Cardinal Kasper says Mueller’s manifesto spreads ‘confusion and division’

The Holy Tunic of Christ on display in Argenteuil, France, in 2016. / Credit: Simon de l’Ouest, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Paris, France, Apr 24, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

A rare exhibit of the Holy Tunic of Christ — believed to be the garment worn by Jesus during his passion — is drawing unprecedented crowds to the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Argenteuil, a suburb of Paris. 

Open to the public from April 18 to May 11, the exhibit is galvanizing Catholic faithful across Europe. More than 400,000 pilgrims are expected during the 23-day event — more than double the attendance of the previous exhibit in 2016. 

Argenteuil, a city that has seen significant Muslim immigration in recent decades, now finds itself at the heart of a surprising spiritual resurgence. 

To accommodate the historic influx of visitors, the Diocese of Pontoise — which oversees the basilica — has launched a large-scale logistical effort. The monument will remain open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., with overnight access on the three Saturdays following Easter. 

An educational and spiritual path accompanies pilgrims as they venerate the Holy Tunic, with several hundred trained volunteers assisting to guide the faithful and maintain a smooth flow of visitors. 

The exhibit of the Holy Tunic opened on Good Friday, April 18, with a solemn Mass celebrated by Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise, followed by a public Stations of the Cross procession through the streets of Argenteuil. Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin was originally scheduled to preside over the closing Mass on May 11, but the recent death of Pope Francis on April 21 and the upcoming conclave may alter the Vatican delegation’s presence.  

The Holy Tunic has only been publicly displayed twice in the 20th century — in 1934 and 1984 — drawing approximately 80,000 visitors each time. 

In a statement, the Diocese of Pontoise emphasized that the purpose of the exhibit is to offer believers “an opportunity to meditate on the passion of Christ and the profound meaning of his sacrifice.” 

Speaking to the Catholic weekly Famille Chrétienne, Father Guy-Emmanuel Cariot, rector of the basilica, underlined the spiritual dimension of the event. “Our task is to organize the encounter between people and the Holy Tunic — then the Lord does what he has to do,” he said.

For Cariot, the relic is “an open book of the Passion,” capable of moving modern hearts. “More than the relic itself, it is Jesus who draws people in,” he added, inviting every pilgrim to contemplate the mystery of redemption. 

The Holy Tunic of Argenteuil is considered one of the most precious relics in Christendom. According to tradition, it was discovered in Jaffa in the fourth century by St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, and later gifted by Empress Irene of Constantinople to Charlemagne in the year 800. It was then entrusted to the Benedictine nuns of the Argenteuil abbey. After disappearing during the French Revolution, it was rediscovered in the 19th century and has since undergone several restorations. 

While scholars continue to debate its authenticity, the air of mystery surrounding the tunic has only deepened its veneration. For the faithful, it represents far more than a historical artifact: It is a tangible link to Christ’s passion — a sacred object that connects believers today with the redemptive suffering of Jesus. 

Historian Jean-Christian Petitfils, author of  “La sainte tunique d’Argenteuil: Authentique relique de la Passion du Christ” (“The Holy Tunic of Argenteuil: An Authentic Relic of Christ’s Passion”), argues that both scientific testing and historical indicators support the relic’s authenticity. Nonetheless, he acknowledges that gaps in documentation — and periods when the tunic vanished from the historical record — leave parts of its story shrouded in uncertainty. 

This year’s exhibit takes place in a city that has experienced profound socio-religious shifts in recent decades. Argenteuil, home to nearly 110,000 residents — around a third of whom have at least one parent of immigrant origin — has witnessed a sharp and steady decline in Catholic practice, even as Islam has become more visibly present in the public sphere. 

Against this backdrop, the display of the Holy Tunic carries significant symbolic weight. It represents a revival of Christian memory and a reaffirmation of the Church’s enduring presence in a society undergoing deep cultural and spiritual transformation. For many, it is a moment of awakening — a testament that the Catholic faith continues to resonate, even in a secularized and religiously diverse environment. 

The pastoral programming reflects this ambition. Daily solemn Masses are celebrated by different Church leaders, including Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldeans in Iraq, and Cardinal Juan José Omella, archbishop of Barcelona. Special days are devoted to children, along with scouting vigils and catechesis sessions for families, youth, and spiritual seekers. 

In the lead-up to the exhibit, the Holy Tunic toured several French cathedrals between 2024 and March 2025, preparing the public and cultivating a spirit of curiosity and reverence. 

This display also coincides with the broader revitalization of the Basilica of Saint-Denis — a spiritual and historical landmark of the Île-de-France region and traditional burial place of French royalty. A major restoration project is underway to reconstruct its north tower and spire, dismantled in the 19th century after a storm.  

Since 2022, archaeological excavations have unearthed Merovingian tombs and rare Romanesque elements, paving the way for a full restoration of the west façade, launched in 2023 and scheduled for completion in 2029. The initiative is not only architectural but also educational, featuring a craft village and immersive displays.  

Like the exhibit in Argenteuil, it bears witness to a shared drive to revive France’s Christian roots through the transmission and enhancement of its sacred heritage.

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CNA Staff, Sep 30, 2020 / 12:03 pm (CNA).- The Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev on Tuesday denied reports from Russia’s foreign intelligence agency that the Church in Belarus is being used by the US, calling them “complete nonsense, fake information.”

“Some media outlets published information provided by the head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service Sergey Naryshkin. This is a fake, this is nonsense. He spoke about some provocations, about the fact that the United States, the CIA and other organizations are trying to use the Catholic Church to undermine the state system in our country. This is complete nonsense, fake information, lies that have nothing to do with the truth … This is information that should be treated with a touch of irony,” Bishop Yury Kasabutski said during his homily at a Sept. 29 Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Minsk.

Naryshkin is director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. The Russian news agency Interfax reported Sept. 29 that Naryshkin had said, “the United States is also unceremoniously interfering in the religious situation in Belarus … The clergy of the Roman Catholic Church are being asked to openly criticize the Belarusian authorities and to use religious events, including sermons, prayers, religious processions, to conduct opposition political propaganda among believers.”

The Russian foreign intelligence director added that “According to the plan of the Americans, this should force Minsk to take harsh retaliatory measures against the Roman Catholic Church.”

Naryshkin said the Belarusian opposition is planning a “resonant provocation” during which a high-ranking cleric “would be arrested or even wounded or killed,” with the intention of increasing opposition sentiment among Catholics in the country.

Belarus has seen widespread protests in recent weeks following a disputed presidential election. Protests began Aug. 9 after president Alexander Lukashenko was declared to have won that day’s election with 80% of the vote. Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since the position was created in 1994.

The US and the EU no longer recognize Lukashenko as the Belarusian president. Canada and the UK placed sanctions on Belarus Sept. 29.

Lukashenko secured a $1.5 billion loan from Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier this month, and Putin has denounced “external pressure” on Belarus.

The president of the Belarusian bishops’ conference, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Minsk-Mohilev, has been exiled. His passport was invalidated, and he was blocked from returning from Poland by border guards Aug. 31. The archbishop has spoken in defense of protests following last month’s presidential election.

Lukashenko has suggested the archbishop might be a citizen of more than one country. The archbishop told CNA Sept. 1 that “today I was accused that I received from Warsaw some instructions, or something, but I didn’t visit Warsaw.” He said he had visited eastern Poland to celebrate the First Communion of a relative.

Bishop Kasabutski told Catholic.by Sept. 29 that “Our clergy do not receive any instructions from anyone, and not only of a political nature … No one makes any calls to the priests for an open statement during the divine services of one or another attitude to the authorities. This information has no real basis.”

He added that the claim the US or other states are trying to influence the Church “sounds completely unrealistic.”

“Perhaps these statements have something to do with the Church’s position. Today the Church in Belarus speaks the truth about the situation in the country, opposes violence, encourages people to solidarity, unity, harmony, peace, and forgiveness,” the bishop reflected.

Bishop Kasabutski continued: “Maybe in this way we are preventing someone from implementing certain scenarios aimed at division in society, at the bloody development of events. Maybe someone is trying to use this situation to divide people on the principle of religion to accuse us of what we are trying to avoid by praying to God for peace and harmony in our society. But we do not succumb to such ‘brainwashing’ and remain faithful to the commandments of love left to us by Christ.”

He added that relations between Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox in Belarus are warm, and that “we now see a very strong solidarity of people regardless of religion.”

Protests have taken place across Belarus since the August election, and thousands of protesters have been detained. At least four people have died in the unrest.

Electoral officials said that the opposition candidate, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, earned 10% of the vote. The opposition claims that she actually garned at least 60% of votes.

Tsikhanouskaya was detained for several hours after complaining to the electoral committee. She and several other opposition leaders are now in self-imposed exile in Lithuania or other nearby countries.

[…]

London, England, Nov 29, 2017 / 04:52 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In 1936, when British King Edward VIII declared that he was intended to marry Wallis Simpson, he abdicated the throne.

Opposition to the union was strong – Simpson was doubly-divorced, and many thought she was only after Edward for his money.

Besides general disapproval from the elite, a more definite obstacle stood in the couple’s way – as King, Edward VIII was the head of the Church of England, which at the time did not allow divorced persons to remarry if their first spouse was still alive. In order to marry Simpson in a civil ceremony, he abdicated the throne in December, and was succeeded by his brother, George VI.

Earlier this week, another royal engagement was announced. On Monday, Kensington Palace announced that Prince Harry, who is fifth in line for the throne, is engaged to Meghan Markle. Like Simpson, Markle is an American and divorced. Furthermore, Markle has Catholic ties in her family, and is possibly a baptized Catholic herself.

Obstacles which just a few years ago might have disqualified the couple from ascending to the crown – divorce, Catholic ties – no longer require the Prince to abdicate his place in the line of succession to the British throne.

What has changed?

Father James Bradley, a Catholic priest in the U.K. and a former Anglican, told CNA that because of the previous rules of the Anglican Church, Edward was essentially obligated to abdicate because “he would have been in a relationship which the Church of which he was Supreme Governor did not approve,” he said.

In 2002, a synod of Anglican bishops officially changed Anglican doctrine regarding divorce, declaring that while “marriage should always be undertaken as a ‘solemn, public and lifelong covenant between a man and a woman’…some marriages regrettably do fail and that the Church’s care for couples in that situation should be of paramount importance…there are exceptional circumstances in which a divorced person may be married in church during the lifetime of a former spouse.”

The Anglican Church does not define exactly what qualifies as exceptional circumstances; this is primarily left up to the presiding minister to determine whether a second church wedding can be allowed.

One instance in which the Anglican Church forbids a second church wedding for divorced persons is if the new relationship contributed to the breakdown of the first marriage, Ed Condon, a Catholic canon lawyer in the U.K., told CNA. This was what prevented a church wedding for Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005.

“If there’s been no openly scandalous reasons or contributing factors, that would allow the Anglican authorities to say well, you can have a church wedding,” Condon said. Harry and Markle are expected to be married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

But accepting attitudes about divorced monarchs is indicative of a broader breakdown of marriage that can be seen, particularly in the West, Bradley noted.

“The opposition to Edward VIII was, first of all, that society didn’t recognize divorce as something that was good at the time, and now it does, unfortunately,” he said.

Currently, “(the) new head of the [British] Supreme Court is pushing for no-fault divorce. We’ve gone from a situation where divorce was such a social issue that you couldn’t remain monarch and be married to a divorced person, and now we’re in a situation where the Supreme Court is pushing for no-fault divorce,” he said. “So it’s the complete collapse of marriage as we see in America and the rest of the West.”

Royals marrying Catholics

While Markle attended an all-girls Catholic school in L.A., it is unclear whether she was baptized as a Catholic, and she told Vanity Fair earlier this year that she was not raised as one.

Numerous British sources report that Markle has identified as a Protestant for some time before the engagement, and plans to be baptized and confirmed in the Church of England before marrying Harry.

However, if she were a Catholic, this too would have been an obstacle to her marrying into the royal family until very recently. Opposition to Catholics ascending to the throne dates back to King Henry VIII, who broke from the Catholic Church in the 1500s in order to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry another, because he blamed Catherine for failing to produce a son who could succeed to the throne.

The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 allowed heirs to the throne to marry Catholics, among other changes. However, the law still stipulates that the acting British sovereign mustn’t be a Catholic.

Catholics and the indissolubility of marriage

The Catholic Church teaches “that marriage is indissoluble, it is literally black and white,” Bradley noted.

“It’s a bond that cannot be broken, because God respects the promises that the husband and wife make to each other, and he does what’s asked. He binds together these two people who are asking to be bound together, it’s a respecting of the free will of the individuals,” he added.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraph 1614, states that: “In his preaching Jesus unequivocally taught the original meaning of the union of man and woman as the Creator willed it from the beginning permission given by Moses to divorce one’s wife was a concession to the hardness of hearts.The matrimonial union of man and woman is indissoluble: God himself has determined it “what therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

The Catholic Church recognizes as sacramental the marriages between two baptized persons of any Christian community, Bradley noted.

“If there are two baptized Anglicans marrying, the Catholic Church would recognize that as a sacramental marriage,” he said, because the Catholic Church recognizes all Christian baptisms as valid.

“If both parties are baptized it’s a sacramental marriage, and non-Catholics are not bound by canonical form, so they’re quite at liberty to be married in the Church of England, and we recognize that they’re being married according to the rights of their ecclesial communities.”

However, if Markle’s first-marriage were valid, she would not be free to validly marry Harry.  An annulment, or declaration of nullity, of her first marriage, would establish that her previous marriage was invalid, Bradley said.

Condon noted that the Catholic Church also presumes the indissolubility of all marriages, whether those be marriages of Catholics, Christians, believers, or nonbelievers.

“The life-long partnership of one man and one woman is part of the natural law and God’s plan for all humanity. The Church’s presumption of validity pertains to all marriages, including Ms. Markle’s,” he said.

“That having been said, we don’t know any of the details of that union, or if a canonical process is underway regarding it. Catholics should, I would suggest, understand the royal engagement the same way they would the marriage of any two people they don’t know personally: be happy for them.”

Bradley added that the fact that royal engagements are always met with a resounding reaction of “joy and happiness,” which “shows that even when, in some sense, the marriage isn’t everything we would want it to be, society as a whole has a natural inclination towards the good and towards what marriage represents.”

“So people see the goodness of marriage, even people who are opposed to the institution of marriage will cheer when a couple like this get married, or get engaged, because it takes a very hardened heart not to be happy that two people are seeking this good.”

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