Anglican Archbishop: Our Prayers Have Been Answered
Welcomes Pope's Offer of Personal Ordinariates
BLACKWOOD, South Australia, OCT. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The prayers of Anglicans wishing to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church have been more than answered today, according to the primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion.
Archbishop John Hepworth said this today in a statement that responded to the Vatican announcement that Benedict XVI would allow Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the Anglican spiritual and liturgical tradition.
This policy has been established in a forthcoming apostolic constitution, and it responds to requests from Anglicans who have expressed wishes to become Catholic, particularly as the Anglican Tradition continues to take steps toward opening their priesthood and episcopate to women and active homosexuals, and blessing same-sex unions.
Between 20 and 30 Anglican bishops have made such a request.
The constitution was announced at a press conference at the Vatican today, offered by Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Hepworth, who also heads the Diocese of Australia in the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia, said that the Traditional Anglican Communion is "profoundly moved by the generosity of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI."
Dedicated to unity
"He offers in this Apostolic Constitution the means for 'former Anglicans to enter into the fullness of communion with the Catholic Church,'" Hepworth explains. "He hopes that we can 'find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to us and consistent with the Catholic faith.'
"He then warmly states 'we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith.'"
"May I firstly state that this is an act of great goodness on the part of the Holy Father," continued Hepworth. "He has dedicated his pontificate to the cause of unity."
"It more than matches the dreams we dared to include in our petition of two years ago," he added. "It more than matches our prayers.
"In those two years, we have become very conscious of the prayers of our friends in the Catholic Church. Perhaps their prayers dared to ask even more than ours."
The archbishop said he would take the offer of the Holy See to each of the national synods of the Traditional Anglican Communion.
"Now the Holy See challenges us to seek in the specific structures that are now available the "full, visible unity, especially Eucharistic communion," for which we have long prayed and about which we have long dreamed. That process will begin at once," he affirmed.
Noting that the Anglican Office of Morning Prayer included the Hymn of Thanksgiving, the Te Deum, Hepworth added: "It is with heartfelt thanks to Almighty God, the Lord and Source of all peace and unity, that the hymn is on our lips today.
"This is a moment of grace, perhaps even a moment of history, not because the past is undone, but because the past is transformed."
Kamis, 22 Oktober 2009
Benediktus XVI Buka Jalan Bagi Anglikan Masuk ke Gereja Katolik
Pope Paves Way for Anglicans to Enter Church
Apostolic Constitution to Establish "Personal Ordinariates"
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Groups of Anglicans will now be able to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the Anglican spiritual and liturgical tradition.
This policy has been established in a forthcoming apostolic constitution the Vatican announced today.
It responds to requests from Anglicans who have expressed wishes to become Catholic, particularly as the Anglican Tradition continues to take steps toward opening their priesthood and episcopate to women and active homosexuals, and blessing same-sex unions.
Between 20 and 30 Anglican bishops have made such a request.
The constitution was announced at a press conference at the Vatican today, offered by Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
A statement from the congregation explained that with the apostolic constitution, "the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony."
These groups of Anglicans will be overseen and guided through the personal ordinariate, the leader of which will normally be chosen from among former Anglican clergy.
Married priests
The statement from the Vatican explained that the constitution "provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy."
It clarified that "historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches."
Thus, the apostolic constitution stipulates that the leader of the personal ordinariate be "either a priest or an unmarried bishop."
As to future priests, the statement explained: "The seminarians in the ordinariate are to be prepared alongside other Catholic seminarians, though the ordinariate may establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony. In this way, the apostolic constitution seeks to balance on the one hand the concern to preserve the worthy Anglican liturgical and spiritual patrimony and, on the other hand, the concern that these groups and their clergy will be integrated into the Catholic Church."
Worldwide
The Vatican statement said the apostolic constitution provides a "reasonable and even necessary response" to what it called a "worldwide phenomenon."
It offers a "single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application."
The profile of a "personal ordinariate" is similar in some ways to that of a personal prelature (Opus Dei is the only personal prelature right now) or the military ordinates, wherein a bishop has ecclesiastical authority over people of the armed forces and their families, regardless of their geographical location.
Many individual Anglicans have already entered into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Sometimes there have been groups of Anglicans who have entered while preserving some "corporate" structure, the Vatican statement noted, offering the example of an Anglican diocese in India and some parishes in the United States.
"In these cases, the Catholic Church has frequently dispensed from the requirement of celibacy to allow those married Anglican clergy who desire to continue ministerial service as Catholic priests to be ordained in the Catholic Church," the statement explained.
Enriched
According to Cardinal Levada: "It is the hope of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith.
"Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. [...]
"Our communion is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text of Vatican statement: www.zenit.org/article-27268?l=english
Apostolic Constitution to Establish "Personal Ordinariates"
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Groups of Anglicans will now be able to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the Anglican spiritual and liturgical tradition.
This policy has been established in a forthcoming apostolic constitution the Vatican announced today.
It responds to requests from Anglicans who have expressed wishes to become Catholic, particularly as the Anglican Tradition continues to take steps toward opening their priesthood and episcopate to women and active homosexuals, and blessing same-sex unions.
Between 20 and 30 Anglican bishops have made such a request.
The constitution was announced at a press conference at the Vatican today, offered by Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
A statement from the congregation explained that with the apostolic constitution, "the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony."
These groups of Anglicans will be overseen and guided through the personal ordinariate, the leader of which will normally be chosen from among former Anglican clergy.
Married priests
The statement from the Vatican explained that the constitution "provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy."
It clarified that "historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches."
Thus, the apostolic constitution stipulates that the leader of the personal ordinariate be "either a priest or an unmarried bishop."
As to future priests, the statement explained: "The seminarians in the ordinariate are to be prepared alongside other Catholic seminarians, though the ordinariate may establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony. In this way, the apostolic constitution seeks to balance on the one hand the concern to preserve the worthy Anglican liturgical and spiritual patrimony and, on the other hand, the concern that these groups and their clergy will be integrated into the Catholic Church."
Worldwide
The Vatican statement said the apostolic constitution provides a "reasonable and even necessary response" to what it called a "worldwide phenomenon."
It offers a "single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application."
The profile of a "personal ordinariate" is similar in some ways to that of a personal prelature (Opus Dei is the only personal prelature right now) or the military ordinates, wherein a bishop has ecclesiastical authority over people of the armed forces and their families, regardless of their geographical location.
Many individual Anglicans have already entered into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Sometimes there have been groups of Anglicans who have entered while preserving some "corporate" structure, the Vatican statement noted, offering the example of an Anglican diocese in India and some parishes in the United States.
"In these cases, the Catholic Church has frequently dispensed from the requirement of celibacy to allow those married Anglican clergy who desire to continue ministerial service as Catholic priests to be ordained in the Catholic Church," the statement explained.
Enriched
According to Cardinal Levada: "It is the hope of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith.
"Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. [...]
"Our communion is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text of Vatican statement: www.zenit.org/article-27268?l=english
Minggu, 11 Oktober 2009
Bapanya Penderita Kusta Jadi Orang Kudus
Paus Benediktus XVI mengukuhkan lima orang Kudus baru, termasuk seorang pastor Belgia, Josef De Veuster, yang hidup bersama dengan para pasien kusta di kepuluan terpencil di Hawaii pada abad 19.
Para umat Katolik asal Hawai memenuhi Lapangan Santo Petrus saat pengukuhkan itu diumumkan, Minggu (11/10) pagi. Termasuk mereka yang datang adalah seorang warga Hawaii, Audrey Toguchi, yang sembuh dari penyakit kanker paru-paru. Vatikan menyebut itu adalah sebuah keajaiban. Toguchi mengaku sembuh setelah berdoa untuk Josef De Veuster atau dikenal dengan sebutan Bapa Damienus. Bapa Damienus dikenal sebagai bapanya penderita kusta yang akhirnya meninggal dunia karena kusta di pulau Molokai.
Empat orang Kudus lainnya, dua asal Spanyol, satu lagi seorang pastor Polandia serta seorang biarawati asal Perancis. Paus mengatakan kelima orang Kudus itu memperoleh kesucian dan kesempurnaan karena berani "menentang arus" masyarakat.
Para umat Katolik asal Hawai memenuhi Lapangan Santo Petrus saat pengukuhkan itu diumumkan, Minggu (11/10) pagi. Termasuk mereka yang datang adalah seorang warga Hawaii, Audrey Toguchi, yang sembuh dari penyakit kanker paru-paru. Vatikan menyebut itu adalah sebuah keajaiban. Toguchi mengaku sembuh setelah berdoa untuk Josef De Veuster atau dikenal dengan sebutan Bapa Damienus. Bapa Damienus dikenal sebagai bapanya penderita kusta yang akhirnya meninggal dunia karena kusta di pulau Molokai.
Empat orang Kudus lainnya, dua asal Spanyol, satu lagi seorang pastor Polandia serta seorang biarawati asal Perancis. Paus mengatakan kelima orang Kudus itu memperoleh kesucian dan kesempurnaan karena berani "menentang arus" masyarakat.
MINGGU, 11 OKTOBER 2009 | 17:42 WIB
KOTA VATIKAN, KOMPAS.com
Selasa, 06 Oktober 2009
Without God We are Nothing
Cardinal Pell Shares "Dangerous Ideas"
Says to Atheists: Without God We're Nothing
SYDNEY, Australia, OCT. 5, 2009 (Zenit.org).- In a packed Sydney Opera House studio Sunday evening, Cardinal George Pell confronted the myth of modern atheism in the first ever Festival of Dangerous Ideas.
The archbishop of Sydney gave a conference titled "Without God We Are Nothing," shortly after one of the most prominent exponents of modern atheism, British journalist Christopher Hitchens, presented the claim that "Religion Poisons Everything."
The cardinal stated that although there are many people, including anti-theists and provocateurs, who regard God as an enemy, recent developments in physics and biology have strengthened the case for God, reported the Archdiocese of Sydney in a press statement.
He noted, however, that despite the affirmations of science, God cannot be contained within that field's framework since he is outside space and time.
The prelate affirmed that "the God for which we are arguing is not a God of the gaps, not a God who is brought in to paste over the gaps in our present scientific knowledge, which might be filled later as science progresses."
Rather, he said, this God explains "the whole of the universe, which is not self-explanatory, including the infrastructure and elements we understand scientifically."
Cardinal Pell made reference to Antony Flew, a philosopher who converted from atheism, who affirmed, "How can a universe of mindless matter produce beings with intrinsic ends, self replication capabilities and 'coded chemistry?'"
The cardinal pointed out that science involves the study of physical bodies such as sub-atomic particles, but to answer the question of why these particles exist, the inquirer must move from physics to metaphysics, and find the solution in philosophy.
Only 17% of people do not accept the existence of God, the prelate affirmed, striking down the claim that "most Australians are godless."
The reason God is not spoken of in society, he said, is the current secularist hostility to Christianity.
Culture wars
"Often God gets caught up in the secular hostility to the Christian defense of human life, especially at the beginning and end, the Christian defense of marriage, family and the linking of sexuality to love and life," Cardinal Pell affirmed.
He added: "Here in these culture wars lies the origin for most of the hatred of God and religion, while the new violence of a minority of Islamist terrorists has given Western secularists new grounds to attack all religions.
"However it is much safer to attack Christians!"
Nonetheless, the cardinal affirmed, God has "international popularity," which can be seen in some current trends. For example, he said, some statistics show that China, despite its religious freedom issues, could have measured the largest Christian population worldwide at the end of the 21st century.
In conclusion, the prelate stated that he is personally intrigued at the fact that there are so many people in the Western world today who are "unable to believe," especially those with a Christian or Jewish cultural background.
He said, "For me the issue is too important" to be subjected to self-indulgence or left on the level of polemics.
"I will continue to believe in the one true God of love because I maintain that no atheist can explain the smile of a child," Cardinal Pell affirmed.
He noted that in this light, current natural disasters such as the recent tsunami "also reminds us brutally of the problem of innocent suffering."
"But such suffering is worse if there is no afterlife to balance the scales of misfortune and injustice," he asserted, "and worse again if there is no innocence or guilt, no good or evil, if everything has the moral significance of froth on a wave."
The cardinal affirmed once again, "Without God we are nothing."
Says to Atheists: Without God We're Nothing
SYDNEY, Australia, OCT. 5, 2009 (Zenit.org).- In a packed Sydney Opera House studio Sunday evening, Cardinal George Pell confronted the myth of modern atheism in the first ever Festival of Dangerous Ideas.
The archbishop of Sydney gave a conference titled "Without God We Are Nothing," shortly after one of the most prominent exponents of modern atheism, British journalist Christopher Hitchens, presented the claim that "Religion Poisons Everything."
The cardinal stated that although there are many people, including anti-theists and provocateurs, who regard God as an enemy, recent developments in physics and biology have strengthened the case for God, reported the Archdiocese of Sydney in a press statement.
He noted, however, that despite the affirmations of science, God cannot be contained within that field's framework since he is outside space and time.
The prelate affirmed that "the God for which we are arguing is not a God of the gaps, not a God who is brought in to paste over the gaps in our present scientific knowledge, which might be filled later as science progresses."
Rather, he said, this God explains "the whole of the universe, which is not self-explanatory, including the infrastructure and elements we understand scientifically."
Cardinal Pell made reference to Antony Flew, a philosopher who converted from atheism, who affirmed, "How can a universe of mindless matter produce beings with intrinsic ends, self replication capabilities and 'coded chemistry?'"
The cardinal pointed out that science involves the study of physical bodies such as sub-atomic particles, but to answer the question of why these particles exist, the inquirer must move from physics to metaphysics, and find the solution in philosophy.
Only 17% of people do not accept the existence of God, the prelate affirmed, striking down the claim that "most Australians are godless."
The reason God is not spoken of in society, he said, is the current secularist hostility to Christianity.
Culture wars
"Often God gets caught up in the secular hostility to the Christian defense of human life, especially at the beginning and end, the Christian defense of marriage, family and the linking of sexuality to love and life," Cardinal Pell affirmed.
He added: "Here in these culture wars lies the origin for most of the hatred of God and religion, while the new violence of a minority of Islamist terrorists has given Western secularists new grounds to attack all religions.
"However it is much safer to attack Christians!"
Nonetheless, the cardinal affirmed, God has "international popularity," which can be seen in some current trends. For example, he said, some statistics show that China, despite its religious freedom issues, could have measured the largest Christian population worldwide at the end of the 21st century.
In conclusion, the prelate stated that he is personally intrigued at the fact that there are so many people in the Western world today who are "unable to believe," especially those with a Christian or Jewish cultural background.
He said, "For me the issue is too important" to be subjected to self-indulgence or left on the level of polemics.
"I will continue to believe in the one true God of love because I maintain that no atheist can explain the smile of a child," Cardinal Pell affirmed.
He noted that in this light, current natural disasters such as the recent tsunami "also reminds us brutally of the problem of innocent suffering."
"But such suffering is worse if there is no afterlife to balance the scales of misfortune and injustice," he asserted, "and worse again if there is no innocence or guilt, no good or evil, if everything has the moral significance of froth on a wave."
The cardinal affirmed once again, "Without God we are nothing."
Senin, 05 Oktober 2009
Paus Menentang Kolonialisme Baru
Dalam pidatonya Paus menentang apa yang disebut bentuk baru kolonialisme negara-negara Barat. Menurut Sri Paus, zaman kolonialisme politik memang telah berakhir, tapi saat ini warga Afrika menghadapi ancaman lain.
Menurut Paus negara-negara Barat mengekspor "limbah beracun" ke Afrika. Yang dimaksudnya adalah materialisme dan kurangnya nilai-nilai moral. Sri Paus memuji kekayaan budaya dan spiritual benua Afrika. Ia menyebut Afrika adalah "paru-paru spiritual" dunia.
Pertemuan sinode diikuti hampir 200 uskup dari 53 negara Afrika. Dalam tiga pekan mendatang mereka membahas peran Gereja Katolik Roma dalam perang melawan ketidakadilan sosial di Afrika.
Ini untuk kedua kali Roma menggelar sinode uskup Afrika. Yang pertama diselenggarakan tahun 1994, semasa genosida Rwanda. Gereja Katolik berkembang lebih cepat di Afrika ketimbang di negara-negara lain di dunia. Tiga dasawarsa belakangan jumlah umat Katolik Roma di Afrika meningkat hampir tiga kali lipat.
Senin, 5 Oktober 2009 | 04:59 WIB
VATIKAN, KOMPAS.com-http://internasional.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/10/05/04595645/paus.menentang.kolonialisme.baru
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