The Priebke funeral: a clarifying interview

Considering the uncharitable, unchristian and quite frankly rather nutty response from many in the Church, the media and blogosphere regarding this issue, I thought it prudent to post this interview from the SSPX webpage to clarify the issue. 

The Priebke funeral: a clarifying interview

October 25, 2013 

District of the US

Details about the Erich Priebke funeral are given during an interview with Fr. Petrucci, the SSPX's District Superior of Italy.

The Priebke Funeral: an interview with Fr. Pierpaolo Petrucci

Hosted by Marco Bongi, Italian journalist with the District Superior of Italy

Reverend Father Pierpaolo,

several days now after the media “disaster” in relation to the funeral services of the former [S.S.] commandant Erich Priebke, one of the perpetrators of the terrible massacre of the Ardeatine Caves, we ask you for some conclusive consideration [of the event], for the purpose of definitively dispelling the polemics and the exploitation of it. Indeed, in those heated days there was no lack of superficial reporting and half-truths. Therefore we seek to bring clarity to the matter.

Q. 1. When and by whom was the request made to celebrate the funeral of the deceased?

A. On Monday morning [October 14] the lawyer commissioned by the family to make the funeral arrangements telephoned us to ask about our availability for funeral services scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, with all the necessary authorizations from the civil authorities. The ceremony was to be celebrated in private and was supposed to be a purely religious act, without any ideological exploitation or media amplification. Therefore the utmost discretion was required, which we scrupulously observed.

Q. 2. Given the prohibition imposed by the Vicariate of Rome, why did you agree to the celebration?

A. The vicariate’s refusal to grant a funeral to a baptized person who received the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist — whatever his crimes and sins may have been — is not in keeping with Church law and Catholic doctrine. After we learned that Priebke had been baptized and was receiving the sacraments, that act immediately appeared to us to be a grave injustice to the deceased and his family. Our gesture was also meant to be one of reparation for such a thoughtless decision.

Q. 3. Almost all the news agencies reported that Erich Priebke had never repented of his actions during the Second World War. The Society’s press release, in contrast, speaks about a Catholic who died after being reconciled with God. Can you explain how matters really stand?

A. It seems that there is an intention to cultivate hatred on the part of a certain element in the press that claims the right to decide who can be pardoned and who cannot, dictating laws to the Church in order to impose its own criteria for who has the right to a religious funeral, and sending a lynch mob after those who are unwilling to submit.

Erich Priebke, who was baptized a Protestant, in the post-war years converted to Catholicism with his wife and had his children baptized.[1] Over the course of his life he then received pastoral care from several priests. During his confinement to house arrest, he asked for and obtained in 2002 permission to go to church to attend Holy Mass. Until the end of his life he regularly received the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist.

Upon his return to Italy, on the occasion of the public audience in front of the Military Tribunal of Rome held on April 3, 1996, he read a letter in the presence of the families of the victims, in which he manifested his grief, deploring the horrible act of obedience that he had had to perform in those circumstances:[2]

From the depths of my heart I feel the need to express my condolences for the sorrow of the relatives of the victims of the Ardeatine Caves.... As a believer I have never denied this tragic fact; for me the order to participate in the action was a great personal tragedy.... I think of the dead with reverence and I feel united with the living in their sorrow.

In his final interview, granted in July of this year, in the midst of historical considerations that are certainly debatable, there are moral considerations of the utmost importance. These are the ones that interest a priest. When the journalist asked him whether he was justifying anti-Semitism, Priebke answered:

No, .... I repeat, anti-Semitism means hatred, indiscriminate hatred.... As an old man, deprived of freedom, I have always rejected hatred. I never wanted to hate even those who hated me. I am only talking about the right to criticize and I am explaining the reasons for it.

He rejects the cult of race as a “mistake that led down a path of no return”. Speaking about mass extermination, he declared:

My position is: unconditional condemnation of actions of that sort. All indiscriminate acts of violence against communities, without taking into account the actual individual responsibilities, are unacceptable, to be condemned absolutely.

I see no reason to call into question the sincerity of these statements.

Q. 4. In light of what you have just explained, do you think that Kommandant Priebke was a “public sinner” who ought to have been denied a public funeral?

A. According to the current Code of Canon Law, an ecclesiastical funeral can be denied only to someone who gave no sign of repentance before death.[3] Therefore I do not see how Erich Priebke could be considered unworthy of funeral rites.

Never has there been so much talk in the Church about charity, about love of neighbor as today, especially during this pontificate. But when it is a matter of putting these virtues into practice according to the Gospel, even when it is not politically correct and it is necessary to defy popular opinions and the media, then things are different....

The Church, however, cannot bend her knee to the world unless she wants to earn the rebuke of hypocrisy that Jesus directed at the Pharisees in the Gospel.

The mercy of God goes beyond political affiliations, even the most reprehensible ones, and surpasses even the most serious sins, provided that there is repentance, the one fundamental condition. The Church bases [her judgment] on external acts. A Catholic who shows repentance for his sins has the right to funeral ceremonies. None of us can judge the innermost conscience of a man, but only God, and it is up to Him to make the final ruling. The Catholic religion is one of mercy and forgiveness, and not of hatred or vendetta.

Q. 5. We have seen, however, some prominent ecclesiastical personages acknowledge Priebke’s right to an ecclesiastical funeral.

A. Yes, we have heard a few voices in the wilderness, and that does them honor. I was very pleased to read the statements by Cardinal Cottier as well as the interview with Cardinal Montezemolo, the nephew of the colonel who was killed at the Ardeatine Caves. I was moved then by the testimony of several relatives of the victims who show solidarity after having granted pardon long ago, and who now join in prayer for the deceased. This alone is the Christian attitude.

Q. 6. Was Priebke a Catholic affiliated with the SSPX, or at least did he occasionally attend its chapels?

A. No, I had never met him, nor did he ever attend the services of the Society of St. Pius X. I had read that he had been baptized and that he had received permission to leave house arrest to go to Mass. I knew then that a priest was ministering to him regularly.

Q. 7. Many newspapers also reported that the funeral services had not really been celebrated or else that they had been interrupted. How did things really go in those agitated hours?

A. The remains arrived around 5:30 p.m., but the family members and friends who had been invited to the ceremony could not get in because of the demonstrators. After several attempts were made, the lawyer decided to postpone the funeral, since in those conditions, in his estimation, it was not possible to fulfill the commission that the family had entrusted to him.

At around 7:20 p.m., with around twenty people in attendance, I then celebrated the Mass for the deceased in the absence of the body.

In the meantime the coffin had been placed in a room on the ground floor, where a mortuary had been set up. In the late evening, in order to fulfill my priestly duty, I proposed to the lawyer a blessing of the remains with the funeral ceremony that the Church designates for the end of the [Requiem] Mass. In his presence therefore, and with a few other persons, that ceremony was therefore performed. I had the opportunity to speak about this also in a recent interview granted to Andrea Tornielli of La Stampa.

Q. 8. We consider the reactions from some sectors of the Catholic world to be among the most negative reactions to your decision. We were especially astonished by the rather uncharitable tone taken by the director of the Radio Maria broadcasting station, which more than any other ought to teach what mercy is. The bishop of Albano Laziale also issued very harsh statements against the Society of St. Pius X, going so far as to maintain that it is not part of the Catholic Church. What can you tell us about this?

A. Belonging to the Church is not only something purely juridical. St. Thomas Aquinas explains that the first condition for being part of the Mystical Body of Christ is faith. Unfortunately, after the Second Vatican Council, new doctrines were taught by the ecclesiastical authorities that contradicted the constant teaching of the Church. Our Society, which was regularly recognized by the Church on November 1, 1970, was then unjustly persecuted because of its opposition to those changes. Changes that then give rise to behaviors that are contrary to Catholic teaching, such as denying a funeral to a baptized person who dies reconciled with God, in order to conform to political correctness.

Again with respect to authority, the Society of St. Pius X has always opposed those errors, convinced that the greatest service that it can render to the Church is not servile conformity but rather the complete proclamation of Catholic teaching and the denunciation of everything that is opposed to it, even if it is proclaimed by a part of the hierarchy.

To assert that we are not Catholic, especially when it is done by priests who ought to know the teaching of the Church, is a sheer falsehood that might require public reparation.

On the other hand, I am aware that many Catholics and even many bishops judge us without knowing us, often on the basis of prejudices and common opinions. The bishop of Albano, whom every priest of our priory mentions every day in the Canon of the Mass as the local bishop, is always welcome among us and can find out whether in fact we are not part of the Church as he declared, perhaps imprudently.

Q. 9. Other commentators, who obviously were poorly informed, likened your decision to the positions of Bishop Richard Williamson or of Fr. Floriano Abrahamowicz. What can you tell us on this subject?

A. As the District Superior of the Society of St. Pius X in Italy, I have to make it clear that both Bishop Williamson and Fr. Floriano Abrahamowicz were expelled from our Society precisely because some of their positions are incompatible with the vocation of the Society. Their statements in no way represent the official thinking of the Society of St. Pius X. Any comparison is therefore purely gratuitous. Here I must note, furthermore, that some statements touted in the newspapers as mine are likewise not representative of our thinking. God’s mercy excludes no one when there is true repentance.

Q. 10. What was your experience of that afternoon in the community?

A. On the day of the funeral we unfortunately witnessed manifestations of senseless hatred, such as the attack on a hearse with spitting and kicking, in plain sight of a mayor who was wearing the tricolor [i.e., Italian red-white-and-green] sash [i.e., in his official capacity]. I was left speechless by a banner that some of the demonstrators were carrying, with the inscription “The Eternal Father may have forgiven you, but we don’t.”

This funeral was the occasion for an open conflict of two opposed doctrines: on the one hand the teaching of Jesus Christ and of the Church, which is centered on mercy and forgiveness, and on the other hand ideologies that neither know how to pardon the other nor want to. The unchangeable law of Love and Charity and the law of hatred and vendetta, of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”.

The law of Christ is the one that we, though unworthy, resolve to follow, far from any ideological polemic.

Q. 11. Finally, some newspapers did not fail to try to foster the image of a St. Pius X community in Albano that is poorly integrated with the local populace, which supposedly does not welcome or appreciate the presence of the priory in that area. Is that truly the case?

A. Our Society has been present here in Albano since 1974. It prepared several generations of children for their First Communion and for Confirmation and conducts works of mercy on behalf of the sick and the poor, to whom it regularly distributes food and clothing. Therefore we have many friends in the populace who have also expressed their solidarity with us in this incident. I refuse to believe that the ferocious crowd that indulged last Tuesday in sectarian hatred in the presence of a dead person’s coffin could possibly be representative of the inhabitants of Albano.

To conclude, I would like to quote a sentence that Saint Paul writes in his Epistle to the Galatians: “If I yet [= still] pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Gal 1:10). I think that this should be the program and the ideal of a man of the Church: always to act in conformity with the teaching of Christ, without ever seeking compromises with the spirit of the world.

Footnotes

1 Erich Priebke, Autobiografia (Rome: Associazione uomo e libertà, 2003), 150, 160, 161, 170.

2 Exclusive interview granted to Francesco Giorgino, after Priebke was sentenced to prison. See YouTube, “Guai ai vinti, storia di Erich Priebke 10/11” [“Woe to the defeated, the story of Erich Priebke 10/11”].

3 CIC (1983) nn. 1184-1185.

Father Leonardo Castellani's ficitional Pope and Papa Francesco a comparison

I read with interest about Father Leonardo Castellani the Argentine priest and author who was a former Jesuit on the blog 'Unam Sanctam Catholicam" and the Kingship of Christ. I had read a little bit about Father Castellani in the past but decided to do a bit of research to see whether there was any kind of connection between Fr Castellani and Papa Francesco. I found this interesting article about a fictional work of Father Castellani's from the early 1960s on a fictional Pope and found it fascinating. 

Father Leonardo Castellani (1899-1981)

"John XXIII (XXIV)" was written in 1964

Striking similarities between a novel by Leonardo Castellani and the figure of Francisco

Argentine Pope, going underground, "smells like sheep ', go to' the periphery ', censorship, self-righteousness, creates a select group of cardinals and is not it Francis?

Updated June 19, 2013

Is the Jesuit writer Leonardo Castellani (1899-1981) inspiring some of the guidelines of the pontificate of Francisco? The hypothesis is strong and risky, but by no means far-fetched. And naturally the question will be raised at least as an intellectual exercise, for whoever approaches his novel John XXIII (XXIV), "fantasy" (as he defines himself) published in 1964 . On some pages, read in the context of the life of its author, the similarities between the protagonist, Ducadelia, and Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio are even puzzling. Bergoglio Castellani known figure. Both are fellow countrymen and of the same religion. Bergoglio was a Jesuit, but not yet a priest, when in 1966 Castellani was restored to the exercise of the priesthood, a story that was not lost on anyone in the field of the Argentina Church , let alone within the Society of Jesus , who had been expelled in 1949. In 1971 Castellani is offered to re-entry into the order, which he rejected for health reasons, and in 1973 Father Bergoglio, who had been ordained in 1969, became the provincial of Jesuits in Argentina and held that post for six years, leaving in 1979. Two years after Castellani dies . And a fundamental point: Castellani was not Peronist, but one of the authors of reference of Argentine Catholic nationalism ... and Bergoglio was formed and worked in his youth and as a priest with the Peronist right , drinking from the intellectual tradition of Argentine Catholic nationalism although it also  incorporates elements  from outside. CONCLUSION: Bergoglio knew and appreciated the vicissitudes of Castellani . But what of his books? " I know he read some of his works , as His Majesty Dulcinea and San Augustine and us . And probably several or many others ", explains Carlos Biestro , a priest who for years coordinated the editing or republication of the works of Fr Castellani. It is true that Bergoglio did not promote the editing of the books of Castellani. But Father Biestro points to a fact: " I know that the current pope wanted Castellani returned to the Society of Jesus. He knew he was a great writer, and that sooner or later the conspiracy of silence of the Church  would fail, and should show  an Ignatian Castellani reconciled with the order. " It's hard to know whether such admiration for the Castellani-greatness that only the very poor or the very sectarian had been denied, resulted in sympathy with their ideas. But this is where we must begin to consider the elements of thought of Francis as pope who "knows" Castellani , and overflowing in the above mentioned novel. Father Biestro reminds us, for example, two themes very typical of Francis : the smell sheep and peripheries. "Become follow the scent" On March 28, at the Chrism Mass, the Pope delivered a phrase that filled the headlines: "Be shepherds with the scent of one's sheep", which he addressed to the priests. The allusion is so graphic that requires no explanation. Well, in The Gospel of Jesus Christ , the commentary to Sunday after Easter, Castellani explains that Christ said that the bad shepherds "are like wolves among sheep (or rams), alluding to the custom of Palestinian shepherds of putting on a jacket of sheepskin(sheepskin) to be followed by the scent. He took the sheepskin of our flesh to follow him, but in him this was not a disguise, it was true. " No to the "self-referential Church" Similarly, on May 19, at the Mass of Pentecost, Francisco warned of the danger a "self-referential Church" and insisted his old idea, reiterating also as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, there you ought to go to the "existential peripheries to announce the life of Jesus Christ" .  Father Biestro wonders "whether, when the Pope says the Church should not be self-referential, but must go to the peripheries of existence, there is an echo of this reflection of Father Castellani." And we read this passage by Fr Castellani : "Santa Teresa sought friends everywhere, because she needed them. One of the most vehement reproaches against her was seen in a nun seeking friendships, and even friendships of men! The belief that the Cloister, class or clan to which I belong is a complete world and is everything a man may need is one of the most ridiculous and sinister of vanities. According to the word of Christ, the Catholic Church itself is an open thing and out of their enclosures are souls that belong unknowingly. " A fantasy? But beyond these ideas or others who swarm to Father Castellani's works and also by the preaching swarm of Francisco, where it really borders on the prophetic similarities is in the novel John XXIII (XXIV). A fantasy , written by Father Leonardo Castellani in 1964.  We went to Juan Manuel de Prada who framed that work for us. The author of the recent best seller I find death (Destination) was the one who, through their writing in 2007-2008 for the Spanish discovered the figure of the great Argentine writer . And then prepared, prefaced and annotated a few of his books have been published in Spain since then: How to survive intellectually century(LibrosLibres, 2008), The Apokalypsis of San Juan (Homo Legens, 2010), pen in hand(LibrosLibres, 2010 ), The Gospel of Jesus Christ (Christianity, 2011) and papers of Benjamin Benavides (Homo Legens, 2013). Inspired by Baron Corvo " John XXIII (XXIV) is one of the most extraordinary works of Castellani, and at the same time , one of the most characteristic of his personal conception of literature, the world and the Church, "explains Prada, remembering that Castellani was not entirely original, but it was inspired by Hadrian VII written in 1904 by Frederick Rolfe ( 1860-1913), better known as Baron Corvo literally : "It's a wonderful papal fantasy written by Corvo, for personal relief, imagining himself (under the transcript of one such Rose) reaching the papacy, having been rehabilitated and ordained a priest (Corvo, who wanted to be a priest in his youth, was expelled from the seminary for his proven homosexuality), and after a conclave full of fun adventures. " Moreover, "inevitably, Castellani, who had also been removed from priestly ministry during a rough phase of his life , after his expulsion from the Society of Jesus must have felt twinned with the protagonist of the novel  of Corvo, although fiercely sarcastic (and sometimes irreverent) denotes a truly overwhelming knowledge of the procedures cfor the election of a pope and full adherence to Catholic dogma, "says Prada. "Castellani's novel follows almost by heart the premise of Corvo: also its protagonist is a priest who has been postponed the (evidently a transcript Castellani itself), who is presented as Spanish translator of Hadrian VII . Even some novel adventures of Castellani are directly inspired by the novel of Corvo, such as the theme of the double usage , "says the writer Zamora, born in Barakaldo and given the Planeta Prize in 1997 with The Tempest. Cervantes, inspiring Castellani And it highlights a second literary inspiration, the Cervantes, "which is otherwise constant feature of the work of Castellani. Remember that he wrote a couple of works inspired by characters of Don Quixote: Sancho's new government (1942) and Her Majesty Dulcinea (1956), a novel eschatological background with which John XXIII (XXIV) holds great similarities. 's protagonist John XXIII (XXIV), as we know the end is a new Quixote , is a very common in Castellani, whose characters are always a noble race, always conflicted with the spirit of their time. " appears Ducadelia Francisco The Well, If that's the Ducadelia, which is the name the protagonist of the novel, whose features reproduce itself Castellani. Ducadelia is taken as an expert to Vatican II, which is still being celebrated during the writing of the novel, by the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Ducadelia's interventions reconcile classroom, coupled and framed within the global turmoil starts after the triumph of communism in various areas of the planet, and the death of John XXIII, Pope unexpectedly makes him thanks to a bizarre system designation . " Juan XXIII (XXIV) is a novel that, like all the works of Castellani,must be interpreted in an eschatological key , "explains Prada:" The Church as a Church here which appears approaching recent times: the wars and rumors of wars are the constant background, the Pope has been evicted from the Vatican and has taken refuge in St. John Lateran, the Masonic siege to the Church (and even its infiltration into the church itself) is constant. The sight which pushed Leo XIII to write the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel which was read in the past at the end of the Mass seems an apparent reference to the plot of the novel. " Anyway, Ducadelia becomes a bold reformer Pope . He manages ( I shall not reveal how to avoid the sin of  spoilers ) to travel by subway (metro) (as made ​​Bergoglio) and so keep in touch with people (which is why Francis lives in the Casa Santa Marta). want less bureaucracy the Church (as suggested Bergoglio Cardinal in the consistory before the conclave as cardinal revelation of Havana) and to reduce the curia cardinals relies exclusively in twelve (eight has appointed Francisco to lead the reform of the Curia). Contra-righteousness and hypocrisy But one of the most shocking things in like Francisco-Castellani is the continual reference to self-righteousness and hypocrisy . This is an unusual subject in papal teaching, which however has referred Francisco on several occasions (most recently, in the homily in Santa Marta on June 4, which defined it as "the language of corruption"), following what was a constant in his preaching as a bishop. "Behind hypocritical thinking there is a sick heart," he said in the homily at the Mass of the First Congress of Evangelization of Culture held in Buenos Aires in 2006 , where he also noted the hypocrisy and sufficiency as "two patterns of self-righteousness."Well, Castellani as any reader of his knows that this is one of the central issues of his work , not the least because he believed  himself to be the victim of hypocrisy in his long ordeal of canonical sanction. Your best essays and letters on the subject were published under the title Christ and the Pharisees . And John XXIII (XXIV) not allusions missing "righteousness Perezco victim in the Church!" proclaims in his deathbed Archbishop of Buenos Aires. " Self-righteousness is the specific condition of true religion" proclaims meanwhile another character of the novel. Aires reform interprets Prada the reformist winds of Pope Francisco in relation to those proposed by Ducadelia: "How could it be otherwise in Castellani, along with the eschatological key present in his own personal sense of humor, which as with every great comedian is a perfectly serious mood. In this key must be read all the reforms that the Argentine Pope dreamed up by Castellani and introduced into the Church , which again proved his clairvoyance the prophetic reform of the curia and relief from bureaucratic structures of the Church, battle for righteousness, etcetera. " Prada also asked, as an expert, the possible influence of one over another: "I do not know if the new Pope will read the work of Castellani, but, of course, the nature of the protagonist character of Castellani and Papa Francisco have very striking commonalities ome (Castellani's character is more harsh and irascible character, of course, but both are a little squeamish friends and disrespectful of human respect both.) And John XXIII (XXIV) proposes, from absolute orthodoxy, a government plan radically subjugating the Church, some aspects of which I dare say I could subscribe to Francisco . " enclosing Surprises "John XXIII (XXIV)" With all these assumptions, some of the elements of the fictional John XXIII (XXIV) are surprisingly anecdotal, but curious: the protagonist Pope Pius Ducadelia (transcript of Castellani), is appointed Cardinal of Santa Práxedes , the same church where St Robert Bellarmine was for a few days Cardinal , for which Paul VI created a cardinal title ... which was held by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio when elected. But then there are questions of content. Ducadelia also wants a "Church of the poor." For example, allocates 12 million between them to be elected. " "The Treasure of the Church are the poor," said the Pope , and not a single sentence in it, "narrates the novel, where he reports that John XXIII (XXIV) is so frugal that" he eats with a dollar a day. "And also does not live in the Vatican apartments , although for reasons different from Francisco-the war that has been engulfed the world and its political consequences. The new pope commanded to build an office building in the Lateran and lives there: that is, a collective, like Santa Marta. Moreover, one of the principles of ecclesiastical reform posed by Castellani is that "neither bishops nor the parishes and religious orders may take credit roles of any kind . All church property will  be invested in real estate. " More trivia: although Castellani has no sympathy with the cultural milieu of the Jewish community of Buenos Aires, the Pope who is in this novel does. Like Francis (whose excellent community relations Argentina are known Jewish) Ducadelia is a friend of Israel . receives donations Even from rabbis who admire him, and his visit to Jerusalem is remembered as "historic" by the hundreds of thousands of Israelites who are received en mass. remember? Francisco the first homily as Pope, the Cardinals, in Thanksgiving Mass after his election? "When we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross and when we confess to a Christ without a Cross , we are not disciples of the Lord, we are worldly, "he said. Let us compare now with this Ducadelia phrase:" Today we must not return to the easy religion should not mix milk and honey to the vinegar of the Passion , that stinks. "It is true that the usual reflection in the field of Christian spirituality, but it is striking that "two" Popes (one real, one fictional), have as their founding principle such consider their pontificates. reform of the Curia are original Neither today, nor were 1964 Curia criticisms of a "bureaucratic." That Francis wants to reform it, is a fact, it has created a commission to study the matter. Well, the reform principles outlined in John XXIII (XXIV) are based on the " decentralization of ecclesiastical government . "How?" delegating much of his supreme "in 52 Patriarchs appointed by him. Does this have something to do with the insistence of Francisco of himself as " Bishop of Rome "? also appoints twelve cardinals Ducadelia (Francisco eight) as his personal advice . True for Ducadelia those are permanent and with Francis are, in principle, only to reform the Curia, but ... it's another coincidence. As a result of its reforms, the Church of Pope John XXIII (XIV) "had fallen by two thirds the old machinery" with the idea that the Pope left in writing, to lessen "the impersonal bureaucracy in the management of ecclesiastical affairs. " How to govern Now is it the same to reduce bureaucracy or delegating authority,as an exercise? In a recent article,  Sandro Magister made ​​clear that , noting the "obfuscation" of supporters to democratize the Church because that is not the intention of Francis . " Pope Francis wished to be himself, and not others, who choose its eight directors which, therefore, are called to respond to him alone , and not also to an elected assembly, "noted the Vatican.  who also pointed out the similarity between the form of government of Francisco Bergoglio Pope and the Jesuit superior, "Bergoglio has been provincial superior and has assimilated the style. At the apex of the Company attendees around the general, and who are appointed by him, representing the respective geographical areas. Decisions are taken collectively, decides only the general, with direct and immediate powers . Attendees should not agree among themselves and with the general, but advise one by one, with maximum freedom. " Let us see how he governs Ducadelia (Castellani also had been a Jesuit, but no longer, and knew the methods) and the maintenance of authority despite his apparent deal: "'The less I get myself into the running of the Church, is not it better?" Actually it got much more effectively than previous Popes, the latest determinations were hers , and sometimes came like a thunderbolt ... The Pope frequently ran the various bureaus without interfering much in the decisions he liked most correct and train your colleagues, and then give them responsibility. The last instance in case of error was reserved protested him, of course. " In conclusion ... There is no sufficient reason, according to various experts consulted, to consider Francisco one castellaniano ., however, the points of the life and work Castellani, specifically in his novel 1964, which evoke the personality, words and decisions of the current pope seems more than a curious literary coincidence . probably be explained by the membership of both to the same cultural tradition, with factors as strongly as the common homeland, the Ignatian common affiliation and politico-ecclesiastical reference of twentieth century Argentina. Anyway, it is an excuse to read John XXIII (XXIV) , recently reissued, or any other of  Fr Leonardo Castellani book contributions to contemporary Catholic thought . Which always worth it.

Cardinal Siri on the dress of Progressive priests

From the Italian Catholic blog 'Cordialiter'

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2013

The dress of the progressive priests

progressivism among the clergy is seen in the dress, of course, bourgeois,

or disguised in such a way as to create an impression. The rule allows

such for the Italian clergyman, but it is clearly stated that the 'normal' dress

is the cassock. Shape and color: two things that in Italy are little respected.

He Who wears the cassock is outside of progress. 

Instead, the cassock, "defense by the rule of law as ordinary business suit," 

can never get lost in the mass, to remain in evidence, to be a witness

of holiness and courage. On this point I think I'll have to come back.

 In fact, at this time the greatest danger for the clergy is to DISAPPEAR.

 They are disappearing, because now there is hardly notice in the

 official world, culture, politics, art that we are there too. 

Between us it gets even to the point of proclaiming that there

 is no more "Christianity". Perhaps is that not indicative of 

the referendum on divorce? I have the impression that almost

 no one has tried to study the link between the outcome of 

the referendum and the dress of the priest, between the

 referendum and the near destruction of much of the

 Italian Catholic Action. I know that the people have faith

 in the bottom of their heart and revives it with every thrust,

 but all the hatred and anti-clerical Masonic influence that has

 taken over almost all means of expression does believe otherwise,

 it acts as if the Church were dead (which is far from true!)

 but many of our own give hand to all this. promiscuity,

blemish of worldliness, discuss the legitimate authority

 and Christ who constituted, constitutes PROGRESSIVE MERIT.

 Go to Taizé rather than Lourdes or Rome is progressivism,

 while you go to one of the biggest religious misconceptions

 of the century.

[Thought of Cardinal Giuseppe Siri taken from the

 "Genovese Diocesan Magazine" of January 1975]

The reform of the reform is alive

From 'tradi news' blog:

OCTOBER 28, 2013

[Henri Saint-Martin - The New Man] The reform of the reform is alive

SOURCE - Henri Saint-Martin - The New Man - October 22, 2013

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In his book The Mass at the location (Editions de L'Homme Nouveau Collection "Hora Decima"), Father Claude Barthe said - he said under Benedict XVI - that we should not expect the laws and regulations from above to make the reform of the reform, but it was rather to be from the priests in the field:

"the Reform of the reform is mainly in choosing among the various options open for the new missal. In concrete terms, it is the systematic nature of good choices that will reform the reform. "

A flowering of literature on the subject

A fortiori is this true under Pope Francis, where there is more example of the Roman pontifical ceremonies and their little nudges of reformers.

In fact, the new books in the sense continue under the new pontificate, eg father Giorgio FARE The formal rito del romano (Cantagalli, 2013); Daniele Nigro, I diritti di Dio. The liturgy dopo il Vaticano II (Sugarco, 2013, with a preface by Cardinal Burke).We can bring in this line, the little book recently published by Thierry Laurent, the liturgy of the Mass gesture after gesture. pastoral Comment of the mass in its ordinary form (Le Laurier, 116 p., € 10).

A preface by Cardinal Cañizares

Father Thierry Laurent, priest of the diocese of Paris, began his priestly ministry in the Diocese of Saint-Denis, and he has been appointed chaplain of the College Stanislas in Paris. With a strongly felt preface by Cardinal Cañizares, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship - "Father Thierry Laurent gave us a lot of joy ..." - he describes, analyzes, comments on each rite. And initially chose because as we know the new ordinary form liturgy is largely a la carte, in which there is no reason, however, to opt for the best:

"The church can begin by sprinkling holy water of all the faithful ... The altar is dedicated ... It contains the relics of the saints ..." etc..

With helpful reminders: "The reader is priority one established for it" (corresponding to the sketch is a cleric in his surplice). In the ordinary mass, which according to the illustrations, the altar is built on three steps, candlesticks are placed on the altar on either side of the cross, the mass is said before the Lord, the faithful kneel (eg, to recite the Confiteor!).

The Roman Canon

The altar is incensed at the beginning of the Mass and the offertory. The Eucharistic Prayer is also called canon (and this is the first Eucharistic prayer, the Roman Canon, Thierry Laurent chose to comment), including lists of saints, which are also optional.

"To show greater respect and greater worship, I can receive Christ kneeling on the tongue. (...) It is therefore recommended to receive direct me on the language, because this is the general rule. " The usual Latin words abound, as well as the parallel: "In the Mass in extraordinary form, it is still in the Mass ordinary form, the choice of celebrating ..."

The description of the rite is always followed by a mystical explanation taken in the comments patristic and medieval, which is perhaps the most remarkable of this pastoral work innovation.

Traditional Offertory

And as at the offertory, the priest prays "secretly like Christ in Gethsemane", nothing prevents him from using the traditional offertory prayers.

Encouraging the author, Cardinal Cañizares pushes "the young priests" to continue such work "against children", as it was obvious that only a new generation of clerics speaking to new generations of faithful can accomplish. If it is not necessary to say that this interpretation of the ordinary mass (as interpreting a text, a musical score and libretto theater) owes much to the boss that is the traditional celebration, it must be added that This interpretation recreates a vital environment extremely conducive to the development of the Mass in extraordinary form even within parishes.

Solemnity of Christ the King

Tomorrow Sunday October 27, 2013 is the Feast of Christ the King in the traditional Calendar. It one of the  many times in the liturgical calendar when Catholics who observe the new calendar promulgated by Paul VI in 1970 celebrate a feast on a different date than those observing the old calendar. Here is a posting from a few years back from the 'Catholicism.org':

Pope Pius XI who instituted the Feast of Christ the King with his encyclical 'Quas Primas' in 1925. 

For Christ the King

by Brother André Marie March 10, 2008

Sunday, October 28 is the Feast of Christ the King. That is, it is the feast in the 1962 Calendar followed by those who adhere to the “extraordinary form” of the Roman Liturgy. The feast is celebrated on November 25 this year in the Novus Ordo calendar. Why the difference?

The Traditional Rite places the feast on the Sunday preceding the Feast of All Saints. This is to show that Christ rules as King most fully over the saints. He “triumphs in all the Saints and in all the Elect,” to use the exact words of Pope Pius XI, who instituted the feast in 1925. At the same time, the prayers of the Old Rite emphasized the reign of Christ in society, here and now . The pope wanted the laws of nations conformed to the Kinship of Christ. The New Rite, which also keeps the feast on a Sunday, puts it on the last of the liturgical year. Some have inferred from this change, and from the New Rite’s removal of certain prayers for the reign of Christ over nations (and not merely the hearts of men), that Christ’s Kingdom should be seen as a future, eschatological reality, not something to be actually implemented in temporal civil society.

When he instituted the Feast of Christ the King, Pius XI did so specifically to memorialize the true teaching on our Lord’s social Kingship. He promulgated the feast in his encyclical Quas Primas , where the doctrine of Christ the King was wonderfully summarized. We would do well to give that magisterial work a read, the better to understand the feast and its doctrine.

Pope Pius XI said that “Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ.” In my humble opinion, it is because that message went largely unheeded — Hamish Frasier called the encyclical “the greatest non-event in the history of the Church” — that we now live in an insufferable geopolitical hell. We can’t say we weren’t warned.

To those who say that Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world and, consequently, religion and politics must be separated, Pius addressed these strong words: “It would be a grave error, on the other hand, to say that Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs since, by virtue of the absolute empire over all creatures committed to him by the Father, all things are in his power.”

After saying that our Lord’s dominion extends over all men, believers and non-believers, the pope goes on: “Nor is there any difference in this matter between the individual and the family or the State; for all men, whether collectively or individually, are under the dominion of Christ. In him is the salvation of the individual, in him is the salvation of society. ‘Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved’” (Acts 4:12).

Michael Davies, in his brief study, The Reign of Christ the King , summarizes the Church’s traditional social doctrine: “The Church’s teaching is that the State has an obligation to render public worship to God in accord with the teachings of the True Church, the Catholic Church, and positively to aid the Catholic Church in the carrying out of her functions. The State does not have the right to remain neutral regarding religion, much less to pursue a secular approach in its policies. A secular approach is by that very fact an anti-God and an anti-Christ approach. This unequivocal teaching was summarized very clearly by Pope St. Pius X, who, in his encyclicalVehementer Nos , condemned the principle of the separation of Church and State as ‘an absolutely false and most pernicious thesis.’”

Inasmuch as the Kingship of Christ has existed in nations not ruled by monarchs, a true Christian social order can be established in our American Republic. In the period roughly contemporary with that of our War between the States, there was a Catholic republic in Ecuador headed by Venerable Gabriel Garcia Moreno, a man called “the greatest Catholic statesman since the Middle Ages.” (Our Lady of Good Success, in her seventeenth-century revelations to Blessed Mariana of Jesus, prophesied him as a “truly Catholic president” who would receive the palm of martyrdom.) Moreno’s motto was to the point: “freedom for everyone and everything except sin and evil.”

The 1930′s Austrian republic of Pius XI’s close collaborator, Engelbert Dollfuss, provides another example, as does Antonio Salazar’s Republic of Portugal.

What would it look like if we had a Catholic America where Christ ruled as King?

If the U.S. becomes a Catholic nation (a nation in which the vast majority of the citizenry is Catholic), then the constitutional system would allow us to enshrine certain Catholic principles in the law of the land. On the positive side, the federal Constitution would recognize the most fundamental papal teaching on the matter of politics, namely, that all power is from God , not from the people. (This is true no matter how leaders are actually chosen.) Additionally, there would be laws that protect the family, such as a tax system which does not penalize, but, rather, rewards parents with large families by giving them tax breaks. Marriage would be recognized to be indissoluble and (as if it needed to be said! ) exclusively between one man and one woman. Government would respect the principle of subsidiarity, which would make for smaller, less intrusive, bureaucracy. On the negative side, abortion, birth control, pornography, and sodomy would be outlawed.

Because ours is a federal system, the states themselves can implement such a social order in their respective constitutions. Thus, for example, Rhode Island could fully recognize the social rights of Christ the King, while the other states still lagged behind. This was the case in the Catholic cantons of Switzerland, each of which was a confessional Catholic State.

We must be realistic, but we must not lose sight of the ideal. A lot will have to happen to make all this possible, and it will likely be implemented only very gradually, as Dollfuss attempted to do in Austria (before the Nazis murdered him). Besides the grace of God, we will need enough of our countrymen to embrace the Catholic Faith to bring about our Lord’s full Kingship here. For that to happen, the bishops, lower clergy, and faithful will have to believe and profess all the truths of the Faith more boldly. An elite of clergy, religious, and faithful will have to live the interior life deeply, fortified by an authentic liturgical piety. All the while, it will take Catholics with fortitude to combat the unfortunates who oppose Christ’s reign — those inside and outside the Church.

As Joseph de Maistre pointed out, we must not repose our hope in a written constitution (we haven’t used the one we have now for decades! ), but in men who have formed their consciences according to the teachings of Holy Mother Church. We can begin by getting to know the teachings of the popes in this matter and impressing them on our children.

Where Christ is King, Mary is Queen, and since she is the “Dawn” who precedes the coming of the “Sun of Justice” — as the Immaculate Conception heralded the Incarnation — she must pave the way for Christ’s rule. October, the Month of the Holy Rosary, is a queenly Marian preparation for Christ’s Kingship. That is the way it happens in the Church calendar and that is the way it will unfold in time. With the grace of God and the weapon of the Holy Rosary, we will clear the way for Christ the King!

Cor Iesu adveniat regnum tuum. Adveniat per Mariam! Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come! Thy kingdom come through Mary!

      

BISHOP SCHNEIDER AND ROLE OF LAITY IN FOSTERING TRADITION

[PAIX LITURGIQUE]  bishops: the laity have a role to play

SOURCE  - Paix Liturgique - Letter 410 - October 21, 2013

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A few weeks ago, two bishops commended the role played by the laity in the restoration of a dignified liturgy, especially the manifestation of their commitment to the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of Pope Benedict XVI. Above all, they engage the faithful to continue in this way to allow the Eucharistic liturgy to find all its' rights in the life of our parishes.

I - "POWER TO THE PEOPLE!"

Monday, September 30, in Rome, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, presented his latest book, published by the Vatican Publishing: Corpus Christi, La Santa comunione it Rinnovamento e della Chiesa (Corpus Christi, Holy Communion and the renewal of the Church), a French translation is in progress for the next editions of the publication Catholic Renaissance.

In his paper, Bishop Schneider spoke of the current situation of the Church and recalled that it was "largely the responsibility of the clergy." Bishop Schneider, who grew up under Soviet persecution and opens Corpus Christi by using a cautionary historical evidence - as he did for his first book (. Dominus is to understand the communion rite practiced by Benedict XVI, published Tempora, 2008) - knows how the devotion of the faithful can complement and sometimes substitute the zeal of priests. So he did not hesitate to invite the laity to engage in particular for the return of the reception of holy communion kneeling and on the tongue, the subject of his latest book.

This invitation of Bishop Schneider joined the one made ​​at the conference Sacra Liturgia of June (see our letter 394 ), by Bishop Sample, the Archbishop of Portland. The latter said, in a beautiful way on the urgent need for the Catholic liturgy of seeing amplify the process opened by Summorum Pontificum, had not only invited "all the bishops to become familiar with the extraordinary form of the Roman rite," but also concluded his remarks, not without irony, with the exclamation: "Power to the people!"(Power to the people!).

Make no mistake: neither Bishop Sample nor Bishop Schneider want to give up the reins of the Church to "the base". However, both of them were born at the dawn of the 60s, have lived and experienced the crisis of the 70s grew stronger in their priestly vocation so they know all the damage that the clergy and irresponsible innovators can  often cause and how, in contrast,the  simple faithful can provide, for their part, to maintain the deposit of faith.

II - REFLECTIONS OF PEACE LITURGICAL

1 - It is not necessary to recall that the Church is not a democracy, nor is it particularly governed by the principles of the Social Contract modern democracy. Its divine constitution because it is headed by the successor of Peter and by the successors of the Apostles in communion with him, and by bishops, priests. But the laity, who are in direct charge of the civil and political life, must bring all their active participation in the life of the Church, confession of faith, mission, work, etc.. Moreover, everyone in the church should support his brothers and his superiors, especially when they do not fulfill their duty or become faint. Catherine of Siena did she not boldly tell that to the cardinals of the Roman Church and the Pope himself? This did not prevent her being canonised and proclaimed "Doctor of the Church."

2 - To be second, the role of the laity in the Church is no less fundamental. In fact, Bishop Schneider as Bishop Sample, also marked by the teaching of Benedict XVI on the centrality of the liturgy in the life of the Church, merely refer to the texts of the Second Vatican Council, the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium (Chapter IV) the decree Inter Mirifica on the means of social communication (as Paix Liturgique is!) specify the place and role of the laity in the Church. Dedicated to the apostolate of the laity, the decree Apostolicam Actuositatem, clearly states: "At a time when new questions arise and where spread of serious errors tend to radically destroy religion, moral and human society itself -Similarly, the Council strongly urges the laity, each according to his talents and doctrinal formation, to take a more active part in the spirit of the Church, in deepening and defense of Christian principles in their application as suitable for problems of our time. "

In Article 10, the role of the laity in the church communities, including the decree invites the faithful to be "used to work in the parish in close union with their priests, to bring the community of the Church their own problems, those of the world and issues affecting the salvation of men, to consider and resolve, taking into account the opinion of all. "

3 - This is the mobilization of all the laity and not just some of them, duly selected by ideologized clergy, called for by the Council. Many secular "progressives" in fact, as we know, took responsibility in dioceses and parishes in the 70s. Besides, White hair, they are often still there, become irremovable "bosses" of parish councils and sometimes even diocesan.

However, this near hegemony was facilitated in some instances by the fact that the other laity, who are not progressive, have willingly given up their entire place. Today, and this is the message that we retain our young bishops, the people Summorum Pontificum must also engage in parish life. Especially her youngest fringe, the one "it is fascinating, says Bishop Sample to see how she deals with liturgical, traditional and secular aspects of the life of the Church."

This is important because many dioceses of France will have, not in ten years, but tomorrow,  only a handful of priests. 

We must face up to a dramatic religious situation and not be afraid to consider bold solutions. A new phase in the life of the Church, a Church almost without priests, opens up in our country. It is urgent that those dedicated to "Catholic tradition" reflect on this situation and actively prepare. It's time for Catholics who want to save rank liturgy, catechesis, parish life, to manifest themselves. Many parishes in France will now be managed by the laity, with the intervention of a "priest moderator" to celebrate Mass and administer the sacraments. Why, for example, could there not be a number of these parishes for the extraordinary form or not they would make a significant way to the extraordinary form, with lay "extraordinary sensitivity"? Why rather than a number of "moderators priests" do they not invite priests celebrating the Extraordinary Form?

As the military from the civilian world, clerical vocations awaken in young laity. The generous commitment of lay people who truly love the Church, as is well known, prepares priestly and religious vocations.  THe many Vocations in the traditional world at large are supported by a strong lay Catholic activism.

To do this, it certainly belongs to the ordinary faithful, to take the plunge - it is also a condition of the application of Summorum Pontificum as the creation of a "Coetus fidelium" - but also to priests and laity to make room for their brothers in faith, even if their sensitivity is not theirs.

4 - We invite those of our readers who participate in Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage to Rome this weekend, not to miss the presentation will Bishop Schneider of his latest book, Saturday 26 to 16 hours at Centro ecumenica Russia, Borgo Pio 141 (5 minutes from the Place Saint-Pierre). Although the presentation will probably Italian, Bishop Schneider speaks our language and certainly say a few words to the French pilgrims.