Pope Benedict XVI on the Mission of the Priest

VATICAN CITY, MAY 26, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today for the general audience in St. Peter's Square.

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Dear brothers and sisters,

The Year for Priests is coming to an end; that is why in the last catecheses I began to speak about the essential tasks of the priest, namely: to teach, to sanctify and to govern. I have already given two catecheses, one on the ministry of sanctification, above all the sacraments, and one on teaching. Hence, it remains for me today to speak about the mission of the priest to govern, to guide -- with the authority of Christ, not his own -- the portion of the people that God has entrusted to him.

In contemporary culture, how can such a dimension be understood, involving as it does the concept of authority and with its origin in the Lord's own mandate to feed his flock? What is authority really for us Christians? The cultural, political and historical experiences of the recent past, above all the dictatorships in Eastern and Western Europe in the 20th century, made contemporary man suspicious in addressing this concept. A suspicion that, not rarely, is expressed in upholding as necessary an abandonment of all authority that does not come exclusively from men and is subject to them, controlled by them. But precisely a glance at the regimes that in the past century sowed terror and death, reminds us forcefully that authority, in every realm, if it is exercised without reference to the Transcendent, if it does away with the supreme Authority, which is God, ends inevitably by turning against man.

Hence, it is important to recognize that human authority is never an end, but always and only a means and that, necessarily and in every age, the end is always the person, created by God with his own intangible dignity and called to relationship with the Creator himself, in the earthly journey of existence and in eternal life. It is an authority exercised in responsibility before God, before the Creator. An authority thus understood, which has as its only objective to serve the true good of persons and to lucidity to the only Supreme Good that is God, not only is not foreign to men but, on the contrary, is a precious help in the journey toward full realization in Christ, toward salvation.

The Church is called and is committed to exercise this type of authority that is service, and she exercises it not in her own name, but in the name of Jesus Christ, who received from the Father all power in heaven and on earth (cf. Matthew 28:18). In fact, Christ feeds his flock through the pastors of the Church: It is he who guides it, protects it, corrects it, because he loves it profoundly.

But the Lord Jesus, Supreme Shepherd of our souls, willed that the Apostolic College, today the bishops in communion with the Successor of Peter, and priests, their most valuable collaborators, should participate in his mission to take care of the People of God, to be educators in the faith, guiding, animating and sustaining the Christian community or, as the Council says, seeing to it that the "faithful are led individually in the Holy Spirit to a development of their own vocation according to the Gospel, to a sincere and practical charity, and to that freedom with which Christ has made us free" (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 6).

Hence, every pastor is the means through which Christ himself loves men: It is through our ministry -- dear priests -- it is through us that the Lord gathers souls, instructs them, protects them, and guides them. In his commentary to the Gospel of St. John, St. Augustine says: "may it be, therefore, a commitment of love to feed the flock of the Lord" (123,5); this is the supreme norm of conduct for the ministers of God, an unconditional love, such as that of the Good Shepherd, full of joy, open to all, attentive to neighbors and solicitous toward those far away (cf. St. Augustine, Discourse 340, 1; Discourse 46, 15), gentle with the weakest, the little ones, the simple, the sinners, to manifest the infinite mercy of God with the reassuring words of hope (cf. Id. Letter 95, 1).

If such a pastoral task is founded on the sacrament, nevertheless its efficacy is not independent of the personal existence of the presbyter. To be a pastor according to the heart of God (cf. Jeremiah 3:15) there must be a profound rootedness in living friendship with Christ, not only of the intelligence, but also of liberty and of the will, a clear awareness of the identity received in priestly ordination, an unconditional willingness to guide the entrusted flock where the Lord wishes and not in the direction that, apparently, seems more suitable and easy. That requires, first of all, the continuos and progressive willingness to let Christ himself govern the priestly existence of the presbyters. In fact, no one is really capable of feeding Christ's flock if he does not live a profound and real obedience to Christ and to the Church, and the docility itself of the people to their priests depends on the docility of priests to Christ; because of this, at the base of pastoral ministry is always the personal and constant encounter with the Lord, profound knowledge of him, conforming one's will to the will of Christ.

In the last decades, the adjective "pastoral" has often been used almost in opposition to the concept of "hierarchical," exactly as the idea "communion" has also been interpreted in the very same opposition. This is perhaps the point where a brief observation might be useful on the word "hierarchy," which is the traditional designation of the structure of sacramental authority in the Church, ordered according to the three levels of the sacrament of holy orders: episcopate, presbyterate, diaconate. Prevailing in public opinion, for this reality of "hierarchy," is the element of subordination and the juridical element; because of this for many the idea of hierarchy appears in contrast to the flexibility and the vitality of the pastoral sense and even contrary to the humility of the Gospel. But this is a badly understood sense of hierarchy, caused also historically by abuses of authority and careerism, which are in fact abuses and do not stem from the very being of the reality of "hierarchy."

The common opinion is that "hierarchy" is always something linked to domination and thus does not correspond to the true sense of the Church, of unity in the love of Christ. But, as I have said, this is a mistaken interpretation, which has its origin in abuses of history, but does not correspond to the true meaning of what the hierarchy is.

Let us begin with the word. Generally, it is said that the meaning of the world hierarchy is "sacred dominion," but the real meaning is not this, it is "sacra origine," that is: This authority does not come from man himself, but has its origin in the sacred, in the sacrament; hence it subjects the person to the vocation, to the mystery of Christ; it makes of the individual a servant of Christ and only insofar as he is a servant of Christ can he govern, guide for Christ and with Christ. Because of this, whoever enters in the sacred order of the sacrament, the "hierarchy," is not an autocrat, but enters in a new bond of obedience to Christ: he is tied to him in communion with the other members of the sacred order, of the priesthood. And even the Pope -- point of reference for all the other pastors and for the communion of the Church -- cannot do what he wants; on the contrary, the Pope is custodian of the obedience to Christ, to his word taken up again in the "regula fidei," in the Creed of the Church, and must proceed in obedience to Christ and to his Church. Hence, hierarchy implies a triple bond: first of all, the one with Christ and the order given by the Lord to his Church; then the bond with the other pastors in the one communion of the Church; and, finally, the bond with the faithful entrusted to the individual, in the order of the Church.

Hence, it is understood that communion and hierarchy are not contrary to one another, but condition each other. Together they are only one thing (hierarchical communion). Hence, the pastor is pastor precisely when guiding and protecting the flock and at times impeding its dispersal. Outside a clearly and explicitly supernatural vision, the task of governing proper to priests is not comprehensible. But, sustained by true love for the salvation of each member of the faithful, it is particularly precious and necessary also in our time. If the goal is to take the proclamation of Christ and lead men to the salvific encounter with him so that they will have life, the task of guiding is configured as a service lived in total donation for the upbuilding of the flock in truth and in sanctity, often going against the current and remembering that the one who is the greatest must be made the smallest, and one who governs, must be as one who serves (cf. Lumen Gentium, 27).

Where can a priest today get the strength for such exercise of his ministry, in full fidelity to Christ and to the Church, with a total dedication to the flock? There is only one answer: in Christ the Lord. Jesus' way of governing is not that of domination, but it is the humble and loving service of the washing of the feet, and Christ's kingship over the universe is not an earthly triumph, but finds its culmination on the wood of the cross, which becomes judgment for the world and point of reference for the exercise of authority that is the true expression of pastoral charity. The saints, and among them St. John Mary Vianney, exercised with love and dedication the task of caring for the portion of the People of God entrusted to them, showing also that they were strong and determined men, with the sole objective of promoting the true good of souls, able to pay in person, to the point of martyrdom, to remain faithful to the truth and to the justice of the Gospel.

Dear priests, "tend the flock of God in your midst, (overseeing) not by constraint but willingly, [...] be examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:2). Hence, do not be afraid to lead to Christ each of the brothers that he has entrusted to you, certain that every word and every attitude, if stemming from obedience to the will of God, will bear fruit; know how to live appreciating the merits and acknowledging the limits of the culture in which we find ourselves, with the firm certainty that the proclamation of the Gospel is the greatest service that can be done to man. In fact, there is no greater good in this earthly life, than to lead men to God, reawaken faith, raise man from inertia and despair, to give the hope that God is near and guides personal history and that of the world.

This, in sum, is the profound and ultimate meaning of the task of governing that the Lord has entrusted to us. It is about forming Christ in believers, through that process of sanctification that is conversion of criteria, of the scale of values, of attitudes, to let Christ live in every faithful. St. Paul thus summarizes his pastoral action: "My children, for whom I am again in labor until Christ be formed in you!" (Galatians 4:19).

Dear brothers and sisters, I would like to invite you to pray for me, the Successor of Peter who has a specific task in governing the Church of Christ, as well as for all your bishops and priests. Pray that we will be able to take care of all the sheep of the flock entrusted to us, also those who are lost. To you, dear priests, I address a cordial invitation to the closing celebrations of the Year for Priests, next June 9, 10 and 11, here in Rome: we will meditate on conversion and mission, on the priestly gift, sustained by all the People of God. Thank you!

[Translation by ZENIT]

[The Holy Father then greeted pilgrims in several languages. In English, he said:]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In these final days of the Year for Priests, I would like to speak of the priest's ministry of governing, in the name of Christ, the flock entrusted to his care. Authority, in the Christian understanding, is a service to the true, ultimate good of the person, which is our salvation in Christ; exercised in the Lord's name, it is an expression of the constant presence and care of the Good Shepherd. The spiritual authority conferred in Holy Orders should be matched by the priest's interior fidelity to his pastoral mission and his personal readiness to follow obediently the lead of Christ. Understood in the light of faith, this authority, while involving the exercise of power, remains a service to the building up of the Church in holiness, unity and truth. Christ's power was expressed in the washing of the feet, and his kingship by the wood of the Cross; so too, the priestly ministry of governance must be expressed in pastoral charity. I ask all of you to support your priests in their ministry of leading men and women to God, bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel and its message of hope. In a special way I also ask you to pray for my own ministry of governance in the Church, and for the spiritual fruitfulness of the celebrations at the conclusion of the Year for Priests.

I welcome all the English-speaking visitors present at today's Audience, especially those from England, Ireland, Sweden, Australia, India, Barbados, Canada and the United States of America. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke Almighty God's blessings of joy and peace!

©Copyright 2010 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

[In Italian, he said:]

Finally, I address my greeting to young people, to the sick and to newlyweds. Today the Church remembers St. Philip Neri, who is distinguished for his joy and for his special dedication to youth, whom he educated and evangelized through the inspired pastoral initiative of the Oratory. Dear young people, look at this saint to learn to live with evangelical simplicity. Dear sick, may St. Philip Neri help you to make of your suffering an offering to the heavenly Father, in union with Jesus crucified. And you, dear newlyweds, supported by the intercession of St. Philip, be inspired always in the Gospel to build a truly Christian family.

[Translation by ZENIT]

Living in the Shadow of Giants

Today was mostly a good Pentecost for me. I went to the vigil Mass on Saturday, a special Mass honoring one of our deceased friars, Fr. Bill Atkinson. I did not know him, but he is very clearly a giant among men, and his powerful witness to the Gospel and the Cross of Jesus Christ is evident by his remaining family and friends who speak with such love of the beautiful light that they knew in Bill. He was a novice with the Augustinians in the 1970's, and during his novitiate year he was involved in a toboggan accident which left him paralyzed from the neck down. While many would have seen this as a curse from God, it seems that Bill Atkinson recognized in this tragedy an opportunity to take up in a very special way the Cross of Jesus Christ and unite himself to His sufferings. Through divine grace, human determination and the wonderful support of his community, Bill was able to continue his theology studies, and after receiving a special dispensation from Pope Paul VI he became, as far as we know, the first quadriplegic ever ordained to the Catholic priesthood in the history of the Church. He lived his life as a friar teaching at Monsignor Bonner High School, and lived at the monastery where I now live as a prenovice. Though I never knew him, his presence surrounds me daily, as the very altar at which we celebrate Mass as a community is an altar specially designed for Fr. Atkinson, and since he has passed on it has been raised on stilts and now sits as the main altar in our very beautiful chapel. Other provisions made for Bill are found throughout the monastery, and it is a blessing for me to live in the house of a giant.

Lately I've been thinking much about the men who have gone before me. I have come into a tradition of friars that is now over 750 years old. Though we have many beatified and canonized members of our Order, some famous, some less well known, we have always with us, past and present, the lives of so many men and women who have devoted their lives wholly to Christ and His Church, have been consecrated, set apart for Christ in a special way to be a sacramental presence of God's love in this world. Recognizing the many giants of our Order, not only the St. Augustines, the St. Ritas, the St. Thomas of Villanovas, but also the Bill Atkinsons, the Thomas Martins, the John McKniffs, I am profoundly aware of my own smallness and ordinariness. I am not holy, I am not humble, I am not generous, though all of these I long to be, and while aware of how short I fall of these virtues now, I trust that God is calling me to them and that in His grace I will be transformed. The beauty of the saints is that they provide for us such powerful witness that ordinary women and men are called every day to holiness, and that by the simple and humble submission to God's loving will, they have been transformed and transfigured into living witnesses and even the living presence of Christ in our world.

This is most of all why I have always been so drawn to Augustine, because he is all the proof I need that a sinner as great as me can one day become holy and generous in my love for God and man. This desire was strongly in my heart this day, and it was indeed a very prayerful day, not a day of special spiritual consolation, but a day when just the slightest flicker arose in my heart, the flicker not of a dying flame but rather of embers preparing to be stoked anew into a magnificent and consuming fire.

My biggest enemy these days is sloth, the vice that for me consistently serves as the black hole that seeks to suck out all the oxygen in the fire of my soul. But today I prayed, if not very well. Veni Sancte Spiritu. It may have been but a mutter, a grumble from my heart instead of a blaring trumpet as I wish it were, but it was the expression of desire, and I trust faithfully in the words of St. Paul:

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose (Rom 8:26-28).

My nearly lifeless prayer is given life by the Spirit of God who intercedes for me, aiding me when I do not pray as I ought. For I ought to pray with a heart full of love and gratitude for the many gifts with which I have been blessed, most of all the very gift of my salvation, and the gift of God's own Spirit which allows me that loving knowledge of my God. But this is too often not how I pray, because sloth resides so deep in my mind, body, and soul. But today I prayed, and today I both welcome presently and anticipate hopefully the transformative power of God's sanctifying Spirit.

Tonight I will sleep with the angels, pray that they watch over me and in my sleep may their prayers for me, and the prayers of all the saints of God's Church, and in a special way the prayers of all those giants who have gone before me, call down that grace from God, so that with the dawn I may arise to life anew in the Spirit of God, and in the light of day I may walk in the ever-illuminating light of Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI’s Homily for Pentecost

Blessed Pentecost to all! Following is Pope Benedict XVI's Pentecost Homily, which I pray lifts our hearts and minds to contemplate the beauty and wonder of our God:

Dear brothers and sisters,

In the solemn celebration of Pentecost we are invited to profess our faith in the presence and in the action of the Holy Spirit and to invoke his outpouring upon us, upon the Church and upon the whole world. Let us make our own, and with special intensity, the Church's invocation: "Veni, Sancte Spiritus!" 

It is such a simple and immediate invocation, but also extraordinarily profound, which came first of all from the heart of Christ. The Spirit, in fact, is the gift that Jesus asked and continually asks of his Father for his friends; the first and principal gift that he obtained for us through his Resurrection and Ascension in to heaven.

Today's Gospel passage, which has the Last Supper as its context, speaks to us of this prayer of Christ. The Lord Jesus said to his disciples: "If you love me, follow my commandments; and I will pray to the Father and he will give you another Paraclete who will remain with you forever" (John 14:15-16). 

Here the praying heart of Jesus is revealed to us, his filial and fraternal heart. This prayer reaches its apex and its fulfillment on the cross, where Christ's invocation is one with the total gift that he makes of himself, and thus his prayer becomes, so to speak, the very seal of his self-giving for love of the Father and humanity: Invocation and donation of the Spirit meet, they interpenetrate, they become one reality. "And I will pray to the Father and he will give you another Paraclete who will remain with you forever." In reality, Jesus' prayer -- that of the Last Supper and the prayer on the cross -- is a single prayer that continues even in heaven, where Christ sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus, in fact, always lives his priesthood of intercession on behalf of the people of God and humanity and so prays for all of us, asking the Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The account of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles -- we listened to it in the first reading (Acts 2:1-11) -- presents the "new course" of the work that God began with Christ's resurrection, a work that involves man, history and the cosmos. The Son of God, dead and risen and returned to the Father, now breathes with untold energy the divine breath upon humanity, the Holy Spirit. And what does this new and powerful self-communication of God produce? Where there are divisions and estrangement he creates unity and understanding. The Spirit triggers a process of reunification of the divided and dispersed parts of the human family; persons, often reduced to individuals in competition or in conflict with each other, reached by the Spirit of Christ, open themselves to the experience of communion, can involve them to such an extent as to make of them a new organism, a new subject: the Church. This is the effect of God's work: unity; thus unity is the sign of recognition, the "business card" of the Church in the course of her universal history. From the very beginning, from the day of Pentecost, she speaks all languages. The universal Church precedes the particular Churches, and the latter must always conform to the former according to a criterion of unity and universality. The Church never remains a prisoner within political, racial and cultural confines; she cannot be confused with states not with federations of states, because her unity is of a different type and aspires to transcend every human frontier.

From this, dear brothers, there derives a practical criterion of discernment for Christian life: When a person or a community, limits itself to its own way of thinking and acting, it is a sign that it has distanced itself from the Holy Spirit. The path of Christians and of the particular Churches must always confront itself with the path of the one and catholic Church, and harmonize with it. This does not mean that the unity created by the Holy Spirit is a kind of homogenization. On the contrary, that is rather the model of Babel, that is, the imposition of a culture of unity that we could call "technological." The Bible, in fact, tells us (cf. Genesis 11:1-9) that in Babel everyone spoke the same language. At Pentecost, however, the Apostles speak different languages in such a way that everyone understands the message in his own tongue. The unity of the Spirit is manifested in the plurality of understanding. The Church is one and multiple by her nature, destined as she is to live among all nations, all peoples, and in the most diverse social contexts. She responds to her vocation to be a sign and instrument of unity of the human race (cf. "Lumen Gentium," 1) only if she remains free from every state and every particular culture. Always and in every place the Church must truly be catholic and universal, the house of all in which each one can find a place.

The account of the Acts of the Apostles offers us another very concrete indication. The universality of the Church is expressed by the list of peoples according to the ancient tradition: "We are Parthians, Medes, Elamites …," etc. One may note that St. Luke goes beyond the number 12, which always expresses a universality. He looks beyond the horizons of Asia and northwest Africa, and adds three other elements: the "Romans," that is, the western world; the "Jews and proselytes," encompass in a new way the unity between Israel and the world; and finally "Cretans and Arabs," who represent the West and the East, islands and land. This opening of horizons subsequently confirms the newness of Christ in the human space, in the history of the nations: The Holy Spirit involves men and peoples and, through them, it overcomes walls and barriers.

At Pentecost the Holy Spirit manifests himself as fire. His flame descended upon the assembled disciples, it was enkindled in them and gave them the new ardor of God. In this way what Jesus had previously said was realized: "I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I long that it already be burning!" (Luke 12:49). The Apostles, together with the faithful of different communities, carried this divine flame to the far corners of the earth; in this way they opened a path for humanity, a luminous path, and they worked with God, who wants to renew the face of the earth with his fire. How different this fire is from that of wars and bombs! How different is the fire of Christ, spread by the Church, compared with those lit by the dictators of every epoch, of last century too, who leave a scorched earth behind them. The fire of God, the fire of the Holy Spirit, is that of the bush that burned without being consumed (cf. Exodus 3:2). It is a flame that burns but does not destroy, that, in burning, brings forth the better and truer part of man, as in a fusion it makes his interior form emerge, his vocation to truth and to love.

A Father of the Church, Origen, in one of his homilies on Jeremiah, reports a saying attributed to Jesus, not contained in the sacred Scriptures but perhaps authentic, which he puts thus: "Whoever is near me, is near the fire" ("Homilies on Jeremiah," L. I [III]). In Christ, in fact, there is the fullness of God, who in the Bible is compared to fire. We just observed that the flame of the Holy Spirit burns but does not destroy. And nevertheless it causes a transformation, and it must for this reason consume something in man, the waste that corrupts him and hinders his relations with God and neighbor. 

This effect of the divine fire, however, frightens us, we are afraid of being "burned," we prefer to stay just as we are. This is because our life is often formed according to the logic of having, of possessing and not the logic of self-giving. Many people believe in God and admire the person of Jesus Christ, but when they are asked to lose something of themselves, then they retreat, they are afraid of the demands of faith. There is the fear of giving up something nice to which we are attached; the fear that following Christ deprives us of freedom, of certain experiences, of a part of ourselves. On one hand, we want to be with Jesus, follow him closely, and, on the other hand, we are afraid of the consequences that this brings with it.

Dear brothers and sisters, we always need to hear the Lord Jesus tell us what he often repeated to his friends: "Be not afraid." Like Simon Peter and the others we must allow his presence and his grace to transform our heart, which is always subject to human weakness. We must know how to recognize that losing something, indeed, losing ourselves for the true God, the God of love and of life, is in reality gaining ourselves, finding ourselves more fully. Whoever entrusts himself to Jesus already experiences in this life peace and joy of heart, which the world cannot give, and it cannot even take it away once God has given it to us. 

So it is worthwhile to let ourselves be touched by the fire of the Holy Spirit! The suffering that it causes us is necessary for our transformation. It is the reality of the cross: It is not for nothing that in the language of Jesus "fire" is above all a representation of the cross, without which Christianity does not exist. 

Thus enlightened and comforted by these words of life, let us lift up our invocation: Come, Holy Spirit! Enkindle in us the fire of your love! We know that this is a bold prayer, with which we ask to be touched by the flame of God; but we know above all that this flame -- and only it -- has the power to save us. We do not want, in defending our life, to lose the eternal life that God wants to give us. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit, because only Love redeems. Amen.

Jerusalem Bishop on Christianity in the Middle East

JERUSALEM, MAY 22, 2010 (Zenit.org) - Here is the text of a May 13 address by Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The address was titled "The Middle Eastern Synod in its Geopolitical and Pastoral Context." The synod on the Middle East will be held Oct.10-24 in Rome.

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Dear brothers and sisters,

Thank you for organizing this conference to prepare better yourselves for the upcoming Middle Eastern Synod. After all, this Synod is meant for you too. You have understood this and have thus assiduously answered the questions posed in the lineamenta.

You will surely be the first to implement the eventual recommendations of the Synod. Thank you for your essential and valuable cooperation. You men and women religious of the Holy Land continue to be at the forefront of the Church's witness to Christ's love for all men and women, irrespective of religion and race. Your testimony in the field of charity, education and health care is unique and irreplaceable.

The Synod of the Catholic Church for the Middle East concerns Arab and non-Arab countries that spread over a vast geographical area from Egypt to Turkey, from Iran to Israel and right through to the Gulf, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Cyprus. It includes directly or indirectly 14 million Christians in a population of 330 million inhabitants, among whom we find Arabs, Turks, Iranians, Greeks and Jews. This synod will focus on this very complex and diverse situation.

It's true that in these last years we have seen a Synod for Lebanon and another for the Holy Land. One might feel entitled then to pose the following question: "Instead of so ambitious a Synod for the entire Middle East, why not organize a special Synod for each of those countries that has not yet had one? Why should Lebanon and the Holy Land redo the same work?" The answer lies in the fact that the number and complexity of problems and challenges facing the Middle East are too large to be handled by the various single dioceses and churches separately. In addition, our globalized world makes a synod dealing comprehensively with all our common problems under the authority of the Sovereign Pontiff necessary, "cum Petro et sub Petro".

The Synod sets forth two main goals:

1 - Confirm and strengthen Christians in their identity through the Word of God and the Sacraments.

2 - Giving new life to the ecclesial communion between the sui iuris Churches so that they might provide an authentic witness of joyful and attractive Christian life.

One peculiarity of the Middle East is the large number of sui iuris Eastern Churches that have taken root here: the Melkites, Syrians, Maronites, Copts, Armenians and Chaldeans. These churches need to live their liturgical and linguistic particularity on the one hand, and a greater communion among themselves on the other. Currently, this communion leaves something to be desired. They also need pastoral and liturgical renewal. The Latin Church went through this change at the Second Vatican Council, which revolutionized its liturgy and ecclesiology and gave it a new openness to the world. The Eastern Churches are in need of a similar revolution so that they might be able to adapt and modernize and thus better meet the needs of their congregations today.

So much for the introduction to the theme of our conference. Now let's get into the details.

I. The geopolitical situation in the Middle East

1- Turkey. This country has 72 million inhabitants (source: wikipedia), with a Muslim majority. Christians number 100,000, slightly more than 1 per thousand. Turkey is a secular country, separating state and religion (Islam). It

is seeking to give a good impression to gain entry into the European Community. To Turkey's credit you could cite the secularization introduced by Ataturk in 1924; on the negative side we must cite the Armenian genocide, for which Turkey refuses take responsibility and the partition of the island of Cyprus between Turks and Greeks, for which it also bears responsibility.

2- Iran. In this country Shia Islam is dominant in all sectors of society. 72 million are Muslim, while Christians - predominantly Armenians and Assyrians - number only 200,000. News from Iran report the existence of an active Baptist community, which has made thousands of converts to Christianity (about 10,000 known conversions). But a convert finds himself treated as a renegade, a traitor to Islam and a backer of the chief enemy: America. Iran is rich and supports the Shia of Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza for religious and ideological reasons. This country has territorial ambitions in the Gulf where there is a large and forcefully muted Shiite minority.

3- Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 33 million people live in this oil rich region. The various political regimes have differing attitudes towards Christians; it goes from respect - as in Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai - to the intransigence and lack of freedom - as in Saudi Arabia. While Qatar has allowed the construction of a large church that can hold 5000 faithful, Christians in Saudi Arabia, numbering around half a million, are not allowed to gather for prayer. They meet secretly in private homes to pray on Sunday, running the risk of repercussions. Another problem is posed by the existence of a large number of Christian immigrant workers, often deprived of their elementary social and religious rights. In addition, militant Islam takes advantage of these immigrant workers' economic embarrassment in order to convert to them to Islam. There are a number of converts each year, who are promised substantial material benefits.

4- Egypt. The number of Copts is not yet certain. Local government statistics speak of 6 million whereas the Coptic Church speaks of 12 million. The figure of 10 million is certainly closer to the truth. Clashes between Muslim and Coptic communities are frequent. The Egyptians are the most religious people in the world in terms of pious practice, but also in terms bigotry. The Copts feel despised and deprived of many rights, especially their freedom of worship (as demonstrated in the difficulty of building a church) and freedom of conscience. Their occupy an insignificant place in society and government. As an example: out of 454 Egyptian parliamentarians, only three are Christian, or less than 1%, while the percentage of Christians in Egypt is 10% at least.
"In Egypt, the rise of political Islam on the one hand and the, in part, forced disengagement of Christians from the civil society on the other, make their lives subject to intolerance, inequality and injustice. In addition, by means of the media and the schools this Islamization penetrates into Christian family life, modifying their mentality so that they unconsciously conform to an Islamic world view." (Instrumentum laboris).

5- Iraq. The U.S. invasion decimated the Christian community. Before 1987, it numbered 1.25 million followers, mostly Chaldeans. Today they are less than 400,000. One of the great disasters of this century is the massive exodus of Iraqi Christians due to the insecurity and harassment of which they are victims. In Iraq, the war unleashed forces of evil in the country, among varying political streams and religious denominations. It has taken a toll on all Iraqis, but the Christians have been among the main victims because they represent the smallest and weakest of Iraqi communities. Even today, global politics completely fail to take them into account. This is in addition to other calamities that have struck the Christians of the Middle East in the past two centuries:
- The genocide of one million and half Armenians in Turkey in 1915;
- The genocide against the Maronites in 1860 and the Lebanese Civil War caused the exodus of many Christians;
- The constant emigration of Christians from the Holy Land for more than a century.

6- Syria. The situation of One and a half million Christian Syrians seems tranquil under the Syrian Baath, which rests on the support of minorities, the Asad family itself being from the Alawite minority. But there is always the fear an unexpected change and turnaround. In Iraq, for example, Christians enjoyed many privileges during Saddam's regime. It seems that all it takes is a dethroning to open Pandora's Box against the Christian population. A phobia with regards to upheavals still exists in the Arab world, given that state policy often depends on the alternatively benevolent or malevolent attitude of the family or party in power, rather than a durable popular mind-set.

7- Lebanon: Christians are divided on both the political and religious planes, and nobody possesses a plan acceptable to all. The political balance achieved in 1943 when the Christians made up 55% of the total population does not currently reflect the situation on the ground. The Shiites, who are becoming ever more numerous and stronger, are demanding more authority in Parliament. The current balance of power is weak. Lebanon must attain to the position of a mature democracy and leave behind its absurd confessionalism without bloodshed.

8- Jordan is a quiet country. The Christians feel safe and enjoy religious freedom, with representatives in parliament and in government. We have witnessed the warm welcome that the Jordanian King and Government gave to Pope Benedict XVI. Despite this, freedom of conscience does not exist. It is something that we observe in all Arab countries. Islam claims to be the religion of truth, the only truth. The other religions are only tolerated. Therefore it is not permissible for a Muslim to abandon the truth for error. Change of religion is perceived as a betrayal of society, culture and nation, three realities primarily built upon a religious tradition.

9- Palestine and Israel: The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has lasted for over 80 years including six violent confrontations, to which we must add the two general Intifadas. It is an ideological conflict that does not appear close to finding a solution in the short term. The economic situation and lack of security have obliged a large part of the Palestinian Christians to emigrate. The Palestinian diaspora numbers somewhere around 500,000, the majority located in Chile.

II. Identifying Some of the Major Problems Facing the Synod

The survey has allowed us to identify the major problems faced by Christian communities in the Middle East:

- An emigration that has weakened the fabric of Christian life. This emigration has also opened the eyes of moderate Muslims who see in this exodus an impoverishment of Arab society and the loss of moderate elements. Many Palestinians intellectuals - including Faisal Husseini, the current Grand Mufti of Palestine, Tayseer Tamimi, the Grand Magistrate, President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad - have said that the departure of Christians has been a loss for all Palestinians and will end up setting Jewish and Muslim extremism face to face. Christians are a moderate element that attracts Western sympathy for the Palestinian question. In addition, in the past, the Christians of Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Palestine participated in the progress and development of their respective societies. With their numbers reduced, making up but a small percentage of the total population, their presence becomes insignificant, providing all the more reason for this remnant to emigrate.

- Conversions to Islam. It is true that few Christians become Muslims. But given the small number of our communities, every one counts. In Egypt, it is estimated that up to 15,000 young Christian girls become Muslim for reason related to marriage. Each year, similar cases occur in Palestine and Jordan. Each time it's a tragedy for the family, which looks upon this conversion as a betrayal in front her religion and herself. In the majority of cases, the girl is considered lost because the girl completely loses touch with her family. Conversion does not affect girls only. Foreign workers in the Gulf countries are also victims. In order to continue to find work, conversion to Islam helps tremendously. Counting just the small emirate of Dubai, the number of men and women who went over to Islam in 2008 was 2,763. They belonged to 72 different nationalities.

- The rise of political Islam: "The rise of political Islam from the period of around 1970 is a striking phenomenon that affects the region and the situation of Christians in the Arab world. This political Islam includes various religious currents who aim at imposing an Islamic lifestyle on Arab, Turkish or Iranian societies, and all those who live there, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. For these currents, detachment from Islam is the source of all evils. The solution is thus the return to Islamic origins. Hence the slogan: Islam is the solution [...] To achieve this end, some do not hesitate to resort to violence." (Instrumentum Laboris).

- The Ghetto Mentality: "Religion is regarded as an identifier that not only differentiates but may also divide and be used to generate a closing off of relationships and hostility. The danger lies in turning in on ourselves and in fear of the other. We must both strengthen the faith and spirituality of our faithful and strengthen the social bonds and solidarity among them, without falling into a ghetto mentality" (Instrumentum Laboris).

III. Synod's Response to the expectations of Middle Eastern Christians

The Church does not claim to offer prefabricated solutions to all the problems facing Christians living in the Middle East. The situation of each church, or even every believer, is unique and there is no perfect solution for all. Instead, the Church indicates the places and ways to arrive at the solution to these problems and offers three important paths:

1- It is necessary to form Christians in reading and living the Word of God

In the Middle East there is a lot of piety and much popular devotion. But the Word of God has not yet taken its rightful place in the spirituality of the Christian people. Lectio divina has remained the privilege of an elite. One must expend great effort in order to initiate people in reading the Bible and meditating on it. Part of the success of the sects is their contact with the Word of God, plus the fact they have communities everywhere that are fervent and attract those in search of warmth.

The Holy Scriptures, written in our land and in our languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek), with literary and cultural expressions that we feel as our own, will guide our thinking. The Word of God is read in the Church. These Scriptures, transmitted and meditated upon in our sacred liturgies, have come to us through church communities. They are an indispensable reference for discovering the meaning of our presence, our communion and our witness in the current context of our respective countries.

Here is a response to Lineamenta concerning the Word of God: "God's Word directs and gives meaning and significance to life, transforming it radically. It blazes paths of hope, and provides a vital balance in our triple relationship with God, ourselves and others. Moreover, it is a help for facing the challenges of today's world. Thus it ought to be the reference for Christians in educating their children, particularly with regards to the experience of forgiveness and charity. Some families do indeed find there their inspiration in educating their children.

2- We need to form Christians in forgiveness, reconciliation and openness to the other

The Middle East is torn by bloody conflicts, producing implacable hatreds and resentments. Kurds, Iranians, Palestinians, Israelis and Lebanese have suffered terribly, and their wounds have yet to close much less heal. Sometimes religion is mixed in as the background to the conflict in order to ideologize and consolidate it. The solution lies not in retaliation, which creates a vicious circle of endless violence, but rather in dialogue and forgiveness. This will be the long-term work of educators. Christians have their contribution to make in resolving political or religious conflicts.

Being open to the other also has a religious dimension. While visiting the Holy Land, Palestine and Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI insisted on meeting with Muslim leaders. He did the same with the Hebrew religion in order to encourage dialogue. He knows that the future of humanity depends on our efforts in this way.

Being open to the other also has an ecumenical dimension. Among the responses to Lineamenta we find these relevant lines: "All the divisions between Churches of the Middle East are the bitter fruits of the past, but the Spirit works with the churches to bring them together and break down barriers to that visible unity willed by Christ; "...that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (Jn 17:21)

The major divergence between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches is in how we understand of primacy of the Bishop of Rome. In his encyclical Ut unum sint(Numbers 88-96, especially 93 and 95), Pope John Paul II accepts responsibility for "Finding a way of exercising the primacy which, while not in any way renouncing what is essential to its mission, is nonetheless open to a new situation, taking into account the dual Latin and Eastern canonical tradition. "

3- We need to form Christians in considering their presence here as a vocation and not as their fate

Christians living in the Middle East are rooted in a certain culture and language, and live with other peoples with whom they share a language, history and many traditions. Christians should not feel that they are foreigners. They are called to be witnesses of Christ in those countries where they live. To flee their countries of origin means to escape reality. We need to encourage Christians to live with faith and joy in the land of their ancestors. Their departure weakens the few who remain, who then also seek to leave.

The faithful expect their pastors give them clear reasons for their mission in each country. It is not for us to be anything other than authentic witnesses of the Risen Christ present in His Church through the Holy Spirit, in those countries where we were born and where we live, countries that are characterized not only through a process of political and democratic maturation, but, unfortunately, also by conflict and instability.

Another factor that could help to limit emigration: to make Christians more aware of the meaning of their presence and the need to engage, here and now, in public life. Everyone in his own country bears the message of Christ to his society. This message is to be carried forward even in difficulties and persecution.

Conclusion

I would like to conclude with some testimonies regarding the religious and clergy that came out in the responses to Lineamenta:

"The responses underscore the importance of Christian witness at all levels: first of all, in consecrated life, which is present in our country to varying degrees. The first mission of men and women religious is prayer and intercession for the society; for greater justice in politics and economics, more solidarity and respect in family relationships, stronger courage to denounce injustice, more honesty in order to not become embroiled in local disputes or in seeking personal interests. Such is the ethic that pastors, men and women religious and religious educators need to propose, with a marked consistency in our personal and communitarian lives as well as our social, charitable and educational institutions. And all of this so that our faithful might be ever truer witnesses of the Resurrection in society."

"The formation of our clergy and faithful, in homilies and in catechesis, must give to the believer the authentic meaning his or her faith, and give him also an awareness of his role in society in the name of that faith. The believer must be taught to seek out and recognize God in everything and everyone, contributing his efforts to render present in our society and our world, through the practice of personal and social virtues: social-justice, honesty, uprightness, hospitality, solidarity, openness of heart, moral purity, fidelity, etc.. "

"The ministers of Christ, consecrated men and women, and all those who seek to follow Him more closely, bear a heavy spiritual and moral responsibility in our community: they should be a model and an example for others. The community expects them to live the Gospel values concretely in an exemplary manner. It is not surprising to see that many of the faithful on their part desire a greater simplicity of life, a real detachment from money and worldly comforts, a radiant and transparent practice of chastity and moral purity. The Synod would like to be of service in this sincere examination of conscience so that we might discover our strengths to promote and develop them, and uncover our weaknesses in order to receive the courage to correct them."

Why I Do Not Support Draw Muhammed Day

Argument has always been the best way for me to come to better understanding of difficult issues. So after writing this argument in support of the Draw Muhammed Facebook event, I will now venture to argue against it.

Throughout its history, Islam has struggled well to maintain a balance between intellectual freedom and enforcement of doctrinal orthodoxy. The Ummayyad dynasty, the first dynasty of Islamic rulers to succeed the four Rightly Guided Khalifas, began a strong tradition of intellectualism in Muslim and Arabic philosophy and theology. This tradition was taken up and flourished under the Abbassid dynasty, led first by Al-Ma'mun. Al-Ma'mun perhaps best epitomizes this struggle between intellectual freedom and doctrinal orthodoxy. It was he who established the House of Wisdom, a philosophical school which taught reason and which began the translation movement, wherein Greek philosophical works were translated into Arabic, a movement to which Christian philosophy and theology owes a tremendous debt. Al-Ma'mun encouraged debate and philosophical reason, not only among Muslims, but also among Muslims and Christians, Jews, and pagans. Yet Al-Ma'mun also demanded that all Muslims accept the tenet that the Qur'an was created, and began an inquisition that imprisoned those who refused to admit to this.

Too often Westerners do not understand the roots of Islam as both a religious and political movement, and it was always seen as both. Muhammed was both prophet and prince, and after his death, while no one could succeed him in the office of prophet, it was important that his office as political leader be maintained, and so successors were chosen (hence the four Rightly Guided Khalifas). Yet even though no one could hold his office of prophet, nonetheless the political leader was recognized as a religious leader, as well. This is something that plays out even today in Muslim lands, and understanding this is essential to understanding the balance that is sought between this intellectual freedom and religious orthodoxy.

One more thing is important to understand about the origins of Islam, that I believe will also figure into this current argument. Contrary to many modern portrayals of Islam (some justified, some not) as repressive, its theo-political genesis was very much about equality and about overcoming oppression. While Islam was founded in Makka, Muhammed and his followers were greatly persecuted there, and ultimately were forced to migrate to Madina, where the first mosque was built. The pagan culture of pre-Islamic Arabia considered women as inferior, so much so that infant girls were allowed to be buried alive, where genocide was an acceptable practice of war, and where the powerful were allowed and encouraged to dominate the weak. Muhammed fought against all of this, so that it became a crime to kill infant children regardless of sex, where both genders were recognized as equal because of their being equally created by God, and where just rules of war were instituted, rules that proscribed the harming of women, children, and the elderly, proscribed the harming of any workers in the field, even proscribed the cutting down of trees. In other words, Muhammed instituted rules of war that only allowed arms to be taken up against those who were taking up arms or actively persecuting you.

In many ways all of this history is being played out in an attempt to balance such fundamental precepts today. It is precisely the balance between reason and faith that is so necessary today, and it is the lack of the former that has allowed for the very public extremism that has dominated media coverage of Islam these past ten years. Without doubt, Usama bin Laden believes absolutely that the variety of al-Qaeda attacks that he has led in some way or another are the justified response to persecution of Muslims. He made as much clear in his manifesto of 1998 when he wrote:

Terrorising you, while you are carrying arms on our land, is a legitimate and morally demanded duty. It is a legitimate right well known to all humans and other creatures. Your example and our example is like a snake which entered into a house of a man and got killed by him. The coward is the one who lets you walk, while carrying arms, freely on his land and provides you with peace and security.

Palestinians are indeed being persecuted by Israel, and there are terrorist groups throughout Palestine and the world who believe that the above words of Bin Laden are a proper application of Muhammed's allowance for arms against those actively persecuting Muslims. Unfortunately bin Laden and his like-minded terrorists fail terribly at the great Muslim tradition of reason, for if they considered reasonably Muhammed's precepts on war they would recognize that their desire to paint every person living under the government that they perceive as oppressive cannot be considered as guilty to the point that arms may be taken against them. Muhammed himself made this abundantly clear, but the evil that poison's the heart of a murderer will always be blind to reason, and it is for this reason that the likes of al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah are rightly called terrorists as opposed to just warriors.

The same here is true of those who assassinated Theo van Gogh, who have attempted to assassinate Lars Vilks and Kurt Westergaard, who assassinated the nun in response to Pope Benedict XVI's Regensburg address. These are people who perceived persecution and responded with heinous violence, and did so with full belief that they were dutifully following the precepts of Muhammed and acting in accordance with his very wise rules of engagement in war.

Ultimately extremists of any stripe, whether they be religious or atheist, prove time and again the great truth of the necessity of the mutual support between faith and reason, for whenever the two are completely separated, pathology in either is sure to arise. So it is that we must apply reason to the consideration of the Draw Muhammed movement.

In my previous argument in support of the movement I invoked the principle of double effect, a doctrine proposed by St. Thomas Aquinas in his considerations on killing as a means of self-defense. In Summa Theologica (II-II, Qu. 64, Art.7) Thomas writes:

Nothing hinders one act from having two effects, only one of which is intended, while the other is beside the intention. Now moral acts take their species according to what is intended, and not according to what is beside the intention, since this is accidental as explained above (43, 3; I-II, 12, 1). Accordingly the act of self-defense may have two effects, one is the saving of one's life, the other is the slaying of the aggressor. Therefore this act, since one's intention is to save one's own life, is not unlawful, seeing that it is natural to everything to keep itself in "being," as far as possible. And yet, though proceeding from a good intention, an act may be rendered unlawful, if it be out of proportion to the end. Wherefore if a man, in self-defense, uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repel force with moderation his defense will be lawful, because according to the jurists [Cap. Significasti, De Homicid. volunt. vel casual.], "it is lawful to repel force by force, provided one does not exceed the limits of a blameless defense."

In supporting the movement I was, of course, assuming that the intention behind the drawing of Muhammed was to stand up for freedom of speech and to resist the attempts by violent bullies to take away that freedom. I am well aware that this assumption can be argued, and that it was certainly not the intention of every participant, but my argument in support was rooted in this intention. Given that as the intention, Aquinas argues that the species of the act is judged according to this intent, not according to what is beside the intent, which in this case would be the offense caused to Muslims opposed to the drawing of their prophet. However, Thomas also argues that simply being of good intent does not necessitate that an act is lawful, if it is out of proportion to the end. In the case of self-defense, if it were possible to easily restrain a person by simply wrestling him to the ground, then shooting him instead and claiming self-defense would not be lawful.

In our present case of the Draw Muhammed effort and the actions that have provoked it, there are several factors to be considered, and they are decidedly more complex than the self-defense example offered by Aquinas. First, we must consider whether or not Muslims truly are being oppressed; if so, then two, we must consider whether this oppression is indeed a contributing factor to the violent actions of certain terrorists; three, we must consider if the provocative Draw Muhammed movement is a proportional and reasonable response (again, assuming good intention).

Before going on to consider these three points, one thing must be said. I have twice now assumed the good intention of the Draw Muhammed movement. I am not naïve, however, and so before even considering these three points it must be said that if the intent is in fact simply to provoke, or if the intent is taking advantage of an opportunity to express racist and prejudiced hatred, if the intent is in fact to incite violence, or if the intent is to contribute to greater oppression of a particular group, then already the act must be considered immoral, and gravely so. I am only here considering the morality of the act under the condition that its intent is as I said above in assumption, to stand up for freedom of speech and to resist the attempts by violent bullies to take away that freedom.

As for the first question, whether Muslims experience oppression, this is rather easily answered in the affirmative. We see throughout the West, worse in Europe than in the United States though certainly true in the latter, also, institutional prejudice that seeks to strip freedom and dignity from Muslims. While some point out that the ban in France was of all religious symbols, and that France justified it as necessary to protecting the laicité, most reasonable people understand that the ban was a targeted attempt at oppressing Muslims. In San Francisco, a woman was fired from a job at Abercrombie & Fitch for wearing a headscarf, even though she was interviewed with it and hired with the understanding that it could be worn. Switzerland recently passed a law banning the construction of minarets, a distinctly Muslim architecture. In Staten Island, NY just the other day, the decision of a parish to sell a former convent to a Muslim group that will use the property to construct a mosque and community center prompted outrage from local residents, who are seeking legal options to block the sale. One of those interviewed objected to the Muslim presence because "September 11 left scars on this neighborhood that will last for the rest of our lives." There is plenty of statistical evidence that shows that people with "Muslim sounding names" are less likely to be called back for second interviews, and in the past several years in the United States claims of harassment and discrimination against Muslims has risen dramatically. Oppression and marginalization against Muslims by Western nations is certainly a very grave reality.

This all leads to the second question, which is whether this oppression is a major contributing factor to various acts of violence over the past several years by certain Muslim extremists. This answer is more complex. With regards to some of the riots that have occurred, particularly in France, the answer is certainly yes. In many Western nations Muslims have indeed risen up in sometimes violent protest against oppression. This was the case in 2005 and again in 2007 in France as a response to that country's egregiously racist attitude towards Muslims, both by the French population and the French government. In the assassination of Theo van Gogh, the oppression that Muslims experience throughout the West cannot be considered a strong factor in the violence. His film Submission was made to expose the misogyny that exists in certain Muslim cultures, and rather than Muslim oppression being the driving force behind the violent reaction, it was rather the tendency among extremist Muslims to violently oppose any criticism of Islam or of Muslim culture. This was equally the case with regards to the violent reaction to Pope Benedict XVI's Regensburg address, violence which included the brutal murder of a Catholic nun. With regards to the riots and attempted assassinations following the Danish cartoons, certainly the European oppression of Muslims played a significant role in the psychology that led to the riots, as did the irrational mindset of radical Muslims. In all of these cases, certainly the oppression that Muslims experience in very real ways contributed, in some cases significantly, to the violent reaction, but it was certainly not the only factor. And in the case of the various terrorist attacks in the time since bin Laden's 1998 manifesto, oppression was more of a rallying cry than any real factor in the perpetrated violence. Finally, with regards to the South Park episode and the thinly veiled death threat that was made as a result of it, it cannot be argued that oppression against Muslims was a driving force behind the threat for two reasons: one, South Park notoriously targets all religions equally, and so any portrayal of Muhammed by South Park, no matter how vile it could have been, could not rationally be considered oppression against Muslims; two, South Park treated Muhammed with significantly more respect than any other religious figure on the show. Thus the death threat made as a result was merely an indication by a radical, extremist group that any portrayal of Muhammed potentially can and will be met with violence.

This finally leads us to the third consideration, which is the heart of the question at hand. The previous two considerations will help us to consider whether, under the principle of double effect, the Draw Muhammed campaign can be considered to be an appropriate level of response to the violent suppression of free speech attempted by those Muslim extremists. It is important to note that even admitting the fact of very serious oppression of Muslims by the West as a contributing factor to the attitude, the acts of violence themselves were indeed bullying attempts to repress free speech. One of the effects of the Western response to Islam post-9/11 has been to caricature the religion and to define it entirely by its extremists. With the Draw Muhammed campaign, even with the intention of simply asserting one's right to free speech and one's refusal to back down from bullies, the notion of drawing caricatures of Muhammed will only further contribute to this caricaturization of the religion as a whole and to the Muslim people. It is an inappropriately measured response that will continue to do violence against the dignity of Muslims (and ultimately all dark skinned persons who look like they may be Arab or Persian, or persons with a "Muslim sounding name"), and it applies a force that is disproportionate to any actual threat to free speech posed by violent extremists.

Free speech is a right that many of us consider sacrosanct, but it is also a right that comes with great responsibility. While it is true that the movement towards political correctness often goes to such extremes as to be ridiculous, it is also true that racism exists today in ways that truly do hurt people, and that must be understood and considered. On one hand, reason must make all recognize that non-Muslims are not bound by Muslim hadith, and just because Muslims are proscribed from depicting Muhammed does not extend that proscription to non-Muslims. If any artist is moved by a scene from Muhammed's life, that person should feel no constraint in expressing that artistically. If a non-Muslim artist desires to paint the Night of Power, she or he is free to do so and doing so would be an appropriate expression of free speech and an appropriate response to violent bullying by extremists. But the invitation to caricaturize Muhammed is disproportionate and serves unnecessarily to add to the pain and the experience of oppression felt by so many Muslims in the Western world. For these reasons, I do not support the Draw Muhammed movement.

Why I Support Draw Muhammed Day

Yesterday was Draw Muhammed Day, and it created quite a firestorm. The Facebook group was consistently hacked into, shut down, and restarted. In Pakistan Facebook was banned altogether in protest of the day. What was the point of it all? Here is my take on it:

As most of us know, this all has a long history behind it. In the years since September 11, 2001 (though this has gone on before then, to much less attention) there have been numerous attempts by Muslim extremists to capitalize on the attention brought to their cause by those infamous terrorist attacks. Some of that has taken the form of more attacks, such as the October 12, 2002 attack at the Bali night club and the July 7, 2005 attacks in London. But even more than the terrorist attacks, the Draw Muhammed effort is sparked by a series of events that resulted in Muslim extremists reacting violently to any negative portrayal of aspects of their religion, and thus attempting through violence and terrorism to intimidate the world into never speaking critically of Islam. After Pope Benedict XVI's 2006 address in Regensburg, in which he merely quoted a centuries old Byzantine emperor who was negative towards Islam, a quote he used to segue into a discussion of the incompatibility of reason and violence in the name of God, radical Muslims around the world responded by rioting and murder, including the assassination of a Catholic nun. Filmmaker Theo van Gogh was assassinated because he was making a film depicting violence and repression against women in certain Muslim cultures. There were riots around the world and a variety of death threats made in connection with Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard's drawings depicting Muhammed in a condescending portraits, for which an assassination attempt was made on him by radical Muslims:

Several newspapers refused to display his drawings, not out of respect for Islam, but out of security concerns based on credible threats received from radical groups, just as various art studios refused to display the drawings of Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks for the same reasons. Vilks subsequently had his house burned down in an attempted assassination.

Most recently, there was the infamous South Park episode in which they depicted what was initially thought to be Muhammed in a bear costume in part one of a two part episode. After the airing of Part I they received death threats from a radical group, and in Part II it was revealed that it was actually Santa Claus in the suit. Muhammed was part of the second episode, but his image was blacked out completely and thus he was never depicted. Despite South Park's hideous depictions of a variety of other world religion figures, including desecrating the Blessed Virgin Mary, blaspheming Jesus Christ, showing Vishna as a coke fiend, and various other offenses against religious figures, Muhammed was not depicted in a negative light at all (at least not by South Park standards), but still was blacked out, a move that in my opinion was nothing short of Comedy Central caving in to violent intimidation.

It was this last episode that led to the creation of the Facebook site – an idea that started off as an idea from a woman in Seattle that she never expected to be taken seriously, and has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. To me, what it comes down to is this: there are radical fringes of Islam who are intent on using violence and intimidation, i.e. terrorism, as a means of dominating how the world chooses to speak and limiting free speech. This sort of repression must be opposed, and Americans especially appreciate how free speech itself can be the mightiest of weapons. The intent here is absolutely not to offend Muslims, but rather to stand up to those who believe they can intimidate us with violence. It is true that there will be Muslims who will be offended by any depiction of Muhammed, but the principle of double effect must be applied here. The intent is not to offend Muslims, but rather to stand up to terrorism. That Muslims might be offended as an unintended side effect should not stop what amounts to a powerful form of protest, a kind of civil disobedience and non-violent resistance.

One final point. I was recently having a discussion with a friend of mine who is vehemently opposed to the Draw Muhammed initiative because of the very fact that it is offensive to Muslims (this particular friend is an atheist). I pointed out to this friend with what alarming regularity that she uses the phrase "Jesus F---ing Christ" as an expletive. Muslims believe Muhammed to be merely a man, a prophet, whereas Christians believe Jesus to be the very Son of God, true God and true Man, who died for our sins, and also believe that using God's name (including Jesus Christ) in vain to be a violation of our second commandment. Thus, objectively speaking, blaspheming the name of God and violating the second commandment is a more egregious offense against one's religion than visually depicting the prophet Muhammed, since the former is an offense against God, the latter an offense against a man. I respect that not everyone agrees with the Draw Muhammed initiative because it is offensive to Muslims. To those I would suggest that they show equal consideration to how they offend Christians with their blasphemous use of the name of God in its variety of forms in offensive colloquial expressions.

Pope Benedict XVI on Christian Hope

Following is the text of an address delivered by the Holy Father to a German ecumenical gathering in Munich. Once again, the Holy Father proves that he is at his theological and pastoral best when he expounds on the virtue of hope:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

From Rome I greet all those who are gathered at the "Theresienwiese" in Munich for the liturgical celebration to open the second ecumenical "Kirchehntag." I remember with joy the days when I lived in the beautiful capital of Bavaria as the archbishop of Munich and Freising. I thus address a special greeting to the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, Reinhard Marx, and to the Lutheran regional bishop, Johannes Friedrich. I greet all the German bishops and of many countries of the world, and in a special way, also the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial communities and all the Christians who are participating in this ecumenical event. I greet the representatives of public life too and all those who are present through radio and television. May the peace of the risen Lord be with all of you!

"So That You Might have Hope:" with this motto you are gathered in Munich. You want to send a signal of hope to the Church and to society at a difficult time. I thank you very much for this. In fact, our world has need of hope, our time has need of hope. But is the Church a place of hope? In recent months we have had to be repeatedly confronted with news that could take away the Church's joy, that darkened it as a place of hope. Like the servants of the householder in the Gospel parable about the kingdom of God, we too want to ask the Lord: "Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?" (Matthew 13:27). Yes, with his Word and with the sacrifice of his life the Lord has truly sown good seed in the field of this earth. It has grown and is growing. We need not think only of the great luminous figures of history, whom the Church has recognized with the title "saints," who have been completely permeated by God, who gave them their splendor. Each of us also knows ordinary persons, not mentioned in any newspaper or told of in any history book, who grew through the faith achieving great humanity and goodness.

In his impassioned dispute with God over sparing the city of Sodom, Abraham obtained assurance from the Lord of the Universe that if there were ten just people there he would not destroy the city (cf. Genesis 18: 22-33). Thanks be to God, in our cities there are many more than ten just people! If we are more attentive today, if we do not see only darkness, but also the light and good in our time, we see how faith has made men pure and generous and educates them in love. Again, the weeds are also present within in the Church and among those whom the Lord has welcomed into his service in a special way. But God's light has not been extinguished, the good seed has not been destroyed by the bad seed.

"So that You Might have Hope:" This phrase intends first of all to invite us not to lose sight of the good and good people. It intends to invite us to be good ourselves and to become good always, it intends to invite us to dispute with God for the good of the world, like Abraham, trying to live from God's justice ourselves.

Is the Church a place of hope? Yes, since from it the Word of God comes to us again and again and always, the Word that purifies us and shows us the path of faith. It is because in it the Lord continues to give us himself, in the grace of the sacraments, in the word of reconciliation, in the many gifts of his contemplation. Nothing can obscure or destroy all of that. We must be joyful for this in the midst of all tribulations. If we speak of the Church as the place of the hope that comes from God, then that also entails an examination of conscience: What do I do with the hope that the Lord has granted us? Do I really let myself be formed by his Word? Do I let myself be changed and healed by him? How many weeds are in fact growing in me? Am I disposed to pull them up? Am I grateful for the gift of forgiveness and ready to forgive and heal in turn instead of condemning?

Let us ask once more: What is "hope," truly? The things that we can do by ourselves are not the object of hope but rather a task that we must do with the power of our reason, our will and our heart. But if we reflect on all that we can and must do, then we see that we cannot do the greater things that come to us only as a gift: friendship, love, joy, happiness. I would like to note one more thing: We all want to live, and life too we alone cannot give to ourselves. Almost no one today, however, still speaks of eternal life, which in the past was the true object of hope. Because one does not dare to hope in it, one must hope to obtain everything from the present life. Setting aside hope in eternal life leads to a greediness for life here and now, which almost inevitably becomes egoistic and, in the end, remains unrealizable. Precisely when we want to take control of life as a kind of good, it slips away.

But let us return. We cannot ourselves achieve the great things in life, we can only hope for them. The glad tidings of the faith consist precisely in this: The One who can give them to us exists. We will not be left alone. God lives. God loves us. In Jesus Christ he has become one of us. I can speak to him and he listens to me. Because of this, like Peter, in the confusion of our times, that try to persuade us to believe in many other ways, we say: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have believed and know that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6:68-69).

Dear Friends, I wish for all of you who are gathered at the "Theresienwiese" in Munich to be again overcome by the joy of being able to know God, to know Christ and to know that he knows us. This is our hope and our joy in the midst of the confusions of the present time.

From the Vatican, May 10, 2010

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

© Copyright 2010 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI on the Feast of the Ascension

Following is the text of the Holy Father's Regina Caeli address on the (Sunday celebration of the) Feast of the Ascension:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today in Italy and other countries, the Ascension of Jesus into heaven is celebrated, which occurred 40 days after Easter. This Sunday is also the World Day for Social Communications, which has as its theme: "The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word." In the liturgy Jesus' final departure from his disciples is narrated (cf. Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:2, 9); but this is not an abandonment because he remains with them, with us, forever, in a new form. St. Bernard of Clairvaux explains that Jesus' ascension into heaven is accomplished in three stages: "The first is the glory of the Resurrection; the second is the power to judge; and the third is sitting at the Father's right hand" ("Sermo de Ascensione Domini," 60, 2: Sancti Bernardi Opera, t. VI, 1, 291, 20-21). This event is preceded by the blessing of the disciples, whom he prepares to receive the Holy Spirit, so that salvation be preached everywhere. Jesus himself says to them: "You are witnesses to this. And behold, I send upon you him whom my Father has promised" (cf. Luke 24:47-49).

The Lord draws the gaze of the Apostles, our gaze, to show how we should travel the good road during life on earth. Nevertheless, he remains in the plot of human history, he is near to each of us and guides our Christian path: He is the companion of those who are persecuted because of their faith, he is in the heart of those who are marginalized, he is present in those to whom the right to life is denied. We can hear, see and touch the Lord Jesus in the Church, especially through the Word and the sacraments. In this regard I exhort children and young people, who are receiving the sacrament of Confirmation in this Easter season, to remain faithful to the Word of God and the teaching that comes from it, and to assiduously approach Confession and the Eucharist as well, conscious of being chosen and constituted to witness the Truth. I renew my special invitation to my brothers in the priesthood, that "in their life and actions they distinguish themselves by a powerful evangelical witness" ("Letter Proclaiming a Year for Priests") and know also how to use the means of communication wisely, to make the life of the Church known and help the men of today to find the face of Christ (cf. "Message for the 46th World Day of Social Communications," January 24, 2010).

Dear Brothers and Sisters, the Lord, taking the road to heaven, gives us a foretaste of divine life already on earth. A 19th century Russian author wrote in his spiritual testament: "Observe the stars more. When you have a burden in your soul, look at the stars or the azure of heaven. When you feel sad, when they offend you, ... think about ... heaven. Then your soul will find rest" (N. Valentini - L. Žák [a cura], Pavel A. Florenskij. "Non dimenticatemi. Le lettere dal gulag del grande matematico, filosofo e sacerdote russo," Milano 2000, p. 418).

I thank the Virgin Mary, whom I was able to venerate at the shrine in Fatima a short time ago, for her maternal protection during the intense pilgrimage in Portugal. With confidence we address our prayer to her who watches over the witnesses of her beloved Son.

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

[After the recitation of the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims in various languages. In English, he said:]

I greet with joy the English-speaking visitors who have come here today, and I pray that your pilgrimage to Rome will strengthen your faith and your love for the Risen Lord. In the course of this week we will pray with the whole Church for the coming of the Holy Spirit, asking him to pour out his gifts upon our families, our parishes, and all whom we love. May God bless all of you!

© Copyright 2010 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Fear of the Hidden Talents

Early on in my vocation discernment I felt an attraction to the monastic life. I was never convinced that it was my vocation, but it was something that intrigued me. Over these past few years I've examined that, and discovered perhaps a few indications as to what that desire was really speaking to me. It does indeed say something about who I am, not only in terms of where I feel drawn as far as prayer is concerned, but also where my weaknesses in the spiritual life are, where temptation and sin get the best of me, and thus where I need the greatest grace in order to grow into my own Augustinian vocation.

A few years ago, after my battle with cancer, my uncle and godfather's death, and my ending of a romantic relationship in order to embrace my religious vocation, I began seeing a psychologist to help me deal with some depression that came along with that emotional cyclone of events. She indicated to me something that is so true about myself and yet that I had never previously perceived, which is that I am drawn to imposed structure. At one time in my life, immediately following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, I attempted to enlist in the army, though was denied. While I would love to say that my decision to enlist was entirely motivated by a patriotic desire to defend my country, in reality there were two things at work in that decision that I believe reveal much about who I am. One, at the time I was working as a sales executive with Pitney Bowes, and after starting out very successfully, the freedom and lack of structure of the job began to prey on my worst tendencies, and that combined with a new girlfriend led to my being less disciplined, less committed to my work, and thus much less successful. A theme that has been played and replayed throughout my life was running yet again, which is that what was seen as enormous potential in me was being lamented because of its being wasted. My bosses were befuddled at my sudden drop in productivity, and I was probably close to being fired anyway, at least if I did not pick up my game and return to the form that made me so successful in the beginning.

The fact that this lack of productivity coincided with another romantic relationship was not coincidental, I don't think. For me, the romantic relationship symbolized what was really missing in my adult life – not specifically a relationship, but rather my constant, nagging desire to be part of something bigger than myself, to do something in this life that really made a difference, something more than just being a successful businessman, a successful salesman. In the variety of business/sales jobs that I had as a young adult, I always had to play mental games to convince myself that I really was doing something important, something useful – so I fabricated the sense of moral value of what I was doing. When I was in the mortgage business I convinced myself that I was helping people realize their dreams to own their own homes; when I was in medical sales, I convinced myself that I was helping people to receive the best possible health care; when I was at Pitney Bowes, I convinced myself that I was helping small businesses realize their dreams and be able to compete against the great corporations of the world. All of this potentially could have been true, and there is certainly nothing wrong with the motivations themselves, but the reality is that they weren't truly my motivations, but rather the sales pitch that I offered myself in order not to face the reality that I was not doing what I was supposed to do, what I was called to do, even if at that time I had no idea what that calling was.

So for me, in the tragedy of September 11 I also saw an opportunity to finally discover what that vocation was. I saw in the Army a chance to be part of something bigger than myself, to live a life of sacrifice for a greater good, and also, though perhaps subconsciously, I was drawn to the structure of the military because I was well aware that left to my own I have always demonstrated a tendency to not discipline myself, and thus not fulfill my true potential. This has continued to play out in these years since first responding to the call to priesthood and religious life. I did very well here at Villanova, for the most part, and within my two majors (philosophy and theology) I maintained almost a 4.0; outside of my majors, however, I did not fare so well, even failing two courses, and getting a few C's and D's, as well. It was never a case of the work being too difficult – in fact, usually quite the opposite, I found the work less than challenging and so I would often stop showing up for class, or stop doing the readings, and so forth. As a result, even though maintaining a nearly perfect GPA within two majors, my overall GPA will end up being just around 3.3.

The point here is not to discuss my GPA, but rather the insight that all of this reveals to me about myself, and also the recognition that I still don't quite know what to do with it. All of these traits are not only true in my academic life, but they play out even worse in my spiritual life. I often long for time of solitude that I can devote to prayer, longing for that balance that is intrinsic to the Augustinian life, the balance between the active and contemplative life. Yet the reality is that I have often had sufficient time to devote to prayer, that I often – especially now that classes are finished for a few weeks – have significant time in solitude, and instead of actually devoting my time to prayer, I instead become a lazy bump on a log, wasting away on the internet mindlessly, watching television, doing anything I can except throwing myself in the chapel and living in integrity to my religious vocation by devoting myself to prayer. This is a real conundrum for me, because in order to live this vocation authentically, I must be a man of prayer, and I must develop a real balance and indeed harmony between active life of ministry and contemplative life of prayer, such that each feeds the other.

So my attraction to the monastic life has been not so much a recognition of a calling to that particular way of life, but rather a hope that the imposed structure might allow me to become what I am meant to be, to become what I truly envision myself as being, to fulfill my vocation to holiness and to prayer in the way that God is drawing me. This then has become my hope for the novitiate next year. There will be a year of that imposed structure, and the distractions upon which I typically rely will be taken away from me – the internet, television, cell phone, etc., and so even in my down time I will hopefully be more inclined to use it productively in prayer and in edifying spiritual reading. I only pray that a year of this life will establish in me good habits that will lead me through my growth in seminary and will continue to develop in my life as an Augustinian friar. I know that I must trust in God's grace here, but I would be lying if I did not admit a real fear of mediocrity, a real fear of never living up to what God calls me to be, a real fear of wasting the good gifts that God has given me and instead becoming like that lazy and cowardly servant who simply buried the treasure for fear of seeing it be lost.

Horror Abortion Story from China

Following is a horrific story out of China reported in the Shanghai Times. May God have mercy, and let us pray for justice for the unborn:

 

Aborted baby cries before cremation

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National
Aborted baby cries before cremation

By Wang Xiang  |   2010-5-14 

AN aborted baby declared dead by doctors in south China's Guangdong Province cried before he was due to be cremated, but died hours later as doctors refused to treat him. 

A mortuary worker at Nanhai Funeral Home in Foshan City said the baby cried and scared him as he was about to throw the coffin into a furnace, Information Times reported today.

He opened the box and found the seven-month fetus moving, but apparently choking on some cotton wool in his mouth, the report said.

After the worker cleared his mouth, the baby yawned and breathed peacefully. Workers rushed him back to Guanyao Hospital which delivered the baby as medical waste earlier that day.

But doctors left him in the lobby, and confirmed after an hour that the baby died.

The vice head of the funeral house said Guanyao Hospital sent many aborted fetuses or still-born babies for cremation. This baby apparently survived an abortion at seven months, and he had videos to prove the baby was still alive before the cremation.

Hospital official Liu Sanhong said its staff checked the baby for an hour and made sure it was dead. Liu did not say whether the doctors tried to save the baby or not.

The body was later sent back to the funeral house. The report said all workers were ordered not to talk about the incident.

On March 31, at least 21 fetuses and dead babies were found dumped in a river in east China's Jining City.

Eight had tabs with clinic code numbers attached to their feet. The Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University responsible for the corpses said they were "medical waste."

Two hospital staffers have been detained while the director and deputy director of the hospital's logistics department were sacked. A vice president of the hospital was suspended.

I am surprised they weren't shot and then the families billed for the cost of the bullet.

Robin Hood

I saw the new Robin Hood movie tonight. It wasn't really any good. Disjointed storytelling, slow moving, not great action, all in all pretty bad. Cate Blanchet was really good, but otherwise the movie isn't worth seeing. It was all back-story to the legend, so none of it was very familiar. Clearly setting up for a sequel, which I probably won't see (though I have a feeling the sequel could be better than the initial). Anyway, it's definitely not a movie I'd recommend anyone going to see.

Compendium of the Holy Father’s Addresses In Portugal

The Holy Father has just concluded his four day trip to Portugal, honoring Our Lady of Fatima and commemorating the ten year anniversary of the beatification of Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto. Here is a Compendium of the various addresses he gave during the trip:

May 11, 2010:

• Opening Address at Lisbon International Airport
  
• Homily at Opening Mass - Church's Success is in the Lives of our Saints
  
• Brief Address to Young People at Close of First Night
  

May 12, 2010:

• Church's Contribution to and Engagement with Culture
  
• Prayer to Our Lady at Chapel of Apparitions
  
• Celebration of Vespers in Fatima with Priests, Religious, Seminarians and Deacons
  
• Act of Entrustment and Consecration of Priests to Immaculate Heart of Mary
  
• Recitation of the Rosary at Chapel of Apparitions
  

May 13, 2010 – Feast of Our Lady of Fatima:

• Homily at Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima
  
• On the Social Concerns of the Gospel
  
• Address to the Bishops of Portugal
  

May 14, 2010:

• Homily at Closing Mass
  
• Farewell Address at International Airport of Porto