No Picture
News Briefs

Polish archbishop: Not praying in churches during outbreak ‘unthinkable’

March 10, 2020 CNA Daily News 2

Poznan, Poland, Mar 10, 2020 / 10:50 am (CNA).- The president of the Polish bishops’ conference has asked for an increase in the number of Sunday Masses said in the country so that more people can attend safely amid the coronavirus outbreak.

“In connection with the recommendations of the Chief Sanitary Inspector that there should be no large gatherings of people, I ask to increase – as far as possible – the number of Sunday Masses in churches so that a number of believers can attend the liturgy … according to the guidelines of the sanitary services,” Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki of Poznań wrote in a statement sent March 10 to CNA.

Because among a church’s function is to cure spiritual disease, “it is unthinkable that we do not pray in our churches,” he reflected.

According to the World Health Organization, there are 11 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Poland, and zero deaths. The country has imported cases only; that is, all cases have been acquired outside its territory.

Worldwide, there are 109,577 confirmed cases, and 3,809 deaths.

Archbishop Gądecki recalled that in these circumstances, the elderly and sick have no obligation to attend Mass, and added that “there is no requirement to exchange the sign of peace by shaking hands during Holy Mass.”

He asked for prayers for those who have died as a result of coronavirus, adding: “Let us pray for the health of the sick and for the physicians, medical personnel and all services that work to stop the spread of the virus,” and “for the epidemic to end.”

Archbishop Gądecki especially encouraged, “in accordance with the tradition of the Church”, praying the Trisagion, from the Adoration of the Cross during the Mass of the Presanctified on Good Friday.

Many Churches around the world have issued precautionary guidelines for Masses, or cancelled public Masses entirely, because of the coronavirus outbreak which originated in China late last year.

The new strain of coronavirus causes a respiratory disease, COVID-19, and has a fatality rate of roughly 3%. The vast majority of cases and deaths have been in China.

[…]

No Picture
News Briefs

Women deacons possible after ‘Synodal Way,’ says German bishops’ chairman

March 10, 2020 CNA Daily News 4

Berlin, Germany, Mar 10, 2020 / 09:00 am (CNA).- The new chairman of the German bishops’ conference has said that calling for the ordination of women could be a conclusion of the two-year “synodal way” being undertaken by the Church in Germany. Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg said in a radio interview Monday for International Women’s Day that such a conclusion would require Roman approval.

In an interview with WDR5 March 9, Bishop Bätzing answered questions on the role and future of women in the Church. He said that if the “synodal way” calls for the ordination of women to the diaconate, Rome would have to grant an indult to allow German bishops to begin ordaining women. In that event, he said, it would be important that the synodal assembly call for the change with “a very strong voice.”  

Bätzing said that if bishops and laity united to present a “strong appearance,” Rome would be more likely to respond positively.

Speaking after his election last week, he said that the role of women “is the most pressing question we have concerning the future” of Church. “That is where the Church really has a backlog. We won’t be able to wait. Women must be given equal rights,” the bishop said on the ARD morning program.

Bätzing also said that Pope Francis “did not take a position” on the possibility of ordaining women to the deaconate, which last year’s Synod on the Amazon recommended for further consideration, and that the subject was open for further discussion.

The bishop’s Monday interview coincided with International Women’s Day. In Germany, the day was marked by demonstrations outside Catholic churches and cathedrals by organizations calling for “equal” participation for women in the life of the Church through sacramental ordination to all ranks of the clergy. In Cologne, and estimated 700 protestors, led by the group Maria 2.0, protested the Church’s teaching on the reservation of priestly ordination to men alone and called for an end to clerical celibacy.

The two year “binding synodal process” is being conducted by the German bishops in partnership with the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK). Its first full assembly convened in January and its working groups are preparing proposals for reform on matters of Church teaching and discipline on marriage, ordination, clerical celibacy, and sexual ethics.

Bätzing has said he “fully supports the synodal way,” calling it “at the center of our considerations” for the Church in Germany.”

At the conclusion of the process, different proposals will be put to the synodal assembly for a vote, with bishops and lay people participating equally. The ZdK leadership have called for the Church to ordain women and to bless same-sex unions.

Bätzing was elected chairman of the German bishops’ conference on March 3, replacing Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Münich and Freising, who declined to seek reelection, citing his desire to spend more time in his diocese and allow a younger generation of bishops to lead the Church in Germany.

In the past, Bätzing has endorsed positions calling for a revision of Church discipline on the Eucharist, but insisted that any deviation from universal practice requires Roman approval.

In September, 2019, Bätzing co-chaired an ecumenical working group of Catholic and Protestant theologians which produced a document, titled “Together at the Lord’s Table,” which concluded that “mutual participation in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper / Eucharist is theologically justified.”

At the time of the document’s release, Bätzing noted that he had joined the group late in the process and initially asked himself “whether [he] can agree to this or not.”

“But I have to say, the theological justification in this basic paper is so clear to me that I did not want to and could not escape.”

In the Catholic Church, only baptized Catholics in a state of grace are permitted to receive Communion. The Code of Canon Law outlines very narrow circumstances in which non-Catholics may be admitted to Communion. While bishops in several northern European countries have repeatedly called for Eucharistic intercommunion, this has been rejected by Rome.

Acknowledging this at the time of the report’s release, Bätzing said that his own certainty on the issue did not mean he was free to alter sacramental discipline.

“However, this does not mean that I am a bishop alone, but the theological discussion must now be raised to the level of a teaching reception, i.e. an acceptance by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. And this process is pending,” he said.

[…]

No Picture
News Briefs

New president of German bishops says he is following the ‘big footsteps’ of Cardinal Marx

March 7, 2020 CNA Daily News 1

Mainz, Germany, Mar 7, 2020 / 06:00 am (CNA).- The new president of the German bishops’ conference has emphasized his support for the ongoing synodal process of German bishops and laity, and for a paper supporting intercommunion with Lutherans.

Speaking at the closing of the plenary assembly of the German bishops in Mainz on Thursday, Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg also affirmed he is following in “the big footsteps” of Cardinal Reinhard Marx in continuing along the “synodal path” currently underway in Germany.

Bätzing described as having gotten off to a “good start”, despite strong criticism about the first synodal assembly in January from a number of attending bishops.

Bishop Bätzing also claimed Pope Francis supported the controversial process, stating the “synodal way” was “in line” with  and exactly what the Holy Father wanted.

Pope Francis has issued a cautionary personal letter to all German Catholics on the matter, and the Vatican has repeatedly intervened, raising a number of concerns about the process.

Asserting that ecumenism is “on the right track” in Germany, Bätzing reiterated his support for a document titled “Together at the Lord’s Table” by the ecumenical working group of Lutheran and Catholic theologians (ÖAK) in Germany, a body chaired by himself and the Protestant bishop Martin Hein.

The document promotes non-Catholics receiving the Eucharist at Catholic Mass. Bätzing also suggested in future, Christians of any denomination should simply decide on their own, individual accord if – and when to receive the Body of Christ.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has dismissed the document, saying it was based on an “assumption” he could not share, “namely, that the Catholic Eucharistic celebration and the Protestant last supper are identical.” Koch also pointed out that there were several further “open questions” that needed clarifying.

This year’s spring plenary assembly of the German bishops’ conference also saw the announcement that the bishops had reached an agreement about compensation payments for victims of clerical sexual abuse.

 

A version of this story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

 

[…]

No Picture
News Briefs

English bishop encourages faithful to receive in hand, or make spiritual Communion

March 6, 2020 CNA Daily News 1

Lancaster, England, Mar 6, 2020 / 03:19 pm (CNA).- The Bishop of Lancaster on Thursday issued a decree meant to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission at Mass, which focused on suspending the sign of peace and the reception of Holy Communion from the chalice.

The March 5 decree, signed by the diocese’s bishop and its chancellor, discouraged, but did not attempt to prohibit, reception of the Host on the tongue.

Bishop Paul Swarbrick introduced seven “pastoral measures” in the diocese effective March 5-21 “to reduce possible transmission” of coronavirus.

The sign of peace, reception from the chalice by the lay faithful, and the use of holy water stoups have been suspended.

“Those who choose to receive the Sacred Host on the tongue should be encouraged to receive on the hand instead. Their doing this represents an act of loving charity to their community. Alternatively, they should be encouraged to make a ‘Spiritual Communion’,” the decree states.

It addes that churches and chapels open for private prayer should remain open, with regular sanitization; ministers should wash and sanitize their hands before and after distributing Holy Communion; and “shared hymnbooks and Mass books should ideally not be used at this time.”

There are 147 confirmed cases of coronavirus in England. There has been one death in the country due to the infection.

Many Churches around the world have issued precautionary guidelines for Masses, or cancelled public Masses entirely, because of the coronavirus outbreak which originated in China late last year.

The new strain of coronavirus causes a respiratory disease, COVID-19, and has a fatality rate of roughly 3%. There have been more than 100,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in at least 81 countries, and more than 3,400 deaths. The vast majority of cases and deaths have been in China.

Like the Diocese of Lancaster, the Archdiocese of Chicago has urged hygienic practices, and it it said that “given the frequency of direct contact with saliva in the distribution of Holy Communion on the tongue, every consideration should be given by each individual to receive Holy Communion reverently in open hands for the time being.”

The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon said March 2 that “a parish cannot ban the reception of Holy Communion on the tongue, nor may an Ordinary or Extraordinary minister refuse a person requesting Holy Communion on the tongue.”

Its worship office emphasized that ministers of Holy Communion should be “able to distribute Holy Communion without risk of touching the hands or the tongue,” and that “parishioners should also be instructed how to receive Holy Communion properly either on the tongue or in the hand.”

The Portland archdiocese said, “We consulted with two physicians regarding this issue, one of which is a specialist in immunology for the State of Oregon. They agreed that done properly the reception of Holy Communion on the tongue or in the hand pose a more or less equal risk.”

“The risk of touching the tongue and passing the saliva on to others is obviously a danger however the chance of touching someone’s hand is equally probable and one’s hands have a greater exposure to germs.”

The Portland archdiocese referred to Redemptionis sacramentum, the Congregation for Divine Worship’s 2004 instruction on certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist, which notes that “each of the faithful always has the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, at his choice.”

Immediately to Portland’s north, in the Archdiocese of Seattle, Archbishop Paul Etienne issued a differing set of directives in response to coronavirus.

The Northwest Catholic wrote March 3 that Archbishop Etienne “said that holy water should be removed from fonts” and “that Communion hosts should be received only in the hand, not on the tongue.”

On March 4, Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane encouraged pastors to suspend the sign of peace, and to refrain from distributing the Precious Blood. He added that “this might also provide a catechetical opportunity to remind the faithful that reception of the Sacred Host is indeed reception of the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ.”

The following day, after a meeting “with local health experts, the vicars, school and other diocesan leaders,” Bishop Daly added that clerics should “consider encouraging parishioners to receive Holy Communion in the hand.  Receiving in the hand carries a risk of infection, but there is an increased danger of transmitting this virus through droplets in the mouth.”

Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe issued directives March 3 that directly prohibited the reception of the Eucharist on the tongue.

“During the flu season and given the possibility of being exposed to the coronavirus, ALL communicants are to receive Communion in the hand,” the archbishop said.

The Diocese of Tucson said March 5 that “as receiving Holy Communion on the tongue almost always involves some accidental touch with tongues and lips, Holy Communion should be distributed only in the hand for the immediate future.”

In guidelines updated March 6, the Diocese of Phoenix said that at the current stage of the outbreak, pastors “may implement” voluntary precautions, among which is that they “may invite communicants to receive on the hand,” adding that “reception of Communion on the tongue could inadvertently contaminate the hands of those distributing Communion. However, individual communicants have the right to decide.”

Should the outbreak become worse, pastors would be mandated to “invite communicants to receive on the hand.”

On March 5, Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces issued guidelines which said that “it is still left to the discretion of the communicant how they wish to receive the Host. Please note that it may be good to notify them that receiving Holy Communion in the hand and not on the tongue is preferred to limit the exposure of being exposed to the Coronavirus Disease.”

Bishop Baldacchino added that “as the distribution of Holy Communion involves contact with both the mouth and hands, any Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion who feels uncomfortable distributing Communion should be allowed to temporarily step down from ministry.”

Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford wrote March 3 to the clerics of his local Church to say that “Communion on the tongue should be strongly discouraged” as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus.

A Feb. 28 memo sent from Archbishop Blair in his capacity as chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship to the US bishops regarded “liturgical celebrations amid public health concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus.”

The memo offered considerations “meant to be helpful” to bishops “if and when it becomes necessary to take preventative steps with regard to the celebration of the liturgy in your local church.”

The precautionary measures it offered were “suspending the exchange of the sign of peace” and “suspending the distribution of Holy Communion to the faithful via the chalice.”

Prohibiting the reception of Holy Communion on the tongue was not mentioned in the memo.

CNA contacted the USCCB and the archdioceses of Seattle and Santa Fe March 5 to inquire whether an ordinary is able to prohibit the reception of Communion on the tongue, considering that the Congregation for Divine Worship has called this a right that each of the faithful always has. No responses have been forthcoming.

[…]

No Picture
News Briefs

Mary McAleese writes to Pope Francis over Jean Vanier

March 5, 2020 CNA Daily News 8

Dublin, Ireland, Mar 5, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- Mary McAleese has written to Pope Francis about the allegations of sexual misconduct against L’Arche founder Jean Vanier. The former Irish president told the pope she could leave the Catholic Church if the Holy See is found to have failed to act in the case.

McAleese wrote to Pope Francis Feb. 26 asking for an explanation about how Varnier was able to rise to such acclaim in the Church despite his sexual misconduct. The letter was published on her own website.

On Feb. 22 L’Arche International announced the conclusions of an internal report which found Vanier had abused his position and relationship to sexually coerce six women over a period of decades. Vanier died on May 7, 2019, at the age of 90. After his death, Pope Francis issued a statement mourning Vanier, and praising his work with persons with intellectual disabilities. 

“I am conscious that you yourself have publicly praised Vanier and indeed spoke to him and of him in glowing terms just before his death,” McAleese wrote to the pope, noting that by 2019 the Vatican was aware that one of Vanier’s associates had a history of sexual predation.  

Vanier, a Catholic layman, founded L’Arche, which is an organization that assists people with intellectual disabilities through the creation of communities. L’Arche has no official ties to the Catholic Church.

“Given that vulnerable men and women were the intended beneficiaries of L’Arche, and that Vanier was consistently lauded by the Church at the highest level without the remotest suggestion that there was anything worrying in his character it is essential that the Holy See now explains how it came to so publicly commend a man whose predatory proclivities it was aware of,” said McAleese in the letter.

McAleese said that she had “regarded Vanier as inspirational for decades” and was devastated by the report stating he had engaged in sexually manipulative relationships with six women over a 45 year period. None of the women had intellectual disabilities. 

The former Irish president said that while she had “reason to despair at the failures at papal, episcopal and Curial level” in recent abuse crises, she would be unable to reconcile any knowledge that the Vatican shielded Vanier. 

“If however it transpires that the Holy See failed to protect members of L’Arche community by alerting them to the known predatory activities of Vanier and (Fr. Thomas) Philippe, I have to say that this will be my final line of least resistance,” she said. 

“I could not in conscience continue to support an institution capable of such gross negligence.” 

Vanier’s spiritual mentor, Fr. Thomas Philippe, O.P., was a French Dominican who died in 1993. Philippe was accused of sexual misconduct and was suspended from public ministry following a canonical process in 1956. He ignored this suspension. 

As part of his penalty, Philippe was ordered to inform all of his lay companions, including Vanier, about his suspension from public ministry. 

In 2014, L’Arche received new reports regarding Philippe’s misconduct, and requested an additional canonical inquiry, which concluded in March 2015. A report by L’Arche investigating the professional relationship between Vanier and Philipe was published in June 2017. 

“Now that both Philippe and Vanier have been unmasked, the spotlight moves to the Holy See,” wrote McAleese. She asked the pope to explain what the Vatican knew, and what they did “to prevent Vanier and Philippe living their grand lie.” 

“What did it do or not do which allowed Vanier to grow into the uncontested legend of folk saint and icon, a reputation which must have made it so very difficult for victims to come forward,” she wrote.

McAleese said there is “undoubtedly a cloud of doubt over the Holy See,” and she urges the Church to deal with it “as openly, courageously and honestly as L’Arche dealt with the investigation into its founder.” 

In addition to being an outspoken critic of the Church in the wake of the sexual abuse crisis, especially in Ireland, McAleese has in the past clashed with the Church on doctrinal issues, advocating both for the ordination of women to the priesthood and for Church recognition of same-sex marriage. 

In November 2019, while serving as Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin, McAleese stated that the Catholic priesthood was based on a “fundamental lie” and that many potential priests have a “deeply problematic” sexuality. 

“The number of fake-hetero misogynistic homophobic gays I met frightened me,” said McAleese, recounting her time living in Rome among seminarians. 

In June 2018, three months before she was awarded a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University, she described the practice of baptizing infants as “coercion” and said it should be stopped.

In March 2018, she was forbidden from speaking at the Voices of Faith conference, which was typically held in the Vatican. The conference was then moved outside the Vatican, and held as scheduled. In her keynote speech, McAleese accused the Church of maintaining a misogynistic attitude which seeks to drown out women.

[…]

No Picture
News Briefs

French bishop: Fear the ‘epidemic of fear’ more than coronavirus

March 4, 2020 CNA Daily News 4

Belley, France, Mar 4, 2020 / 04:37 pm (CNA).- People should be more concerned about the epidemic of fear than the coronavirus outbreak, Bishop Pascal Roland of Belley-Ars has said.

“More than the epidemic of coronavirus, we should fear the epidemic of fear! For my part, I refuse to yield to the collective panic and to subject myself to the principle of precaution that seems to be moving the civil institutions,”  Bishop Roland wrote in a column at his diocesan website.

“So I don’t intend to issue any specific instructions for my diocese. Are Christians going to stop gathering together for prayer? Will they give up going see and help their fellow man? Apart from measures of elementary prudence that everyone takes spontaneously to not contaminate others when you’re sick, it’s not advisable to add on more,” he said.

Many Churches around the world have issued precautionary guidelines for Masses, or cancelled public Masses entirely, because of the coronavirus outbreak which originated in China late last year.

The new strain of coronavirus causes a respiratory disease, COVID-19, and has a fatality rate of roughly 3%. There have been more than 93,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in 81 countries, and nearly 3,200 deaths. The vast majority of cases and deaths have been in China.

France has had 212 confirmed cases, and four deaths.

Bishop Roland pointed out that during the great plagues of the past, Christians joined together in common prayer, ministered to the sick, attended the dying, and buried the dead. They did not turn away from God or their neighbor.

“Doesn’t the collective panic we are witnessing today reveal our distorted relationship to the reality of death? Does it not manifest the anxiety-inducing effects of losing God?” he asked.

Bishop Roland said that “we want to hide from ourselves the fact that we’re mortal, and having closed off the spiritual dimension of our life, we’re losing ground. Because we have more and more sophisticated and efficient techniques available, we claim to master everything and we obscure the fact that we’re not the masters of life!”

Coronavirus is an occasion to “remind ourselves of our human fragility,” the French bishop noted, saying that “this global crisis at least has the advantage of reminding ourselves that we live in a common home and that we’re all vulnerable and interdependent and that it’s more urgent to cooperate than to close our borders!”

The bishop observed that “it seems we’ve all lost our minds! And in any case we’re living in a lie. Why suddenly focus our attention on just the coronavirus?”

He pointed out that in France the ordinary seasonal flu sickens 2-6 million people, and causes about 8,000 deaths.

Continuing, the bishop said that he has no intention of ordering “churches to be closed, Masses to be canceled, eliminating the sign of peace at the Eucharist, or imposing such and such a way of receiving Communion reputed to be more hygienic (that said, everyone can do as they want!) because the church is not a place at risk, but a place of health. It’s a place where we welcome the one who is Life, Jesus Christ, and where through him, with him and in him we together learn to be the living. A church has to remain what it is: a place of hope!”

The Bishop of Belley-Ars asked, “Should you shut yourself up at home? Should you raid the neighborhood supermarket to stock up on reserves to prepare for a siege? No! Because a Christian doesn’t fear death. He’s not unaware that he’s mortal, but he knows in whom he has placed his trust.”

“And a Christian doesn’t belong to himself, his life is given, because he follows Jesus Christ who teaches ‘For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.’”

“So let’s not give in to the epidemic of fear! Let’s not be the living dead! As Pope Francis would say: don’t let them steal your hope!” Bishop Roland concluded.

[…]

No Picture
News Briefs

German bishops reelect secretary on interim basis

March 4, 2020 CNA Daily News 2

Mainz, Germany, Mar 4, 2020 / 11:30 am (CNA).- The secretary of the German bishops’ conference has been reelected to his position, despite announcing last week that he was not a candidate to remain in the role.

Jesuit Father Hans Langendörfer was returned in office by the German bishops on Tuesday, during their spring assembly, currently meeting in the city of Mainz. The priest had said he was stepping down to allow a younger person to fill the role.

On Feb. 26, Langendörfer announced that “I have come to the conclusion that it is now a good time to hand this position over to younger hands,” and suggested that a layperson could fill the role.

Several media outlets in Germany speculated that many in the conference, including Langendörfer, hoped that a woman would be elected to fill the position, which plays a key organizational role in the ongoing “synodal process” being conducted by the German bishops’ conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK).

Langendörfer, who has held the position since 1996, indicated on Wednesday that he had  accepted his reelection on a temporary basis, fueling speculation that the bishops had failed to agree on a suitable candidate to replace him.

A brief press release from the German bishops’ conference, released March 4, said that he would not remain in office for the full term, and was continuing in the role on an interim basis.

“The spring general assembly of the German bishops’ conference today (March 3, 2020) in Mainz has reelected the previous secretary of the bishops’ conference, Father Dr. Hans Langendörfer, SJ. re-elected,” the statement said.

“Fr. Langendörfer has announced that he will be performing this task until the end of 2020 at the latest.”

Langendörfer’s announcement last week that he would quit the position he has held for nearly 25 years came shortly after the news that the chairman of the conference, Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Münich and Freising, was also stepping down from the conference leadership. In a statement in February, Marx said he hoped to spend more time in his diocese and that it was time for a “younger generation” to assume leadership of the Church in Germany.

Langendörfer’s reelection as secretary followed the announcement of the new chairman of the conference.

Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg was confirmed as the new chairman on Tuesday, replacing Cardinal Marx.

Bätzing was elected after no candidate received the necessary two-thirds majority during the first two rounds of voting; he was chosen on the third ballot with a simple majority of votes cast and will lead the conference for a six year term.

In his first remarks as chairman, Bätzing expressed his “full support” for the so-called binding synodal process, which formally opened during the first week of Advent, 2019, but held the first meeting of the synodal assembly in January.

Despite several cautionary interventions from Rome, the assembly’s working groups will offer proposed changes to various aspects of Church teaching and discipline, including on women’s ordination, clerical celibacy, and human sexuality.

Bätzing himself co-chairs the synodal working group on “Life in Successful Relationships – Love Live in Sexuality and Partnership,” together with Birgit Mock, the ZdK spokeswoman on family policy. The ZdK has called for a total revision of Church teaching on homosexuality and for the blessing of same-sex relationships in churches.

[…]