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  Series of Video 'Shorts' on the New Mass
Posted by: Stone - 02-28-2024, 08:03 AM - Forum: New Rite Sacraments - Replies (7)

The New Mass: A Flavor of Protestantism - The Work that Martin Luther Began



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  Prayer for a Parish Without a Priest
Posted by: Stone - 02-27-2024, 08:00 AM - Forum: When there is No Priest - No Replies

Taken from The Recusant #61 - Lent 2024 [slightly adapted]:

[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fa.1stdibscdn.com%2Fherm...ipo=images]

Taken from “Gebetbuch fur Gemeinde ohne Seelsorger” (A Prayerbook for Parishes Without a Priest) 
Imprimatur: Mgr. Konrad Martin, Bishop of Paderborn, Germany, 1876


Prayer for a Parish Without a Priest


Leader: Let us pray: Almighty Father, eternal God, look down graciously upon your poor orphaned parish/faithful gathered here before you. We deserve your righteous wrath, since we were formerly so ungrateful to you in the abundance of graces. “We have sinned, we have committed wickedness, we have acted in a godless way, and we have departed from the Lord.” But now we return to you in repentance, and out of the abyss of our misery we cry to the abyss of your mercy, that you may have mercy on us. Father! your children ask you for bread. We ask for the bread of the soul, for your grace!

All: Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.


Leader: Holy God, holy strong God, holy immortal God!

All: Have mercy on us.


Leader: The altar is in mourning, the tabernacle is empty. We no longer have a priest to offer the sacrifice of atonement for us; we no longer have the Blessed Sacrament in our midst. Oh Jesus, dearest Jesus, why have you forsaken us? Forgive us the wrongs we have done to you in this sacrifice and sacrament, return to your penitent children and dwell with us again! But since we cannot yet enjoy your presence, bless us at least from the distance from those altars on which you sacrifice yourself today, for you have also healed the son of the centurion from afar. Let us receive some crumbs of the rich table of grace which you have prepared in the Catholic Church, for “for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.” (Mat. 15:27), whereas we are your children!

All: Have mercy on us, o Lord, have mercy on us!


Leader: Holy God; holy, strong God; holy, immortal God!

All: Have mercy on us.


Leader: The confessional and pulpit are deserted. God, Holy Ghost, giver of grace, teacher of truth, whom we have so often despised, whose graces we have so shamefully embezzled, incline again to us who supplicate to you and take away from us our iniquities. Be our comforter, be our teacher, instruct us in your holy law, and give us strength to fulfil it.

All: Have mercy on us, o Lord, have mercy on us!


Leader: Holy God; holy, strong God; holy, immortal God!

All: Have mercy on us.

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  How To Set Up Your Home For Mass
Posted by: Stone - 02-27-2024, 07:41 AM - Forum: Resources Online - No Replies

Taken from The Recusant - #61 Lent 2024 [slightly adapted]:


How To Set Up Your Home For Mass


So you’re about to have your first visit from a priest of the Resistance. Mass is scheduled to take place and you’re hosting. What do you need to do to prepare? Here is a an idea of what you may wish to do. These are just some thoughts, nothing comprehensive, but it ought to give you some ideas. Not everything will be possible, but at the same time it is our duty to make things as dignified and worthy as possible for Our Lord when He visits.

1. The Altar

Most of us don’t have an altar, or even an altar stone, readily to hand, so you’ll want to start off with a table. The priest will usually have a Greek corporal with him (you may want to check, however), which contains the relics of martyrs and which allows him to say Mass on a table which is not otherwise an altar. That’s fine, but we owe it to Our Blessed Lord to make the setting for his holy Mass as dignified as possible - anything beyond our capabilities He will surely understand, this is about seeing what is possible and making improvements as and when we are able.

a. Shape: ideally you want a rectangular table, avoid a circular one if at all possible. Ideally you want eight feet in length (from left to right as you look at it) but six feet or even five will do just fine. I have seen smaller altars than that used, it can be done, it just isn’t ideal. As for the depth, you can judge it by eye if you stand at the altar in the centre, where the priest will stand during most of the Mass and try to imagine the priest unfolding the corporal on the altar top. An unfolded corporal might take up sixteen inches or slightly less, meaning you’ll want roughly that in depth: ten inches is a bit cramped, more than twenty-six inches is too much.

b. Height: in an ideal world your table-soon-to-be-altar would be exactly forty inches high and certainly you wouldn’t want it much higher than that - most tables and desks are nowhere near that high. If yours isn’t, don’t worry too much: any attempt to make it higher will be appreciated by the priest who won’t have to bend so low during Mass. Thirty-eight or even thirty-six inches will usually work well. Waist height or slightly above is what you’re aiming for. Without a tape measure, you can judge it like this: stand in front and without bending down, see if you can place your hands on it. If you can’t, or if you can only place your fingers on it but not the flat of your palm without bending forwards, then it’s too low. If possible, take into account how tall the priest is, because if he’s quite short, then you’ll get away with the altar being a bit lower, but if he’s 6’3, then you really won’t!

[Image: Screenshot-2024-02-27-060450.png]

Some men who are hobby craftsmen and carpenters may wish to have a go at building a wooden frame to precise dimensions. For those so inclined, a copy of St Charles Borromeo’s book on how to build churches, Instructiones Fabricae et Supellectilis Ecclesiasticae may come in useful. It was published in 1577 and, I gather, was in use right up to Vatican II. It will be out there somewhere on the internet, though you may have to track it down and buy it. (If you do, please drop us a line and let us know!)

For the rest of us lesser mortals who haven’t the time, the patience, the tools, the skills or the real estate, you might want to find something to place under the table legs to raise its height a little. Anything that is stable: four bricks (or four piles of bricks, two or even three high, to achieve the right height!), four plastic stools, four books, very thick volumes of the same thickness, in the past we even used an ingenious contraption made out of drainpipes with a thick bolt inserted through it near the bottom. Whatever works. Once you think you’ve achieved what you’re after, test it out to see how stable it is. It shouldn’t be too wobbly or liable to collapse - and if for some reason you can’t fully avoid that, then at the very least warn the priest, but while you still have the opportunity you should try to find a solution.

c. Covering & Decoration: a white sheet is something indispensable. A linen table cloth is far preferable to a bedsheet. There are supposed to be three altar cloths, so if you are going to have Mass regularly you should try to acquire these and (of course, as with everything) once they been used for Mass, if possible they should be set aside and not used for anything else. The white cloth should hang down on each side, either to the floor or to just above the floor. If the front of the table is also covered, this will hide the fact that it is a table and hide the books or bricks (or drainpipes!) under the legs. If you can find something of the right liturgical colour, something precious-looking (gold?) or what have you, to go under the cloths and hang down in front, like an altar frontal or antependium, so much the better. But failing that, a white sheet will do. Just bear in mind that if it is a single, thin sheet, it may end up looking a bit see-through depending on the lighting. In the long run it may be worth looking at a high-street fabric shop for something which looks nice enough to be used on the altar, damask for instance. Are there any Indian shops where you live? Why not take a look.

Whenever you think you’ve finished arranging this part, always take one last opportunity to double check that it isn’t crooked before you start putting things onto the altar.

What needs to be placed on the altar? The first and most obvious thing is a crucifix. You can have a hanging-on-the-wall type of crucifix, (make sure it hangs above the centre of your altar) but more common is to have a stand-up crucifix placed on the altar. In that case, the danger is that it is not tall enough and can barely be seen. As a rule of thumb, any stand-up crucifix will need to be raised higher, what you’re aiming for ideally is the top of the priest’s head or slightly higher, but if it’s not that high in the first instance, don’t worry too much. But do try to find something for it to stand on, to raise it up a bit higher. As with altar legs, there are a number of solutions: an old biscuit tin, a Tupperware box, a solid block of wood or even a pile of books are some examples I’ve seen used at Resistance Masses, all of which worked and whose presence can be disguised by the altar cards.

[Image: Screenshot-2024-02-27-060834.jpg]

The two candles and their candlesticks (for low Mass) can be placed on the altar at the extreme left and right, either side of the crucifix and will be useful as something to prop the altar cards against. Nice brass candlesticks, ideally, with proper candles in them, do try to avoid those awful tea lights. Two vases of flowers can also be placed on the altar during most of the year (flowers aren’t allowed if it’s Lent or Advent, with the exception of Laetare Sunday and Gaudete Sunday). Try to use two matching vases to keep things symmetrical, brass is preferable but glass will do pro tem. A church antiques shop or certain internet websites (etsy or ebay, for instance) will have brass vases for sale fairly cheaply - if they are old they may benefit from a thorough application of brasso. If you have them and there is enough space, then two statues of saints can go somewhere in between, one on either side. Again, in the interests of symmetry, you want your two statues to be of roughly the same height. All those three things, candles, vases and statues, will look even better if they, like the crucifix, are raised up slightly. To do that you will need something to serve as a gradine, the “step” on the back of the altar. Because these need to be long and flat and fairly stable it is difficult to know what to use, and it may be that you’ll have to do without. I have seen these made by placing two fairly thick planks of wood, one either side of the crucifix. Upturned window box flower pots might work, but you’d want to cover them with some sort of fabric to disguise them and check that they don’t wobble a lot. An identical pair of drawers removed from a cabinet and upturned is another thing I have seen. Or just do
without for the meantime.

[Image: Screenshot-2024-02-27-061526.jpg]

An example of an altar from the early days of the Resistance. This was a chest of drawers, minus the drawers. No gradines yet, and only a white cloth to cover the front, but it works well enough. Statues either side but not on the altar.

On the topic of altar cards, the now defunct website resistere.org used to carry pdf files of the altar cards which could be printed and laminated. They can still be found using the internet archive (archive.org) here. If you can stick the print-out onto a card backing before laminating, the effect is even better. Another option is to put them in picture frames (A4 for the centre card, and A5 for the two smaller ones, for instance). A high street picture shop will do this for a small fee, or you can do it yourself. The priest will usually have his own altar cards in his Mass kit anyway, but the more things you have of your own, the better. The priest’s travel altar cards will likely be small and light to save space like everything else in his travel Mass kit, whereas your ones, if they are only every going to be kept at home and don’t need to be packed for travel, can afford to be bigger and nicer-looking.

2. Location and Surroundings: obviously your table-turned-altar should be against the wall, this isn’t the Novus Ordo! Stand and face the altar from roughly where you think people assisting at Mass will find themselves. What can you see that might be a distraction? Pictures on the walls which aren’t holy pictures, family photos and so on, can be taken down temporarily and put safely out of the way somewhere. Bookcases can be covered with a cloth, a blanket or similar. If you are unfortunate enough to have a television, you can throw it in the bin; but if, for whatever unhappy reason, you really feel you can’t do that just yet, then at least cover it too. If there are windows in front or to the side, then closed curtains means less chance of distraction. If a telephone is located in the room or in the hall just outside, or if it rings especially loud, consider taking it off the hook just before Mass begins. One other thing to check is that there is enough light: it may not be obvious to you, but the priest will have to read the text from the missal without having to strain his eyes. If the light is a little dim, do you have a lamp which can be placed somewhere nearby should he want it?

3. Besides the Altar: you will want to have a credence table, where the cruets (water and wine) will be. This ought normally to be to the right of the altar (the epistle side) and it can be a lot smaller and lower-to-the-ground than the altar. Even a coffee table or bedside cabinet will work. Cover it in a white cloth, if you have one. On it will be the cruets, bowl and finger towel, the bell, the communion plate and anything else.

You should also think about where the priest will vest before and after Mass. If there really is nowhere obvious, or the accommodation is cramped, then he can always vest and unvest at the altar. But if there is a table in another room, then that could serve as a sacristy. Often this will also double-up as the confessional, for which you will need two chairs and a crucifix. For whoever is going to serve Mass, you should try to acquire your own cassock and cotta. If it’s your first time, then you can be forgiven for serving in smart lay clothes, but if you know that this is going to be the first of several such occasions, then you should start looking. Finding them isn’t too difficult, finding them cheaply may be another question, and may vary by country and region. You can always ask the priest if he knows somewhere, or someone.

4. Other Things Which Will Be Appreciated, but aren’t essential. Presumably the priest is going to preach. A music stand makes a decent pulpit, if you have one. If not, don’t worry. On a Sunday, he will want to read the Epistle and Gospel in English right before the sermon - do you have a layman’s missal to hand to him at that moment, for him to read from? If others are visiting you for Mass do you have holy water to offer them? If you don’t, think about finding a large container and asking the priest to make you some holy water to last until the next visit. You can never have too much holy water! Are you going to sing a hymn before or after Mass, or both? Picking something everyone knows is the easy option, but it may be an idea to print out the words for people, if you are able. Cushions will be greatly appreciated by those with bad knees, especially on a hard wooden or stone floor.

In the Long Run, you will want to acquire a full set of everything if you are going to have regular visits from a priest. That way he won’t need to worry, you will always have a spare, and you may one day end up welcoming a priest who doesn’t have a travel Mass kit at all.

A list of what ought to be found in a Mass kit will be attached here. You won’t always be able to acquire everything in one go, but if you keep an eye out you will find that it can be built up bit-by-bit as the months go by. With vestments, for instance, most of us won’t be able to afford a full set of every colour, so I would start by getting a cheap, reversible purple/ white set of travel vestments as your first purchase, and maybe a green/red reversible set as your second. After a few years you might find yourself looking at those rose vestments for Gaudete or Laetare Sundays, just in case! And *cough* if the ladies step up to the mark, we ought eventually to be at the stage where we no longer need to purchase what can be made by our own skill and craft... But of course that is easier said than done, and in the meantime needs must and every little helps.

The most important thing is that you see Mass not just as an opportunity for you to benefit yourself (although it is that), but also as an opportunity to give something to Our Lord by way of service and self-sacrifice, in whatever way you are able, to contribute to making His worship that little bit more dignified and worthy. I am convinced that one of the reasons the English and Irish seem to prefer Low Mass is that we feel self-conscious singing, as though everyone were looking at us. Even the mortification of forcing oneself to sing the hymn at the end in a loud, clear voice when they really don’t want to, can be a significant sacrifice for some people.

If you are not hosting the Mass but only attending it, and you have something which you think might help improve things (some nice fabric, for instance, or a pair of statues roughly the same size), speak to the person hosting the priest and offer to bring them. Just remember, if the answer is yes, try not to turn up at the last minute or after Mass has begun!


Serving and Singing

If you are a young man and you don’t yet know how to serve Mass, you should try to learn. Even if you think that you are not needed to serve right now, there is always going to be at least one occasion in your life where you will be the only person able to serve and the priest (and Our Lord Himself) will be grateful. There are books to teach you (“How to Serve Low Mass and Benediction” by Angelus Press has been a staple for many over the years) or better still, get someone to show you. If you are already the server, offer to teach the other men how to serve. Two servers at Mass, one who knows what he is doing and the other who is a beginner, is possibly the best way to learn: books can be a great help, but there is no substitute for monkey-see-monkey-do, as they say. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, and don’t be overcome by thoughts of how unworthy you are either. We’re all unworthy, including the priest, but we are also obliged to put ourselves at Our Lord’s service as far as possible.

The same applies to singing. Why are there so many low Masses and so comparatively few sung Masses? If you have a singing voice and can sing in tune, and if you are familiar with the Traditional Mass and know your way around a layman’s missal, you can start by looking up in your missal the Introit for your next Mass. A youtube search for the first three words in Latin will usually bring up several Gregorian chant videos with both music and text on the screen, which you can have a go at singing along to whilst trying your best to read the music. I understand why relatively few people ever do this: it isn’t easy and if you have never done it before it will take time to rehearse it again and again until you feel you’re getting it, but just remember that your efforts are for Our Lord Himself and just think of what He has already done for you. As a first-timer you can be forgiven if you only manage to sing the Introit this way and have to resort to singing a single tone for the other propers (the Gradual, the Alleluia or Tract, the Offertory and the Communion). A sung Mass done this way is still more worthy for Our Lord than a low Mass, especially on Sundays and feast days and many a Traditionalist layman who today can confidently sing Gregorian chant at sung Mass started out this way. Somebody has to do it and if Our Lord doesn’t want that person to be you, ask yourself why He hasn’t arranged for someone else to be doing it already? For the ordinary, use Kyrie 8 (the Missa de Angelis) which everyone seems to know, until you feel more confident.

One thing which you will find invaluable for singing at Mass is a Liber Usualis, a big fat book like a giant missal which contains all the chant you could ever possibly need. Any Catholic press which sells Traditional Missals will usually also sell these. To get you started though, or if your budget is tight, the website resistere.org (now defunct, but you can access it via the internet archive at archive.org here) has a free, downloadable pdf of the 1962 Liber.

To return one last time to the chapel and its furnishings, let us finish by saying that there will be ways of making even more worthy for Mass, even if the room is permanently left as a chapel and you think you have the altar ideally set up. An altar rail enclosing the sanctuary, a raised platform under the altar extending out into a step on which the priest will stand, a baldacchino or similar above the altar with an image of the Holy Ghost… and many other small improvements. Perhaps one day you will reach that stage, but in the meantime any small steps we can make will be appreciated by Our Lord and will help increase the devotion of all who assist at that Mass.


Liturgical Fabric:

(for altar frontals, vestment making, etc.)

https://www.ecclesiasticalsewing.com/products/lichfield
https://www.wattsandco.com/collections/l...al-fabrics
https://www.etsy.com/uk/market/liturgical_brocade
https://www.catholicliturgicals.com/inde...me=Fabrics
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TopFabrics?...t-shopname


Altar Cards:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140713112546/
http://www.resistere.org/resources.html


Priest’s Vesting Prayers:
https://web.archive.org/web/201410090151...TIONES.pdf


Vestments:
https://www.catholicliturgicals.com/ (“Catholic Liurgicals” - Indian)
https://vestment.co.uk/contact-eng.html (“Ackermann Vestments” - Polish)


What a Mass Kit Should Contain:

Larger Altar Crucifix
Smaller (confessional) Crucifix
3 X White Altar Cloths
Altar Covering(s) / large sheets
Small White Cloth (credence)
Altar Missal
Missal Stand / Small Cushion
2 X Cruets
Bowl
Finger Towel
Bell
Communion Plate
Altar Cards
2 X Candles
2 X Candlesticks
Matches/lighter
Altar Wine
Large Hosts, Small Hosts
www.TheRecusant.com
Depending - ask your priest:
Patten
Chalice
Greek Corporal
Not necessary, but can be useful:
Square Box/Tin, Gradines
Statues/Holy Images
Copies of music/hymns
Printed: Prayers After Low Mass
Vases
Collection bag
Safety Pins, strong tape
Collapsible table
4 X Stools to raise the table
Chamois leather

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  Fr. Hewko's Catechisms: The Four Other Transfigurations of Christ - Feb. 25, 2024
Posted by: Stone - 02-26-2024, 12:21 PM - Forum: Catechisms - No Replies

Catechism

The Four Other Transfigurations of Christ - Feb. 25, 2024


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  Fr. Ruiz's Sermons: Second Sunday of Lent - February 25, 2024
Posted by: Stone - 02-26-2024, 12:19 PM - Forum: Fr. Ruiz's Sermons February 2024 - No Replies

2024 02 25 ORACIÓN Y ESPÍRITU DE CUARESMA 2o Dom de Cuaresma


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  Fr. Hewko's Sermons: Second Sunday of Lent - February 25, 2024
Posted by: Stone - 02-26-2024, 07:18 AM - Forum: February 2024 - No Replies

Second Sunday of Lent [First Mass] - February 25, 2024 - “He Was Transfigured Before Them” (San Diego, CA)


Video




Audio

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  The Recusant #61 - Lent 2024
Posted by: Stone - 02-25-2024, 08:07 AM - Forum: The Recusant - Replies (7)




Contents

• Are we “excommunicated” or in “schism” from modern Rome?
        - Arguments from Canon Law
        - The Case of the “Hawaii Six”
        - Arguments from Common Sense

• Catholic Social Action:
        - Book Review: Ousset’s “Action
        - LFSPN: A Call to Action!

• Preparing your Home for Mass

• Ten Years Ago - Part 3

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  Fr. Gommar De Pauw, "Go to Joseph"
Posted by: Deus Vult - 02-24-2024, 10:55 PM - Forum: Fr. Gommar de Pauw - No Replies

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  Fr. Gommar De Pauw, "Why the Latin Mass"
Posted by: Deus Vult - 02-24-2024, 10:51 PM - Forum: Fr. Gommar de Pauw - No Replies

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  Fr. Hewko's Sermons: Feast of St. Peter Damian - February 23, 2024
Posted by: Stone - 02-24-2024, 06:15 AM - Forum: February 2024 - No Replies

Feast of St. Peter Damian - February 23, 2024 - "Many Good Bishops" (NH)


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  650 Catholic Churches in Germany Closed Since 2005
Posted by: Stone - 02-23-2024, 09:38 AM - Forum: General Commentary - Replies (1)

650 Catholic Churches in Germany Closed Since 2005

[Image: s54lbfcp9p81ttinmzkgprgb3e1nxcwjti3eprz....84&webp=on]


gloria.tv | February 23, 2024

The secretariat of the German Bishops' Conference told DW.com (19 February) that 650 Catholic churches across the country have "ceased to be used for worship" since 2005.

He spoke of a "veritable wave of secularisation" [read: self-made secularisation]. An average of 28 Novus Ordo churches have been closed every year in Germany since 2019.

By 2023, every second German will no longer belong to one of the two main Christian churches.

Church buildings are being demolished to make way for housing estates or nursing homes, or converted into galleries, climbing walls, pubs or funeral parlours.

This trend is not surprising, as the German dioceses have no more to offer than any other decadent left-wing party.

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  NATO Gives Ukraine the Go-Ahead to Cross Putin's Red Line
Posted by: Stone - 02-23-2024, 07:05 AM - Forum: Global News - No Replies

NATO Gives Ukraine the Go-Ahead to Cross Putin's Red Line

[Image: BB1iJzZu.img?w=534&h=329&m=6&x=1354&y=593&s=528&d=528]

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at a press conference at the 60th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, southern Germany, on February 16, 2024. Stoltenberg said this week that Ukraine has the right to defend itself against Russia even if it means attacking inside Russian territory. © THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP via Getty Images

Newsweek | February 22, 2024

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine has a right to use its Western-supplied weapons to defend itself against Russia, even if that includes striking targets within Russia's borders.

"This is Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine, which is a blatant violation of international law," Stoltenberg told Radio Liberty during an interview on Tuesday.

"And according to international law, Ukraine has the right to self-defense. And it also includes strikes against legitimate military targets, Russian military targets outside of Ukraine. That's international law, and of course, Ukraine has the right to do that to defend itself."

A NATO official confirmed with Financial Times on Thursday that Stoltenberg meant that Kyiv's right to self-defense included striking Russian military targets outside of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned against Ukraine using its Western-supplied equipment to launch attacks on Russian territory, saying that doing so could risk escalating the conflict. The warnings had originally made allies like the United States hold off on supplying Kyiv with long-range weapons capable of reaching Russia, but NATO allies have since given Ukraine such arms.

Putin said last month that Russian investigators found that a U.S.-made Patriot air defense system was used to shoot down an Ilyushin II-76 military transport plane while it was in Russian territory. Washington has provided Kyiv with several of the surface-to-air systems and additional artillery for the weapons.

Moscow officials claimed that everyone on board the II-76, which crashed inside the Belgorod region on January 24, was killed, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Kyiv has not accepted responsibility for the crash, and Newsweek was not able to verify Russia's claims.

Stoltenberg noted during his interview with Radio Liberty that it was up to each NATO ally to decide "for itself whether it has any reservations about what it supplies" to Ukraine in light of Putin's warnings, and said that "different allies have slightly different policies on this."

Newsweek reached out to Russia's Foreign Affairs Ministry for comment on Thursday.

The NATO secretary general also spoke about the effort to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, saying that it was "impossible to say exactly" when the aircraft would be ready for battle.

"We all want the F-16s to be there as soon as possible," Stoltenberg told Radio Liberty. "At the same time, of course, the effect of the F-16 will be stronger and better with more trained pilots. And not only pilots, but also maintenance, personnel and all the support systems that must be in place."

F-16 jets have been provided to Ukraine by a variety of NATO members, and training programs on the modern aircraft are taking place in the U.S., United Kingdom, Denmark and Romania.

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  The Station Churches of the Ember Days of Lent
Posted by: Stone - 02-23-2024, 06:22 AM - Forum: The Liturgical Year - No Replies

The Station Churches of the Ember Days of Lent


NLM | February 21, 2024

During all four sets of Ember Days, the stations are held at the same three churches: on Wednesday at St Mary Major, on Friday at the church of the Twelve Apostles, and on Saturday at the basilica of St Peter in the Vatican. In Advent, Pentecost week, and September, there is often no clear connection between the station church and the actual text of the day’s Mass. On the Lenten Ember Days, however, the Gospel of the Mass each day makes a clear reference to the saint or saints in whose church it was intended to be said.

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The high altar of St Mary Major, decorated with relics for the Lenten station in 2017. Photo by the great Agnese.

On Ember Wednesday, the Gospel is St Matthew 12, 38-50, in which the Lord rebukes the Pharisees who wish to see Him perform a sign. “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign; and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was in the whale’s belly three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.”

In the Christian perspective, Jonah is unique and uniquely important among the prophets for two reasons. First, he personally does not say anything about Christ, as, for example, Isaiah says that a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son. In Jonah’s case, it is what happens to his body that prophesies the destiny of Jesus’ body, His death and Resurrection. Secondly, this prophetic explanation of his story is given to us by Christ Himself. He therefore became at a very early period one of the most frequently represented subjects in Christian art.

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Stories of Jonah, from a late 2nd century fresco in the Catacomb of Callixtus. From right to left, Jonah is thrown into the sea, where a monster is about to swallow him; Jonah is spat out of the sea-monster; Jonah rests under the vine. The Greek and Latin words for “whale” can also mean “sea-monster”, and the creature that swallows the prophet is usually shown as such in early Christian art.

In the ancient paintings and sarcophagi from the catacombs of Rome and elsewhere, Jonah is almost invariably shown nude, whether he is depicted being thrown into the water, swallowed by the whale, vomited out by the whale, or lying down under the vine that God uses to shield him from the sun. His nudity emphasizes the reality of his human nature, and therefore emphasizes the reality of Christ’s human nature. It must be born in mind that early heretics like the Docetists, Gnostics, and later the Arians, were concerned to deny not so much the divinity of Christ as the humanity of God. In antiquity, the idea of a savior, sage or miracle-worker sent from heaven was not particularly difficult to accept; what many in the Roman world found much harder to believe was that God took such interest in the welfare of the human race that He actually joined it. The nude figure of Jonah, therefore, is as much an assertion of the Incarnation, against the early heresies, as it is a proclamation of the death and resurrection of Christ.

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A third-century sarcophagus in the Vatican Museums’ Pio-Christian collection. This is one of the most elaborate versions of the Jonah story, and is therefore known as the Jonah Sarcophagus, although there are many other ancient representations of the prophet. Note that Noah is seen standing in a square ark above the sea-monster on the right, a clever use of the extra space to add another important Biblical episode.
This tradition was already well established when the basilica of Saint Mary Major was built right after the ecumenical council of Ephesus, both to honor the chosen vessel of God’s Incarnation, and to re-assert this dogma of our salvation against the heretic Nestorius; the station is kept at the natural choice of church in which to read this crucial Gospel passage. Oddly enough, the traditional Roman Rite uses only one passage from the book of Jonah itself at Mass in the whole of the year; chapter 3, in which Jonah preaches repentance to the Ninivites, is read on the Monday of Passion week, and repeated at the Easter Vigil. In the traditional Ambrosian liturgy, on the other hand, the entire book (actually one of the shortest in the Bible, only 48 verses) is the first reading of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper; in the Byzantine Rite, it is read at the Easter vigil.

At the end of the same Gospel, the Mother of God Herself appears in person: “And one said unto him, ‘Behold thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking thee.’ But He answering… said: ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?’ And stretching forth His hand towards His disciples, He said: Behold my mother and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, that is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.’ ” These words are explained by St Gregory the Great to mean that the disciples of Christ are His brethren when they believe in Him, and His Mother when they preach Him; “For as it were, one gives birth to the Lord when he brings Him into the heart of his listener, and becomes His Mother by preaching Him, if through his voice the love of God is begotten in the mind of his neighbor.” (Homily 3 on the Gospels).

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The Coronation of the Virgin, apsidal mosaic of St. Mary Major by Jacopo Torriti, 1296

On Friday is read at the basilica of the Twelve Apostles the Gospel of the man healed at the pool of Bethesda, John 5, 1-15, wherein “lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, of withered.” This healing may be seen as a prophecy of the mission given by Christ Himself to the Apostles, and in them to the whole Church. During His earthly ministry, when He first sent the Apostles forth, He “gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of diseases, and all manner of infirmities. And the names of the twelve Apostles are these: The first, Simon who is called Peter, etc. (saying) ‘Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils.’ ” (Matthew 10, 1-2 and 8). Likewise, on the feast of the Ascension, we read that He renewed this commission to the Apostles, giving as one of the signs that shall follow those that believe in Him, “they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover.” Here, when Christ heals the man who is too lame to reach the pool as the Angel of the Lord stirs the water, He says to him, “Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.” In the Acts of the Apostles, the very first miracle of healing reported after the first Pentecost is that of the lame man to whom their leader says “Arise and walk.” (chapter 3, 1-16)

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Three images of Christ as healer on a 3rd-century sarcophagus, also in the Pio-Christian Collection of the Vatican Museums. From left to right, the healing of the paralytic, who is shown carrying his bed; the healing of the blind man; the healing of the woman with the issue of blood. The fourth image is Christ transforming water into wine at the wedding of Cana. In antiquity, Christ was often shown holding a magic wand to indicate that He is working a miracle; some commentators have most unfortunately chosen to understand this to mean that the early Christians thought of Christ principally as a magician.

The Synoptic Gospels tell the story of another paralytic healed at Capharnaum, whose friends had to take the roof off the building to lower him down into the place where Jesus was preaching. (Mark 2, 1-12 and parallels) When Christ says to him first “Son, thy sins are forgiven thee.” the Pharisees grew indignant at this usurpation of God’s prerogatives. He therefore heals the man of his bodily infirmities to show that “the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins,” and then addresses him in the same terms He uses with the man at the pool of Bethesda, “Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house.”

The healed paralytic carrying his bed is another motif of great importance in early Christian art, representing the forgiveness of sins, an article of the faith which we still profess in every recitation of the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. Such images usually consist only of Christ and the man carrying his bed, and it is impossible to say whether we are meant to see him as the paralytic of Capharnaum or Bethesda. More likely, we are meant to think of them both at once.

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The healing of the paralytic of Bethesda, from the basilica of Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, ca. 550 A.D. In the same church, the paralytic of Capharnaum is shown being lowered through the roof, a rare case in which the two are clearly distinguished.

The latter, however, represents another idea of great importance to the early Church, namely, that gentiles are not obliged to live according to the religious laws of the Jews. In the early centuries, many Christians still felt themselves to be very close to their Jewish roots, and continued to follow the Mosaic law; a small but apparently rather vocal minority of these held that the same law should be binding upon all Christians. The paralytic of Bethesda, however, when reproved for violating the strict interpretation of law that no work may be done on the Sabbath, replies “He that made me whole said to me, ‘Take up thy bed, and walk.’ ” He therefore symbolizes the fact that Christ Himself has given the Church a new law, by which Christians are freed from the observance of the law of Moses.

The same idea is expressed by another common motif in early Christian art, the scene referred to as the Traditio Legis – the Handing-Down of the Law. In these images, Jesus is shown with a scroll representing the new law of the Christian faith, in the company of at least the Apostle Peter, usually also Paul, and sometimes all twelve; very often, He is passing the scroll directly to them. The Apostles, who had of course discussed this same question at the very first Council of the Church, that of Jerusalem (Acts 15), hand down to the Church and its members the new law that permanently dispenses us from the religious observances of the Old Covenant. This is certainly one of the reason why the story of the paralytic of Bethesda is read in the basilica of the Twelve Apostles.

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The Traditio Legis with Ss. Peter and Paul, from the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus (prefect of Rome, died 359 A.D.) Note that as Christ is handing the scrolls of the law to the Apostles Peter and Paul, He is also stepping on the face of the sky god, here used as a symbolic figure, to represent His dominion over the heavens.


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The Traditio Legis with all twelve Apostles, from a late-4th century imperial mausoleum in Milan, now the chapel of St Aquilinus in the basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore. Here, Christ has one scroll in His hand, and six in the case at His feet, a total of seven; this number symbolizes perfection, and hence the perfection of the new law.

At the Mass of Ember Saturday, the Church reads St Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration (chapter 17, 1-9) at the basilica of St Peter in the Vatican. In his homilies on this Gospel, St. John Chrysostom teaches that the purpose of the Transfiguration was to strengthen the Apostles’ faith in Christ’s divinity, so that they might not be overwhelmed with sorrow at His Passion or lose faith in His Resurrection. The Greek Church instituted a feast of the Transfiguration long before it was adopted by the West, fixing the day to August 6th, forty days, the length of Lent, before the Exaltation of the Cross. This association of the Transfiguration with the Passion is beautifully expressed by the early Byzantine mosaic in the apse of Sant’ Apollinare in Classe near Ravenna, built in the mid-6th century. The witnesses of the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah above, the Apostles Peter, James and John below, represented as three sheep, are standing around a great jeweled Cross, rather than Christ in in His glory and majesty; only the face of the Lord appears, within a small medallion in the middle of the Cross, an expression of the humility with which He accepted the Passion.

The three witnesses of the Transfiguration, Ss Peter, James and John, often appear together in the Gospels as the disciples closest to Christ. Along with Peter’s brother St Andrew, they were the first disciples called to follow Him, and were present for the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (Luke 4, 38-39); they were also the witnesses of the healing of the daughter of Jairus, (Mark 5, 37) and the agony in the garden (Mark 14, 33). They alone receive new names from Christ as a sign of their mission, (Mark 3, 16-17) Peter, “the Rock”, being the name given to Simon, James and John receiving the name Boanerges, “sons of thunder”. But at the Transfiguration, as in so many other places, it is Peter alone whose words the Evangelists record for us, words which the church of Rome sings this days at his very tomb, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.”

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  Frs. Hewko, Novak, & DeErausquin: Music and Catholicism - Good Fight Series Rountable
Posted by: Stone - 02-23-2024, 05:22 AM - Forum: Rev. Father David Hewko - No Replies

Frs. Hewko, Novak, & DeErausquin  [1997]: Music and Catholicism - Good Fight Series Rountable Discussion


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  Papal Documents on Church and State
Posted by: Stone - 02-22-2024, 07:55 AM - Forum: Papal Documents and Bulls - Replies (4)

COMMISUM DIVINITUS
ON CHURCH AND STATE

Pope Gregory XVI - 1835

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To the Clergy of Switzerland.

Venerable Brothers and Dearly Beloved Sons, Greetings and Apostolic Benediction.

The duty of the apostolic office which God entrusted to Us demands that We continually watch over the Lord’s flock. We especially direct all Our zeal and thoughts to provide as much assistance as We can whenever the eternal salvation of the sheep and the Catholic religion seem to be in danger.. We are aware of and deplore the fact that Our enemies cunningly try many things, and not without success. Their works are an open blow against the Christian flock and an injury to the Catholic cause. This sorrow is aggravated because those who want to deceive the unwary claim that they do not intend to subtract anything from the integrity of the faith. They pretend to have as their only purpose the protection of the rights of the laity. They attempt, by a false pretense of public interest, to introduce, widely disseminate, establish, and somehow sanction the erroneous and wicked teachings which they follow.

2. Hence they dared to call together an assembly to deliberate, and to fabricate a rule whereby aspects of the temporal power in ecclesiastical affairs were revealed and defined. You already know that We are speaking about those things which were nefariously accomplished during January of last year in Baden in the canton of Aargau. Because of them you experienced sharp sorrow and even now they make you anxious and concerned. We cannot keep secret the fact that in the beginning We were influenced to do nothing. We believed that the laymen gathered in the appointed place with no other intention than to study those matters which concern religion. We further believed they wanted to proceed so that they might not only discuss the many aspects of the ecclesiastical power, but also so that they might offer plans to those who wield high civil authority; those persons might then confirm and sanction the plans by force of law.

3. The acts of that meeting were recently published by Gynopedius at Frauenfeld. These acts contain the names of the men who were present at the meeting, the speeches given by some of them in the sessions, and the articles passed there. We were horrified in reading those speeches and articles and the principles contained in them. We knew then that novelties were being introduced in the Catholic Church which are contrary to its teaching and discipline and which lead to the destruction of souls. We cannot allow this in any way.

4. He who made everything and who governs by a prudent arrangement wanted order to flourish in His Church. He wanted some people to be in charge and govern and others to be subject and obey. Therefore, the Church has, by its divine institution, the power of the magisterium to teach and define matters of faith and morals and to interpret the Holy Scriptures without danger of error. It also has the power of governance to preserve and strengthen in the true doctrine those whom it welcomes as children and to make laws concerning all things which pertain to the salvation of souls, the exercise of the sacred ministry, and divine worship. Whoever opposes these laws makes himself guilty of a very serious crime.

5. This power of teaching and governing in matters of religion, given by Christ to His Spouse, belongs to the priests and bishops. Christ established this system not only so that the Church would in no way belong to the civil government of the state, but also so that it could be totally free and not subject in the least to any earthly domination. Jesus Christ did not commit the sacred trust of the revealed doctrine to the worldly leaders, but to the apostles and their successors. He said to them only: “Whoever hears you, hears Me; whoever rejects you, rejects Me.” These same apostles preached the Gospel, spread the Church, and established its discipline not in accordance with the pleasure of lay authority, but even in spite of it. Moreover, when the leaders of the synagogue dared command them to silence, Peter and John, who had used the evangelical freedom, responded: “You be the judge of whether it is right in the eyes of God to listen to you rather than to God.” Thus, if any secular power dominates the Church, controls its doctrine, or interferes so that it cannot promulgate laws concerning the holy ministry, divine worship, and the spiritual welfare of the faithful, it does so to the injury of the faith and the overturning of the divine ordinance of the Church and the nature of government.

6. These principles are firm, unchangeable, and supported by the authority and tradition of the ancient Fathers. Bishop Ossius of Cordoba wrote to Emperor Constantius: “Do not become involved in ecclesiastical matters nor give us orders concerning these affairs. But rather learn this from us: God gives you the empire; He entrusts ecclesiastical power to us. Whoever secretly tries to snatch the empire away from you opposes God. By the same token, take care that you do not draw ecclesiastical power to yourself and become guilty of a great crime.” The Christian leaders were aware of this and they considered it a glorious thing to acknowledge publicly. Among them was the great leader Basil who said in the eighth synod: “What more can I say about you lay people? I have nothing else to say except that it is not permitted for you to speak concerning ecclesiastical matters. It is the duty of patriarchs, popes, and priests, to whom the duty of governing has been entrusted, to investigate and study these matters. They have the power of binding and loosing and of sanctifying. They are the ones who have the ecclesiastical and heavenly keys, not those who must be fed, sanctified, bound, and loosed.”

7. However, in the Baden meeting the matter was discussed differently. The articles which came forth from it attack the sound doctrine of ecclesiastical power and lead the Church itself into a scandalous and unjust slavery. It is even subject to the judgment of lay authority in the promulgation of decrees concerning dogma, and its disciplinary laws are declared to lack force and effect unless they are promulgated by the agreement of secular authority with an added proposition concerning the penalties against those who disobey. What then? Power is given to that same civil authority either to approve or to oppose the celebration of the diocesan synods, to inspect the synods, to oversee seminaries, and to confirm the system of their internal governance established by bishops, to remove clerics from ecclesiastical duties, to govern the religious and moral instruction of the people, and finally to regulate everything which, they claim, pertains to the external discipline of the Church, although these things may be of a spiritual nature or character and may concern the worship of God and the salvation of souls.

8. There is nothing which belongs more to the Church and there is nothing Jesus Christ wanted more closely reserved for its shepherds than the dispensation of the sacraments He instituted. The power to judge concerning their dispensation belongs only to those whom He established as ministers of His work on earth. It is wicked if the civil authority appropriates for itself anything in this holy office! It is wicked if the civil authority prescribes anything at all concerning it or gives orders to the ministers of the sacraments! It is wicked if it tries with its laws to oppose the rules handed down to Us in writing or by oral tradition from the early Church concerning the distribution of the sacraments to the Christian people. Our predecessor St. Gelasius said in his letter to Emperor Anastasius: “You know, most merciful son, that you are allowed to rule over the human race. Nevertheless, submit yourself to the bishops and seek from them the means of your salvation. In receiving the heavenly sacraments and in distributing them appropriately, you know that you should be subject rather than govern. You know therefore that in these things you depend on their judgment and that they do not want to be subjected to your power.” What seems to be incredible and portentous is that the meeting at Baden progressed to the point that even the right and office of dispensing the sacraments was attributed to secular authority. The articles which were rashly written concerning the sacrament of marriage in Christ and the Church certainly incline in this direction as does the support given for contracting mixed marriages. The requirement that Catholic priests bless these marriages while ignoring the religious differences between the spouses and the threats of punishment for those who refuse to do this illustrate this tendency.

9. These things ought to be condemned because the civil authority makes laws concerning the celebration of a divinely established sacrament and dares to order the priests in such a serious matter. But they ought to be reproached even more so because they foster an absurd and impious idea which they call “indifferentism;” indeed they depend on it as necessary. Moreover, they oppose Catholic truth and Church doctrine which forbids mixed marriages as disgraceful because of the communion in holy things and because of the serious danger of the perversion of the Catholic spouse and the perverted education of the future children. Nor did the Church ever grant the free power to contract such a marriage unless conditions were added which prevented the causes of danger and deformity.

10. Jesus Christ conferred on His Church the supreme power of administering religion and governing Christian society. This is not subject to the civil authority. In his letter to the Ephesians the Apostle teaches that Christ established this ecclesiastical power for the benefit of unity. And what is this unity unless one person is placed in charge of the whole Church who protects it and joins all its members in the one profession of faith and unites them in the one bond of love and communion? The wisdom of the Divine Lawgiver ordered that a visible head be placed over a visible body so that “once so established, the opportunity for division might be removed.” Wherefore, although for all the bishops whom the Holy Spirit placed as governors of the Church of God there is a common dignity and in matters of rank there is nevertheless equal power, there is not the same rank in the hierarchy for all and they do not all have the same extent of jurisdiction.

Using the words of St. Leo the Great; “Among the holy apostles there was a similarity of honor but a distinction of power: while the election of all was equal, it was given only to one to have preeminence among the others … because the Lord wanted the sacrament of evangelical duty to belong to the office of the apostles; thus He placed it principally in St. Peter, the head of all the apostles.” He granted this to Peter alone out of all the apostles when He promised him the keys of the kingdom of heaven and entrusted to him the obligation of feeding the Lord’s sheep and lambs and the duty of strengthening his brothers. He wanted this to extend to Peter’s successors whom He placed over the Church with equal right. This has always been the firm and united opinion of all Catholics. It is Church dogma that the pope, the successor of St. Peter, possesses not only primacy of honor but also primacy of authority and jurisdiction over the whole Church. Accordingly the bishops are subject to him.

11. In the words of St. Leo, who continues speaking about the Holy See of Peter: “It is necessary that the Church throughout the world be united and cleave to the center of Catholic unity and ecclesiastical communion, so that whoever dares to depart from the unity of Peter might understand that he no longer shares in the divine mystery.” St. Jerome adds: “Whoever eats the lamb outside of this house is unholy. Those who were not in the ark of Noah perished in the flood.” Just as he who does not gather with Christ, so he who does not gather with Christ’s Vicar on earth, clearly scatters. How can someone who destroys the holy authority of the Vicar of Christ and who infringes on his rights gather with him? It is through these rights that the pope is the center of unity, that he has the primacy of order and jurisdiction, and that he has the full power of nurturing, ruling, and governing the universal Church.

12. We tearfully admit that this was attempted at the meeting in Baden. The pope alone and no bishop has the right to transfer the days fixed by the Church for celebrating feasts and observing fasts and to annul the precept of attending Mass. This was clearly established in the constitution Auctorem fidei published by Our predecessor Pius VI on August 28, 1794, against the Pistoians.

13. The items contained in the Baden articles are contrary to this and are much more harmful because on the issue of discipline they reserve the right for the civil authority. The special privilege of removing religious congregations which live under a rule from the jurisdiction of the bishops and subjecting these congregations directly to himself belongs to the pope-a right popes have used from the earliest times. The articles of the Baden convention abridge this right. They make no mention of the necessity of asking and obtaining the permission of the Holy See. Thus plans may be undertaken by a secular authority through which, after the exemption of the monastic orders is abolished in Switzerland, regular congregations can be made subject to the authority of the ordinary bishops.

14. To these, We should add those things which they indicate have been authorized concerning the rights of bishops. If these things are examined mote deeply and referred back to the principles from which the articles made in the Baden conference proceed, they seem to confirm that the jurisdiction of the bishops neither can nor should be swayed by the supreme authority of the pope. Nor should they be circumscribed by any limitations. Neither should We omit those things which were proposed concerning either the erection of a metropolitan see or the unification of some of those dioceses to another cathedral church located beyond the boundaries of Switzerland. The rights of the Holy See in this matter were ignored. Thus civil authority acted as if it were totally free in these serious issues to establish by its own right those things which it considered to be advantageous for the spiritual needs of the people. We pass over many other things which would be too tiresome to enumerate individually. However, they inflict great harm on this Holy See of Peter and threaten, violate, and despise its dignity and authority.

15. Since this is the situation and the Church is confronted by so great and open a disturbance of sound doctrine and ecclesiastical rights and by so great and serious a danger to the Catholic cause in these regions, it behooved Us to raise Our voice from this holy mountain soon after the meeting of Baden was held and to openly criticize, reprove, and condemn those articles to everyone who participated in the conference. We delayed Our decision on their wickedness up until now because We hoped that those who administer civil affairs would totally reject and disapprove of them. The matter did not, for the most part, come to pass according to Our expectation. On the contrary, We, greatly sorrowing, learned that laws were enacted which confirmed those articles and protected them by public decree.

16. We, in Our role as teacher and universal doctor, ought diligently to beware lest anyone be led into error by Our action and conclude that the articles of the Baden meeting are not inconsistent with the teaching and discipline of the Church. We know that We cannot hesitate or be silent any longer. As this is a matter of very serious importance, We subjected these articles to a careful examination. We have heard the advice and received the opinions of the cardinals of the Holy Roman Church and have considered the entire matter carefully by Our own will and with sure knowledge. With the fullness of the apostolic power, We reprove and condemn the aforementioned articles of the meeting of Baden as containing false, rash, and erroneous assertions; as detracting from the rights of the Holy See, overthrowing the government of the Church and its divine constitution, and subjecting the ecclesiastical ministry to secular domination; and as proceeding from condemned premises. We decree that they should forever be considered condemned.

17. While We intend to point these things out openly because of Our apostolic duty, it remains for Us to speak with paternal affection to you who have taken on a part of His governance, the fullness of which the Prince of Shepherds entrusted to Us. Among so many evils which besiege the Catholic Church in these evil times, what great trials press upon Our heart! We have experienced great sadness, especially from those things which were daringly attempted recently. It should be enough to direct your attention to it, and it should not be necessary to explain the details.

18. In Our sorrow We must not neglect to mention that what you did in guarding the Catholic cause and caring for the salvation of the flock entrusted to your care brought Us great solace. Therefore, We give thanks to the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation who comforted Us with you while We were oppressed by such tribulation. We must arouse your devotion. We exhort you to fight for the cause of God and the Church with greater zeal as the attacks of the enemy become more severe. It is your duty to stand as a wall so that no other foundation can be placed other than the one which has already been laid. It is also your duty to keep the faith undefiled. There is another sacred trust which you should firmly defend, namely, the holy laws by which the Church establishes its discipline, and the rights of this Apostolic See. Therefore, act according to the position which you hold, according to the dignity with which you are vested, according to the authority which you received, according to the sacrament by which you bound yourselves in solemn consecration. Unsheathe the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. Denounce, beseech, rebuke in all patience and teaching. Labor and struggle for the Catholic religion, for the divine authority and laws of the Church, for the See of Peter and its dignity and rights “so that not only those who are upright may remain safe but also so that those who were deceived by seduction may be called back from error.”

19. Moreover, so that the desired outcome may result from these cares and labors under taken by Our venerable brothers, We also address those of you who are ministers of the sacraments, shepherds of souls, and preachers of the divine word. It is your duty to be totally united with them in will, to be inflamed with the same zeal, and to be in harmony with them in this work so that the people might be protected from all danger of error and contamination. Exert yourselves so that everyone thinks the same thing and no one allows himself to be led astray by strange teachings. Let everyone avoid profane novelties, cling to the Catholic faith, and submit himself to the power and authority of the Church. Each person should bind himself ever more firmly to this See which the strong Redeemer of Jacob placed as an iron pillar and as a bronze wall against the enemies of religion. You should receive these enemies as people who ought to be educated in the law of Christ and of the Church.

20. It should be obvious that the secular power and those laws enacted by it concerning the welfare of civil society ought to be obeyed, not only because of the fear of wrath but also because of conscience. It is never permitted, however, to shamefully abandon the faith because of it. Since the spirits of the people are trained in this way, consider your labors to be both for the tranquility of the citizens and the welfare of the Church; these two things cannot be separated from one another.

21. May the most merciful God, from whom comes every perfect gift, accomplish these Our wishes. May Our apostolic blessing which We lovingly impart to you, venerable brothers, to Our brothers in the Lord, and to the faithful be a sign of good things which We ardently desire for this part of the Catholic flock.

Given in Rome, at St. Peter’s, on the 17th day of May in the year 1835, the fifth year of Our Pontificate.

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