Pavarotti returns to the Catholic faith before dying

CNA ^ | September 10, 2007

[NYer]

Modena, Sep 10, 2007 / 10:49 am (CNA).- Luciano Pavarotti, the world renowned tenor was laid to rest in Modena’s cathedral with a grand funeral which paid tribute to the opera legend and gave witness to his return to the Catholic faith.

The diocese had received criticisms that it had gone overboard in honoring a remarried divorcé. But Pavarotti's parish priest, Fr. Remo Sartori, said the twice-married singer had been reconciled with the Catholic faith, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. Pavarotti had received the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick before losing his battle against pancreatic cancer last Thursday, aged 71.

Church leaders and pastors, including Pope Benedict XVI, sent messages conveying their condolences. The Pope’s message expressed his sorrow at the loss of "a great artist who with his extraordinary interpretative talent honored the divine gift of music".

In his tribute, Archbishop Benito Cocchi of Modena recognized Pavarotti as an exceptional talent and as someone who “expressed himself in charity towards those who suffered."

One of the emotional climaxes of the funeral was a 1978 recording of Panis Angelicus (Bread Of Angels), performed by Pavarotti and his father, Fernando.

Another followed a prayer composed by Pavarotti's three eldest daughters from his first marriage, which said: "We thank God for having given Dad the gift of a great voice and we pray that he will allow him to use it in heaven to sing his praise."

Pavarotti's musical talent emerged in a church choir, where he sang with his father, Fernando Pavarotti, who was a baker. His father also had a terrific tenor voice, but stage fright prevented him from developing his talent.

[NYer]

Facing death is like a reality check.

[NYer]

Pope mourns death of Pavarotti, praises Italian tenor for his talent

By Catholic News Service

MODENA, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI mourned the death of Luciano Pavarotti and praised the Italian tenor for his extraordinary talent.

In a telegram sent to Archbishop Benito Cocchi of Modena-Nonantola, the pope offered his condolences for the death of this "great artist who honored the divine gift of music through his extraordinary interpretative talent."

The archbishop read aloud the telegram Sept. 8 during the Catholic funeral Mass held in the city's cathedral, where Pavarotti had sung as a child in the choir.

Catholic News Service obtained a copy of the telegram from the Vatican Sept. 10.

Thousands of mourners turned out for the ceremony to honor Pavarotti, who died Sept. 6 at the age of 71 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was present for the funeral along with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, numerous Italian pop stars, and U2 singer Bono. Pavarotti was divorced and remarried; his first wife of more than 30 years, his widow and his children were also present.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and Bulgarian soprano Raina Kabaivanska sang for the funeral ceremony.

In his homily, Archbishop Cocchi praised the artist who also "expressed himself in charity for those who suffered," reported the media.

Through his annual "Pavarotti and Friends" charity concerts, Pavarotti performed with pop stars like Elton John, Sting and Bono, raising money for victims of war and poverty. He also performed benefit concerts for refugees, the poor and victims of natural disasters.

His internationally recognized generosity often overshadowed tax evasion scandals back home. He was convicted of dodging Italian tax payments in 1999 and was acquitted after a second charge in 2001.

[NYer]

Luciano Pavarotti's widow Nicoletta Mantovani(TopL) follows the coffin of Maestro Luciano Pavarotti at the "Duomo di Modena" in the Italian city of Modena. Music and film stars joined top political figures and tens of thousands of tearful fans to honour opera legend Pavarotti at his funeral Saturday.(AFP/Andreas Solaro)

The coffin of Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti is seen in the cathedral of Modena September 8, 2007. Rock stars, political leaders and grieving music fans joined the family of Luciano Pavarotti on Saturday at the funeral of one of the greatest tenors in opera history. (Claudio Peri/Pool/Reuters)

Archbishop Luigi Cocchi blesses the coffin of Luciano Pavarotti in the cathedral of Modena September 8, 2007. Rock stars, political leaders and grieving music fans joined the family of Luciano Pavarotti on Saturday at the funeral of one of the greatest tenors in opera history. (Claudio Peri/Pool/Reuters)

[B-Chan]

[NYer]

Lol!

(Note - Italian is spelled the way it is pronounced) It's one of the easier languages to learn.

[marshmallow]

"Depend upon it sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates the mind wonderfully".

Samuel Johnson

[GCC Catholic]

Pavarotti's parish priest, Fr. Remo Sartori, said the twice-married singer had been reconciled with the Catholic faith, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. Pavarotti had received the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick before losing his battle...

^^Most important part of the entire article.

May God grant him eternal Peace.

[dblshot]

And the choirs of heaven gained a soloist.

[Coleus]

Pavarotti returns to the Catholic faith before dying >>

with 2 wives?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2413780.ece

[sitetest]

Classical Music Ping List ping!

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sitetest

[AliVeritas]

Now who was it that came out of their mouth before?

I need to write him.

[Mrs. Don-o]

If he received the last rites--- meaning Confession, Communion, and Anointing ----- he would have repented and confessed his sins including his divorce and remarriage.

Even if he were unable to speak at the end of his life, and were not able to confess, if he nevertheless willingly received the Anointing he implicit repented his sins, which open the door to Christ's forgiveness.

It is a great blessing to have a chance to repent and confess your sins before you die. I hope we may all have such a blessing.

[kitkat]

If Pavarotti truly repented the truth would be known to God. If not, his confession is worthless. So please don’t think that the simple act of confession without true repentence can set someone free on his death bed. Or, in short, only God knows, and the rest of us will give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Frank Sheed]

Facing death is like a THE ultimate reality check. Ask any grunt in a foxhole with incoming.

[Salvation]

** Pavarotti had received the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick before losing his battle against pancreatic cancer last Thursday, aged 71.**

One of the blessings that the Sacrament of the Annointing of the Sick approach to death brings.

May God bless him.

[B-Chan]

Don’t be fooled into thinking that death is some distant event, folks. WNot one of is is guaranteed another fifteen years or fifteen seconds. We could each of us die any moment of any day. Tonight, for example — and right in our own homes.

“No man knoweth the day or the hour.” Let us comport ourselves accordingly.

[billmor]

It is wonderful to see that Pavarotti had the Sacrament of the Anointing before he died and was reconciled to the Catholic Church...we should be so blessed...If every Hymn that he sung was a Prayer then he must have stored a treasure chest of graces in Heaven..We will miss his wonderful voice, his warm smile and the love of fine music that he gave to the world...God wanted a singer for His angelic choir, so He called Luciano Home.

He brought much joy to us on earth, now may his soul rest in God’s Peace and may he enjoy forever the joy of the Saints in Heaven.

[rogernz]

i am glad i read this story. i heard about his divorce and re-marrying and was questioning why he was given such a big ceremony by the church - or even a christian burial - when he did such a thing. But even in the last moments if one turns to our Lord and confesses all sins are washed away! We can now truly honour him as a talented man, and a man who rediscovered God.
thanks for the post.

[TaxachusettsMan]

You obviously know NOTHING about Catholic sacramental theology. So please don’t tell those of us who do what to think. At least have the courtesy to add “in my opinion” to your erroneous statements.

[tiki]

It is truly an amazing gift from God.

[fortunecookie]

What a fantastic voice! What a loss for us, but as his daughters point out with their prayer, heaven may just have another dolce voiced tenor. I was glad to hear he reconciled with the Church. Panus Angelicus was never more beautifully sung, imho.

[P-Marlowe]

with 2 wives?

It's the "celebrity reunification exception."

It's in the apocrypha somewhere.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Tsk, tsk. Flowers in lieu of a baptismal pall on the coffin.

[ichabod1]

The young may die and the old MUST die.

[diamond6]

I ask St. Joseph EVERYDAY to obtain the grace for me and my loved ones a happy death WITH the last sacraments. I am sure he will not fail me.

[narses]

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[kellynla]

“Pavarotti returns to the Catholic faith before dying”

Don’t they all. LOL

[SergeiRachmaninov]

Facing death is like a reality check.

Most people face death with panic and desperation. They grasp at straws...try to cover all bases.

Personally, I don't see that this has much to say about the reality -- or not -- of the Holy Spirit.

[NYer]

Don’t be fooled into thinking that death is some distant event, folks. WNot one of is is guaranteed another fifteen years or fifteen seconds. We could each of us die any moment of any day. Tonight, for example — and right in our own homes.

Indeed. Last Monday, a young mother went into a major hospital up here, to deliver her 2nd child. When the child did not pass naturally, the doctors decided to do a C-section. Following surgery, her blood pressure dropped. They brought her back to the O/R for follow up surgery. She never resumed consciousness, and died several hours later. It was a trememdous shock, as you can imagine, for the entire family.

Diane and her husband, Joseph

A moment of joy dissolves into tears of sorrow

[MarkBsnr]

I suspect that a lot of people at the very end of their lives come to some very great realizations.

My grandfather, for instance, a very quiet man, spent the last week of his getting it all out; he probably talked more during that week than in an entire year.

[kitkat]

TM, I say this is all respect. I am a devout Catholic. Please check my replies on the Catholic threads.

My concern is that people who are NOT Catholic sometimes have the wrong impression of our beliefs. Has no one ever said to you that Confession is just an excuse to commit sin? Do you really want them to believe that?

I sought to explain, and I think that I did explain, that Pavarotti’s Confession had to include real repentence, in which case God would forgive him, and I hope that He did.

Again, I hoped to explain the Church’s belief that Confession requires repentence so that our non-Catholic friends would understand our belief.

As for sacramental theology, even your catechism makes it plain that repentence is necessary to make a good Confession. When one is at the point of death and unable to speak, we know that God is the only real judge.

Confession is a beautiful sacrament with many graces and forgiveness by God. Indeed, it is a most beautiful sacrament as ordained by the Son of God while He was here on earth.

[Cicero]

May he rest in peace.

As Evelyn Waugh makes clear in “Brideshead Revisited,” divorce and remarriage is a far more serious sin than an occasional affair, because it is harder to repent. The sinner has assumed conflicting obligations that are impossible to resolve.

True repentence includes the determination not to repeat or continue the sin in question. The sinner may fall again, but at the time of confession he must be resolved to fight the temptation as best he may. So the tangled situation of someone who has accepted an obligation to a second wife that is, however, sinful, is very difficult.

This problem can be resolved if the improperly married couple resolve to refrain from any further sexual acts together and to live chastely. Presumably this is what Pavarotti and his second wife—not a true wife in the eyes of the Church—agreed to.

If so, then having his second wife attend the funeral would be legitimate, I believe. Christian charity does not demand that he should throw her off and never see her again, only that they should refrain from further consummating their non-marriage.

Requiescat in pace.

[Rutles4Ever]

Now now. Don’t be jealous of the workers who came last and received the same wages as you.

[Greg F]

Can you believe the Moderator removed my comment pretending to be Pavarotti? Sheesh. That was pretty innocuous.

[Blind Eye Jones]

As Evelyn Waugh makes clear in “Brideshead Revisited,”

Do you agree to what they did to Lord Marchmain just before he died? Forcing his hand to return to the church after he initially refused to see the priest. Where is free will in all of this? Where is respect for someone's death-bed wishes, though one may not find them agreeable? I know Waugh was a Catholic by choice. I'm just not sure how Catholicism is really made to look attractive -- though I have read that was the intent of Waugh, that is, to present a counter argument against the secularism of his time, against the Hoopers and Rexs of the world. It seems that Waugh is still poking fun at the hypocrisy of it all. Still satire.