On the Authority of God

Drawing as ever from this Sunday's readings, B16's food for thought at today's Angelus....

Dear brothers and sisters!

This Sunday's Gospel (Mk 1.21 to 28) presents us with Jesus, on the Sabbath day, as he preached at the synagogue at Capernaum, the small town where Peter and his brother Andrew lived on the lake of Galilee. In his teaching, which arouses the wonder of the people, following the liberation of "a man with an unclean spirit" (v. 23), who recognizes in Jesus as the "saint of God," that is, the Messiah. In a short time, his fame spread throughout the region, which he travels announcing the Kingdom of God and healing the sick of all kinds: word and deed. St. John Chrysostom observes how the Lord "alternates [his] speech for the benefit of those who listen, moving on from wonders to words and again passing from the teaching of his doctrine to miracles" (Hom. on Matthew 25, 1: PG 57, 328).

The word that Jesus speaks to men immediately opens access to the will of the Father and the truth about themselves. It was not so, however, for the scribes, who struggled to interpret the Holy Scriptures with countless reflections. Furthermore, to the efficacy of the word, Jesus united the signs of deliverance from evil. St. Athanasius observes that "commanding and driving out demons is not human but divine work ', in fact, the Lord "distanced men from all diseases and infirmities. Who, seeing his power ... still doubted that he was the Son, the Wisdom and Power of God? " (Oratio de Incarnatione Verbi 18:19: PG 25, 128 BC.129 B). Divine authority is not a force of nature. It is the power of the love of God who created the Universe and, in becoming incarnate in His only begotten Son, in coming down to our humanity, heals the world corrupted by sin. Romano Guardini writes: "The whole life of Jesus is a translation of power in humility ... Here is the sovereignty that lowers itself to the form of a servant" (Power, Brescia 1999, 141,142).

For man, authority often means possession, power, control, success. For God, however, authority means service, humility, love; it means entering into the logic of Jesus who stoops to wash the disciples' feet (cf. Jn 13.5), who seeks the true good of man, who heals wounds, who is capable of a love so great as to give up his life, because he is Love. In one of her Letters, Saint Catherine of Siena writes: "We must see and know, in truth, with the light of faith, that God is the supreme and eternal Love, and desires nothing else but our good."

-30-

On Gotham's Feast, Scarlet Timbits

It might be another 23 days 'til the Scarlet Bowl -- that is, B16's induction of 22 new members into his "Senate" -- but given today's onomastico of the archbishop of New York, it seems fitting to mark St Timothy's Day by debuting the elevated arms of the soon-to-be Cardinal Dolan.

On his impending reception of the red hat, the Tenth Archbishop of the place the Vatican views as the "Capital of the World" will become the eighth occupant of St Patrick's Cathedral to join the Sacred College in the footsteps of John McCloskey -- the first cardinal created across the Atlantic -- who received his biretta in Fifth Avenue's Downtown predecessor in 1875.

For purposes of context, Canada's first ecclesial "prince," Archbishop Elzear-Alexandre de Taschereau of Quebec, was elevated in 1886, and Latin America's founding cardinal, Rio de Janiero's Joaquim Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti, got his galero in 1905.

Speaking of history, the Stateside church reaches a very significant milestone at next month's Consistory -- come the elevation of Dolan and Cardinal-designate Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore, the Bronx and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, the number of all-time cardinals from these shores will stand at 51.

Given O'Brien's precedence on Benedict's biglietto of nominees -- which puts him in line to receive his red hat first -- he technically enjoys the distinction of becoming the 50th American cardinal. There is, however, a quintessentially Roman flip-side: as the successor of Foley is likely to be made a cardinal-deacon by virtue of his Vatican post, as a residential archbishop, Dolan will enjoy the higher rank of a cardinal-priest... at least, for the next decade.

While each member of the College carries equal responsibilities and privileges, cardinal-deacons may seek to enter the presbyteral class after ten years. From the US, Cardinals Avery Dulles, William Levada, "His Foleyness," Raymond Burke and Francis Stafford were likewise elevated into the diaconal rank over recent years; the latter was bumped up in 2008 after passing the 10th anniversary of his elevation.

As if the USCCB president didn't already have enough to celebrate these days, Dolan turns 62 on February 6th. The cardinal-designate is currently in the Holy Land on a pre-elevation retreat with a group of New York priests.

* * *

To weightier matters, the leitmotif of Dolan's Red Dawn has found itself colored by an unexpected thread in the wake of last Friday's Obama administration move to mandate coverage of contraceptives in benefit plans over the religious-freedom objections of a broad spectrum of Catholic leadership, joined by that of other faith-based groups.

Of course, the Gotham prelate quickly took the lead in voicing a reaction he later described as "terribly let down, disappointed and disturbed." Asked earlier this week by a Big Apple TV outlet whether the move had roiled the already-turbulent waters between the bishops and the White House, as perhaps only he could, Dolan shot back that "You bet we got a disagreement."

The question came in the context of a Tuesday night lecture sponsored by Fordham University's Law School, its planned venue swapped for a hall at Lincoln Center in light of a heavier than anticipated crowd.

Given his pre-consistory schedule, the cardinal-designate's talk on "Law and the Gospel of Life" is likely to be the lone major speech of Dolan's transition into the College. Along those lines -- and especially given the heightened interest thanks to both the red hat and conscience battle -- you'd think that a high-profile Northeastern Jesuit university would have the resources and gumption to somehow share the event with a wider audience in ways beyond a bare-bones press release.

Yet as, for whatever reason, a touch of savvy seems to have eluded the Rose Hill mix, here's Dolan's prepared text:


Along the way, before heading to Washington for Monday's March for Life, the cardinal-designate tied a pressing state of poverty into the pro-life equation, launching a diocesan-wide food drive during his Sunday Mass at St Patrick's.

“I just challenge everybody: Put another chair at your table and feed somebody who’s hungry,” Dolan said.

In an earlier aside, though, noting the food baskets that had been brought up during his cathedral liturgy, the cardinal-to-be couldn't help but remark that "I’ve been distracted by that can of chili all during Mass."

-30-

"An Integral Element" -- For Communications Day, B16 Leads With "Silence"

Keeping with the Vatican's longtime custom on today's feast of the patron of writers and journalists, St Francis de Sales, this Roman Noon brings the release of Pope Benedict's message for the church's 46th World Communications Day, this year's B16-picked focus on the need for silence in effective communications work alongside that of words.

In this relentless age of digital media, suffice it to say, making space for the former can often feel like the greatest challenge of all.

While the pontiff's reflection on the topic rolled out this morning -- and the next Day's theme is always announced on the preceding 29 September feast of the Archangels -- this year's World Communications Day doesn't actually occur until May 20th: always the Sunday before Pentecost, now celebrated in most of the global church as the transferred solemnity of the Ascension.

Moreover, "that the varied apostolates of the church with respect to the media of social communication may be strengthened effectively," a call for an observance on their role to be held "each year in every diocese of the world" was the lone initiative of its kind to be agreed upon by the Fathers of Vatican II, as sketched out in the Council's decree on the media, Inter Mirifica (par. 18).

Here below, the Pope's WCD fulltext.

* * *

SILENCE AND WORD: PATH OF EVANGELIZATION

MESSAGE OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
FOR THE 46th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
24 JANUARY 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we draw near to World Communications Day 2012, I would like to share with you some reflections concerning an aspect of the human process of communication which, despite its importance, is often overlooked and which, at the present time, it would seem especially necessary to recall. It concerns the relationship between silence and word: two aspects of communication which need to be kept in balance, to alternate and to be integrated with one another if authentic dialogue and deep closeness between people are to be achieved. When word and silence become mutually exclusive, communication breaks down, either because it gives rise to confusion or because, on the contrary, it creates an atmosphere of coldness; when they complement one another, however, communication acquires value and meaning.

Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves. By remaining silent we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself; and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested. In this way, space is created for mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible. It is often in silence, for example, that we observe the most authentic communication taking place between people who are in love: gestures, facial expressions and body language are signs by which they reveal themselves to each other. Joy, anxiety, and suffering can all be communicated in silence – indeed it provides them with a particularly powerful mode of expression. Silence, then, gives rise to even more active communication, requiring sensitivity and a capacity to listen that often makes manifest the true measure and nature of the relationships involved. When messages and information are plentiful, silence becomes essential if we are to distinguish what is important from what is insignificant or secondary. Deeper reflection helps us to discover the links between events that at first sight seem unconnected, to make evaluations, to analyze messages; this makes it possible to share thoughtful and relevant opinions, giving rise to an authentic body of shared knowledge. For this to happen, it is necessary to develop an appropriate environment, a kind of ‘eco-system’ that maintains a just equilibrium between silence, words, images and sounds.

The process of communication nowadays is largely fuelled by questions in search of answers. Search engines and social networks have become the starting point of communication for many people who are seeking advice, ideas, information and answers. In our time, the internet is becoming ever more a forum for questions and answers – indeed, people today are frequently bombarded with answers to questions they have never asked and to needs of which they were unaware. If we are to recognize and focus upon the truly important questions, then silence is a precious commodity that enables us to exercise proper discernment in the face of the surcharge of stimuli and data that we receive. Amid the complexity and diversity of the world of communications, however, many people find themselves confronted with the ultimate questions of human existence: Who am I? What can I know? What ought I to do? What may I hope? It is important to affirm those who ask these questions, and to open up the possibility of a profound dialogue, by means of words and interchange, but also through the call to silent reflection, something that is often more eloquent than a hasty answer and permits seekers to reach into the depths of their being and open themselves to the path towards knowledge that God has inscribed in human hearts.

Ultimately, this constant flow of questions demonstrates the restlessness of human beings, ceaselessly searching for truths, of greater or lesser import, that can offer meaning and hope to their lives. Men and women cannot rest content with a superficial and unquestioning exchange of skeptical opinions and experiences of life – all of us are in search of truth and we share this profound yearning today more than ever: "When people exchange information, they are already sharing themselves, their view of the world, their hopes, their ideals" (Message for the 2011 World Day of Communications).

Attention should be paid to the various types of websites, applications and social networks which can help people today to find time for reflection and authentic questioning, as well as making space for silence and occasions for prayer, meditation or sharing of the word of God. In concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible, profound thoughts can be communicated, as long as those taking part in the conversation do not neglect to cultivate their own inner lives. It is hardly surprising that different religious traditions consider solitude and silence as privileged states which help people to rediscover themselves and that Truth which gives meaning to all things. The God of biblical revelation speaks also without words: "As the Cross of Christ demonstrates, God also speaks by his silence. The silence of God, the experience of the distance of the almighty Father, is a decisive stage in the earthly journey of the Son of God, the incarnate Word …. God’s silence prolongs his earlier words. In these moments of darkness, he speaks through the mystery of his silence" (Verbum Domini, 21). The eloquence of God’s love, lived to the point of the supreme gift, speaks in the silence of the Cross. After Christ’s death there is a great silence over the earth, and on Holy Saturday, when "the King sleeps and God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages" (cf. Office of Readings, Holy Saturday), God’s voice resounds, filled with love for humanity.

If God speaks to us even in silence, we in turn discover in silence the possibility of speaking with God and about God. "We need that silence which becomes contemplation, which introduces us into God’s silence and brings us to the point where the Word, the redeeming Word, is born" (Homily, Eucharistic Celebration with Members of the International Theological Commission, 6 October 2006). In speaking of God’s grandeur, our language will always prove inadequate and must make space for silent contemplation. Out of such contemplation springs forth, with all its inner power, the urgent sense of mission, the compelling obligation "to communicate that which we have seen and heard" so that all may be in communion with God (1 Jn 1:3). Silent contemplation immerses us in the source of that Love who directs us towards our neighbours so that we may feel their suffering and offer them the light of Christ, his message of life and his saving gift of the fullness of love.

In silent contemplation, then, the eternal Word, through whom the world was created, becomes ever more powerfully present and we become aware of the plan of salvation that God is accomplishing throughout our history by word and deed. As the Second Vatican Council reminds us, divine revelation is fulfilled by "deeds and words having an inner unity: the deeds wrought by God in the history of salvation manifest and confirm the teaching and realities signified by the words, while the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them" (Dei Verbum, 2). This plan of salvation culminates in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the mediator and the fullness of all revelation. He has made known to us the true face of God the Father and by his Cross and Resurrection has brought us from the slavery of sin and death to the freedom of the children of God. The fundamental question of the meaning of human existence finds in the mystery of Christ an answer capable of bringing peace to the restless human heart. The Church’s mission springs from this mystery; and it is this mystery which impels Christians to become heralds of hope and salvation, witnesses of that love which promotes human dignity and builds justice and peace.

Word and silence: learning to communicate is learning to listen and contemplate as well as speak. This is especially important for those engaged in the task of evangelization: both silence and word are essential elements, integral to the Church’s work of communication for the sake of a renewed proclamation of Christ in today’s world. To Mary, whose silence "listens to the Word and causes it to blossom" (Private Prayer at the Holy House, Loreto, 1 September 2007), I entrust all the work of evangelization which the Church undertakes through the means of social communication.

From the Vatican, 24 January 2012, Feast of Saint Francis de Sales

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

-30-

"It Is Not Weakness To Show Compassion... But Clear We Must Be"... Immediately

For the 37th year running, Washington's Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception pushed the fire-code to its limit tonight as the National Vigil for Life kicked off in advance of tomorrow's March, marking the the Supreme Court's 22 January 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade.

The nation's largest church packed in with nearly 20,000 people (and an overflow crowd downstairs), by longtime custom, the presiding duties for the evening Mass fell to the US bishops' chair for Pro-Life Activities, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, making his final turn at the rite of his three-year term. Come autumn, the key committee seat -- invariably held by a cardinal in reflection of its prominence -- will be taken up by Boston's Cardinal Seán O'Malley OFM Cap., who'll lead the commemoration of Roe's 40th anniversary.

Four years after his first March-day preach from the Shrine pulpit -- and two days since the controversial White House decision mandating contraceptive coverage in benefit plans for religious institutions -- here's fullvid of the Southern cardinal's homily... which, given his chairmanship's coming close, doubled as a farewell to the post:


Come liturgy's end, the Shrine traditionally becomes the capital's largest hostel for the night, as pilgrims with nowhere else to go camp out on every available inch of its extensive floor-space.

On a scheduling note, much as tonight's opening Mass is traditionally the main pre-March draw, this year's might just find a rival in its morning counterpart -- the USCCB President, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York, will celebrate and preach the Vigil's closing Mass early tomorrow.

VIDEO: EWTN

-30-

"Suffering Is the Thread" -- For Philadelphia and Beyond, Chaput's Keys to Life

Prominent as he's become over recent years, Philadelphia's ninth archbishop didn't exactly make his name on rebuilding broken dioceses.

Thanks to a strength of character and conviction shown on the wider scene, however, that's just the mandate Charles Chaput has been given to face in his charge of four months, where early January's recommendations by a Blue Ribbon panel for the closing and consolidation of 49 Catholic schools -- a third of them now under appeal -- are merely the first of several hurdles awaiting on the home-front over the coming year and beyond.

As previously noted, the pile of towering challenges -- among them the "hostile" fallout of the schools plan and a looming shake-up of parishes, the ongoing limbo of 21 suspended priests whose fates will soon be decided, a dire financial picture only beginning to come to light, at least seven abuse-related civil suits, and the March criminal trial of four current and former clerics charged with abuse and cover-up in the wake of a second grand jury, all of it underscoring the need for a wholesale renewal of an ecclesial culture -- is considered in church circles to be the most difficult plate an American bishop has been handed in the last half-century, and quite possibly even longer.

To address it all, in his longest taped sit-down to date with local media, six months since his appointment -- and with the Cardinal's Residence already on the market -- Chaput laid out the scene early this morning on the River City's CBS affiliate:


Money quote, Phils fans: "We have to get over thinking it's always going to be the way it was."

And in this most change-resistant of places, on a Sunday whose readings spoke of "the world in its present form passing away," but heralding a new one in which "the time of fulfillment" has come and "the kingdom of God is at hand," you couldn't ask for a keener echo to today... and, indeed, the difficult, yet very promising, road ahead.

* * *

True story: once upon a time, not all that long ago, a certain native Philadelphian stepped up at a hometown dinner to sing a very pointed show-tune: "This Nearly Was Mine," from South Pacific.

Accordingly, much as the voice behind the song had already gone on to become archbishop of New York -- and, arguably, the last American Catholic leader to enjoy the almost-unchallenged secular clout of what's now a bygone age -- those who knew John Cardinal O'Connor (left) were almost beyond aware that he never lost the ways of a Southwest Philly goldleafer's son. Along the way, JPII's man in the "Capital of the World" just so happened to become the most powerful and iconic champion of the pro-life cause on these shores, a golden legacy whose fruits live on in abundance almost 12 years after his death.

Given that history, it was especially fitting that, earlier today -- on his first January 22nd wedded to the fallen "paradise" for which O'Connor never stopped longing -- the Last Lion's longtime protege would give the keynote speech at a Georgetown University conference for the movement's next generation which bears the cardinal's name. (As a Navy chaplain just returned from Vietnam, O'Connor earned his PhD in political science from the nation's oldest Catholic college in 1970.)

Its key thread dedicated to the right to life of special needs kids -- a frighteningly high number of whom are aborted given today's pre-natal testing -- here, the fulltext of Chaput's talk in Hoyaville:

PHOTOS: Reuters(1)

-30-

"A Foul Ball, By Any Standard" -- On Conscience "Edict," "The Bishops Vow To Fight"

First posted on the website of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, the following video response to this morning's Obama administration move to mandate contraceptive coverage in benefit plans across the board was released minutes ago by the body's president, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York:



...and here, the bench's full statement on the Federal move:

U.S. BISHOPS VOW TO FIGHT HHS EDICT

Unconscionable to force citizens to buy contraceptives against their will

No change in limited exemption, only delay in enforcement

Matter of freedom of conscience, freedom of religion

WASHINGTON—The Catholic bishops of the United States called “literally unconscionable” a decision by the Obama Administration to continue to demand that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in virtually all health plans. Today's announcement means that this mandate and its very narrow exemption will not change at all; instead there will only be a delay in enforcement against some employers.

“In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The cardinal-designate continued, “To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable. It is as much an attack on access to health care as on religious freedom. Historically this represents a challenge and a compromise of our religious liberty."

The HHS rule requires that sterilization and contraception – including controversial abortifacients – be included among “preventive services” coverage in almost every healthcare plan available to Americans. “The government should not force Americans to act as if pregnancy is a disease to be prevented at all costs,” added Cardinal-designate Dolan.

At issue, the U.S. bishops and other religious leaders insist, is the survival of a cornerstone constitutionally protected freedom that ensures respect for the conscience of Catholics and all other Americans.

“This is nothing less than a direct attack on religion and First Amendment rights,” said Franciscan Sister Jane Marie Klein, chairperson of the board at Franciscan Alliance, Inc., a system of 13 Catholic hospitals. “I have hundreds of employees who will be upset and confused by this edict. I cannot understand it at all.”

Daughter of Charity Sister Carol Keehan, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, voiced disappointment with the decision. Catholic hospitals serve one out of six people who seek hospital care annually.

“This was a missed opportunity to be clear on appropriate conscience protection,” Sister Keehan said.

Cardinal-designate Dolan urged that the HHS mandate be overturned.

“The Obama administration has now drawn an unprecedented line in the sand,” he said. “The Catholic bishops are committed to working with our fellow Americans to reform the law and change this unjust regulation. We will continue to study all the implications of this troubling decision.”

-30-

Conscience, Denied

In quickly-breaking news of conspicuous timing -- read: with Monday's March for Life in Washington just around the corner -- both the AP and Washington Post are reporting that the Obama administration has turned back calls for a wider conscience exemption, which would've allowed religious groups to opt out of funding contraceptives and sterilization procedures for their employees under the new Federal health-care law.

The decision represents a significant setback for the US bishops, who made a considerable push for a wider loophole from the mandate for birth-control coverage over recent months, citing religious liberty grounds. The church's opposition to the proposed policy garnered support from an unusually broad coalition of Catholic voices, including more progressive factions which had previously clashed with the hierarchy by taking a warmer approach toward the Democratic White House, whose pro-choice stance on legalized abortion has become a flashpoint in the national fold's daily life.

According to the reports, only one concession is being granted to faith-based groups -- an extra year's grace period to adjust their policies into compliance with the new government regulations. In what's likely to become a widespread outcome of the move, however, the president of Notre Dame, Holy Cross Fr John Jenkins, warned late last year that the "impossible position" of meeting the mandate would require Catholic entities to "discontinue our employee and student health care plans in violation of the church's social teaching."

More to come... but for now, lest anyone was expecting a quiet Roe/March weekend in DC, looks like it'll be anything but.

SVILUPPO: At 1pm Eastern, the following statement formally announcing the decision was issued by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius:

In August 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services issued an interim final rule that will require most health insurance plans to cover preventive services for women including recommended contraceptive services without charging a co-pay, co-insurance or a deductible. The rule allows certain non-profit religious employers that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraceptive services. Today the department is announcing that the final rule on preventive health services will ensure that women with health insurance coverage will have access to the full range of the Institute of Medicine’s recommended preventive services, including all FDA -approved forms of contraception. Women will not have to forego these services because of expensive co-pays or deductibles, or because an insurance plan doesn’t include contraceptive services. This rule is consistent with the laws in a majority of states which already require contraception coverage in health plans, and includes the exemption in the interim final rule allowing certain religious organizations not to provide contraception coverage. Beginning August 1, 2012, most new and renewed health plans will be required to cover these services without cost sharing for women across the country.

After evaluating comments, we have decided to add an additional element to the final rule. Nonprofit employers who, based on religious beliefs, do not currently provide contraceptive coverage in their insurance plan, will be provided an additional year, until August 1, 2013, to comply with the new law. Employers wishing to take advantage of the additional year must certify that they qualify for the delayed implementation. This additional year will allow these organizations more time and flexibility to adapt to this new rule. We intend to require employers that do not offer coverage of contraceptive services to provide notice to employees, which will also state that contraceptive services are available at sites such as community health centers, public clinics, and hospitals with income-based support. We will continue to work closely with religious groups during this transitional period to discuss their concerns.

Scientists have abundant evidence that birth control has significant health benefits for women and their families, it is documented to significantly reduce health costs, and is the most commonly taken drug in America by young and middle-aged women. This rule will provide women with greater access to contraception by requiring coverage and by prohibiting cost sharing.

This decision was made after very careful consideration, including the important concerns some have raised about religious liberty. I believe this proposal strikes the appropriate balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services. The administration remains fully committed to its partnerships with faith-based organizations, which promote healthy communities and serve the common good. And this final rule will have no impact on the protections that existing conscience laws and regulations give to health care providers.

According to Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter, President Obama made a morning phone call to the USCCB president, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York, to personally deliver advance word of the decision.

A response from the conference is ostensibly in the works.

SVILUPPO: Given both in a statement and a video-message from the body's chief, the USCCB response is posted.

-30-

"The Most Cherished of Freedoms": On Religious Freedom and the Public Square, B16 Talks The States

As the US' bishops ad limina visit continues, this morning saw the second papal address of the 15-group trip: to the prelates of Region IV, which encompasses the provinces of Baltimore, Washington and the archdiocese for the Military Services.

Breaking from the traditional practice, as part of the gradual curtailing of his schedule in light of his age, B16 will only give five speeches to the USCCB group on its first Roman check-up of the current pontificate. The first of the talks was given to the bishops of Region II (New York) in late November.

On a related note, the dates for the second half of the US visit -- previously up in the air for months given the final scheduling of Benedict's 23-28 March visit to Mexico and Cuba -- are now set. The schedule finally communicated earlier this week, the ad limina will conclude in mid-May with Region XV, the recently-established group encompassing all the eparchs of the various Eastern churches with jurisdictions on these shores.

Next week brings the visit of the South's Region V (Louisville, Mobile, New Orleans), with the Midwest's Regions VI (Detroit and Cincinnati) and VII following suit before Ash Wednesday late next month. The next of Benedict's speeches is expected to be given to the latter -- the bishops of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin -- during their leg, which coincides with the days leading up to the 18 February consistory for the creation of new cardinals.

Here below, the Pope's today text to the mid-Atlantic group... which, in a sign of its significance, was recorded in fullaudio by Vatican Radio.

* * *

Dear Brother Bishops,

I greet all of you with fraternal affection and I pray that this pilgrimage of spiritual renewal and deepened communion will confirm you in faith and commitment to your task as Pastors of the Church in the United States of America. As you know, it is my intention in the course of this year to reflect with you on some of the spiritual and cultural challenges of the new evangelization.

One of the most memorable aspects of my Pastoral Visit to the United States was the opportunity it afforded me to reflect on America’s historical experience of religious freedom, and specifically the relationship between religion and culture. At the heart of every culture, whether perceived or not, is a consensus about the nature of reality and the moral good, and thus about the conditions for human flourishing. In America, that consensus, as enshrined in your nation’s founding documents, was grounded in a worldview shaped not only by faith but a commitment to certain ethical principles deriving from nature and nature’s God. Today that consensus has eroded significantly in the face of powerful new cultural currents which are not only directly opposed to core moral teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition, but increasingly hostile to Christianity as such.

For her part, the Church in the United States is called, in season and out of season, to proclaim a Gospel which not only proposes unchanging moral truths but proposes them precisely as the key to human happiness and social prospering (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 10). To the extent that some current cultural trends contain elements that would curtail the proclamation of these truths, whether constricting it within the limits of a merely scientific rationality, or suppressing it in the name of political power or majority rule, they represent a threat not just to Christian faith, but also to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God. When a culture attempts to suppress the dimension of ultimate mystery, and to close the doors to transcendent truth, it inevitably becomes impoverished and falls prey, as the late Pope John Paul II so clearly saw, to reductionist and totalitarian readings of the human person and the nature of society.

With her long tradition of respect for the right relationship between faith and reason, the Church has a critical role to play in countering cultural currents which, on the basis of an extreme individualism, seek to promote notions of freedom detached from moral truth. Our tradition does not speak from blind faith, but from a rational perspective which links our commitment to building an authentically just, humane and prosperous society to our ultimate assurance that the cosmos is possessed of an inner logic accessible to human reasoning. The Church’s defense of a moral reasoning based on the natural law is grounded on her conviction that this law is not a threat to our freedom, but rather a "language" which enables us to understand ourselves and the truth of our being, and so to shape a more just and humane world. She thus proposes her moral teaching as a message not of constraint but of liberation, and as the basis for building a secure future.

The Church’s witness, then, is of its nature public: she seeks to convince by proposing rational arguments in the public square. The legitimate separation of Church and State cannot be taken to mean that the Church must be silent on certain issues, nor that the State may choose not to engage, or be engaged by, the voices of committed believers in determining the values which will shape the future of the nation.

In the light of these considerations, it is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres. The seriousness of these threats needs to be clearly appreciated at every level of ecclesial life. Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion. Many of you have pointed out that concerted efforts have been made to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices. Others have spoken to me of a worrying tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.

Here once more we see the need for an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-à-vis the dominant culture and with the courage to counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church’s participation in public debate about the issues which are determining the future of American society. The preparation of committed lay leaders and the presentation of a convincing articulation of the Christian vision of man and society remain a primary task of the Church in your country; as essential components of the new evangelization, these concerns must shape the vision and goals of catechetical programs at every level.

In this regard, I would mention with appreciation your efforts to maintain contacts with Catholics involved in political life and to help them understand their personal responsibility to offer public witness to their faith, especially with regard to the great moral issues of our time: respect for God’s gift of life, the protection of human dignity and the promotion of authentic human rights. As the Council noted, and I wished to reiterate during my Pastoral Visit, respect for the just autonomy of the secular sphere must also take into consideration the truth that there is no realm of worldly affairs which can be withdrawn from the Creator and his dominion (cfr. Gaudium et Spes, 36). There can be no doubt that a more consistent witness on the part of America’s Catholics to their deepest convictions would make a major contribution to the renewal of society as a whole.

Dear Brother Bishops, in these brief remarks I have wished to touch upon some of the pressing issues which you face in your service to the Gospel and their significance for the evangelization of American culture. No one who looks at these issues realistically can ignore the genuine difficulties which the Church encounters at the present moment. Yet in faith we can take heart from the growing awareness of the need to preserve a civil order clearly rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition, as well as from the promise offered by a new generation of Catholics whose experience and convictions will have a decisive role in renewing the Church’s presence and witness in American society. The hope which these "signs of the times" give us is itself a reason to renew our efforts to mobilize the intellectual and moral resources of the entire Catholic community in the service of the evangelization of American culture and the building of the civilization of love. With great affection I commend all of you, and the flock entrusted to your care, to the prayers of Mary, Mother of Hope, and cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of grace and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord.

PHOTO: L'Osservatore Romano

-30-

As previously noted, gang, greetings from a blessed breather... the first decent down-stretch this scribe has had -- or so it seems -- in a good while. (October, maybe?)

As some have asked, everything's fine. It's just pretty rare to get a quiet spell like this between cycles, so best to take the time while it's here. This point next month, of course, things'll be rather wild... and that's just the top line of it.

Even for the stillness, there are some things taking shape for down the line, but no need to get too far ahead of 'em. In the meanwhile, hope you're keeping warm, safe and happy these days, and your New Year's off to a blessed and beautiful start.

As ever, more to come... well, once the news dictates.

-30-