ZE080731
ZENIT
The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - July 31, 2008
VATICAN DOSSIER
Journalists Fail as Would-be Papal Spies
Syrian Mufti Hopes Pope Visits for Pauline Year
Papal Intention: Respect for Creation
NEWS BRIEFS
Church in India Lauds Solidarity in Face of Bombings
Church in Turkey Appeals for Democracy
IN FOCUS
Marriage Programs Aim to Answer Pope
INTERVIEW
Beyond Condoms in the AIDS Debate
Forgiving Hate
SPIRITUALITY
They All Ate and Were Satisfied
FORUM
What the Media Missed in Sydney
DOCUMENTS AT ZENIT WEB PAGE
Cardinal Kasper's Address to Lambeth Congress
MESSAGE TO READERS
News Service to Resume Aug. 18
Journalists Fail as Would-be Papal Spies
Unable to Get Close to Vacationing Benedict XVIBRESSANONE, Italy, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI continues with his vacation in the seminary of Bressanone in the mountains of northern Italy, while some 260 journalists and technicians hover outside "spying" on his days of rest.
The Pope is spending his vacation in prayer, study, rest and silence. According to L'Osservatore Romano, each afternoon, he takes a walk with his brother, Georg Ratzinger, and his personal secretary, Monsignor Georg Gänswein.
Since July 28, when the Holy Father arrived at the seminary, he has not left the grounds, and news for the journalists is growing ever more scarce.
In his blog, Vatican watcher Luigi Accatoli asks if it was worthwhile to have traveled to Bressanone. But the answer, he quipped, "speaks of the level of the figure of the Pope today in the world: How is it possible to be absent from where he is? What if something happens or he does something unscheduled?
"The presence of the journalists in these two weeks at tranquil Bressanone is one more proof of the anticipation for everything that the Pope does or says. An anticipation that doesn't end, even when the situation brings discouragement.
"There is little to spy on from the other side of the wall of the black canvas they have put up to protect Benedict's walks in the garden of the seminary, but we are prepared for whatever could be necessary."
Preparations for the Holy Father's first meeting with the public at his vacation spot are under way: The Pope will publicly pray the midday Angelus this Sunday. Some 16,000 people are expected to gather for the prayer and the address the Pontiff gives before and after.
The municipal government of Bressanone will bestow honorary citizenship on Benedict XVI during a ceremony Aug. 9 at the seminary. The honor is in recognition of the Pope's contribution to interreligious dialogue.
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Syrian Mufti Hopes Pope Visits for Pauline Year
Notes Wish That Vatican Can Help Bring Peace to MideastBy Mirko Testa
DAMASCUS, Syria, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The grand mufti of Syria is hoping for a visit from Benedict XVI during the Pauline Jubilee Year.
Ahmad Badr El Din El Hassoun invited the Pope to visit his country in the context of a meeting in Damascus with a group of journalists, on a trip following in the footsteps of the Apostle to the Gentiles.
"What I would like to say to the Holy Father is that at present, Damascus is the capital of Arab culture and, at the same time, the capital of the Year of St. Paul," Hassoun said. "I will be exceedingly happy if the Holy Father decides to accept our invitation to visit Syria in this year."
The grand mufti expressed his hopes to meet privately with the Pope to organize the trip. He said he would also like to reiterate to the Pontiff what he said publicly in Strasbourg last January.
On that occasion, Hassoun spoke of the need for fruitful intercultural dialogue to promote peaceful coexistence between peoples, rooted in the common principles of the various religions, saying that the "culture of the spirit, whether Christian or Muslim, confers on humanity its moral dimension."
The grand mufti also expressed the hope that "the Vatican might play a role in planting the flower of peace in the Middle East."
"Deep down, among religious intellectuals, there is no quarrel but dialogue and discussion," the Muslim leader contended. "And I hope that the Holy Father will play a fundamental part in the peace of the world."
The great mufti recalled Pope John Paul II's urgent appeal not to erect walls but build bridges of dialogue, in reference to the wall of separation built between Israel and Palestinian territories.
"The Vatican had a fundamental role in the fall of the Berlin Wall," he said, "and I hope it will be able to play a similar role to demolish the wall being built in the land of peace."
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Papal Intention: Respect for Creation
VATICAN CITY, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI will be praying this August that all may be more aware of the gift of creation.The Apostleship of Prayer announced the general intention chosen by the Pope, "That the human family may know how to respect God's design for the world and thus become ever more aware of the great gift of God which Creation represents for us."
The Holy Father also chooses a missionary intention for each month. In August he will pray, "That the answer of the entire people of God to the common vocation to sanctity and mission may be promoted and fostered, with careful discernment of the charisms and a constant commitment to spiritual and cultural formation."
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Church in India Lauds Solidarity in Face of Bombings
Condemns "Senseless Violence" Wrought by ExtremistsNEW DELHI, India, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The president of the Indian episcopal conference affirmed that human solidarity has prevailed over the terrorist attacks wrought by "fanatics."
Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes of Gandhinagar condemned the 22 explosions on Saturday in Ahmedabad. The attack left 42 dead and 183 wounded. The day before, seven blasts left one person dead in Bangalore.
"The bombs of Ahmedabad and Bangalore are an attack on the social harmony of the whole of India, carried out by fanatics who cause death and devastation," the prelate told L'Osservatore Romano.
A little known group of Islamic extremists, the Indian Mujahideen, claimed in an email message shortly before the explosions that it was responsible for the attack.
Islamic militants have generally been held accountable for bombings in India in recent years. The attacks are generally ascribed to the conflict between India's Hindu majority and Muslim minority.
The Indian Mujahideen said Saturday's attack was revenge for 2002 violence between Muslim and Hindu extremists, which caused thousands of mainly-Muslim deaths.
"The Catholic Church in India energetically condemns this senseless violence, having placed her own means immediately at the disposal of the victims," Archbishop Fernandes told an AsiaNews correspondent.
"[T]hese odious attacks are an attempt to divide the country and create a sense of insecurity and fear among the people," he added. "However, we saw people from all communities run immediately to help the victims […] with a human solidarity that has prevailed over the attempt to spread panic."
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Church in Turkey Appeals for Democracy
Bishop Says Sunday's Explosion Was Intended to DestabilizeISTANBUL, Turkey, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- "There are no alternatives to democracy," said the apostolic vicar in Anatolia, the day after Turkey's deadliest terrorist attack in five years killed 17 people.
Bishop Luigi Padovese, president of the Turkish episcopal conference, spoke with L'Osservatore Romano on Monday, expressing his apprehension as Turkey awaited a decision from the Constitutional Court about whether to ban the ruling party, accused of trying to move the nation away from its secular status toward an Islamic state.
Wednesday, the court decided not to ban the party, but withdrew several million dollars worth of state aid.
Speaking before the court had made a decision, the bishop contended: "The purpose of the bombs is obvious: to destabilize a situation that is already quite unsettled. Clearly, this is the way to interpret such an incident a day before the decision."
Sunday's attack in Istanbul killed 17 people when two bombs exploded.
Bishop Padovese lamented that an appeal from the Church -- in a nation where Christians and Jews combined are only 0.2% of the population -- will not be clearly heard.
"The appeal we can launch is of little value, as we are not such a representative reality," he said. "Nevertheless, the appeal is made to enable democracy to prevail in this country."
According to Bishop Padovese, the problems that exist "are linked to positions of power. There is a need to safeguard secularism and at the same time the right to give this secularism a democratic expression. Democracy always represents risks, but there are no alternatives to democracy.
"The situation in Turkey has remained in this immobility until now precisely because of the opposition between the forces of power. It is a bit like pulling a rope in which neither party is able to prevail, so things remain stuck in the middle."
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Marriage Programs Aim to Answer Pope
"3 to Get and Stay Married" Helping CouplesBy Kathleen Naab
ATLANTA, Georgia, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- One of the themes Benedict XVI returns to again and again is marriage and the family. As the popularity of divorce continues and families are subjected to ever new trials, the Pope knows that forming and maintaining a Christian marriage in the 21st century is no easy task.
In the United States, about 13% of adult Catholics are divorced. Another 11% have been through a divorce and are now remarried or living with a partner.
"Marriage" between homosexuals is now legal in two states, Massachusetts and California. As of today, both are now open to out-of-state same-sex couples getting married there.
So Angela Hanson and Beth Carter, respectively directors of "Three to Get Married" and "Three to Stay Married," have their work cut out for them.
The Georgia-based programs, named after the title of a book by the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen of Rochester, New York, aim to offer engaged and married couples a lifeline as they swim against the cultural current.
"Three to Get Married" was founded first, Hanson explained -- by a laywoman who "saw a great need for comprehensive marriage preparation that spanned a weekend […] and covered very important topics in marriage, such as the faith, communication, children and finances. With the help of priests and many others, she developed the program based on the fact that God has to be the most important component of your marriage -- hence the name 'Three to Get Married.'"
"Three to Stay Married" is a follow up offered to the same couples who participated in the first program and others who join in, "though it is more social, and not as intense at the 'Three to Get Married' weekend," Carter said.
Persevering
Both programs are contributing to answer the calls made by the Pope to support the family. Last August, during a question-and-answer session with priests, the Holy Father went so far as to recommend support programs for married couples at least for the first decade of their marriage. He said that "ongoing guidance, at least in the first 10 years, is of the utmost importance."
Carter is not surprised by such a recommendation. She said both her personal experience, and what she has seen with "Three to Stay Married," backs the Pontiff's recommendation.
"My husband and I have been married three and a half years," she said, "but I can definitely say, despite a very happy marriage, we need lots of support and guidance. All young married couples need guidance because it is hard, and guidance from a priest or from another more experienced couple can really help you persevere.
"In marriage two people meld two lives into one, and we need as much prayer and support as we can get. […] It is important to hear over and over again that the most joy will come from what seems the most challenging -- giving yourself for your spouse and for your children."
Living and preaching
That message seems to be one that Catholics are not hearing enough.
Earlier this year, a survey from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate noted that preparation the Church offers to engaged couples in the United States is helping marriages, but that Catholic couples do not consistently turn to the Church for help with struggles during marriage.
Carter agrees that parishes need to offer more support, but she said it is up to the laity to take up the invitation.
"Most parishes offer Bible classes, catechesis, and men's and women's groups. You don't often see programs specifically for couples to build marriages," she said. "I believe this is where the laity need to get involved. According to Vatican II, we are called to get involved and support our pastors -- he can't do it all.
"Couples that are living marriages faithful to the teachings of the Church need to be out there supporting one another and boldly proclaiming the truth about marriage. That is the goal of 'Three to Stay Married': an environment where young couples can get started on the right foot in living the Church's teachings, and sharing that message with other married couples who may need support."
"As lay people in a very secular culture," Carter affirmed "we have to get involved and support our priests by living and preaching the truth."
Most important
And the importance of starting off on the right foot cannot be underestimated, Hanson agreed: "As many famous spiritual writers have said, we prepare for the business or professional world with years of study, but somehow we embark on the most important decision of our life -- marriage, and the spouse we choose -- with little to no reflection.
"I think a weekend for marriage preparation, although even too short for such an important decision, is the only way to make it as comprehensive as possible. […] It is difficult to live a Catholic marriage in our society today, so sufficient preparation is essential, but unfortunately it is missing in some dioceses, due to a lack of resources, support, or simple man-power."
Hanson acknowledged that some couples seek out marriage preparation because it is a pre-requisite to the traditional church wedding they have always dreamed of. But, she said, even if their motives are not the best, the preparation program can still give fruit.
"Our task in the 'Three to Get Married' program is to impart to participants what it means to be married in the Church, and what that entails in their daily married life," Hanson explained. "Even for couples who are there simply because they want the traditional 'church ceremony,' if they are sincere, find that they can glean useful information from the weekend, and may even have a change of heart or conversion by the end.
"The human, but more importantly, the spiritual transformation of the couples participating cannot be underestimated on these weekends."
Sexual ethics
Both Hanson and Carter agreed that one of the key elements to both programs is explaining and encouraging the Church's teaching on sexual ethics.
"One of the big issues of sexual ethics is that of family planning," Hanson said. "'Three to Get Married' covers the Church teaching on natural family planning and birth control, and several of the other talks cover treating your spouse respectfully in the sexual act, making it an act of mutual love and not simply self-serving."
Carter agreed that such a focus is key: "We live in a culture where the Catholic ideal of marriage being a gift of self and being open to life are often challenged by society and even family."
"When a couple is constantly challenged on the way in which they are living their lives, they need support, and they do not always get it from family," she added. "Meeting and knowing other couples who are striving for the same goals as you can really help."
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Beyond Condoms in the AIDS Debate
Interview With Caritas Expert on HIVBy Karna Swanson
MEXICO CITY, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Teaching abstinence outside marriage and fidelity within has been proved to be much more effective in decreasing the spread of HIV than simply distributing condoms, according to the special advisor on HIV for Caritas Internationalis.
Monsignor Robert Vitillo, who will participate in the XVII International AIDS Conference, to be held Aug. 3-8 in Mexico City, adds that unfortunately, abstinence and infidelity are not given the attention they deserve among experts and researchers.
Some 25,000 experts, physicians, activists and decision-makers from around the world are expected to attend the conference organized by the International AIDS Society, which has at its theme "Universal Action Now."
Caritas Internationalis sponsored a pre-conference seminar Wednesday for Caritas participants from Latin America, and on Aug. 5, together with the Jesuits of Mexico and the Catholic HIV and AIDS Network, it will host delegates from Catholic organizations in an evening of prayer and discussion.
In this interview with ZENIT, Monsignor Vitillo shares what he sees as the Church's role in fighting the spread of the AIDS virus, and the role of faith-based organizations at the conference.
Q: You say a major challenge the Church faces with regards to AIDS is ignorance of what the Church is doing to fight it. What is the Church doing? What is unique about the Church's approach?
Monsignor Vitillo: As I have been privileged to witness the response of the Catholic Church to the HIV pandemic on literally every continent, I have noted that the Church's response is very consistent with its overall mission:
-- To teach people both about the facts related to this pandemic, and about the permanent values that should be the foundation of our response. This includes both how to prevent the further spread of HIV -- by observing sexual abstinence outside marriage and life-long, mutual fidelity within marriage -- and how we should respond to those already living with or affected by the virus -- with acceptance, love, and solidarity, and without discrimination, rejection, or stigmatization.
-- To serve people. Here the Caritas organizations at the regional, national, diocesan and parish levels have played -- and continue to do so -- an important role in organizing and replicating health care, social services, emotional support, income-generation activities, orphan care, advocacy and self-help programs for and with persons living with or affected by HIV.
In addition to Caritas, there are many other Catholic organizations working to help those affected by HIV.
-- To provide pastoral care to persons living with or affected by HIV.
Many people who know firsthand the impact of the virus are searching to deepen their relationship with God, especially as they face the challenge which HIV has posed to them and/or to their loved ones.
They also desperately want to understand that this virus has not been sent as a "punishment from God" -- a number of bishops' conferences, as well as Pope John Paul II, addressed this issue very clearly by explaining that, according to Catholic doctrine, God does not "punish" people by sending them illnesses.
Q: Last week 50 Catholic groups asked Benedict XVI to lift the Church's ban on artificial contraception, and accused the Church's stance of having "catastrophic effects" in the spread of AIDS. Does the Church's position against condoms constitute an obstacle against fighting AIDS?
Monsignor Vitillo: I would like to slightly transpose this question in order to emphasize my strong conviction that the Church's teaching, which insists on sexual abstinence outside marriage and lifelong, mutual fidelity within marriage, is indeed scientifically valid and has offered evidence-based proof that people who observe such behavior have been able to prevent the spread of HIV.
Studies in countries where the HIV prevalence rate has been decreased in recent years, such as Uganda, Kenya, and Thailand, indicate that people in these countries were more disposed to reduce the number of their sexual partners and/or to delay the onset of sexual activity than to adopt the use of condoms.
Such behaviors -- reduction of sexual partners and delay of onset of sexual activity -- are much closer to the Church's teaching on sexuality and on prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections than is an exclusive focus on condom promotion.
Regrettably, however, many scientists, HIV prevention educators, and AIDS activists are so fixed on condom promotion that they do not give due attention to the risk avoidance that is possible to achieve through abstinence outside marriage and mutual, lifelong fidelity within marriage.
I believe that the Church does a great service to HIV prevention efforts by focusing on risk avoidance and on deeper and longer-lasting behavior change that is necessary to make a significant impact on reducing -- and, hopefully, stopping -- the further transmission of HIV.
Q: Will faith-based organizations have a strong voice at this international conference, or is the work of these organizations seen as being on the margin?
Monsignor Vitillo: In recent international conferences on AIDS, the voice of faith-based organizations has grown stronger, but there always is room for improvement in this regard.
For the past several International AIDS Conferences, the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA), based in Geneva, has made efforts to organize an ecumenical pre-conference. This year, in Mexico City, the EAA has some 450 registered participants for the pre-conference that will be held from July 31 to Aug. 2.
The EAA also organizes an inter-faith exhibit booth at which many organizations -- Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish and others -- exhibit their resources. Because this is a joint effort, the booth is large enough to "compete" with pharmaceutical companies, large governmental displays, etc., for the attention of the some 25,000 participants in the International AIDS Conference.
There have been efforts by some of the conference organizers, including the International AIDS Society, to include the voices of religious leaders and of those working with faith-based organizations.
Regrettably, for some groups, including some particularly aggressive activist groups, faith-based organizations represent an obstacle to an effective AIDS response. I believe that such thinking is deeply flawed and fails to recognize the crucial and life-saving response to AIDS that is embodied in the faith-based efforts.
Some of these groups receive substantial funding from foundations, and even from some governments, that attempt to promote a relativist, secular agenda in the world.
And these groups sponsor few, if any, direct services to those living with or affected by the virus, even though they represent themselves as the "voice" of people so affected. They certainly don't represent the majority of poor and marginalized people who very much appreciate the engagement of churches and faith-based organizations in the global response to AIDS.
I believe that we need to engage such negative "voices" in respectful dialogue, but, at the same time, we must stay focused on the activities that will have the greatest impact on the lives of those who know firsthand the impact of HIV in their lives.
Q: Is there a divide between faith-based and secular organizations, or do they work together? Do faith-based organizations face any extra challenges?
Monsignor Vitillo: There certainly is positive experience and much more potential for faith-based and secular organizations to work together on those efforts for which they share common values and strategies.
For example, in June 2007, Caritas Internationalis and the Unions of Superiors General jointly sponsored a Night of Solidarity -- an initiative of the World AIDS Campaign -- to promote universal access to anti-retroviral medications.
As another example, Caritas Internationalis and the Catholic HIV/AIDS Network plan to join the "Making Medicines Child-Sized" advocacy campaign of the World Health Organization to promote medicines, including anti-retroviral medications, that are better adapted for use among children.
I believe that faith-based organizations face some particular challenges related to such collaboration:
-- Many secular groups are not accustomed to working with faith-based organizations. The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance recently published a manual titled "Building Better Partnerships" to assist such groups to understand better the major faith traditions, the values that undergird their beliefs and actions, and the strategies employed by them in responding to AIDS.
-- Faith-based groups must exercise particular caution to avoid compromising their beliefs and values when they engage in such collaboration with secular groups, and must be careful to avoid creating any scandal through such collaboration.
-- Such collaboration may require that faith-based and secular groups "agree to disagree" on certain issues and make special efforts to respect each other without compromising their own basic identity and values.
Q: What is the message Caritas brings to the table at this conference? Conversely, what is Caritas hoping to take away?
Monsignor Vitillo: Caritas participants bring many gifts and skills, as well as needs, to the table of the International AIDS Conference.
First of all, we must remember that Caritas is rooted in Catholic teaching, especially in the social doctrine of the Church. That teaching brings us a vision of the whole person, created in the image of God, gifted with a God-given, unique and irrevocable dignity.
Catholic doctrine also reminds us that, as a Church, we are a community and must act as a leaven to help people, especially those who are most poor, vulnerable and marginalized, to develop themselves, even as we look forward to the fulfillment of our development at the end of our earthly lives and at the end of this world.
This vision is beautifully articulated in "Deus Caritas Est," the first encyclical of our Holy Father, Benedict XVI. The Confederation of Caritas Internationalis has studied and continues to reflect on this encyclical with particular care and attention, and we bring that reflection to all our responses to the world social challenges and natural and human-made emergencies, including that of the HIV pandemic.
This equips us to bring to the International AIDS Conference a desire to identify more than technical or temporary solutions to this pandemic and, alternatively, to identify solutions based on values and on long-term behavior change on the level of relationships between individuals and in society as a whole.
For the past 20 years our confederation has joined other Catholic organizations in sharing both our learning and experience in responding to HIV and in advocating for more just policies and solutions to problems related to this pandemic. I think that we will have more participants from Catholic organizations than at previous conferences, so I hope we can make our presence known and appreciated.
Finally, I think that I can speak for other Caritas participants when I say that we hope to learn more -- the current scientific evidence related to the pandemic, projections for the future, effective strategies for prevention, care, support, and treatment. Of course, we will need to assess such strategies from the "lens" of our Catholic values and teaching.
And we wish to deepen our appreciation for the firsthand experience of those who live with or have been affected directly by HIV, and to engage them more actively in our Caritas-sponsored responses to the pandemic.
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Dachau Memoir Sheds New Light on Holocaust
By Karna Swanson
NEW YORK, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Forgive those that persecute you. This is the message of the memoir of a priest who survived imprisonment at the Dachau concentration camp, who learned firsthand that nothing good can come of hate.
Father Jean Bernard (1907-1994), a native of Luxembourg, was the general secretary of the international Catholic Cinema Office in Brussels when the Nazis invaded Luxembourg, Belgium and Holland in 1940. The bureau was shut down soon after, and in 1941, Father Bernard was arrested and taken to Dachau, where he remained until he was freed, in August 1942.
His experience at the camp is the subject of his memoir "Priestblock 25487." The book was originally published toward the end of World War II as a series of newspaper articles, and then published as a book in German in 1962.
The memoir is now available in English, translated by Zaccheus Press.
In this interview with ZENIT, William Doino, a major contributor to the book "The Pius War," edited by Joseph Bottum and David Dalin, explains why this memoir offers important insight into the relationship of the Church with Nazi Germany.
Q: Why do you consider "Priestblock" such an important book?
Doino: Because it educates and inspires, and reminds us of the heroic sacrifices so many Christians -- in this case, Catholic priests -- endured during the Second World War. As we all know, World War II was the central historical event of the 20th century, and its most evil aspect, the Holocaust.
Often forgotten, however, is the enormous number of Christians who suffered and died under the Nazis: To call attention to this fact is not to diminish the unique evil of the Shoah, the Nazi extermination of Jews, but simply remember the War in all its dimensions, and honor its victims.
Max Dimont, the noted Jewish scholar, makes this point in his book "Jews, God and History." Just as we say “Never Again” about the Holocaust, so too should we say “Never Forget” the Christians who fought and died under the Nazis.
As Father Bernard says in his foreword, his memoir was written “in memory of my fellow priests who died in Dachau -- for we must never forget what happened there and in many similar places.”
Q: Could you describe Dachau, as it existed under the Third Reich?
Doino: In March of 1933, a short time after Adolf Hitler became Reich chancellor, the Nazis created a concentration camp at Dachau, near Munich, in southern Germany, for political prisoners.
During its 12 years of existence, over 200,000 people from all over Europe were imprisoned there: Tens of thousands died from executions, beatings, starvation, disease and even suicides provoked by the horrifying conditions.
Dachau was a camp notorious for its placement of anti-Nazi clergymen. Almost 3,000 Christian pastors opposed to Hitler’s regime were sent there; most of these were Catholic priests; at least 1,000 of them died. Father Bernard was one of the fortunate to survive.
Q: Several times in the book the priests were given special punishments, and many complained that the Pope or the bishops must have spoken out again against the Nazis. Doesn’t this go against the premise of many critics of the Church that the Pope and the bishops said and did nothing?
Doino: Yes. "Priestblock" not only establishes that the Church “spoke out” against Nazi horrors, but that the Third Reich’s prisoners suffered because of it.
For example, in October 1941, the priest block at Dachau was subject to terrifying reprisals. Father Bernard writes, “None of us was ever able to say why the clergy block experienced this catastrophe, or to what it was due. Some people said that the Pope had given a strong speech on the radio, and that the German bishops issued a public protest.”
Likewise, during Easter in 1942, the clergy again were suddenly and savagely attacked, after which Father Bernard learned that “there was a reason behind it: The Vatican radio station had broadcast a critical report about Dachau and protested the mistreatment of priests.”
This is confirmation of something historians of the Church have long known: The Church did “speak out” against Hitler and Nazism, and often paid a price because of it. Vatican Radio, under the direction of Pope Pius XII, was among the first to break the news of Nazi crimes in Poland, after Hitler invaded the country in late 1939.
As a result, the Nazis made it a crime in Germany and German-occupied territory to listen to Vatican Radio, even as they did everything they could to block its broadcasts. Still, the messages got through, and Catholics caught listening to it were arrested and even executed.
Q: It was mentioned early on that the clergy were separated from the rest of the camp and given special treatment -- such as a daily nap and a glass of wine -- because they wanted the rest of the camp to resent the clergy. Did this work? Was there a special dislike for Catholic clergy among the Nazis?
Doino: Yes, the Nazis reserved a special hatred for clergymen, especially Catholic priests. They saw orthodox Christianity as a direct rival to their insane drive for world control.
In February 1941, when he was first taken away, Father Bernard relates his experience with the arresting officer, a Nazi collaborator: “He is in an expansive mood and talks at me without letup for the entire trip -- about the coming victory and ruling the world and how the Church will be destroyed.”
This was part of the Nazi plan to subvert and destroy Christianity, as chronicled by the prosecutors at the Nuremberg war crimes trials. At Dachau, the guards did indeed try to separate the clergy, and create ill will between them and the other prisoners. But it didn’t work.
The goodness and basic decency of these imprisoned priests, and their extraordinary composure under inhuman conditions, even at the point of death, swept through the camp like a divine light. The other prisoners noticed it, and came to appreciate and respect these men of God.
At one point, Father Bernard even quotes a prisoner, a socialist, who apologizes to the clergymen he meets, after realizing how he had misjudged them while in civilian life: “Let’s forget what happened in the past! I was wrong. It turns out that the ones who hold out and behave best are you padres.”
Q: Father Bernard described with simplicity and honesty the deteriorating situation of the camp from month to month. In the beginning he and the other clergy were allowed to say Mass on Sundays, and then an order came down that no religious practice was allowed. How did the priests maintain their spiritual life in such an atmosphere?
Doino: In only one way, by embracing Christ, and his promises. Throughout his memoir, Father Bernard reveals how he kept Christ front and center during his ordeal. He meditated on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; cherished the Eucharist whenever he could receive it; meditated on the lives of the saints; and prayed to his guardian angel. He lived a full interior Catholic life, even while severe restrictions were placed on his exterior actions. The same was true of the other priests.
But it cannot be denied how much the events around them challenged their emotions. One aspect which sets this memoir apart is Father Bernard’s brutal honesty. He frankly describes the temptations of despair he and his fellow inmates experienced, and yet the witness of Our Lord was ever present to rescue them: During their darkest moments, they remembered his solemn words, and these acted as healing balms on their fractured, tormented bodies. The Gospel was a source of boundless strength, which invigorated them. Even the Nazis could not invade the sanctuary of their souls.
Q: The memoir is the basis of the 2004 movie "The Ninth Day." Are there any major differences between the true story and the movie? What is known of Father Bernard’s 10-day leave of absence from the camp, or about his release?
Doino: By Hollywood standards, "The Ninth Day," is an extraordinarily good film. It has a “Catholic” feel to it that is uncanny, perhaps owing to the fact that its director, German luminary Volker Schlöndorff, was educated by Jesuits.
The movie is not based upon Father Bernard’s entire memoir, just a section of it -- actually only a few paragraphs -- but they concern a central event in the book. In February 1942, after the death of his mother, Father Bernard is suddenly freed from Dachau, and allowed to return home, but there is a catch: He can remain in civilian life only if he agrees to collaborate with the local Nazi authorities.
The film explores this dilemma: Will Father Kremer -- the film’s main character, loosely based on Father Bernard -- compromise his faith and forge a devil’s bargain, or refuse, on account of his faith, even if that means a return to Dachau and possibly death? The decision he makes is wholly in keeping with his commitment to Christ, and it is on this level that the film moves people.
That said, "The Ninth Day," for all its virtues, does have a number of flaws. The best review of the film was published by Dimitri Cavalli, who laid out its strengths and weakness in the October 2006 edition of the New Oxford Review.
The film has a number of fictional characters and scenes not in the book, the chronology is not the same, and its view of Pius XII, who never appears on scene but is mentioned, is sympathetic but erroneous: It accepts the idea that he remained “silent” because he was concerned about reprisals.
In fact, the movie has this backwards: The Pope, as we have seen, did speak out, and reprisals occurred -- thereafter, he nuanced his words, but even then what he said was understood by the faithful.
As priest-rescuer Father Michel Riquet said: “Throughout those years of horror, when we listened to Radio Vatican and to the Pope’s messages, we felt in communion with the Pope, in helping persecuted Jews and in fighting Nazi violence” (Figaro, Jan. 4, 1964).
Father Riquet, like Father Bernard, was an inmate of Dachau.
Q: What do you think are the most important messages of Father Bernard’s memoir?
Doino: I think there are three. First, that we should value our faith every day, and never take it for granted; second, recognize those who have preserved it for us by undergoing extraordinary sacrifices; and finally, not allow evil to overcome us, no matter what the circumstances.
One of the most powerful passages in "Priestblock" occurs right at the beginning, as a kind of cautionary note to the reader -- not to allow what he is about to read to weaken his Christian mindset.
The faithful Christian, "Priestblock" teaches us, is assured of God’s eternal justice; but at the same time, knows that God wants us to forgive and pray for those who persecute us.
Consequently, Father Bernard asks that we read his book in a spirit of love: “Yet we must forgive. We must forgive while remaining conscious of the full horror of what occurred, not only because nothing constructive can be built on a foundation of hatred -- neither a new Europe nor a new world -- but above all for the sake of him who commands and urges us to forgive, and before whom we, victims and executioners alike, are all poor debtors in need of mercy.”
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On the Net:
"Priestblock 25487": www.amazon.com/Priestblock-25487-Memoir-Jean-Bernard/dp/0972598170
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They All Ate and Were Satisfied
Gospel Commentary for 18th Sunday in Ordinary TimeBy Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap
ROME, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- One day Jesus was on his way to a solitary place along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
The Gospel of Matthew tells the story: “But when he disembarked he found that a large crowd was waiting for him. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
"When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, ‘This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.’
"Jesus said to them, ‘There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.’ But they said to him, ‘Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.’
"Then he said, ‘Bring them here to me,’ and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
"They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over -- twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.”
It was the most joyous picnic in the history of the world!
What does this Gospel tell us? First, that Jesus was worried and “his heart was moved with pity” for the whole man, body and soul. He distributes the word to the soul, and to the body he offers healing and food. You will say: So why doesn’t he still do that today? Why doesn’t he multiply bread for the many millions who are starving on the earth?
There is a detail in this Gospel that can help us to find the answer to these questions. Jesus does not snap his fingers and bread and fish appear magically at will. He asked his disciples what they had; he invited them to share what they had: five loaves of bread and two fish.
Jesus does the same today. He asks us to share the resources of the earth. It is well known, at least in regard to food, that our earth would be able to support more than a billion more people than presently inhabit the earth.
So how can we accuse God of not furnishing enough bread for everyone when every year we destroy millions of tons of food supplies -- which we say we have “too much” of -- so as to prevent food prices from falling? What is the solution? Better distribution, greater solidarity and more sharing.
I know, it’s not that easy. There is the mania for weapons, there are irresponsible government leaders who keep many people hungry. But part of the responsibility is on the shoulders of the rich countries. We are that anonymous person -- a boy, according to one of the evangelists -- who has five loaves of bread and two fish; it is only that we hold onto them and are careful with them lest they be shared with everyone.
Because of the way in which it is described -- “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples" -- the multiplication of the loaves and fish has always made us think of the multiplication of that other bread, which is the body of Christ.
For this reason the most antique representations of the Eucharist are of a basket containing loaves of bread and, on the sides, two fish, like the mosaic discovered in Tabga in Palestine, in the church erected on the site of the multiplication of the loaves, or in the famous fresco in the catacombs of Priscilla.
At bottom, even that which we are doing in this moment with this commentary is a multiplication of loaves -- the loaves of bread of the word of God. I have broken open the bread of the word and the Internet has multiplied my words -- but many more than 5,000 men, even this time, have eaten and are satisfied.
There remains this task: “picking up the fragments left over,” and bringing them also to those who did not participate in the banquet. We must be “repeaters” and witnesses of the message.
[Translation by ZENIT]
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Father Raniero Cantalamessa is the Pontifical Household preacher. The readings for this Sunday are Isaiah 55:1-3; Romans 8:35, 37-39; Matthew 14:13-21.
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What the Media Missed in Sydney
Pilgrim Reveals Real Youth Day StoryBy Sophie Caldecott
OXFORD, England, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- A couple of weeks ago, more than 223,000 Catholics gathered together in Sydney to celebrate their common faith in the largest event Australia has ever hosted -- World Youth Day.
Despite the fact that a representative from almost every corner of the world could be found at this dynamic event, despite the atmosphere of elation, energy and love, and despite many interesting talks, the main -- perhaps only -- interest of the English media was the relatively small group of protesters who wanted to make sure that their objections to the Catholic Church didn't go unheard.
The angle the media was trying to spin on the story seems absurd to someone who was there, singing and dancing in the brightly coloured crowd. This was not just any crowd -- when else and for what other reason in the world would that many young people get together and be so considerate and friendly toward each other, so joyful and excited and unselfconscious without being drunk or on drugs? There was clearly something else going on at that gathering, something unique and fascinating that the media completely failed to pick up on, and it had nothing to do with protesters.
The protesters who made their presence felt around the events surrounding World Youth Day can be broken down into several main groups: representatives from the gay community, people angry about cases of sexual abuse in the Church, atheists trying to "educate ignorant believers," Protestants who believe that the Catholic Church is the "whore of Babylon" and people who believe that condoms are the solution to AIDS.
The smattering of various protesters holding signs and watching thousands of young Catholics pass by probably weren't sure what reaction to expect, but I would imagine they were prepared for the worst. Far from receiving abuse, however, the people holding the rainbow flag sporting the message "Gay, Free, Happy" received cheery waves and smiles, while many people assumed that the protesters holding the signs saying "Think: Don't Be a Sheep" were actually Catholic, and part of the World Youth Day crowd.
It took us a while to figure out that the leaflets handed to us as we walked out of the train station -- about how we are saved by God's grace and not by our own works -- were not actually from fellow Catholics, but from Baptists who were concerned for our souls.
Contrary to the expectations of the general public and, perhaps, the people who instated the "annoyance" laws, many World Youth Day goers relished the opportunity for some friendly discussion in the street with people who, on the whole, had little accurate knowledge and understanding of the Church and Catholic teaching.
I only wish we had had more time to talk to the protesters, getting to the root of their anger and sharing our point of view with them. Unfortunately, reducing an opinion down to a slogan on a T-shirt or a sign is rarely an adequate means of expressing an opinion.
One speaker, Christopher West, delivered a series of talks on Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body during the week in Sydney, and listening, I couldn’t help but be brought close to tears, wishing that the Church’s critics could hear this teaching.
This teaching is not the authoritarian, repressive set of rules that it is so widely believed to be. It is teaching of freedom, love and logic. This is the truth that the whole world is searching for, thirsting for desperately, whether or not they fully acknowledge it.
John Paul II exposed the flaws of modern thinking about sexuality, answering the deep ache for love that we all experience by pointing us back to the constant teaching of the Church throughout history -- the teaching that the human person has an inherent dignity, that we are created in God's image, and as men and women are described by him as being "very good."
I became deeply convinced that I am called, along with all the people of the Church, to witness to Christ by addressing this ache that the world is feeling. As West put it, there is only so long that you can eat out of the dumpster before getting sick. This world has been eating out of the dumpster for far too long, and it desperately needs to be shown the way to the wedding feast.
Benedict XVI commissioned us young people to be bold witnesses of Christ to the ends of the earth, praying for a new Pentecost and an outpouring of the Spirit. I for one am convinced that John Paul II's Theology of the Body holds a vital key for doing this.
Being part of World Youth Day is to experience the Church in all her varied glory and youthful energy. The various flags seen in Sydney that week pointed to the universality of the Church, her children being fed by the sacraments and living and breathing as one body, in Christ.
Perhaps the reason that the secular world was inevitably bound to miss the point of World Youth Day is because without Christ there is no way that humanity can be united in truth and love.
The great joy with which the young Catholics of the world greeted Benedict XVI proved that the Church is not only alive and growing, but ready to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking through Peter’s successor.
The secular media had to focus on the protesters, missing the real point of World Youth Day, because they didn’t know what to make of the Pope’s powerful words to the expectant youth of the Church: "Our world has grown weary of greed, exploitation and division, of the tedium of false idols and piecemeal responses, and the pain of false promises. Our hearts and minds are yearning for a vision of life where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion.
"This is the work of the Holy Spirit! This is the hope held out by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is to bear witness to this reality that you were created anew at baptism and strengthened through the gifts of the Spirit at confirmation. Let this be the message that you bring from Sydney to the world!" (Address at Sydney Harbour, July 17).
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Sophie Caldecott, a student of English literature at Durham University, participated in the World Youth Day pilgrim group from the Oxford Oratory. Her accounts of the event were featured in The Catholic Herald newspaper in Britain and in Second Spring magazine, published by Thomas More College of Liberal Arts.
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Cardinal Kasper's Address to Lambeth Congress
CANTERBURY, England, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The address Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, gave Wednesday at the Anglican Communion's Lambeth Conference is available on the ZENIT Web page.--- --- ---
On the Net:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-23384?l=english
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News Service to Resume Aug. 18
NEW YORK, JULY 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- ZENIT will resume its daily news service Aug. 18, after its summer break.
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