Posts Tagged ‘Papacy’

Pope Benedict XVI’s journeys overseas – 3rd trip to Germany begins Thursday

As Pope Benedict prepares to return to his native Germany later this week, we want to present some highlights of the 23 foreign trips he has made since his papacy began in 2005.

Here, you can see a list of all his trips, including possible future ones to Iraq, Monaco, Serbia and of course, Brazil in 2013.

The German Pontiff’s journeys to his homeland have always been special and eventful. His first trip abroad was to his native land, to preside over World Youth Day in Cologne in August 2005, where his humility and uncompromising call to, and example of, holiness ensured that the youth gatherings would continue to be vital to the Church, despite the death of their creator John Paul II.

He returned home again in 2006 and on September 12, delivered a lecture on faith and reason in which he quoted an unfavourable remark about Islam. It was a quotation that was used in the context of an address, that looked at the Jewish, Greek and Protestant understanding of the relationship between these two aspects of knowledge. However, there were violent reactions in parts of the Middle-East as well as an ugly protest outside Westminster Cathedral in London. Even today the address and its aftermath raise difficult questions about how to react to intimidation.

On Thursday, trip to Germany number three begins, he will visit his nation’s capital for the first time as Pope, address parliament and magistrates, meet religious leaders and celebrate a Mass at the Olympic Stadium, as during his visit to the UK a year ago, he will encourage the faithful and propose the love of God and the hope He brings to those of no faith.

His namesake saint Benedict is patron of Europe and Joseph Ratzinger has concentrated on that continent, travelling to Spain on three separate occasions, most recently for World Youth Day in Madrid but he has also visited Cameroon and Angola, the Holy Land and during his 81th birthday the USA, where President Bush famously said:

“You’ve chosen to visit America on your birthday. Well, birthdays are traditionally spent with close friends, so our entire nation is moved and honoured that you’ve decided to share this special day with us.”

His message will hopefully be as well received in his own country as it was in the States in 2008 and here just a year ago.

Of related interest:

	Benedict XVI -This booklet penetrates popular stereotyping to reveal the truth, complexity and thought of this very modest and pious theologian. Here we discover a ‘humble and thoroughly kind man’, a leading thinker very much in touch with this modern age. Updated in 2010, the booklet evaluates the first 5 years of his papacy.
	Heart Speaks Unto Heart – Celebrating Pope Benedict XVI’s historic first State Visit to the UK, this DVD tells the story of the extraordinary four days in September 2010, offering not just event highlights, but all of the Holy Father’s profound words from his 13 public speeches. Archbishop Vincent Nichols provides a narrative to introduce the different sections of the DVD.
	Finding Life’s Purpose – This little pocket book sets out the several challenges he makes to any young person today who is considering courses at college or secondary school, or preparing for working life. Further practical advice on studying and on engaging the help of the saints is included. Based upon Pope Benedict’s addresses to young people during his 2010 visit to Britain.

Tuesday, 20 September 2011 16:36

Never mind John Julius Norwich read the CTS history of the Popes instead – says Francis Phillips

The CTS booklet on the Papacy is a better read than John Julius Norwich’s glossy history of the world’s oldest institution, according to Francis Phillips.

Writing in the Catholic Herald, she is full of praise for Fr Nicholas Schofield’s work, pointing out that it does not fall into the same old clichés as this latest effort, including unfounded accusations against Pope Pius XII, and the myth of a female Pope. She writes:

“The same old ignorance; the same old slur. Turning to the chapter on Pius XII I checked Norwich’s sources: there was only one: Hitler’s Pope by John Cornwell. [Cornwell's work] has been comprehensively demolished by respectable historians such as Michael Burleigh in Sacred Causes and Sir Martin Gilbert in The Righteous.”

Then she goes on to talk about the CTS booklet:

“In the useful little CTS booklet, ‘A History of the Papacy by Fr Nicholas Schofiel the author concludes: ‘Pius XII’s concern for the Jews impressed many outside the Church. In 1945 the chief rabbi of Rome, Israel Zolli, became a Catholic and took as his baptismal name ‘Eugenio’, in tribute to the pope.’ (Pius’s baptismal name was ‘Eugenio’.)”

At less than one tenth of the price of The Popes, it’s a bargain according to Philips, “I think readers might save themselves £25 and read Fr Schofield’s booklet in the CTS’s ‘concise histories’; it is only £1.95.”

On the subject of Pope Pius XII, EWTN has today reported a possible miracle through his intercession. A 42 year-old Italian teacher has journeyed to Rome to tell how she was cured of cancer.

A history of the Papacy by Fr Nicholas Schofield is available from CTS priced £1.95

Of related interest:

	Pius XII - Pius XII was Pope at a very turbulent time in history (1939 – 1958), and widely admired and respected in his lifetime. Since 1963 attacks against him have increased, notably concerning the plight of the Jewish people in the second World War – each attack has been fully answered by those who have studied the facts.
	Pius XII and the Holocaust – Using rare archive footage and interviews with witnesses and experts, the film shows the steps Pius took to protect the persecuted.
	John XXIII – Angelo Roncalli, intelligent, modest, joyful and from the humblest of origins, became Pope aged 78. Yet his short papacy (1958-1963) inaugurated the most significant event in Church life for centuries: the Vatican Council II.

Thursday, 07 July 2011 16:18

Blessed John Paul II: A Look at the Stats

In celebration of the beatification of John Paul II last Sunday, we wanted to present some statistics of his extraordinary papacy, and details of some of the new memoirs that are available.

Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, who was Karol Wojtyła’s 2nd personal secretary, has released a book about his everyday life with Pope John Paul II, called “He liked Tuesdays best” because, as it transpires, that was his day off!

The book is part of a flood of reflective texts and interviews on the Polish Pope coming to light after his beatification. Yesterday on Vatican Radio, Gary L. Krupp, of the Pave the Way foundation working for interreligious understanding, gave a moving testimony of the great work both this Pope and the Church has done with other religions, remembering his attendance of the Holy Father’s last major audience in January 2005. It is well worth listening to.

Looking at the numbers

All these reflections give us an opportunity to look at some of the measureable achievements of John Paul II’s pontificate. Although it does not do justice to all his work, nor does it give the full picture of a man who was a mystic as well as the most seen man in human history, it can give an idea of his apostolic zeal.

His pontificate lasted 9,965 days and included visiting 129 different countries, travelling 1,247,613 km or 750,000 miles, the equivalent of circumnavigating the globe more than 30 times, or travelling 3 times to the moon.

Many, including Jim Gallagher in the new CTS biography John Paul II – The Road to Sainthood, have commented that the Pope’s success as pastor of the universal Church, came from his understanding that he was still a priest and a bishop. He continued to dispense the Sacraments, baptising 1501 children during his pontificate and ordaining hundreds of priests and bishops. His teaching will shape the thought and life of the Catholic Church for centuries. This teaching covers a dozen linear feet of shelf space and includes 14 encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 12 Apostolic Constitutions and 45 Apostolic Letters.

He held 1,164 general audiences attended by 17,665,800 people. John Paul wanted to give those faithful examples – beyond the one he gave with his own life – of holiness. So he celebrated 1338 beatifications including 1032 martyrs, and canonised 482 saints including 402 martyrs.

When people criticised him for this, reminding him that he had proclaimed more people saint and blessed than any Pope before him, he replied that they should take their complaints to the Holy Spirit, since it was the third Person of the Holy Trinity at work and not John Paul II.

Yet he himself inspired countless numbers of people – as the one and a half million strong crowd at his beatification attested – showing them and the more sceptical world, how a radically converted Christian can change the course of history.

Blessed John Paul II, pray for us.

John Paul II – The Road to Sainthood by Jim Gallagher is available from CTS at £2.95

Of related interest:

	John Paul II: The Pope who Made History – A unique and monumental 5-DVD collection that chronologically follows Pope John Paul II’s life, including his childhood in Poland, his appointment as Pope, his most important foreign visits, and his last days.
	John Paul II: His Life his Pontificate – his DVD contains two feature-length documentaries: His Life (30 mins) and His Pontificate (60 mins). They consider the two parts of John Paul’s life, before and after his election as Pope.
	How Saints are Canonised - Through baptism, all Christians are called to be saints, and yet there are also ‘saints’ who are ‘canonised’ by the Church. This booklet gives an overview of the history and process of beatification and canonisation in the Catholic Church.

Friday, 06 May 2011 15:30

Chair Of Saint Peter – Domine quo vadis?

Today is the feast of the Chair of St Peter the apostle. It calls to mind, both the primacy of Rome and the importance of the apostle and his successors.

In the readings the Church gives us, we are presented with Peter’s supreme confession of faith, Jesus asks the disciples who they think he is, and Peter replies:

“‘You are the Christ, the son of the living God’. The Lord replied, ‘You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church’ (Mt 16: 13-20).”

This then, is the Petrine ministry, to declare to the world that Christ is the Son of God.

The Papacy is the oldest surviving institution in the world, Pope Benedict XVI is the 266^th in line from St Peter.

Papal power

In the popular imagination, the picture of the Pope as corrupt medieval potentate has taken hold, and there were some Popes who fitted this stereotype, but in one sense, this should not surprise people.

As Fr Nicholas Schofield sums up in his book, A history of the Papacy:

“The papacy is a remarkable institution, surviving numerous crises down the centuries and adapting itself to new circumstances, while remaining the rock on which Christ built His Church. As the Church expanded and developed, so too did the understanding of the Petrine ministry.

Peter as a model – for better and for worse

“The Lord chose Peter as the first pope – the Apostle who walked on water but then began to sink; who made the first profession of faith and moments later blundered into error; who denied his Master three times, despite having sworn he would never do such a thing.

“Ever since Peter, weak human beings have occupied the Throne of Peter. Some have been saints and born leaders. Many have been weak in their struggles with the political powers or have been guilty of corruption and immorality.

Sister Healed by John Paul II In Her Own Words

Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, of the French community of Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood, was diagnosed in 2001 as having Parkinson’s disease, the same illness as Pope John Paul II suffered in his later years.

She tells the story of her cure in the updated CTS biography of John Paul II.

She was so afraid of just how much her condition would deteriorate that she could not even bear to watch her beloved Pope on television. His condition was a reminder of how she would soon be.

Stopping her work

Sister enjoyed her work on a maternity ward in Aix-en-Provence and was responsible for a number of staff.

She remembered clearly the morning of 2nd June 2005. “I was totally disabled and could no longer carry on.” She could no longer write legibly. She couldn’t drive or move around easily and was in so much pain that she couldn’t sleep. She had reached her limit and that morning she asked her Superior if she might resign her post and give up work.

Peace and serenity

Her request to stand down was gently declined. Instead, her Superior suggested that she ask the recently deceased John Paul II to intercede for a cure for her. At that moment the two nuns experienced the atmosphere in the office change.

“There came a great feeling of peace and serenity. I felt at peace and so did my Superior. This feeling of deep peace within and around us lasted for several minutes.”

The Superior then asked her to write John Paul II’s name on a piece of paper. The Parkinson’s disease, though, had progressed so much that her left arm and hand trembled uncontrollably and she could not write. “Perhaps a miracle will happen if I just believe,” Sister told herself.

That night she slept well, not experiencing the usual insomnia caused by pain from the disease.

An interior joy

At 4.30 on the morning of the 3rd June she woke up feeling completely different:

“I was no longer the same. I had an interior joy and great peace. Later on I was surprised by the movements I was able to make with my body,” she reported. At the same time, she experienced “a great urge to pray. It was not a set prayer-time but I prayed anyway.” She reports that she went to the maternity ward chapel and there, before the tabernacle, prayed “with deep joy”.

She joined the rest of the community for their usual 6am Mass:

“I realised that my left arm was no longer immobile when I walked, but swung back and forth normally. During the Mass I became convinced that I was cured, I went to another sister and showed her my hand. It wasn’t shaking. I said, ‘John Paul has obtained my cure’. She looked at me wide eyed and we stood in silence.”

That day Sister Marie Simon-Pierre was able to work on the maternity ward, assisting at a caesarean section and registering the baby’s birth in her own handwriting.

The Little Sister of Catholic Motherhood recounted all these events to journalists on 14th January 2011. On that very day Pope Benedict XVI approved her cure as the necessary miracle for the beatification of Pope John Paul II.

From John Paul II – The Road to Sainthood by Jim Gallagher

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Monday, 21 February 2011 09:32

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Posts Tagged ‘Papacy’

Pope Benedict XVI’s journeys overseas – 3rd trip to Germany begins Thursday

Never mind John Julius Norwich read the CTS history of the Popes instead – says Francis Phillips