Breaking- Cardinal Hoyos accuses Swedish bishop of slander

He is for many the villain of the piece: Darío Castrillón Hoyos until July, head of the Commission responsible for dialogue with the SSPX.

He is also for many church people the villain of the piece: Darío Castrillón Hoyos, 80 years old, Cardinal from Colombia, until July head of the Pontifical Commission, "Ecclesia Dei" responsible. for the dialogue with the traditionalist SSPX.

He is considered the main perpetrator in the scandal surrounding the SSPX Bishop Richard Williamson, whose excommunication, Pope Benedict XVI. lifted in January. Must not Hoyos have known that Williamson before the act of mercy from the Pope had denied that Jews were murdered in gas chambers in an interview with Swedish television? And that the British cleric had held this view for a long time?

In an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung Hoyos took this position:

SZ: You say that Williamson's interview was not known about. What would the Pope have done if he had known about it?

Hoyos: I would venture no hypotheses about what the pope would have to do. I am referring only to what he knew, as the lifting of the excommunication was made public. At this moment none of us knew the least about Bishop Williamson's statements. None of us! And no one had the duty to know it!

Since 2000, the arch-conservative prelate organised the negotiations with the SSPX. It was not so much about the theology of the traditionalists who reject the important parts of the Second Vatican Council. It was about canonical issues: had the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre committed an act of schism (division of the Church) when he ordained was four of their priests as bishops in 1988? And have the Bishops fallen into unbelief who were excommunicated after the consecration?

SZ: Do you share the positions of the SSPX?
Hoyos: The SSPX think that they are defending the truth about sacred tradition and that they can not be excommunicated for it. This can be understood, even if I do not share this opinion. For it is indisputable that they have broken a fundamental law of the Church.

The answers coming from Rome ran simply as follows: The SSPX violated the church discipline. Their bishops should not be understood as heretics fallen into apostasy - which is why the talks could continue. Hoyos has worked hard to ensure that it should not come to a break between Rome and the SSPX. And he had for this in Joseph Ratzinger, an advocate. Benedict XVI legitimised the traditional Tridentine Mass in 2007 and Hoyos at once celebrated a Mass in the old Rite. Secret negotiations involved the lifting of excommunication. The step decided on a week earlier and notified to the SSPX was made public on 21st.

This would have remained a matter within the church, had not Williamson given in November 2008 during a priestly ordination in the Bavarian Zaitzkofen the infamous interview to a reporter from Sweden. The transmitter waited with the broadcast until January 2009, when the excommunications could not be reversed. For Hoyos evidence that there was an attempt to show up the Pope and himself. But the attitude Williamson had previously been known. This is now suggested also in the statement of the Bishop of Stockholm, who learned at the end of November 2008 the content of the programme and informed the Swedish nuncio, who had in turn informed the Secretariat of State in the Vatican. Probably the note was simply filed, also, because the Secretary of State knew nothing of the imminent lifting of the excommunication,. Cardinal Hoyos calls in the SZ-interview, but the deeper reason why the attitude of Pius brothers played no role: He was concerned only about the canon. And he has no opinion about someone who says that the Jews invented the Holocaust.

SZ: Have you ever asked yourself whether your decisions may have political consequences?

Hoyos: The excommunication of four bishops, is not a political act. It is an act of mercy. It is therefore a pastoral-theological problem, not an interference of the church in the political sphere. So I do not concern myself. My job is not to judge a brother bishop. That is the task of the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

SZ: But the Catholic Church has an opinion on anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.

Hoyos: The rejection by the Church of the very unjust violence which Jewish people were subjected to is quite clear. Such racial genocide is an immoral crime against humanity.

SZ: Why then did you not stop the lifting of the excommunication of a Holocaust denier?

Hoyos: Williamson was excommunicated because of his illegitimate episcopal ordination, not because of his theories, judgments or statements about the Holocaust. Seeing the matter in the other way is a German mistake!

The Cardinal sees himself as a victim of an intrigue: On this Friday, there is a meeting planned with Bishop Fellay, the SSPX head. This will be disturbed by the matters that have been made public.

Ends- extract only produced online

And extra from the Wiener Zeitung

Fierce disputes among bishops

Former Curia Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos has accused the Catholic Bishop of Stockholm, Anders Arborelius, slander.

This claim that Rome had already been informed at the end of 2008 about the attitude of the traditionalist bishop and Holocaust-denier Richard Williamson, was "a slander," said the 80-year-old in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

"I regret this very dubious statement, because it is wrong (...) We store all the documents we receive in digital form. Bishop Arborelius should say, how, to who and when he communicated this, and whether it was in writing or orally. "


http://cathcon.blogspot.com/2009/09/breaking-interview-with-cardinal-hoyos.html

Vatican Spokesman Says Media Creating Confusion Over SSPX Bishop

Rome, Italy, Sep 23, 2009 (CNA).- The director of the Holy See’s press office, Father Federico Lombardi, denied again today that Pope Benedict knew Bishop Richard Williamson held Holocaust diminishing beliefs before the Pontiff lifted the excommunication of the Pius X Society bishop. Such charges only “lead to creating confusion for no reason,” he said.

Responding to questions from journalists about a Swedish TV report scheduled to air Thursday night, the Vatican spokesman said today that there is “absolutely no basis for stating or insinuating that the Pope had been informed beforehand.”

Father Lombardi also noted that the statement by the Vatican Secretariat of State on February 4 “clearly denied” that the Pope was aware of the positions of the Lefebvrist bishop. He went on to explain that the statement categorically disassociated the Pope and the Catholic Church from any anti-Semitic position or denial of the Holocaust.

Moreover, he said, “the Pope’s letter to the bishops on March 10 put an end to the matter and there is no reason to revisit it.”

Benedict XVI, Father Lombardi said, “has explained the meaning of the lifting of the excommunication as a gesture in support of the unity of the Church and at the same time he has shown that the accusations about the lack of respect for the Jewish people are totally unfounded, and he has simply acknowledged the limits of Vatican communications both internally and externally.”

The Holy Father “has granted a new status to the Ecclesia Dei Commission (for dialogue with the Society of St. Pius X) in order to guarantee a better and more secure manner of proceeding” in issues related to relations with the followers of Archbishop Lefebvre, he added.
Therefore, “re-launching the Williamson case only leads to creating confusion for no reason,” Father Lombardi said.

http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=97810

Cardinal: Communion Received Kneeling and on Tongue Most Reverent

Lima, Peru, Sep 22, 2009 (CNA).- In a homily Sunday at the Cathedral of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani said, “The most respectful manner of receiving the Eucharist is kneeling and on the tongue. We must recover the respect and reverence that the Eucharist deserves, because the love of Jesus is the center of our Christian life. The soul is at stake.”

During his homily the cardinal explained that this is the most solemn form of receiving Communion and those participating in the Mass followed his recommendation as they approached to receive the Eucharist.

He also encouraged the faithful to participate in Eucharist adoration in the more than 70 adoration chapels that have been built throughout the Archdiocese of Lima since the Year of the Eucharist, thus making the Peruvian capital a “Eucharistic city.”
“Lima is a Eucharistic city with more than 70 chapels of Eucharistic adoration, where the Lord is exposed and where you can speak to Him, because He listens to you and helps you. We need to adore Him and allow our hearts to be filled with the joy and the beauty of His wisdom,” the cardinal said.

23-September-2009 -- Catholic News Agency
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=97755

Summorum Pontificum: Two Years Later

16-September-2009 -- Catholic World News Brief
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=97653

Sep. 14, 2009 (CWNews.com) - Summorum Pontificum, the motu proprio with which Pope Benedict XVI encouraged wide use of the Roman Missal of 1962, took effect two years ago today: on September 14, 2007. At the time, the document was regarded as a move of enormous significance, particularly for the hopes of reconciliation between the Holy See and the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X and for the restoration of a deep sense of reverence in the Latin liturgy-- what proponents called "the reform of the reform."

Two years later, the fruits of Summorum Pontificum are evident in the latest dispatches from Rome. This week representatives of the Holy See will begin talks with the SSPX on doctrinal questions, hoping to narrow the differences between the Vatican and the traditionalist group on key teachings of Vatican II. The motu proprio, together with the Pope's decision to lift the excommunications of the SSPX bishops, eliminated the other major obstacles to reconciliation; only the doctrinal questions remain. While those issues are serious, the two sides remain far apart, and a quick agreement is unlikely, nevertheless the prospects for reunion are far better today than two years ago.

As for the "reform of the reform," the respected Vatican journalist Andrea Tornielli of Il Giornale recently wrote that the Congregation for Divine Worship has sent Pope Benedict a list of reform proposals for consideration: proposals for change in the Novus Ordo liturgy, reportedly including an end the practice of receiving Communion in the hand, and a return to celebrating Mass ad orientem. Although a Vatican official sought to downplay the significance of Tornielli's report, CWN has received independent confirmation that the report was essentially accurate.

Vatican-Pius X Society Talks Set for October

16-September-2009 -- ZENIT.org News Agency
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=97654

VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 15, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See will hold talks with the Society of St. Pius X in October, according to a Vatican spokesman, and not "in a few days," as earlier reported by an Austrian cardinal.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, confirmed today that the meeting will take place during the last two weeks of October.

He also revealed the three Vatican representatives: Dominican Father Charles Morerod, secretary-general of the International Theological Commission, Jesuit Josef Becker, and the vicar general of Opus Dei, Father Ocariz Brana.

The archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, told the Passauer Neue Presse on Saturday that the talks would begin this week.

He also "the SSPX will be told very clearly what is not negotiable for the Holy See. This includes such fundamental conclusions of the Second Vatican Council as its positions on Judaism, other non-Christian religions, other Christian churches and on religious freedom as a basic human right."

In July, Benedict XVI restructured the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, uniting it more closely to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The commission was formed in 1988 for those communities and persons who, coming from the Society of St. Pius X or from similar groups, wish to return to full communion with the Successor of Peter.

The president of the commission is the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, currently Cardinal William Levada. The Holy Father appointed as secretary Monsignor Guido Pozzo, who is currently assistant secretary of the International Theological Commission and official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In March, Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications of four Lefebvrite bishops who were excommunicated in 1988 when they received episcopal ordination illicitly at the hands of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who ordained them without papal permission.

The decree to lift the excommunications was made public days after one of the four -- Bishop Richard Williamson -- appeared on Swedish television in a previously taped interview in which he refuted the extent of Holocaust. A furor ensued which led Vatican-Jewish relations to the breaking point.

In a March letter to the world's bishops, explaining why he had lifted the excommunications, Benedict XVI announced his intention to place the commission under the guidance of the doctrinal congregation.
He said it "will make it clear that the problems now to be addressed are essentially doctrinal in nature and concern primarily the acceptance of the Second Vatican Council and the post-conciliar magisterium of the popes."

SSPX priest celebrates Mass in St Peter's in Rome

http://cathcon.blogspot.com/2009/09/sspx-priest-celebrates-mass-in-st.html

Wednesday, September 09, 2009
The sensation is that there are finally signs that point to a return to Catholic normalcy.

The Prior of the SSPX House of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Father Marcus Jasny has celebrated Masses in St. Peter's in the Old Rite.

The SSPX referrto this in a report on its website about a pilgrimage to Rome of graduates of the Schöneberg High School for Girls near Bonn.

Neustadt an der Weinstrasse is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate in southwest Germany.

The students visited the Eternal City, 24 August to 2 September.

In the morning at 7 clock Fr Jasny "could" celebrate the Mass in St. Peter’s - the report on the website of the SSPX states- at "that mysterious, quiet time of daybreak in St. Peter's, before the arrival of the torrents of tourist."

The paleo- liberal Swiss news agency 'Kipa-Apic' complained about the Latin Masses in Rome.

The person responsible for arranging Masses in St. Peter's said that there was no written request from the Father for the period concerned.

But it is possible that a priest can ask in the sacristy directly for an opportunity for celebration. Whoever presenting evidence of priesthood and asking for a Missal for the traditional rite, does not get a negative response.

Even already in the Jubilee Year 2000, the SSPX was able to celebrate during their great pilgrimage to Rome - at that time even under Pope John Paul II - a prayer service in St. Peter's.

Vatican Watcher Stands by Report on Papal "Reform of the Reform"

30-August-2009 -- Catholic News Agency
Vatican Watcher Stands by Report on Papal "Reform of the Reform"

Rome, Italy, Aug 31, 2009 (CNA).- The Italian Vatican analyst Andrea Tornielli wrote this past Saturday on his blog that the recent clarifications by high-ranking Vatican officials do not refute what he stated in a column for the Italian daily Il Giornale on August 22. Tornielli had reported that Pope Benedict XVI is considering various measures to move forward with a liturgical “reform of the reform.”

Both in his column and on his usually well-sourced blog, Tornielli announced on August 22 that the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, led by Cardinal Antonio Canizares, had put forth a series of liturgical reforms—including greater use of Latin in the Mass, the possibility of celebrating the Mass ad orientum at least during the consecration, and a greater emphasis on Communion on the tongue—that were being studied by the Holy Father.

In an apparent response to the report by Tornielli, the vice director of the Holy See’s Press Office, Father Ciro Benedettini, said on August 24, “No institutional proposals currently exist that refer to a modification of the liturgical books.” Additionally, last Friday, in an interview with L’Osservatore Romano, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone called the reports “imaginary.”

According to Tornielli, the denial by Father Benedettini and the comments by Cardinal Bertone were provoked not by his article but “rather, by the manner in which the story was picked up by various blogs, which claimed the ‘reform of the reform’ and the changes to the Mass in a more traditional sense were imminent.”

He said on Saturday that his column referred to “the beginning of work” and not to “imminent reforms or documents already prepared,” adding that both the results of the meeting of the Congregation led by Cardinal Canizares as well as their presentation to the Pope for his consideration are real facts.

“All of this is an attempt to tell people not to believe what I wrote, saying there is nothing happening, that the Pope and the Congregation for Divine Worship are not considering anything, that the ‘reform of the reform’ and the recovery of a greater sense of the sacred in the Liturgy is a false story reported by me,” Tornielli said.

He concluded his blog saying, “Ever since I become a Vatican analyst I have made many mistakes and I will continue to make them, but the article in question, believe me, is not among them.”

http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=97305