The Celestine Sign

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The Celestine Sign

[2010-07-06]

[Engleză]

Today is the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, apostles of the beginnings of the Church -- one to the Jews, the other to the nations. But the times remind one of a man who took the name 'Celestine' when he became Pope, a name never chosen again...

By Robert Moynihan

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'I resign the papacy out of the desire for humility, for a purer life, for a stainless conscience, the deficiencies of my own physical strength, my ignorance, the perverseness of the people, my longing for the tranquility of my former life.' --Pope St. Celestine V (1209-1296), also known as Pietro da Marrone, the only Pope in history to resign the papacy, giving the reasons for his resignation on December 13, 1294 after only five months as Pope. He lived another year and a half, kept in prison by his successor, Boniface VIII (the quote above is slightly paraphrased to put it into the first person)

'I saw and recognized the shade of him who by his cowardice made the great refusal' --Dante, Inferno, III, 59–60; many scholars believe Dante is referring to Celestine V, placing him in Hell because Dante felt Celestine had acted in a cowardly way by resigning rather than facing and fighting the forces of evil in the Church)

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A Mystery in Plain Sight

Today in Rome, on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Benedict XVI gave a remarkable homily in which he mentions the threats that will come against the Church in the 'last days.'

This homily must be read in part as Benedict's commentary on the sexual abuse crisis and the increasing pressure being placed on the Church by secular judicial and law enforcement authorities. (see below)

The homily thus provides a deep insight into Benedict's mind at this troubled moment in his pontificate.

The feast in Rome on June 29 each year is the feast in which the Pope places the 'pallium,' a cloth made of wool, upon the shoulders of archbishops from around the world chosen during the past year as a sign that they are 'linked' or 'yoked' to the universal Church, to Rome, and to the person of the Pope.

In his homily, the Pope speaks of the 'liberty of the Church' and says this liberty is protected by the strength of the union between the bishops around the world and the bishop of Rome, the Pope.

A little more than a year ago, on April 29, 2009, Benedict did something unusual. He left his own 'pallium,' the sign of his episcopal authority and his connection to Christ, on a tomb in Aquila, Italy. The tomb held the remains of a relatively obscure medieval Pope named was Celestine V (1209-1296).

Why?

(Picture left: The Pope at the tomb of Pope Celestine V in April, 2009. The Pope now wears a pallium designed by Monsignor Guido Marini, a cross between the short pallium with black crosses worn by Metropolitan Archbishops and the longer ones with red crosses. This resembles the pallium worn by the the figure of Celestine in his shrine which is a short pallium with black crosses over an elaborate Roman chasuble.)

Celestine was a holy monk. His model was John the Baptist. His wore hair-cloth and a chain of iron. He fasted every day except Sunday and each year he kept four Lents on bread and water alone. Many kindred spirits gathered about him eager to imitate his rule of life, and before his death there were 36 monasteries, numbering 600 religious, bearing his papal name (Celestini).

But he was not just a monk.

He was elected Pope in 1294, a time of great corruption and contention in the Church, after a conclave deadlocked for more than two years. He was elected at about the age of 80 (Benedict was 78 when he was elected Pope in 2005).

At Celestine's election, some of the Spiritual Franciscans, who opposed the worldliness of the Church hierarchy, proclaimed that he was the first legitimate Pope in nearly 1,000 years, since Constantine had granted the Church huge territorial possessions in the 300s.

So the Church had a holy leader, and many devout Catholics at that time thought the Church would be reformed by this good man.

But the holy Celestine -- who pleaded with the cardinals not to choose him as the Pope -- could not manage to rule the powerful cardinals around him.

The cardinals of 700 years ago seem to have chosen Celestine almost humorously, as it were, not seriously, as if to say, 'We can't agree on a serious 'Prince-Cardinal' for Pope, so we will choose this holy, quiet, learned monk to be Pope, and watch with a certain amusement as he struggles mightily but in vain to guide the ungovernable bark of Peter.'

After five months, Celestine gave up, and resigned -- the only Pope who has ever done so.

He thought he would end his life in peace, but his successor, Boniface VIII, fearing his opponents might use Celestine as a rallying point, ordered him confined, and some allege (probably wrongly, since he was already approaching 90), executed.

All of Celestine's official acts were annulled by Boniface.

Now, Benedict is scheduled to travel this Sunday, on July 4, to Sulmona, not far from Rome. There, in the crypt of the cathedral, as the last act of his visit, he is scheduled to venerate relics of this same holy Pope, Celestine V. (See bottom for a news report on this upcoming trip.)

So Sunday, the Pope will pray before Celestine's relics for the second time in 15 months.

I am not suggesting Pope Benedict XVI is thinking of following in the footsteps of the saintly Pope Celestine and resigning.

I am suggesting that the studious Pope Benedict and the studious monk-Pope are 'connected' in a mysterious way.

I believe Benedict's decisions to leave his pallium in Aquila, where Celestine's tomb is located, and to schedule a prayer before his relics this coming Sunday, are not haphazard.

These decisions are indicators, ways of communicating truths through gestures. They contain a message the Pope cannot deliver any other way.

==========================

The Grave Crisis

Three events in the past few days have taken the crisis now shaking the Church to a new level:

(1) Belgium: police raids of Church offices and even Church tombs in Belgium, against all traditional practice of respect for Church property; the Vatican has protested this action. (See bottom for a copy of the letter the Pope sent after the police actions. See the following link for an article on the case: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jun/10062903.html)

(2) United States: a US Supreme Court decision to allow an Oregon sex abuse case against the Vatican proceed, despite traditional jurisprudence exempting the Holy See, as a sovereign state, from such lawsuits (see: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65R3UB20100628)

(3) Austria: the public rebuke of an Austrian cardinal who had been critical of the way the Vatican has handled the sex abuse scandal. (see below)

All this means, in essence, that the Church is increasingly being treated, not as a privileged 'society' or 'institution' or sovereign 'state' or beneficial 'religion' doing charitable work in this world in God's name, and so to be treated with profound and special respect, but as a society which has covered up the sexual abuse of children.

The danger is no longer that the 'image' of the Church will suffer when people learn that a priest has committed the unspeakable crime of abuse, but that the Church as a whole may be subjected to legal and judicial investigations which will limit her freedom.

The threat is to the freedom of the Church.

It is a threat which began in crimes by individuals, grew with inadequate action by superiors, and is now 'morphing' into a nightmare of police raids and legal attacks on the Holy See. It looks like the slow emergence of a legal and social climate which might eventually permit the persecution of the Church as an institution.

This intensification of the crisis occurs precisely as the danger of a further downturn in the world economy intensifies -- the problems in Greece, the huge and opaque derivatives markets, growing unemployment, unpayable levels of debt piled even higher over the past 18 months since the banking collapse in the fall of 2008. Ever-increasing calls for austerity as the only possible solution to this unfolding economic crisis means a growing likelihood of widespread economic pain with accompanying social injustice and possibly social unrest (think of the riots in Greece this spring).

If injustices increase as the economic collapse we now face intensifies, the world will need a moral authority to denounce injustices and call for calm and wisdom as the crisis deepens.

Benedict is intent on purifying the Church, at 'cleaning house,' both because it is the right thing to do, and so that the moral authority of the Church not be invalidated in the world's eyes by the sins of some of her members, and leaders.

Benedict is striving to do what Celestine was unable to do: govern the Church. Reform the Church.

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The Rebuke of the Austrian Cardinal

Yesterday in Rome, a very unusual public rebuke of an important cardinal occurred.

Because of his learning and his close friendship with Pope Benedict, the cardinal in question, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the archbishop of Vienna, Austria, has been considered 'papabile,' that is, a possible candidate for the papacy himself.

Schoenborn, generally considered quite traditional in his doctrinal stances, has raised eyebrows in recent months, making problematic statements to journalists suggesting the Church could consider changing its discipline regarding priestly celibacy, and that committed homosexual relationships might be preferable to promiscuous ones.

But he also raised eyebrows after he publicly criticized 'elements' inside the Vatican which he said needed 'reform.'

In particular, he has suggested that those elements did not work effectively to resolve the scandal of sexual abuse by clergymen, like his predecessor in Vienna, the Cardinal Archbishop Hans Hermann Groer, and that the former Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, had been in part responsible for this lack of oversight.

How often do important cardinals like Schoenborn, close to the Pope, cardinals considered possible papal candidates themselves, make public criticisms of the Vatican, and, by implication, of the Pope himself, since the Pope is notionally in charge of the Vatican?

Rarely, to put it mildly.

And how often does the Pope then call in such a cardinal, a former pupil and friend, and subject him to a public reprimand?

It is unprecedented.

But it happened yesterday.

Here is the Vatican communique after the event:

Vatican Information Service:

The Holy See Press Office released the following communique early this afternoon:

'(1) The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, O.P., archbishop of Vienna and president of the Austrian Episcopal Conference. The cardinal had asked to meet the Supreme Pontiff personally in order to report on the current situation of the Church in Austria. In particular, Cardinal Schonborn wished to clarify the exact meaning of his recent declarations concerning some aspects of current ecclesiastical discipline, and certain of his judgements regarding positions adopted by the Secretariat of State -- and in particular by the then Secretary of State of Pope John Paul II -- concerning the late Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer, archbishop of Vienna from 1986 to 1995.

'(2) Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, and Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. were subsequently invited to join the meeting.

'In the second part of the audience certain widespread misunderstandings were clarified and resolved, misunderstandings deriving partly from certain statements of Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, who expressed his displeasure at the interpretations given to his words.

'In particular:

'(a) It must be reiterated that, in the Church, when accusations are made against a cardinal, competency falls exclusively to the Pope; other parties may have a consultative function, while always maintaining due respect for persons.

'(b) The word 'chiacchiericcio' (gossip) was erroneously interpreted as disrespectful to the victims of sexual abuse, towards whom Cardinal Angelo Sodano nourishes the same feelings of compassion, and of condemnation of evil, as expressed on various occasions by the Holy Father. That word, pronounced during his Easter address to Pope Benedict XVI, was taken literally from the pontifical homily of Palm Sunday and referred to the 'courage that does not let itself be intimidated by the gossip of prevalent opinions'.

'(3) The Holy Father, recalling with great affection his own pastoral trip to Austria, via Cardinal Christoph Schonborn sends his greetings and encouragement to the Church in Austria, and to her pastors, entrusting the journey to renewed ecclesial communion to the celestial protection of the Blessed Virgin, so venerated at Mariazell'.

(See bottom for the report published by Associated Press about what happened.)

======================================

The Puzzle

What is really happening here? It isn't entirely clear.

Certainly Schoenborn (whom I have known for more than 20 years) has been close to Pope Benedict; there is no doubt of that.

But friends can fall out -- especially if their views diverge.

It could be that the Pope regards Schoenborn's comments as so destabilizing for the overall operations and mission of the Church that, despite a personal closeness to Schoenborn, he decided he had to be 'reined in.'

But Schoenborn, through this rebuke, could, paradoxically become more acceptable to 'progressives' as a possible 'reformer,' and so this rebuke, instead of 'weakening' him, could actually make his position stronger in an eventual future conclave.

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'The Freedom of the Church'

Early this morning, the Pope conferred the pallium on the 38 metropolitan archbishops named around the world over the last year.

Here in its Vatican translation, the Pope's homily from this morning's Pallium Mass on this feast of Saints Peter and Paul. I note certain passages in the text for special attention:

Dear brothers and sisters!

The biblical texts of this Eucharistic Liturgy of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, in their great wealth, highlight a theme that could be summarized thus: God is close to his faithful servants and frees them from all evil, and frees the Church from negative powers. [**The Pope's words, 'frees the Church from negative powers' can mean the sins of Church members, but also can mean the Church's enemies, internal and external.**]

It is the theme of the freedom of the Church, which has a historical aspect and another more deeply spiritual one.

This theme runs through today's Liturgy of the Word. The first and second readings speak, respectively, of St Peter and St Paul, emphasizing precisely the liberating action of God in them. Especially the text from the Acts of the Apostles describes in abundant detail the intervention of the Angel of the Lord, who releases Peter from the chains and leads him outside the prison in Jerusalem, where he had been locked up, under close supervision, by King Herod (cf. at 12.1 to 11). [**This image of the angel releasing Peter from his chains, in connection with our reflection above on the imprisonment of Pope Celestine at the end of his life, and in connection with the 'chains' which bind Benedict, whatever they may be, including the many attacks on Benedict from within and without the Church, seems significant. Benedict is saying the safety and freedom of the Pope, even if he is in prison, comes through God and his agents.**]

Paul, however, writing to Timothy when he feels close to the end of his earthly life, takes stock which shows that the Lord was always near him and freed him from many dangers and frees him still by introducing him into His eternal Kingdom ( see 2 Tim 4, 6-8.17-18). The theme is reinforced by the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 33), and also finds a particular development in the Gospel of Peter's confession, where Christ promises that the powers of hell shall not prevail against his Church (cf. Mt 16:18). [**The Pope says clearly here that 'the powers of hell will not prevail.'**]

Observing closely we note a certain progression regarding this issue. In the first reading a specific episode is narrated that shows the Lord's intervention to free Peter from prison. In the second Paul, on the basis of his extraordinary apostolic experience, is convinced that the Lord, who already freed him 'from the mouth of the lion' delivers him 'from all evil', by opening the doors of Heaven to him.

In the Gospel we no longer speak of the individual Apostles, but the Church as a whole and its safekeeping from the forces of evil, in the widest and most profound sense. Thus we see that the promise of Jesus - 'the powers of hell shall not prevail' on the Church – yes, includes the historical experience of persecution suffered by Peter and Paul and other witnesses of the Gospel, but it goes further, wanting to protect especially against threats of a spiritual order, as Paul himself writes in his Letter to the Ephesians: 'For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens' (Eph 6:12). [**It seems that Benedict, moving from Peter's experience of imprisonment, to Paul's experience of being protected by the Lord, to the promise that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church, may also have in mind our present crisis. In fact, he goes immediately to the suffering of the Church in history.**]

Indeed, if we think of the two millennia of Church history, we can see that -- as the Lord Jesus had announced (cf. Mt 10.16-33) – Christians have never been lacking in trials, which in some periods and places have assumed the character of real persecution. [**He speaks of 'real persecution.'**]

These, however, despite the suffering they cause, are not the greatest danger for the Church. In fact it suffers greatest damage from what pollutes the Christian faith and life of its members and its communities, eroding the integrity of the Mystical Body, weakening its ability to prophesy and witness, tarnishing the beauty of its face. [**The greatest danger to the Church is not her external enemies, her persecutors, but the sin of her own members, her self-pollution, which destroys her credibility. These are powerful words relating to our present crisis.**]

This reality is already attested in the Pauline Epistle. The First Epistle to the Corinthians, for example, responds to some problems of divisions, inconsistencies, of infidelity to the Gospel which seriously threaten the Church. But the Second Letter to Timothy – of which we heard an excerpt - speaks about the dangers of the 'last days', identifying them with negative attitudes that belong to the world and can infect the Christian community: selfishness, vanity, pride, love of money, etc. (cf. 3.1 to 5). [**This reference to the 'last days' gives an apocalyptic tone to the entire homily.**]

The Apostle’s conclusion is reassuring: men who do wrong -- he writes -- 'will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be plain to all' (3.9).

There is therefore a guarantee of freedom promised by God to the Church, it is freedom from the material bonds that seek to prevent or coerce mission, both through spiritual and moral evils, which may affect its authenticity and credibility. [**He is really hammering this point home.**]

Sursa: www.InSideTheVatican.com

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