Posts Tagged ‘Pope Benedict XVI’

Liturgy is based on baptismal fidelity, and it is more than aesthetics

Thursday, July 25th, 2024
Synodal church

Recently, United States cultural celebrities addressed an open letter to Pope Francis, opposing further restrictions on the pre-conciliar liturgy. The letter, written by poet Dana Gioia, emphasised the aesthetic value and cultural significance of the liturgy according to the 1962 rite: “It would be short-sighted to deprive the next generation of artists of this source Read more

World’s oldest Cistercian abbey has more than 100 monks

Monday, May 20th, 2024

The Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz (Holy Cross) in Austria is the oldest in the world. It dates back almost 1,000 years and currently has more than 100 monks living there. It has never had “interruptions” in its history and is now an oasis of the Catholic Church in Europe. Love for God and others is Read more

Pope Francis to appoint Archbishop Gänswein as nuncio. But where?

Monday, April 15th, 2024
Archbishop Gänswein

In an unexpected move, Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the former private secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, as a nuncio in the Vatican diplomatic corps. The move follows tensions between Archbishop Gänswein and Pope Francis (pictured together), marked by the former’s desire for a new role in Rome following Benedict’s death. Elisabetta Piqué, Read more

Pope Francis says he felt ‘used’ in 2005 conclave

Monday, April 8th, 2024
2005 conclave

In a new book interview, Pope Francis has made startling revelations about his involvement in the 2005 conclave. Speaking to Vatican journalist Javier Martinez Brocal, Francis candidly discussed the political manoeuvres within the Vatican during pivotal papal elections. He disclosed that he felt “used” by certain cardinals to block the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Read more

Without liturgical reform there is no reform of the Church

Monday, February 12th, 2024
LIturgical reform

Liturgical reform is crucial in the ongoing renewal of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis said this to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on Thursday. After what has been labelled as a significant address, discussion took place against the backdrop of the dicastery’s annual plenary assembly. The assembly focused Read more

Six decades of Sacrosanctum Concilium in New Zealand

Monday, December 4th, 2023
Sacrosanctum Concilium,

The promulgation of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, stands as a pivotal moment that ushered in a new era for the Catholic Church. Sixty years hence, we can reflect on the impact of this document on New Zealand’s theological landscape and liturgical practices. Sacrosanctum Concilium is the cornerstone of Vatican II because Read more

A house divided…

Monday, November 20th, 2023
Catholic Church

It’s no secret that the Roman Catholic Church is deeply divided right now, perhaps as much as it’s ever been in the six decades since the end of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The fractures are most obvious on social media where even priests, bishops and cardinals preach from cyber pulpits all along the theological Read more

Pope Benedict’s heirs don’t want his money

Monday, June 12th, 2023

The surviving relatives of the late Pope Benedict XVI stand to inherit small amount of money from his legacy, according to the executor of his last will and testament. When the retired pope died at age 95 on December 31, 2022, his longtime assistant, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, got to work as executor of the will Read more

Pope Benedict ‘closed’ Limbo and no one complained

Monday, April 17th, 2023
Limbo

Many conservative Catholics are upset with Pope Francis, who they complain is changing church doctrine, but they hardly blinked when Pope Benedict got rid of Limbo, a Catholic doctrine that had been taught for centuries. Careful readers will note that rather than closing Limbo, as reported by the media, what the International Theological Commission did Read more

Pope Emeritis Benedict is very sick

Wednesday, December 28th, 2022

Emeritus Pope Benedict (95), is very sick and Pope Francis is asking for prayers. “I would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the Church. “Let us remember him. He is very sick, asking the Lord to console and sustain him in this Read more