"He is conservative, yet radical"

Sun-Sentinel religion editor James Davis interviews Irish singer Dana, on singing for Pope Benedict XVI - this story ran on April 19, 2008:

[A]sk the Irish singer Dana her main inspiration, and she gives a charming smile and points upward.

"It's the Holy Spirit," she said in a recent interview in Boca Raton. "I didn't write much until my spiritual life deepened. Writing is difficult because you reveal some of yourself. And often, there are no words for where we are." ...

Dana Rosemary Scallon is among a handful of stars in Catholic contemporary music, lending a contemporary tinge to traditional themes. ...

She and her husband, Damien, wrote Lady of Knock, dedicated to a Marian shrine in Ireland. She wrote Totus Tuus, drawn from John Paul's papal motto. And conservative activist James Dobson interviewed her in 1984 for her song Little Baby (Yet Unborn).

How rare to come across a popular musician who "wears her faith on her sleeve" and wish such appreciation for the Holy Father:

Dana echoed other Catholics who praise Benedict's sharp mind, his gentle manner and his willingness to listen. She met him as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 2004, when he congratulated her for becoming the first woman to win the pro-family San Benedetto Award in Italy.

"He has a huge intellect, yet he's a humble man," she said. "It's a beautiful combination. It compels people to listen.

"He is conservative, yet radical. He's pushing us onward to realign ourselves with new responsibilities."

She cited an example: In March, an official in Benedict's Vatican decried new kinds of mortal sins — not just the usual abortion, but also pollution, pedophilia, drug dealing, environmental damage and extreme wealth.

"John Paul brought Christ to the world, shoring up values," Dana said. "Benedict is building on those, stretching and interpreting for our day and time."

Bishop William Lori on Benedict's "challenge" to Cahtolics in America

Yet another "blogging bishop" -- William Lori of the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT, on Pope Benedict's challenge to Catholics in America:

Pope Benedict challenges us to bring the vision of faith to bear on society’s problems and to join together in constructing a world of love and hope – a world where the rights and dignity of each person are respected, including the unborn, the handicapped, and the frail elderly; where children are welcomed and nurtured in loving families founded upon the love of husband and wife; where the stranger is welcomed and the poor are treated with care and respect; where we are free to worship without fear and to bring the light of faith into the public square; where shared truth and convictions protect our freedom from the tyrannical rule of godless and valueless opinion leaders and trend setters who lead us away from what is true, good, coherent, and beautiful.

Now it is up to us to accept this challenge, to build upon the gift of this papal visit. It is for us to ponder the Holy Father’s words, to be renewed in our life of prayer both private and liturgical; to grow in our knowledge and love of what our faith teaches; and to be men and women of intense charity, not only for those we already know and love, but also for those whom we may never meet but who need our love and help.

David Gibson vs. Cranky Conservative on "deprived" Catholic women

• What you didn't see last week: Women, by David Gibson. Benedictions April 23, 2008:

  They are the majority of worshipers every Sunday (and through the week), and they make up some 80 percent of the more than 30,000 lay ministers (and growing fast) serving in the nation's 19,000 parishes. There are more of them working in U.S. churches than there are priests. They distribute communion, raise the next generation in the faith, and younger versions of themselves serve as altar girls. Yes, they are Catholic women. And yes, they were nearly invisible during last week's Pope-a-palooza.

  Benedict got an eyeful of the American church while he was here, but not from up close. No women were allowed to distribute communion (nor lay people for that matter--only ordained dudes) nor were any girls allowed as altar servers. In fact, the liturgies that American Catholics are used to, with women and girls playing important roles, had to be re-gendered for the papal masses. ...

• Rebuttal from The Cranky Conservative (April 25, 2008):

  Really? Speaking as someone who was, you know, actually there, I saw a lot of women - a lot of happy women joyous to be in the Pope’s presence.

  From what I understand any female would-be EMC was physically restrained and placed deep in the caverns of both Nationals Park and Yankee Stadium. Allowed only bread, water, and an Ipod filled with liturgical music penned by Marty Haugen, these women were finally released only after they promised never to look a priest directly in the eyes again.

  Of course the actual explanation [as to their absence] ... (Read More).

Do they look disgruntled to you? -- Nuns from the Servents of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, sing on the subway after attending Mass with Pope Benedict XVI at Yankee Stadium April 20, 2008 (Getty Images)

Francis X. Clooney, SJ: "Interreligious dialogue is here to stay"

"The Pope Speaks - As If Dialogue is Here to Stay", by Francis X. Clooney, SJ. America April 25, 2008:

There are many good things and interesting things to reflect on after the Pope's visit to the Washington and New York, but here I pick up on only one: Benedict's April 17th visit with representatives of various religions, at the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington. Benedict's remarks to the gathered religious leaders made a multi-layered and firm case for interreligious dialogue, putting to rest, permanently I hope, the notion that this Pope wishes somehow to halt the inexorable move toward dialogue that has characterized the post-Vatican II Church.

Of course to the discerning, even as prefect Joseph Ratzinger was never opposed to interreligious dialogue -- his concern was those exceptional cases were a zeal for "dialogue" suppressed and even subverted the mission of the Church, by appeals to religious syncretism and a "watering down" of the claim to truth concerning the salvific unity of Christ and his Church. (Dominus Iesus was chiefly offered as a corrective to erroneous or ambiguous positions; see also 2004's collection of essays: Truth and Tolerance: Christian Belief and World Religions Ignatius Press).

On a parellel note, it can likewise be said that the Holy Father is firmly committed to ecumenism -- in 2006, he plainly stated ""The Second Vatican Council considered as one of its main objectives the re-establishment of full Christian unity -- this is also my objective". But one can tell simply by reading his address during the ecumenical prayer service at St. Joseph's in New York, ecumenism is not a goal to be pursued at the cost of truth, referring with regret to Christian communities who adopted positions motivated by "a hermeneutic not always consonant with the datum of Scripture and Tradition", adopting "a relativistic approach to Christian doctrine":

For Christians to accept this faulty line of reasoning would lead to the notion that there is little need to emphasize objective truth in the presentation of the Christian faith, for one need but follow his or her own conscience and choose a community that best suits his or her individual tastes. The result is seen in the continual proliferation of communities which often eschew institutional structures and minimize the importance of doctrinal content for Christian living.

Mark Stricherz on Penance and Benedict's call for American social renewal

Penance and American Social Renewal - Mark Stricherz (In Front of Your Nose) on the starting point of Catholic renewal in America:

“Going to confession is hard,” Dorothy Day writes in The Long Loneliness. Truer words were never ... How many Saturday afternoons have I spent, usually all alone in church, waiting to confess my sins to a priest. Time seems to stop; when I arrive early, I always hear the soft patter of the priest’s shoes against the marble or hardwood floor, the sounds meant only for me; and when I arrive late, I worry that the priest will emerge from the confessional and recognize me. The feelings of alienation, separation, and anxiety are rough.

But that suffering can lead not only to personal reconciliation but also social renewal. Thus said Benedict XVI at Nationals Stadium last Thursday. ...

Gary Stern: "Pope appeared to cover all his bases during U.S. visit"

Pope appeared to cover all his bases during U.S. visit, says Gary Stern, wrapping up the papal visit in an article for the Westchester Journal News April 22, 2008:

Reviewing Pope Benedict XVI's American journey with hindsight, the papal agenda could have looked like this:

A. Introduce Benedict to America as warm, friendly and gracious - without going overboard or trying to make him into something he's not.

B. Celebrate the success of Catholicism in America and of America itself, but warn of the dangers to faith that are presented by relativism, secularism and materialism.

C. Face the fallout from the clerical sex-abuse crisis directly and on his own terms.

Through three days in Washington and three in New York, Benedict repeatedly hammered home points B and C and, through it all, appeared to accomplish point A with little trouble. ...

Reflecting on the Pope's Visit to the United States (Roundup)

• Boston's Cardinal Sean O'Malley recalls his emotional meeting with the Holy Father, discussing the clergy sexual abuse scandal:

  Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley became emotional yesterday as he recounted to reporters the dramatic and unprecedented meeting earlier this week between Pope Benedict XVI and five people from Boston who had been sexually abused by priests.

  Asked how difficult the meeting was for him personally, O'Malley paused for a long moment and appeared to tear up.

  "Just seeing the book makes a great impact," he said, referring to a handmade document he gave the pontiff listing the names of nearly 1,500 alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston. As the pope slowly turned the pages, the cardinal mentioned that some of the victims died from suicide or drug abuse.

  "I know the Holy Father was touched by it as well," he said at a news conference at Boston College's Silvio O. Conte Forum where the Boston Catholic Men's Conference was held yesterday. ...

  "I was very, very moved by the whole experience," O'Malley said. "The Holy Father spoke about the pain he felt and the shame. He said that for so long he's been praying by those who have been damaged, touched, and hurt by the whole experience. . . . It was a very moving and a very reassuring experience. The Holy Father feels very deeply what these survivors have gone through."

• Reflecting on what has gone on liturgically, Shawn Tribe (The New Liturgical Movement): considers a few different aspects in comparison between Washington and New York -- Washington comes out on top in a few departments (sanctuary setups, papal vestments, altar arrangements); New York appears to best the capital in terms of their musical selection. The verdict:

  The breakdown that we see here is that Washington comparatively excelled on the scale of those elements which are more visual in relation to the liturgy (altar arrangement, stadium sanctuary design, vestments) while New York excelled in the area of sacred music.

  If the two liturgical aspects had come together (and technically they did at the Washington Vespers service) at all the liturgies, it would have been very characteristic of Benedict and Marini as they are able to operate within Rome. (And let us recall that both elements are very important.)

  And among the significant gains made in terms of the "reform of the reform":

  Three of the four liturgies were characterized by traditional forms of sacred music. Beyond that, we also saw the sung Gospel, the use of the Graduale and more polyphony and chant than has likely been heard at most any papal Mass outside of Rome in recent memory. This is significant.

• John Thavis (Catholic News Service) - Pope Benedict XVI achieved three objectives that could be considered critical to the pastoral future of the American church:

  First, the pope brought a certain closure to the priestly sex abuse scandal that has shaken the church for more than six years, expressing his personal shame at what happened and praying with the victims.

  Second, he set forth a moral challenge to the wider U.S. culture on issues ranging from economic justice to abortion, but without coming across as doctrinaire or bullying.

  Third, to a church that often seems divided into conservative and liberal camps, he issued a firm appeal to "set aside all anger" and unite in order to effectively evangelize society.

  In the process of his April 15-20 visit, the 81-year-old pope established his own identity in a country that did not know him well and in a sense came out of the shadow of the late Pope John Paul II.

• Veritas, by J. Peter Nixon (Commonweal April 20, 2008):

  To suggest that there is a single common theme that unites all of [Benedict's addresses] would be hubris. They are too rich to be reduced in that way. Nevertheless, I am struck by the frequency with which Benedict consistently returns to a particular theme: truth.

  For Benedict, the quest for truth lies at the heart of what it means to be human. We are able to pose questions about the meaning of our existence, some of which Benedict offered when he spoke to the interfaith gathering at the John Paul II Cultural Center: “What is the origin and destiny of mankind? What are good and evil? What awaits us at the end of our earthly existence?”

  Benedict’s conviction—and it is also the Catholic conviction—is that these questions can be answered. Human beings have a nature and a destiny and that nature and destiny give fundamental shape to authentic human happiness and flourishing. What is good and evil for human beings is grounded in reality, in truth. It is not merely the reflection of the will of a legislator. Freedom, properly understood, is the freedom to fully live this nature and arrive at this destiny.

• Rich Leonardi (Ten Reasons) posts some Notes from New York including his experience of the Yankee Stadium Mass:

  The contrast between New York and Washington speaks for itself. Somehow Cardinal Egan's staff was able to integrate the various languages and sub-cultures of New York into a cohesive, dignified, and sacred liturgy. Generous doses of Latin and superb choral singing were key ingredients. In Washington, diversity was a contrived distraction; here it seemed far more natural -- perhaps even a source of unity. The cardinal has my heartfelt admiration.

  and Benedict's visit in general:

  Pope Benedict made a connection with the Church in America. It's difficult to describe, but the Holy Father's visit strikes me a defining moment for us. American Catholics, if we're smart about it, will spend the next several years internalizing and acting upon the message of hopeful renewal behind the many addresses, homilies, and exchanges that took place over the past five days.

• Gary Stern realizes "it's about the office -- not the man":

  ... the main thing I take away from the papal extravaganza is this: it’s about the office, not the man.

  When I covered JPII a few times, I saw tens of thousands reaching for him, crying for him, and assumed that they were drawn to the man in white, the Polish fellow with the round face and undeniable charisma. And they were, to a degree.

  But here comes Benedict. Very different personality. Very different style. German. Shy. Bookish. And the people reach out in the same way, cry for him in the same way.

  The only conclusion that I can draw is that it’s about the papacy, not the pope. For Catholics, it’s about the man they believe to be the vicar of Christ, the successor to Peter—no matter who he is. (And for everyone else, it’s about the man who represents, spiritually, 1 out of every 6 people in the world.)

  If someone else had been elected in 2005, the same crowds would have been out there. People still would have lined up for hours for a glimpse of the popemobile. People still would have called out “Papa! Papa!” but for a different Papa. There still would have been 25,000 kids at Dunwoodie, talking about how it was a “once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity-to-see-the-pope.”

  I’m not knocking Benedict, mind you. He got the job done and deserves a nice rest. But I’m sure that he would be the first one to say that it’s all about the papacy and not Joseph Ratzinger.

• "The Papal Week That Was", by Fr. Richard J. Neuhaus (First Things' "On The Square"):

  ... A moment of historic importance was the magnificent reception at the White House the morning after the pope’s arrival. The administration pulled out all the stops in a symbolic act of closure in the country’s tangled history of anti-Catholicism—or at least of suspicion about the place of Catholicism in our common life. Beyond that, it was a striking response to the larger question of what someone has called the naked public square—public life devoid of religion and religiously grounded moral discernment. In the concluding Mass in Yankee Stadium, Benedict spoke of the “false dichotomy” between Christian faith and the public square, as he did also in his address at the United Nations in New York. His several statements underscored the powerful symbolism of the White House reception. The image of the president and the pope on the South Lawn, along with what each said, deserves a prominent place in any honest history of the Republic.

  [...]

  The Holy See’s traditionally friendly disposition toward international organizations, and toward the U.N. in particular, was joined with a lucid and forceful argument that the foundation of such organizations, and, more particularly, of the U.N.’s claim to be the protector of human rights, was without credibility unless there is a firm acknowledgment of the dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God. Faith, reason, and natural law were highlighted in the contention that the U.N.’s “Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” signed sixty years ago, is not believable unless grounded in transcendent truths about the human person and historical destiny.

  The extended standing ovation from the delegates, and the even more extended ovation following the shorter address to the U.N. staff, was remarkable. It was as though they sensed that the moral charter of the organization—an organization that has been so dismally disappointing on so many scores—had been renewed. The response is the more remarkable in view of the recent history of the U.N. in promoting abortion, population control, and other measures in violation of the dignity of the human person.

• The Face of Pope Benedict XVI, by Deal Hudson. InsideCatholic.com April 21, 2008:

  ... Benedict XVI bestowed his peace while confronting every problem awaiting him in the youngest and wealthiest of the countries under his universal pastoral oversight. He addressed the priest sexual abuse scandal on the plane to Washington, D.C. and will be remembered for his willingness to meet with victims. Both his humility and transparency caught the nation off guard.

  His transparency was apparent in everything he did and said. He praised the American Revolution for its foundations in divinely-endowed human rights while reminding us of the necessity of exercising freedom "for the cause of good." He congratulated our bishops on the vitality of the Church but asked them to offer "a clear and united witness" on proposed legislation that contradicts sound morality. He recognized the sacrifice made by American Catholics to educate their children, but he admonished presidents of Catholic colleges and universities never to use academic freedom as justification for contradicting "the faith and the teaching of the Church." His admiration for the work of the United Nations was made clear in his speech, but he cautioned, "It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one's rights."

  Benedict XVI gave us peace in spite of his admonishments, in spite of his constant reminders that our freedom should never be used as license, and our affluence should not tempt us toward the isolation of self-consumed individualism.

  How did he do it? ...

  He did it by relying on something that is rarely discussed in our culture: Benedict XVI spoke the truth. Truth, the Pope knows, is the most disputed idea in our post-modern culture. By proclaiming truth, he defied the accepted opinion of the academy that there is no such thing, only politicized opinions based upon self-interest.

Nice way to send off the Pope, Catholic News Service

Theology students extol pope's pastoral gifts but say change unlikely, by Chris Herlinger:

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Catholic students at one of New York City's most prominent schools of theology said Pope Benedict XVI's visit did not soften some of their concerns about his papacy and the future of the U.S. Catholic Church.

The students at Union Theological Seminary, a nondenominational graduate school of theology with Protestant roots and a home for Catholic academics who have run afoul of the Vatican, praised Pope Benedict's pastoral gifts and his ability to energize the Catholic faithful.

But they also said the visit will not lead to what they feel are much-needed reforms within the church and expressed concern that the U.S. church's current and future needs are not likely to be addressed any time soon.

[...]

Of the current five full-time Catholic faculty members at Union, three are women. Union's current Catholic faculty includes Jesuit Father Roger Haight, whose book, "Jesus Symbol of God," was sharply criticized by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith when it was headed by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict. The Vatican has banned Father Haight from teaching at a Catholic institution.

Another Roman Catholic theologian who has had trouble with the Vatican is Paul F. Knitter, currently Union's Paul Tillich professor of theology, world religions and culture.

Kirk told Catholic News Service April 20 that Union was lucky to have scholars like Father Haight and Knitter on the faculty, adding that the student view of Pope Benedict at Union is colored in large part by the pope's relationship with them, with figures like Father Sobrino and by Pope Benedict's past criticism of liberation theology.

For her part, [Union doctoral student Kim] Harris -- a Catholic who used to be Presbyterian -- said her concern about church reform, specifically the need to expand the eligibility for clergy to include noncelibate men and women, is coming out of real and "lived experience."

It seems to me that "lived experience" is a pretty thin basis for promoting a categorical change in Church teaching.

For example, it is the "lived experience" of the unwed mother that bringing a child into the world can be a burden (should one then be "pro-choice"?)

It is also the "lived experience" that I may feel inclined to sleep in on Sundays or shirk the obligation to confess my sins -- even so, buck as I might, the Church teaches othewise: not only duty-bound to the instructions of its founder, but no doubt with my spiritual health and well being in mind.

Of course celibacy may sometimes perceived more of an imposition by some priests and less a reflection of Christ's sacrifice, or it may be that some women may feel slighted because the Church, bound to the sacred scriptures and the example of its founder believes itself unable to ordain them to the priesthood.

Does this subjective feeling of resentment invalidate the argued position of the Church?

Catholic News Service identifies itself as "the primary source of national and world news that appears in the U.S. Catholic press," however with the disclaimer that "while created in 1920 by the bishops of the United States, is editorially independent and a financially self-sustaining division of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops."

I wonder if "editorially and financially independent" is to the USCCB what "plausible deniability" is for the President, when the CIA does a black operation? Honestly, I would have normally expected this backstabbing tripe from the likes of the National Catholic Reporter.

(Bill Cork @ Oak Leaves noticed this as well:

"There remains a serious disconnect between Pope Benedict XVI and the US Bishops, especially their bureaucracies, despite the smiles and ring-kissing of the past week. . . .

Where did the reporter go to discover what theology students are thinking? Catholic University of America? Fordham? Boston College? Notre Dame? University of St. Thomas?

No, they didn’t go to any of those, or to any other Catholic university.

They went to Union Theological Seminary, one of the most liberal Protestant schools of theology in the country.

Rosemary Radford Reuther - "prophetic voice" or relic of the 70's?

It truly boggles the mind why the New York Times felt compelled -- after featuring a largely exemplary cast of commentators -- to trot out feminist theologian Rosemary Radford Reuther to regurgitate her clichéd criticisms of the Pope. In one of her rants, she charges that:

If Catholicism in the U.S. and worldwide presents the appearance of a hierarchical leadership which has lost credibility with much of the laity, the most important cause of this is the failure to rethink its teaching on sexuality and birth control.

Ruether’s comments are straight out of the 70’s -- the last gurgles of a greying "Vatican II generation" hostile to the Church. This particular post is fascinating for the sheer number of rebuttals from vibrant orthodox Catholics. As one observes:

There is a kind of sad irony in the fact people who view themselves as “progressive” are so easily stuck on the same issues that were important to them forty years ago. Of course, disparity between Church teaching and common practice with regard to contraception remains a very real problem in the United States (and most of the world)- but it seems somewhat silly to assert that it must be the Pope who is behind the times- and then to provide (as the sum total of “background” for the issue) events that took place prior to 1970!!! With all due respect to Dr. Radford Ruether, there is an inherent contradiction within this kind of approach that ought to be recognized and corrected.

As a practicing Catholic who is not yet thirty, born ten years after Humanae Vitae was promulgated to a woman who took the pope’s teachings seriously, it is sometimes difficult to suppress feelings of bitterness against those forces in the Church who have systematically taught the practice of disobedience to my generation. Rather than shepherd us toward holiness, they have spent their careers advocating new dogmas based on their own questionable authority- opinions which directly contradict the teachings of the legitimate shepherds- and they continue to insist that they speak for the future of the Church. As someone who will be a member of the Church for the next forty years, I think it is about time they surrendered the floor.

For the rest of my life, I will be dealing with a crisis in the Church that is rarely recognized and yet very real. I am going to have to spend the rest of my days cleaning up a tremendous mess: an entire generation that lives in confusion because the previous generation refused to be faithful… and tried to convince my generation that we were stupid for wanting to be faithful, at least on issues like contraception and abortion. The irony is that these same theologians do want young Catholics to obey the Church on social justice issues- and seem shocked when so many refuse to do so.

The number of commentators who convey similar sentiments -- frustration with the prior generation of Catholics who taught nothing but dissent, and expressing a counter-cultural enthusiasm for embracing the teachings of the Church, speaks for itself. (Via Fructus Ventris).

Amy Welborn on Benedict's attachment to "tradition" & Vatican II

Et Cum Spiritu Tuo, by Amy Welborn ("A Papal Discussion") - Amy Welborn gives the New York Times a brief lesson on Benedict's understanding of the liturgy and continuity:

The popular way of characterizing Benedict’s support of these elements in liturgy is some rather undefined attachment to “tradition,” leaving the impression that it’s all about taste, aesthetics or a fear of the new.

But that doesn’t even come close to what Benedict’s program is about.

As a Vatican II Baby (born in 1960, totally post-Vatican II formation), I can tell you that the religious sensibility of the time in which I was catechized was totally about the “new.” The Church had dispensed with all the nonsense of most of the past 2,000 years as culturally bound, confining accretions, and it was time to move on. Wasn’t that what Vatican II was all about?

[...]

Benedict is all about saying: “Wait. Maybe not.”

The best and briefest synthesis of Benedict’s thinking on this can be found in the letter accompanying his “Motu Proprio” loosening restrictions on the pre-Vatican II Mass (not the “Latin Mass” for the root text of even the post-Vatican II missal is Latin).

In it, he wrote: “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.”

There is a lot more to say about this — for example, practical reasons that every Catholic should be familiar with the Latin text of the Mass — why, in a multicultural church, should mixed congregations either have to be subject to the cultural imperialism of one ethnic group’s language (aka. English) or cut at the symbolism of the unity we share by using a number of different languages? Isn’t it more powerful to have all of praying in a shared, ancient language with a sacred resonance?

As Amy goes on to admit, "although I am very supportive of the Pope’s action “freeing” the Extraordinary Form (pre-Vatican II Mass), that form of the Mass is not something I am entirely comfortable with" -- but the more she reads of Pope Benedict's thought on the liturgy, she is "resting less easy with my dismissal of that form." Being a convert and one solely accustomed to the Novus Ordo ("New Mass"), and only recently discovering the riches of centuries prior, I can relate.

"No free thought without Truth"

Alenjandro Bermudez ties Pope Benedict's message to Catholic youth with his earlier address to U.S. Catholic educators:

Some of my fellow bloggers have returned to the subject of the Pope’s meeting with the presidents of 200 plus Catholic colleges and universities earlier this week. They justly argue that Benedict was not capable of defining with precision how to reconcile fidelity to the Magisterium with the great value of academic freedom.

It seems that tonight, at the youth rally in Yonkers, the Pope himself found it necessary to go back to the argument too.

Speaking about the duty to expose youth to the truth, Benedict said before the cheering crowd that “the manipulation of truth distorts our perception of reality, and tarnishes our imagination and aspirations,” and that it is no surprise “that numerous individuals and groups vociferously claim their freedom in the public forum. Yet freedom is a delicate value.”

Benedict also called on the young people to notice “how often the call for freedom is made without ever referring to the truth of the human person.”

And then he asked: “What purpose has a ‘freedom’ which, in disregarding truth, pursues what is false or wrong? How many young people have been offered a hand which in the name of freedom or experience has led them to addiction, to moral or intellectual confusion, to hurt, to a loss of self-respect, even to despair and so tragically and sadly to the taking of their own life?”

And he closed the argument: “truth is not an imposition.”

In short, to the Pope’s mind, intellectual freedom is not a value in itself. ... (Read More)

Patrick Reilly strikes a similar note in his explication of Benedict's CUA address ("A Great Day for Catholic Higher Education" InsideCatholic.com April 18, 2008):

Academic freedom must be tied to faith:"[A]ny appeal to the principle of academic freedom in order to justify positions that contradict the faith and the teaching of the Church would obstruct or even betray the university's identity and mission . . . ."

Translation: The "Queer Film Festival" and handing out condoms do not fall under academic freedom.

Students must receive authentic Catholic teachings: Colleges have the duty to "ensure that students receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. This requires that public witness to the way of Christ, as found in the Gospel and upheld by the Church's Magisterium, shapes all aspects of an institution's life, both inside and outside the classroom. Divergence from this vision weakens Catholic identity . . . ."

Translation: Three credits in Wiccan Studies is not a substitute for a required Catholic Theology course. Oh, and that Catholic Theology course must teach authentic Catholicism (for reference, please see the Catechism).

St. Blog's Parish Roundup on the Papal Visit

• This is a nice birthday present: learning that Pope Benedict XVI is a devout believer in Jesus Christ. The news is provided by The Baltimore Sun, which seems somewhat put out by the revelation ..." - Carl Olson Insight Scoop.

• Pope2008.com reports that a group of Hispanic Catholics were subjected to insults by anti-Catholic fundamentalists (click for video). How did they respond? -- "the Catholics sang "Allelulia," "Be-ne-de-to," and other songs."

• With the Holy Father in Washington D.C. - a nice photo post from Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, MA. (Yes, he's a blogger too).

• New York loves the Pope (Pope2008.com):

  The Neocatechumenal Way crowd across from the United Nations ... were a lively bunch. As some stood at the front of the police pen that had been set up in an area known for U.N. protest rallies (I remember covering one concerning Sudan once), others behind them danced in a big circular motion as guitars and drum kept a lively tempo. The music, the warm spring sun, the buzz of the city streets, the anticipation of the arrival of the Pope seemed to have a kind of hypnotic effect. Banners in front proclaimed people's warm sentiments for the guest who was about to arrive.

  Samuel Gonzalez, who I was interviewing, told me that the empty pen next to them had been set up for those who wished to express opposite sentiments. The pen was empty. "There was a guy there a little while ago, but he just left," Gonzalez said. A policeman confirmed that the empty pen was there for protestors.

• Recalling Benedict's homily at the UN Assembly, and later during the ecumenical service, Amy Welborn is "was very much struck by the Pope’s twice-repeated articulation of his presence among us as “the successor of Peter:

  What is he communicating? It’s pretty clear, and it’s actually, I think, pretty strong.

  We know all about the Catholic identity crisis. We live it, day to day. Every Catholic has a different definition of what they mean when they identify themselves that way. What defines our Catholicism? Our ethnicity? Simply the fact that we were baptized and confirmed? That we belong to a parish?

  Benedict reminds us that our faith as Catholics is faith in Christ but its visible unity is rooted in Peter, the office of Peter’s successor and the faith preserved and taught through that office. In other words, it’s not anything you want, folks. We don’t self-define.

• Papal onlookers beg Pope to ‘offer up’ poor musical selections from Papal visit for them Catholic News.org:

  WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Patti Renfroe said she knows that when the Holy Father hears “One Bread, One Body” played this week during his historical trip to the United States, it has to hurt his aesthetical nature, but she is hoping that the pain it causes him may mean she will spend less time in Purgatory.

  “As he rode by, I yelled out, ‘Pope Benedict, please offer up ‘One Bread, One Body’ for me and my kids, for our salvation!” He kind of gave me a knowing, but pained smiled and nodded. “What that man has to suffer for us,” said Renfroe, a music teacher at Our Lady Queen of Heaven School in Arlington, Virginia. “People just don’t appreciate it.”

The Counter-Cultural Pope

"Disquieting Words For the Faithful", by E. J. Donne (Washington Post April 18, 2008):

The most jarring word that Pope Benedict XVI is using during his visit to the United States is "countercultural." The American sense of that term is shaped by the 1960s: free love, drugs, hippies, rock music and rebellion. Needless to say, that's not what Benedict is preaching.

That word is the key to understanding how Benedict's message runs crosswise to conventional liberalism and conservatism. Benedict came to the United States as a quiet but forceful critic of "an increasingly secular and materialistic culture," as he put it during yesterday's Mass. Almost any American who paid attention to his sermon had to be uncomfortable because all of us are shaped by the very forces he was criticizing.

Benedict directly challenged an assumption so many Americans make about religion: that it is a matter of private devotion with few public implications.

Not true, said the pope. "Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted," he told the country's Catholic bishops on Wednesday. "Only when their faith permeates every aspect of their lives do Christians become truly open to the transforming power of the Gospel."

That is a demanding and unsettling standard for the right and the left alike. . . .

Amy Welborn: "What’s the value of the personal presence of the Pope?"

Amy Welborn (New York Times "A Papal Discussion") asks: "What’s the value of the personal presence of the Pope? How can it be more than just one more celebrity hogging the headlines and taking up our time? What’s renewing about it?:

In today’s Rose Garden speech, the Pope said, “As I begin my visit, I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal and hope for the Church in the United States…”

Now, wait. To hope such a thing — who does this Benedict think he is? Pope? And why do these thousands pouring into D.C. and heading to New York City care about being in the presence of the Pope and what can be renewing about the whole experience?

David Gibson on the "genesis" of Ratzinger's concern over clergy sex abuse

According to David Gibson (Benedictions), the genesis of his statements went back to a meeting that took place more than four years ago, not with other bishops, but with leaders of the lay review board set up to keep an eye on how the American hierarchy was complying with their own guidelines:

[Following the termination of Frank Keating], a well-respected Chicago jurist, Anne Burke, was then named to lead the blue-ribbon panel of 13 lay leaders, and while she was more politic in public, she found it tough going as she tried to arrange meetings with various bishops about the issue. She got nowhere, and in frustration, Burke and other board members started calling and faxing various Vatican offices asking if they could fly over, at their own expense, to meet with them. A few offices responded, among them the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

In January 2004, Burke and several other board members met with Ratzinger and his aides in his offices, for a full two-and-a-half hours. They set out the scope and depth of the scandal, which Ratzinger (and other Vatican officials) said they had not known. The U.S. bishops, Burke said, weren't giving the Vatican the full story. Ratzinger listened attentively, and at the end of the meeting stood up and promised the lay leaders he would get back to them. His time and response was something that one of the cardinal's top aides told Burke was very unusual.

“Cardinal Ratzinger was far more open to meeting with members of the national review board than our own bishops and cardinals,” Burke later told Newsday. Burke said Ratzinger was very engaged in the topic, beyond the fact that his department was charged with dealing with most cases to determine whether a priest should be defrocked, or “laicized” in church terms. “He took in everything we had to say and answered our questions. And we pulled no punches: We told him what was going on in terms of the extent of the actual abuse by the priests and about our dismay with the U.S. church hierarchy." ... Read More)

Dr. David Schindler on the theology of Pope Benedict XVI

Emily Rielley (SperoNews) interviews Dr. David Schindler on Benedict's theological viewpoint:

How would you characterize Joseph Ratzinger as a theologian?

SCHINDLER: What’s characteristic is his capacity for integration. His scholarship is marked by a great integration of academic theology and spirituality -- and always in a way that speaks from within the heart of our cultural problems.

A sign of this integration: when you read his homilies, they provoke you into thinking, and when you read his theology, it inclines you to pray. Simply, he does theology in the manner of the great saints and doctors of the Church -- a way of doing theology that is badly needed in our time.

The German philosopher Robert Spaemann has spoken of Benedict’s theology as a retrieval, a mutual enrichment between old and new; he says Ratzinger the theologian never felt the need to reconstruct theology from the ground up via a new schema, as, for example, Karl Rahner did, because Ratzinger was too historically grounded to go that way. In what sense is Benedict retrieving something that was both already there, and, in a sense, lacking in our times?

SCHINDLER: Newness and oldness: a beautiful point. To me, this is again the greatness of Benedict. He’s simply doing what every saint and doctor of the Church has done. He has gone back to the roots of his being and of the Church’s being: the Gospel.

And he’s done it entirely naturally, in the sense that he recovers it precisely in the context of his own historical being. That is, he recovers it while living in the 20th century and today in the face of the problems of Nazism, Communism, and liberalism.

What results is a development. So the idea that his emphasis on, say, the structure of being as centered in God and filiality were somehow recent inventions is nonsense. These things are the heart of the Gospel. In other words, this recovery and development is what real theologians do.

This is epitomized in Benedict, as Spaemann observes, and also can explain why so many theologians become very obscure: they want to be new. Benedict has no interest in being new.

He has an interest in being faithful ... (Read More)

David Schindler is Edouard Cardinal Gagnon Professor of Fundamental Theology and Provost-Dean of the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C.

He is also editor of the English-language edition of Communio: International Catholic Review, a theological journal founded in 1972 by Joseph Ratzinger, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Henri de Lubac, among others. There are 15 different national editions of Communio, whose editors meet biannually to plan their common work.

"An Occasion for Wonder"

. . . Among all this hype, I can imagine being there among the apostles and pharisees in the presence of Jesus. There were those who tried to trap him, to figure him out, there are those who might even take his social teachings to heart and try to "apply" them, and then there are the few who stand in wonder, saying, without presumption, without hiding any of their humanity, "Who is this man?" Somehow, in some way, he summoned them from their sleep, he awoke in them a desire for life, for fullness.

And so, the importance of the Pope's visit to America does not lie in the media's supposed reprimand he could supply, nor the intellectual and cultural musings or judgments he may have. Most people overlook the elementary fact of their wonder and curiosity in the presence of this man; they try to organize, stifle, or explain it away, rather than remaining in front of the Event. This remaining requires a simplicity and a love for truth.

Ultimately the most amazing fact is that the man himself, the very flesh that laughs, cries, goes to the bathroom and has to practice piano, is the successor of Peter and the guarantee of Christ's presence in the world. Were this not true, were this rock no longer there, as my friend Msgr. Albacete says, I would no longer want to live on this earth.

-- "An Occasion for Wonder" Francis @ 3:59

Fr. Robert Sirico on Pope Benedict's visit

Fr. Robert Sirico of the Acton Institute for the study of Religion and Liberty was featured on Fox News commenting on Pope Benedict, the clergy sex abuse crisis, vocations, and the political messages (or lack thereof) of the pope's visit. Marc Vander Maas @ the Acton blog has the video.

"Benedict on America"

John Allen's weekly column "Benedict on America: In his own words" revisits -- and expands on -- a topic we've blogged about in the past, with plumbing additional works and interviews (Salt of the Earth and God and the World) to understand what the Pope thinks about America.

Amy Welborn: "Ratzenfreude!"

Ratzenfreude, says Amy Welborn (New York Times April 15, 2008):

There’s a certain irony about Benedict XVI’s visit to the United States, and it’s this: the fact that from the 1980s right up to the day of his election a not-inconsiderable chunk of those who ran this Church he’s visiting wouldn’t have put him on their Friend’s List for anything. In fact, as someone remarked, it was the era in which “Ratzinger” functioned as something close to a swear word, the punching bag for frustrated progressive church professionals everywhere. ...