All of the Articles from 2014
31.12.2014
> Spiritual Communion, an Unknown Quantity
At the synod it was proposed for the divorced and remarried, who are unable to receive the Eucharist. But everyone sees it his own way, and the confusion is great. In “Nova et Vetera” a theologian surveys the controversy
22.12.2014
> Even Bose Has Had Its Visitor
But this decided and managed by Enzo Bianchi, the all-powerful founder and prior of the monastery, as well as a favorite of Pope Francis. To shore himself up against his opponents
19.12.2014
> Bergoglio’s Pendulum, Between Capitalism and Revolution
Marxist, libertarian, Peronist. They have applied the most disparate labels to him. The contrasting judgments of the Acton Institute and the “Friends of Pope Francis”
9.12.2014
> The Synod Heads to the Second Round. A Canonist’s Summation
Cardinal Velasio De Paolis again opens fire on communion for the divorced and remarried. “If approved, the consequences would be of unprecedented gravity.” The puzzle of Pope Francis
3.12.2014
> In the Synod on the Family Even the Pope Emeritus Is Speaking Out
He has rewritten the conclusion of one of his articles from 1972 that Cardinal Kasper had cited in his own support. Here is the complete text of his “retractatio,” in which he reiterates and explains the ban on communion for the divorced and remarried
26.11.2014
> The Lenses of the Cardinal, the Sociologist, the Journalists
All focused on Francis. To understand who he is and where he wants to go. In the Church, at all levels, criticisms of the pope are no longer being silenced. They are voiced openly. Among the cardinals, the most explicit is Francis George
24.11.2014
> Vatican Diary / What Francis really thinks about Europe
He explained this on October 3 to the bishops of the council of European episcopal conferences. The talk has been kept secret. Here it is. On the eve of his voyage to Strasbourg
21.11.2014
> There's a War of Religion, but the Pope Keeps Quiet or Stammers
In the face of the offensive of radical Islam, Francis’s idea is that “we must soothe the conflict.” And forget Regensburg. With serious harm also to the reformist currents of Islam
19.11.2014
> How Francis Is Befriending the Pentecostals
In Latin America, they're pulling millions of faithful away from the Catholic Church. But the pope has only words of friendship for them. This is his way of doing ecumenism, unveiled here in two of his video messages
13.11.2014
> The Big Omission at the Synod, Neocatechumenal Families
None of them was brought in to speak. And yet they are the most engaged in putting the model of Catholic marriage into practice. A confidential document from the leadership of the Way, in commentary on the synod
6.11.2014
> Where Even Buddha Grips the Sword
This is the case of Myanmar, where members of other faiths are persecuted in the name of Buddhism. Or of Sri Lanka, which will be a destination of the pope’s next voyage. As documented by the 2014 report of Aid to the Church in Need, on violations of religious freedom
3.11.2014
> Ecumenism Rewritten by Enzo Bianchi and Alberto Melloni
The leaders of the “school of Bologna” have a very ambitious new project in the works: a history of the movement for Christian unity aimed at a thorough reform of the Catholic Church, starting with the dismantling of the papacy in its current form. They believe they have an ally in Pope Francis
28.10.2014
> The “Evangelii Gaudium” of Pope Emeritus Benedict
Ratzinger has broken his silence once again. To caution that a dialogue that renounces the truth “is lethal” to the propagation of the Christian faith. And therefore also to the spread of that “joy of the Gospel” which is in the program of Pope Francis
24.10.2014
> Francis’ Patient Revolution
There was no agreement at the synod on homosexuality and divorce, but in the end it will be the pope who decides. And he already has in mind the changes he wants to introduce, or rather is already putting them into practice. A commentary by Paul Anthony McGavin
22.10.2014
> At the Synod and After, Revolving Door for Homosexuals
First admitted with full honors, then driven out again. This is the way it seemed from how the discussions unfolded. But here’s what really happened. Martin Rhonheimer takes stock of the question
17.10.2014
> The True Story of This Synod. Director, Performers, Assistants
New paradigms of divorce and homosexuality are now at home in the highest levels of the Church. Nothing has been decided, but Pope Francis is patient. An American historian confutes the ideas of “La Civiltà Cattolica”
13.10.2014
> The Real Dilemma: Indissolubility or Divorce
This synod is not asked to decided on this. But the hypothesis of second marriages now has full citizenship at the summit of the Church. The commentary of Cardinal Camillo Ruini
9.10.2014
> The Married Couple Knocking at the Doors of the Synod
Ludmila and Stanislaw Grygiel teach at the pontifical institute for studies on the family created by pope Karol Wojtyla, their lifelong friend. They have not been invited. But they had much to say to the synod fathers. And they have said it. With clarity and courage
4.10.2014
> Second Marriages in Venice for “La Civiltà Cattolica”
In support of the ideas of Cardinal Kasper, the magazine with the papal imprimatur dusts off a concession granted by the Council of Trent for Catholics in the Greek islands under Venetian rule, some of whom remarried according to the Orthodox rite
2.10.2014
> The Bishop Deposed in Paraguay. The Defense Speaks
He has been removed without being able to read the charges against him. He has knocked at the pope’s door without being received. Here is his reconstruction of events, against the dramatic backdrop of the Church in his country
30.9.2014
> Vatican Diary / Behind the scenes of the Chicago appointment
As successor of Cardinal George, a mastermind of the current outlook of the episcopal conference of the United States, Pope Francis has appointed a bishop of the opposite orientation. Here is how and why
26.9.2014
> Divorce and Second Marriages. The compliant “Oikonomia” of the Orthodox Churches
Compliant toward the bullying of the civil tribunals, from the times of the Byzantine empire. The past and present of the matrimonial practice of the Orthodox according to the reconstruction of an authority in the field, Archbishop Cyril Vasil, secretary of the congregation for the Oriental Churches
22.9.2014
> Scola: Four Solutions for the Divorced and Remarried
And the fourth is the newest: to entrust the verification of the validity of a marriage directly to the bishop or one of his delegates, in a nonjudicial forum. With the archbishop of the Milan, there are now ten cardinals who have taken the field against the ideas of Kasper-Bergoglio
19.9.2014
> The Betting Is Open on the Next Synod
For the first time in decades, bishops and cardinals will get back together to clash over radically opposed ideas, in particular on the yes or no to communion for the divorced and remarried. It is Pope Francis who wanted to reopen the dispute. With an unpredictable outcome
17.9.2014
> Vatican Diary / Exile to Malta for Cardinal Burke
As the impeccable prefect of the supreme tribunal of the apostolic signatura, he is on the verge of being demoted to the purely honorary role of “patron” of an order of knighthood. At the behest of Pope Francis
15.9.2014
> Reigning and “Emeritus.” The Enigma of the Two Popes
It is an unprecedented innovation in the history of the Church. With many unknowns still unresolved, and with serious risks already in play. An analysis by Roberto de Mattei
11.9.2014
> Vatican Diary / Forty new bishops in Italy, and five fewer cardinals in the curia
That is how many will pass the age limit by the end of 2015. A golden opportunity for Pope Francis to reshape the Italian episcopate as he likes, and diminish the influence of curia members at a future conclave
8.9.2014
> Communion for the Remarried. Francis Has a Yes "In Pectore"
The pope has given the go-ahead for discussion. He doesn't say whether he is on the side of those in favor or those against, but he appears to be much closer to the former than to the latter. An Australian theologian explains why
3.9.2014
> Vatican Diary / The new foreign minister is on the way
He will replace the Frenchman Dominique Mamberti. The overall reform of the curia is still a long way off. But in the meantime Francis is making another head roll at the congregation for the clergy, from which he has already removed Cardinal Piacenza
22.8.2014
> An Army for Making Peace. The Geopolitics of Francis
Stopping an unjust aggressor. With weapons if necessary. A pope thought to be pacifist appeals for the military protection of populations attacked by the Islamic caliphate
7.8.2014
> Vatican Diary / Reform of the papacy, a work in progress
The prior of Bose, Enzo Bianchi, and archbishop emeritus of San Francisco John R. Quinn are presenting it as a given that Francis will completely overhaul the role of the pope. But some acts of this pontificate contradict their expectations
1.8.2014
> The Strange Silences of a Very Talkative Pope
Not a word for the abducted Nigerian schoolgirls, nor for the Pakistani Asia Bibi, sentenced to death on the charge of having offended Islam. And then the audiences denied to former president of the IOR Gotti Tedeschi, driven out for wanting to clean house
29.7.2014
> Müller: "These Theories Are Radically Mistaken"
The prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith refutes the ideas of those who want to permit second marriages with the first spouse still alive. He is backed up by Cardinal Sebastián, who also disagrees with Cardinal Kasper. But whose side is Pope Francis on?
23.7.2014
> Francis's Secret Friend in Caserta
He is not Catholic, but Pentecostal, a part of those Christian communities which are in breathtaking expansion all over the world. Little by little the pope is meeting with their leaders. From rivals he wants to become friends, to the point of asking their forgiveness
19.7.2014
> Francis Speaks, Scalfari Transcribes, Brandmüller Shreds
As a Church historian, the German cardinal refutes the notion according to which clerical celibacy was an invention of the 10th century. No, he objects: its origin is with Jesus and the apostles. And he explains why
12.7.2014
> Celestine V a Model Pope? The Myth and the Reality
Together with Saint Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio has chosen as his guide Saint Pietro del Morrone, pope for a few months at the age of 85. But according to the historians that pontificate was a disaster
8.7.2014
> Francis Has an Offer in Store for China: A New Blessed
It will be the Jesuit Matteo Ricci, one of the very few Westerners honored by the Chinese communist authorities. But the thaw between Beijing and the Church of Rome still seems to be a long way off
4.7.2014
> The Third Asian Voyage for Francis Will Be to Japan
Bergoglio has dreamed of this destination since his youth. And now he will go there as pope, at the invitation of the Japanese government. As revealed and explained by a former ambassador to the Holy See, Kagefumi Ueno
1.7.2014
> Vatican Diary / "I follow what the cardinals asked"
The strictures of the pre-conclave on Francis's governance. Agreements connected to the election of a pope are illicit and invalid. But the actual practice comes very close
24.6.2014
> Francis, Pope of Tradition
The theme of God's mercy is not a “discovery” of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. It has always been at the center of the Church's preaching. Cardinal Giacomo Biffi explains why, with a stunning quote from Saint Ambrose
20.6.2014
> Francis: Or, the Diplomacy of the Impossible
He replaces negotiation with prayer. He favors supernatural weapons. But he calculates with consummate skill every word he speaks. And also every silence, as in the case of the young Sudanese mother condemned to death simply because she is Christian
17.6.2014
> Lean Cows in Japan, Fat Cows in South Korea
Why the Koreans are converting to Christ and the Japanese are not. Explained by a great expert on the missions, as the first voyage of Pope Francis to Asia approaches
11.6.2014
> Communion for the Remarried Still a Heated Debate
Fresh opposition to Kasper's ideas from Cardinal Brandmüller. And also from the vicar general of Chur and seven theologians and canonists of four countries. But in the theological faculty of Regensburg there is talk of the admissibility of a second marriage
6.6.2014
> In Japan As on the Banks of the Rhine. The Church's Surrender
The responses of the Japanese and central Europeans to the questionnaire for the synod on the family register the yielding of Catholics to the dominant “uniform thought.” But also the pastors' inability to lead
3.6.2014
> Vatican Diary / Cuts and consolidations in the curia. Here's where
Around ten dicasteries are hanging in the balance. And so are their current heads. Including cardinals Burke, Cañizares, Versaldi, Coccopalmerio. And archbishops Paglia, Celli, Fisichella
30.5.2014
> The Myth and Reality of Second Marriages among the Orthodox
There is a widespread opinion that the Eastern Churches permit a new marriage after divorce, and give communion to the remarried. But this is not the case, as Nicola Bux explains. Only the first marriage is celebrated as a true sacrament
26.5.2014
> One the Embrace, Many the Divisions
The encounter between Francis and Bartholomew at the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. But there's rupture between the Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Jerusalem and Antioch. And open conflict between Constantinople and Moscow, on the question of primacy. The anti-papal sentiment of Eastern Christians
23.5.2014
> A Ticket for Three: The Rabbi, the Imam, and the Pope
A Jew and a Muslim in Francis's official entourage in the Holy Land. But it's not all smooth sailing in relations with Judaism and Islam. Bergoglio's strategy: "soothe the conflicts"
21.5.2014
> Communion for the Remarried? Yes, of Desire
Given the reactions to his previous letter, the missionary Carlo Buzzi presents new arguments to flesh out the solution he has proposed. He sums them up in 25 hard-hitting points. All of them worth reading. With many surprises
19.5.2014
> Vatican Diary / What remains of Paul VI, soon to be beatified
He was the pope who guided the first steps of the Italian episcopal conference, including in the strenuous defense of indissoluble marriage. Today Francis is taking command of the CEI himself. With Bishop Galantino as copilot
15.5.2014
> Peter and the Twelve. The Dispute Over the Powers of the Synod
There are some who want it to be the supreme body of Church governance, a sort of “permanent council.” But Vatican II ruled this out. Cardinals Müller and Ruini explain why, in agreement with Ratzinger as cardinal and pope
12.5.2014
> On Communion for the Remarried, a Letter from Bangladesh
The author is a missionary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in Milan. Who writes: “Taking the route traced by Cardinal Kasper would cause serious harm”
6.5.2014
> On Homosexuality and Abortion, the Voice of the Third World
Pope Francis urges openness to the "peripheries" of the globe. But then it cannot be Germany and France that establish the Church's teaching and practice on gay marriage and communion for the remarried
1.5.2014
> Francis, the Pope of "Humanae Vitae"
It is the encyclical he has taken as a model, in spite of its being the most contested of the past century. Bergoglio is raising great expectations for change in the domain of marriage. But he too, like Paul VI, could decide in the end "against the majority"
29.4.2014
> Vatican Diary / The new Annuario Pontificio is already old
It came out around Easter. But it stops at February 22. And therefore it bears no trace of the secretariat for the economy or for many other innovations recently decided by Pope Francis
25.4.2014
> The Last Pope-King
Two of his predecessors made saints instead of only one. The Italian episcopal conference annihilated. The men of the old guard still at the helm of the IOR. All as Francis commands
23.4.2014
> Vatican Diary / Francis has a new secretary. Who speaks Arabic
And he is also very polemical with Islam. He is the Egyptian Yoannis Lahzi Gaid. A criticism of Cardinal Kasper against the pope. Two unexpected returns to the congregation for religious
19.4.2014
> Masterpieces of Gregorian Chant / The introit of Easter
It is the opening chant of the Sunday of the Resurrection. Here in a brand-new performance presented to us by the "Cantori Gregoriani" and their Maestro
17.4.2014
> Holy Thursday. Self-portrait of Fr. Jorge
In the homily for the Chrism Mass, extensive and entirely from his own hand, Pope Francis draws a model of the priest with many autobiographical traits, including "those moments of listlessness and boredom which I too have experienced"
15.4.2014
> The Joys and Sorrows of Francis's Magisterium
The innovation in method of "Evangelii Gaudium" explained by an Australian theologian. But the pope is not always interpreted correctly. Not even by the director of "La Civiltà Cattolica." The emblematic case of the baptism in Córdoba
11.4.2014
> Masterpieces of Gregorian Chant / The gradual of the Passion
It is sung on Palm Sunday and on Good Friday. Here in a brand-new performance presented to us by the "Cantori Gregoriani" and their Maestro
7.4.2014
> The Pope's Third Embodiment
It is Benedict XVI's state of life after the resignation. He is no longer the vicar of Christ, but neither has he returned to private life. He is "pope emeritus," and he acts as such: an unprecedented innovation in the history of the Church
4.4.2014
> Masterpieces of Gregorian Chant / The antiphon of the resurrection of Lazarus
It is the communio of the fifth Sunday of Lent. Here in a brand-new performance presented to us by the "Cantori Gregoriani" and their Maestro
31.3.2014
> The Pope and the Philosopher
His name is Alberto Methol Ferré. It is from him that Bergoglio draws his inspiration in evaluating the world and contrasting the new dominant culture: "libertine atheism." The pope's strict side with Obama
29.3.2014
> Masterpieces of Gregorian Chant / The antiphon of the man born blind
It is the communio of "Laetare" Sunday, the fourth of Lent. Here in a brand-new performance presented to us by the "Cantori Gregoriani" and their Maestro
27.3.2014
> Francis, the First Pope Lauded by Secular Opinion
It is the true novelty of the success of this pontificate. John Paul II and Benedict XVI also had very high approval ratings, or even higher. But only among the faithful. On the outside there was tough opposition
21.3.2014
> Masterpieces of Gregorian Chant / The antiphon of the Samaritan
It is the communio of the third Sunday of Lent. Here in a brand-new performance presented to us by the "Cantori Gregoriani" and their Maestro
19.3.2014
> Vatican Diary / In a few months, six new saints canonized outside the rules
That is, without a miracle verified after their beatification. It is an exceptional procedure, rarely used in the past. But Pope Francis is availing himself of it with unprecedented frequency
17.3.2014
> The Pope Emeritus Prays, But Also Advises. Here's How
With Francis reigning, Benedict extols John Paul and above all his encyclical "Veritatis Splendor" on the foundations of morality. He was a pope, he says, who was not afraid of "how his decisions would be received"
14.3.2014
> Masterpieces of Gregorian Chant / The antiphons of the Transfiguration
The introit and communio of the second Sunday of Lent. Here in a brand-new performance presented to us by the "Cantori Gregoriani" and their Maestro
12.3.2014
> Vatican Diary / Promotions and dismissals, in the economy
Cardinals Scola, George, Scherer, and Rouco Varela are out of the new council of fifteen. No woman among the seven lay members. The falling star Chaouqui. Secretary of state Parolin kept in the dark concerning the institution of the new economic dicastery
10.3.2014
> Bergoglio, the General Who Wants to Win without Fighting
"I have never understood the expression 'nonnegotiable values,'” he said in his latest interview. And in a book, his closest collaborator explains why Pope Francis is carefully avoiding a head-on collision with the dominant culture
7.3.2014
> Masterpieces of Gregorian Chant / The psalm of the temptation
It is Psalm 90, which recurs in all the chants of the first Sunday of Lent. As in the introit and offertory, here in a brand-new performance presented to us by the "Cantori Gregoriani" and their Maestro
5.3.2014
> Vatican Diary / The secretariat of state has lost its control over the economy
It has been taken over by the new ministry of finance directed by Cardinal Pell. The Italian predominance in the administrative offices has also been scaled down. An objection from Cardinal Kasper and papal plaudits for Cardinal Siri
1.3.2014
> Kasper Changes the Paradigm, Bergoglio Applauds
The no-longer-secret text of the bombshell talk that opened the consistory on the family. With the indication of two paths of readmission to communion for the divorced and remarried. According to the example of the ancient Church
26.2.2014
> The Two Synods, Real and of the Media
The upcoming synod on the family is being shaped by the same phenomenon that influenced Vatican II. But this time the duplication appears intentional, with all of the risks that it involves
21.2.2014
> The Devil's Double-cross, For and Against Pope Francis
A UN report humiliates the Church while exalting the current pontiff. Who is not reacting and is even remaining silent after Belgium has legalized the euthanasia of children. The risks of the strategy of silence adopted by Bergoglio
17.2.2014
> Vatican Diary / Nine days of fireworks on the way
The council of eight cardinals, the consistory, the synod. The dispute over communion for the divorced and remarried. The reform of the IOR. And more. All beneath the eye of the pope
14.2.2014
> How to Enter into the Time and Space of God
Pope Francis makes a surprise break with his silence on the liturgy. "It is the cloud of God that envelops us all," he says. And he calls for a return to the true sense of the sacred
11.2.2014
> What Remains of the Christians of the East
In the Arab countries they are fewer and fewer, driven to exodus by growing hostility. An up-to-date map of how many and who they are, three months before the pope's voyage to the Holy Land
7.2.2014
> Synod at the Crossroads, on Second Marriages
The pressure of the opinion surveys. The lesson of history. The Church's dilemma: conform to modernity, or remain firm on "what God has joined together let no man put asunder"?
4.2.2014
> Vatican Diary / The new CEI has a president: Bergoglio
The Italian bishops are leaving the selection of their leaders to the pope. And Francis has already done it all on his own, in appointing the new secretary. The first step of a general change of direction
31.1.2014
> When the Church of Rome Forgave Second Marriages
During the first centuries the divorced and remarried were pardoned of their sins and given communion, but later this practice was abandoned in the West. Today Pope Francis has brought it back onto the field, while the dueling goes on among the cardinals
28.1.2014
> Vatican Diary / The Cardinals Who Hold the Purse Strings
They have the task of supervising the IOR. Four of the five are new. They have been appointed in a surprise move by Pope Francis. Who is now also preparing to remake the international theological commission from top to bottom
23.1.2014
> The Thousands of Jews Saved in Churches and Convents
The controversy over the “silence” of Pius XII is being reignited. But the facts speak for themselves. The Catholic Church gave refuge to a great number of Israelites. A commentary by the Jewish historian Anna Foa
21.1.2014
> Church on Trial. The Defense Speaks
It is charged with being intolerant and violent, in the name of God. But a document of the international theological commission is turning the accusation around. It is the dictatorship of relativism that wants to ban faith from civil society
17.1.2014
> The Curia of Francis, Paradise of the Multinationals
McKinsey, Promontory, Ernst & Young, KPMG. From the Vatican the race is on to sign up the most prestigious and expensive consulting companies in the world. At what price is not known
14.1.2014
> Vatican Diary / The pope gives, the pope takes away
In Argentina, the appointment of a bishop announced and then revoked. In Venezuela, the comeback of the churchmen most hostile to Chávez. In the curia and outside of it, disparity of treatment for the "Monsignors." The "Gentleman" displeasing to His Holiness
8.1.2014
> The Russian Veto Against Francis and Bartholomew
The embrace between Rome and Constantinople is renewed. But a document from the patriarchate of Moscow freezes the discussion between Catholics and Orthodox on the powers of the pope over the universal Church
4.1.2014
> Masterpieces of Gregorian Chant / "Ecce advenit"
It is the introit of the feast of Epiphany. In a brand-new performance presented to us by the "Cantori Gregoriani" and their Maestro
3.1.2014
> Vatican Diary / The new cardinals Francis has in mind
There will be four or five in the curia and a dozen outside of it, especially in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Here are the names. But surprises will not be lacking
__________
31.12.2014