A Vox Farewell

In what's almost certain to be his final meeting with the A-list group overseeing English-language liturgical translations, Cardinal Francis Arinze (front center) sat for a photo with the Vox Clara Committee at its final sit-down of the year earlier this week in Rome.

As previously indicated, Arinze -- who turned 76 last month -- is widely expected to retire in short order, to be replaced by the Spanish primate Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera of Toledo at the helm of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, where the buzz likewise continues surrounding the likely transfer of the dicastery's #2, Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith (rear center), back to his native Sri Lanka and his home-see of Colombo.

Notably absent from this week's gathering at Culto Central was one of the committee's vice-chairs, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, whose city continues its initial stages of grief and recovery following last week's terror attacks.

Below is the traditional end-of-Vox communique; read closely for the (gibbet-free) newsworthy bits:

VOX CLARA COMMITTEE
PRESS RELEASE
December 3, 2008

The Vox Clara Committee met for the sixteenth time from December 1 - December 3, 2008 in the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome. This Committee of senior Bishops from Episcopal Conferences throughout the English-speaking world was formed by the Congregation on July 19, 2001 in order to provide advice to the Holy See concerning English-language liturgical books and to strengthen effective cooperation with the Conferences of Bishops in this regard.

The Vox Clara Committee is chaired by Cardinal George Pell, Sydney (Australia). The participants in the meeting were Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb, Mobile (USA), who serves as First Vice-Chairman; Cardinal Justin Rigali, Philadelphia (USA), who serves as Treasurer; Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., Chicago (USA); Archbishop Alfred Hughes, New Orleans (USA); Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Ottawa (Canada); Archbishop Peter Kwasi Sarpong, Kumasi (Ghana); Archbishop Kelvin Felix (Dominica) and Bishop Philip Boyce, O.C.D., Raphoe (Ireland). Also members of the Committee, though not present at the meeting, are Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Westminster (England), who serves as Secretary and Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Bombay (India), who serves as Second Vice-Chairman.

The members were assisted in their work by the following Advisors: Abbot Cuthbert Johnson, O.S.B. (England), Monsignor Gerard McKay (Rome), Reverend Dennis McManus (USA), Reverend Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B. (USA), and Monsignor James P. Moroney (USA), Executive Secretary. The support and assistance of officials of the Congregation was once again gratefully noted.

The meeting was primarily devoted to a careful review of the ICEL Gray book for the Proper of Seasons, as recently approved by several of the English-speaking Conferences of Bishops. The members were gratified by the high quality of amendments offered by the Conferences and frequently noted their capacity to improve significantly the precision and proclaimability of the texts. The indispensible role played by the Conferences of Bishops both at the stages of consultation and final amendment and approval has borne great fruit.

With this meeting, the Vox Clara Committee has completed its recommendations to the Congregation concerning the Proper of Seasons, the largest and most challenging of the segments of the Roman Missal. With eight further Gray Books pending consideration by the Conferences of Bishops, the members noted the pastoral imperative of completing this project as expeditiously as possible. Methods by which the Congregation could support the Conferences in these important last stages of their work were explored, along with ways in which a rapid confirmation of the entire Missal could be assured once all the segments have been approved.

In its meeting with Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and Archbishop Albert Malcolm Ranjith, Secretary of the Congregation, the members thanked the superiors of the Congregation for the recent confirmation of the Order of Mass, the first of the segments of the Roman Missal to be approved. In expressing his gratitude for the work of each of the Conferences of Bishops, the Prefect noted, in particular, the helpfulness of the amendments received from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. While thanking the members and advisors for their continuing advice to the Congregation, the Cardinal expressed his hopes for an expeditious completion of the work.

The members of the Committee concluded by renewing their commitment to a completion of the Roman Missal in the near future.

The Committee will meet again in August 2009 in Rome.

PHOTO: Vox Clara Committee

-30-

The Vox Clara Report

VOX CLARA COMMITTEE

left to right, seated: Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb, Cardinal George Pell (chairman), Archbishop Oswald Gracias, Cardinal Justin Rigali
left to right, standing: Reverend Anthony Ward, Bishop Philip Boyce, Archbishop Alfred Hughes, Monsignor James Moroney, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, Archbishop Kelvin Felix, Archbishop Peter Sarpong, Abbot Cuthbert Johnson, Father Dennis McManus

So, they met, they prayed, and the chairman wore white.

Viva il Pellpa?

Below, and hot off the presses, is the fulltext of the traditional press release issued from Vox Clara at the end of its summer session earlier today. The meeting marked the fifth anniversary of the first sitting of the body on English-language liturgical translations, and the milestone was commemorated by the membership's sitting for the above photo.

The Vox Clara Committee met for the tenth time from July 17-21, 2006 in the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome.

Established by the Congregation five years ago, on July 19, 2001, this Committee of senior Bishops from Episcopal Conferences throughout the English-speaking world was formed to give advice to the Congregation regarding the translation of Latin liturgical texts into the English-language, and to strengthen effective cooperation with the Conferences of Bishops in this regard.

The Vox Clara Committee is chaired by Cardinal George Pell, Sydney (Australia). The participants in the meeting were Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb, Mobile (USA), who serves as First Vice-Chairman; Archbishop Oswald Gracias, Agra (India), who serves as Second Vice-Chairman; Cardinal Justin Rigali, Philadelphia (USA), who serves as Treasurer; Archbishop Alfred Hughes, New Orleans (USA); Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Halifax (Canada); Archbishop Peter Kwasi Sarpong, Kumasi (Ghana); Archbishop Kelvin Felix, Castries (Saint Lucia), and Bishop Philip Boyce, O.C.D., Raphoe (Ireland). Other members of the Committee, though not present at the meeting, are; Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Westminster (England), who serves as Secretary; Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., Chicago (USA); and Bishop Rolando Tria Tirona, O.C.D., Infanta (Philippines). The members were assisted in their work by the following Advisors: Monsignor Gerard McKay (Rome), Abbot Cuthbert Johnson, O.S.B. (England), Reverend Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B. (USA), Reverend Dennis McManus (USA), and Monsignor James P. Moroney (USA).

The members of the Committee welcomed the news that several Episcopal Conferences had recently approved the “Gray Book” of the Order of Mass I. The success achieved in the completion of this foundational segment of the Roman Missal, including the parts assigned to the people at Mass, is the fruit of the work of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy and its collaboration with member Conferences and the Holy See over the past several years. Observing the fifth anniversary of its establishment as an advisory body to the Holy See, the Vox Clara Committee was grateful for the privilege of contributing to this important work.

At the request of the Congregation, the members of the Vox Clara Committee examined at length the “White Book” of the Order of Mass I, including amendments submitted in the course of the confirmation of this segment. Recommendations regarding the granting of the recognitio were formulated.

The major work of the Vox Clara Committee at this meeting consisted of a review of the “Green Book” translation of the Order of Mass II, consisting of the Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation and Various Needs, as well as Prefaces, Solemn Blessings and Prayers Over the People. The members were gratified by the quality of this segment of the Roman Missal and, over the course of four days of discussions, made numerous suggestions for improvements to the text.

On the next to last day of its meeting, the Committee appreciated the visit with the Secretary to the Congregation, Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith. The Secretary met with the members and advisors and thanked them for their work, reminding them of the calls by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to do everything possible to assure the expeditious completion of an English-language edition of the Roman Missal. The importance of keeping to the timelines for the completion of the Roman Missal was discussed with the Secretary, noting that with the publication of the “Gray Book” of Order of Mass I, and of the “Green Book” of the Order of Mass II and the Proper of the Seasons, twenty-nine percent of the Missale Romanum has been approved or reviewed by the Bishops of ICEL’s members Conferences. It is the hope of the Vox Clara Committee that all involved in this important work will continue to devote all necessary resources to its expeditious and effective completion.

The next meeting of the Vox Clara Committee is scheduled for October, 2006.

-30-

"This is Not Mumbai"

As hostages were freed, assailants were killed, and the death toll in the India attacks rose above 200 -- including the 29 year-old rabbi and his wife who ran the city's Jewish center, among five hostages there -- the city's archbishop Cardinal Oswald Gracias issued a message condemning the three days of violence and praying for the city:

Our words cannot express our shock at this incident; I am deeply saddened by this attack on our city and on our beloved nation as a whole.

The Church in India condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms. Innocent and unconnected people have been killed. Very brave police officers have been killed. Mumbai in the target of different terrorist groups. The Church offers our deepest sympathy to the families of those who lost their dear ones, and the Church in Mumbai places all our medical services to those who have been injured.

We must fight together as a nation and as a united people to combat the terrorists. We must never give up hope because ultimately hope will prevail. It is Christian to always hope. Good will triumph, evil will be overcome, this is our Hope.

Regrettably, senseless violence goes on and there may be reprisals, we – all of us -- must consider creating a feeling of intolerance against divisive forces, against elements that sow seeds of mistrust and suspicion in the minds of our people. We must create a climate where every citizen is alert and such incidents can immediately be reported to the intelligence agencies and enable the government and our security agencies to take steps earlier. The important thing today is to be together.

Mumbai is our city, where mutual tolerance and understandings between cultures and religions has prevailed despite of the attempts to rip apart our city, now we will continue to build bridges of understanding between peoples, cultures and religions. We must overcome evil with good and seek peace.

This terror attack was not an act of the people who love our country, this is not India, and this is not Mumbai. Mumbai is a very tolerant and brave city. India is a great country and very tolerant. These are all misguided people who are brain washed who probably think what they are doing is right and that every thing is ok. It’s terrible what they have done. They’re harming innocent people and disturbing the peace.”

”This tragedy snuffed out the lives of many foreign national and this is a matter of immense shame. India is known for her hospitality, we ask for forgiveness for this aberration done in our city…….but please- do not write Mumbai off, India is a great county, Mumbai is a great city, you are also welcome here.

The people who carried out these deadly attacks, are misguided people, who have been deluded and brainwashed into the ideologies and propaganda of the cause, but this is madness, they bring death, fear , panic and disrupt the harmony and lives of the city and county……darkness of chaos.

But we do not despair, we do give up Hope that Goodness will prevail that God will lead us from darkness of chaos to Light Peace and Harmony.

God Bless our city Mumbai!

God Bless India!

A native of the Mumbai church -- whose 500,000 members form India's largest Latin-rite community -- Gracias was named to its top spot in 2006 on the transfer of his predecessor and patron, the diplomat Ivan Dias, to Rome as prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the global church's top post overseeing the missions.

Named a cardinal at last year's consistory, Gracias is the fourth archbishop of Mumbai so elevated since Valerian Gracias -- the first native son ever to hold the post -- received the red hat in 1953. In some form or another, the city's history as a local church dates back to the 16th century.

PHOTO: Reuters

-30-

The Creator on His Creations

At Saturday's public consistory, Benedict XVI revealed that he made a cardinal of the Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly to express his solidarity with the suffering Christian community in Iraq.

"Calling the patriarch of the Chaldean Church to enter into the College of Cardinals," the Pope said in his homily, "I intended to express in a concrete way my spiritual nearness and my affection for those populations.

"We would like, dear and venerable brothers, together to reaffirm the solidarity of the whole Church with the Christians of that beloved land and to invite and to implore from the merciful God, for all peoples involved, the longed-for coming of reconciliation and peace."

Until he gets the official heads-up of his elevation two days before a papal announcement, a cardinal-to-be doesn't even know he's being considered for the honor. In the days since the freshmen "senators" of the church came to Rome to receive the red hat, others have gotten bits and pieces from their fleeting moments with the pontiff as to why they were chosen.

Two days before Benedict releases his encyclical on the virtue, the billion-plus nation's third resident prince of the church said that the pontiff had India's "hope" on his mind when conferring the biretta:

"India is a great country and there is great hope in” it, Benedict XVI told Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, during the ceremony that made him a cardinal....

In light of the upcoming release of the next papal encyclical on hope, Cardinal Gracias made reference to it, saying that it is “quite clear how much India needs hope. The country has a rich heritage but also a tremendous future. We are making great progress in the economic, technological and educational fields. We have become a world power and need to be united.”

The country must “be conscious of the great hope God gave us. There is pain, intolerance and violence, corruption and hunger, but we must maintain the hope that we can change things, see India become a compass for Asia and the world. I have always known that our country was a land of hope and hearing it said from the Holy Father was moving.”

Before the end of his meeting with the pope, Cardinal Gracias invited him to visit India. “He looked at me and smiled without saying yes or no. Afterwards he greeted me and again gave his blessing for the whole country.”

And at his Mass of Thanksgiving in St Mary Major yesterday morning, Cardinardo related Papa Ratzi's four words that rocked the ancient basilica:

Cardinal DiNardo told them that, when he greeted Pope Benedict XVI after a Nov. 26 audience at the Vatican, the pope said "Texas needs a cardinal."

Cardinal DiNardo said the basilica is a place where one is overwhelmed by beauty and serenity, rather than by majesty and space. It is the beauty of the story of God becoming human in Jesus Christ when Mary said yes, he said.

In the Gospel of Luke, he said, "everyone is always on a journey and traveling," beginning with Mary who goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, almost immediately after the angel Gabriel proclaims she will give birth to Jesus.

"Everything about the Virgin Mary in the Gospel of Luke is dynamic. There are people who have said that somehow the Virgin Mary is passive. You could never get that from the Gospel. There is always energetic acceptance" of God's will in her life and her action, he said.

"Mary is our queen and our mother," Cardinal DiNardo said. "She is the energy of the church. I beg you to stay close to her as she keeps pushing us in her Magnificat to magnify the Lord and to do his will."

Earlier this morning, Texas got its cardinal when DiNardo arrived back in Houston.

PHOTO: L'Osservatore Romano

-30-

De Propaganda

The new "Red Pope," Cardinal Ivan Dias, arrived in Rome at the end of July to take up his duties as prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

While purging the dicastery's payroll of his predecessor's loved ones (and their loved ones... and their loved ones...) is the task which awaits him, the 70 year-old prelate -- a former papal diplomat -- leaves behind a vacancy in Bombay. If the trend of this pontificate keeps up, Dias'll have a bit of a say in the choice of the next head of the 500,000-strong flock, India's largest and historically home to the country's red hat.

Shortly after his 2001 elevation to the College of Cardinals, Dias received two auxiliaries -- Agnelo Rufino Gracias and Percival Joseph Fernandez -- both of whom are spoken of as potential nominees.

However, this time it seems that the road to Bombay runs through Agra... and not because of the Taj Mahal.

Agra is currently home to Dias' first Bombay auxiliary, 61 year-old Archbishop Oswald Gracias, who was made a bishop quickly on the heels of the cardinal's 1996 appointment there. Gracias is known in Rome for his work on the Vox Clara Commission for English liturgical translations, which he serves as its Second Vice-Chairman.

Given the recent victory lap of the first piece of the project -- a feat thought impossible not all that long ago -- don't be surprised if some notable appointments down the pike happen to bear those magic Latin words on their resumes... and not just in India.

It's still early, of course, but the stars -- and the karma -- seem aligned.


PHOTO: Panorama

-30-

"The India Moment"

Elsewhere in the wide world of church, Lent and Easter are a popular time for meetings of the national conferences of bishops.

Along these lines, as the Indian bishops continue their eight-day session in the eastern outpost of Jamshedpur, earlier today the body elected Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, the major-archbishop of the Syro-Malabar church, as its new head.

A Redemptorist, the 80 year-old cardinal (above right) succeeds Latin-rite Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay in the top post. Made a cardinal in 2001, Vithayathil has served as global head of the 4 million-member church, which claims its descendancy from St Thomas, since 1996. (An eparchy for the US' 100,000 Syro-Malabar Catholics is based in Chicago.)

The highly-regarded Gracias, 63, who was elevated to the college by Pope Benedict at last November's consistory, was elected the body's first vice-president in today's balloting. Reflecting the catholicity of the Indian church, the head of the country's other Eastern rite -- Major Archbishop Basilios Cleemis of the Syro-Malankars -- was chosen as the second deputy.

(For all practical purposes, a major archbishop functions as a patriarch over a sui iuris, i.e. self-governing, Oriental church, albeit without the title of patriarch for himself or his see. At present, the Holy See has established four major archdioceses: Kiev of the Ukrainians, Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, Fagaras and Alba Iulia of the Romanians, and Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars.)

At a Mass following his election, Vithayathil told his confreres that "Communication of faith is the primary duty of every bishop."

"As the apostles assumed leadership in the task of proclaiming the Good News and even laid down their life for the cause, bishops, as apostles’ successors, should be even prepared to lay down life, if need be," the cardinal said.

"Jesus sent his disciples to proclaim the Good News. Complying with that mission, we need to communicate the Good News with courage and commitment, bringing joy and fulfillment into people’s life."

"The Scribes and Pharisees of the time of Jesus knew how to interpret the Scriptures, but failed miserably to open their hearts to the Good News announced by Jesus," the new president added.

"Their rational faith did not lead them to accept the will of God, as Abraham did."

The leaders of the 20 million Catholics in the world's second-largest country -- where an economic boom has drastically altered the landscape in recent years -- India's 200-plus bishops meet in general session every other year; the current gathering is the body's 28th plenary meeting.

Reflecting the body's prominence, the Vatican's Charity Czar -- the Cor Unum president Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes -- made the trip East to deliver an address.

Reflecting on the example of Indian church's most-famed contribution of recent times to the wider world, he said that Bl Teresa of Calcutta's "ideal was not mere philanthropy, nor was her charity inspired by political motives aimed at social reform”, rather in the poor and the dying, Mother Teresa “saw and tried to console Christ himself."

In the wake of recent waves of attacks on Indian Christians, Cordes "pray[ed] that pure and generous love of neighbor, rather provoking suspicion, will bring to fulfillment the command of Jesus: ‘seeing your good works they may give glory to your Father in Heaven.'"

"For Christians," he said, the work of service, "should carry a deeper meaning as a sign not only of human compassion but also God’s goodness."

The body also received a pointed but encouraging message from the nuncio to New Delhi, Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana.

Amid the tensions of recent days, Lopez said the answer lay in "loving the enemies, bringing healing to the victims... and bridging the gap between the rich and poor."

Calling the bishops to "stand for life at all levels," the former top official of the Secretariat of State also urged the body to remember that the laity were called "to take full responsibility in the life and mission of the church."

In response to concerns expressed by the rank-and-file, a focus on "empowering women in [the] church and society" was placed on the plenary's agenda.

According to local reports, a survey conducted by the bishops before the meeting "revealed that a majority in the community did not believe that the church treated women at par with men," and that it "could contribute more towards women's empowerment."

-30-

For "Project of Revision," Francis Calls A Council

Precisely a month since his election, Pope Francis has served notice of even more changes in the Vatican – this time, on the all-important administrative front.

This morning, the pontiff announced the establishment of a group of eight cardinals with the sweeping remit "to advise him in the government of the universal church and to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, 'Pastor Bonus.'"

Said to have been inspired by "a suggestion that emerged during the General Congregations preceding the Conclave," as relayed in the move's formal notice, the membership of the group is:

–Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State;
–Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, archbishop emeritus of Santiago de Chile;
–Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay;
–Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Friesing;
–Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, archbishop of Kinshasa;
–Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley OFM Cap, archbishop of Boston;
–Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney;
–Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, SDB, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, in the role of coordinator;
–and Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano, Italy, who'll serve as the group's secretary.

In retrospect, this plan has apparently been on Francis' mind since the first days following his election – the new Pope had his first announced audience of any sort with Semeraro on the evening of March 17th, the same night he met with the Father-General of the Jesuits, Adolfo Nicolás.

While Benedict XVI summoned a group of cardinals to consult on the state of governance last June, in the wake of the first throes of the "Vatileaks" fiasco, in the early days of this pontificate the notion of a more formalized "crown council around [Francis]" was first floated by the Italian vaticanista Sandro Magister.

Even if the formation of an advisory body of this sort has repeatedly been proffered in the past, the idea has historically faced heavy resistance in the Vatican given the sense that it would undermine the traditional standing of the entire College of Cardinals as the principal counsel to the Pope.

The group's first meeting is slated to take place from 1-3 October – conspicuously, the days immediately prior to the feast of St Francis of Assisi. Beyond Bertello, the only other member of the group with Curial experience is Errázuriz, a member of the Schoenstatt movement who served as Secretary of the "Congregation for Religious" from 1990-96.

On another front, the retired Chilean prelate is a former president of the CELAM – the mega-conference of the Latin American bishops – while Gracias is the current head of the umbrella-group of the Asian episcopal conferences, the FABC, and Marx (a sociologist by training) oversees COMECE, the Brussels-based commission of European bishops' conferences.

As for the group's coordinator, despite having served as archbishop of the Honduran capital since 1993, Rodríguez (above) – like Errázuriz, another past president of CELAM – is a well-known figure both on the Roman scene and in the wider church thanks both to his days in the continental post and his current side-role as president of Caritas Internationalis, the federation of the global church's charitable and humanitarian-aid agencies. In the latter capacity, the 70 year-old cardinal was involved in a scrap with B16's Curia over its 2012 push to overhaul Caritas, a process which saw the forced departure of the group's secretary-general, Leslie Ann Knight, allegedly for having been overtly "critical of the Vatican machine." 

In a similar vein, the famously-combative Pell – the only non-Curialist in the four-man group convoked last year by Benedict – had been tipped in 2010 as the now-retired pontiff's choice to lead the Congregation for Bishops, but the plan fell apart after a vicious "dirty pool" effort behind the walls succeeded in its intent to block the Australian's appointment. 

Notably, in the run-up to the Conclave, even one of Pell's most strident critics conceded that the Sydneysider was one of the few electors who "ha[d] the stuff" to successfully broach a cleanup of the shambles-ridden Roman apparatus – a task many cardinals cited as an overarching concern in the choice of the new Pope.

Put bluntly, by calling in figures who have clashed to a considerable, highly-public degree with the Establishment he's inherited, Francis is bringing the Curia's chickens home to roost.

The last major reform of the Curia, Pastor Bonus – "The Good Shepherd" – was promulgated by John Paul II twenty-five years ago this June 28. 

As required by law in the days following his election, the Pope reconfirmed the chiefs of the Curia – who lose their posts during a papal vacancy – in the exercise of their functions, but only on a provisional basis. As the Holy See explained at the time, Francis wished "to reserve time for reflection, prayer, and dialogue before any final appointments or confirmations are made."

The Vatican said that Francis has already begun contact with the members of his working-group, ostensibly by his preferred means – the phone. 

Meanwhile, the pontiff's homily at this morning's "workers' Mass" in the Domus Sancta Marthae seemed to implicitly address the move.

In its report on Francis' latest daily liturgy for Vatican employees, Vatican Radio said that Papa Bergoglio cited the early church's conflict over "practical necessities" present in today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, on which the Pope "commented that, rather than openly address[ing] the problem, their first reaction is one of whispered criticism and gossip.

"'But this does lead to any solution' [he said], 'this does not give solutions.

"'The Apostles, with the help of the Holy Spirit, responded well: they summoned the group of disciples and spoke to them. And this is the first step: when there are difficulties, we need to look closely at them, and confront them and speak about them. But never hide them."

In a briefing following the announcement, the lead Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, said that the council would not supplant the daily functions of the Roman Curia, adding that the body "will have no legislative power and that its main function is to 'help' and 'advise' the Pope."

-30-

Archbishop's Day in Rome

A week from today, Benedict XVI will mark the 56th anniversary of his priestly ordination by conferring the pallium on the metropolitan archbishops of the world named within the past year.

The jurisdictional garment proper to their office symbolizing the light yoke of Christ, the narrow band of wool has roots dating from the 4th century AD. Woven from the sheared coat of lambs blessed annually on the feast of St Agnes (21 January), the pallium was imposed on an incoming archbishop in his cathedral by a papal delegation until 1984, when Pope John Paul II began the tradition of personally investing new metropolitans with it on the solemnity of Ss. Peter and Paul.

Every year, the new crop of the bands -- two inches wide in its contemporary form, adorned with six black crosses and concealing three slots for metal pins to keep it from flying off -- are blessed by the Pope at First Vespers of Rome's patronal feast. To underscore the gift's symbolism of an archbishop's bond with Peter and his successors, straight from the blessing, they're placed in the gilt coffin above St Peter's tomb, where they rest until the following morning.

Joined by groups from their respective archdioceses who pack the Vatican Basilica for one of the biggest days of its pilgrimage year, each year's class of recipients provides a rich glimpse into the universality of the church of Rome, and next week's is no exception. Upwards of 25 new metropolitans will concelebrate with Benedict, among them recently-named archbishops from places including Uganda, Papua New Guinea, Togo, Cuba, Guatemala, France, with two from Mexico, four from Brazil, and a record five from Canada.

While the pallium blitz offers a wider opportunity for local churches to have a hometown excuse to get to Rome, some among the group will likely be back in time to receive the red hat of a cardinal, among them Archbishops Odilio Scherer of São Paulo, Oswald Gracias of Bombay, Stanislaw Nycz of Warsaw, Thomas Collins of Toronto and, at the head of the queue, Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, the president of the Italian episcopate whose recent experience of death threats will seemingly commandeer a larger-than-usual turnout of support from Liguria.

Permitted for use solely in the ecclesiastical province which he heads, the pallium is a non-transferable object; when an archbishop is transferred from one metropolitan post to another, he must petition the band anew from his local Vatican representative, the prior one never to be worn again.

And while most of the recipients have long been hard at work in their new charges, others have yet to see their installation day. An archbishop-elect may be invested with the symbol of his soon-to-be office, as is the case for Brendan O'Brien of Kingston a month in advance of his formal arrival there and the US' lone representative, Louisville's Joseph Kurtz, who'll be installed on 15 August, but with the lambswool already on his shoulders.

However, while that can happen, it doesn't have to. Named archbishop of Milwaukee five days before he could've received his pallium in 2002, Timothy Dolan asked for his reception to be delayed a year.

Reason behind the request: Dolan being Dolan, he wanted to bring Milwaukee to the party.

-30-

Benedictine Rule: You Pick Your Successor

On the morning George Niederauer was appointed archbishop of San Francisco, a call from the mound reminded -- as if anyone needed reminding -- that the new pontificate was a whole different ballgame.

"Someone's crying 'round here," the caller said.

Why? Nothing personal, it's just that the die had been cast -- in a break from the practice of the prior regime, departing prelates would get the successors of their choosing.

As you can see, some over there aren't terribly enthused about this development. But fifteen months on, what's clear is that the top of the scorecard now reads three for three.

First, there was Levada's successful push for Niederauer, his classmate and friend of five decades. Then, leaving Mumbai for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Cardinal Ivan Dias set the wheels in gear for his former auxiliary Oswald Gracias to head India's largest local church in his stead. And this morning, Cardinal Claudio Hummes OFM exhibited his clout as Pope Benedict named Bishop Odilio Pedro Scherer (pictured), the Clero head's auxiliary in São Paulo, as its new archbishop. The appointment comes in advance of the pontiff's wheels-down in Brazil's largest diocese in early May to open the mega-plenary of the Latin American episcopal conference, the CELAM, at the national sanctuary of Aparecida.

As head of the largest local church in the country that's home to the world's largest Catholic population, the archbishop of São Paulo invariably moves to the front of the line for a cardinal's red hat.

Ordained a bishop in 2001, the 58 year-old archbishop-elect is wrapping a four-year term as general secretary of the Brazilian episcopal conference. In December, Benedict XVI named him to the top leadership of the CELAM plenary. From 1994 until 2001, Scherer served as an official of the Congregation for Bishops, working in a Roman parish and as a chaplain to Franciscan sisters in his spare time.

A Gregorian alum who earned his licentiate in theology in Rome, his appointment to head the archdiocese of São Paulo and its 5.2 million Catholics returns its top post to a secular cleric, ending almost four decades of Franciscan leadership; before Hummes, Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns OFM had helmed it for 28 years. Arns' advocacy for the poor made him a favorite of the Pauline era and a revered figure for the worldwide Catholic left.


PHOTO: Archdiocese of São Paulo

-30-

In the Vatican, It's Red October: The Super 8 Sits

Amid the chaos of a second papal interview's sudden release, it was a moment of history this morning as the newly-formed "Council of Cardinals" convened to begin its first three-day meeting in the Pope's private library in the Apostolic Palace.

Clockwise from Francis are the members: Cardinals Seán O'Malley OFM Cap. of Boston, the emeritus of Santiago de Chile Francisco Javier Errázuriz, Oswald Gracias of Bombay, the "Mayor" of Vatican City Giuseppe Bertello; in violet the group's secretary, Bishop Marcelo Semeraro of Albano and, up the other side, Cardinals Reinhard Marx of Munich, Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, George Pell of Sydney and the coordinator of the project, Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga SDB of Tegucigalpa.

Entrusted with the open-ended mandate of advising the Pope "in the governance of the universal church" with a particular emphasis on the reform of the Roman Curia, in his interview today with La Reppublica Francis said his choices to comprise the body were "not courtiers but wise and animated people of the same leanings as mine. Calling the group "my council," Francis declared that its convocation marked "the beginning of a church with an organization [that's] not only vertical but also horizontal."

Before heading to the former papal residence that Papa Bergoglio now employs as his daytime office, the Council – announced by Francis in April, but only established formally yesterday – served as lead concelebrants with the pontiff at this morning's usual Mass, at which he prayed in their name "that our work today will make us all more humble, more meek, more patient, more trusting in God, so that the church can give a beautiful witness to the people, and seeing the People of God, seeing the church, they might feel the desire to come with us."

While the agenda awaiting the "Gang of Eight" was reportedly growing ever longer as the meeting approached, with the sessions set to extend well into the evenings and the members holed up at the Domus, the first indications of the summit's progress won't likely emerge until a press briefing tomorrow from the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi.

PHOTOS: L'Osservatore Romano 

-30-

The list as formally announced... in real-time... filling in names....

Electors:

• Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches (Argentina)
  
• John Patrick FOLEY, Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (USA)
  
• Giovanni Lajolo, Governor of the Vatican City-State (Italy)
  
• Paul-Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum (Germany)
  
• Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St Peter's Basilica, Pope's vicar-general of the Vatican-City State (Italy)
  
• Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity (Poland)
  
• Raffaele Farina SDB, archivist of the Holy Roman Church (Italy)
  
• Agustin Garcia-Gasco y Vicente, archbishop of Valencia (Spain)
  
• Sean Brady, archbishop of Armagh, primate of All Ireland
  
• Lluis Martinez Sistach, archbishop of Barcelona (Spain)
  
• Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris (France)
  
• Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa (Italy)
  
• Theodore-Adrien Sarr, archbishop of Dakar (Senegal)
  
• Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay (India)
  
• Francisco Lopez Ortega, archbishop of Monterrey (Mexico)
• Daniel Nicholas DINARDO, archbishop of Galveston-Houston (USA)
  
• Odilio Pedro Scherer, archbishop of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
  
• John Njue, archbishop of Nairobi (Kenya)
  

five "honoraries"/over-80s:

Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of Babylonia of the Chaldeans (Iraq)

Giovanni Coppa, archbishop, (retired) apostolic nuncio (Italy)

Esteban Karlic, archbishop-emeritus of Parana (Argentina)

Fr Urbano Navarrete, SJ, rector-emeritus of the Pontifical Gregorian University

Fr Umberto Betti, OFM, rector-emeritus of the Pontifical Lateran University

-30-

Between Diplomacy and "Risk" – In Myanmar, Francis' Moment of Truth

The tension has been mounting for months.

And on finally taking his own turn to speak earlier today, at least in the eyes of some, the Pope punted.

With Myanmar increasingly in the crosshairs of the international community over the country's perceived aggression toward the persecuted Muslim minority known as the Rohingya, the run-up to this first-ever papal visit there has been dominated by whether or not Francis would seek to confront his hosts by using the group's name for itself, which is "taboo" among the Buddhist majority. Yet in his late-afternoon speech to the leaders of the onetime Burma, the pontiff ostensibly heeded the pressure from his own diplomats and the country's first-ever cardinal, avoiding the thicket head-on while calling nonetheless for "respect for the dignity and rights of each member of society, respect for each ethnic group and its identity, respect for the rule of law, and respect for a democratic order that enables each individual and every group – none excluded – to offer its legitimate contribution to the common good."

Of course, this was just the end of the first day of a weeklong trek – one whose final leg, in heavily-Muslim Bangladesh, will head to the place to which tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled. Still, today's address to Myanmar's ruling elite was arguably the principal indicator of the degree to which Francis was willing to push the issue, above all given the presence of the Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, whose global fame as a champion of human rights has been tarnished by her silence on the military-led campaign against her own country's religious minority, who are viewed by the authorities as "illegal immigrants."

Now holding the posts of "State Counselor" and Foreign Minister after last year's limited return to democratic rule, Suu Kyi – who remains constitutionally barred from Myanmar's presidency due to a provision inserted by the country's prior military regime to keep her from the role – met for nearly an hour with the Pope today, then going on to host Francis' encounter with the civil authorities (seen at top).

Further underscoring her standing as the nation's supreme figure in fact if not title, Papa Bergoglio's time with the official head of state, President Htin Kyaw, ran considerably shorter and was designated as a mere "courtesy visit."

After Suu Kyi's private audience with Francis in the Vatican last May, Myanmar became the latest country to establish full diplomatic relations with the Holy See, having been one of the last few holdouts.

Notably, the contretemps over the Rohingya – who the Pope last referred to by name in August while pleading for their "full rights" – has overshadowed the stark poverty he will find on both stages of this visit. As the front page of yesterday's L'Osservatore Romano sought to highlight, roughly a third of Myanmar's population of 53 million lives in "absolute indigence."

While Catholics comprise only some 700,000 Myanmarese, the country now has a cardinal in the Salesian Charles Maung Bo, 69 (above right) – the archbishop of its largest city, Yangon, who Francis elevated to the scarlet in 2015.

A lead public voice against the pontiff's explicit use of the term "Rohingya" ahead of this week's trip – and long seen in Roman circles as a decidedly influential figure across the growing Asian church – it bears recalling that Bo's entrance into the papal "Senate" had been anticipated at the Vatican well before the current pontificate, extending as far back as 2010.

Before departing for the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, on Thursday afternoon local time, the Pope will celebrate two Masses (including one strictly for young people) and hold formal meetings with Myanmar's bishops and its leading Buddhist monks.

Albeit not on the Pope's public schedule in Bangladesh, a meeting with Rohingya who've left Myanmar has been hinted at by Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay, one of Francis's "Gang of Nine" advisers, its exact timing unknown. In a rarity for any papal road trip, meanwhile, Francis will perform priestly ordinations on Friday morning at a Dhaka park.

Like Myanmar, the pontiff's next stop has its own first red hat given by Francis: Dhaka's Patrick D'Rozario, 74, the first member of the Congregation of Holy Cross to become a cardinal in some six decades.

-30-

"The Presence of God Is Called 'Rohingya'" – Meeting Refugees, Pope Pleads for "Forgiveness"

Closing out a packed day that began with a rare ordination of priests on the road, the prime diplomatic fault-line of this weeklong PopeTrip to Southeast Asia saw a closing flourish as Francis met with 16 Rohingya refugees – 12 men and four women – who fled Myanmar for Bangladesh, using the charged term for the first time on this visit.

Taking place just after a gathering with local interfaith leaders at the Archbishop's Residence in Dhaka, the encounter was not a surprise – as previously noted, the plan was revealed early this week by Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai (a member of the pontiff's "C-9" council of lead advisers) in a conversation with the Rome-based AsiaNews agency. Nonetheless, after Francis came in for a rare dose of wide criticism over explicitly avoiding the topic during this trek's first leg with the party responsible for the crisis, the images and tone of today's meeting – which highlighted both Papa Bergoglio's compassion and a global call to action (his second in as many days) – is likely to assuage the storm over the long haul.

Here, a house English translation of the Pope's brief, off-the-cuff message to the group – currently housed in a refugee camp – after meeting them individually:

Dear brothers and sisters, we are all close to you. There's not much that we can do because your tragedy is so great. But we make space for you in our hearts. In the name of all, of those who've persecuted you, of those who've done this evil, above all for the indifference of the world, I ask forgiveness. Forgiveness. Many of you have spoken of the great heart of Bangladesh which has welcomed you. Now I appeal to your great hearts, that you might be able to give us the forgiveness we seek.

Dear brothers and sisters, the Judeo-Christian account of creation says that the Lord who is God created man in his own image and likeness. All of us are this image, even these brothers and sisters. They, too, are the image of the living God. A tradition of your religions says that God, in the beginning, took a little bit of salt and tossed it into water, that was the soul of all people; and each of us carries within ourselves a little of this divine salt. These brothers and sisters carry within them the salt of God.

Dear brothers and sisters, we only have to look at the world to see its selfishness with the image of God. Let us continue to do good by you, to help you; let us continue to act so that they may recognize your rights. Let us not close our hearts, not look somewhere else. The presence of God today is also called "Rohingya." May each of us give our own response.

-30-

Veni, Veni, Recognitio: Vox Clara at Advent

Its fourth meeting of 2006 may have been slated to run through Thursday, but the blue (or os it red?)-ribbon committee on the translation of English-language liturgical texts has completed its business for the year in two days flat. No kidding.

The latest wrap-up statement is below.... You'll note Cardinal Arinze's light-shedding on the rendering of "pro multis."

VOX CLARA COMMITTEE
PRESS RELEASE
December 5 , 2006

The Vox Clara Committee met for the twelfth time from December 4-5, 2006 in the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome. This Committee of senior Bishops from Episcopal Conferences throughout the English-speaking world was formed by the Congregation on July 19, 2001 in order to provide advice to the Holy See concerning English-language liturgical books and to strengthen effective cooperation with the Conferences of Bishops in this regard.

The Vox Clara Committee is chaired by Cardinal George Pell, Sydney (Australia). The participants in the meeting were Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb, Mobile (USA), who serves as First Vice-Chairman; Archbishop Oswald Gracias, Bombay (India), who serves as Second Vice-Chairman; Cardinal Justin Rigali, Philadelphia (USA), who serves as Treasurer; Archbishop Alfred Hughes, New Orleans (USA); Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Halifax (Canada); Archbishop Peter Kwasi Sarpong, Kumasi (Ghana); and Archbishop Kelvin Felix, Castries (Saint Lucia). Bishop David McGough was present as a pro-tempore representative of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Westminster (England), who serves as Secretary. Also members of the Committee, though not present at the meeting, were Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., Chicago (USA) and Bishop Philip Boyce, O.C.D., Raphoe (Ireland).

The members were assisted in their work by the following Advisors: Monsignor Gerard McKay (Rome), Abbot Cuthbert Johnson, O.S.B. (England), Reverend Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B. (USA), Reverend Dennis McManus (USA), and Monsignor James P. Moroney (USA). Administrative support was provided by Reverend Robert Keighron (USA). The customary support and assistance of officials of the Congregation was also appreciated by the members.

The Committee’s work at this meeting consisted primarily of a review of the most recent ICEL Green Book translation of the first half of the Proper of the Saints. The members of the Committee were again grateful for the quality of the work and noted the significant progress which the mixed commission continues to make in the translation of the Roman Missal. At the same time, a number of suggestions were offered to the Congregation concerning ways in which the translation could be improved.

At the request of the Congregation, the Committee continues its review of the approvals of the Order of Mass which have been submitted by various Conferences of Bishops. In the light of the Congregation’s intention to proceed to the recognitio of this first “white book” of the Roman Missal in a timely fashion, the Committee hopes to complete its review of this text at its next meeting.

During the meeting, the members and advisors met with Cardinal Francis Arinze and Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, Prefect and Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The Cardinal Prefect once again expressed the gratitude of the Congregation and renewed the expression of his hope that the progress of the work will result in a fulfillment of the Holy Father’s desire for a timely completion of the Roman Missal.

Cardinal Arinze also recalled the most recent decision of Pope Benedict XVI that a more precise translation of pro multis be included in the translation of the Order of Mass. He emphasized the importance of a common English-language rendering of this text, noting that it remains to be seen whether the translation will eventually be formulated as “for many” or “for the many.”

Finally, the members heard a report on recent initiatives by several Conferences of Bishops to develop formational materials to assist Bishops in introducing the new Roman Missal. The members were gratified by this development.

The Committee will meet again in March, 2007 at the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome.

-30-

Vox Clara Rides Again

The special committee on English-language liturgical translations of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments -- here pictured at their summer meeting -- convened again this week in Rome, announcing that it will keep to an enhanced schedule of four meetings for 2007.

Here's the end-0f-gathering communique in full..... And just in case you were curious -- no, VC had nothing to do with the return of the EMOC-purification ban.

VOX CLARA COMMITTEE
PRESS RELEASE
October 27, 2006

The Vox Clara Committee met for the tenth time from October 23-26, 2006 in the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome.

Since its establishment by the Congregation on July 19, 2001, this Committee of senior Bishops from Episcopal Conferences throughout the English-speaking world has provided advice to the Holy See concerning English-language liturgical books, ever seeking to strengthen effective cooperation with the Conferences of Bishops in this regard. The terms of the members and advisors were recently extended by the Congregation.

The Vox Clara Committee is chaired by Cardinal George Pell, Sydney (Australia). The participants in the meeting were Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb, Mobile (USA), who serves as First Vice-Chairman; Archbishop Alfred Hughes, New Orleans (USA); Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Halifax (Canada); Archbishop Peter Kwasi Sarpong, Kumasi (Ghana); Archbishop Kelvin Felix, Castries (Saint Lucia), and Bishop Philip Boyce, O.C.D., Raphoe (Ireland). Bishop David McGough was present as a pro-tempore representative of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Westminster (England), who serves as Secretary. Other members of the Committee, though not present at the meeting, are: Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., Chicago (USA); Cardinal Justin Rigali, Philadelphia (USA), who serves as Treasurer; Archbishop Oswald Gracias, Mumbai (India), who serves as Second Vice-Chairman.

The members were assisted in their work by the following Advisors: Monsignor Gerard McKay (Rome), Abbot Cuthbert Johnson, O.S.B. (England), Father Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B. (USA), Father Dennis McManus (USA), and Monsignor James P. Moroney (USA). Secretarial support was provided by Father Robert Keighron (USA). The Committee continues to receive valuable assistance and support from the officials of the Congregation.

The preponderance of the work of the Committee was devoted to a review of the most recent ICEL Green Book translation of the Common of the Saints. The improvement that had been previously noted in the translations was manifested in many texts of a truly outstanding quality. At the same time, the Committee provided the Congregation with extensive commentary on certain problems and noted the importance of continuing to rely upon the principles of the instruction Liturgiam Authenticam and its particular application in the Ratio Translationis [the guidelines for liturgical translations]. The Committee appreciated that ICEL is maintaining its increasingly ambitious schedule for completion of translations of the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia.

On the second day of the meeting, the members and advisors met with Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. At the conclusion of his remarks, Cardinal Pell thanked Cardinal Arinze for his “regular and constant support” of the work of Vox Clara.

The Committee was also asked to conduct a final review of the Ratio Translationis for the English Language, which serves as a reliable application of the principles of the instruction Liturgiam authenticam to English-language translations of Roman liturgical texts (cf. Liturgiam authenticam, no. 9). Between June, 2005 and August, 2006, the Congregation conducted a consultation on a provisional text of the Ratio, which will be published by the Congregation in a definitive form in the near future.

The members of the Vox Clara Committee noted their satisfaction with the work of translation as the completion of the Roman Missal draws ever closer. The careful and patient collaboration of the Conferences of Bishops and the Holy See in the review of the translations produced thus far by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy remains the key to the successful completion of this project. The members of the Vox Clara Committee join with the ICEL Commissioners and the Bishop members of the English-language Conferences of Bishops in working toward a translation of the Missale Romanum which is “characterized by a kind of language which is easily understandable, yet which at the same time preserves these texts’ dignity, beauty, and doctrinal precision.” (Liturgiam Authenticam, no. 25)

The Committee will meet again in December, 2006 and has planned for four meetings in the course of the coming year.

-30-

Red Pope Gets His Choice

Score one for the prefect of Propaganda Fide. More importantly, score yet another one for Vox Clara.

In an announcement that should come as a surprise to no one, earlier today Benedict XVI named Archbishop Oswald Gracias of Agra as archbishop of Bombay. The new head of India's most prominent local church'll get to pay his thank-you visits next week, when the commission for English liturgical translations meets again at Culto Divino; Ozzie serves as VC's second vice-chair.

Elsewhere on the Roman beat on this Saturday, the Pope received Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, SJ, the retired archbishop of Milan, in yet another private audience.... Martini's been received more than any other non-curial cardinal, active or otherwise. Interesting, eh?

FYI, the superlative Italian journal 30 giorni just published Martini's reflections at the 50th anniversary of Pius XII's encyclical on the Sacred Heart, Haurietis aquas. Also "in" today were Cardinals Castrillion, Martino and Jaime Ortega y Alamino, the archbishop of Havana.

Yesterday, B16 had a sit-down with Cardinal Carlo Caffarra of Bologna.... But was the CEI on the docket? We'll see soon enough.

-30-