- Jan 13, 2005
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By Cindy Wooden
10/4/2005
ATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Archbishop William J. Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, asked members of the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist to discuss how they deal with Catholic politicians who want to receive Communion, but do not vote in full accordance with Catholic teaching.
The former archbishop of San Francisco, taking advantage of an hour of "free discussion" at the synod Oct. 3, said the issue had "caused some divisions" among U.S. Catholics during the 2004 presidential elections, and he hoped to hear how other bishops would approach the problem.
Archbishop Levada quoted from the synod's working document, which said, "Some Catholics do not understand why it might be a sin to support a political candidate who is openly in favor of abortion or other serious acts against life, justice and peace."
Given the tension that arose as different U.S. bishops chose different ways to deal with the issue, including publicly announcing they would deny Communion to some Catholic politicians, Archbishop Levada said, "Let's hear the experiences of synod fathers from other countries."
Also during the discussion period, Melkite Patriarch Gregoire III Laham of Damascus, Syria, asked Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola of Venice, the synod's recording secretary, what the Latin-rite Catholic Church held as the theological basis for its insistence on priestly celibacy.
The Melkite church, like many of the Catholic Eastern-rite churches, requires celibacy of members of monastic orders and of bishops, but ordains married men to the diocesan priesthood.
In his formal introduction of the synod topics Oct. 3, Cardinal Scola had said there were "profound theological motives which have led the Latin church to unite the conferring of ministerial priesthood to the charism of celibacy."
Although Patriarch Laham had asked him to explain those motives, the cardinal declined to do so during the one hour the synod members had for open discussion, according to information released by the Vatican.
In the formal sessions of the synod Oct. 3-4, bishops covered a variety of topics, but seemed most concerned about the need for catechesis about the Eucharist; making the Eucharist relevant in secularized societies; explaining the Eucharist in the context of the other sacraments; dealing with the shortage of priests; and connection between the Eucharist and mission, charity and social justice.
But Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto focused on the possibility of reforming the synod process itself.
In the first millennium when the churches of the East and West were united, he said, the Eucharist celebrated by the local bishop was the source and sign of the unity of the church in all its diversity. The unity was reinforced through the regular gathering of bishops in synods and councils, said Archbishop Forte, who asked how "this 'synodality' or 'collegiality' of bishops" could be "better expressed and realized?"
In other synod speeches:
-- U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, and Brazilian Archbishop Geraldo Lyrio Rocha of Vitoria da Conquista spoke of the potential for evangelization represented by televised Masses that are celebrated beautifully and properly.
-- Several speeches focused on the connection between the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation, with Chilean Archbishop Cristian Caro Cordero of Puerto Montt suggesting the church follow the Year of the Eucharist with a Year of the Sacrament of Penance from Lent 2006 to Lent 2007.
Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Congregation for Bishops, seconded the idea of a year of catechesis and celebration dedicated to the sacrament, but suggested it might be better to have more time to prepare.
Father Joseph W. Tobin, superior general of the Redemptorists, said the most effective way to help Catholics see the tie between the two sacraments is to focus less on morality and discipline and more on "the fact that the sacraments receive their deepest significance from the paschal mystery of Christ, which is the key to understanding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the freeing from the bonds of grave sins in the sacrament of penance."
-- Moscow Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz said the church might need another document emphasizing the obligation to follow the church's liturgical rules exactly.
"Christ must not suffer because of abuses in the celebration of the Eucharist," he said.
-- Several bishops urged the synod to emphasize how accepting the self-sacrifice of Christ in the Eucharist obliges Catholics to go out into the world, preaching the Gospel, engaging in charity and working for social justice and the safeguarding of the environment.
Ontario Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher of Alexandria-Cornwall told the synod that in a self-centered culture there is "a risk of reducing the Eucharist to the narrowness of our own needs and desires" without recognizing its call to go out into the world. He suggested the drafting of new introductory prayers and dismissal rites for the Mass to help underline the missionary dimension of the celebration.
Peruvian Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno of Huancayo said that in choosing bread and wine, "the fruits of the earth and work of human hands," as the form his presence would take Jesus underlined how the salvation he offered was salvation for the entire cosmos. Receiving the Eucharist "obliges us to work so that the bread and wine are fruits of a fertile, pure and uncontaminated earth," working to fight pollution and the destruction of the environment, the archbishop said.
-- Korean Bishop Peter Kang U-il of Cheju told bishops that the formation of small Christian communities within his parishes has revived participation in the Eucharist. Children and adults alike, accustomed to being entertained, find the liturgy "too tedious" and "boring," he said.
When parishioners know each other and truly feel part of a community, he said, they participate more fully in the liturgy and grow in their love for the Eucharist.
10/4/2005
The former archbishop of San Francisco, taking advantage of an hour of "free discussion" at the synod Oct. 3, said the issue had "caused some divisions" among U.S. Catholics during the 2004 presidential elections, and he hoped to hear how other bishops would approach the problem.
Archbishop Levada quoted from the synod's working document, which said, "Some Catholics do not understand why it might be a sin to support a political candidate who is openly in favor of abortion or other serious acts against life, justice and peace."
Given the tension that arose as different U.S. bishops chose different ways to deal with the issue, including publicly announcing they would deny Communion to some Catholic politicians, Archbishop Levada said, "Let's hear the experiences of synod fathers from other countries."
Also during the discussion period, Melkite Patriarch Gregoire III Laham of Damascus, Syria, asked Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola of Venice, the synod's recording secretary, what the Latin-rite Catholic Church held as the theological basis for its insistence on priestly celibacy.
The Melkite church, like many of the Catholic Eastern-rite churches, requires celibacy of members of monastic orders and of bishops, but ordains married men to the diocesan priesthood.
In his formal introduction of the synod topics Oct. 3, Cardinal Scola had said there were "profound theological motives which have led the Latin church to unite the conferring of ministerial priesthood to the charism of celibacy."
Although Patriarch Laham had asked him to explain those motives, the cardinal declined to do so during the one hour the synod members had for open discussion, according to information released by the Vatican.
In the formal sessions of the synod Oct. 3-4, bishops covered a variety of topics, but seemed most concerned about the need for catechesis about the Eucharist; making the Eucharist relevant in secularized societies; explaining the Eucharist in the context of the other sacraments; dealing with the shortage of priests; and connection between the Eucharist and mission, charity and social justice.
But Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto focused on the possibility of reforming the synod process itself.
In the first millennium when the churches of the East and West were united, he said, the Eucharist celebrated by the local bishop was the source and sign of the unity of the church in all its diversity. The unity was reinforced through the regular gathering of bishops in synods and councils, said Archbishop Forte, who asked how "this 'synodality' or 'collegiality' of bishops" could be "better expressed and realized?"
In other synod speeches:
-- U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, and Brazilian Archbishop Geraldo Lyrio Rocha of Vitoria da Conquista spoke of the potential for evangelization represented by televised Masses that are celebrated beautifully and properly.
-- Several speeches focused on the connection between the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation, with Chilean Archbishop Cristian Caro Cordero of Puerto Montt suggesting the church follow the Year of the Eucharist with a Year of the Sacrament of Penance from Lent 2006 to Lent 2007.
Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Congregation for Bishops, seconded the idea of a year of catechesis and celebration dedicated to the sacrament, but suggested it might be better to have more time to prepare.
Father Joseph W. Tobin, superior general of the Redemptorists, said the most effective way to help Catholics see the tie between the two sacraments is to focus less on morality and discipline and more on "the fact that the sacraments receive their deepest significance from the paschal mystery of Christ, which is the key to understanding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the freeing from the bonds of grave sins in the sacrament of penance."
-- Moscow Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz said the church might need another document emphasizing the obligation to follow the church's liturgical rules exactly.
"Christ must not suffer because of abuses in the celebration of the Eucharist," he said.
-- Several bishops urged the synod to emphasize how accepting the self-sacrifice of Christ in the Eucharist obliges Catholics to go out into the world, preaching the Gospel, engaging in charity and working for social justice and the safeguarding of the environment.
Ontario Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher of Alexandria-Cornwall told the synod that in a self-centered culture there is "a risk of reducing the Eucharist to the narrowness of our own needs and desires" without recognizing its call to go out into the world. He suggested the drafting of new introductory prayers and dismissal rites for the Mass to help underline the missionary dimension of the celebration.
Peruvian Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno of Huancayo said that in choosing bread and wine, "the fruits of the earth and work of human hands," as the form his presence would take Jesus underlined how the salvation he offered was salvation for the entire cosmos. Receiving the Eucharist "obliges us to work so that the bread and wine are fruits of a fertile, pure and uncontaminated earth," working to fight pollution and the destruction of the environment, the archbishop said.
-- Korean Bishop Peter Kang U-il of Cheju told bishops that the formation of small Christian communities within his parishes has revived participation in the Eucharist. Children and adults alike, accustomed to being entertained, find the liturgy "too tedious" and "boring," he said.
When parishioners know each other and truly feel part of a community, he said, they participate more fully in the liturgy and grow in their love for the Eucharist.
