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Castel Gandolfo, Jul. 25, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki met with Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) on July 25 at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. Pope Benedict underscored his concern about the Christian minority in Iraq during the conversation. A Vatican statement released after the meeting noted that the Holy Father had decried the continuing violence in Iraq and pointed out that the bloodshed has taken a heavy toll on "the Christian communities which strongly feel the need for greater security." The Pope also spoke about the needs of Iraqi refugees and-- returning...

The traditional Latin Mass – effectively banned by Rome for 40 years – is to be reintroduced into every Roman Catholic parish in England and Wales, the senior Vatican cardinal in charge of Latin liturgy said at a press conference in London today. In addition, all seminaries will be required to teach trainee priests how to say the old Mass so that they can celebrate it in all parishes. Catholic congregations throughout the world will receive special instruction on how to appreciate the old services, formerly known as the Tridentine Rite.

There’s an urban legend making the rounds about Pope Benedict’s visit to the United States. The story goes that Vice-President Cheney asked the pontiff what he’s been reading. The Holy Father replied that he’s been researching “the Arian heresy.” Cheney, thinking the pope meant “Aryan,” said, “That must be interesting for you, since you lived through it. And Benedict responded, “I’m old, but I’m not that old.” It’s a funny story, and I’m told it appeared in the London Times. But I’m afraid I couldn’t find confirmation anywhere on the Web. So I went over the head of the World...

[This article by Jim Akin is a good companion to the previous post about Arch-Tame Wuerl. Jim is director of apologetics and evangelization at "Catholic Answers" and is a contributing editor of This Rock. --PP] Abortion Is the Black Hole of Moral Issues A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia but votes...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict is expected to meet the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on Monday in only the second official meeting between the two religious leaders, a Vatican source said on Sunday. The meeting comes less than two months after the Vatican's top officials for relations with Islam criticised Williams as mistaken and naive for suggesting that some aspects of Sharia law in Britain were unavoidable. The spiritual leader for the world's 77 million Anglicans, Williams -- who sparked a political storm with the Sharia comments -- last held talks with the Pope in November 2006. Ties...

ROME (AFP) — The Vatican on Friday dismissed the US newsweekly Time's annual list of the world's 100 most influential people as "bizarre and arbitrary," saying the Holy See was pleased that the pope was not included. "I am happy about this absence (of Pope Benedict XVI) from the list, whose composition is kind of bizarre and arbitrary," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told AFP. Lombardi said he doubted whether the magazine took fully into account the pope's spiritual and moral authority. This year's list does include the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama as well as the patriarch of the...

Vatican City, Apr 30, 2008 / 04:06 pm (CNA).- Following today's general audience, Benedict XVI received a group of Iranian Muslims who have been meeting biannually for the last 12 years with the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. The dialogue between the Vatican and the Muslim group resulted in an agreement on faith and reason, violence and religion and the method for dialogue. The Vatican is being represented in the discussions by a delegation led by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, while the president of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization of Tehran, Iran is leading their group. Representatives from both groups...

Paris, Apr 29, 2008 / 12:37 pm (CNA).- The Bishops’ Conference of France has officially announced that Pope Benedict XVI will travel to France for the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions that took place in Lourdes. The trip, which is scheduled for September 12-15, 2008, will begin with a greeting by French officials after which the Holy Father will head to the College des Bernardins where he will address the “world of culture.”  Then the Pope will pray vespers at the Cathedral of Notre Dame.  Following the prayer service, he will address young people gathered at the Cathedral.  On...

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 27, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Rumors suggesting that Benedict XVI's health is failing are "baseless," confirmed the Vatican. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, said this in statements to the press after the French newspaper Le Figaro published an article Saturday that raised questions regarding the Pontiff's health. The report also speculated on future successors to the papacy. The spokesman said the article's assertions, published less than one week after the Pontiff ended his five-day apostolic trip to the United States, were "paradoxical.� “Benedict XVI is well and it is paradoxical that doubts about his...

In the aftermath of the U.S. visit by Pope Benedict XVI, traditional Catholics are asking a troublesome question: Did pro-choice politicians receiving Communion at the papal Masses indicate the pope had softened on the abortion question? The answer is no. On the contrary, it reflected disobedience to Benedict by the archbishops of New York and Washington. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sens. John Kerry, Christopher Dodd and Edward M. Kennedy received Communion at Nationals Park in Washington, as did former mayor Rudolph Giuliani at Yankee Stadium in New York. Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington and Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of...

Their names are Shadow, Butch, Misty, Rusty, Sparky, Sunshine, Esther, Marty and Spunky. They are cats, some former strays, some tiger-striped. But to Jan Fredericks of Wayne, N.J., they are family, they are God’s creatures and deserving of compassion. And in Pope Benedict XVI, Ms. Fredericks, the chairwoman of the fledgling American branch of Catholic Concern for Animals, believes that she has found a kindred spirit: Along with an enormous entourage and a message of peace, the Pope brought with him to the United States a lifelong love of cats.

On Sunday 20 April 2008, Pope Benedict XVI visited the site of the terrorist attack in New York City, 11 September 2001. While there he offered the following prayer.O God of love, compassion, and healing,look on us, people of many different faithsand traditions,who gather today at this site,the scene of incredible violence and pain. We ask you in your goodnessto give eternal light and peaceto all who died here —the heroic first-responders:our fire fighters, police officers,emergency service workers, andPort Authority personnel,along with all the innocent men and womenwho were victims of this tragedysimply because their work or servicebrought them here...

The White House welcoming ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI to America was truly inspiring. The U.S. Army band and chorus performed an amazing rendition of the Battle Hyman of the Republic. The Pope spoke about the greatness of America. On Sunday I was the emcee at Springfest, a family fun festival in Deltona, Florida. Deltona is the fulfillment of MLK's dream where blacks, whites, Hispanics and others live and play together. Inspired by the tremendous celebration of God and country at the White House, I felt compelled to do the same at Springfest. I asked the Sheriff's dept. motorcycle officers...

NEW YORK CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI will always have his detractors, but even his toughest critics will admit that this past week the aging pontiff brought the need to heal the clergy sex abuse crisis high up onto his papal platform.Whether one believes that reform is coming or that Benedict’s speeches are merely words on a page, the pontiff has confronted the thorny issue in ways that defied expectations.Before the Holy Father set foot on American soil, he told reporters aboard the papal airplane that pedophile priests left him “deeply ashamed.� During his homily at St. Patrick’s Cathedral...

- Pope Benedict XVI, nearing the end of his six-day trip to the United States, opened a rare window yesterday evening into his own struggles as a child in Nazi Germany, telling a large rally of seminarians and young Catholics that his difficulties in that era helped him understand the challenges that young people face. (snip) "My own years as a teenager were marred by a sinister regime that thought it had all the answers," he told the seminarians and young people outside St. Joseph's Seminary, in the Dunwoodie section of Yonkers. "Its influence grew, infiltrating schools and civic bodies,...

Pope Benedict XVI has spoken out for the first time about growing up under the "monster" of Nazism. Speaking at a youth rally in New York, the German-born pontiff said his teenager years had been "marred by a sinister regime". Earlier, during a Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan he spoke out again about the suffering of victims of paedophile Catholic priests. On Sunday, he is due to visit the scene of the 9/11 attacks in New York. Pope Benedict's tour of the US is his first visit to the country since being elected head of the Catholic Church...

Washington DC, Apr 19, 2008 / 01:05 pm (CNA).- The President of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Father Terence Henry, TOR, has given his reaction to Catholic News Agency on the Pope’s message to Catholic university leaders. Father Henry said that he believes Pope Benedict’s address taught that authentic Catholic education “springs from the heart of the Church.” Father Henry was particularly struck by Pope Benedict’s idea that Catholic institutions are “instruments of hope” to the world and to young people. “There are some out there who think that authentic freedom means to speculate on everything under the sun,” Father Henry...

"One of the blessings of being the President is I get to see firsthand how people are motivated by the fundamental truths articulated by the Holy Father."

For 25 remarkable minutes, the shepherd of the world's 1 billion Catholics met with a handful of victims in the worst scandal to ever tarnish the U.S. church. One man, abused as an altar boy, said he placed his hand over Pope Benedict XVI's heart as he pleaded with him to fix the problem of sexual abuse of minors. The pontiff apologized to his guests for not being perfectly fluent in English, and "for everything," according to another victim. Plans for the secret meeting were kept quiet. But two Boston-area victims of abuse shared details of the meeting in interviews...

RightNation.US member lyria checked out the scene as the visiting Benedict XVI made his way through the nation's capitol today. According to a delightfully hilarious post by lyria, the hawkers were strange enough, but: The real show was the protesters. I love a good freakshow. When I heard the angry voice through the bullhorn, I was expecting a gay rights group, a reproductive rights group, or maybe something about female ordination or the pedophilia scandals. No..... They were protesting the existence of Catholicism. No, really, they were. I am not joking. Once I realized it, I started looking for the...

Pope Benedict XVI, the Vicar of Christ, the 265th Successor of Peter, Shepperd of the Church founded by Jesus Christ, has arrived in the United States of American, landing at Andrews Air Force Base in Bethesda, Maryland at 1558 hours. The Holy Father was greeted by U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife Laura. He is the first world leader that President Bush has ever greeted on the tarmac upon arrival in the United States. Details of the Holy Father's visit can be found at: Christ Our Hope: Pope Benedict XVI Apostolic Journey to the United States

Pope Benedict has arrived in the U.S. The pontiff's plane, named "Shepherd One", landed at Andrews Air Force Base just before 10 in the morning Hawaii time. The President, first lady, and their daughter Jenna greeted him as he walked out of the plane. It is the first time the president has met a foreign leader at the Maryland base. This is Pope Benedict's first visit to the U.S. as the pontiff. He will be only the second to visit the White House. His trip tomorrow will mark his 81st birthday. He will hold a papal mass in Washington Thursday,...

He's coming! Associated Press, filing its report from the airborne Shepherd One [picture], has the first coverage: "Vatican officials selected four questions to be read by the journalists to the pontiff aboard the plane." BBC Quotes him as saying: "It is more important to have good priests than many priests." The pope usually conducts a press conference aboard the plane when he on a long flight. There had been some talk that he might cancel it this time rather than go through what happened in Brazil again - where a comment of his sparked a frenzy of (confused) debate...

Today the President signed the Honor of Education and Sharing Day Proclamation. Also today the President presented the Lifetime President's Volunteer Service Award to Chick fil-A Inc. founder Truett Cathy. The President met the Pope at Andrews Airforce Base the first time during his Presidency that he has gone to Andrews Airforce to welcome an overseas dignitary. Pray for President Bush -- Day 2770 Today Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified before the House Armed Services Committee. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

THREE years ago, in the final weeks of Pope John Paul II's papacy, the Vatican's diplomatic service took great care to distance the Catholic Church from American foreign policy, in order to protect Christians in mainly Muslim lands from being tarred with the same brush as the Bush administration. But as his successor Pope Benedict XVI arrives on Tuesday April 15th for a five-day trip to the United States, the gap between the Vatican and America seems to have narrowed a great deal. The Vatican fear that Middle Eastern Christians would pay a high price for the perceived misdeeds of...

At the open-air mass in St. Peter's on April 2, the third anniversary of the death of John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI spoke movingly – he brought mist to the eyes of our little group of visiting Americans – of John Paul's life, and the meaning of his suffering. "Among his many human and supernatural qualities he had an exceptional spiritual and mystical sensitivity," said the pontiff, who knew John Paul long and intimately. (Those who hope for swift canonization please note: "supernatural." Benedict the philosopher does not use words lightly.) He spoke of the distilled message of John...

I guess it was only a matter of time, but Archbishop Marini has written a book. And why not? When you've been in power for a long time, and some new upstart boss comes along and replaces you just like that, there's only one thing to do: vent your spleen in a juicy, tell-all book designed to embarrass all the enemies you made on the way up, particularly the boss who just replaced you, so that they all go skulking around thinking to themselves, "Well, I guess he showed us." Of course, that's all in your imagination, since your new...

Dear Brothers and Sisters,In his farewell discourse, Jesus announced his imminent death and resurrection to his disciples with these mysterious words:  “I go away, and I will come to you”, he said (Jn 14:28).  Dying is a “going away”.  Even if the body of the deceased remains behind, he himself has gone away into the unknown, and we cannot follow him (cf. Jn 13:36).  Yet in Jesus’s case, there is something utterly new, which changes the world.  In the case of our own death, the “going away” is definitive, there is no return.  Jesus, on the other hand, says of...

Italy's most prominent Muslim commentator is converting to Catholicism by being baptized by the pope at an Easter vigil, the Vatican announced Saturday. Magdi Allam is the deputy editor of the Corriere della Sera newspaper and writes often on Muslim and Arab affairs. Born in Egypt, he has described himself as a non-practicing Muslim. He has long spoken out against extremism and in favor of tolerance.

What's wrong with big Papal Masses? [Back when John Paul II made his second visit to our country (I forget the year off the top of my head -- and blogs are done off the top of one's head), I was invited to concelebrate the "stadium Mass" at the Meadowlands with the Holy Father, along with every other priest in the region who had been ordained recently. I declined, not out of any disrespect for the Holy Father, but out of respect for the Blessed Eucharist. Before entering the seminary, I attended his Mass on the Mall in Washington, and...

That last post ended on what some might call an inflammatory note. The suggestion that some priests would react to a “re-reform” of the Roman Liturgy by setting their priesthood aside may seem hyperbolic to some; but I’m a priest, and know a lot of priests, and am confident that I’m not just whistling Dixie here (especially since whistling Dixie here could get you thrown out of some finer eating establishments). The operative question for any priest whose ministry has been exclusively post-conciliar is this: Does he view his style of ministry, his personal spirituality, his manner of celebrating the...

I've come across a real gem (or, rather, a friend of mine came across it and alerted me to it): a letter from 2003, written by then Cardinal Ratzinger, in answer to a letter requesting wider permission throughout the Latin Church for the use of the Missal of John XXIII. Dear Dr. Barth ! My heartfelt thanks for your letter of April 6, which I didn't have time to answer until now. You're asking me to lobby for a wider permission of the old Roman Rite. As you well know, I am very open to such requests, as my efforts...

VATICAN CITY (AFP) - - More than 100,000 people filled St Peter's Square on Sunday in a show of support for Pope Benedict XVI after protests by scientists forced him to cancel a university speech. The pilgrims gave a roar of approval when the Pope Benedict, speaking after his weekly blessing, said: "I encourage all of you, dear academics, to always be respectful of the opinions of others, and to seek the truth and the good with an open and responsible mind." The 80-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church cancelled a planned speech at Rome's La Sapienza university Thursday...

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE1 JANUARY 2008THE HUMAN FAMILY, A COMMUNITY OF PEACE1. At the beginning of a New Year, I wish to send my fervent good wishes for peace, together with a heartfelt message of hope to men and women throughout the world. I do so by offering for our common reflection the theme which I have placed at the beginning of this message. It is one which I consider particularly important: the human family, a community of peace. The first form of communion between persons is that...

MARIAZELL, Austria (CNS) -- When Pope Benedict XVI came to the Austrian Marian shrine of Mariazell, he spoke a lot about Jesus Christ and said relatively little about Mary. That was indicative of the “style” of this pope’s Marian devotion, which Vatican officials have described as prudent, thoughtful and very Christocentric. In general, the pope sees attachment to Mary as a wonderful way for the faithful to draw closer to Christ, but has been wary of anything that tends to exaggerate or over-sentimentalize her role in the church. “We rest awhile with the mother of the Lord, and we pray...

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican sought to calm Jewish anger yesterday over the pope's meeting with a prominent Polish priest accused of anti-Semitism, declaring the encounter did not imply any change in the Church's desire for good relations with Jews. The Vatican issued the assurances after Pope Benedict XVI's brief meeting Sunday with the Rev. Tadeusz Rydzyk, which drew protests from worldwide Jewish organizations. Photos showing the pope at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo with Rydzyk, along with two other Polish priests, were published in Polish newspapers on Tuesday. Rydzyk, who runs a conservative media empire that includes the...

ON JUNE 29, 2007, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), with Benedict XVI’s approval, published “Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church.” Our local paper carried a short article on it entitled “Pope Says Others Are Not True Churches.” The writer portrayed the Vatican document as anti-ecumenical and as a return to the pre-Vatican II teaching that “Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation.” Similar accounts appeared elsewhere in the popular press. Many commentators linked the statement to Benedict XVI’s approval of the Motu Mass, and treated it as...

Pope Benedict XVI has drawn fire from Protestants worldwide for saying in early July of 2007, that they are not part of the “true church.” Protestants have weighed in and the response has included everything from disappointment to anger.

On the same day that he attacked the GOP as being "scared of black folks," CNN contributor Roland Martin posted a column on CNN.com in which he proclaimed the "irrelevancy" of Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church, specifically in the context of a recent document that clarified what the Catholic Church teaches about other Christian denominations. He advised non-Catholic Christians that they "shouldn't even bother getting upset" over the recent document issued by the Catholic Church. "Just chalk up to an old man trying to get a little attention," he said of Pope Benedict XVI. Martin also described the...

(CNN) -- Non-Catholics who are up in arms of the proclamation by Pope Benedict XVI that the only true church in the world is that of Catholicism shouldn't even bother getting upset. Just chalk it up to an old man trying to get a little attention. For him to even suggest that only the Catholic Church can provide true salvation to believers in Christ shows that he is wholly ignorant of the Scriptures that I have known all my life. Sorry, let me take that back. I've really only known the Bible for the last 13 of my 38 years....

It was good to read that Pope Benedict sent a message of support to the Scout movement on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. August 1 marks the centenary of the first Scout camp, organized by Sir Robert (later Lord) Baden-Powell on the island of Brownsea, in England. Boy Scouts, and the values which the Scouting movement inculcates, have attracted the admiration of great men from the movement's earliest days. Its beginnings were Edwardian, and it has preserved much of the best of that sunny and admirable period of Western civilization. In a letter addressed to Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, president...

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITHRESPONSES TO SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING CERTAIN ASPECTSOF THE DOCTRINE ON THE CHURCH IntroductionThe Second Vatican Council, with its Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, and its Decrees on Ecumenism (Unitatis redintegratio) and the Oriental Churches (Orientalium Ecclesiarum), has contributed in a decisive way to the renewal of Catholic ecclesiolgy. The Supreme Pontiffs have also contributed to this renewal by offering their own insights and orientations for praxis: Paul VI in his Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam suam (1964) and John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint (1995).The consequent duty of theologians to expound with...

Pope broadens access to 1962 Mass (news/analysis) by Phil Lawler Vatican, Jul. 7, 2007 (CWNews.com) With a motu proprio entitled Summorum Pontificum, made public on July 7, Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) has provided for a much broader use of the Roman Missal of 1962, explaining that he hopes to encourage "interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church." The long-awaited motu proprio, which had been the subject of intensive speculation within the Church for more than a year, gives every priest the right to celebrate the Mass using the 1962 Missal, and instructs pastors to "willingly accept" requests...

My dear Brother Bishops, With great trust and hope, I am consigning to you as Pastors the text of a new Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" on the use of the Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970. The document is the fruit of much reflection, numerous consultations and prayer. News reports and judgments made without sufficient information have created no little confusion. There have been very divergent reactions ranging from joyful acceptance to harsh opposition, about a plan whose contents were in reality unknown. This document was most directly opposed on account of two fears, which I would...

LITTERAE APOSTOLICAEMOTU PROPRIO DATAEBENEDICTUS XVI Summorum Pontificum cura ad hoc tempus usque semper fuit, ut Christi Ecclesia Divinae Maiestati cultum dignum offerret, «ad laudem et gloriam nominis Sui» et «ad utilitatem totius Ecclesiae Suae sanctae». Ab immemorabili tempore sicut etiam in futurum, principium servandum est «iuxta quod unaquaeque Ecclesia particularis concordare debet cum universali Ecclesia non solum quoad fidei doctrinam et signa sacramentalia, sed etiam quoad usus universaliter acceptos ab apostolica et continua traditione, qui servandi sunt non solum ut errores vitentur, verum etiam ad fidei integritatem tradendam, quia Ecclesiae lex orandi eius legi credendi respondet»1.Inter Pontífices qui talem debitam...

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VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI has approved a document that relaxes restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass used by the Roman Catholic Church for centuries until the modernizing reforms of the 1960s, the Vatican said Thursday. Benedict discussed the decision with top officials in a meeting on Wednesday and the document will be published in the next few days, the statement said. The meeting was called to ``illustrate the content and the spirit'' of the document, which will be sent to all bishops accompanied by a personal letter from the pope. The decision comes after months of debate....

Sunday, June 17, 2007 For the Record - Tornielli: "Benedict XVI has signed" Andrea Tornielli, one of the most respected religious journalists in Italy, confirms in this Sunday's edition of Il Giornale the reports of the past few days, adding some interesting new historical information. We keep our great caution on possible dates and note again the oddity that so much could be apparently known, yet a simple piece of information -- the very title of the document, its first Latin words -- seems to be ignored. Ratzinger's turning point on the liturgy - All clear for the Ancient Latin...

Rome, Jun 8, 2007 / 09:03 am (CNA).- Christ’s incarnation and presence in the Eucharist “puts into crisis the wisdom of men”.  So the Pope spoke this past Thursday, at 7 p.m., on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).  To mark the feast, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and afterwards presided over a Eucharistic Procession from St. John’s Basilica until the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.  The Pope greeted the Romans gathered there, together with the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Mons. Camillo Ruini, and other cardinals and bishops...

After 2 Years, Pope Turns RightAP - 04/17/07 VATICAN CITY - As he approaches the third year of his reign, Pope Benedict XVI is hardening into the kind of pontiff that liberals feared and conservatives hoped for. Elected April 19, 2005, to succeed his dear friend John Paul II, the leader of the world's Roman Catholics slid smoothly into his job as pastor of an enormous flock. He reached out to dissidents, other faiths and countries long hostile to the church. But recently, as his 80th birthday approached, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has drawn a tougher line. He has...