Are annulments simply "Catholic divorce"? -- A canon lawyer responds

Some months ago, in one of our combox discussions, the question posed in the title of this post was raised in a fairly heated discussion between several readers. The suggestion was made that a post could be devoted to the subject of how annulments are understood in the Catholic Church. With this in mind, I asked a colleague of mine who is a noted canon lawyer and author of Annulments And The Catholic Church: Straight Answers To Tough Questions, whether he had any online articles that address the issue, which I could post for discussion in this venue. He did. Hence, with his permission, I offer you the following article which appeared in its original version in Catholic Family (May-June 1998) and is also available online at CanonLaw.info:

Catechetical Issues Related to Annulments

by Dr. Edward N. Peters
Catechists who prepare adults for entrance into the Church need a good understanding of annulments (technically: “declarations of matrimonial nullity”) for at least two reasons. First, virtually all adults seeking to enter the Church have heard of annulments, but most of them labor under one or more serious misperceptions about the process and its purposes. In particular, because of the great increase in the number of annulments being declared by tribunals, questions might be raised about the Church’s commitment to permanent marriage. It is important, therefore, to correct any misunderstandings about annulments before they result in confusion about Catholic teaching on sacramental marriage.

Second, many adults considering conversion to the Catholic Faith are already divorced and remarried outside the Church. Among Catholics, such status, although it no longer results in their excommunication, is considered objectively gravely sinful and prevents their participation in the Eucharist. Similarly, it would be self-defeating to welcome converts into the Church, only to then immediately tell them that, because they are remarried after a civil divorce, they cannot take Communion in the Church they just entered. Thus the matrimonial status of divorced-and-remarried candidates must be assessed before their entering the Church.

In this article we will look at some of the more common issues encountered by catechists regarding annulments. Keeping in mind that most adults seeking to enter full communion with the Church are already validly baptized, we will focus on questions related to marriage cases of the baptized. Even so, however, we must still limit this discussion to those marriage cases which are not complicated by unusual factors such as non-consummation of the marriage or presumed death of a spouse.

What is an Annulment?

The most common misperception among potential converts regarding annulments is that a declaration of matrimonial nullity is simply a Catholic divorce. Obviously, and without denying certain similarities which do exist between divorce and annulments, catechists need to draw clearly the crucial differences between the two. Briefly, a divorce, at least as far as civil law is concerned, ends a marriage which was in existence. In contrast, an annulment declares that what appeared to be a marriage was, from a ecclesiastical point of view, never a marriage in the first place.

The Catholic Church, relying on the teachings of Christ, holds that the marriages of the baptized last until death (Canon 1056). The Church, therefore, unlike the state, does not regard the existence of a civil divorce as sufficient to allow a divorced person to marry again during the lifetime of the first spouse. In order to enter what can be recognized by the Church as a marriage, a divorced person must demonstrate the invalidity of the earlier marriage. The process whereby the possible invalidity of the earlier marriage is examined is the annulment process. Annulment cases can only be heard by ecclesiastical authorities, usually a diocesan tribunal, and are conducted in accord with Church law (Canon 1671).

Broadly speaking, every annulment case comes down to three (or six, if you prefer) questions (Canon 1057): did each of the parties have what canon law considers to be capacity for marriage at the time of the wedding?; did each of the parties express consent to marriage as the Church proclaims it?; and finally, did each of the parties observe whatever level of form might have been required for marriage at the time? — although in non-Catholic weddings, this requirement is usually very easily satisfied and hence rarely serves as a basis for nullity.

Now, canon law presumes that both parties had capacity for marriage at the time of the wedding and it presumes that both parties expressed consent to true marriage (Canons 1058, 1060, & 1101). But, if it can be proven that either or both parties lacked capacity for marriage or that either or both parties did not consent to marriage as the Church teaches it, then such a marriage can be declared ecclesiastically null.

Sometimes a divorced person can demonstrate that the failed marriage was also null by ecclesiastical standards; sometimes not. The mere fact, however, that there has been a sharp rise in the number of broken marriages which have been declared canonically null does not mean that annulments can be obtained simply by doing the paperwork correctly. Each marriage nullity case is heard separately and on its own merits, and the number of rejected annulment petitions is undoubtedly higher than most people believe.

The Catechist’s Role

Catechists should try to make clear that annulments are regarded by the Church as exercises in justice, not charity. In other words, annulments are declared when, and only when, the parties meet the objective canonical requirements for nullity.

Annulments are not given out because tribunal judges feel sorry for certain people (even if such people are clearly sympathetic characters), nor are an annulment petitions rejected because tribunal officials suspect (even if accurately) bad-will on the part of one or both parties. Admittedly, most of the parties involved in annulment cases are pleased when nullity petitions are approved because it will make possible (for both parties) a marriage in the Church. But the fact that most people want their nullity petitions approved does not mean that approval of the petition is the correct result. The tribunal process has not necessarily failed when an annulment petition is denied; the process has not succeeded just because a nullity petition is approved. Annulments are declared when the requirements of canon law are met. They are declined when the requirements of canon law are not met.

Converts, Marriage, and Annulments

It is not unusual for potential converts to the Faith, upon learning that their marriage history might impede their entrance into the Catholic Church, to wonder why the Church is even interested in their earlier marriage(s) in the first place. They might feel that they are unfairly being held to standards that did not apply to them at earlier times in their lives. A couple of observations are in order here.

On the one hand, for example, the requirements of canonical form (what Catholics refer to as “getting married in the Church” according to Canon 1108) are not applied to Protestants. While the violation of canonical form can (and, some 15,000 times a year, does) result in the nullity of the marriages of Catholics, Protestants need not comply with Catholic laws on canonical form and in that regard they are not being held to that Catholic standard for marriage. Of course, because they are not bound by canonical form, Protestants cannot use the fact that they were married, say, in front of a civil magistrate, as proof of the invalidity of their marriage.

On the other hand, some aspects of canon law on marriage are applied to Protestants. To take an obvious example, biological brothers and sisters are canonically incapable of marrying each other, regardless of their religious affiliation (Canon 1091). Such attempts at marriage would be invalid under canon law for Catholics and Protestants alike. Notice, however, that what is at issue in a case like this is not simply a matter of canon law, but one of Divine Law, to which the Church believes all baptized persons are bound. Indeed, when looked at carefully, nearly all of the “Catholic” marriage requirements which are applied to Protestants will be seen to be based on natural or Divine Law.

There are, nevertheless, some significant areas in which Catholic teaching on marriage is applied to Protestants, despite the interdenominational differences which exist on certain points. Let us look at just one, namely, intentions regarding permanence in marriage.

All major Protestant denominations discourage divorce, some of them quite strongly. But none of them currently takes the position of the Catholic magisterium on divorce, to wit, that remarriage is impossible during the lifetime of one’s former spouse. Now, prescinding from whether our cradle Catholics have been adequately educated on this point, it is an accepted part of canonical jurisprudence that anyone who deliberately excludes the intention of remaining in a lifelong marriage attempts marriage invalidly. Therefore, it is possible that the marriage of a Protestant which has ended in divorce can also be declared canonically null based on the fact that the Protestant rejected what the Catholic Church considers to be a true marriage. How? By it being proved that at the time of the wedding the Protestant, quite understandably perhaps, rejected a major facet of the Church’s teaching on marriage (Canons 1056 & 1101). Obviously, great care is taken in hearing nullity cases on these or similar grounds and, as noted above, canon law presumes that all persons consenting to marriage consent to marriage as the Church understands and proclaims it. But such presumptions can be, and sometimes are, overturned in particular cases, resulting in a declaration of matrimonial nullity.

As most catechists know, many people seeking admission to the Church were first attracted to the Church by the strong stand she has taken in defense of innocent human life, her opposition to divorce, and her advocacy of marriage and family life values. I hope the above observations will help catechists allay the fears of some that, through her practice of annulments, the Church is wavering in her proclamation of “marriage until death do us part.” At the same time, however, catechists should feel confident in guiding to the proper ecclesiastical offices those candidates for conversion who are in irregular unions, knowing that the opportunity to have an accurate canonical determination of their true matrimonial status is available. +++

Of related interest:

• Edward N. Peters, Annulments And The Catholic Church: Straight Answers To Tough Questions (West Chester, PA: Ascension Press, 2004), a highly regarded treatment of the topic in an accessible question-and-answer format.
  
• Edward N. Peters, Excommunication and the Catholic Church (West Chester, PA: Ascension Press, 2006)

[Hat tip to Dr. Peters for permission to use his article]

A few days' leave of absence

I'm off to see my father in Iowa for a few days. I covet your prayers for my father as well as four our safety traveling. My daughter will be going with me.

"Washington rumors" - President to announce conversion at end of term?

"A Catholic George W. Bush?" (Rorate Caeli, April 28, 2008) offers the following English translation of an excerpt from an article entitled "Folgorato sulla via di Washington," by Ignazio Ingrao, religion journalist of Italian weekly Panorama:

After Tony Blair, it could be the turn of George W. Bush. According to Washington rumors, the President, a Methodist Christian, would be in the process of converting to Catholicism, as the Anglican Blair. The prayer which the Pope and the Bush family prayed together in the Oval Office of the White House might be the sign of the already accomplished conversion, which the President of the United States could expect to make public at the end of his term. Also Jeb, George's younger brother, entered the Catholic faith years ago, thanks to his Mexican wife Columba.

Philosopher, Saul Kripke, never had more than a B.A.

A reader wrote to point out that the celebrated philosopher, Saul Kripke (68 years old this year), never completed an academic degree beyond his B.A. at Harvard. Gives one pause about the value of those six-to-ten years of self-promotional shenanigans generally required to garner oneself a professional job. See "The celebrated Saul Kripke never earned more than a B.A." (Philosophia Perennis, April 28, 2008).

[Hat tip to E.F.]

Mass the magnificent

This afternoon at 2:00PM a magnificent High Mass with orchestral accompaniment was celebrated at historic Our Lady of Assumption Church in Windsor, Ontario, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the ordination of Fr. Peter Hrystyk. Mr. Wassim Sarweh, who doubles as Music Director at St. Josaphat Church in Detroit, is also Music Director of the Assumption Church Tridentine Choir, which is accompanied by members of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra. The Reverend Peter Hrystyk was celebrant. The Mass was preceded by J.S. Bach's "Air on the G String" as a Prelude. The Opening Hymn was "The King of Love My Shepherd Is." The Ordinaries of the Mass (the Kyrie , Gloria, Credo, Sancturs, and Agnus Dei) were from Schubert's Mass in G, with Mary Grivas, Basel Sarweh and Christian Caubet as soloists. The Offertory was Mozart's Regina Caeli, KV 276. Edward Elgar's Ave Verum and Jacques Arcadelt's Ave Maria were sung by soprano soloist Jackie Robitaille during Communion. The Propers were sung by Wassim Sarweh in his matchless style with his choir team. The Final Hymn, "That Eastertide With Joy Was Bright," and Postlude (Isfrid Kayser's Ouverture), was preceded by a glorious chanted Te Deum, that profound and most moving of hymns, the first time in my fifteen years as a Catholic that I have heard it sung in a Catholic church! What grave and solemn joy!

A governor whose pro-life witness is more than words

Alaska's youthful Governor Sarah Palin, who is reportedly being considered as a possible running mate by John McCain, gave birth on Friday to her fifth child, a son who has Down's Syndrome. She said in a released statement: "We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed." As many as 80% of unborn children diagnosed with Down's Syndrome become victims of abortion. Governor Palin, known for her deeply-held pro-life views, did not let her child become a statistic, but warmly embraced her son as God's gift.

See: "Alaska Governor Gives Birth to Son with Down’s Syndrome" (Catholic New Agency, April 24, 2008).

[Hat tip to C.G-Z.]

Dissident Fr. O'Leary considered for Bede Chair in Catholic Theology at Durham

This is enough to make one's head spin. In fulfillment of the late Bishop Dunn's wishes, the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University has reportedly raised £2.1 million to endow a new Bede Chair in Catholic Theology. The university announcement was made in the post, "Durham Centre for Catholic Studies is UK first" (Durham University News, March 3, 2008). Fr. Michael Brown, a priest of Newcastle upon Tyne, offers a brief synopsis of the news in his post, "Bede chair of Catholic Theology at Durham" (Forest Murmurs, April 24, 2008), and mentions that Fr. Joseph O'Leary was one of four candidates invited to Durham for interviews and to offer a public lecture. As an update to his post, Fr. Brown writes: "I understand that Prof. Ayres got the job."

The details concerning each of the four candidates and their respective lectures and positions are derived, according to Fr. Brown, from a post by James Mawdsley, "Church and University: Durham's New Chair of Theology" (Ecce Mater Tua, April 21, 2008). "As part of the selection process," says Mawdsley, "yesterday the four candidates for the Bede Chair each gave presentations to a packed room of local clergy, academics, parishioners and students. One candidate had travelled from London, two had flown in from the USA, the fourth from Japan." The candidate from Japan, of course, was none other than Fr. Joseph O'Leary, the notorious dissident who has insinuated himself into numerous blog discussions under the monaker of "Spirit of Vatican II," or "Joe O'Leary," or simply "Fr. Joe." Mawdsley reports his 'take' on the four candidates as follows:

• Prof. Lewis Ayres -- solid and interesting
  
• Prof. Christina Beattie -- [apparently] the best of the candidates, both in content and communication [but see up-date at the top]
  
• Prof. Rev. Paul McPartlan -- interesting but his overall point(s) unclear
  
• Prof. Rev. Jospeh O'Leary -- I think he is theologically dangerous

We certainly concur with his 'take' on Fr. O'Leary. Australian blogger John Heard, "Notorious Dissident Priest Father Joseph O'Leary Bound For Durham University's New Bede Chair in Catholic Theology?" (Dreadnought, April 26, 2008) gives a more detailed report of the history of Fr. O'Leary. He reportedly sent an email to the heads of the Centre for Catholic Studies at Durham University, as well as to the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, the Diocese of Westminster, and Catholic theologians, writers and bloggers across the English-speaking world, warning them about O'Leary's background. Excerpts from Heard's correspondence:

It was with some alarm that I read that Father Joseph O'Leary was being considered for the new Bede Chair at Durham University. Father O'Leary is well-known, indeed quite notorious, within the online Catholic community:- The Case of Father O'Leary; and- The Perplexing Sayings of Father O'Leary.He is especially infamous for consistently and domineeringly pushing his arguments against Catholic teaching on human sexuality, and denying the historicity of the Resurrection.

... On two occasions I have had cause to report Father O'Leary's comments to me (on my blog) and about me (on his blog and other blogs) - in relation to the Church's teaching on human sexuality - to the Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney for further investigation. I can forward the correspondence. Other scholars, bloggers and priests have also apparently reported specific examples of Father O'Leary's heterodoxy to their local ordinaries. However, I understand that, owing to the details of Father O'Leary's position in Japan, not much has been done so far.

That would change if Durham and the Centre seriously considered giving Father O'Leary the Bede Chair. He would become a lightening rod for dissent and controversy. Far from presenting the Catholic Church to the secular university, Father O'Leary's appointment would reward the worst kind of secularist ideas and the people who hold them with the official title 'Catholic'.

The history of my own interaction with Fr. O'Leary, who was a classmate of mine in graduate school at Duquesne University back in the early 1980s, is reported by Christopher Blosser in "The Perplexing Sayings of Fr. O'Leary" (Against the Grain, August 2, 2005). O'Leary is very bright, learned, and diabolical. He is obsessed with portraying active homosexual relations in a positive light, as reported in "What homosexuals do" (Musings, June 26, 2006) (his combox comments alone are sufficient to indict O'Leary here, not to mention his obscene discussion of the cult of the divine prepuce [foreskin] in another venue). We banned him from the comment boxes on this blog, even though he continued to post by logging onto different computers, as we noted in "Obstinate O'Leary refuses to be banned" (Musings, August 14, 2006). He denies the historicity of the Resurrection, even while cleverly appearing to affirm it in some trans-historical spiritual sense. He buys into the assumptions of the most skeptical traditions of German higher criticism of the Bible. My own critical analysis of his claims to Chalcedonian orthodoxy in his Christology may be found in the following posts:

• "Fr. O'Leary's unorthodox 'hot tub' Christology (Part I)" (Musings, August 8, 2005)
  
• "Fr. O'Leary's unorthodox ('hot tub') Christology (Part II)" (Musings, August 15, 2005)
  
• "Fr. O'Leary's unorthodox "hot tub" Christology (Part III: Conclusion)" (Musings, November 28, 2005)

We hope that Fr. Michael Brown is right and that Fr. O'Leary was not given the Bede Chair in Catholic Theology at the University of Durham. For O'Leary to receive that chair would be a hideous blight upon the future of that venerable institution and a flagrant disregard to all the canons of Catholic theological responsibility. As it is, we continue to be deeply troubled that Fr. O'Leary continues to hold a teaching position in the Department of English Literature at Sophia University in Japan. Fr. Al Kimel justly raises the question "Is the 'spirit of Vatican II' Christian" (Pontifications, quoted in Against the Grain, August 2, 2005). His nefarious influence is not only obnoxious. It is doing great harm.

Update 4/29/08

It has been officially confirmed that Professor Lewis Ayres, an English lay Catholic theologian currently teaching at Emory University in Georgia in the USA, has been appointed as the first Bede Chair of Catholic Theology in Durham University. (Courtesy of Volpius Leonius, Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle, United Kingdom)

Cardinal Rigali: Philly seminarians to learn 1962 Missal

Through the grapevine, I've heard that things of this sort are beginning to happen in a number of places. Recently Annamarie Adkins, "'Summorum Pontificum' in the Seminary" (ZENIT, March 14, 2008), interviewed Philadelphia's Cardinal Rigali on his plans to begin instruction at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary on Pope Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum and the 1962 Missal, as part of their regular course of studies.

"First there will be a lecture offered on the 'motu proprio' that elucidates the theology underlying the 1962 Missal," said Rigali, "so that the seminarians are afforded a clear understanding of the "motu proprio" and the Holy Father's pastoral concern for the faithful who have a deep love for the Tridentine liturgy."

Since nearly all of the seminarians at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary have grown up attending Mass according to the 'Novus Ordo' -- Missal of Paul VI -- the Cardinal underscored the importance of offering an exposition of the Mass according to the 1962 missal -- Missal of Blessed John XXIII.

"Studying about and learning the Mass according to the 1962 Missal will afford the seminarians an opportunity to experience the continuity between the older and newer forms," said Rigali. "So much of our faith is based on continuity and tradition, handing on of the faith from one generation to the next."

Quoting Pope Benedict's letter accompanying Summorum Pontificum, Regali continued: "What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be of all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches that have developed in the Church's faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place."

Rigali said that the seminary is also offering a course for priests who wish to learn how to celebrate the "Mass of Blessed John XXIII" (1962 Missal). "Any priest who is unfamiliar with the extraordinary form, or who has not celebrated the liturgy according to this form for some time, will probably, and quite naturally, reflect on the manner in which he celebrates Mass according to the 'Novus Ordo.' Such a reflection is positive because it cannot help but lead to a more reverent and worthy celebration of the liturgy," he said.

John Henry Cardinal Newman to be beatified

"Vatican City, Apr 23, 2008/03:12am (CNA). -- The Vatican has approved the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, the English convert and theologian who has had immense influence upon English-speaking Catholicism, the Birmingham Mail reports" ("John Henry Cardinal Newman to be beatified," Catholic News Agency, April 23, 2008).

Newman, our patron, was declared "Venerable" in 1991, after a detailed examination of his life and work by the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints. One miracle attributed to his intercession is needed and must be fully approved by Rome in order to open the way for his beatification. He would then acquire the title of "Blessed." A second miracle would then be needed before he can be canonized and declared a "Saint."

In October 2005, Fr. Paul Chavasse, provost of the Birmingham Oratory, who is the postulator responsible for the cause, announced that a miraculous cure had occurred. Jack Sullivan, a deacon from Marshfield, Massachusetts in the United States, attributed his recovery from a spinal cord disorder to Cardinal Newman. The miracle occurred in the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Boston, whose responsibility it is to determine its validity. In August 2006 the Archbishop of Boston, Sean O'Malley, announced he was passing details to the Vatican, as we reported in a post, "Evidence of alleged cure credited to Cardinal Newman sent to Vatican" (Musings, November 25, 2006).

Today (April 24, 2008) it was reported by the Press Secretary to the Fathers of the Birmingham Oratory that the Consulta Medica at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints had met today and voted unanimously that Sullivan's recovery defies any scientific or medical explanation. The cause now awaits the vote of the Theological Consultors on the alleged miracle before it can be sent to the members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, whose role it is to advise Pope Benedict XVI, who could then declare Newman beatified.

The case of a 17-year-old New Hampshire boy who survived serious head injuries from a car crash is being investigated as a possible second miracle.

I remember speaking to one of the Oratorian priests at the Brompton Oratory in London in 1999 about the painfully slow canonization process in the causes of academic saints. I had just come from visiting the Birmingham Oratory, where I was invited to spend an afternoon in Newman's personal library (and gingerly handle his books and cardinal's cap), as well as his private chapel, decked with relics, and his living quarters, and where I had visited his grave in Rednal, just outside the city. "Oh, we'll get him," declared the priest with a confident smile. I did not know whether I should even hope to see Cardinal Newman's canonization, or even his beatification, within my lifetime. If I do live to see him canonized, I invite any of you who wish to join me to Rome for the event; for I will not miss it, Lord help me. I may sell the house, if necessary. Besides, I have another coin I've been saving for the Trevi Fountain.

"Who needs a brain when you have batteries?"

From our agent in Seattle:

In Washington State, a bus driver sheared the top 3 feet off his 12-foot bus by attempting to drive under a pedestrian overpass. The overpass had Clearance 9’ 0” written on it in large letters.

When asked why he had not been fazed by the sign on the overpass, the driver responded: “Well, the GPS *said* to go this way.”

As Snoopy famously remarked, while admiring his new pocket calculator:
“Who needs a brain when you have batteries?”

[Hat tip to K.K.]

Benedict on marriage: key to "world peace"?

"Pope Benedict on Marriage: Key to 'World Peace'?" (Yahoo News, April 15, 2008):

MANASSAS, Va., April 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new analysis
entitled "Pope Benedict XVI on Marriage: A Compendium" and published by the
Institute for Marriage and Public Policy on the eve of Benedict's historic
U.S. visit, finds that in the first three years of his pontificate, Pope
Benedict XVI has spoken publicly about marriage on 111 occasions,
connecting marriage to such overarching themes as human rights, world
peace, and the conversation between faith and reason.

"Over and over again he has made it clear that the marriage and family
debate is central - not peripheral - to understanding the human person, and
defending our human dignity," says Maggie Gallagher, president of the
Institute for Marriage and Public Policy.

... Marriage essential to world peace? This may strike American ears as an
oddity. If so, Benedict has made clear it is not an unintentional one. On
September 21, 2007, in an address to participants in a conference of the
Executive Committee of Centrist Democratic International, Pope Benedict
prefigured the same theme:

"There are those who maintain that human reason is incapable of grasping
the truth, and therefore of pursuing the good that corresponds to personal
dignity. There are some who believe that it is legitimate to destroy human
life in its earliest or final stages. Equally troubling is the growing
crisis of the family, which is the fundamental nucleus of society based on
the indissoluble bond of marriage between a man and a woman. Experience has
shown that when the truth about man is subverted or the foundation of the
family undermined, peace itself is threatened and the rule of law is
compromised, leading inevitably to forms of injustice and violence."

Wouldn't you love to know what her conversation is about?

New Orleans "Clarion Herald" -- September 11, 2002

Mar 25 2003, Amy and Andrew J. DiMaggio, Jr., New Orleans, LA

[Source.]

[Hat tip to K.W.]

"Pope's shocking discourse to representatives of ecumenism"

The event was nearly overshadowed on the fourth day of Pope Benedict XVI's visit by his address to the General Assembly of the United Nations and his appearance on the afternoon of the same day (Friday, April 18th) at the synagogue of Park East, directed by Rabbi Author Schneier on the even of the Jewish Passover. No less important, however, and perhaps more startling to many, was the address he delivered at an ecumenical meeting in the Church of St. Joseph, with 250 representatives from a dozon or more religious traditions. Sandro Magister, "Benedict XVI Explains Why Christians Are So Divided" (www.chiesa, April 20, 2008) summarizes:

During this meeting, at the end of the Liturgy of the Word, Benedict XVI addressed to those present a discourse that was absolutely out of the ordinary for such a gathering. Even more, it was highly original with respect to the previous statements by pope Joseph Ratzinger on the topic of the ecumenism.

The thesis of Benedict XVI is that Christianity is so divided both because of a mutual rivalry expressed in "prophetic actions" that tend to distinguish and divide the communities from "communion with the Church in every age," and because of "a relativistic approach to Christian doctrine similar to that found in secular ideologies."

So instead of preaching Jesus Christ "and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2) – meaning the "objective truth" of the apostolic faith – many Christians of the various denominations prefer to urge each one to follow his own conscience and choose the community that best meets his personal tastes.

In the judgment of Benedict XVI, this reluctance to assert the centrality of doctrine "for fear that it would only exacerbate rather than heal the wounds of division" is also present within the ecumenical movement.

On the contrary, this is the appeal of the pope:

"Only by 'holding fast' to sound teaching (2 Thess 2:15; cf. Rev 2:12-29) will we be able to respond to the challenges that confront us in an evolving world. Only in this way will we give unambiguous testimony to the truth of the Gospel and its moral teaching. This is the message which the world is waiting to hear from us."

This appeal is all the more relevant "just at the time when the world is losing its bearings and needs a persuasive common witness to the saving power of the Gospel (cf. Rom 1:18-23)."

The salient passages of the pope's address may be found in Sandro Magister's post.

You report: silencing religion in America

A reader, Mr. Anthony Sistrom, recently emailed me the following, which I reprint here with his permission:

Dear Philip,

In the April 23rd New Republic, literary editor Wieseltier is concerned about Muslim demands at Harvard to sound the call to prayer. Multicultural liberal that he is, he is willing to allow Chistians to 'ring the bells' at Harvard if it will ward off Muslim influence. See my letter to Wieseltier [see below].

Best, Tony

N.B. Born in 1952, Wieseltier was at Harvard for the riot of 1969.

Sistrom's letter to Wieseltier:

Friday, April 18, 2008

Dear Leon Wieseltier:

40 years ago your colleagues at Harvard were for silencing the bells. Stanley Rothman's 1982 book, The Roots of Radicalism makes it indelibly clear that the chief
motive of the majority Jewish leaders of the student protests (Michael Kazin, SDS et al) was "fear and loathing of Christianity. Your colleagues (Kinsley, Isaacson, Rich and Strossen) gathered recently at the 92nd St. Y to celebrate the Harvard riot of 1969.

In 1960 Leo Pfeffer noted that the RC Church was the most powerful political institution in America. He confided that the very sight of Catholic schoolgirls in
uniform on their way to and from school in NYC reduced him to uncontrollable anger. In 1976 the same Leo Pfeffer at a speech in Philadelphia (for the Bicentennial) would boast that the RC Church had been defeated and would henceforth play a peripheral role in public life.

Ring the bells? Too late. You successfully silenced them 40 years ago.

Kind regards, Anthony Sistrom

Yo, dig this

Fr. Gregory Jensen, "Confessionz (St. Augustine Rap Remixed)" (April 5, 2008), describes attending a conference in Mesa, Arizona, recently where he witnessed the presentation of a rap video based on The Confessions by St. Augustine. "It is no secret that I am a HUGE admirer of Augustine," he writes, "and so I thought I would share the video here." On his site, he also includes the written lyrics. Enjoy.

Confessionz (St. Augustine Rap Remixed)



[Hat tip to S.F.]