Let's start a rumor (about the new papal encyclical)

Catholic Culture ^ | 5/29/2009 | Diogenes

[markomalley]

Let's just imagine that you're the Pope. For months now you've been working on an encyclical about Catholic social teaching. The expected publication date has been pushed back several times; evidently you haven't been happy with the early drafts. Just when the project finally seemed near completion, the world economy went into a nosedive, and since the encyclical is devoted largely to a discussion of the global economy, you realized that you'd need to work over the draft once again, to provide some responses to the questions that everyone is now asking. 

Now at last the encyclical is near completion-- again. The latest word is that it could appear at the end of June. If that's true, you really need to finish writing, because it will take a few weeks to run the text through the (notoriously slow) Vatican translating process and into the print shop. 

By now your text must be in something approaching its final form. No doubt you'll want a few people to read it over and make final comments. Which Vatican officials would you call on for that purpose?

• No doubt you'd start with Cardinal Renato Martino, the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, whose office is taking the lead on this project.
• Since you're writing about how the global economic system affects different societies and cultures, you might want to consult with a prelate who's regularly in touch with leading representatives of other cultures-- say, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue.
• And naturally, since any encyclical is a teaching document, you'd certainly want to double-check the doctrinal implications. You could do that yourself, but two heads are better than one, so why not call in the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Levada?

Does that all sound logical to you? OK, then let's end the exercise in imagination-- sorry; you're not the Pope!-- and get back to reality. Here's a listing of today's papal audiences, verbatim, from the Vatican Information Service. 

VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

- Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

This evening he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

What does this prove? Nothing. I'm just saying....

[markomalley]

FWIW

[Quix]

Sounds like you’re on top of these things as usual. LOL.

congrats.

[AzSteven]

Hey! Stop reading the Pope’s appointment book - its like you’re stalking him! ;-)

[the invisib1e hand]

WIIW?

Have no idea about all the rumininations, but I have been looking forward to reading it. I'm sure it's going to be quite a buzz.

[the invisib1e hand]

rumininations, that is.

[MSF BU]

Windswept House. Cardinal Mahoney...err, I mean the Cardinal of Century City must be really looking forward to the new document, eh? Another seamless garment that the baby killers and child molesters can use to obfuscate and disillusion the orthodox.

[bronxville]

“VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

- Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

This evening he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

What does this prove? Nothing. I’m just saying....”

Domincan Republic Roman Catholic Cardinal during Fascist uprising meets with Pope on Social Agenda:

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran has been invited to an audience with Pope Benedict just days after a delay in the long-awaited social encyclical. Prior to Cardinal Turan’s current inter-religious post, he was Apostolic Nunciature for the Dominican Republic during the fascist, para-military “death squad” era, before being abruptly transferred to the post of Apostolic Nunciature in Lebanon.

A source at the Vatican expressed concern on the fallout effect the Vatican’s Social Agenda may have on poor Catholics in South American countries whose population remains a majority catholic, despite huge conversions to the Mega Evangelical Churches, and other non-religious groups. The Catholic Church recently closed 30 churches last month alone, and set to close another 50 within the next six months in various diocese around the country.
CNNN.com

[SuziQ]

Another seamless garment that the baby killers and child molesters can use to obfuscate and disillusion the orthodox.

Benedict XVI doesn't do 'Seamless Garment'.

[MSF BU]

Let’s hope not, we’ll see. He damn sure does Cardinal Mahoney.

[SuziQ]

How do you figure that?

[onedoug]

This Pope is a good man who, by his by his endorsement of a philistinian state in Israel, evidently thinks that his or his successors will be able to coincide with an islamist state in Italy.

Moreover, as this comes to pass, there’ll likely be no more United States to pull his cassock out of the fire.

It will be over.