Sanning eller "skvaller"?

Kardinalens ord var inte så väl valda om avsikten inte var att såra dem som utsatts för prästers övergrepp. Inte heller tillfället då han uttalade dem. (Jfr. Cantalamessa, som nu har bett om ursäkt för sitt uttalande under långfredagens predikan.)

Det skulle inte skada om påven talade klarspråk i ämnet snart. Tog på sig sitt fulla ansvar som kyrkans ledare. I vått och torrt. I lust och nöd.

***

"A leading cardinal, making an unusual address in defense of Pope Benedict at the pontiff's Easter Sunday Mass, said the Church would not be intimidated by "petty gossip" about sexual abuse of children by priests.

But in his own Easter address hours later, the pope, looking at times weary, did not mention the scandal that has engulfed the Church and posed a crisis in his five-year-old pontificate.

The surprise speech by Cardinal Angelo Sodano was the first time in recent memory that the ritual of a papal Easter Sunday Mass was changed so someone could address the pope at the start.

"Holy Father, the people of God are with you and will not let themselves be influenced by the petty gossip of the moment, by the trials that sometimes assail the community of believers," Sodano said.

The change of protocol underscored just how much the Vatican is feeling the pressure from a growing scandal concerning sexual abuse of children by priests and reports of a possible cover-up that have inched closer to the pope himself.

"Victims are seeking consolation and healing and should not be insulted and told that our speaking out is petty gossip," said Barbara Blaine, a leader of the U.S.-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

"The pope has said the truth should be exposed. They can't have it both ways," she told Reuters.""

Läs hela artikeln här.

Läs också denna artikel om påvens immunitet.

Och denna artikel om påvens agerande.

Och denna artikel, om två ärkebiskopar som inte tiger.

Samtidigt uppdagas övergrepp i Danmark.

Här ges en bakgrund till det hela.

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Letter to the Pope - by Marie Fortune

Marie Fortune (expert on religion and sexual violence), has written a letter to the Pope.

"In fairness to the Pope, there is probably nothing he could have said to the church in Ireland that would be sufficient to bring healing to the thousands of survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of pedophile priests. Too little, too late. I don’t think anyone ever imagined the numbers of victims, the numbers of abusive priests, and the material (not to mention the spiritual) cost facing the Roman Catholic Church. But as the crisis erupts again in Europe and the U.S. with serious questions being raised about the Pope himself, one has to wonder if the men in charge have learned anything in the past 20 years. It would appear not."

Read her letter with suggestions for the future here.

***

Updated:

Read also this article!

Read more...

Förre påven piskade sig själv...

Nyheten kommer från en biografi om Johannes Paulus II.

Själv tycker jag att det som är mest intressant är att det hävdas att det här inte har något med psykologi att göra. Bullshit - rent ut sagt. Det är verkligen sjukt att se kroppen som en fiende - så som bl.a. Opus-Dei-"helgonet" Escriva gjorde. Det är sjukt att piska sig själv. Inte värt någon gloria. Det är väl känt att förre påven hade ett särskilt gott öga till Opus Dei, men fenomenet att "tukta kroppen" på allehanda sätt är inte obekant i katolsk kyrkohistoria, så inspirationen kan han ha fått i princip var som helst ifrån. Under lång tid ansågs det helt normalt. Rentav föredömligt (bl.a. i 1800-talets Frankrike där lilla Thérèse växte upp - redan som treåring hade hon förstått det - men hennes helgonmeriter vilar inte på det). I vissa kretsar är det fortfarande något som anses positivt.

Har läst någonstans att smärta frigör kemikalier i hjärnan som gör att man blir beroende av den. Något knarkliknande alltså, ett lyckorus. Kanske "helgonens" självbestraffning inte gör så ont trots allt? Kanske "självförnekelsen" ger dem just det de försöker neka sig? Väldigt intressant, rent psykologiskt, tycker jag...

***

"Cognitive dissonance is the process whereby people believe two entirely different things at the same time, and see no contradiction in their beliefs. In this case the dissonance arises when we consider the Pope's behavior as applied to almost anyone else in the world. We would see it as a sign of mental illness, and hope the afflicted person would seek medical help.

According to Wikipedia Self-harm is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) as a symptom of borderline personality disorder. The motivations for self-harm vary and may be used to fulfill a number of different functions. These functions include self-harm being used as a coping mechanism which provides temporary relief of intense feelings such as anxiety, depression, stress, emotional numbness and a sense of failure or self-loathing. Self-harm is often associated with a history of trauma and abuse including emotional abuse, sexual abuse, drug dependence, eating disorders, or mental traits such as low self-esteem or perfectionism. There is also a positive statistical correlation between self-harm and emotional abuse."

Läs hela artikeln här.

***

"In Santo Subito (A Saint Now) by Andrea Tornielli, the Pope’s biographer and Vatican correspondent of Il Giornale, Sister Sobodka said: ”We could hear it – we were in the next room at Castel Gandolfo. You could hear the sound of the blows when he would flagellate himself. He did it when he was still capable of moving on his own.”

He must have been really going at it hard if they could hear him in the next room!

/.../

“As some members of his own entourage were able to hear with their own ears, both in Poland and in the Vatican, Karol Wojyka flagellated himself,” the book says. “…in his wardrobe, among his soutanes, he had hanging a particular belt for trousers that he used as a whip, and which he would ensure was always taken to Castel Gandolfo.”

/.../

Do religious self-flagellators receive a perverse sense of gratification of the flesh by causing it pain?

Not according to retired prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins. In the case of saints who subjected themselves voluntarily to rigorous penance, these practices had nothing to do with psychological imbalance, he emphasized.

He said: “The saints are in the first place very normal persons. If this wasn’t so they wouldn’t be able to be saints. There are many saints who did penance and saw this as a way to bring their body under control; it has nothing to do with psychology.”

One of our most recent saints, St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, didn’t shy away from pain: “Blessed be pain. Loved be pain. Sanctified be pain…Glorified be pain! (The Way, 208). “If you realize that your body is your enemy, and an enemy of God’s glory since it is an enemy of your sanctification, why do you treat it so softly?”

Future historians and investigative journalists may uncover what was Pope John Paul II’s connection to Opus Dei. How was he helpful to them? How were they useful to him? It appears he adopted their self-mortification practices.

But would Pope John Paul II been more “saintly” if he would have spent the time instead comforting a sick child in a hospital; stand outside an abortion clinic and offer his hand and financial support to an unmarried, pregnant woman about to enter; or make it known to the corps of elite Catholic business titans and government officials clean water for drinking, sanitation and agriculture was needed for all people, but especially the poor who have no other alternatives or place to go?

I think so. Sometimes it is much easier to beat yourself up than do the right thing."

Läs mer här.

Read more...

Påven får musikpris?

Man kunde tro att det var ett humorstafettbidrag, men det är dagsens sanning. Dagens sanning.

Det är påvens sånginsatser som står i fokus för nomineringen.

Det är nog ingen annan än påven som kan sjunga falskt och eventuellt få ett pris för det...

Jag håller tummarna för The Priests.

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Midnattsmässoattack?

Så, några minuter efter att midnattsmässan från Rom avslutats kommer nyheten att påven då han var på väg in i kyrkan knuffades (attackerades?) av en kvinnlig pilgrim.

"Det var enligt Vatikanen en pilgrim som tryckte på så att påven, katolska kyrkans överhuvud, föll just när han var på väg in i kyrkan. Kvinnan försökte enligt vissa vittnesuppgifter slå ned honom när han var på väg mot mittgången. Påven kom snabbt på fötter och kunde inleda mässan som planerat."

Själv tittade jag inte direkt uppmärksamt, lyssnade mest medan jag höll på med annat, och märkte bara att det hela stannade av i början. Fast det fortsatte snart.

Bra förresten att mässan började två timmar tidigare i år. Fattar inte varför den börjar först vid midnatt i de flesta av de katolska kyrkorna. Den kan väl lika gärna sluta då? Hoppas fler följer påvens exempel där... Så att de som bor utanför stan kan vara med nån gång. Sista bussen går innan mässan är slut som det är nu.

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Påven om skrivande

Det räckte visst inte med en bok om Jesus, nu är del två på gång.

Mest intressant tyckte jag dock att det nedan markerade uttalandet var... Tror att många bloggare kan känna igen sig i det... :-)

***

"Pope Benedict XVI said this past weekend that while he has not yet fully recovered from the broken wrist he suffered over the summer, he has been working on the second part of his book on Jesus and that he could complete it by the Spring of 2010.

During a press conference on the way to Prague, the Holy Father told reporters, “The right hand works, and I can do the essential things: I can eat, and above all, I can write. My thought is developed mainly through writing; so for me it was really a burden, a school of patience, not to be able to write for six weeks.”"

Artikeln är intressant även i övrigt, då den kommer in på kopplingen mellan etik och ekonomi mot slutet.

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Påvebrevskommentarer

Ibland får man kommentarer som verkligen värmer och inspirerar...

Två sådana väntade i påvebrevsinläggen idag (efter att jag kommenterade artikeln om Louise). De var skrivna av en fri fågel. Kopierar in delar av dem nedan.

Tycker inte minst att tolkningen av berättelsen om Maria och Marta är spännande och träffsäker, den öppnar upp aspekter som jag inte har tänkt på i det sammanhanget!

***

"I just came over from NCR to read your letter. Of course you have not received a reply. The pope wouldn't answer you anyhow but an aide might, but I don't think they want to. It's hard to answer logic and love. It's hard to answer when the way of Jesus is not the way of the Church, so don't expect an answer but do continue to share your letter."

"Keep up the good work. You write very nice letters that don't come across harsh as mine would. You have a right to be heard. Jesus asked for questions from his followers. Did he ever in the bible we have pick a woman? Yes! In the story of Mary and Martha. When Mary wanted to be with him rather than serve in typical women's fashion he said to Martha to stop insisting on the old ways for women and to let Mary come join the male disciples. That is just what he said! So he did not want traditional women's roles to come between him and any woman. His way was a new way. It broke all the traditions. Today the Church is trying to hang on to traditions and how women "should be" but Jesus himself would have none of that. Thankyou so much again, for writing your letters. You speak for me as I don't do it well. Keep speaking and don't back down. It is one of your gifts."

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Påven och jag semestrar

Visserligen inte tillsammans, men vi tycks ägna oss åt samma aktiviteter. Så det fick bli en anledning till ett litet blogginhopp.

Fick just nyheten om Påvens fall.

Själv trillade jag och slog mig rejält på perrongen i Göteborg i början av veckan när jag bytte tåg på hemväg från ikon-/konstutställningen och försökte få av en blytung väska. Landade rakt på de stora tavlorna och ett vasst metallspänne som borrade sig djupt in i höften. Vagnen jag hade tavlorna på blev totalkvaddad, går inte längre att fälla ihop, men själva tavlorna klarade sig hyfsat. Den krossade höften har sen dess en blålila apelsinstor bula, och det gör ont från illa åtgångna leder och muskler, är fortfarande svenskt gul och blå överallt. Först idag börjar jag så smått kunna vrida på huvudet utan intensiv smärta.

En fruktansvärd gräsallergi ruinerade andra utställningsveckan så jag inte kunde vara ute, var tvungen att ta medicin som gjorde att jag kände mig som en klubbad säl, så veckan tillbringades mest i framstupa sidoläge. Alternativet var att nysa och snyta sig oavbrutet, samt klia sönder ögonen. Snart kommer samma gräsblomning hit...

Går också på antibiotika efter en radda fästingbett och snart två veckors oförklarlig feber, och får därför inte vara i solen heller den kommande veckan.

Kul sommarlov... :-(

Hoppas ni har det trevligare än Påven och jag.

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Påven som Facebookvän?

Ja, nu tar han steget ut i Facebook... :-)

"Mumbai's Christians are overjoyed at the news that the Pope will now become a member of Facebook. The move, planned in order to better connect with the Christian youth all over the world, has come in for much praise from his followers here in the city.

"Now we can share our personal problems and also confess before him on the site. Overall, it's really good news," said Nitin Kakkara (19), a Roman Catholic."

Får se om han vill vara vän med mig.

Det skulle underlätta att skicka brev direkt till honom då.

Om det nu är han själv som tar hand om sin Facebooksida.

Det lär bli rusning dit.

Kul att Påven med YouTube och Facebook så smått börjar bli en föregångare i media/teknikanvändning.

Nu undrar jag bara: när får vi se honom börja blogga?

Kanske fler kyrkliga representanter genom detta inser värdet av direktkontakt med de troende...?

Vilka av dessa vill du ha som Facebookvän?

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Den katolska krisen - påvens ledarstil ifrågasatt

Fick en artikel som visar fler aspekter av den nuvarande krisen inom katolska kyrkan. Mest intressant är kanske biskoparnas alltmer uttalade önskan om större samarbete och kollegialitet med påven. Något den dåvarande kardinal Ratzinger själv ska ha varit för innan han blev vald till påve, men nu tycks ha glömt.

Påstridiga biskopars agerande har dock lett till att Vatikanen har fått lov att ändra/ta tillbaka ett par beslut nyligen. Utnämningen av den ultrakonservative österrikiske biskopen t.ex., och exkommuniceringen av den brasilianska 9-åringens mamma.

Intressant är också uppgiften att Vatikanen visste om biskop Williamsons uttalande 48 timmar innan exkommuniceringen av SSPX-biskoparna hävdes.

Enkäten där frågan löd: "Var det rätt av påven att häva exkommuniceringen av SSPX-biskoparna?" och där 124 bloggläsare röstade, är förresten avslutad.

Resultatet blev:

"Nej, verkligen inte!" 48 (38%)
"Ja, absolut!" 52 (41%)
"Vet inte" 24 (19%)

Knapp seger för ja-sidan alltså, i en mycket jämn omröstning.

Själv fyllde jag på "vet inte"-spalten med en röst, ifall ni undrar...

***

"In spite of a letter to bishops around the world that immediately provoked professions of solidarity, Pope Benedict XVI, it seems to me, is like a solitary monarch in a curia that has lost its bearings.

The storm caused by the remission of the excommunications against four Lefebvrist bishops may appear to have died down but the crisis that exploded following the chain of errors which Pope Benedict sought to explain has not. It has become a pontificate of two halves: before the break and after. The period after has brought to light questions concerning the leadership of Joseph Ratzinger, revealing at the same time a tension between the Church's central government and important bishops from the Northern Hemisphere.

Reading between the lines of the bishops' messages of solidarity to the Pope, there are requests that he change his style of government. The German hierarchy professes itself delighted that the Pope wants to enter "into dialogue with the bishops" (signalling that thus far this has not happened). The French bishops underline the necessity for the Vatican to become accustomed to an exchange that is "rich and substantial", hinting that the relationship between the Pope and the bishops should not consist simply of orders from on high. In Switzerland, the Bishop of Lugano, Pier Giacomo Grampa, expresses the hope that the humble and fraternal style of Benedict XVI's letter should become the style adopted in the day-to-day governance of the Church.

But it is the Austrian bishops who delivered the most strongly worded message. The Church guided by one of his most faithful disciples, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, reminds the Pope that he is not the only person who is suffering and that pain has also been endured "by many local churches and people outside the Church".

/.../

Did it make sense to revoke the excommunications of the four Lefebvrist bishops - without obtaining any statement of faithful adherence to the Second Vatican Council - on the very day that marked the fiftieth anniversary of Pope John XXIII's decision to call the council? Did it make sense to insist on pardoning the Holocaust-denying Bishop Richard Williamson in the very week dedicated to the memory of the Shoah?

Here an important detail should be remembered. The Vatican decree lifting the excommunications was published a full 48 hours after the story was first leaked to the press. Immediately afterwards Bishop Williamson's interview with Swedish television was published in which he insisted that six million Jews did not perish in the Holocaust. There were two days in which Benedict XVI and his aides had ample opportunity to block the publication of the decree and avoid the need for the warnings, explanations and requests to the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) that emanated from the secretary of state only after the catastrophe had happened. The generosity with which the Pope in his letter avoided blaming any of his collaborators - foremost among them Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, president of the Ecclesia Dei Commission charged with negotiating with the Lefebvrists - does not negate one fact: although he was warned by the world's media of the impending crisis, the Pope did not consider it opportune to call a halt and review the decision.

/.../

The Pope's entourage has a maxim: "Do not disturb the driver." But this is not the way to guide a community of 1.2 billion faithful. Pope Benedict's letter expresses a great personal sincerity but also betrays a weakness. To speak of hostility directed against the Pope especially from within Catholic circles raises some serious questions. It suggests that either the Pope considers every criticism to be a personal attack - and this should not be the reaction of a leader who needs to understand the complexity involved in the process of government - or that there exist in the Church many people who are uneasy with the direction being taken by the Pope.

/.../

When I interviewed him in November 2004, just a few months before the conclave in which he was elected Pope, the then Cardinal Ratzinger said: "It is increasingly apparent that a worldwide Church, particularly in this present situation, cannot be governed by an absolute monarch ... in time a means will be found to create realistically a profound collaboration between the bishops and the Pope, because only in this way will we be able to respond to the challenges of this world."

Benedict XVI has done nothing to realise this principle.

/.../

Truly, beneath the surface of Roman power - as under a volcano - one can hear ominous rumblings."

Läs hela artikeln här.

Read more...

Open letter to the Pope - about Church renewal

The Feast of the Annunciation,
March 25'th, 2009


Dear Brother in Christ, Pope Benedict XVI,

I'm led to write to you again, although I haven't gotten any response yet to my first letter, which I hope you've read as it was most of all meant for you personally. It can be found here if you haven't seen it:

http://katolskakyrkan.blogspot.com/2008/11/open-letter-to-pope-about-women.html

I've followed the recent media turmoil, and would like to comfort you somehow, as I see both your pain and your good intentions. I'll keep you in loving prayers. But still I have to say what I'm inspired to say...

I'm now with you at a distance on your trip to Africa. I hear you speak about the situation of women, mainly in the society, as you've done quite a few times lately. I would also like to talk about women - but turn the focus to women within the Church - and to the need for renewal here. If we are to be listened to by the world - we need to change from within at first. The Church, in regard to women, should be the prophetic and hope-filled sign that the world is yet waiting to see.

The Church body is sadly split at the moment, and I got the image of it as consisting of twin children. One is a conservative boy, looking mainly backwards, and the other is a progressive girl, seeing the future come.

The Church needs both these vast perspectives: history and future, and the radical point where these must meet to keep the balance, is the present moment.

I'm now standing at that sharp point, seeing the Church tip over heavily in one direction.

As it is, only the boy twin is cared for by the Church Mother; it's given love, attention, food and even sweets. While the girl twin is thrown out of the house, left to starve, left alone. Well, not all alone, as God is also with her...

How can the Church ever be healed if this continues?

Both of the twins need to be loved and listened to. What is given to the boy should also be given to the girl.

Like you just said yourself in Africa (very well expressed!):

"I call everyone to an effective awareness of the adverse conditions to which many women have been -- and continue to be -- subjected, paying particular attention to ways in which the behavior and attitudes of men, who at times show a lack of sensitivity and responsibility, may be to blame. This forms no part of God's plan."

May I use another image: the Church is running out of wine at present. And only women can bring its flow back. We keep pointing at what's missing - and we still wait for the answer from the all male hierarchy: the full recognition of our complementary calls from God.

Women and men are called to serve together, not only in the society, but also in the very heart of our Church.

Isn't it quite clear by now that the Church can't be genuinely represented only by "fathers"? Isn't it clear that women are desperately needed in every Church position, to heal what we've lost through a very sad history, so unlike the blossoming beginnings of Christianity, in order to move towards the future?

There's something new in the air these days... As you may have noticed.

And I can imagine that the present situation may feel unfamiliar and even threatening to you. But it's the signs of a new spring time for the Church. You'll only have to let it happen... May I dare to say: it's time to surrender!

The long era is finally over, when the hierarchy could rule over the Church, even through violent means, without being criticized. In our days, media is focused on the Church like never before, and the internet has opened up new ways. Lay Catholics across the world have found wonderful possibilities to connect and share. And we'd like to share our thoughts with you.

What you, or perhaps mainly some of those around you, seem to wish for and ask for: obedience and conformity to certain thinking patterns, is actually what causes most of the problems in the Church. It shapes a kind of blind loyalty that keeps people at a spiritual baby level. But that's not inspired by God...

It's supposed to be like this among us:

"Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave". (Matthew 20:21-25)

Why is there then such a power abuse even among Church leaders of today? The lay people know, some of us by tough personal experiences, that the hierarchy isn't infallible. But don't worry. It's by recognizing that they're fallible, vulnerable - and thus lovable - that the Church leaders will be able to humbly serve and gain our trust again.

Yes - to serve is all about trust, not demanding obedience. And trust needs to be earned.

I'll trust a Church which fully receives also the women that God calls to serve.

I'll trust a Church where everyone is welcome, and no one is shut out from God's table.

I'll trust a Church that doesn't excommunicate - but communicates with its critics, as change has to come from within.

Only those who listen to God more than to human beings can bring about change in the Church. Only those will be free enough. And that freedom isn't a threat to the institution - it's what will bring new life to dead bones. Again - you only need to let it happen... God will take care of it and guide the Church through what each person, women and men alike, is inspired to by the Holy Spirit - in prayer and discernment.

What we need to see, and are all to be, is a Church on her knees. Carefully listening to God. And among many other things, I think God wants to deliver this message today:

"I wish to blow spring air over the Church, but you close the windows, and lock the doors. Where may I enter? I'll blow fresh air through all the tiny slots where I am received. You'll be surprised as it's exactly those that you've tried to tighten. But I kept them open. And the stones that don't let the light through will be moved."

Our Church is as if covered with ice today, and it needs many warm spring sunbeams to start melting.

Let's be those sunbeams!

Love in Christ,
Charlotte Thérèse


P.S. I wrote this letter a few days before this Feast day - but wanted to send it today, wrapped in prayers.

A few hours after writing it, I read about your meeting with the youth in Angola. God's powerful presence there was felt all the way to Sweden...!

These words of yours made me rejoice: "God changes us; he makes us new! This is what he has promised: ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ It is true!"

Amen!! May the Holy Spirit keep renewing us all, and our beloved Church, from within!

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Förnyad Påve förväntas

Har, som ni som kikat på dagens twitterflöde vet, skrivit ett brev till Påven idag.

Kommer att skicka det imorgon, eller kanske symboliskt på onsdag, Marie bebådelsedag.

Men jag har redan delvis fått ett slags svar på det jag inspirerades att skriva - om förnyelse, genom en artikel jag fick nu.

Och viktigare och större än så - jag tror vi kommer att få se en föryngrad/förnyad Påve komma hem från Afrika. För det är tydligt att den helige Ande rör starkt vid honom just nu. Känner av det ända till Sverige - wow! :-)

Låt oss alla be för honom - och med honom!

Helige Ande - far igenom hela Kyrkan...! Förnya, befria, uppväck... Fyll oss alla!!!

***

"The Holy Father seemed to draw energy from the youthful crowd, declaring "Meeting young people is good for everyone!" as he began his address.

"You may have your share of difficulties," the Pope said, "but you are filled with great hope, great enthusiasm and a great desire to make a new beginning. My young friends, you hold within yourselves the power to shape the future.

But the Pontiff was careful not to point them to their own abilities as the source of change. "I encourage you to look to that future through the eyes of the Apostle John," who wrote in Revelation, "I saw a new Heaven and a new earth… and I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven, from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold the dwelling of God is with men.’"

"Yes, my friends! God makes all the difference… and more! God changes us; he makes us new! This is what he has promised: ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ It is true!" Pope Benedict exclaimed.

/.../

"There is no doubt about it: life is worthwhile only if you take courage and are ready for adventure, if you trust in the Lord who will never abandon you."

The Pope closed his speech by calling on the young people of Angola to "unleash the power of the Holy Spirit within you, the power from on high! … This is the life worthy of being lived, and I commend it to you from my heart.

May God bless the young people of Angola!"

Läs artikeln här.

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Påven och kondomstormen

Har ännu inte hunnit blogga om de uttalanden påven nyligen gjorde i Afrika (som tydligen lett till en mediastorm på över 4.000 artiklar).

Skrev istället ett debattinlägg till Kyrkans tidning, som replik till en hårresande krönika nu i veckan, där Annika Borg uppmanar alla kyrkor och även Sveriges regering att bryta förbindelserna med Vatikanen tills de "bättrar sig"! (Kommer sannolikt att publiceras i bloggen senare.)

För övrigt pågår diverse olustiga kampanjer mot påven på Facebook p.g.a. hans uttalande (samt det sorgliga fallet med den 9-åriga flickan, där det ju inte var han utan en biskop som gjorde bort sig rejält). Tyvärr måste man gå med i grupperna för att kunna kommentera - och jag har ingen lust att visa mitt stöd för dem ens en sekund. Om någon vill ta en titt så heter den svenska gruppen: "Rött kort Vatikanen" och den internationella gruppen kallas: "Papa don't preach", båda har initierats av Birgitta Ohlsson, (FP).

Uppdatering om det sistnämnda: kom på att det ju går att maila och bjuda in till samtal om ämnet här - sagt och gjort!

Hittade nu en artikel där en Harvardforskare bekräftar påvens teorier i kondomfrågan - vilket även överensstämmer med kontentan av det jag skrev i debattinlägget.

***

"Benedict XVI’s Tuesday comments on condoms were made as part of his explanation of the Church’s two prong approach to fighting AIDS. At one point in his response the Pontiff stressed that AIDS cannot be overcome by advertising slogans and distributing condoms and argued that they “worsen the problem.” The media responded with an avalanche of over 4,000 articles on the subject, calling Benedict a “threat to public health,” and saying that the Catholic Church should “enter the 21st century.”

Senior Harvard Research Scientist for AIDS Prevention, Dr. Edward Green, who is the author of five books, including “Rethinking AIDS Prevention: Learning from Successes in Developing Countries” discussed his support for Pope Benedict XVI’s comments with CNA.

/.../

“[Risk compensation] is the idea that if somebody is using a certain technology to reduce risk, a phenomenon actually occurs where people are willing to take on greater risk.” The idea can be related to someone that puts on sun block and is willing to stay out in the sun longer because they have added protection. In this case, however, the greater risk is sexual. Because people are willing take on more risk, they may “disproportionally erase” the benefits of condom use, Green said.

Another factor that contributes to ineffective condom use in Africa, is the phenomenon where condoms may be effective on an “individual level,” but not on a “population level.” Green’s research found that “condoms have been effective” in HIV concentrated areas where high risk activities are already being conducted, such as brothels in countries like Thailand.

Claiming to be a liberal himself, Green asserts that promoting Western “liberal ideology” where, “most Africans are conservative when it comes to sexual behavior,” is quite offensive to them. Citing his new book, “Indigenous Theories and Contagious Disease,” Green described Africans as “very religious by global standards” who are offended by “trucks going around where people are dancing to ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’, tossing out condoms to teenagers and the children of the village.”

Green also noted that there is an ideology called “harm reduction” that is being pushed by many organizations trying to prevent AIDS. The ideology believes that “you can’t change the underlying behavior, that you can’t get people to be faithful, especially Africans,” the HIV specialist explained.

One country, Uganda, recognized these issues and said, “Listen, if you have multiple sex partners, you are going to get AIDS.” What worked in Uganda, a country that has seen a decline by as much as 2/3 in AIDS infections, was that officials realized that even aside from religious and cultural reasons, “no one likes condoms.” Instead of waiting for “American and European advisors to arrive,” Ugandan officials reacted and developed a program that fit their culture; their main message being “stick to one partner or love faithfully.”"

Läs hela artikeln här.

Här finns påvens uttalande.

Läs mer här, här och här.

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Allmän uppdatering:

Vattenglaset som de katolska stormarna pågår i tycks bara bli större. Hade tänkt skriva om detta redan förra veckan - men glömde det. Läs även kommentarerna.

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Johannes Paulus II saligförklaras

Beslutet om förre påvens saligförklaring är enligt polska media nu fattat. Den förväntas ske den 2 april 2010, fem år efter påvens död.

Det råkar vara min dopdag, för övrigt... ;-)

Läs mer här.




Hittade denna intressanta bild tagen av Gregorz Lukasik i Polen på andra årsdagen efter påvens död.

Kanske var det en hälsning i eld...?

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Genuin religion

Påven är för tillfället i Afrika, där han idag träffade muslimska ledare. Han pekade på likheterna mellan islam och kristen (katolsk) tro - särskilt då det gäller synen på förhållandet mellan tro och förnuft - att det inte finns någon konflikt mellan dessa.

Bl.a. talar han om genuin religion på ett sätt som får en att häpna. Jag håller med om det han säger. Men hur är det möjligt att detta inte praktiseras i högre grad just i katolska kyrkan? För är inte exkommuniceringar utryck för ett slags andligt våld? Och var finns respekten för oliktänkandet och insikten att Gud kanske leder kyrkan vidare just genom det?

"Genuine religion," the Pope stated, "widens the horizon of human understanding and stands at the base of any authentically human culture. It rejects all forms of violence and totalitarianism: not only on principles of faith, but also of right reason. Indeed, religion and reason mutually reinforce one another since religion is purified and structured by reason, and reason's full potential is unleashed by revelation and faith."

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Senaste prästmodet!

Trenden förutspås inom kort allt mer röra sig mot en tillbakagång till klassiska och strama prästlinjer. Svarta konturer, skräddarsytt, dyra tyger (ingen polyester). Stilig lång kaftan ska det vara, eller åtminstone skjortan instoppad i byxorna. Prästskjortan.

En större mängd (synliga) prästkragar förväntas nämligen också slå ut i blom lagom till försommaren.

Närmare bestämt i juni, då påven deklarerar "prästens år" för att försöka få bukt bl.a. med den allt slappare prästklädseln och oskicket att smyga omkring inkognito i världen. Kommer naturligtvis att rapportera om annat viktigt som sker under präståret.

Tyckte att nyheten var lite lustig...

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Påvliga snedsteg

De börjar bli ganska många nu - de saker som gör katolska kyrkan förhållandevis omöjlig, både invärtes, och i världens - samt olika religiösa traditioners - ögon:

* uttalandet om islam i Regensburg 2006 - som försvårade religionsdialogen med muslimer

* återinförandet av tridentinsk mässa 2007 - som alienerade från Andra Vatikankonciliets anda

* uttalandet kort därefter om att protestantiska kyrkor inte är riktiga kyrkor - som försvårade ekumeniken i den riktningen

* hävandet av bannbullan för SSPX-biskoparna - som ledde till ett judiskt avståndstagande

* undervisningsförbud och/eller exkommuniceringar av kyrkoförnyare

* utnämnandet av en ultrakonservativ biskop i Österrike (som sagt ungefär lika klipska saker som Williamson) - vilket lär öka den katolska utträdeshastigheten åtminstone lokalt

Läste en artikel som ger en del tänkbara orsaker till allt detta.

Mest intressant är något jag inte visste, att påven har haft stroke två gånger, 1991 och 2003, vilket kan tänkas påverka omdömet...

Vad finns det annars för vettig förklaring till att den tidigare så oerhört skärpte kardinalen som påve begår blunder efter blunder?

Hans mål som påve var att ena kristenheten och att föra Europa tillbaka till kyrkan.

Vad var det som gick så snett?

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"Clearly something is awry in the Vatican. Why? Could it be that the pope and the Vatican do not want true theological dialogue with Protestants, Muslims and Jews? Perhaps the turn to the right is an attempt to gain more true believers as evangelical fundamentalists tried to do in America. Is it possible that the Vatican is trying to claim Europe for Roman Catholicism against the supposed threats of Protestantism and Islam?

Is the unity Benedict XVI seeks a mask for a pre-Reformation papal hegemony over Europe, including Eastern Europe? In 2006 Benedict XVI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople signed a Common Declaration to seek union, but Russian and other Eastern Orthodox bishops deeply distrust the Vatican attempts to regain lost bishoprics in the Ukraine and other East European venues. In the Protestant case, Vatican unity means capitulation to papal definitions, not reaching out in a mutual embrace. Could the underreported strokes suffered by the Pope in 1991 and 2003 be affecting his judgment?

What is abundantly clear is that Benedict XVI's original lofty ideals of regaining Christian unity and returning Europe to the church are even more distant than when he began his papacy. Not only is the papacy loosening itself from the ecumenical embrace, it is also unclasping the hands of faithful Catholics. This is a papacy sadly gone astray one misstep at a time."

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Pratbubbelpåvligt igen

Den här bilden verkar vara arrangerad (photoshoppad eller så) - men den är ju ganska söt, så kunde inte undanhålla de kreativa bloggläsarna den...

Skriv en kommentar med kluriga/roliga pratbubblor till bilden!

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Ultrakonservativ biskop utnämnd

Innan SSPX-askan ens hunnit svalna kom ännu mer Vatikaneld:

"Den katolska kyrkan i Österrike meddelade på lördagen att påven utnämnt 54-årige Gerhard Maria Wagner till biskop i Linz. Han väckte uppmärksamhet 2001, då han betecknade J K Rowlings populära Harry Potter-böcker som "satanism" och varnade för trollformlerna som uttalas i dem, skriver AFP.

Efter katastrofen som orkanen Katrina åstadkom 2005 kommenterade han:

- Det ingen slump att samtliga fem abortkliniker såväl som nattklubbar i New Orleans förstördes.

Han ställde sig också frågan:

- Är den märkbara ökningen av naturkatastrofer en följd av miljöförorening eller snarare andlig förorening?"

Läs mer här.


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Uppatering: här är en ny artikel med lite fler detaljer...

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De vigda katolska kvinnorna vädjar till Påven

Som tidigare meddelats lyfte påven nyligen exkommuniceringen av SSPX-biskoparna tack vare att de hade bett honom om det.

Nu gör de vigda katolska kvinnorna samma sak....

Får se vad de får för svar. Jag tippar dessvärre på: tysssstnad... Men man kan ju hoppas på en reaktion. Det kunde mildra stormvågorna efter det senaste klavertrampet. Fast återtagande av exkommuniceringen vore nog ett alltför stort mirakel i dagsläget. Tar säkert 50 år minst.

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"Pressrelease

Roman Catholic Womenpriests call on Pope Benedict to lift the decree of automatic excommunication issued on May 29, 2008 against all in our movement as a gesture of reconciliation and justice toward women in the church. As is well known, the Congregation for Bishops, instructed by the Pope, removed the excommunication of four traditionist bishops on Jan. 21, 2009. Therefore, Roman Catholic Womenpriests call on the Pope to lift the decree of excommunication against us. This gesture will be a step away from the institutional church’s treatment of women as second-class citizens. We stand firmly in the tradition of Vatican ll which declares:

"Any kind of social or cultural discrimination in basic personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language or religion, must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design." Gaudium et Spes, art. 29, 2

No priest pedophiles have been excommunicated.
No bishops who were responsible for their continued placement in parishes after their pedophile history was known have been excommunicated.

Theologians who teach and support Vatican II teachings and who support women's ordination are silenced and/or excommunicated.
Women ordained as priests are excommunicated.
Priests and laity who support women priests are excommunicated.
But, priests who reject Vatican II and who deny the holocaust and who openly deny the full equality of women are "rehabilitated" after earlier excommunication?

What's wrong with this picture?"

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