During a February 2 meeting with Congolese Jesuits (LaCivilta Cattolica.com, February 16), Francis said that “when they proposed me to be auxiliary bishop of San Miguel, I did not accept.”
He was also asked to become bishop of an area in Corrientes, northern Argentina. The nuncio encouraged him to accept saying that there were the ruins of the Jesuit past there.
Bergoglio replied that he did not want to be a “guardian of ruins” and refused, not caring about the people of these peripheries. But when he was offered Buenos Aires “with the authorisation signed by the Superior General, Fr Kolvenbach” [which was not needed], he accepted – humorous quote – “in a spirit of obedience.”
In The Dictator Pope, Henry Sire writes that Kolvenbach gave a negative evaluation of Bergoglio in an unsuccessful attempt to thwart his promotion.
Francis told the Jesuits that a pope should not resign because the papacy is for life and that he had no plans to resign.
Müller and the Ancient Mass: the Pope Belittles the Bishops and Damages Pastoral Care
The recent rescript approved by Francis and the Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Roche, continues to arouse reactions. The new document, which reinforces the motu proprio Traditinis custodes, establishes that the use of a parish church or the erection of a personal parish for the celebration of the Eucharist according to the 1962 Missale Romanum and the granting of the license to priests ordained after the publication of the Motu proprio Traditionis custodes to celebrate according to the Missale Romanum of 1962, will be the responsibility of Rome. InfoVaticana contacted Cardinal Müller to find out his opinion on this decision by the Pope and Cardinal Roche. The former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith replied that “Pope Benedict XVI has given the papacy a great reputation, even among agnostics far from the Church (Paolo Flores D’Arcais, Jürgen Habermas, Piergiorgio Odifreddi) thanks to his high theological competence and intellectual honesty”. Alluding to Benedict, Müller argues that “it was not necessary for him to insist on formal obedience in an authoritarian way, because even the obedience of faith to God, which is decisive for salvation, does not require blind servility, but a devotion to God Trinity with reason and free will, that is, an obesequium rationabile (Vatican II, Your word 5)”.
On the other hand, the German cardinal states that “when it comes to obedience to ecclesiastical authority, one must distinguish between religious obedience, which refers to the authoritative submission of revealed faith, and willingness to willingly follow the Pope and the bishops even concerning the discipline of ecclesiastical organization and the order of the liturgy”. “We distinguish between the substance of the sacraments, over which the Pope and the bishops have no power of disposition, and the liturgical rite, which has historically developed into the various legitimate rites within the single Catholic Church”, adds the cardinal.
Müller assures that “Pope Benedict overcame the tensions that had arisen in a theologically competent and pastorally sensitive way, distinguishing between the ordinary and extraordinary form of the Latin rite”. Cardinal Müller describes this decision as a “brutal intolerance” against those who prefer the traditional Mass. He adds that it is a “pastorally counterproductive” decision and “a frightening example of theological incompetence in distinguishing between the unavailable substance of the sacrament and the richness of the forms of liturgical rites”.
Odisha: Foul play suspected in tribal Catholic girl’s death
The mysterious death of a tribal Catholic girl in a government-managed hostel has led to unrest in a district in the eastern Indian state of Odisha.
The girl, a ninth grader of Jawahar Navodaya School in Paralakhemundi, the headquarters of Gajapati district, was found dead on February 20 in the school hostel.
While the school authorities claim the Catholic girl had died by suicide, her relatives and Church people allege it was murder after rape.
Priest, 3 nuns among 6 killed in Meghalaya road accident
A Catholic priest and three nuns were among six people who died February 26 in a road accident in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya. The victims were identified as Father Mathew Das, parish priest and principal St. John’s H S School, Barama, and Fatima Sisters Milagrine Dantes, Promila Tirkey, and Rossie Nongrum, and teacher Mairan, besides the driver of the vehicle.
A BIBLE FOR EVERY HOME” CENTRAL OFFICE INAUGURATED
“Bible is truly the inspired Word of God. Hence, attentively and devotedly reading the Bible daily is listening to God Himself who is its author,” said Rev. Fr Domenico Soliman, Superior General of the Society of St Paul, at Subodha Nilayam Communications, Eluru, inaugurating the newly-erected Central Office of the “A Bible for Every Home”, a flagship project of the Diocesan Communication Centre, entrusted to the members of the Society of St Paul. The Congregation is also responsible for the pastoral care of St Theresa’s Parish, Eluru, in addition to managing Alberione Book and Media Centre, the only Catholic Book Centre in the region.
Indian Catholic Forum stresses Synodal Church, secular society
The need for a Synodal Church and secular society was stressed at a meeting organized by the Indian Catholic Forum (ICF), an informal platform of like-minded persons concerned about the renewal of the Church and nation building.
As many as 30 delegates, including seven priests, attended the February 17-18 meeting on Synodality and Secularism at Anjali, the provincialate of the Indian Missionary Society in the northern Indian city of Varanasi.
Icon of Catholic laity in Karnataka honored
Catholic bishops and leaders of other religions in Karnataka have honored Ronald Colaco, a Catholic layman who has made a name in business and philanthropy.
Colaco has done “immense social service to society and to the needy. He is a role model and an inspiration to all,” said Bishop Peter Paul Saldana of Mangalore addressing the February 24 function to honor the philanthropist in the southern Indian port city of Mangaluru.
Colaco has funded several Church projects and supported all communities by building temples, schools, roads, police stations, and humanitarian projects. He was recently featured in the World Book of Records, London. He has received several other awards both in India and overseas.
Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore, Bishops Gerald Isaac Lobo of Udupi, Lawrence Mukkuzhy of Beltangady, Francis Serrao of Shimoga, and Henry D’Souza of Bellary also attended the function and expressed their appreciation to the Catholic lay man who they termed as “an icon of the Catholic community in Karnataka.”
“Colaco’s generosity went beyond his family and transformed him into a global citizen and his charity and social work reflected the true essence of happiness in giving,” said Archbishop Machado.
Colaco, responding to the felicitations, said his service to society was not aimed at any awards, honors, or fame but was part of his bonded duty toward society.
Christians protest targeted hate and violence
Thousands of Christians belonging to various denominations and institutions on February 19 staged a peaceful prayer protest in New Delhi.
The protest was to draw the attention of the government, judiciary and civil society to “the sharp escalation of targeted hate and violence against Christian community in many states,” said a press release issued by the organizers of the rally at Jantar Mandir, a popular protest venue close to the Indian Parliament House.
“We are here to demand judicial and government intervention to check the rapid rise in incidents of violence, coercion and false arrests of our people,” Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi Catholic archdiocese told the gathering.
The protesters held placards in Hindi and English that read “Every persecution makes Christians stronger in faith,” “Stop attack against Christians, “stop attacking our churches,” and so on. They sang songs of praise and worship amid chanting of “halleluiah,” “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.”
John Dayal, the spokesperson of the All Indian Catholic Union, pointed out that some 350 Christians are in jail in Uttar Pradesh alone for practicing their faith, hundreds of tribal Christians were forced out of their village in Chhattisgarh.
“We want the government to hear our cries and intervene and take steps to ensure the safety and security of Christians,” he said while addressing the protesters. He appealed the fellow citizens to stand in empathy and solidarity and raise their voices at the targeted and organized injustice happening across the nation against Christians.
The United Christian Forum, a human rights group based in New Delhi that monitors atrocities against Christians in India, has recorded a total of 597 incidents of violence against Christians from 21 states until the end of 2022.
A note from the forum said Christian citizens in India, known for their peaceful attitude, have demonstrated in the national capital hardly five times in the past seven decades since Independence. However, the recent sharp rise in hate and targeted violence against the community have forced them to hold the latest protest.
Pope-Bishop Mulakkal meeting “distresses” Sisters in Solidarity
A national-level group of Catholic women in India has expressed distress about Bishop Franco Mulakkal visiting Pope Francis in the Vatican.
The “Sisters in Solidarity” on February 21 wrote to the Pope that they were distressed to read about Bishop Mula-kkal’s February 8 meeting with the pontiff. They said they read in an Indian newspaper dated February 15 that the Pope was “glad to hear that (Bishop Mu-lakkal) had won the case and consoled him for his suffer-ing.”
Kochurani Abraham, a fe-minist theologian and a group member, told on February 25 that they could deliver the letter to the Pope’s office and con-cerned dicasteries only on Fe-bruary 24 through a Rome-based priest. Copies of the letter were also sent to the apostolic nuncio in New Delhi and Church leaders in India, Abraham said.
The letter apprised the Pope that the rape case involving Bishop Mulakkal is not over as he was acquitted only by the trial court, the first rung in In-dia’s multi-layered appellate system. The group explained that the Kerala state and the survivor nun have appealed against the verdict in the Kerala High Court.
“Therefore, until the survivor nun has exhausted all avenues of appeal – up to the Supreme Court of India – Bishop Mulakkal cannot claim to have ‘won the case’ and be freed of the alleged crime of rape,” the group asserts.
South Korean Church records decline in priestly vocation
Church officials in South Korea have asked for research and education plans as Catholics in the country experience a drop in priestly ordinations amid decreasing birth rate and religiosity.
The number of newly ordained priests dropped to 87 in 2023 from 131 in 2011, a decrease of 35%, according to the Statistics of the Catholic Church in Korea.
This year, the Jeonju Diocese had no priestly ordination as there was no candidate. The number of priests ordained in the diocese had dropped from six in 2011 to two in 2021.
The Diocese of Daejeon ordained three new priests this year, compared to 19 in 2011 and five in 2016, the data shows.
Although some dioceses saw a slight increase in priestly ordinations, the overall trend shows a decline.
“Research and education plans for vocational development must be established at the parish level, and efforts such as strengthening the vocational manual and increasing the role of the vocational division of the parish must be followed,” said Father John Chrysostom Lee Sang-yong, director of vocations in the Diocese of Suwon.