchanging moral teaching, so that confusion may be removed, and faith confirmed.

Yours faithfully,

[… ALL THE SIGNATORIES…]

Fr. Z kudos to all these good priests.

Also, my friend His Hermeneuticalness Fr. Tim Finigan, PP in Margate, has a few things to say at his fine blog HERE:

There have been one or two queries. A couple of priests have asked whether they could sign it as they did not have the chance to do so. [I would have signed it, but I am not a priest of England and Wales.] I understand that the organisers of the letter did try to send a copy to every priest in England and Wales, but a database with such a large number of entries is bound to have a few mistakes. Unfortunately, I am told that there is no easy way to add signatures now. This was a competely independent undertaking of a small number of priests who are actively working in parishes.

One or two lay people have asked if a letter could be organised for laity to sign. I would recommend lay people to keep in touch with Voice of the Family and to share ideas with them because they are a specifically lay group. Priests and laity each have their own important apostolates

Anybody, priest or lay faithful, who agrees with the priests’ letter can help by using their own social media channels to publicise the letter and speak to others about the key points in it.

It is also open to every member of the Christian Faithful (clerics and laity) to manifest their concerns to the Holy See. Here are two possible addresses to write to:

HE Lorenzo Cardinal Baldisseri
Secretary General, Synod of Bishops
Palazzo del Bramante
Via della Conciliazione, 34
00193 Roma

HE Gerhard Ludwig Cardinal Müller
Prefect for The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Piazza del S. Uffizio, 11
00193 Rome Italy
email: cdf@cfaith.va

 

Posted in Fr. Z KUDOS, Mail from priests, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged , , ,
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ASK FATHER: Extraordinary Form “Dialogue” Masses

Posted on 23 March 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

Your post of Archbishop Sample’s remarks and the subsequent discussion in the remarks section rekindled an interest I have in the liturgical reforms instituted by Pope Pius XII, specifically encouragement of the dialogue Mass when Low Mass is celebrated. I remember there was a lot of discussion about this in the early ’60 while the Council was in session. I’d be curious to know how prevalent this practice is in communities that celebrate the Extraordinary Form.

First, let’s review.  In a nutshell here are the degrees permitted.

The parts that could be said or sung by the congregation were of two kinds: the parts to be sung at High Mass (Pontifical, Solemn, Sung), and the parts which are responses of the ministers or the server at Low Mass.  The 1958 document Musica sacra divides dialogue Masses into four degrees of outward, vocal expression.  In a nutshell,

  1. The congregation makes the shorter responses such as the Amen, Deo gratias, Et cum spiritu tuo along with the servers.
  2. Same as above but adding all the responses of the servers, including the prayers at the foot of the altar, Second Confiteor where used, etc..
  3. Same as above adding the Ordinary (e.g. Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, etc.) together with the priest and/or choir.
  4. Same as above adding even the Propers (Introit, etc.) with the priest and/or choir.

Certain texts of the Mass are reserved to the priest, and should never be said aloud by the faithful.  Period.

Of course there is the tricky dynamic of congregations comprised of those who want to respond while others do not. Sometimes the priest (wrongly, in my view) wants no responses but the congregation does.

Each community should find their way in this regard, always under the prudent and well-informed suggestions of the priest.

As far as how prevalent “dialogue” versus “silent” Masses are, I am not sure.  Most of the places were I have been (quite a few) there is “dialogue”.  People respond both speaking and singing.

Maybe some of you can chime in?

I’ll turn the moderation queue and let some comments pile up before releasing them.  That way you can all jump in without jumping on, if you get me.

Meanwhile, let’s have a poll.  If I did this right, you can choose two answers.

About Extraordinary Form "dialogue" Mass. ROUND 2

View Results

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged ,
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ASK FATHER: Can confessions be heard during Mass in the Extraordinary Form?

Posted on 23 March 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

Is it appropriate for a priest to be hearing confessions while Extraordinary Form Mass has started? My priest seemed to think it was never done in the “old” days as he called it.

Yes, confessions were often heard during Mass in the “old” days.  It was fairly widespread where there were more than one priest available in a parish or at a chapel.

As a matter of fact, this last Sunday we had confessions during my Sunday Mass.  A priest was available and generously gave of his time and heard quite a few confessions for about 45 minutes.   Of course the people who attend the EF are generally pretty good at making their confessions.  They confess sins in both kind and number and they don’t ramble.

But I digress.

It is entirely appropriate that confessions be heard during Mass.

In Redemptionis Sacramentum 76 we read:

Furthermore, according to a most ancient tradition of the Roman Church, it is not permissible to unite the Sacrament of Penance to the Mass in such a way that they become a single liturgical celebration. This does not exclude, however, that Priests other than those celebrating or concelebrating the Mass might hear the confessions of the faithful who so desire, even in the same place where Mass is being celebrated, in order to meet the needs of those faithful. This should nevertheless be done in an appropriate manner.

Cf. Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter (Motu Proprio), Misericordia Dei, 7 April 2002, n. 2: AAS 94 (2002) p. 455; Cf. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Response to Dubium: Notitiae 37 (2001) pp. 259-260.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, GO TO CONFESSION, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged , , , ,
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English translation problem on Vatican website of key paragraph of an important document

Posted on 23 March 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

15_03_23_DH2_screenshotFrom a reader…

QUAERITUR:

I was reading an article on the SSPX website on Religious Liberty last night. In it, they quoted Dignitatis Humanæ of the Second Vatican Council. Interestingly, the part the SSPX would particularly object to is missing on the Vatican’s website!

Here is the quote the Society gave:

“This right essentially means that all human beings must be immune from all coercion, both by individuals and by social groups and by any human authority whatsoever, so that in religious matters no one is forced to act against his conscience or prevented from acting, within just limits, according to his conscience, in private as well as in public, alone or together with others.”

And here is the Vatican’s English version of DH 2.

“This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.”

Interestingly, the German translation of DH 2 includes the highlighted bits:

“Diese Freiheit besteht darin, daß alle Menschen frei sein müssen von jedem Zwang sowohl von seiten Einzelner wie gesellschaftlicher Gruppen, wie jeglicher menschlichen Gewalt, so daß in religiösen Dingen niemand gezwungen wird, gegen sein Gewissen zu handeln, noch daran gehindert wird, privat und öffentlich, als einzelner oder in Verbindung mit anderen – innerhalb der gebührenden Grenzen – nach seinem Gewissen zu handeln.”

I assume this is yet another case of the Vatican’s website not living up to standards one would expect, but it is a very curious omission, is it not? After all, the words are intermingled in the sentence and not a separate paragraph, so one would think their omission would be conscious.

Yes, that is curious indeed.  It seems that the problem is in the rendering, or non rendering, of Latin neque impediatur.

Here is the Latin:

2. Haec Vaticana Synodus declarat personam humanam ius habere ad libertatem religiosam. Huiusmodi libertas in eo consistit, quod omnes homines debent immunes esse a coercitione ex parte sive singulorum sive coetuum socialium et cuiusvis potestatis humanae, et ita quidem ut in re religiosa neque aliquis cogatur ad agendum contra suam conscientiam neque impediatur, quominus iuxta suam conscientiam agat privatim et publice, vel solus vel aliis consociatus, intra debitos limites. Insuper declarat ius ad libertatem religiosam esse revera fundatum in ipsa dignitate personae humanae, qualis et verbo Dei revelato et ipsa ratione cognoscitur (2). Hoc ius personae humanae ad libertatem religiosam in iuridica societatis ordinatione ita est agnoscendum, ut ius civile evadat.

Here is the Italian:

2. Questo Concilio Vaticano dichiara che la persona umana ha il diritto alla libertà religiosa. Il contenuto di una tale libertà è che gli esseri umani devono essere immuni dalla coercizione da parte dei singoli individui, di gruppi sociali e di qualsivoglia potere umano, così che in materia religiosa nessuno sia forzato ad agire contro la sua coscienza né sia impedito, entro debiti limiti, di agire in conformità ad essa: privatamente o pubblicamente, in forma individuale o associata. Inoltre dichiara che il diritto alla libertà religiosa si fonda realmente sulla stessa dignità della persona umana quale l’hanno fatta conoscere la parola di Dio rivelata e la stessa ragione (2). Questo diritto della persona umana alla libertà religiosa deve essere riconosciuto e sancito come diritto civile nell’ordinamento giuridico della società.

Curious indeed.

Posted in Religious Liberty, The Drill, Vatican II | Tagged , , , ,
27 Comments

Great news!

Posted on 23 March 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I received some great news today. The Benedictine monks in Norcia, Italy have finished recording some 30 tracks for a forthcoming music CD of Gregorian Chant.

The target time for release is early June 2015.

I will post links as soon as they are ready.

Posted in The Campus Telephone Pole | Tagged , ,
6 Comments

POLL: Covering images for 1st Passion Sunday, 5th Sunday of Lent

Posted on 22 March 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

ChurchFrom this Sunday, traditionally called 1st Sunday of the Passion, it is customary to veil images in churches.

What is going on where you are?

This is a fine old tradition.  It has to do with deprivation of the senses and the liturgical dying of the Church in preparation for the Lord’s tomb and resurrection.

We are our rites.

For this 1st Sunday of the Passion (5th Sunday of Lent) I saw in church that:

View Results

Posted in Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity, POLLS | Tagged ,
55 Comments

Your Sunday Sermon Notes

Posted on 22 March 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Was there a good point in the sermon you heard for this 1st Passion Sunday? The 5th Sunday of Lent?

Let us know.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
20 Comments

My View For Awhile: Home again home again…

Posted on 21 March 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

It’s time for the return trip, to be home for Sunday.

The sign I was sitting under.

As I wait for the first leg of the journey, I reflect on the joys of traveling by air. My stay in the members lounge is at least better than hanging out at the gate. For example, I settled into the “QUIET AREA”. You know the drill: one of those areas with a sign with an image of a phone overlaid with the circle and bar through it that says in CAPS: QUIET AREA. This quiet zone (QZone) was invaded by a woman with children with loud gaming systems. When this was pointed out to her by someone, her response was to point to the sign and say “I’m not using my cellphone!” They, too, were sitting directly under one of these signs.

So I moved.

Now I am being treated to the fairly loud belches of an older fellow in a pastel sweater and matching socks. But … when he got a call on his mobile, he got up and moved away even though we are not in the QZone.

Anyway, it has been a good trip.  I all too briefly visited my mother for her 80th birthday and then gave a talk to a Newman Center group on “Modernism 2.o”.  I am still furious that the Dodgers moved to Arizona or I probably would have tried to take in a Spring Training game.

UPDATE: Now the QZoners are carrying on a loud conversation with a couple some yards away.   The irony is that the QZ sign is directly over her chair.  That said, it is time to head to the gate.   

UPDATE

On board.  So far no one has started to trim her toe nails or spit her tobacco juice into a beer can.

I have seen, however, some covert “vaping”.  I suspect that that is not allowed flights now.  But that’s a safe bet.

It is “vaping” with one p, right?  A whole new phenomenon.

UPDATE

Apparently our vehicle doesn’t have any fuel.  And so we are waiting.  It seems too many flights were scheduled in too short a period.

Still, I have heard that it’s good to have fuel, so waiting is probably okay.

I also built in an adequate layover in my itinerary.  Even though airlines pad their departure and arrival times, so as to have a higher on-time percentage, less and less often do I choose tight connections.  The only extra hour or so off total length is just not worth the close calls.

UPDATE

Okay they are hooked up and giving us fuel. Meanwhile, speaking of vaping, vapor is pouring in with cold AC air creating dripping condensation on the cabin interior.  It’s humid here.  Not exactly the firing up of the Apollo XIII CM but… when you are bored you start to make stranger leaps.

UPDATE

Next leg.  There is some sort of shapeless groovy techno-Euro pop being pumped in over the speakers.  I’ve already heard a couple people mumble about it as they make their way to the seats.

I think this music isn’t actually performed by anyone.

This is what we had to listen to.  I held my phone up to the cabin speaker.

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Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to |
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