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The progressive revolution’s continued control of the ecclesial narrative

By Larry Chapp on May 18, 2023 09:58 pm
Vatican II was unique in the history of councils insofar as the crisis it was called to address was not a specific and well-defined theological heresy. Rather, it was called to address the crisis presented [...]
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Reunion through the Saints

By Dawn Beutner on May 18, 2023 07:59 pm
On May 11, 2023, Pope Francis announced that twenty-one men who died as martyrs in Libya will be recognized as saints by the Catholic Church. That news would not be news if it weren’t for [...]
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BREAKING: Guard opens fire as man drives car into Vatican; suspect in custody

By Catholic News Agency on May 18, 2023 04:13 pm
Breaking News / CNA CNA Newsroom, May 18, 2023 / 15:13 pm (CNA). An unidentified man is in custody after driving a car at high speed through a gate at the Vatican Thursday, the Holy See press office said.A guard stationed at the Santa Anna entr... [...]
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Analysis: What does Pope Francis’ new ‘Fundamental Law’ mean for Vatican City State?

By Andrea Gagliarducci, Catholic News Agency on May 18, 2023 10:10 am
Pope Francis speaks in St. Peter's Square on March 8, 2023. / Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, May 18, 2023 / 09:10 am (CNA).

Is the new Fundamental Law issued by Pope Francis last week simply a modernization of Vatican City’s civil constitution or something much more — perhaps even a Copernican revolution in how the city-state functions and understands itself?

Pope Francis said he issued the new law “to respond to the needs of our times.” And Professor Vincenzo Buonomo, a councilor of the Vatican City State and rector of the Lateran University, stressed this week that this reform, the first in 23 years, merely aims at emphasizing and valuing some of the aspects of the state, while at the same time giving it what he called a renewed “missionary push.”

Yet in some respects, Francis’ May 13 promulgation moves the state closer to the model of a modern, secular state.

To be sure, the new law leaves no doubt that the civil government remains very much an absolute monarchy, with the supreme pontiff possessing all “legislative, executive, and judicial powers.”

But the new law gives Vatican City’s civil entities a more central role, even in international relations, and it now emphatically makes the city-state the guarantor of the Holy See’s sovereignty.

Other notable changes include allowing for lay appointees to its legislative body, the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State; restructuring the state councilors who advise the commission as a “college”; and modernizing and tightening fiscal oversight.

In addition, the role of the secretary of state is de-emphasized while the pope’s powers are centralized, as has been manifested in other reforms during Francis’ pontificate.

Guaranteeing independence

Francis’ new constitution is the third Fundamental Law since 1929, the year in which the Vatican City State was founded with the Lateran Treaty.

The treaty put an end to the so-called “Roman question.” After Rome and the Papal States had been annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1871, the problem arose of how to guarantee the independence of the Holy See, which was by then in Italian territory.

It was not just an Italian question because the material and moral independence of the pope and of the bodies through which he carries out his service to the universal Church is in the interest of all Catholics and all states.

From the birth of modern states, the Holy See had understood that the only guarantee of independence would be to manage its own state. And so, the solution to the Roman question involved the creation of a territory so small as to seem almost symbolic but with all the constituent elements of a state: territory, population, sovereignty, and legal system.

Today, the civil government provides security, public order, civil protection, health protection, health care, general hygiene, the environment and ecology, economic activities, postal, philatelic, customs services, connectivity and network infrastructures, construction activities, technical systems, plumbing, and electricity.

It also is responsible for the Vatican Museums’ conservation, enhancement, and use, as well as “superintendence over the assets of the entire artistic, historical, archaeological, and ethnographic heritage.”

After 1929 there were, over time, various adjustments to the state constitution, but it was only under John Paul II that a new Fundamental Law was promulgated, on Nov. 26, 2000.

In 1929, it was envisaged that the legislative power would be exercised directly by the pope, with the possibility of “delegating the legislative power for certain matters or individual objects to the governor of the state.”

The 2000 law instead established that the Pontifical Commission directly exercised legislative power, except for cases in which the pontiff reserved it for himself. The state remained an absolute monarchy, but John Paul II handed over the management of power and administration, making concrete the fact that the pope, despite being king, did not act like a king.

‘Functions,’ not ‘powers’

The Secretariat of State was mentioned four times in the law of 2000 and, in all cases, acted as an intermediary for presenting draft laws or the state budget to the pope.

However, with Pope Francis’ new Fundamental Law, the pope returns to the center of everything.

The Secretariat of State is mentioned only once — in Article 2, which underlines that “the representation of the Vatican City State in relations with States and with other subjects of international law, in diplomatic relations and for the conclusion of treaties, are reserved to the Supreme Pontiff who exercises them through the Secretariat of State.”

This article remains practically unchanged from the previous law, except that it sets forth a more decisive role of the civil administration, which “participates in the international institutions of which the Holy See is a member in the name and on behalf of the State” and which “maintains relations and subscribes, with bodies and foreign bodies, acts necessary to ensure supplies, connections, facilities, and public services.” In this way, the state takes on a more critical role.

But the centralization of the pope’s authority is highlighted in the new constitution by the fact that power is reserved to the pope while other entities are assigned only functions. For this reason, the new law does not refer to the “powers” of the Secretariat of State, the administration, and the Pontifical Commission. Instead, the various bodies have legislative, executive, and judicial functions.

The new law also confirms the legislative function of the Pontifical Commission, until now composed of a cardinal president and other cardinals appointed by the pope. But now there is this novelty: “other members” may also be designated in the commission, including lay men and women.

Yet another change is a requirement for more robust fiscal management.

Under the new law, a three-year financial plan approved by the commission is to be submitted “directly for the approval of the Supreme Pontiff” without going through the Vatican economic bodies or the Secretariat of State, as the old law required. In addition, the budget of the Vatican City State administration is to be “subjected to the control and auditing of a Board, made up of three members, appointed for a three-year term by the Pontifical Commission, to which it reports.”

How this new constitution will affect the Holy See is yet to be understood.

The Vatican City State remains, in the end, the pope’s domain. Nonetheless, the new law suggests that the city-state is no longer merely considered a support to the Holy See but an entity closer to the secular and modern states, as it has never been in the past. It might be a necessary and welcome update to the state’s structure, but could it also undermine the institution of the Holy See?

[...]
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The Ascension: Continuing closeness and source of lasting joy

By Carl E. Olson on May 18, 2023 03:00 am
Readings: • Acts 1:1-11 • Psa 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 • Eph 1:17-23 • Matt 28:16-20 Pope Saint Leo the Great (c. 400-461), in a sermon on the Ascension, wrote: Since then Christ’s Ascension is our [...]
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Remembering Krakow’s saintly and heroic bishops

By Filip Mazurczak on May 17, 2023 11:06 pm
May 18, 2023 marks the 103rd anniversary of the birth of Pope St. John Paul II, who served as Archbishop of Krakow from 1964 to 1978. Much has been written about the Polish pope’s saintliness, [...]
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Can we simply drop the Ascension story?

By Sean Fitzpatrick on May 17, 2023 07:00 pm
The Ascension of Jesus Christ, related in the Gospels of Mark and Luke and referred to throughout the New Testament, can be taken as something of an awkward anecdote in the Catholic canon. “And when [...]
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What will the Supreme Court deliver in Sabbath observance case?

By Russell Shaw on May 17, 2023 06:37 pm
Both the extent and the limitations of the Supreme Court’s power are visible in a pending case raising the question of how far employers must go to accommodate employees’ religion. Underlying this dispute—yet obviously unreachable [...]
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Extra, extra! News and views for Wednesday, May 17, 2023

By CWR Staff on May 17, 2023 04:00 am
Evangelized through Novels – “If creators of Christian culture hope to produce work that will bear good fruit, we must draw our life from the true source — our living Saviour. He is real. He [...]
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Ike’s insight

By George Weigel on May 17, 2023 02:10 am
Three days before Christmas 1952 and a month before his inauguration as the 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower addressed the Freedoms Foundation at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. There, the president-elect [...]
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The necessary charity of pontifical clarity

By Father Jerry J. Pokorsky on May 16, 2023 07:13 pm
The refusal of Pope Francis to directly respond to the dubia (questions) by four cardinals asking him to clarify the ambiguities of Amoris Laetitia—the Apostolic Exhortation on love, marriage, and the family—unleashed a wave of [...]
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“Rogation Days” and Ascension

By Peter M.J. Stravinskas on May 16, 2023 06:00 pm
The three days prior to Ascension Thursday have been traditionally known as “Rogation Days” or the “Minor Litanies,” with the “Major Rogation” being observed on April 25. Their purpose was to beg God (rogare, to [...]
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What is a Catholic’s obligation to democratically enacted pro-death laws?

By John M. Grondelski, Ph.D. on May 15, 2023 07:52 pm
Seeking to rescue Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV) President Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia from his remarks over assisted suicide, the neo-ultramontane papal positivists of “Where Peter Is” featured a discussion with Mike Lewis trying to spin [...]
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Catholics at the U.S.-Mexico border: ‘Too many people to help, but someone has to’

By Catholic News Agency on May 15, 2023 03:17 pm
Immigrants gather at a makeshift camp stranded between border walls between the U.S. and Mexico on May 13, 2023 in San Diego, California. / Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images Washington D.C., May 15, 2023 / 14:17 pm (CNA). As the political debate... [...]
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11th annual Sacred Liturgy Conference to focus on Mary and the Eucharist

By Paul Senz on May 14, 2023 08:49 pm
The 11th annual Sacred Liturgy Conference will be held from May 28-31, 2023, in Ferndale, California. At the invitation of Bishop Robert F. Vasa, this conference will take place in the Diocese of Santa Rosa [...]
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In defense of protecting the seal of confession

By Charles J. Russo on May 14, 2023 06:28 pm
Recent and unprecedented calls for legislative action in Delaware, Vermont, and Washington seek to remove the legal protection afforded Catholic priests under the seal of the confession when mandatory sexual abuse reporting laws are in [...]
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“We are all made with hearts, desiring truth, goodness and beauty”

By S. Kirk Pierzchala on May 14, 2023 02:32 pm
On a chill, mid-January morning, Oregon’s Willamette Valley is awash in a steady downpour of rain. Inside the historic Glatt House, in the farming town of Woodburn, the dismal weather is forgotten as I step [...]
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Church leaders who knew the beauty of motherhood

By Judie Brown on May 13, 2023 06:12 pm
Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty was born in Hungary in 1892. He was known for many heroic acts during his lifetime, but perhaps his most memorable statement was this: The Most Important Person on earth is a [...]
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Pope Francis and Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy meet at Vatican

By Catholic News Agency on May 13, 2023 10:52 am
Pope Francis met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican on May 13, 2023, their first meeting since the start of the full-scale war with Russia. / Vatican Media.

Vatican City, May 13, 2023 / 09:52 am (CNA).

Pope Francis and the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, met at the Vatican on Saturday.

The May 13 encounter — their first since Russia initiated a full-scale war in Ukraine over 14 months ago — was around 40 minutes long.

The two met in a small office off of the Paul VI Hall, which is close to Pope Francis’ Vatican residence.

Pope Francis greeted Zelenskyy at the door of the building. The two shook hands and the Ukrainian president placed his hand on his heart and said, in English, “great honor.”

Pope Francis met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican on May 13, 2023, their first meeting since the start of the full-scale war with Russia. Vatican Media
Pope Francis met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican on May 13, 2023, their first meeting since the start of the full-scale war with Russia. Vatican Media

The Holy See Press Office said Francis and Zelenskyy spoke about the humanitarian and political situation in Ukraine amid the conflict.

“The pope assured of his constant prayers, evidenced by his many public appeals and continuous invocations to the Lord for peace since February last year,” the press office said. “The pope particularly stressed the urgent need for ‘gestures of humanity’ toward the most fragile people, the innocent victims of the conflict.”

Zelenskyy’s gifts to Francis were a painting of the Virgin Mary and Child titled “Loss 2022-58,” about the death of children in the conflict, and a collage made of bulletproof plate, wood, and paint from a series called “Protect the Defender.” The collage also features an image of the Virgin Mary.

The Ukrainian president spent in total about one hour at the Vatican.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy (center) speaks with Archbishop Richard Gallagher (second from right), secretary for relations with states, in the presence of Ukraine's ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash (third from left), on May 13, 2023. Vatican Media
Volodymyr Zelenskyy (center) speaks with Archbishop Richard Gallagher (second from right), secretary for relations with states, in the presence of Ukraine's ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash (third from left), on May 13, 2023. Vatican Media

He also spoke with the Vatican’s foreign minister, Archbishop Richard Gallagher. They conversed in English in the presence of Ukraine’s Ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash.

On Saturday morning, Zelenskyy met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, and later, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Meloni and Zelenskyy gave a nearly 30-minute joint press conference in the afternoon before the Ukrainian president proceeded to the Vatican for his meeting with Pope Francis.

“We are betting on Ukraine’s victory,” Meloni said at the press conference. “We will continue to provide support, including military support, so that Ukraine can arrive at the negotiations with a solid position.”

Zelenskyy thanked Meloni for welcoming him to Italy and for giving shelter to Ukrainian citizens during the war.

Meloni said Italy was Zelenskyy’s first stop in a tour of Europe this month.

The Ukrainian president is scheduled to appear live on one of Italy’s state television channels, Rai1, during a special edition of the program “Porta a Porta” on Saturday evening.

[...]
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Leaving Mother’s Day alone

By John M. Grondelski, Ph.D. on May 13, 2023 10:00 am
The controversy over various companies’ “opt-out of Mother’s Day” emails sent around in late April seems to have had its fifteen minutes of fame. The superficial take on the news was a simplistic dichotomy: opponents [...]
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The most mysterious and enigmatic Person in the Bible

By Carl E. Olson on May 12, 2023 06:00 pm
Readings: • Acts 8:4-8, 14-17 • Psa 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20 • 1 Pet 3:15-18 • Jn 14:15-21 How would you answer this question: “Who do you think is the most mysterious and enigmatic [...]
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A ‘bolt out of the blue’: Pope Francis sets off an ecumenical earthquake

By Christopher R. Altieri on May 12, 2023 12:25 pm
Pope Francis made history on Thursday, when he added to the Roman Martyrology the names of twenty-one Coptic Christians martyred in Libya in 2015, giving them a date on the Roman calendar of saints and [...]
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