News Briefs

Berlin, Germany, Sep 24, 2019 / 04:00 pm (CNA).- The apostolic nuncio to Germany has written to the country’s bishops, comparing a recent letter from Pope Francis to German Catholics with a historic Nazi-era encyclical of Pius XI.

In a letter to mark the opening of the German bishops’ conference’s plenary session on Monday, Archbishop Nicola Eterovic reiterated the appeal of Pope Francis to the bishops that they focus on evangelization and maintain unity with the universal Church during their “binding synodal process.”

In June, Francis wrote to German Catholics about the state of the Church in their country, and to offer his own priorities and methodology for the syndoal path being undertaken there.

The German bishops’ plenary meeting runs from Sept. 23-25, at the end of which they will vote on draft statutes for the creation of a “Synodal Assembly.” 

“The letter of the Holy Father deserves special attention,” Archbishop Nicola Eterovic wrote in his welcoming address to the German bishops on Monday, Sept. 23.

“It is indeed the first time since the encyclical of Pius XI, Mit brennender sorge — ‘With burning concern’ — that the pope has dedicated a letter to the members of the Catholic Church in Germany in particular.”

Eterovic – originally from Croatia – pointed out that while “the encyclical of 14 March 1937 denounces the inadmissible interventions of the National Socialist regime in the affairs of the Catholic Church, the current letter deals with issues within the Church.” 

“As the representative of the Holy Father in Germany, I am pleased that the contents of the papal letter will be the subject of the study day during this assembly. I do not doubt that the pope’s letter will positively influence the so-called Synodal Path.”

In his own letter, the archbishop repeatedly stressed the need for unity with the universal Church, as expressed by the pope.

“Unity between the universal Church and particular Churches is essential for the effectiveness of evangelization,” Eterovic wrote, quoting Francis’ June letter. 

“It is especially in these times of ‘strong fragmentation and polarization to ensure that the Sensus Ecclesiae actually lives in every decision we make and that it nourishes and permeates all levels… The universal Church lives in and from the particular Churches, just as the particular Churches live and flourish in and from the universal Church; if they were separated from the universal Church, they would weaken, perish and die. Hence the need to maintain communion with the whole Body of the Church always alive and effective.”

The nuncio said the pope wanted to remind the German bishops that communion “helps us to overcome the fear which isolates us in ourselves and in our particularities, so that we can look into the eyes and listen to those who are there, or so that we can renounce needs and thus accompany those who have remained on the roadside.”

The archbishop concluded by warning the German bishops against the temptation to seek easy solutions in the face of the crisis of faith in the country. 

Citing Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Protestant theologian murdered by the Nazis, Eterovic said that relying on the “cheap grace” cannot be the basis for renewal, and is the “mortal enemy of our Church.” Instead, he urged the bishops to “struggle” for the “expensive grace” that is found through focusing on evangelization, as called for by the pope.

Eterovic concluded his letter by underlining the essential link between people, faith, and evangelization in the communion of the Church.

“As a community of believers, as a communion of lived and preached hope, as a community of fraternal love, the Church must unceasingly hear for herself what she must believe, what are the reasons for her hope, and what the new commandment of love is.”

CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language partner, contributed to this story

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Fulda, Germany, Sep 24, 2019 / 12:10 pm (CNA).- The Church in Germany must revise its synodal plans in line with the pope’s leadership and the universal Church, Cardinal Rainer Woelki told the plenary session of the German Episcopal Conference Tuesday morning.

Speaking on the second day of the three-day meeting, Woelki, who is the Archbishop of Cologne, told the bishops that Pope Francis had offered them essential “fatherly advice” in his June letter to the Church in Germany.

“Let us take the pope very seriously!” Woelki told the bishops, as he called for key changes to be made to the synodal plans in order to bring them in line with Francis’ recommendations.

The bishops are meeting in Fulda from Sept. 23-25. Tomorrow they are expected to vote on the adoption of draft statutes for the “binding synodal process” announced by Cardinal Reinhard Marx earlier this year.

Woelki outlined several key themes in the pope’s letter which, he said, the bishops must honor, especially noting Pope Francis’ call for a focus on evangelization and communion with the wider Church.

The Church in Germany must begin by “re-evangelizing itself” is an “indispensable prerequisite” for its wider mission, Woelki said, noting that Francis’ letter made clear that this required the bishops to remain rooted in the essential unity of faith, in Christ, and with the whole Church.

“This is the indispensable sign for our Synodal Way, which has to run like a thread through it, so that the Synodal Way can bear true fruit. The Pope’s letter leaves no doubt about that.”

The pope’s letter has become a focal point for debate as the German bishops continue their deliberations on the creation of a Synodal Assembly in partnership with the Central Committee of German Catholics. Yesterday, the Apostolic Nuncio in Germany, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, wrote to the German bishops, reminding them that the June letter was the first time a pope had written to all the German faithful since the rise of Nazism, and that it is essential that they listen to Francis.

Woekli said that the pope’s warning against a synod inspired by a “new Pelagianism,” focused on structural reform and bringing the Church into conformity with the zeitgeist, is an important exhortation.

“It is no coincidence that the Holy Father warns against a tendency that seems to me to be typical for Germany,” Woekli said, quoting the pope as he described “this old and ever new temptation of the promoters of Gnosticism […] who, in order to make their own name and reputation, to increase their doctrine and glory, have tried to say something always new and different from what the Word of God has given them.”

 While it is important to enable the broad participation of believers in the life of the Church, Woelki said, this cannot be conflated or confused with the legitimate teaching and governing authority of the bishops, “the guarantor of apostolicity and catholicity.”

Referencing the recent Vatican assessment of the draft statutes for the Synodal Assembly, the cardinal reminded the bishops that there is a crucial difference between a parliamentary approach to Church governance and the proper role of discussion and consultation before the exercise of legitimate decision-making authority.

“The Synodal Way must not be walked without the universal Church. The [pope’s] letter urges this perspective when it says: ‘It is about living and feeling with the Church and in the Church[…] The universal church lives in and out of the particular churches, just as the particular churches live and flourish in and out of the universal church; if they were separated from the universal Church, they would weaken, corrupt and die.’” 

The German synodal plans include the formation of working groups, called synodal fora, which are considering the themes of increasing women’s participation in Church ministries and offices, reforming Church teaching on sexual morality, and revising discipline in priestly life.

Several of these groups, formed in partnership with the Central Committee of German Catholics, have already begun work and are expected to advance proposals at odds with universal Church teaching, something Woelki said would go against the pope’s clear instructions.

“Pope Francis reminds us that the faith of the particular Churches is always located in the faith of the whole Church and must be found there,” he said. “In the long run, there cannot and should not be different ways of dealing with fundamental issues of faith and morality that would not only jeopardize, but possibly violate, the high good of unity that we profess in the Creed as an attribute of the Church.”

“The stipulations of the faith, which belong to the unchangeable existence of doctrine of the Church, cannot and therefore must not be put up for debate in the Synodal Way. The impression must not be conveyed that there would be a quasi-parliamentary vote on the faith,” Woelki insisted.

Vatican criticism of the German plans, put forward in a Sept. 4 letter to Cardinal Reinhard Marx from Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, raised a number of concerns. Foremost of these is the plan to invest the Synodal Assembly with “deliberative power” to pass resolutions on issues touching Church teaching and governance.

Woelki also said that listening to the pope’s instructions does not mean halting the synodal process.

“The Pope’s letter emphasizes that this does not mean ‘not going forward, not changing anything, and perhaps even not debating or arguing.’ But this must be done with the consciousness, as the pope says, ‘that we are essentially part of a larger body that claims us, that waits for us and needs us, and that we claim, expect and need.’”

He concluded by urging the other German bishops to make necessary changes to the synodal structures and topics for consideration, pointing to the alternative version he presented in August, which made explicit that the synodal body had a strictly consultative role and suggested alternative topics for consideration, centered on the evangelization.

“Together with the Holy Father, I again warn against taking a substantial and formal path that would take us out of the worldwide body of Christ. Our involvement in the faith of the universal Church, whose integrity we serve not least in the episcopal ministry, excludes any negotiation or a vote on matters of faith. This also applies to ecclesiastical discipline, insofar as it is embedded in the overall church context.”

 “Let’s take the pope really seriously,” Woelki concluded. “We do not need agitated activism, but the serenity of all who are fully committed to Christ.”

“It is crucial that the Church in Germany shows with words and deeds how beautiful it is to live in the presence of the Lord, to know that He accompanies and surrounds us: For the joy of the Lord is our strength.”

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Frosinone, Italy, Sep 24, 2019 / 09:53 am (CNA).- Pope Francis and Andrea Bocelli made a surprise visit Tuesday to a rehabilitation center outside of Rome.

Arriving in a blue Ford Focus, the pope visited the headquarters of the “Nuovi Orizzonti,” or “New Horizons,” community, in Frosinone, Italy, Vatican News reported Sept. 24.

New Horizons is an Italian non-profit organization recognized by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life, that provides support through a faith-based “rehabilitative therapeutic program” for the poor and destitute on the streets.

For 25 years, the organization founded by Chiara Amirante has served the poor with a faith-centered appraoch to rehabilitation from substance abuse, while also providing sheter for homeless youth, aid to women in prostitution, and a ministry of street evangelization. With its headquarters in Frosinone, the organization has grown to have 200 training centers.

“I knew that Christ could bring life back where I saw death. They asked me to take them away with me, to know that Jesus I was talking about. What happened next went beyond my imagination,” Amirante said of her ministry in the streets before the founding of New Horizons, according to Italian media.

Pope Francis visited the New Horizons’ headquarters and site of the “Cittadella Cielo,” or Heavenly Citadel project, an initiative to construct a “small village” to house single mothers and their children, teach vocational skills to homeless, assist people with AIDS, and train evangelization teams to volunteer in prisons or with at-risk youth.

The Italian newspaper Avvenire posted photos of Pope Francis celebrating Mass at the New Horizons headquarters with Andrea Bocelli and other Italian celebrities present.

Bocelli has been a supporter of New Horizons for a number of years. The celebrity singer attended the inauguration of the Heavenly Citadel project in 2018 and is called a “Knight of Light of New Horizons.”

Bocelli told Avvenire why he supports New Horizons: “Because I love the truth and I have decided to always be in the forefront of bringing it to others.”

“Holy Father, his first words after the white smoke were ‘Pray for me’. I don’t know why, but I cried a lot that night. And again this morning,” Bocelli said Sept. 24 during the visit to Frosinone with the pope.

Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has made surprise visits, customarily on Fridays, to organizations practicing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Originally planned once per month during the Church’s Jubilee of Mercy in 2016 as “Mercy Fridays,” the pope continued these surprise visits, meeting with refugees, the terminally ill, and women freed from sex trafficking, among others.

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Madrid, Spain, Sep 24, 2019 / 12:00 am (CNA).- The Spanish bishops’ conference said that the “mindfulness” movement and other eastern meditation techniques cannot be considered a “properly Christian” practice of prayer.

The Spanish bishops’ commission on doctrine approved  April 3 “’My soul thirsts for God, for the living God’: A doctrinal orientation on Christian prayer. ” The document was officially published Sept. 3.

The bishops’ document discusses the “nature and richness of prayer, and the spiritual experience rooted in Christian Revelation and Tradition.”

The document also aims to offer “criteria to discern which elements of other widespread religious traditions can be integrated into a Christian praxis of prayer.”

In particular, the bishops noted that “the thirst for God accompanies each and every human being,” while “today’s culture and society, characterized by a secularized mentality, hinder the cultivation of spirituality and everything that leads to the encounter with God.”
 
“Our rhythm of life, marked by activism, competitiveness, and consumerism, generates emptiness, stress, anguish, frustration, and multiple concerns that fail to alleviate the means that the world offers to achieve happiness,” the bishops wrote.

In this context, “not a few feel a pressing desire for silence, serenity, and inner peace.”

The bishops warned, however, that “we are witnessing the resurgence of a spirituality that is presented in response to the growing ‘demand’ for emotional well-being, personal balance, enjoyment of life or serenity to face challenges.”

That spirituality, they said, is too often “understood as the cultivation of one’s own interiority so that man finds himself, and which often does not lead to God.”

“To this effect, many people—even those who grew up in a Christian environment—resort to meditation, prayer techniques and methods that have their origin in religious traditions outside Christianity and the rich spiritual heritage of the Church.”

“In some cases, this is accompanied by the abandonment of the Catholic faith, even inadvertently. In other cases, people try to incorporate these methods as a ‘supplement’ of their faith to achieve a more intense experience of it. This assimilation is frequently done without proper discernment about its compatibility with the Christian faith, the anthropology that derives from it and with the Christian message of salvation,” the bishops warned.

The bishops warned that “in many spheres of our society, the desire to find inner peace has favored the diffusion of meditation inspired by Zen Buddhism.”
 
“The reduction of prayer to meditation and the absence of a you as its end, turn meditation into a monologue that begins and ends in the subject itself,” the bishops said.

“The Zen technique consists in observing the movements of one’s own mind in order to pacify the person and bring them into union with their own being.”

The meditation technique described by the bishops is often referred to as “mindfulness” in the West.

 But techniques focused on the self “can hardly be compatible with Christian prayer, in which the most important thing is the divine You revealed in Christ,” the bishops said.

“Many times these meditation techniques, such as mindfulness, try to hide their religious origin and spread in movements that could be described as ‘new age,’ because they are proposed as an alternative to the Christian faith,” the bishops said.

They also explained that such techniques often disregard the difference “between the self and what is outside, between the sacred and the profane, between the divine and the created” and “the personal face of the Christian God cannot be recognized.”

“When the divine and the world are conflated, and there is no orientation towards another, any kind of prayer is useless.”

A version of this story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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