Cardinal Ravasi calls for Dialogue with Freemasonry

Gianfranco Ravasi [Cardinal President of the Pontifical Council for Culture], in IL SOLE 24ORE (Sunday, February 14, 2016), via Il Timone. Translated into English by Francesca Romana, Excerpts can be found in (Rorate Caeli, February 16, 2016):

"Over and above our different identities, there is no lack of common values: a sense of community, charitable work and the fight against materialism.

“…These various declarations on the incompatibility of the two memberships in the Church or in Freemasonry, do not impede, however, dialogue, as is explicitly stated in the German Bishops’ document that had already listed the specific areas of discussion, such as the communitarian dimension, works of charity, the fight against materialism, human dignity and knowledge of each other.

“Further, we need to rise above that stance from certain Catholic integralist spheres, which – in order to hit out at some exponents even in the Church’s hierarchy who displease them – have recourse to accusing them apodictically of being members of Freemasonry. In conclusion, as the German Bishops wrote, we need to go beyond reciprocal “hostility, insults and prejudices” since “in comparison to past centuries the tone and way of manifesting [our] differences has improved and changed” even if they [the differences] still remain in a clearly defined way.”

Stand with the Church: Support faithful priests, bishops, and the Pope

"I was pleased to see that some Catholic journalists and internet bloggers ... drew attention to this clerical agenda of undermining the perennial teaching of Our Lord."

- Archbishop Athanasius Schneider, "Against Pharisees"
(Polonia Christiana, November 5, 2014)

"Christians are born for combat... The chief elements of this duty consist in professing openly and unflinchingly the Catholic doctrine, and in propagating it to the utmost of our power."

- Pope Leo XIII, "Sapientiae Christianae" (January 10, 1890)

Related: Benedict Constable, "Why blogs must expose the goings-on in Rome" (Rorate Caeli, February 6, 2015).

Two posts on the crisis in Biblical scholarship

(1) Hurd Baruch, "The Crisis in Biblical Scholarship" (New Oxford Review, December 2014). One quote:

"As Pope Benedict XVI lamented, “In the 1950’s the gap between the ‘historical Jesus’ and the ‘Christ of faith’ grew wider and the two visibly fell apart…. The fact is that scriptural exegesis can become a tool of the Antichrist…. The alleged findings of scholarly exegesis have been used to put together the most dreadful books that destroy the figure of Jesus and dismantle the faith” (Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration, 2007)."

(2) Mark Giszczak, "The Early Responsa of the Pontifical Biblical Commission" (Catholic bible Student, March 20, 2008): One quote:

"So the question is whether the semi-official clarification published in these journals truly repealed the statement of Pius X on Nov 18, 1907 which made the PBC decisions binding. Unfortunately this question has not been completely resolved. Catholic Bible scholars, effectively, do their work as if the responsa of the PBC are not longer binding on the faithful. But as is pointed out by Sean Kopcynski, the responsa have never been officially repealed or eliminated by an official statement or clarification. In the meantime, the PBC has lost its status as an official organ of the Magisterium and is now merely a consulting body (See Paul VI, Sedula cura, 27 June 1971)."

[Hat tip to JM]