(Vatican Radio) As Francis is set to open the Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran on Sunday 13th December Veronica Scarisbrick asks the Minister General of the Friars of the Atonement Father Jim Puglisi to shed light on why this Church and not Saint Peter’s is the Pope’s Cathedral. And on a more tricky question as to why it’s considered the Mother Church as is inscribed in Latin on its facade.
Listen to Father Jim Puglisi speaking to Veronica Scarisbrick:
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis issued a legal decree on Friday, regarding the implementation of the recent reforms to the Church’s marriage law, specifically as far as the role of the Church’s highest appellate court – the Sacred Roman Rota – is concerned. The decree, called a rescript, has six main points, most dealing with technical matters of legal procedure within the Rotal system itself, and with the relationship of the Rota – which is the Church’s highest ordinary appellate court – to other courts in the Church’s legal system.
Click below to hear our report
In an explanatory note published in the edition of L’Osservatore Romano released Friday afternoon, the Dean of the Roman Rota, Msgr. Pio Vito Pinto explained that the first part of the two-part rescript has the purpose of stressing that the reforms already enacted are now in force and must be followed and obeyed. “Because every law of epochal importance, such as the laws reforming the marital nullity process, meets understandable resistance,” explained Msgr. Pinto, “the Pope desired to emphasize, as did John Paul II for the promulgation of the Code of Canon Law of 1983, that the law is now promulgated and requires compliance.”
“The second part of the rescript,” continued Msgr. Pinto, “specifically relates to the Roman Rota as Apostolic Tribunal, which has always distinguished itself for the sapientia in its judicial decisions.” As an example of this distinction, and of Pope Francis’ ongoing confidence in it, Msgr. Pinto cited the return to the ancient formula of “generic doubt” in cases before the Rota for adjudication. Msgr. Pinto also specified that lower courts are still obliged to adjudicate specific questions, which, if found present, could give grounds for finding a marriage null.
The rescript itself in its preamble affirms its desire to serve the supreme law, which is the salvation of souls, and that all the Church’s legal structures serve therefore as vehicles of reconciliation and renewal for the faithful who have recourse to them.
Below, please find Vatican Radio’s translation of the full text of the rescript, made from the Italian text distributed by the Press Office of the Holy See
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The entry into force – in happy coincidence with the opening of the Jubilee of Mercy – of the Apostolic Letters motu proprio , Mitis iudex Dominus Iesus and Mitis et Misericors Iesus on August 15, 2015, given for the purpose of actuating justice and mercy regarding the truth of the bond of those who have experienced matrimonial failure, poses, among other things, the need to harmonize the renewed procedure for cases trying claims of marital nullity with the rules proper to the Roman Rota, pending the reform of these last.
The recently concluded Synod of Bishops expressed a strong exhortation to the Church, that the Church reach out toward “her most fragile children, marked by love wounded and lost ( Relatio finalis , n. 55), to whom it is necessary to give back confidence and hope.
The laws now taking effect want to show precisely the closeness of the Church to wounded families, desiring that the multitude of those who live the drama of marital failure be reached by the healing work of Christ through ecclesiastical structures, in the hope that they might discover themselves new missionaries of God’s mercy toward other brothers and sisters, for the good of the institution of the family.
Recognizing the Roman Rota, in addition to its proper munus as ordinary appellate tribunal of the Apostolic See, as having also the munus of safeguarding the unity of law (Art. 126 § 1 PB) and that of aiding in the ongoing formation of pastoral workers in the Tribunals of the local Churches, the following is established:
I.
The laws reforming the aforementioned marriage nullity process abrogate or derogate every law or norm to the contrary hitherto applicable: general, particular, or special, even if approved in specific form (e.g. The MP Qua cura , given by my Predecessor Pius XI in times very much different from the present).
II.
In marriage nullity cases before the Roman Rota, the dubbium is fixed according to the ancient formula: An constet de matrimonii nullitate, in casu .
There can be no appeal against decisions of the Rota with respect to invalidity of judgments or decrees.
No recourse is allowed before the Roman Rota to the Nova Causae Propositio (N.C.P.), after one of the parties has contracted a new canonical marriage, unless the injustice of the decision is manifestly established.
The Dean of the Roman Rota has the power to dispense for grave reason from the Rotal Norms in procedural matters.
As urged by the Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches, competence in iurium cases connected to marital nullity cases submitted to the judgment of the Roman Rota on appeal, is restored to territorial tribunals.
The Roman Rota shall judge cases according to the gratuity of the Gospel, that is, with ex officio legal aid, salvo the moral obligation for the wealthy faithful to make an oblatio iustitiae in favor of the causes of the poor.
May the faithful, especially the wounded and unhappy, look to the new Jerusalem that is the Church, as the “Peace of justice and glory of godliness, (Bar 5: 4)” and may it be granted to them, finding the open arms of the Body of Christ, to intone the Psalm of the exiles (126:1-2): “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher to the Papal Household, spoke about our call to holiness on Friday morning in his Second Advent sermon.
Listen to the report here:
Fr Cantalamessa began his sermon by drawing a link between the recently inaugurated Jubilee Year of Mercy and the Second Vatican Council.
He quoted St John XXIII in his opening address for the council when he said “The Church… prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity” when dealing with errors.
The focus of the homily was on Chapter 5 from Lumen genitum, a key document from Vatican II, the key message of which was the call to holiness.
Fr Cantalamessa noted, however, that holiness was the one accomplishment of the council “at most risk of being neglected, since it is only God and one’s conscience that require it… rather than pressures or interests from any particular group in the Church”.
He went on to say that the first thing that needs to be done when speaking about ‘holiness’ is to “free this word from the apprehension and fear that it strikes in people… Holiness can involve extraordinary phenomena and trials, but it is not to be identified with these things”. He continued saying “If all people are called to holiness, it is because it is within everyone’s reach”.
To exemplify this further, he compared saints to flowers: “there are more of them than just the ones that get put on the altar. How many of them blossom and die hidden after having silently perfumed the air around them!”
Speaking of God’s holiness, he said it is the summary of all of God’s attributes. He explained that the biblical word, quadosh suggests the idea of separation or of difference. God is transcendent, and is fully pure. Fr Cantalamessa then explained how Old Testament ideas of holiness have a ritualistic edge, suggesting that in order to be holy, one needs to follow a code of laws.
However, moving forward into the New Testament, Jesus demonstrates that holiness is no longer a legal or ritualistic matter, but a moral one; an ontological one. “The mediators of God’s holiness are no longer places (the temple of Jerusalem), rituals, objects or laws but one person, Jesus Christ. In this vein, being holy does not mean being separated from God but in being united with Jesus.
In the third section of his address, Fr Cantalamessa emphasized the fact that holiness is “not an imposistion… but a privilege, a supreme honour”. To illustrate this, he referred to Blaise Pascal’s principle of the three levels of greatness: the level of bodies and material things, the level of intelligence, and the level of holiness. He also quoted the musician Charles-François Gounod who said “A drop of holiness is worth more than an ocean of genius”.
His fourth section spoke about resuming the path towards holiness. He said the pursuit of holiness “is a journey consisting of continuous stops and fresh starts”. “On special occasions like the Jubilee Year of Mercy… the time of setting out again on our march towards holiness occurs when we sense within ourselves the mysterious call that comes from grace”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent his support and prayers to those affected by Cumbrian & North Lancashire Floods.
A letter written by the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Mennini on behalf of the Holy Father and addressed to the Bishop of Lancaster, Michael Campbell, Pope Francis expresses his personal sympathy at this difficult time.
“Having learnt – the letter reads – of the devastating effects caused in the North of England and in Cumbria in particular by Storm Desmond in these last days, I should like to convey to you and your people, along with the civic authorities and support services, the closeness iof the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and my personal sympathy at this difficult time”.
The letter goes on to assure the flood-struck communities of prayers for those who have tragically lost their homes or been injured, as well as for their relatives and friends.
“May the Lord grant them comfort and strenght in facing the future”.
Meanwhile in news today. heavy rain has brought more flooding and misery to the Cumbrian village of Glenridding, just four days after it was devastated by Storm Desmond.
Police, fire crews and mountain rescue teams spent the night there after Glenridding Beck overspilled its banks.
Diggers were deployed throughout the night to try to stem the swollen waters.
Cumbria Police has advised villagers to remain in their properties, even as the flood water begins to recede.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome is allowing patients to create their own Holy Door for the Jubilee. The hospital is on the Janiculum Hill, which overlooks St. Peter’s Basilica, but many of the children are not well enough to make the journey.
Therefore, children from the oncohematology and other departments have been busy designing and creating their own version of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, drawing from scenes in the Old and New Testaments.
The project allows the children to use their senses, imagination, and artistic skills, as well as discover things about biblical history and spirituality.
The chaplain of the Bambino Gesù Hospital said the goal is to give to young patients and their families the feeling of being part of a community of love and mercy, and allow them to take part in the Extraordinary Jubilee.
“There is a deep connection between conversion and the suffering we experience in particular situations,” said Father Luigi.
“Suffering is not only physical pain, but also the inner suffering from lack of meaning,” he continued.
“The more the spirit of God pervades our lives, the less we suffer, because we feel less alone,” Father Luigi said.
The chaplain said the Holy Spirit is “strength and light,” and that “unity with God” helps people deal with suffering.
“ If this it is true for everyone, it is even more so in this place,” Father Luigi said. “The value of this [Holy Door], even if symbolic, is important because it invites us to be united with the Lord, especially in suffering.”
The Bambino Gesù Hospital’s Holy Door project is ongoing, and will involve various activities looking at traditional pilgrimage sites around the Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Bambino Gesù Hospital’s facility in Palidoro, located in the Suburbicarian Diocese of Porto-Santa Rufina, will become the site of one the Diocese’s official Holy Doors for the Jubilee.
On 17 December, the Door of Mercy will officially be opened in the Hospital’s chapel by Bishop Gino Reale, thus becoming one of the four Holy Doors of the Diocese, which is situated in the northern part of the Province of Rome.
(from Vatican Radio)…