Six years a saint

It seems like only the other day, but six years have already gone by since Padre Pio, the beloved Capuchin friar from Pietreclina was declared a saint. Padre Pio as he is known among the millions of pilgrims who have visited his burial site at San Giovani Rotondo (Italy), was baptised with the name Francesco Forgione.

Born in 1887, he joined the Capuhin Friary in his hometown of Pietroclina and became famous thoroughout Italy as a beloved confessor and preacher. For many years, he also bore stigmata, the wounds of Christ's crucifixion on his hands and feet.

He died September 23, 1968. Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1999 and canonized him in 2002. According to a long-standing tradition in the Church, the bodies of saints can be exhumed and then prepared for public viewing. Work to exhume the saint's body began this past Sunday and has now been completed. In the coming weeks, it will be prepared for public viewing and then displayed in the church of San Giovani Rotondo where pilgrims will be able to pray in his presence.

• Read more about the exhumation of Padre Pio's mortal remains

Other saints whose bodies have been exhumed and are available for public viewing include Saint Theresa of Lisieux whose body is preserved in a glass coffin in the Carmel of Lisieux (France) and the bodies of several popes, including Saint Pius X and Blessed John XXIII whose bodies are found in the Vatican basilica.

On the move again

Freshly returned from his visit to Cuba just a few weeks ago, the Vatican Secretary of State departed yesterday for a short visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan.
There has certainly been at least a smattering of worry about the safety of such a move and indeed the Vatican did postpone the visit for two days due to the current unrest in Armenia. However the work of the Holy See's envoys continues especially in places where there is unrest.

Elections held in Armenia on February 19 of this year have provided an opportunity for protesters and police to clash on at least one occasion, establishing an atmosphere of inistability which might prove not the least unsettling for foreign visitors, muchless for dignitaries who are visiting at the invitation of the government and-or the Church. In fact, the Armenian government even declared a 20-day state of emergency.

Cardinal Bertone is scheduled to visit Azerbaijan tomorrow, where he will meet with Muslim leaders and other religious superiors, expressing the desire of the Roman Catholic Church to promoting peace, agreement among people and the good of all. He will then attend the dedication of a new Roman Catholic church which has been built on land previously donated by the father of the current Azerbaijani head of state.

• Statement on meeting of Armenian Patriarch and Cardinal Bertone

Taunting tradition

There's discussion going on in various circles about some long-standing traditions and the wisdom behind them. For instance, the practice of priestly celibacy in the Western Church (read the Roman Catholic Church) has been a constant practice since the middle-ages. The reasons for this depend on the sources you consult, but the reality is that although the wisdom of celibacy as a requirement for priesthood has been questioned, it remains in effect and there doesn't seem to be any indication that it will change in the near future.

The present Holy Father, Benedict XVI reaffirmed this practice in his Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, number 24. His confirmation reads, 'In continuity with the great ecclesial tradition ... (priestly celibacy) ... 'remains obligatory in the Latin tradition.' In so doing, he has continued the teaching that has been affirmed by his predecessors for the past 1300 years.

The recent change in leadership of the German Bishops Conference, the administrative body which unites the voices of the bishops of that country has introduced a newcomer to the post of President of that body. His Excellency, Robert Zollitsch, Archbishop of Freiburg, was elected on February 12, 2008, and has already voiced his opinion that celibacy as a discipline for priests should not be an unquestioned discipline. On February 29 of this year, the newly re-organized Catholic New Times - Sensus Fidelium, an online version of the now defunct print media, published an editorial about Archbishop Zollitsch's comments.

In contrast to his predecessor, Cardinal Lehmann, who held the position of President of the German Bishops Conference for the past number of years, the Archbishop of Freiburg weighs in on the more progressive side of the argument. Knowing that the Church is usually very slow to make any changes, especially of this magnitude, the debate may well rage on for quite some time yet.

Rejoice in the light

Springtime is fast approaching in the Northern Hemisphere. The daylight hours continue to lengthen in a slow but steady procession that heralds the sure arrival of new life. It is fitting then that we should hear an invitation today to emerge from darkness and rejoice in new light.

There are many darknesses and blindnesses in our world. Even in a society where we have everything we could possibly want for, many around us are still suffering and wanting for much. Are we blind to this desire? Does our blindness show itself in our lack of ability or desire at times to make a difference?

Perhaps this week, we should dare to make a difference among the members of our families, or among the people we work with. Perhaps we can make a difference in the life of a friend, or perhaps we can reach out to uncharted territory and find a total stranger who asks for our help. In small and not so small ways, there are untold numbers of ways that we can bring light to our world, one person at a time.

As always, the text of my homily for this week is available on our parish website, and the podcast of this homily is also posted for those who prefer to listen to a live version. Dare to enlighten someone's life this week ... Jesus asks us all to do the same.

(Photo by Andy Stevens, Wawa, ON)

When the earth trembles

There are threats of schism around. For the past couple of years, faith commuities in Canada have tried to respond in various ways to the question of what some would call same-sex unions. While the Roman Catholic Church has maintained its stand against blessing such unions, other Christian denominations such as the United Church of Canada and the Anglican Church in Canada have responded favorably to this newly minted possibility ... but not all of them.

According to a special report published on the website of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, ten Anglican congregations in Canada renounced their connection to the Anglican communion in Canada and have chosen instead to operate under the leadership of Anglican Archbishop Gregory Venables.

The movement that is afoot within the Anglican communion shows that the question of same-sex unions and our openness to recognize them is indeed a thorny issue. Some may say that the apparent silence on the part of the Roman Church in this regard represents disagreement, but history has shown that the Roman Church is very slow to make difinitive judgements. Although there has been a fair amount of publicity over this issue in the past number of years, I believe that the issue is not going away. Whether the Roman Church will be seen to be wise for its hesitation or be left 'in the dust' as the common coloquialism goes, remains to be seen.

(Image: Archbishop Gregory Venables, originally printed in Saint Luke Wordpress)

When the lava cools

Last week, Cardinal Tarsiso Bertone, the Vatican's Secretary of State made an official visit to Cuba in the name of the Holy Father. This visit, ten years after the Holy Father John Paul II himself visited the comunist Caribbean island nation has proven to be a very successful venture in the words of Cardinal Bertone himself.

In today's edition of ZENIT, an online bulletin which claims to provide the 'view from Rome', mention is made of a Vatican Radio program and a print media article which is scheduled to be aired and published this weekend. Cardinal Bertone's report about the current state of affairs in Cuba seems to be very hopeful. He makes particular mention of the vibrancy of youth and the promise of future advancements for the good of the people of Cuba.

• Cardinal Bertone discusses visit to Cuba

During his one-week stay, the Cardinal met with a variety of personalities and delivered a number of speeches, most of which are available on the Vatican website in various languages. For those whose curiosity has been peeked, here are a few links to English-language texts of the speeches:

• Cuba commemorates anniversary of John Paul II's visit
• Cuba embargo is unacceptable

After more than fifty years in power, Fidel Castro announced just a few weeks ago that he would not seek re-election. This news was broadcast the world over, and greeted in a variety of manners. Shortly after the announcement of Fidel's 'resignation', the long-time leader's brother Raul Castro took over as leader of the island nation. During his visit, Cardinal Bertone did indeed meet with Raul Castro, and the results of that meeting seem also to be very positive.

Be sure that the Vatican, the Church and many others will be watching with great interest in the coming days, weeks, months ... and years.

Cleaning house

From our earliest days, parents try to teach us to be honest. 'Tell the truth and the truth will set you free.' Why is it then that as we learn, we sometimes spend much too much energy weaving lies and deceptions about ourselves, in the relationships we create wtih other people, and with our God?

Whether we are children or adults, we all need to take time for being honest with ourselves, and with those who are dear to us. Sometimes this means coming clean with the deceptions we may be trying to hide.

The period of Lent which we are currently living is an ideal time to examine the need for each of us to be at peace, to change the parts of our lives that have become entangled or distorted, and for starting anew to live the lives we have always been meant to live. In the Christian tradition, we believe that we must first free ourselves from this 'enslavement' so that we can truly embrace the joy of the resurrection at Easter.