Katolsk

160 millioner katolikker i Afrika

Katolsk /

I går starta en synode om Afrika i Vatikanet, og bildet viser alle biskopene som deltok i messen i Peterskirken søndag morgen. Synoden skal vare fram til 25. oktober, og John Allen skriver slik om gårsdagen:

Pope Benedict XVI led this morning’s liturgy, joined by almost 240 bishops, most of them Africans taking part in the synod. Concelebrating the Mass were the three co-presidents of the synod, Cardinals Francis Arinze of Nigeria, Wilfrid Fox Napier of South Africa, and Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Senegal, along with Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, the “relator,” or general secretary, of the synod.

If the musical tone was upbeat, Pope Benedict struck a more sober note in his homily this morning. The pope praised the dynamism of the faith in Africa, where the Catholic population grew during the second half of the twentieth century by some 7,000 percent, soaring from 1.9 million Catholics to an estimated 160 million today.

The pope called Africa “an immense spiritual ‘lung,’ for a humanity that appears to be in a crisis of faith and hope.” Later, during his midday Angelus address, Benedict praised the «extraordinary human wealth» of Africa.

Nonetheless, in his homily Benedict warned that Africa faces two serious threats, suggesting that the synod should carefully ponder responses to both.

The first threat, Benedict said, is a “practical materialism, combined with relativistic and nihilistic thought.” Those philosophical currents, he suggested, are reaching Africa from the West.

“The so-called ‘first world’ has exported and is still exporting its toxic spiritual refuse,” the pope said, “which infect the populations of other continents, especially in Africa.”

“Colonialism is finished in a political sense,” the pope said, “but it’s not completely gone away.”

The second threat Benedict identified is “religious fundamentalism, mixed with political and economic interests.”

“Groups with diverse religious affiliations are spreading themselves throughout the African continent,” the pope said. “They do so in the name of God, but according to a logic opposed to that which is divine. They’re not teaching and practicing love and respect for liberty, but intolerance and violence.”

The pope also made clear reference to the social ills that continue to scar Africa, citing “exploitation, conflicts and corruption,” as well as “poverty, injustices, violence and wars.” He called upon the church in Africa to be a source of “prophecy and ferment of reconciliation among the various ethnic, linguistic and religious groups, within individual nations and across the entire continent.”

In his Angelus remarks, Benedict likewise noted that life in Africa is marred by «so much poverty, and still suffers under heavy injustices.» … …

Det er tydeligvis to måter å leve ordenslivet på i Den katolske Kirke (i USA)

Katolsk /

I USA har antaller nonner/søstre gått ned fra 180 000 i 1965 til 59 000 i 2009 – og gjennomsnittsalderen deres er 75 år! I USA er de også organisert i to store grupper, de mer tradisjonelle (the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious) og de mer moderne (the Leadership Conference of Women Religious ) – det er disse siste som mister flest medlemmer. En av de «moderne» skriver her om sin forståelse av situasjonen – nokså sjokkerende må jeg si; det virker som om de som har valgt et liv innviet til Herren, likevel ikke skal leve slik:

«… the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious was formed with membership based on wearing the habit, communal prayer, eucharistic adoration and fidelity to the church. Meanwhile, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious continued in the spirit of Vatican II to be open to the world, exploring avenues of liberation theology, feminist theology and the plight of the poor, among others.

Members of the Leadership Conference embrace modernity and the work of the council as the Holy Spirit breathing new life in the church. They fall under what Father Radcliffe identifies as the Concilium group, who focus on the Incarnation as the central point of renewal. Members of the Conference of Major Superiors, by contrast, are Communio Catholics, who emphasize communion through proclamation of the faith, a clear Catholic identity and the centrality of the cross. (Concilium and Communio are the names of two periodicals founded in the postconciliar era. The first stressed conciliar reforms; the second stressed the continuity of the council documents with the community of the faithful through past centuries.) Thus, one group focuses on doxology and adoration (Communio), the other on practice and experience (Concilium). One sees Christ as gathering people into community (Communio); the other sees Christ as traversing boundaries (Concilium). The C.M.S.W.R. recently held its eucharistic congress under the title “Sacrifice of Enduring Love,” while the L.C.W.R. continues to work on systemic change. The former sees religious life as divine espousal with Christ; the latter sees Christ in solidarity with the poor and justice for the oppressed. … »

Les hele artikkelen hos Father Z her.

Pave Benedikt oppfordrer prester til å bruke digitale medier

Data/blogg, Katolsk /

Jeg leste denne interessante (for oss bloggere bl.a.) nyheten på Zenit.org for et par dager siden, men somlet litt med å få lagt den ut:

A communiqué from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications announced the theme today, feast of the archangels.

The Holy Father urges priests to «consider the new media as a powerful resource for their ministry in the service of the Word and wishes to express a word of encouragement in order to address the challenges stemming from the new digital culture,» the communiqué explained. «If the new media is adequately known and appreciated, it can offer priests and all pastoral agents a wealth of data and content that previously was difficult to access, and it facilitates ways of collaboration and growth of communion that were unthinkable in the past.»

OPPDATERING:
Father Tim Finigan Har selv overatt hele denne meldinga til engelsk – og skriver også mer om den på sin blog. Her begynner teksten:
The principal task of the priest is to announce the Word of God made flesh, man, history, becoming in this way a sign of that communion which God effects with man. The efficacy of this ministry requires therefore that the priest should live an intimate relationship with God, rooted in a profound love and in a living awareness of the Sacred Scriptures, «witness» in written form of the divine Word.

The message for the 44th World Day of Social Communications seeks to invite priests in a particular way, during this Year of the Priest, and after the celebration of the 12th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to consider the new media as possibly a major resource for their ministry at the service of the Word and seeks to offer a word of encouragement so that they might confront the challenges which arise from the new digital culture. … …

Den hellige Teresa av Lisieux – hennes relikvier reiser verden rundt

Katolsk /

Bloggen upsidedown skriver om at relikviene av Therese av Lisieux i disse dager er i England, og at de vekker stor interesse.

Han skriver: What are we to make of the extraordinary influence of the relics of this young girl? First, it is interesting how much she foresaw. She predicted that her body would not be corrupt so that her relics might be venerated. Nevertheless, when her coffin was opened the crowds reported supernatural fragrance of roses. When I lived in England I met a woman who’s mother was present at the exhumation and who testified to this phenomenon.

There is more to it however. Therese also said on her deathbed that she believed God had granted all her desires. Well, one of her most fervent desires was to be a missionary. She longed to travel to every country of the earth singing the praises of God and proclaiming his mercy to the nations. In God’s strange providence we see this desire coming true through the regular pilgrimages of her relics around the world. They say ‘if stones could speak’. They might as well say, ‘if bones could speak’ for in this young girl they do.

There is more to it however. Mother Teresa took her name in religion from Therese–not from Teresa of Avila. Therefore, the missionary desire of Therese was brought to fulfillment in the little nun from Albania and her order: Missionaries of Charity. Not only does the title of this famous order refer to ‘charity’ as ‘charitable work’ but it also refers to the greater theological virtue of charity, and this too references back to Therese.

Les mer om Therese (på norsk) her.

Pave Benedikts forfriskende og ortodokse forkynnelse

Katolsk /

John Allens har skrevet følgende om pave Benedikts forfriskende og klare forkynnele under besøket i Tsjekkia:
No compromise on essential points of doctrine and discipline, but the most positive, upbeat presentation possible. Christianity is framed not as a dry book of rules, but as the answer to, as Benedict put it Monday morning, “the profound thirst for meaning and happiness in the heart of every person.” …

The pope’s commitment to affirmative orthodoxy over these three days seemed to embody a deliberate effort to get back “on message.”

In many ways, Benedict’s surprisingly positive tone was the early storyline of his papacy. It seemed to go into eclipse in early ’09, however, with a furor over lifting the excommunications of four traditionalist bishops, including one who’s a Holocaust denier, and controversial comments on AIDS and condoms during a trip to Africa. Pundits hinted that the “real Ratzinger,” the hard-line figure familiar from his years as the Vatican’s top doctrinal enforcer, was finally coming to the fore. …

For secular society, Benedict’s aim is to present Christianity as the best guarantee of the values which even the most ardently secular agnostic also prizes: peace, tolerance, dialogue, and freedom. To make that case, the pope seems to believe he can’t start the conversation with flash-points of controversy, but rather with a positive vision of what Christianity has to offer.

Det blir antydet at paven tidligere i vinter ikke hadde det samme positive fokuset, under problemene rundt SSPX og under besøket i USA, da det hele ble mer problemorientert. Father Z skriver om det:
I resonate with his suggestion that Pope Benedict could be trying to get back on message. But in doing so, I am also thinking that if he has not entirely been on message lately, then His Holiness must deal with the possibility that he is not being well-staffed by some of those around him.

Reglene for menighetslivet i Medjugorje presiseres

Katolsk /

De påståtte åpenbaringene av jomfru Maria i Medjugorje, i Bosnia-Hercegovina i 1981, og forsettelsen av disse, har ikke blitt akseptert av Kirken, og jeg har nylig blitt oppmerksom på at den lokale biskopen har strammet inn mulighetene for de lokale prestene, og for besøkende prrester og pilegrimer, til å fokusere på disse åpenbaringene.

I juni i år, etter bispevisitas, sendte den lokale biskopen et brev til sognepresten i Medjugorje og presiserte bl.a.:

Bp. Ratko Peric of Mostar-Duvno in Bosnia and Herzegovina has sent letters to the pastor and a parochial vicar at Medjugorje, with specific directives about how they and the parish are not to promote the alleged apparitions of the place:

* that alleged messages and commentaries on them are not to be published;

* that prayers from the apparitions are not to be used publicly;

* the parish church is not to be called a «shrine», even privately;

* that foreign priests may not give conferences or retreats without permission of the bishop;

* foreign priests wishing to offer Mass must present a celebret from their diocese or order, and the information is to be recorded;

* a privately-built church has already been closed and is not to be used;

* unauthorized religious communities have no permission to set up residence

Les mer om dette her.

Her er også en grundig artikkel om det som skjer i Medjugorje – fra First Things.

Høytidelig vesper i St Vitus-katedralen i Praha

Katolsk, Liturgi /

Jeg fikk en begeistret telefon i går kveld, fra et katolsk ektepar som satt og så på pavens vesper i Praha, direkte på internett fra EWTN. Kirken, musikken, liturgie etc. var helt fantastisk forstod jeg. Vi som ikke fikk se vesperen på TV eller video, får klare oss med dette bildet, og med pavens tale ved denne anledningen:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I greet all of you in the words of Saint Paul that we have just heard in our Scripture reading: Grace and peace to you from God our Father! First of all I address these words to the Cardinal Archbishop, whom I thank for his gracious words. I extend my greeting to the other Cardinals and Bishops present, to the priests and deacons, the seminarians, men and women religious, to the catechists and pastoral workers, to the young people, the families, and to the representatives of ecclesial associations and movements.

We are gathered this evening in a place that is dear to you, a place that is a visible sign of the power of divine grace acting in the hearts of believers. The beauty of this thousand-year-old church is indeed a living testimony to your people’s rich history of faith and Christian tradition: a history that is illuminated in particular by the faithfulness of those who sealed their adherence to Christ and to the Church by martyrdom. I am thinking of Saint Wenceslaus, Saint Adalbert and Saint John Nepomuk, milestones in your Church’s history, to whom we may add the example of the young Saint Vitus, who preferred to die a martyr’s death rather than betray Christ, and the examples of the monk Saint Procopius and Saint Ludmila. From the twentieth century, I recall the experiences of two Archbishops of this local Church, Cardinals Josef Beran and František Tomášek, and of many Bishops, priests, men and women religious, and lay faithful, who resisted Communist persecution with heroic fortitude, even to the sacrifice of their lives. …

…

Dear Brothers and Sisters, with gratitude to the Lord, we shall be marking a number of anniversaries this year: the 280th anniversary of the canonization of Saint John Nepomuk, the 80th anniversary of the dedication of Saint Vitus’ Cathedral, and the 20th anniversary of the canonization of Saint Agnes of Bohemia, the event which heralded your country’s deliverance from atheist oppression. All these are good reasons for persevering in the journey of faith with joy and enthusiasm, counting on the maternal intercession of Mary, Mother of God, and all your Patron Saints. Amen!

Inspirerende bilder fra et prestejubileum

Katolsk, Liturgi /

Bilder fra en Missa solemnis i England 24. september.

En engelsk prest, Fr Sean Finnegan, skriver på sin blog:
On the 24th September, mirabile dictu, I will have been a priest for 20 years. … I feel that the occasion is not without significance, so there will be Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form in St Peter’s, Shoreham at 7.30pm on Thursday 24th September, Feast of our Lady of Ransom and Walsingham. All, and I mean all, are very welcome. Especially if you know me, please come, if you have nothing better to do, and forgive the lack of a particular invitation.

There will be a little celebration afterwards … Those who feel that the Extraordinary Form is slightly strong meat are very welcome instead to gather with me (and concelebrate, if they wish) at 11.30am on the same day, at Christ the King, Steyning, where I will celebrate Mass in the Ordinary Form, and there will be also nibbles and something to drink in the parish room after.

Se mer HER, HER, og HER.

England har en del vanlige, katolske menighetsprester, som er svært opptatt av den gamle liturgien – denne presten som var med på jubileet og denne. Kan noen forklare hvorfor den tradisjonelle latinske messen ser ut til å stå sterkere i England enn i de fleste andre land – dvs. i vanlig menighetssammenheng, ikke i utbrytergrupper?

Uppdrag gransknings nye program om Williamson-saken

Katolsk /

Jeg så svensk TVs oppfølgerprogram om SSPX og holocaustfornektelsen, som ble sendt onsdag kveld, og kan sees her. Det er et noe langtekkelig program der det er lite nytt, i alle fall for folk som fulgte med denne saken i starten av året. Men det sies svært tydelig at den svenske katolske biskopen, Anders Arborelius, sendte informasjon til Vatikanet om Williamson-intervjuet gjennom Vatikanets nuncio i Stockholm (som bekrefter at han sendte informasjonen videre). Noen kommentatorer har lurt på hvordan biskop Arborelius kunne vite om intervjuet med biskop Williamson mange uker før ptogrammet ble sendt, men det var vel naturlig nok da han selv ble intervjuet av STV om dette. Det er tydelig at programmet prøver å gjøre kardinal Castrillon Hoyos til syndebukk i denne saken.

Mange netteteder har kommentert programmet, og flere lurer på hvorfor STV legger så store ressurser inn i dette programmet, og hvorfor noen katolikker er så ivrige etter å støtte kritikken av Kirken. Se bl.a. Dantesnyheter og Inside the Vatican.

OPPDATERING:
Kardinal Castrillon Hoyos tilbakeviser at han visste noe om intervjuet med Williamson i januar. Han sier at hans kontor lagrer all informasjon de får inn, også pr e-post, han ber biskop Arborelius fortelle hvordan og til hvem kommunikasjonen ble gitt, og antyder også at informasjonen kan ha stoppet andre steder i Vatikanet. Se her (tysk) og her (italiensk).

Vatikanet har satt sammen et ganske godt team for samtalene med SSPX

Katolsk /

John Allen skriver i dag om samtalene som skal begynne i slutten av oktober mellom SSPX og Vatikanet, men tanke på å finne en plass for disse tradisjonalistene innenfor Kirken struktur. … … reporters in Rome pressed Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesperson, for details. On Tuesday, Lombardi confirmed that talks will indeed take place toward the second half of October. He also identified three experts who will be participating for the Vatican:

* Swiss Dominican Fr. Charles Morerod, secretary of the International Theological Commission and rector magnificus of the Dominican-run Angelicum University in Rome;
* German Jesuit Fr. Karl Josef Becker, an emeritus professor at the Gregorian University in Rome and a longtime advisor to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith;
* Spanish Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, the vicar general of Opus Dei and an advisor to the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation since 1986. (For the record, Ocáriz was actually born in Paris but to Spanish parents, so let’s not quibble about nationality.)

… These three figures appear to be carefully chosen. Becker and Ocáriz were both major contributors to Dominus Iesus, the 2000 document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, led by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, on religious pluralism. That text strongly upheld the uniqueness and the universality of the salvation won through Christ, thereby addressing one of the Lefebvrites’ major doctrinal objections to Vatican II. Morerod is a veteran of Anglican-Catholic and Orthodox-Catholic dialogues, and a figure known for bringing a thoroughly orthodox approach to ecumenical efforts.

Det var en eksemplarisk messe, folk deltok konsentrert og fromt i liturgien – og ingen klappet

Katolsk, Liturgi /

«E’ stata una celebrazione esemplare, la gente è stata molto devota e composta». Dette sa pave Benedikt til biskoper etter søndagsmessen i den italienske byen Viterbo, forrige søndag. Det var ca 10 000 mennesker til stede i denne utendørsmessen, men etter tydelige oppfordringer før messen, var det ingen som klappet eller oppførte seg upassende på annen måte – og dette gledet pavens hjerte. Fra NLM-bloggen:

Last Sunday, the Holy Father visited the Italian cities of Viterbo with its papal palace, where the first papal conclave was held, and Bagnoregio, birthplace of St Bonaventure, … … In Viterbo, he celebrated Mass in the Faul Valley, immediately below the walls of the papal palace. According to several reports in the Italian press, at lunch that day with the local bishops, the Holy Father made some interesting remarks about the attitude of the faithful attending that Mass. While they are not new or surprising, they certainly bear highlighting. According to the reports, Benedict XVI explained to the bishops present that «he desires a greater composure in the liturgies, in which, he finds, applause and acclamations are out of place.» In that sense he commended Sunday’s celebration, because the more than ten thousand faithful attending «were very devout and composed.» In this, the faithful also followed an invitation made through the speakers installed for the occasion «not to applaud and to remain recollected.»

Intens debatt etter senator Edward Kennedys begravelse

Katolsk, Liturgi /

En begravelse feiret i hvite messeklær, der man gleder seg over den avdødes liv svært så grundig, men knapt ber for hans sjels frelse, er det en god, katolsk begravelse? I tillegg kommer spørsmålet om han burde få en (svært så offentlig) katolsk requiemesse, når han så tydelig som han gjorde gikk mot Kirkens syn på provosert abort.

Etter nesten to ukers intens debatt (og jeg har lest en hel del av det som er skrevet – bl.a. denne artikkelen i First Things), ser man ut til å være enig om at man ikke kunne nekte senatoren en katolsk begravelse, se bl.a. HER – og Bostons kardinal Sean O’Malley forsvarer også sterkt at han deltok i begravelsen, se HER. Men man ser også ut til å være enig om at det var en svært dårlig katolsk begravelse, og at man kanskje må gjeninnføre svarte messeklær (i Norge bruker vi i det minste fiolett) til begravelse, og igjen begynne å synge Dies Iræ – for å få gjeninnført bønnen for den avdødes sjel som det viktigste elementet i en katolsk begravelse.

Richard McBrien, kjent katolsk teolog, uttaler seg mot eukaristisk tilbedelse

Katolsk, Teologi /

Da jeg for 15 år siden forberedte meg til å bli opptatt i Den katolske Kirke, ba (den elelrsl utmerkede) presten for forberedte meg, meg om å kjøpe Richard McBriens bok ‘Catholisism’ og lese den som forberedelse. Jeg gjorde det, men uten glede (og med lite utbytte), for liberal reologi hadde jeg allerede fått nok av i mine teologiske studier i Oslo.

McBrien er fortsatt aktiv, og har nettopp skrevet dette mot eukaristisk tilbedelse – som vår egen biskop med stor effekt har bedt alle menigheter øke frekvensen av:

The practice of eucharistic adoration began in the 12th century, when the Real Presence of Christ was widely rejected by heretics or misunderstood by poorly educated Catholics. The church saw eucharistic adoration as a way of reaffirming its faith in the Real Presence and of promoting renewed devotion to it.

However, as time went on, eucharistic devotions, including adoration, drifted further and further away from their liturgical grounding in the Mass itself.

Notwithstanding Pope Benedict XVI’s personal endorsement of eucharistic adoration and the sporadic restoration of the practice in the archdiocese of Boston and elsewhere, it is difficult to speak favorably about the devotion today.

Now that most Catholics are literate and even well-educated, the Mass is in the language of the people (i.e, the vernacular), and its rituals are relatively easy to understand and follow, there is little or no need for extraneous eucharistic devotions. The Mass itself provides all that a Catholic needs sacramentally and spiritually.

Eucharistic adoration, perpetual or not, is a doctrinal, theological, and spiritual step backward, not forward.

Father Z. skriver også om dette, og har fått godt over 100 kommentarer til sitt innlegg.

————— OPPDATERING————

McBrien får visst svært mye kritikk også fra sine egne (dvs andre liberale katolikker) på dette utspillet (se her), bl.a. følgende kommentar:
I consider myself a progressive Catholic like yourself. I love the way the Mass is celebrated now rather than before Vatican II. I wish the Church would allow qualified lay people to preach at the time reserved for the homily. I favor ordaining women as deacons and priests. I hope that someday married, baptized Catholic men will be allowed in the priesthood and I don’t look forward to the new Mass translations that our Bishops had to approve at their June plenary session. However, Fr. McBrien, I must strongly disagree with your negative attitude about the Holy Father encouraging the restoration of Eucharistic adoration…

Bispevielse i Finland i forgårs

Katolsk, Liturgi /

Sippo Teemu, SCJ, ble ordinert til biskop i Finland, lørdag 5. september – katolsk.no har mer informasjon om ham. Ogås på engelsksprklige nettsider har man lagt merke til lirugien; at nesten hele messen var på latin, at alteret var satt opp slik pave Benedikt ønsker det – og at seremonien fant sted i Åbos lutherske domkirke (sannsynligvis pga behov for en så stor kirke). Les kommentarer og se flere bilder på NLM-bloggen.

Ti anglikanske nonner blir katolikker

Katolsk, Økumenikk /

Les dette interessante stykket om de ti nonnene som blir katolikker (pluss en hel del kommentarer):

After seven years of prayer and discernment, a community of Episcopal nuns and their chaplain will be received into the Roman Catholic Church during a Sept. 3 Mass celebrated by Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien.

The archbishop will welcome 10 sisters from the Society of All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor when he administers the sacrament of confirmation and the sisters renew their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the chapel of their Catonsville convent.

Episcopal Father Warren Tanghe will also be received into the church and is discerning the possibility of becoming a Catholic priest.

Kardinal Bertone benekter at pave Benedikt vil “omgjøre Vatikankonsilet”

Katolsk /

Meldinger tidligere denne uka om at pave Benedikt er blitt oppfordret av flere biskoper og kardinaler om vurdere enkelte liturgiske forandringer, har fåt tsvært mye oppmerksomhet – og jeg har nevnt det HER og HER.

I dag leser jeg på Zenit.org også følgende – fra høyt hold i Vatikanet (og det virker for meg som man overdriver de første meldingene, for så å benekte dem):

Benedict XVI’s closest collaborator is denying media rumors that the Pontiff is working to gradually «undo» the changes implemented after the Second Vatican Council.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope’s secretary of state, stated this in an interview with L’Osservatore Romano published Thursday.

He addressed the debate surrounding false rumors in the Italian media about supposed documents that would reverse changes in the Church since Vatican II, especially regarding the liturgy.

The cardinal asserted that in order to understand the Holy Father’s intentions and actions, it is necessary to consider his personal history, one that included involvement «as a genuine protagonist» in the Conciliar Church.

These other rumors about «presumed documents of reversal are pure inventions,» he stated.

The cardinal highlighted some applications of the Second Vatican Council that the Pope has «promoted constantly with intelligence and depth of thought.» …

Kardinal Bertone benekter at pave Benedikt vil “omgjøre Vatikankonsilet”Les mer »

29. august: Johannes døperens martyrdød

Katolsk, Liturgi /

«Herodes hadde latt Johannes gripe, hadde bundet ham og kastet ham i fengsel. Dette hadde han gjort på grunn av sin brors hustru Herodias. For Johannes hadde sagt til Herodes: «Det er ikke tillatt for deg å ha henne til hustru.» Han ville da helst ha drept ham, men var redd folket, som mente at Johannes var en profet. Men da Herodes feiret sin fødselsdag, danset datter til Herodias for gjestene. Herodes likte dette så godt at han med ed lovte å gi henne hva hun så bad om. Da fikk moren henne til å si: «Gi meg døperen Johannes’ hode på et fat.» Kongen ble ille ved, men fordi han hadde sverget, og det mens gjestene hørte på, bød han at hun skulle få det, og han sendte folk for å halshogge Johannes i fengslet. Hodet ble båret inn på et fat og gitt til piken, som gav det videre til sin mor. Men disiplene hans kom og hentet liket og gravla det, og gikk så og fortalte alt til Jesus.» Matteus 14, 3-12

Det er denne hendelsen katolikkene markerer i dag. Les mer om dagen på katolsk.no – bl.a. mye av relikvier av Døperens hode.

Trykk HER for å se en stor kopi av Caravaggios bilde.

Mer om Vatikanets syn på liturgien

Katolsk, Liturgi /

Jeg meldte for noen dager siden at flere av Vatikanets biskoper og kardinaler ønsker å gjøre noen forandringer i liturgien, og sendt disse forslagene til pave Benedikt. Flere har skrevet om dette, og bl.a. har man fra høyeste hold nektet at det fins et dokument som viser at det er vedtatt noen som helst liturgiske forandringer. Men i England slår The Catholic Herald dette stort opp:

The Vatican has proposed sweeping reforms to the way Mass is celebrated, it has been claimed.

Communion on the tongue, Consecration celebrated ad orientem (facing east) and renewed use of Latin could all be re-introduced to ordinary Sunday Masses as part of proposals put forward by the Congregation for Divine Worship.

Andrea Tornielli, a senior Vatican watcher, reported last week that the congregation’s cardinals and bishops voted «almost unanimously in favour of greater sacrality of the Rite» at a plenary meeting in March.

Members of the congregation are said to have put forward 30 propositiones («propositions») aimed at reforming the way in which the Novus Ordo has been celebrated since the Second Vatican Council.

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