http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/bxvi/ en-us Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:19:53 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2373264/posts ROME (CNS) -- Dissident theologian Father Hans Kung criticized Pope Benedict XVI for his recent opening to discontented Anglicans, charging the pope was "fishing" for the most conservative Christians to the detriment of the larger church. Father Kung said the invitation to traditionalist Anglicans to join the Roman Catholic Church went against years of ecumenical work on the part of both churches, calling it instead "a nonecumenical piracy of priests." The pope's basic message is: "Traditionalists of all churches, unite under the dome of St. Peter's!" Father Kung wrote in an editorial Oct. 28 in the Rome daily La Repubblica.... cns http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2373264/posts#comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:19:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2352100/posts A note from a reader in the Czech Republic: I come from the Czech republic and I am quite frustrated that the pope`s visit gets such a negative response in the English blogs – or no response at all… In reality, it was fantastic! There was a lot of symbolism which foreigners do not understand. For example: The first place he went (at his own request), the church of Our Lady of Victory, it is THE church – the symbol of recatholisation of the country. In the year 1620 catholics defeated protestants and this particular church in Praha got... WDTPRS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2352100/posts#comment Thu, 1 Oct 2009 01:21:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2320658/posts As observers continue to decipher the meaning of Benedict XVI’s latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, all appear to agree that the passage of note, the passage that may prove historic in its implications, is the one that is already becoming known as the “world political authority” paragraph: In the face of the unrelenting growth of global interdependence, there is a strongly felt need, even in the midst of a global recession, for a reform of the United Nations Organization, and likewise of economic institutions and international finance, so that the concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth.... First Things http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2320658/posts#comment Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:30:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2321518/posts Does Pope Benedict view the alleged Marian apparitions of Medjugorje differently than Pope John Paul II did? Yes, according to a recent interview featuring E. Michael Jones, a well-known American critic of the alleged apparitions. The interview has appeared in several Serbian journals. In the interview, Jones asserts that when he met with Bishop Pavao Zanic, then-ordinary of the Diocese of Mostar (in which Medjugorje is situated) in 1988, the bishop said Cardinal Ratzinger agreed with him and did not believe the alleged apparitions were authentic. But Pope John Paul II did not respond to Bishop Zanic in the... Renew America http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2321518/posts#comment Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:25:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2306519/posts "Whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the Body and of the Blood of the Lord... For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the Body of the Lord" - 1 Corinthians 11:27,28 Pope Benedict to Catholics: Kneel and Receive on the Tongue Only Pope Benedict XVI does not want the faithful receiving Communion in their hand nor does he want them standing to receive Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. According to Vatican liturgist, Monsignor Guido Marini, the pope is trying to set... News Blaze http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2306519/posts#comment Sun, 2 Aug 2009 16:32:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2302648/posts ROME, JULY 27, 2009 (Zenit.org).- I first walked through Bernini's colonnade in May 1984. I was going to the Vatican Library to do research for a dissertation in medieval history. By chance, my topic was very similar to the topic Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, chose for his post-doctoral dissertation, "The Theology of History in St. Bonaventure," and this gave me material for conversation when I met with Ratzinger on several occasions in the 1980s and 1990s. On my very first visit to the Vatican library, I met a young scholar named Paolo Vian, son of the renowned Italian Catholic... Zenit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2302648/posts#comment Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:22:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2297278/posts Turin, Italy, Jul 19, 2009 / 10:08 am (CNA).- In the first public outing of his current vacation in Les Combes, Pope Benedict XVI told 9,000 faithful gathered in Italy’s Romano Canavese village, the birthplace of Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, not to be discouraged by the current economic crisis or to forget those people who are worse off. Before the recitation of the Angelus prayer, his first public appearance since a minor accident broke his wrist on Thursday night, the Pope thanked the doctors of Aosta. “I have been treated with skill and courtesy,” he said. “Dear... CNA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2297278/posts#comment Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:09:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2297275/posts The letter Benedict XVI wrote in 2007 to the Catholics of China has been gravely misunderstood, says Cardinal Zen. All to the advantage of the communist authorities, and their plan to subjugate the Church. To correct the problem, a new guide document has come from Rome ROME, July 21, 2009 – Two years after the letter addressed by Benedict XVI to Chinese Catholics, Cardinal Joseph Zen Zekiun, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, has sketched an assessment of it, published in mid-July in Chinese and English on the website of his diocese. The assessment is very mixed. Next to positive elements,... L'Espresso http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2297275/posts#comment Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:04:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2295143/posts "The Heart of Social Doctrine Remains the Human Person" VATICAN CITY, JULY 17, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of the address Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, the president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unam, gave July 7 at the press conference that marked the release of Benedict XVI's encyclical "Caritas in Veritate." * * * I have been asked to situate the Encyclical "Caritas in Veritate" within the context of the thought and magisterium of Benedict XVI. His first Encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est," on the theology of charity, contained indications on social doctrine (nn. 26-29). Now we have a... Zenit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2295143/posts#comment Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:29:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2294594/posts Pope Benedict went to hospital on Friday in the northern Italian city of Aosta, near the mountain resort where he is spending a summer vacation, the Italian news agency Ansa reported. Ansa, quoting hospital sources, said the pope walked into the hospital in order to undergo "check-ups". There was no immediate confirmation from the Vatican. al Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2294594/posts#comment Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:23:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2289391/posts Tomorrow Pope Benedict XVI and President Barack Obama meet for the first time, an affair much anticipated and in some circles frowned upon by American Catholics in the wake of Obama's controversial Notre Dame commencement speech in May. Conservatives in the church denounced Obama's appearance as a nod by the premier Catholic university to a conciliatory politics that heralds the start of a slippery moral slope. In truth, though, Obama's pragmatic approach to divisive policy (his notion that we should acknowledge the good faith underlying opposing viewpoints) and his social-justice agenda reflect the views of American Catholic laity much more... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2289391/posts#comment Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:53:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2289051/posts One point to make for you, though, is paragraph 67 (the controversial one). The Latin (authoritative) version is not online yet. But there is a huge difference between both the Italian and German versions and the English version. The Italian version says: 67. Di fronte all'inarrestabile crescita dell'interdipendenza mondiale, è fortemente sentita, anche in presenza di una recessione altrettanto mondiale, l'urgenza della riforma sia dell'Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite che dell'architettura economica e finanziaria internazionale, affinché si possa dare reale concretezza al concetto di famiglia di Nazioni. Translation: Faced with the unstoppable growth of global interdependence, it is strongly felt, even... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2289051/posts#comment Thu, 9 Jul 2009 18:42:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2284616/posts A scientific investigation seems to confirm the theory that St Paul's bones lie under the basilica bearing his name in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI has announced. The bones, long buried in a sarcophagus under St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, have been carbon-dated to the first or second century AD, the Pope said, adding a dramatic flourish to the close of the Pauline year. Standing in front of the sarcophagus, which is under the main altar and was discovered only three years ago, Pope Benedict said he felt moved to be able to make the announcement. The Holy... Catholic Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2284616/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 03:46:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2283130/posts # CONFERENZA STAMPA DI MARTEDÌ 7 LUGLIO 2009 Si informano i giornalisti accreditati che martedì 7 luglio 2009, alle ore 11.30, nell’Aula Giovanni Paolo II della Sala Stampa della Santa Sede, avrà luogo la Conferenza Stampa di presentazione dell’Enciclica del Santo Padre Benedetto XVI dal titolo: "Caritas in veritate". Interverranno: Em.mo Card. Renato Raffaele Martino, Presidente del Pontificio Consiglio della Giustizia e della Pace; Em.mo Card. Paul Josef Cordes, Presidente del Pontificio Consiglio "Cor Unum"; S.E. Mons. Giampaolo Crepaldi, Segretario del Pontificio Consiglio della Giustizia e della Pace; Prof. Stefano Zamagni, Professore ordinario di Economia Politica all’Università di Bologna, Consultore... Vatican Press Office http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2283130/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 10:57:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2282663/posts What exactly is in Benedict XVI’s new encyclical on the economy and labor issues is not yet known. Catholic leftists and progressives, though, are already trembling with excitement. Three glaring errors have already appeared in these heavily panting anticipations. An accurate presentation of real existing capitalism requires at least three modest affirmations: 1) Markets work well only within a system of law, and only according to well-marked-out rules of the game; unregulated markets are a figment of imagination. 2) In actual capitalist practice, the love of creativity, invention, and groundbreaking enterprise are far more powerful than motives of greed. 3)... First Things http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2282663/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:02:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2274977/posts An ultraconservative group plans to ordain 13 Roman Catholic priests in Minnesota — even though their elevations likely won't be recognized by the Vatican. The St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, part of the Society of St. Pius X, will host the ordinations of 12 U.S.-based priests and another from France in Winona on Friday. The Vatican says ordinations by the society aren't legitimate, even though Pope Benedict XVI recently lifted the excommunications of its leaders. The society was founded by those opposed to the liberalizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council and especially its outreach to Jews and other religions. The... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2274977/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:52:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2273474/posts Pope Benedict XVI met Tuesday for a second day with Austrian clergy to discuss the bungled appointment of an ultraconservative priest and a sex scandal _ two events that have shaken the country's Catholic church. The talks between the pope and Austrians, led by Vienna archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, were conducted with "brotherly dialogue and a constructive spirit," the Vatican said in a statement. It said Benedict "recalled the urgent need for deepening the faith and complete faithfulness" to the church's doctrine. Austria's Catholic church has been struggling to regain confidence among its members since the 2004 discovery of a... Taiwan News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2273474/posts#comment Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:25:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2257192/posts The former Prime Minister is flying to Italy on Frdiay to stay with Carla Powell whose husband Charles was her foreign policy adviser at Downing Street. Lady Powell, who lives in a villa on the outskirts of Rome, arranged the meeting with Pope Benedict XVI which will take place in the Vatican on Wednesday. The meeting will come more than 30 years after Lady Thatcher first travelled to the Vatican, as Leader of the Opposition, to meet Pope Paul VI. In November 1980 she met Pope John Paul II, the former Polish Cardinal, who agreed to put pressure on the... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2257192/posts#comment Sun, 24 May 2009 03:21:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2254537/posts The White House disclosed over the weekend that President Barack Obama is to make a weeklong foreign tour in July that will include Russia, Italy and Ghana. However, noticeably missing from the list is the Vatican. It’s been widely thought that Obama would visit Pope Benedict XVI when the president attends the G8 summit in the Italian town of L’Aquila July 8-10. But there was no mention of the Holy Father or the Holy See in the statement, despite the fact that, according to sources in Rome, the president will be staying at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to... National Catholic Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2254537/posts#comment Wed, 20 May 2009 10:37:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249386/posts In an action that spoke far louder than words, Pope Benedict yesterday walked out of an interfaith meeting in Jerusalem after the chief Islamic judge of the Palestinian Authority launched into an anti-Israeli diatribe. The pontiff, on his first day in Jerusalem, did not realize at first that Sheikh Taysir al-Tamimi, speaking in Arabic, was condemning the "crimes of the Jewish state" and accusing Israel of having "slaughtered women, children and senior citizens." But as soon as he was told the nature of the sheikh's tirade, he stood and left the meeting, which took place at Notre Dame church, before... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249386/posts#comment Tue, 12 May 2009 18:09:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2236416/posts On Thursday morning, Pope Benedict addressed representatives of the Pontifical Biblical Commission following their plenary assembly and said that a correct understanding of Scripture does not come from "the individualistic illusion that biblical texts can be better understood outside the community of believers" but rather rises from the Tradition of the Church. "Inspiration and truth in the Bible," the theme of the Pontifical Biblical Commission’s plenary assembly, is one that touches on a topic that biblical scholars have vigorously debated during the last century. Much of biblical scholarship, Catholic and non-Catholic, has developed into an academic study separated from the... CNA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2236416/posts#comment Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:35:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2236392/posts Heads up: A Vatican cardinal says Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical on globalization and the poor is expected to be released June 29. The ANSA and Apnews agencies have quoted Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the Vatican's office for justice and peace, as saying the encyclical is expected to be released on the feast of St. Peter and Paul, a major day for the church. Benedict has been working on "Caritas in veritate" (Charity in Truth) since 2007 but recently said he had held back on issuing it so that he could update it to reflect the global economic downturn.... Inside Catholic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2236392/posts#comment Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:05:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2229440/posts Caroline Kennedy, the Roman Catholic daughter of the assassinated President, has been rejected by the Vatican as the next US ambassador to the Holy See because of her liberal views on abortion, stem-cell research and same-sex marriage, according to Vatican insiders. Andrea Tornielli, the biographer of Pope Benedict XVI, said that at least two other potential ambassadors put forward by President Obama have also been blocked because they did not share the Vatican’s views on “pro-life” issues. A Vatican spokesman said that no candidates had been formally submitted “and therefore it is not true that they have been rejected”. Vatican... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2229440/posts#comment Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:40:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2210333/posts Pope Benedict's repeated gaffes and the Vatican's inability to manage his message in the internet era are threatening to undermine his papacy, Vatican insiders have said. The Holy See is struggling to contain international anger over the Pope's claim on his first official visit to Africa that Aids "cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems". The Pope's remarks about condoms, and a recent furore over his lifting of the 20-year excommunication of a British bishop who has questioned the Holocaust, has left him looking isolated and out of touch, prompting calls for a radical... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2210333/posts#comment Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:06:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2209904/posts Pope Benedict XVI told Muslim leaders on Thursday that true religion rejects violence, and he held up peaceful coexistence between Christianity and Islam in Cameroon as "a beacon to other African nations." In Cameroon's capital, a clapping, swaying crowd of 40,000 faithful from Africa's expanding, vibrant Catholic flock later welcomed him to a football stadium where he celebrated Mass. There, he delivered a message of encouragement for Africa and expressed compassion for the children being forced by paramilitaries to fight in some countries. To these children he said: "God loves you, he has not forgotten you." Child soldiers, often kidnapped,... townhall.com/AP News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2209904/posts#comment Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:43:26 GMT