ZE090423
ZENIT
The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - April 23, 2009
Donation Campaign 2009 -- Looking for the 8,400 ...
If we divide our annual fund-raising goal of $420,000 by the 150,000 ZENIT's English-edition private readers, the amount for each one a year is about $2.80 -- about the price of three or four daily newspapers !
We already know that, in fact, it is not possible to receive $2.80 from each of our 150,000 private readers. But perhaps we can receive $50 from 8,400 of you!
Are you among the 8,400 who can send $50? Your generosity will benefit all Zenit readers.
As many readers have already done, could you cover the $50 for three or four or more missionaries?
Please, think about it!
Send your donation today!
To send your donation, click http://www.zenit.org/english/donation.html
VATICAN DOSSIER
Pontiff to Families: God Is on Our Side
Pope: Scripture Is "Soul of Theology"
Holy See and League of Arab States Sign Agreement
WORLD FEATURES
A Miracle for a Non-Practicing Mom
Prelate Notes New Opportunity to Evangelize Europe
NEWS BRIEFS
Priest Injured While Aiding Trapped Sri Lankans
Life Wins Protection in Dominican Republic
Married Couple Named to Family Council
INTERVIEW
Reclaiming Sacred Art
ROME NOTES
Racing to Peace; 7 Visits to Christ
Pontiff to Families: God Is on Our Side
Encourages Spreading Virtue of ObedienceVATICAN CITY, APRIL 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is affirming that the Gospel virtue of obedience stems from interior communion with God, and is urging families to share this "essential" value with society.
The Pope said this today during the homily of a Mass with organizers of January's World Meeting of Families, which took place in Mexico City.
The Mass, celebrated by the Pontiff in the "Redemptoris Mater" Chapel of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, was also attended by Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, and Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, archbishop of Mexico City.
Quoting St. Peter, who said, "We must obey God rather than any human authority," the Holy Father told his listeners, "The Word of God speaks to us of an obedience that is not mere subjection, nor simply an obeying of orders, rather it arises from an intimate communion with God and consists in an interior vision capable of discerning that which comes from on high and is above everything."
He added, "It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit which God grants without measure."
Benedict XVI affirmed: "Our contemporaries need to discover this obedience, which is not theoretical but essential.
"It means opting for specific forms of behavior which are based on obedience to God's will and which make us fully free.
"Christian families, with their domestic, simple and joyful lives, in which day by day they share their joys, hopes and concerns, and live in the light of faith, are schools of obedience and environments of true freedom. They know this well who over many years have enjoyed marriage in accordance with God's plan, […] experiencing the goodness of the Lord who helps and encourages us."
Before continuing the Mass, the Pope emphasized that "Christ is truly present in the Eucharist," and he is the "bread that comes down from on high" to strengthen us and "help us face the effort and fatigue of the road." The Pontiff added, "He is on our side."
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Pope: Scripture Is "Soul of Theology"
Urges a Correct Study of Word of GodVATICAN CITY, APRIL 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is affirming the importance of the Word of God as the soul of theology and the inspiration of Christian life, emphasizing a correct study of Scripture enlightened by faith.
The Pope said this today in an audience with representatives from the Pontifical Biblical Commission during their annual plenary assembly, which began Monday and runs through Friday.
The group is focusing on the theme of "Inspiration and Truth in the Bible," drawing from the October synod of bishops on the Word of God.
The work of the commission, which is overseen by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is being directed by Jesuit Father Klemens Stock, secretary, and the prefect of the congregation, Cardinal William Levada.
The Pontiff emphasized the importance of the commission's focus, as it "concerns not only believers, but the Church herself, because the Church's life and mission necessarily rest upon the Word of God, which is the soul of theology and, at the same time, the inspiration of all of Christian life."
He added that "the interpretation of sacred Scripture is of vital importance for Christian faith and for the life of the Church."
The Holy Father stated: "From a correct approach to the concept of divine inspiration and truth in sacred Scripture derive certain norms that directly concern its interpretation.
"The Constitution 'Dei Verbum,' having affirmed that God is the author of the Bible, reminds us that in sacred Scripture God speaks to mankind in a human manner. For a correct interpretation of Scripture we must, then, carefully examine what the hagiographers really sought to say and what God was pleased to reveal with their words."
Three criteria
He reminded his listeners how the Second Vatican Council identified "three perennially valid criteria for interpreting sacred Scripture in accordance with the Spirit that inspired it."
The Pope explained: "In the first place, great attention must be given to the content and unity of the whole of Scripture. Indeed, however different the books it contains may be, sacred Scripture is one by virtue of the unity of God's plan, of which Jesus Christ is the center and the heart."
"In the second place," he continued, "Scripture must be read in the context of the living tradition of the entire Church."
Benedict XVI noted that the Church, in its tradition, "carries the living memory of the Word of God, and it is the Holy Spirit who provides her with the interpretation thereof in accordance with its spiritual meaning."
He continued, "The third criterion concerns the need to pay attention to the analogy of the faith; that is, to the cohesion of the individual truths of faith, both with one another and with the overall plan of Revelation and the fullness of the divine economy enclosed in that plan."
The Pontiff affirmed that the task of scholars is to "contribute, following the above-mentioned principles, to a more profound interpretation and exposition of the meaning of sacred Scripture."
He added: "The academic study of the sacred texts is not by itself sufficient. In order to respect the coherence of the Church's faith, Catholic exegetes must be careful to perceive the Word of God in these texts, within the faith of the Church."
"The interpretation of sacred Scriptures cannot be merely an individual academic undertaking," the Holy Father said, "but must always be compared with, inserted into, and authenticated by the living tradition of the Church."
Reciprocity
He added: "This norm is essential in order to ensure a correct and reciprocal exchange between exegesis and Church magisterium.
"Catholic exegetes do not nourish the individualistic illusion that biblical texts can be better understood outside the community of believers. The opposite is true, because these texts were not given to individual scholars 'to satisfy their curiosity or to provide them with material for study and research.'
"The texts inspired by God were entrusted to the community of believers, to the Church of Christ, to nourish the faith and to guide the life of charity."
Benedict XVI explained: "Sacred Scripture is the Word of God in that is written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Tradition, on the other hand, integrally transmits the Word of God as entrusted by Christ the Lord and by the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and their successors so that they, illuminated by the Spirit of truth, could faithfully conserve, explain and spread it through their preaching."
"Only within the ecclesial context," he continued, "can Sacred Scripture be understood as the authentic Word of God which is the guide, norm and rule for the life of the Church and the spiritual development of believers."
The Pope pointed out that this means "rejecting all interpretations that are subjective or limited to mere analysis [and therefore] incapable of accepting the global meaning which, over the course of the centuries, has guided the Tradition of the entire people of God."
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Holy See and League of Arab States Sign Agreement
Interreligious Dialogue Initiatives Given FocusVATICAN CITY, APRIL 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Vatican Secretariat of State signed a memorandum of understanding today together with the League of Arab States.
A Vatican press release reported that this agreement was signed in the Apostolic Palace by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for relations with states, and Amre Moussa, secretary general of the league.
The statement explained that this agreement, which came into effect with the signatures of the two parties, "further consolidates the bonds of cooperation that exist between the Holy See and the League of Arab States, especially on the political and cultural levels, in favor of peace, security, and regional and international stability."
"Moreover," the report continued, "it proposes instruments of consultation between the two parties, giving attention also to initiatives of interreligious dialogue."
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's Secretary of State was present to represent the Holy See, along with other Vatican officials, including Monsignor Fortunatus Nwachukwu, Monsignor Alberto Ortega; Monsignor Christophe El-Kassis, Monsignor Nicolas Thevenin and Monsignor Lech Piechota.
A delegation from the League of Arab States was headed by Walid Al Gargani. Some member countries of the league were also represented by their ambassadors to the Holy See.
The League of Arab States, seated in Cairo, was started in 1945, and is comprised of 22 countries, including: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Kuwait.
Pope John Paul II sent the first apostolic delegate to the league in 2000. Currently, this position is held by Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, who is also the apostolic nuncio in Egypt.
email this article | print this article | comment this article
A Miracle for a Non-Practicing Mom
The Cure Leading to Mother Comensoli's CanonizationBy Carmen Elena Villa
AGNOSINE, Italy, APRIL 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- It was 12:20 a.m., the first hour of Oct. 3, 2001, when Sister Bianca Pasinetti's telephone rang. "Sister, we all are here. Vasco is leaving us. Do something because we don't want him to die."
Those were the words of Ettore Richini. He spoke of his 4-year-old son, one of the students at the school run by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Sister Pasinetti's congregation.
Vasco had been admitted to the hospital with meningitis. He had been in the hospital since the afternoon of Sept. 29, when his mother Rita had returned to work in the afternoon after seeing that Vasco had a bit of a fever. As the hours had passed, his temperature kept climbing so the family had taken him to the hospital.
"After the child was a quarter of an hour in the hospital, they discovered that he had meningitis," Rita explained. "They asked us various questions. He fell into a coma; his kidneys were not working."
The mother went on to recount: "We discovered it was meningitis H. Influenzae, a very aggressive bacteria that one generally doesn't catch -- its one case in a million -- [we] still don't know how he got it."
When Sister Pasinetti received Ettore's call, she promised her prayers and those of the community. Meanwhile, doctors encouraged Rita to disconnect Vasco from life support, warning her that if he stayed alive, he would be a "vegetable."
"Keep him alive as long as possible," was her answer.
Ettore recalled what he felt in those moments: "A sadness, an impotence at seeing my son who was already going, and you cannot do absolutely anything. I think it is the hardest thing that I have experienced."
There was "nothing good" in the situation, according to Rita. "He had a bruise on his brain, rapid heart rate […] purple spots all over his body."
Sister Pasinetti decided to bring a relic of Blessed Gertrude Comensoli (1847-1903), the founder of her congregation, to the child's room.
She thought, "I won't make Vasco get better, but at least I will make them see that we are praying," the religious recounted. She arrived to his hospital room and left the relic under his pillow.
"I stayed with Rita," she continued. "We prayed. She was truly desperate at seeing the child that way." Sister Pasinetti called the sisters of her community to urge prayers. They passed the word to call people to pray and people began to arrive to the parish church in the community to intercede for the child.
Gaia, Vasco's 14-year-old sister, also went to the church to pray, not knowing that the sisters had called people together. "I went to the church to pray on my own -- in a moment like that, you don't know what to cling to. I found the church full of people," she recalled.
"When the prayer [meeting] ended, the people weren't going home," Sister Pasinetti remembered. "They stayed to pray. I'd never seen something like that."
The woman religious and her sisters started a novena to Mother Gertrude.
Some days later, a doctor arrived to greet Vasco's parents with exuberance, something which struck them both as odd, since just an hour before, the child's condition was the same.
"Vasco is out of danger," the doctor told them.
"It was an unexplainable healing," Rita assured.
Vasco, who today is 12 years old, says he does not remember anything about being sick, except the moment in which he woke up. "I looked at the sheets, I looked around me and I said, 'What am I doing here?' Then I said, "Mom, bring me my clothes because I want to go home.' She was very happy. She almost cried and she hugged me."
When the child returned to school, he told the sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and his classmates what had happened: "When I was in the hospital, Mother Gertrude came by without letting herself be seen by the doctors. […] She came in and stood close to my bed."
Today, Rita continues awestruck by what happened nearly eight years ago. Though she was a woman of faith, she did not often practice her religion. "I do not know how it was possible," she said. "I ask myself many questions. I do not know why God chose us. What a lesson."
Sister Pasinetti is sure it was a miracle: "And it is not easy because it asks you to change. In any case, here too the Lord loves everyone. He does not look if one is practicing or not practicing. The Lord has come for everyone."
This Sunday, Vasco's family will attend the canonization of Sister Gertrude Comensoli in St. Peter's Square.
"I lost my mother one year after all of this," Rita noted. "I think that if she would have died before this happened, I would have experienced it in a different way. Now I am not afraid even of death, because it forms part of life."
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Prelate Notes New Opportunity to Evangelize Europe
Encourages Unity of Heart and Soul Between CountriesDUBLIN, APRIL 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The archbishop of Dublin is underlining the need for European Christians to bring Gospel values to their countries, to foster a unity and solidarity as in the early Church.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said this Sunday at a Mass in Our Lady of Consolation Church in Donnycarney, Dublin, in which a Hungarian delegation from Gyor participated.
During the homily, the prelate acknowledged the parish's link to the city since the 1600s, when the Irish Bishop Walter Lynch, fleeing persecution, was welcomed to Gyor. In his flight from Ireland, he brought to the city an image of Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted, of which a copy was made and hung in the Donnycarney parish.
In view of this bond between the countries, the archbishop reflected on the "solidarity that has existed among the people of Europe over the centuries, despite political and religious differences, despite war, aggression and intolerance."
He added, "Today we have the opportunity of strengthening those bonds in a Europe at peace but which still needs solidarity and sharing."
Archbishop Martin affirmed: "Europe today needs a vision for its future.
"Rather than lamenting a lack of recognition of the Christian heritage of Europe in recent political documents and events, European Christians have a new opportunity to bring to a Europe in search of hope and vision a challenging way of living the Christian message."
He noted that the "Christian community spread across the continent must be a focus on unity. As in the early Church, he added, "the Christian community which today lives and witnesses to the message of the resurrection can bring to Europe something of that spirit of sharing which marked the early Church."
Unity and solidarity
"The future of European integration will not in the first place be the result of a treaty or of new political structures," asserted the prelate.
He continued: "Europe needs to be nurtured by that spirit of 'unity of heart and soul' of which the first reading spoke. Europe must become a Europe of peoples; a Europe of peoples which are different yet capable of living together in unity and solidarity.
"As Irish Christians we cannot and ought not flee from the challenges of shaping the Europe of the future. Christians make their contribution to a better Europe in a spirit of respect and dialogue."
The archbishop affirmed that European Christians must work together with people of all faiths to overcome the "divisions which egoism and narrow nationalism, greed and religious intolerance have caused and which threaten the individual nations of Europe and Europe itself."
He added: "As a Christian community in Europe we must feel ourselves called to foster growing contact and mutual understanding among the peoples of Europe.
"The Church itself must become more visibly a community which within its own boundaries witnesses that unity among peoples really means."
Archbishop Martin noted that the image shared by the Irish and Hungarian communities was known as the "Weeping Madonna," and that her "tears recorded difficult times for Europe."
He added, "Today we look, in the spirit of the Resurrection, and see that those tears can be turned into hope for Europe, through the power of Jesus who destroyed death and opened the path to new life for all."
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Priest Injured While Aiding Trapped Sri Lankans
Caritas Calls for Civilian RescueJAFFNA, Sri Lanka, APRIL 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A Caritas director in the Vanni region was seriously injured in the bombing of a Church today, prompting a renewed appeal from aid agency for the rescue of endangered civilians.
Caritas reported that Father T. R. Vasanthaseelan's legs were injured, and one had to be amputated after shells hit St. Anthony's Church in Valaignarmadam this morning.
Civilians took refuge in the church to escape the fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebel forces.
Caritas estimates that tens of thousands of civilians are trapped in the small area of land designated as a "safe zone," where currently the rebel soldiers have taken refuge and are using the people as human shields in the conflict.
A rescue operation is under way to remove the people from this zone, but Father Vasanthaseelan remained in the Vanni region to provide assistance as Caritas continues to call for aid for the trapped civilians.
Another priest, Father James Pathinathan, member of the member of the National Commission for Justice, Peace and Human Development, was also injured and hospitalized this week.
The Caritas secretary general, Lesley-Anne Knight stated: "Father Vasanthaseelan is a much loved figure in Sri Lanka and throughout the Caritas confederation. He is a man of peace, courage and hope.
"He has lived among the people he seeks to serve and accompanied them through their suffering. He has been a sign of love and faithfulness throughout such difficult times.
"That aid workers are suffering only underlines how innocent people, women and children are being killed and injured in Sri Lanka's civil war and reinforces our calls for an immediate ceasefire."
She continued: "Both the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tiger rebels have obligations under the Geneva Conventions to protect the lives of civilians and allow humanitarian access. The United Nations and the international community must hold them to these commitments."
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Life Wins Protection in Dominican Republic
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, APRIL 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Congress of the Dominican Republic voted to put the protection of life into the national constitution.In a 167-32 vote Tuesday, the members of an assembly working on the constitutional reform approved Article 30, which establishes the right to life from conception till death. The clause will become No. 11 of the future constitution.
Prior to the vote, Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez, archbishop of Santo Domingo, expressed his confidence that the legislators would not seek to legalize abortion in a country that respects life from the moment of conception.
"We trust and we believe in the great majority of our legislators, who are respectable people and opposed to the legalization of abortion, given that many of them have said that they consider it in their consciences a crime," the prelate said in a Mass he celebrated on Divine Mercy Sunday. "They know what the entire country wants, what the Catholic Church and other Christians want, and because of this we trust that they will not legalize abortion."
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Married Couple Named to Family Council
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The married couple that serves as the national presidents of the Christian Family Movement in Argentina have been named members of the Pontifical Council for the Family.Pablo Adrián Cavallero and Marcela Estela Benhaim Varela de Cavallero are both 52 years old and the parents of six. Their four oldest children are parish directors.
Pablo has a doctorate in literature with a specialization in classic languages and his wife is a biochemist.
The Pope named them to the council for a five-year term.
After serving as presidents of the Buenos Aires division of the Christian Family Movement, they were elected the national presidents last year and will serve in that position until 2011.
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Interview With Creators of "Catholic Canvas"
ROME, APRIL 23, 2009 (Zenit.org.- A new Rome-produced series airing this spring on EWTN is doing its part to reassert the original evangelizing purpose of the greatest Catholic works of art.
"Catholic Canvas," which was filmed entirely in the Vatican Museums, recounts the history of man's salvation through the Church's rich and varied collection of art. The creators of the project call it a unique event in the history of art documentaries.
ZENIT interviewed the three people most involved with the project.
* * *
Mary Shovlain is the producer, director and creator of the program.
Q: What inspired you to develop this project? Out of all the many books, films and TV specials produced about art in the Vatican what makes this unique?
Shovlain: I have covered the Vatican for over a decade, I have advanced degrees in theology and for the past seven years I have been making television shows about the faith. I got tired of the ever-increasing programs on Vatican art, especially the Sistine Chapel, offering erroneous, secularized interpretations of the images of sacred events in Salvation History. Many of these shows often twisted or ignored the Christian message to promote individual agendas or even used the art as a loudspeaker to broadcast criticisms about the Catholic Church or the Popes, etc.
We wanted to reclaim the original intent and function of these world-famous works. Using their creative genius, Michelangelo, Raphael and others were evangelizing through art, trying to "incarnate" eternal mysteries.
Today, more than ever, we need beauty, and although some of the works we filmed are over 1,000 years old, they still proclaim objective truths clearly and powerfully to a frantic world lost in relativism.
Q: No filming like this has ever been done in history of the Vatican Museums, how did you manage this?
Shovlain: EWTN and I had been in talks for some time about creating a show on Sacred Art. We knew we had to begin with the most prestigious collection in the world so we sat down with the Vatican Museums and presented our idea. Given EWTN's reputation for orthodoxy and the series' heavily catechetical nature, I think the Vatican saw a great opportunity for evangelization.
It took a very long time to put this project together, but part of the reward was the wonderful spirit of collaboration between our team and the direction of the Vatican Museums. We didn't realize it until they pointed it out to us that no other crew has ever been granted four days of filming inside the Sistine Chapel! That both humbled us and drove home the great responsibility to get this right.
Q: From a lone producer pursuing a dream, you soon put a team together. Who were your closest allies in getting this off the ground?
Shovlain: This was a co-production with EWTN so they deserve most of the credit for believing in it and funding it. Also, the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums played a vital role in getting this accomplished. Their role in preserving and restoring these works for generations to come is part of what ensures the future greatness of these museums. We need more modern-day Medici's!
My crew, of course! We have filmed in the Holy Land, Ireland and Italy, and they are always the unsung heroes, but the lighting and photography is a tribute to their high level of professionalism and experience. You know, TV and film is a modern day art form as well -- when your eye looks through the lens, well, there's something almost mystical about it ... real creation is going on.
Q: What kind of challenges did you face in this unprecedented endeavor?
Shovlain: Logistically, this is the most complicated project I have ever worked on. We spent months going to the museums, and each time we had to get permits and coordinate the schedules of the Vatican Museums, Elizabeth Lev, Father Mark Haydu, and my crew.
Artistically, the greatest challenge in filming was trying to get the best quality images without any damage to the works of art. We had scaffolding built in some places -- as high as 32 feet in the Sistine Chapel! I cannot say enough about the level of professionalism and expertise of the Vatican Museums' staff who accompanied us each time we were in the museums. Every detail was taken into consideration; we even limited the lights, using them only when necessary.
Q: What hopes do you have for this series?
Shovlain: Our hope is that anyone who watches these programs will have a renewed appreciated for the "sacred" in sacred art. Sacred Art has never gone out of style and there is a reason for that, it appeals to people of all ages, races and creeds. In a world with so much noise and distraction they are a silent and profound witness of God's love story with humanity and how he has shown that time and time again in salvation history. Everyone loves a good love story!
* * *
Elizabeth Lev, a professor of art history at Duquesne University and longtime ZENIT collaborator, was invited by Shovlain to host the program.
Q: How did it feel to be asked to collaborate in such a unique project?
Lev: The last thing I thought as I first began studying Renaissance art at the University of Chicago was that I would one day be discussing Michelangelo's work on camera in the Sistine Chapel!
Certainly, I worried a lot about living up to this responsibility; these works are charged with layers of meaning, and to succinctly explain the Church doctrine and salvation history behind a work of art is a lot more challenging that just presenting an agenda and then making the art fit.
At the same time I was grateful to be able to represent another current of art history, a discipline that reclaims the sacred content of religious art. Great work has been done by Monsignor Timothy Verdon, Jesuit Father John O'Malley, and Jesuit Father Heinrich Pfieffer in connecting the masterpieces of the Church to sacred doctrine and the mystery of the liturgy. I am thrilled to have a chance to tell our side, the Christian side, of the story.
Q: Out of three and half miles of Museums, how did you select the works?
Lev: Once we had decided on our principal events in salvation history, it was hard to decide which works to film! We tried to mix lesser-known artists with the best names of the Renaissance to show the endless richness of man's creativity when representing our Redemption. We also selected pieces from most ancient to the most modern collections to demonstrate the breadth of artistic history in the Church.
Q: What makes this program so special?
Lev: This is a great project because it is so proactive. Instead of complaining about Michelangelo being exploited as a poster child for whichever lobby claims him, we looked at the faith-filled and prayerful nature of his work. Amazingly enough, once you combine the elements of formal analysis and historical context with faith and scripture, you discover truth really is more beautiful than any secular fiction.
We live in a world that is centered on the visual, whether that be in the form of movies or advertising or simply glossy magazines. The Church is sitting on a treasure of art, symbols and images. I hope that viewers watching the invisible rendered visible in the art of the Vatican Museums learn to see that the lens of faith doesn't dim a work of art but enhances it.
* * *
Legionary of Christ Father Mark Haydu is the director of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, and presents the living legacy of the collection as part of each episode.
Q: What role did the patronage of the Church play in the creation of these masterpieces contained in the Vatican Museums?
Father Haydu: The role of the Church's patronage was essential. It was Julius II's idea to open the octagonal courtyard so that visitors could appreciate the beauty of the ancient statues. From that event in 1508, the Vatican Museum was founded.
Places where faith has flourished have also seen the sciences, arts and music prosper as well. No doubt the inspiration and creation of each masterpiece is due to the artist who creates it, e.g. Michelangelo or Raphael. Yet the humus, the ambiance where their artistic and spiritual genius percolated was a culture fostered by the Church and her patrons, a culture where beauty and excellence were appreciated and promoted. When Julius II brought Michelangelo to Rome, it was to let his artistic expression flourish by focusing on the greatest mysteries of the faith.
Q: Is the role of the patron still valuable today? How has it transformed in our modern era?
Father Haydu: The role of patrons is essential and perhaps the decline of patronage is one of the reasons we have seen beauty and artistic creation somewhat impoverished in our times. The role of the patron is not only to support artists who dream about doing beautiful art, but also in motivating, feeding and encouraging them to express the truth with beauty.
Those who have the economic means to support artists and the arts should do so. To be a patron of the arts is to nurture artistic talent and form that budding genius with transcendent truths that flower into deeply spiritual creations. In our modern times it seems patronage has lost this.
Much of the role of art patronage seems to be in suggesting artists seek the most shocking or counter cultural without concern for uplifting, educating and directing the viewer to what is most sublime, most worthy of our contemplation. "Shock" art gets financing and pays dividends because it makes headlines.
A true patron however, should be concerned with forming and projecting an artist towards high ideals and believing that they can reach and express them.
--- --- ---
On the Net:
For more information: http://www.ewtn.com/series/2009/Catholic_canvas.htm
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Racing to Peace; 7 Visits to Christ
Jerusalem Marathon Gives Taste of UnityBy Edward Pentin
ROME, APRIL 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Jerusalem has today been the focus of two poignant sporting events as hundreds of athletes gathered in the city to run for peace in the Holy Land, and follow in the footsteps of St. Paul as part of a month-long marathon torch relay.
The John Paul II Peace Marathon, a 10-mile run from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, was the first event to kick off. Several hundred runners took part in the race earlier today including Israelis, Palestinians and people of other nationalities, mostly Italians.
The second event, called “Running in the Footsteps of St. Paul," which lasts till May 27, is a much more ambitious endeavor -- a 1,200 kilometer (745 mile) torch relay including cycling, swimming and sailing through 26 towns and cities visited by St. Paul. Starting with the peace marathon in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the participants are now moving on to Greece, Malta and Italy, before ending up in Rome and Vatican City.
Both are being endorsed and co-organized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity. The head of the council’s section for "Church and Sport," Legionary of Christ Father Kevin Lixey, is helping coordinate both events with a number of other organizations, including the newly founded John Paul II Foundation for Sport.
“When our office was established [in 2006], its aim was to promote sport to foster peace,” said Father Lixey, who comes from Flint, Michigan. “So the peace marathon fits in very well with our program -- I got to run in it last year and ran in good time,” he added with a laugh.
The John Paul II Peace Marathon is now in its sixth year. The idea originated during the period of the second Intifada, when conflict brought the number of overseas pilgrims to Israel to its lowest level. The Diocese of Rome, then under the leadership of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, wanted to do something to show pilgrims it was still safe to visit the Holy Land, and so, with the collaboration of the local authorities and other organizations -- and 300 runners -- the marathon came into being.
So what have been the visible fruits since it started? “It’s hard to say,” said Father Lixey. “I think it’s great for the Italians and other nationalities that go, as they have a fun experience in the Holy Land; it’s a way to attract sports people to go somewhere they might not otherwise visit."
But particularly important, he added, is that the participants are able to witness the suffering of those living in the conflict-ravaged region. “We normally stay with Palestinians in Bethlehem rather than a four-star hotel in Jerusalem, and last year we stayed in Jericho,” Father Lixey explained. “That way you kind of get more of a feel for what they’re going through.” He stressed that the run is, of course, not a panacea to the problems, but helps foster peace in its own small way.
Unfortunately, no one can win the marathon as all runners must stay in a pack, but they each receive a medal. The Bethlehem-Jerusalem checkpoint is also opened especially for the runners -- something much appreciated by Palestinian participants who can visit Jerusalem without the usual hassles from the Israeli authorities.
This year’s event has been extra special, not only because of the St. Paul torch relay, but also because of Pope Benedict XVI’s Holy Land pilgrimage soon to come (May 8-15). Many participants are therefore scheduling the marathon to coincide with the papal visit.
To accompany the athletes on the torch relay, Father Lixey has co-written a book with Edio Costantini, director of the Centro Sportivo Italiano (his counterpart in the Italian Church), which includes many different sports analogies used by St. Paul in the Bible.
A theme running through the book is that sport can be a school of virtue, and events such as this can be hugely beneficial to one’s faith – a sentiment well expressed by Pius XII in 1945:
“Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor,” the Pontiff wrote. “It refines the senses, gives intellectual penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth and helps man to achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the service and praise of his Creator.”
* * *
Stopping In
A beautiful and ancient Roman tradition that I would thoroughly recommend to any pilgrim visiting Rome next Easter is visiting seven altars of repose on Holy Thursday -- a tradition that goes back to early Christianity.
You may practice a similar custom in your own city, but the tradition originated in Rome when the faithful used to visit the seven pilgrim churches as a form of penance. The pilgrim churches are the four patriarchal basilicas (St. John Lateran, St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, St. Mary Major), plus the city’s minor basilicas (St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, the Holy Cross in Jerusalem and the Shrine of the Madonna of Divine Love).
Most Romans, however, visit seven churches that are usually in close proximity, and that’s what I did this year, together with a group of friends and visitors (a nice coincidence was that we were 12 in total, of differing nationalities). We began with Mass in the evening at the Holy Cross in Jerusalem Basilica -- a perfect place to start as the basilica houses an extraordinary collection of relics, most connected with the Passion. They include three fragments of the true cross, a nail used in the Crucifixion, two thorns from the crown of thorns, and small pieces of the scourging pillar. Also on show is a full-sized replica of the Shroud of Turin.
We then joined throngs of Romans and tourists of all ages and backgrounds who were breezing in and out of churches and spending time praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Every church had a chapel turned into beautifully adorned altars of repose for the evening, and all are open until midnight.
John Toohey, a student of canon law at the Angelicum Pontifical University, has taken part in the tradition almost every year for the past few years and once visited 16 churches in one evening. “Every year, I’m amazed by the beauty,” he said. “I always look forward to it and visit as many altars of repose as possible.”
Our pilgrimage that night was organized by John and Ashley Noronha, students at Rome’s Regina Apostolorum university and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. For John, the opportunity to participate in a tradition that goes back to the early Church and to visit these historic churches is a great attraction. “What I find most appropriate is being able to see all these relics associated with the Passion,” he said. Both he and his wife expressed that they also particularly value the fellowship and the rich cultural differences that each pilgrim brings to the evening.
Because some in our group had to leave early, we decided to visit altars in churches closer than the traditional seven, and one of the last we visited was the Basilica of St. Praxedes -- a dark, yet beautifully atmospheric church close to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Like many Roman churches it has a significant relic -- this one being a large remnant of the base of the scourging pillar. A fitting end to a grace-filled tradition -- and yet another priceless treasure of the Eternal City.
* * *
Edward Pentin is a freelance writer living in Rome. He can be reached at: epentin@zenit.org.
email this article | print this article | comment this article
ZENIT is an International News Agency.
For reprint permission: http://www.zenit.org/english/permissions.html
Visit our web page at http://www.zenit.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe: http://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html
To give a ZENIT gift subscription: http://www.zenit.org/english/gift.html
To make a donation to support ZENIT: http://www.zenit.org/english/donation.html
SEND US YOUR NEWS.
Please send press releases using: http://www.zenit.org/english/news.html
Copyright, Innovative Media, Inc.
0 comments:
Post a Comment