From Pope Saint John XXIII's opening address at the Council:
"The Church has always opposed these errors. Frequently she has condemned them with the greatest severity. Nowadays, however, the Spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity. She considers that she meets the needs of the present day by demonstrating the validity of her teaching rather than by condemnations."
==========
On November 8, 1963 A.D., at the Council, Cardinal Frings of Germany, with the assistance of his theological advisor, Father Joseph Ratzinger, delivered the following intervention, which had denounced the methods of the Holy Office:
"...the Holy Office’s manner of conducting itself in many spheres is not in step with our times, is detrimental to the Church, and is a cause of scandal for many."
"It seems appropriate to me to demand that no one should be accused, judged or condemned, before this dicastery on account of his faith, whether correct or erroneous, without having been heard beforehand, without having been informed in advance of the accusations brought against his person or against his book, and before he has been given the opportunity to amend himself or the book which seems to be prejudicial to him."
In regard to the above, Archbishop Thomas Connolly of Seattle reported in his archdiocesan newspaper:
"It all started more or less on Friday when Joseph Cardinal Frings, the Archbishop of Cologne, took the floor and flayed the Congregation of the Holy Office, declaring its procedures unjust, unfair, and completely out of harmony with modern times...He minced no words in his denunciation."
"He was immediately challenged by Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani, secretary [now, Prefect] of the Holy Office...the Cardinal had been taking it on the chin so often during the past few weeks that he had reached the limit of his patience."
"He picked himself up off the canvas; he lashed out at all his critics, swinging freely right and left. In a voice shaking with emotion and pent-up anger, he declared that criticisms of the Holy Office were criticisms of the Pope himself, that the German Cardinal’s words were spoken out of ignorance, if not worse..."
==============
Pope Saint Paul VI responded to the call to reform the Holy Office, which had gained traction at the Council, following Cardinal Frings denunciation in question. Pope Saint Paul VI, via Integrae Servandae, declared:
"In 1908, as the name Universal Roman Inquisition was not best suited to the conditions of the time, Saint Pius X with the Constitution Sapienti Consilio changed it to the “Congregation of the Holy Office”.
"But, because there is no fear in love (1 Jn 4:18), the defense of the faith is now better served by promoting doctrine, in such a way that, while errors stand corrected and those who err are gently called back to the truth, heralds of the Gospel may find new strength."
"So, that from now on this Sacred Congregation may more perfectly fulfill its role in promoting the sound doctrine and efficacy of the Church in the most important works of apostolate, in virtue of Our Supreme Apostolic Authority we have established the following norms to alter its name and its regulation:"
Mark! Pope Francis doesn’t want you to go back to the past but to live in the present. Joseph Ratzinger evolved and certainly in his 1o years as emeritus pope. What he thought in December of 2022 counts for more than he thought in the 60’s!
Father McDonald, it is a fact that Cardinal Frings denunciation (formulated with Father Joseph Ratzinger's assistance) of the then-Holy Office's methods was adopted by the Church via Pope Saint Paul VI's 1965 A.D. reform of the Holy Office.
Actually, Pope Saint John XXIII had opened the door to said reform when, at the Council's opening, he declared: "Nowadays, however, the Spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity. She considers that she meets the needs of the present day by demonstrating the validity of her teaching rather than by condemnations."
Cardinal Frings'/Father Joseph Ratzinger's denunciation of the Holy Office carried the day at the Council.
Pope Benedict XVI's hateful critics have misrepresented him as a vicious "Rottweiler" who had terrorized the Church, as well as destroyed careers, during his many years as the CDF's Prefect.
However, then-Cardinal Ratzinger conducted himself in holy, humble fashion during his time at the CDF. As the then-CDF Prefect, he conducted himself in line with the reform of the CDF that he had promoted during the early 1960s.
The mercy and patience that mark Pope Francis is rooted in the approach that Pope Saint John XXIII/Cardinal Frings/Father Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Saint Paul VI formulated some 60 years ago in regard to those "who err."
That is, to have the wayward "gently called back to the truth." That, in turn, is rooted in the monumental, radical mercy and forgiveness offered to us by Jesus Christ.
Father McDonald said..."Mark! Pope Francis doesn’t want you to go back to the past but to live in the present. Joseph Ratzinger evolved and certainly in his 1o years as emeritus pope. What he thought in December of 2022 counts for more than he thought in the 60’s!"
Father McDonald, the thing is that Father Joseph Ratzinger early 1960's promotion of the "medicine of mercy" approach to dealing with the Church's wayward children is not going back to the past.
Father Joseph Ratzinger's approach in question, which he shared with Popes Saint John XXIII, Saint Paul VI, Cardinal Frings, and others, was cemented within the Church 60 years ago.
That approach is alive within the Church.
Pope Benedict XVI, for example, exhibited his commitment to the "medicine of mercy" approach via his favorable comments/treatment related to Martin Luther, Teilhard de Chardin, as well as Father Hans Küng.
The Church, some 60 years ago, moved beyond the flexing of muscles, "Now, this is how you do an excommunication. No wimpy, feminized priesthood here" approach.
9 comments:
When men were men! The Archbishop of Washington DC would take the opposite approach and give apostates Holy Communion!
Agree with TJM.
I love a good smack-down in the morning.
From Pope Saint John XXIII's opening address at the Council:
"The Church has always opposed these errors. Frequently she has condemned them with the greatest severity. Nowadays, however, the Spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity. She considers that she meets the needs of the present day by demonstrating the validity of her teaching rather than by condemnations."
==========
On November 8, 1963 A.D., at the Council, Cardinal Frings of Germany, with the assistance of his theological advisor, Father Joseph Ratzinger, delivered the following intervention, which had denounced the methods of the Holy Office:
"...the Holy Office’s manner of conducting itself in many spheres is not in step with our times, is detrimental to the Church, and is a cause of scandal for many."
"It seems appropriate to me to demand that no one should be accused, judged or condemned, before this dicastery on account of his faith, whether correct or erroneous, without having been heard beforehand, without having been informed in advance of the accusations brought against his person or against his book, and before he has been given the opportunity to amend himself or the book which seems to be prejudicial to him."
In regard to the above, Archbishop Thomas Connolly of Seattle reported in his archdiocesan newspaper:
"It all started more or less on Friday when Joseph Cardinal Frings, the Archbishop of Cologne, took the floor and flayed the Congregation of the Holy Office, declaring its procedures unjust, unfair, and completely out of harmony with modern times...He minced no words in his denunciation."
"He was immediately challenged by Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani, secretary [now, Prefect] of the Holy Office...the Cardinal had been taking it on the chin so often during the past few weeks that he had reached the limit of his patience."
"He picked himself up off the canvas; he lashed out at all his critics, swinging freely right and left. In a voice shaking with emotion and pent-up anger, he declared that criticisms of the Holy Office were criticisms of the Pope himself, that the German Cardinal’s words were spoken out of ignorance, if not worse..."
==============
Pope Saint Paul VI responded to the call to reform the Holy Office, which had gained traction at the Council, following Cardinal Frings denunciation in question. Pope Saint Paul VI, via Integrae Servandae, declared:
"In 1908, as the name Universal Roman Inquisition was not best suited to the conditions of the time, Saint Pius X with the Constitution Sapienti Consilio changed it to the “Congregation of the Holy Office”.
"But, because there is no fear in love (1 Jn 4:18), the defense of the faith is now better served by promoting doctrine, in such a way that, while errors stand corrected and those who err are gently called back to the truth, heralds of the Gospel may find new strength."
"So, that from now on this Sacred Congregation may more perfectly fulfill its role in promoting the sound doctrine and efficacy of the Church in the most important works of apostolate, in virtue of Our Supreme Apostolic Authority we have established the following norms to alter its name and its regulation:"
The document then listed 12 norms.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Mark! Pope Francis doesn’t want you to go back to the past but to live in the present. Joseph Ratzinger evolved and certainly in his 1o years as emeritus pope. What he thought in December of 2022 counts for more than he thought in the 60’s!
Father McDonald, it is a fact that Cardinal Frings denunciation (formulated with Father Joseph Ratzinger's assistance) of the then-Holy Office's methods was adopted by the Church via Pope Saint Paul VI's 1965 A.D. reform of the Holy Office.
Actually, Pope Saint John XXIII had opened the door to said reform when, at the Council's opening, he declared: "Nowadays, however, the Spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity. She considers that she meets the needs of the present day by demonstrating the validity of her teaching rather than by condemnations."
Cardinal Frings'/Father Joseph Ratzinger's denunciation of the Holy Office carried the day at the Council.
Pope Benedict XVI's hateful critics have misrepresented him as a vicious "Rottweiler" who had terrorized the Church, as well as destroyed careers, during his many years as the CDF's Prefect.
However, then-Cardinal Ratzinger conducted himself in holy, humble fashion during his time at the CDF. As the then-CDF Prefect, he conducted himself in line with the reform of the CDF that he had promoted during the early 1960s.
The mercy and patience that mark Pope Francis is rooted in the approach that Pope Saint John XXIII/Cardinal Frings/Father Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Saint Paul VI formulated some 60 years ago in regard to those "who err."
That is, to have the wayward "gently called back to the truth." That, in turn, is rooted in the monumental, radical mercy and forgiveness offered to us by Jesus Christ.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Father McDonald said..."Mark! Pope Francis doesn’t want you to go back to the past but to live in the present. Joseph Ratzinger evolved and certainly in his 1o years as emeritus pope. What he thought in December of 2022 counts for more than he thought in the 60’s!"
Father McDonald, the thing is that Father Joseph Ratzinger early 1960's promotion of the "medicine of mercy" approach to dealing with the Church's wayward children is not going back to the past.
Father Joseph Ratzinger's approach in question, which he shared with Popes Saint John XXIII, Saint Paul VI, Cardinal Frings, and others, was cemented within the Church 60 years ago.
That approach is alive within the Church.
Pope Benedict XVI, for example, exhibited his commitment to the "medicine of mercy" approach via his favorable comments/treatment related to Martin Luther, Teilhard de Chardin, as well as Father Hans Küng.
The Church, some 60 years ago, moved beyond the flexing of muscles, "Now, this is how you do an excommunication. No wimpy, feminized priesthood here" approach.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
I see someone is still unhinged from logic and reality
Just once, watch the clip and say "that's cool". Just once.
Not sure anyone got the Apocalypse Now reference in my comment.
When Kilgore (ironic name, right??) says "I love the smell of napalm in the morning".
I've always loved this scene.
I've lived most of my life watching the Church in retreat mode.
Now we've shifted to surrender mode.
It will not last.
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