Katolsk

Vatikankonsilet om religionsfrihet og andre religioner

Katolsk, Paven, Teologi /

Som jeg skrev i går kveld, leste jeg nylig i the Vatican Insider om pave Benedikts synspunkter på noen av Vatikankonsilets tekster. Paven tar her opp to tekster – om religionsfrihet og andre religioner – som i flere tiår (og fortsatt) har skapt problemer for tradisjonalistiske grupper, som SSPX. Andrea Tornielli skriver (jeg har selv uthevet noen ord):

(about) …. two minor documents, whose importance has only gradually come to light in the context of the reception of the Council. First, there is the Declaration on Religious Liberty, ….. the Pope explains. “With developments in philosophical thought and in ways of understanding the modern State, the doctrine of tolerance, as worked out in detail by Pius XII, no longer seemed sufficient.”

“At stake was the freedom to choose and practise religion and the freedom to change it, as fundamental human rights and freedoms,” Ratzinger writes, before going on to explain that “given its inner foundation, such a concept could not be foreign to the Christian faith, which had come into being claiming that the State could neither decide on the truth nor prescribe any kind of worship.”

“The Christian faith demanded freedom of religious belief and freedom of religious practice in worship, without thereby violating the law of the State in its internal ordering; Christians prayed for the emperor, but did not worship him. To this extent, it can be said that Christianity, at its birth, brought the principle of religious freedom into the world.”

Yet, Benedict XVI points out, “the interpretation of this right to freedom in the context of modern thought was not easy, since it could seem as if the modern version of religious freedom presupposed the inaccessibility of the truth to man and so, perforce, shifted religion into the sphere of the subjective.” ….

“The second document that was to prove important for the Church’s encounter with the modern age came into being almost by chance and it developed in various phases. I am referring to the Declaration “Nostra Aetate” on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions. At the outset the intention was to draft a declaration on relations between the Church and Judaism, …. then there should also be some words on Islam. …. The text apparently also talks about other religions and the subject of religion in general, referring also to the dialogue between religions.

But Benedict XVI recognises that “in the process of active reception, a weakness of this otherwise extraordinary text has gradually emerged: it speaks of religion solely in a positive way and it disregards the sick and distorted forms of religion which, from the historical and theological viewpoints, are of far-reaching importance; for this reason the Christian faith, from the outset, adopted a critical stance towards religion, both internally and externally.” …

Som vanlig sier pave benedikt også noe om at Vatikankonsilet på ingen måte var et brudd med Kirkens historie og tradisjon:
Finally the Pope returns to the hermeneutics of the Second Vatican Council, recalling that “the Council Fathers neither could nor wished to create a new or different Church but rather to understand these more deeply and hence truly to “renew them”. This is why a hermeneutic of rupture is absurd and is contrary to the spirit and the will of the Council Fathers.”

Gaudium et spes – styrke og svakhet

Katolsk, Paven, Teologi /

Jeg leste for 4-5 dager siden en artikkel av Andrea Tornielli i the Vatican Insider om pave Benedikts synspunkter på enkelte elementer i Vatikankonsilets dokumenter. Dokumentet som omatlte vår tids moderne verden klarte ikke riktig å definere vår moderne verden, hevdes det:

The conciliar constitution “Gadium et spes” did not specify what was essential and constitutive of the modern era. Benedict XVI states this in the preface of a conciliar text which will soon be published by German publishing house Herder. A preview of the text is given in a special illustrated issue of L’Osservatore Romano, the Holy See’s official newspaper, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. The description of the Council given is based on news stories from the time, new or barely known details and rare images and photographs.

In terms of the so-called “Schema XIII” from which “the pastoral Constitution of the modern world was born,” the Pope says: “This point touches on the real expectations of the Council. The Church, which during the Baroque era was still, in a broad sense, shaping the world, had from the nineteenth century onwards visibly entered into a negative relationship with the modern era, which had only then properly begun. Did it have to remain so? Could the Church not take a positive step into the new era?”

“Behind the vague expression “today’s world” – Benedict XVI continues – lies the question of the relationship with the modern era. To clarify this, it would have been necessary to define more clearly the essential features that constitute the modern era. “Schema XIII” did not succeed in doing this. Although the Pastoral Constitution (“Gaudium et spes”, Ed.) expressed many important elements for an understanding of the “world” and made significant contributions to the question of Christian ethics, it failed to offer substantial clarification on this point.”

Ratzinger then pointed out that “unexpectedly, the encounter with the great themes of the modern epoch did not happen in the great Pastoral Constitution, but instead in two minor documents, whose importance has only gradually come to light in the context of the reception of the Council. First, there is the Declaration on Religious Liberty, which was urgently requested, and also drafted, by the American Bishops in particular,” the Pope explains. “With developments in philosophical thought and in ways of understanding the modern State, the doctrine of tolerance, as worked out in detail by Pius XII, no longer seemed sufficient.” ….

Jeg siterer litt mer herfra (om religionsfriheten) om ikke lenge.

Forholdet lutheranere – katolikker

Katolsk, Økumenikk /

Jeg leste for et par dager siden i Vårt Land (en av deres utklippssider) noe Egil Sjaastad, avtroppende redaktør i tidsskriftet Fast Grunn, Misjonssambandet, nylig hadde skrevet. Det er ganske korrekt, og presist formulert, må jeg si:

Fordommer i det norske kristenfolk mot katolikker må gjerne avkles. Men ved de fleste sentrale temaområder er avstanden fortsatt like stor. Klimaet er et annet, det er sant nok. Men det er læreoppløsningen blant lutheranere mer enn læreforandringene i den katolske kirke som ligger bak når en absolutt ønsker å demonstrere utad en enhet med katolikker, for eksempel ved nattverdfellesskap, som Kvarme nå så sterkt ønsker å fremme. Fastheten i den katolske lærebevisstheten (hos for eksempel nåværende pave) burde heller føre til selvransakelse hos oss på luthersk hold: Hva er det vi egentlig lærer, hvordan er vår lære begrunnet, og hvor alvorlig tar vi vår egen forankring i Skriften og bekjennelsen?

Tragisk feilvurdering i Irland

Apologetikk, Katolsk /

Nylig døde en kvinne i Irland fordi «legene ikke ville hjelpe henne så lenge fosterets hjerte slo», slik er det i alle fall framstilt i media, og det har vært demonstrasjonstog mot Kirkens abortsynn pga dette. Vi vet vel fortsatt ikke hvorfor og hvordan legene feilvurderte situasjonen, men de irske katolske biskopene har kommet med følgende erklæring:

· The Catholic Church has never taught that the life of a child in the womb should be preferred to that of a mother. By virtue of their common humanity a mother and her unborn baby are both sacred with an equal right to life.

· Where a seriously ill pregnant woman needs medical treatment which may put the life of her baby at risk, such treatments are ethically permissible provided every effort has been made to save the life of both the mother and her baby.

· Whereas abortion is the direct and intentional destruction of an unborn baby and is gravely immoral in all circumstances, this is different from medical treatments which do not directly and intentionally seek to end the life of the unborn baby. Current law and medical guidelines in Ireland allow nurses and doctors in Irish hospitals to apply this vital distinction in practice while upholding the equal right to life of both a mother and her unborn baby.

· Some would claim that the unborn baby is less human or less deserving of life. Advances in genetics and technology make it clear that at fertilisation a new, unique and genetically complete human being comes into existence. From that moment onwards each of us did not grow and develop into a human being, but grew and developed as a human being.

Les om dette også på katolsk.no

23. november: Den hellige Klemens

Katolsk, Liturgi /

… Det fortelles at Klemens i slutten av det 1. århundret omvendte Theodora, som var gift med Sisinnius, en hoffmann fra Neroa. Etter at han utførte mirakler ble også Sisinnius selv og 423 andre fremtredende personer omvendt. Derfor ble paven forvist fra Roma og etter ordre fra keiseren – muligens Trajan – satt til tvangsarbeid i de beryktede marmorsteinbruddene i Kherson (Chersonesos/Chersones) på Krim. Der hersket det akutt vannmangel, og tvangsarbeiderne var til tider i ferd med å tørste i hjel. Da Klemens en gang så hvordan et lam skrapte på et bestemt sted med hoven, gravde han der med hendene og plutselig strømmet en vannkilde opp fra grunnen. Dette gjorde at han slukket tørsten til 2.000 kristne bekjennere. Folket i landet ble omvendt og døpt, og det ble bygd 75 kirker. Den rasende keiseren lot da de nydøpte henrette, og Klemens ble bundet til et skipsanker og kastet på sjøen, slik at de kristne ikke skulle finne igjen hans legeme. Dette er forklaringen på at St. Klemens’ navn på forskjellig vis er knyttet til havet. Hans attributt er et anker. Det fortelles at englene bygde et marmormausoleum for St. Klemens på havets bunn, og at det var synlig en gang i året ved ekstremt lavt tidevann.

Dette kan vi lese på katolsk.no om den hellige Klemens, Kirkens 4. pave. I de tradisjonelle tidebønnene leser man til matutin, en nokså lik tekst – jeg skrev om det i fjor.

San Clemente kirken i Roma ligger ikke langt fra Colloseum, og er spesielt interessant siden man kan se tre lag i dens historie ganske tydelig – se bildet under.

Mosaikken i apsis er også fantastisk – se under.

Hva er det Kirken «ligger 200 år etter»?

Generelt, Katolsk /

Den kjente katolske forfatteren George Weigel skriver nå hos First Things (som jeg fortsatt leser ganske ofte, selv etter Fr. Neuhaus’ død) om noe som ble kjent etter kardinal Martinis død i september:

.. In the interview (immediately dubbed his “spiritual testament” by his admirers), Cardinal Martini described the Church in Europe and America as “tired,” and asked “Where among us are the heroes from whom we can draw inspiration?” The burning “coals” of the Church, Martini continued, were hidden under piles of ashes; indeed, there is “so much ash on top of the coals that I am often assailed by a sense of powerlessness. How can the coals be freed from the ashes so as to reinvigorate the flame of love?”

The cardinal went on to propose, quite rightly, that true reform in the Church is always reform inspired by Word and Sacrament. But then, at the end of the interview, came the money-quote: “The Church is two hundred years behind. Why in the world does it not rouse itself? Are we afraid? Fear instead of courage?”

To which one wants to reply, with all respect, “Two hundred years behind what?” A Western culture that has lost its grasp on the deep truths of the human condition? A culture that celebrates the imperial autonomous Self? A culture that detaches sex from love and responsibility? A culture that breeds a politics of immediate gratification and inter-generational irresponsibility, of the sort that has paralyzed public policy in Italy and elsewhere? “Why in the world,” to repeat the late cardinal’s question, would the Church want to catch up with that? … …

For all his brilliance, Cardinal Martini, like many on the Catholic left, never seemed to grasp that the secular culture with which Vatican II hoped to open a dialogue was not the secular culture that emerged in Europe in the aftermath of the upheavals of 1968. The new secularism was not open to the possibility of transcendent truth, as the secularism of, say, Albert Camus had been. The new secularism was embittered, aggressive, and narrow-minded. It was not so much interested in dialogue as in cultural hegemony. And it is now firmly committed to driving the Catholic Church out of public life throughout the Western world.

There is no need to lament being “behind” that. The Catholic challenge is to get ahead of that soul-withering ideology, and convert those in thrall to it by example and persuasive argument.

Streng reaksjon mot prest – fordi han arbeidet for ordinasjon av kvinner

Katolsk, Teologi /

Hos National Catholic Reporter i USA kan vi lese om en prest som i 2008 deltok i en ulovlig (og ugyldig) ordinasjon av kvinner – og som nå er blitt utestengt (av Troskongregasjonen) fra prestetjeneste og fra sin orden. (Protestantiske kristne, som nå er blitt ganske vant med kvinnelige prester, vil nok syns dette er kraftig kost.) Første leser vi:

… …. about Bourgeois’ role in the order following his participation in the ordination of Roman Catholic Womanpriest Janice Sevre-Duszynska in August 2008. Shortly after, Bourgeois was notified by the Vatican congregation that he had incurred a latae sententiae, or automatic, excommunication for his participation.

Deretter refererer de Troskongregasjonens avgjørelse fra oktober i år:

The Congregation For The Doctrine Of The Faith
Canonically Dismisses Roy Bourgeois

Maryknoll, New York – November 19, 2012 – The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on October 4, 2012, canonically dismissed Roy Bourgeois from the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, also known as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. The decision dispenses the Maryknoll priest from his sacred bonds.

As a priest during 2008, Mr. Bourgeois participated in the invalid ordination of a woman and a simulated Mass in Lexington, Kentucky. With patience, the Holy See and the Maryknoll Society have encouraged his reconciliation with the Catholic Church.

Instead, Mr. Bourgeois chose to campaign against the teachings of the Catholic Church in secular and non-Catholic venues. This was done without the permission of the local U.S. Catholic Bishops and while ignoring the sensitivities of the faithful across the country. Disobedience and preaching against the teaching of the Catholic Church about women’s ordination led to his excommunication, dismissal and laicization.

Mr. Bourgeois freely chose his views and actions, and all the members of the Maryknoll Society are saddened at the failure of reconciliation. With this parting, the Maryknoll Society warmly thanks Roy Bourgeois for his service to mission and all members wish him well in his personal life. In the spirit of equity and charity, Maryknoll will assist Mr. Bourgeois with this transition.

19. (17.) november: Den hellige Elisabeth av Ungarn

Katolsk, Liturgi /

… Den hellige Elisabeth av Ungarn (av Thüringen) har alltid vært en av de mest elskede helgener i Tyskland. Med henne som forbilde driver St. Elisabeth-søstrene stadig sitt arbeid for fattige og syke, og de har vært og er representert flere steder i Norge. Kongregasjonen ble stiftet i 1842 i Neisse i Schlesien, den fikk sin kirkelige godkjennelse i 1859. I 1986 hadde kongregasjonen ca 3.000 søstre som arbeidet i Afrika, Italia, Jerusalem, Polen, Tyskland og Skandinavia, og deres virkefelt omfatter alle former for sosial omsorg. Siden 1200-tallet har hun vært skytshelgen for fransiskanertertiarer, sammen med den hellige Ludvig IX.

Den hellige Elisabeth feires enten 17. eller 19. november, og jeg skrev i fjor om hvorfor det er blitt slik – SE HER.

15. november: Albertus Magnus

Katolsk, Liturgi /


I dag feires Kirken alle steder (riktignok bare som valgfri minnedag i den nye kalenderen) den hellige Albert den store. Til Matutin (i de tradisjonelle tidebønnene) leste vi følgende om ham:

Albert, called the Great, because of his unusual learning, was was born at Lauingen on the Danube in Suabia and carefully educated from his boyhood. He left his country to study in Padua. While he was there he applied to entrance to the Dominicans. His uncle protested futilely against this step, but Blessed Jordan, master general of the Order of Preachers, encouraged it. When Albert had joined the friars, he was shining example of religious observance and devotion. He loved the Blessed Virgin Mary above all and burned with zeal for souls. To complete his studies he was sent to Cologne. Then he was made professor at Hildesheim, at Freiburg and Ratisbone and at Strasburg. In the master’s chair at Paris, he earned a high reputation. He had Thomas Aquinas for his beloved disciple and was the first to perceive and predict the loftiness of his intellect. At Anagni, in the presence of the Pope Alexander IV, he refuted William, who had wickedly attacked the mendicant orders. Later he was made bishop of Ratisbone, where, in giving counsel and in settling disputes, he worked such wonders, as to deserve the title of peacemaker. He wrote many things about almost all branches of learning, especially the sacred sciences, and composed some famous works about the wonderful Sacrament of the altar. Famous for his virtues and for his miracles, he died in the Lord in the year 1280. By the authority of the pope a cult had long since been granted him in many dioceses and in the Order of Preachers, when Pius XI, willingly acceding to the desire of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, gave him also the title of Doctor and extended his feast to the Universal Church. Pius XII appointed him the heavenly patron with God of all those who study the natural sciences.

Les mer om Albert den store på katolsk.no.

De to fattige enkene

Katolsk, Liturgi /

I dagens messer valgte jeg å bare lese andre del av evangeliet (første del var valgfri – om Jesus og farieseerne) for å gjøre temaet litt mer fokusert; på fattigdom, tro, våge å legge alt i Guds hender. Her er tekstene (minus andre lesning, fra Hebreerbrevet, om Jesus som ypperstepresten, som kan være en preken i seg selv):

1. Kongebok 17,10–16 – Elia og enken i Sarepta
… 10 Straks gikk Elia av sted til Sarepta og kom til byporten. Akkurat da var det en enke der som sanket ved. Han ropte til henne og sa: «Hent litt vann til meg i en skål, så jeg får drikke!» 11 Da hun gikk for å hente det, ropte han etter henne: «Ta også med et stykke brød til meg!» 12 Hun svarte: «Så sant Herren din Gud lever: Jeg eier ikke så mye som en brødleiv, bare en håndfull mel i krukken og litt olje i muggen. Nå går jeg her og sanker et par vedpinner, og så vil jeg gå hjem og lage til noe for meg og sønnen min. Når vi har spist det, kan vi legge oss til å dø.» 13 Elia sa til henne: «Vær ikke redd! Gå hjem og gjør som du har sagt! Men bak først en liten brødleiv til meg av melet, og kom ut til meg med den! Siden kan du lage til noe for deg og sønnen din. 14 For så sier Herren, Israels Gud: Melkrukken skal ikke bli tom, og det skal ikke mangle olje i muggen til den dagen kommer da Herren sender regn over jorden.» 15 Da gikk hun og gjorde som Elia hadde sagt, og både hun og han og hele hennes hus hadde mat i lang tid. 16 Melkrukken ble ikke tom, og oljen i muggen tok ikke slutt. Det gikk som Herren hadde sagt gjennom Elia.

Markus 12,41–44 – Den fattige enkens gave
41 Jesus satte seg rett overfor tempelkisten, og han så på hvordan folk la penger i den. Mange rike ga mye. 42 Men det kom også en fattig enke og la i to småmynter, verdt noen få øre. 43 Da kalte han disiplene til seg og sa: «Sannelig, jeg sier dere: Denne fattige enken har gitt mer enn noen av de andre som la penger i tempelkisten. 44 For de ga alle av sin overflod, men hun ga av sin fattigdom alt hun eide, alt hun hadde å leve av.»

Vi leser NT-tekster fra Gunnes’ oversettelse i norske messer, en oversettelse jeg bare delvis er fornøyd med. I dag står det f.eks. om hvor mye penger enken la i tempelkisten: «… to lepta i den (det svarer til en kvart romersk as)» – ikke særlig lett å forstå.

Om Gunnes’ oversettese kan vi her lese følgende – også at det muligens kan bli en forandring av hvilken oversettelse som skal brukes i messer på norsk:

Velkjent i katolske kretser er presten og middelalderhistorikeren Erik Gunnes’ Det nye testamentet – En oversettelse fra grunnspråket med kommentarer og innledning. Som Lyder Bruns NT er denne oversettelsens én manns verk. Den kom ut på St. Olav forlag i 1968 og dessuten i pocketutgave i Gyldendals Kjempefakkel-serie i 1969. Gunnes’ oversettelse har en litt akademisk og konservativ språkføring, men går samtidig langt i idiomatisk retning. J. Ulltveit-Moe har karakterisert den som ”slepen, stram og stilig”, men samtidig ”preget av ro og verdighet.” Utgaven har vært konsultert i Bibelselskapets oversettelsesarbeid i nyere tid. Gunnes oversatte NT fra den greske grunnteksten. Her skilte han seg fra biskop Ole Offerdahls Det nye testamentes kanoniske bøker omsatt efter Vulgata og forsynt med forklaringer fra 1902 (revidert 1938), som mange katolikker tidligere hadde brukt. Gunnes legger en vitenskapelig rekonstruert tekst til grunn, men er ikke spesielt gjennomsiktig når det gjelder de tekstkritiske valgene han gjør. Denne utgaven er i liturgisk bruk i Den katolske kirke i Norge, men signaler fra liturgikommisjonen tyder på at den i fremtidige liturgiske bøker vil bli erstattet av en tilpasset versjon av Bibelselskapets nye oversettelse.

Hvordan skal man best be i messen?

Data/blogg, Katolsk /

Fr Ray Blake er en engelsk preste-blogger jeg leser forholdsvis regelmessig, og han hadde nylig et innlegg der han skriver om hva messen helst skal brukes til, sett fra lekfolkets perspektiv; be til Gud eller lytte til presten? Det må selvsagt være begge deler, men det ser ut til de troendes egen (aktive) bønneaktivitet i (og før og etter) messen har blitt tonet ned en hel del de sist årene. Fr Blake skriver bl.a.:

Most people don’t know how to pray the Mass, and it is possibly more difficult when Mass is in the vernacular. The problem is they don’t know whether they should listen to what the priest is saying, or pray along with him, or allow his prayers to trigger their own, or what. It is made more difficult when the priest faces people, even if he is addressing God he appears to be really speaking to them.

Rightly some have suggested the Mass or at least the Eucharist Prayer is in crisis, as the Pope did in «Spirit of the Liturgy». One of the reasons for boredom at Mass, and then lapsation, is simply that people don’t know what to do at Mass. If anything, the liturgical reforms have deadened the people’s understanding of their priestly, intercessory, role at Mass.

The ancient custom of placing the dyptichs of the living and the dead on the altar during Mass might give us clue about what we should be doing during Mass. The idea is reflected in the Roman Canon where the living; the Pope, the Bishop the faithful are prayed for before the consecration, after the consecration, which acts as hinge, the faithful departed are prayed for. …

So, an idea for November, why not prepare an extensive list list of the dead (and the living too) to intercede for during the Eucharist Prayer: include relatives, friends, enemies too, ancestors, benefactors, notorious criminals, people in the news, war dead, forgotten dead and then intercede for them when the priest prays for the dead formally after the the consecration. Before it intercede for the living, there should be lots to pray for, our hearts are supposed be huge with charity at Mass. …

Overraskende fin søndagsmesse i Italia

Katolsk, Liturgi /


Bildet over er tatt (under offertoriet) i en messe i kirken St Pietro i Corniglia (en av landsbyene i det som kalles Cinque Terre) på den italienske rivieraen. Det var overraskende (faktisk, for italienske messer er dessverre ofte ikke mye å skryte av) at denne messen ble feiret på en god måte (for det aller meste).

Presten bruker (som man ser) kirkens gamle alter (det ser man ikke ofte, og i nabolandsbyen hadde man et ekstra bordalter av pleksiglass foran høyalteret), en fin romersk messehakel, han sa heller ikke noen ekstra egne ord rundt omkring i messen (bare noen kunngjøringer helt til slutt – i tillegg til prekenen), og musikken var ikke så aller verst, selv om presten ikke sang noen av sine deler av messen.

(Og flere ting presten gjorde når han slik feiret messen versus Deum, viste at han hadde kjennskap til den tradisjonelle messes – og som man kunne vente var ikke presten mye over 30 år gammel.)

Gratulerer p Haavar Simon Nilsen!

Katolsk /

Jeg hadde gleden av å være til stede ved p Haavars prestevielse i St Dominikus kirke i går kveld – den var flott på alle måter. Under ser dere utdrag av bønnekortet han delte ut ved velsignelsen ha ga etter messen..

La oss holde urokkelig fast ved bekjennelsen av vårt håp: for han som gav løftet er trofast! (Hebr 10,25)

Pave Benedikt begynner en ny katekeseserie – om trosbekjennelsen

Katekisme, Katolsk, Paven /

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today I will introduce the new cycle of catechesis, which will be developed throughout the Year of Faith that has just started and interrupt – for this period – the cycle dedicated to the school of prayer. With the Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei I chose this special year, so that the Church would renew its enthusiasm to believe in Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of the world, revive the joy of walking on the path that He has shown us, and witnesses in a concrete way the transforming power of the faith. … …

Slik begynte pave Benedikt sin preken/katekese under gårsdagens audiens på Petersplassen, og på Vatikanradioens nettsider kan vi lese mer om dette:

To accompany Christians’ worldwide on the journey of the Year of Faith – which he opened last week – the Pope announced that he would be interrupting his series on the Christian School of Prayer for now to concentrate on helping people deepen their understanding of why we believe what we believe, starting with the “the essential formula of faith”, the Creed.

The Holy Father arrived at this decision following the results of the questionnaire bishops around the world were asked to answer ahead of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelisation which is currently underway in the Vatican. The Pope highlighted some issues this revealed: a faith that is passive and private, rejection of faith formation, the rupture between faith and everyday life.

He said “Christians often do not even know the core of their Catholic faith, the Creed, so as to leave room for a certain syncretism and religious relativism, without clarity on the truths to be believed and the salvific uniqueness of Christianity. The risk is not far off today of people building a so-called «do-it-yourself» religion. Instead, we should return to God, the God of Jesus Christ, we must rediscover the message of the Gospel, to bring it into more deeply into our minds and our daily lives”.

Bilder fra åpningen av Vatikankonsilet

Katolsk /

Nettstedet conciliaria.com skriver my om det som skjedde for akkurat 50 år siden i Vatikanet. Under ser man bilder jeg fant på deres hovedside i dag:

Second Vatican Council, Opening Day, October 11, 1962. Watercolor painting of the procession of bishops entering St. Peter’s Basilica by artist-journalist Franklin McMahon (1921-2012).

Pope John XXIII addressing the assembled Fathers at the opening of the Second Vatican Council.

Pope John XXIII at the opening of the Second Vatican Council.

Second Vatican Council by Lothar Wolleh.

De tar også med en egelsk oversettelse av pave Johannes XXIIIs tale ved åpningen. Han begynte slik:

Mother Church rejoices that, by the singular gift of Divine Providence, the longed – for day has finally dawned when — under the auspices of the Virgin Mother of God, whose maternal dignity is commemorated on this feast—the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council is being solemnly opened here beside St. Peter’s tomb.

The councils — both the 20 ecumenical ones and the numberless others, also important, of a provincial or regional character which have been held down through the years — all prove clearly the vigor of the Catholic Church and are recorded as shining lights in her annals.

In calling this vast assembly of bishops, the latest and humble successor of the Prince of the Apostles who is addressing you intended to assert once again the Church’s magisterium [teaching authority], which is unfailing and perdures until the end of time, in order that this magisterium, taking into account the errors, the requirements and the opportunities of our time, might be presented in exceptional form to all men throughout the world. …

Les hele talen her.

11. oktober: Jomfru Marias moderverdighet

Katolsk, Liturgi, Teologi /

11. oktober var det i lang tid i Roma en fest for å marker at Jomfru Maria i konsilet i Efesus i 431 ble erklært å være Guds mor. Sr Anne Bente nevner også dette på sin blogg: «et år som starter på 50-årsdagen for åpningen av Det annet vatikankonsil – som forøvrig i sin tid ble åpnet på årsdagen for dogmet om Marias guddommelige moderskap i Efesos 1500 år tidligere.»


Pave Pius XI skrev en encykklika om dette i 1931 (LUX VERITATIS), og bestemte også at det på denne dagen hvert år skulle feires en messe med navn «MATERNITATIS B. MARIÆ VIRGINIS» – en fest som falt bort i 1970. Men i de tradisjonelle tidebønnene leser vi i dag, i 6. lesning:

In the year 1931, amid the applause of the whole Catholic world, solemn rites were celebrated to mark the completion of the fifteen centuries which had elapsed since the Council of Ephesus, moving against the Nestorian heresy, had acclaimed the blessed Virgin Mary, of whom Jesus was born, as Mother of God. This acclamation had been made by the Fathers of the Church under the leadership of Pope Celestine. Pius XI, as Supreme Pontiff, wished to commemorate the notable event and to give lasting proof of his devotion to Mary. Now there had existed for many years in Rome a grand memorial to the proclamation of Ephesus, the triumphal arch in the basilica of Saint Mary Major on the Esquiline Hill. This monument had already been adorned by a previous pontiff, Sixtus III, with mosaics of marvellous workmanship, now falling to pieces from the decay of the passing ages. Pius XI, therefore, out of his own munificence, caused these to be restored most exquisitely and with them the transept of the basilica. In an Encyclical Letter Pius set forth also the true history of the Council of Ephesus, and expounded fervently and at great length the doctrine of the prerogatives of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God. He did this that the doctrine of this lofty mystery might sink more deeply into the hearts of the faithful. In it he set forth Mary, the Mother of God, blessed among women, and the most holy Family of Nazareth as the exemplars to be followed above all others, as models of the dignity and holiness of chaste wedlock, as patterns of the holy education to be given youth. Finally that no liturgical detail be lacking, he decreed that the feast of the Divine Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary be celebrated annually on the 11th day of October by the universal Church with a proper Mass and Office under the rite of a double of the second class.

Troens år: Et år for tro og gode vaner

Data/blogg, Katolsk /

I går skrev sr Anne Bente Hadland på sin blogg om dagen i dag:

Alle år er troens år når man bekjenner seg som kristen, men det skader kanskje ikke med en påminnelse? I hvert fall, i morgen, 11. oktober, går vi i Den katolske kirke inn i Troens år, et år som starter på 50-årsdagen for åpningen av Det annet vatikankonsil – som forøvrig i sin tid ble åpnet på årsdagen for dogmet om Marias guddommelige moderskap i Efesos 1500 år tidligere. I tillegg er det i år 20 år siden verdenskatekismen kom, en frukt av konsilet, understreker pave Benedikt XVI. Året avsluttes med Kristi Kongefest neste år, altså ved utgangen av kirkeåret. ….

Sr Anne Bente har forøvrig skrevet mye (og interessant) på sin blogg den siste tida – besøk den gjerne her.

Den katolske Kirke i Norge har også en egen blogg som handler bare om TROENS ÅR.

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