The Tsunami, Wave One

Whispers in the Loggia ^ | May 20, 2006 | Rocco Palma

[Frank Sheed]

Saturday, May 20, 2006

The Tsunami, Wave One

Some weeks ago, you all were advised to expect the first major throes of Benedict XVI's curial reshuffle before the Pope's departure for Poland on the 25th.

Well, right on time and just as predicted for about a year, this morning the Holy See announced that Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, heretofore prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, has been appointed archbishop of Naples in succession to the retiring Cardinal Michele Giordano.

To succeed Sepe, the long-standing buzz was also confirmed: the new Red Pope is Cardinal Ivan Dias, the veteran of Vatican diplomacy who has served as archbishop of Bombay since 1996. Dias, shown at left, turned 70 last month. He was elevated to the College at the mega-consistory of 2001.

While secretaries of congregations have often been sent from Rome to archdioceses of their own in the recent past, today's move is the first time in memory that a cardinal-prefect has been exiled from the Curia.

In tandem with Sri Lankan Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, secretary for the Congregation of Divine Worship, the selection of Dias to head the Propaganda Fide is the second of Benedict XVI's three major dicasterial appointees to date to have been called from the Indian subcontinent.

And next up is.....


PHOTO: AP/Aijaz Rahi

-30-

posted by Rocco Palmo at 06:45   

[Frank Sheed]

Curial Reform Ping!!!!!!!!!!

[Frank Sheed]

Big doings in the Curia! Another Indian Cardinal gains a key post!

[Frank Sheed]

Curia Reform!

[Tax-chick]

Well, that's interesting.

[Tax-chick]

I also wonder about how this will affect the Church in India. There are some terrific leaders there, but much theological, er, variety, too. And a growing problem with both religious persecution and anti-life forces.

[dangus]

oh, I entirely believe it. But, essentially, Dias will now have the full weight and force of the Vatican as he assumes formal responsibility for routing liturgical abuses.

[Frank Sheed]

This is not a Good Decision at all by Pope Benedict, The XVI.

Before you make that statement, please here me out! First, I meant to say that Cardinal Dias was from the Indian subcontinent as Rocco stated. That is my error. It is noteworthy, as he states in his blog entry, that two high profile men in the "liturgical area" are from Asia (which is about time!). Also, from Rocco's final comment, it is clear that perhaps another might move to Rome.

Archbishop Ranjhit did not get a "red hat" in the last Consistory. However, he is incredibly well regarded by the Traditionalists world-wide and is going to do a marvelous job at the CDW. In like manner, Cardinal Dias replaced an "old hand" and is now leading what used to be Propagation of the Faith. That is amazingly powerful if one looks at the number of Churches, schools and so on which fall under that rubric. One could argue that he will be far more effective in Rome getting tough people in oversight positions than in fhe field running one huge Archdiocese in Bombay.

Much is made on this board about the U.S. Church. Frankly, it seems that with regard to Africa, Asia and Europe, the U.S. Church is reasonably healthy overall (many here would dispute that though). Many problems are evident in Africa where "nativist elements" enter into worship and in Asia where Hindu and Eastern elements are allowed in. The Holy Father is well aware of this or he would not be shuffling the Curia in this way vis-a-vis Worhship and Evangelization!

Please pray for this Pope! He is an intellectual who understands "3-D Chess" very, very well. He needs the Holy Spirit to accomplish what he has the intellectual power to do for Holy Mother Church.

F

P.S. I pray for Cardinal Pell each and every day. I am part of his fan club. He is, to paraphase C.S. Lewis, "a man with a chest."

[Frank Sheed]

Read "Theology and Sanity." No better treatment of basic Theology for the modern world exists anywhere. If you displace one word, the whole collapses. It is a marvel. Many on this board who teach Theology have told me this fact.

[Frank Sheed]

http://www.missionsla.org/missionprograms/propfaith/prop_home.html

The Society for the Propagation of the Faith is one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies. The others are: The Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious and the Holy Childhood Association.

Under the direction of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Rome, Italy) and the bishops, the Society for the Propagation of the Faith seek to foster an ever-deeper spirit of universal mission, to inform Catholics of the life and the needs of the Catholic Church in the Missions, and to encourage prayer and financial help for those mission churches.

Through the offering of Catholics worldwide, the Propagation of the Faith provides ongoing support for the pastoral and evangelizing programs of the Catholic Church in Africa, Asia, the islands of the pacific and remote regions of Latin America. This includes aid for the education and support of seminarians, religious novices and lay catechists; for the work of religious communities in education, health care and social services; for communication and transportation needs and for disaster and emergency relief when necessary. If you would like to support the work of the missions, click here.

Church personnel in developing countries who require fundraising assistnce for religious and socio-economic projects can apply for support from the Propagation of the Fatih, Mission Office, Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

[Frank Sheed]

http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dxcep.html#info

[Frank Sheed]

This is so good, I had to share it. It is from our friend, Diogenes, at Catholic World News:

Arinze to Skylstad: sorry, not buying it.

...or, to respond in ICEL-ese, "And also with you, pal." A letter from Cardinal Arinze shows that, while the liturgy wars continue, the old tactics just aren't doing it. In the latest round of the Roman Missal translation battle, the U.S. bishops dug into their playbook and tried to run Pastoral Hardship Left in order to out-flank Liturgiam authenticam (they explained to Rome, you see, that we faithful are so besottedly in love with the 1974 ICEL Sacramentary that it would be cruel for the Holy See to make us change it for a translation closer to the Latin). Arinze wasn't having any:

2 May 2006

The Most Reverend William Skylstad
Bishop of Spokane
President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Prot. n. 499/06/L

Your Excellency,

With reference to the conversation between yourself, the Vice President and General Secretary of the Conference of Bishops of which you are President, together with me and other Superiors and Officials when you kindly visited our Congregation on 27 April 2006, I wish to recall the following:

The Instruction Liturgiam authenticam is the latest document of the Holy See which guides translations from the original-language liturgical texts into the various modern languages in the Latin Church. Both this Congregation and the Bishops’ Conferences are bound to follow its directives. This Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is therefore not competent to grant the recognitio for translations that do not conform to the directives of Liturgiam authenticam. If, however, there are difficulties regarding the translation of a particular part of a text, then this Congregation is always open to dialogue in view of some mutually agreeable solution, still keeping in mind, however, that Liturgiam authenticam remains the guiding norm.

The attention of your Bishops’ Conference was also recalled to the fact that Liturgiam authenticam was issued at the directive of the Holy Father at the time, Pope John Paul II, to guide new translations as well as the revision of all translations done in the last forty years, to bring them into greater fidelity to the original-language official liturgical texts. For this reason it is not acceptable to maintain that people have become accustomed to a certain translation for the past thirty or forty years, and therefore that it is pastorally advisable to make no changes. Where there are good and strong reasons for a change, as has been determined by this Dicastery in regard to the entire translation of the Missale Romanum as well as other important texts, then the revised text should make the needed changes. The attitudes of Bishops and Priests will certainly influence the acceptance of the texts by the lay faithful as well.

Requesting Your Excellency to share these reflections with the Bishops of your Conference I assure you of the continued collaboration of this Congregation and express my religious esteem,

Devotedly yours in Christ,

+Francis Card. Arinze

Prefect, Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

Ouch.

Loss of eight. Fourth and twenty-two. And the punting unit, led by John Huels, is coming onto the field.