Archibishop Burke on the Traditional Latin Mass

'True. I still recall the contentment with which the Holy Father presented this document beforehand to a restricted group of bishops, to which I was invited. With this courageous gesture, the Pope wished to confirm in the Church that the liturgy must be carried out in an organic way, without having to perceive traumatic breaks, something which, unfortunately, happened following the Council.  Personally, I find no difficulty or contradiction in celebrating Holy Mass according to the Novus Ordo and according to the so-called rite of St. Pius V. The motu propio "Summorum Pontificum" was a wise gesture that, I am certain, will bear good fruits in the Church." (Source: Zenit.org )

Pope's Letter to Irish Catholics

The child abuse scandals that has rocked the church in Ireland and in some countries has cast a dark shadow on the Church. On March 19, 2010, his holiness Pope Benedict XVI has issued a pastoral letter to Ireland. The full text of this letter can be read from - HERE

Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

To the Priests and Religious who have committed child abuse, the Holy Father wrote:

"You betrayed the trust that was placed in you by innocent young people and their parents, and you must answer for it before Almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals. You have forfeited the esteem of the people of Ireland and brought shame and dishonour upon your confreres. Those of you who are priests violated the sanctity of the sacrament of Holy Orders in which Christ makes himself present in us and in our actions. Together with the immense harm done to victims, great damage has been done to the Church and to the public perception of the priesthood and religious life.

I urge you to examine your conscience, take responsibility for the sins you have committed, and humbly express your sorrow. Sincere repentance opens the door to God’s forgiveness and the grace of true amendment. By offering prayers and penances for those you have wronged, you should seek to atone personally for your actions. Christ’s redeeming sacrifice has the power to forgive even the gravest of sins, and to bring forth good from even the most terrible evil. At the same time, God’s justice summons us to give an account of our actions and to conceal nothing. Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God’s mercy."

"The Goal of Ecumenism is Union with the Catholic Church"

"In a lengthy address delivered in Canada on March 6, Cardinal William Levada, prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, stated that the reception of communities of Anglicans into the Catholic Church is consistent with Anglican-Catholic ecumenical dialogue because “union with the Catholic Church is the goal of ecumenism.' " Read More of These from Catholic Culture.Org

A GOOD SIGN?

This morning we had a mass in school and I was fortunate to have the chance to enter into conversation with the priest after the mass. I ask him about the possibility for him to say mass in Latin. Thinking that I was referring to the Novus Ordo, he readily said that he was willing to say the mass in Latin. Since I perceived that he has a grasp of Latin and being an avid Latinist. But when I made mention to him the tridentine Rite, he said that it was not the right time for his parish to enter into the Tridentine Rite because currently the Bicol vernacular mass is implementing the revised text, which is more faithful to the latin texts. According to him the people are struggling to cope with the new translation and by introducing the Tridentine Rite at the this point will create a bit of confusion for the people ( I understand his point, he was talking from a pastoral point of view, considering the welfare of the church as supreme over other matters). At least he is willing to say the Novus Ordo in Latin! But when I ask him about the possibility of him to say the tridentine Mass, he said that he is open for that and perhaps in the future. Because I was prodding him and asking him about his opinions about the rite. Currently no discussions of this has gone in the Diocese of Legazpi, as of now the bishop's chair is still vacant, since Pope Benedict accepted the resignation of our Bishop. the diocese is administered at the moment by the auxilliary bishop The Most Rev. Lucilo Quiambao. So hopefully in the future there would be interest in this form of mass. Let us pray harder. I am banking on Fr. Abe's community in Sorsogon to usher in the Extraordinary form of the Mass. I hope that fr. Abe's community will invite us to their celebration sometime this February.

THE TYRANNY OF SECULARISM

It is sad that some professors of Sapienza University in Rome together with some students protested the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to their university, "objected to the visit by the Holy Father, whom they claimed is "hostile to science".(Zenith.org). In response the Holy See has postponed the visit and with sadness announced such postponement. Cardinal Ruini, the vicar for Rome invited the Romans to show their affection for the Holy Father by attending the midday Angelus.

Once again we witness how secularism to its extreme can show its intolerance. While championing academic freedom the secular scientists have shown their intolerance of others. I cannot imagine how scientists could behave that way.

Scinece is good as long as it serves the welfare of humanity. It is not a goal in itself but a means to something else. How I wish and pray that human beings could subject themselves to the authority of God. The pride of life could easily take us over if we do not watch and pray.

Let us constantly pray for these people that they may realize that freedom is a gift from God and that it entails tolerance and understanding for others.

Summorum Pontificum: Bearing Fruits

There have been reports of traditionalist groups that have been separated from Church Communion now returning to the bosom of the Church. This was according to a Zenith Report filed by Mary Shovlain. Dario Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei have cited the fact that there were groups who have contacted the Commission seeking help in order to facilitate their full ecclesial communion with Rome. In making a clarification about the status of the Society of St. Pius X, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos said; "The excommunications for the consecration done without the Pope's permission affects only those bishops who carried out the consecration, and those bishops who received episcopal ordination in this illicit form in the Church, but it does not affect the priests or the faithful. Only those bishops are excommunicated."

With the changes taking effect in the Curia and with Pope Benedict XVI's effort to reform the reform in matters of liturgy, full communion will be achieved. There is now a committee in the Vatican tasked with reviewing some of the Vatican II documents. In fact of late the Vatican has released a document explaining the nature of the Church, what it means when Vatican II says that the Church subsists in the Cathoic Church, the difference between the Church and the ecclesial communities, etc... There are also other issues that needs clarification such as Freedom of Religion or conscience and ecumenism.

In line with ecumenism, the Pope has said that it is one of his priorities. However, he said that he wants results not just mere gestures highlighting emotions etc... but he wants concrete results. Jesus wants His Churh to be united. And the See of Peter must pursue this goal. Pope Benedict expressed deep affection for the Orthodox Churches saying that they are sister churches because of apostolic succession, of the priesthood and of the sacraments.

I am not an expert on these issues, but I hope that with my little knowledge I was able to share something to you. God bless us and God bless his Church.
Cheers, God is good ll the time.