In Brief

Holy Father's Intentions

Pope John Paul II has announced the following general and missionary intentions for November and December 2001:

November

That holy and exemplary men and women may be our companions in proclaiming boldly the Gospel of the kingdom of God.

That, through the active participation of Christians, the mass media may become instruments of missionary evangelization.

December

That Christians may free themselves from the subtle forms of cultural conditioning which prevent them from recognizing the dignity and rights of others.

That Christian humanism may illumine, through Gospel values, the cultures of Asia.

Military Action Can Be Morally Justified

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls indicated that Pope John Paul II acknowledges the moral justification of warfare, although the Pope insists on the application of strict moral criteria. Navarro-Valls' comments came in response to reporters' questions about a possible American military strike against terrorists. One has a right to self-defense "when an individual has done great harm, and there is a danger that this individual remains free to continue his activities," the Vatican Press spokesman said. He also pointed out that such a right to self-defense could justify even the use of "aggressive" means.

Navarro-Valls went on to comment on those who consider the Holy Father to be a pacifist: "There are some people in Europe who would portray the Pope as a pacifist, and some people in the United States who see him as a man who wants justice, regardless of what means are used. Both of these positions are false." The Vatican spokesman reminded us of the Catholic tradition, which teaches that "the use of force should always be a last resort, and it still must be restricted so that innocent people are not attacked."

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston, wrote to President Bush saying the country has a "moral right" and "grave obligation to defend the common good" against terrorist attacks.

Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the president of the Italian Bishops Conference, spoke of the "right, even the duty, to combat and neutralize international terrorism."

Pope John Paul II's Message to America

The Holy Father sent the following telegram to President Bush in the wake of the terrorist attack on New York and Washington:

"Shocked by the unspeakable horror of today's inhuman terrorist attacks against innocent people in different parts of the United States, I hurry to express to you and your fellow citizens my profound sorrow and my closeness in prayer for the nation at this dark and tragic moment. Commending the victims to Almighty God's eternal mercy, I implore His strength upon all involved in rescue efforts and in caring for the survivors. I beg God to sustain you and the American people in this hour of suffering and trial."

Women Deacons?

This past September, the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith, for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, and for Clergy issued a Notification on the Diaconal Ordination of Women. It was signed by Cardinals Joseph Ratzinger, Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, and Dario Castrillon Hoyos, and approved by Pope John Paul II.

The Notification states:

"1. Our offices have received from several countries signs of courses that are being planned or underway, directly or indirectly aimed at the diaconal ordination of women. Thus are born hopes which are lacking a solid doctrinal foundation and which can generate pastoral disorientation.

"2. Since ecclesial ordination does not foresee such an ordination, it is not licit to enact initiatives which, in some way, aim to prepare candidates for diaconal ordination.

"3. The authentic promotion of women in the Church, in conformity with the constant ecclesial Magisterium, with special reference to (the Magisterium) of His Holiness John Paul II, opens other ample prospectives of service and collaboration.

"4. The undersigned Congregations-within the sphere of their proper authority-thus turn to the individual ordinaries, asking them to explain (this) to their own faithful and to diligently apply the above-mentioned directives."

If you have questions concerning the Catholic faith, call CUF's Information Services department toll-free at (800) MY-FAITH (693-2484).

New Transatlantic Catholic Cultural Journal

Saint Austin Review (or StAR) is a new monthly journal dedicated to a Catholic exploration of culture, literature, and ideas. Why a Catholic journal of culture? And just what is culture anyway?

Led by editor Joseph Pearce (author of Literary Converts and biographies of Tolkien and Chesterton), and supported by a magnificent gathering of Catholic theologians, historians, philosophers, poets, artists, and journalists-including Cardinal Ratzinger, Cardinal Biffi, Scott Hahn, Peter Kreeft, Fr. Aidan Nichols, John Saward, Michael O'Brien, Alice von Hildebrand, Tom Howard, James Hitchcock, and Fr. Rodger Charles-StAR proposes to answer those questions and pick up where the great work of G.K. Chesterton, Frank Sheed, and Christopher Dawson left off.

For the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire 1,500 years ago, we are facing total disintegration. Having successfully fought off the threat of Nazism and Communism, we now find our values and the structures of our civilization crumbling around us under the sustained attack of the new barbarians. What is particularly deadly about this assault is that this time the barbarians aren't knocking at the gates, they are within them-and in increasingly globalized cultural conditions, more than the West is at risk.

StAR is a rallying cry to meet these challenges and, as in the global convulsions that shook the twentieth century, it has gathered friends and allies from the four corners of the world to fight for the preservation of Christian civilization. Based in England and with a strong American presence, StAR features contributions from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Norway, Poland, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Canada, Australia, South America, Japan, and Africa.

Every 44-page issue will highlight a theme of special interest to Catholics. In addition, StAR features regular columns "Merrie England" by Joseph Pearce, a richly entertaining romp through England's Catholic heritage; "English Essays" by one of America's most gifted pensmiths, Fr J.V. Schall; and "Riley's America," a penetrating survey of the American scene by intellectual Patrick G.D. Riley. There is also a regular feature called "Under the Microscope," written by leading Catholic scientists on aspects of the relationship between science and religion; "Face to Face," a monthly celebrity interview; new poems, stories, and translations; reviews of the best and worst books of Catholic interest; and, to top it all off, a beautiful four-page spread in full color devoted to discussing Christian art and symbolism.

What is culture? Read StAR and find out. For subscription information, write to its American address: StAR, Ave Maria College, 300 West Forest Ave., Ypsilanti, MI 48197.

Laity in the Liturgy

This past August, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano sent a letter to Bishop Luca Brandolini, the president of the Center of Liturgical Action. The occasion of the letter was the 52nd National Liturgical Week Conference, held in Italy from August 25-31. The following excerpts are from Cardinal Sodano's letter.

In recent years, thanks to greater ecclesial sensitivity, theological and pastoral interest has focused on the "ministerial function" ("ministeriality"), above all, referring to "lay ministers," with greater attention to the role of the laity in local communities.

The apostolic exhortation Christifideles Laici of December 30, 1988 and the interdicasterial instruction Ecclesiae de Mysterio of August 15, 1997 on "Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priests," have examined the subject of lay ministries, stressing their significance for the vitality of the Church. At the same time the texts have set forth the importance of safeguarding and protecting the identity of priests, ordained for the sacred ministry, and that of the lay faithful, who are called above all to be evangelical witnesses in the world and to order temporal realities according to God.

As can be verified, in the Christian communities along with the structured ministries-for example, missionaries, catechists, and cooperators in the pastoral care of the sick-the so-called "de facto ministries" are also expanding in Italy and, in particular, the extraordinary minister of the Eucharist, which should be exercised according to the norms of canon law. When a community, in emergency situations, is left without a priest for the Eucharistic celebration on the Lord's Day, it can be recommended that the assembly gather around the Word of God under the guidance of an authorized lay minister. Yet, as is stated by the Church's teaching and reaffirmed by the Holy Father in his apostolic letter Dies Domini, "the objective must always remain the celebration of the Sacrifice of the Mass, the one way in which the Passover of the Lord becomes truly present, the only full realization of the Eucharistic assembly over which the priest presides in persona Christi, breaking the bread of the Word and the Eucharist" (no. 53).

In Christifideles Laici, the Holy Father adds that it is necessary to be careful not to create confusion "between the common priesthood and the ministerial priesthood," by interpreting arbitrarily the concept of "replacement," "clericalizing" it, and in that way risking the "creation, in fact, of an ecclesial structure of service parallel to that founded on the Sacrament of Orders" (no. 23).

"I am among you as one who serves" (Lk. 22:27), says the Lord: this is the model that must inspire every ministry in the Church. From this Gospel lesson the Church's "ministeriality" is continuously renewed, so that each person can live in authenticity of faith and serve the role which, by virtue of Christian initiation and the gifts of the Spirit, he is called to fulfill.

For more information on Communion services without priests, cal CUF's Information Services department toll-free at (800) MY-FAITH (693-2484).

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