Benedict XVI: No Unauthorized Changes in the Liturgy

Vatican City (KNA) Pope Benedict has spoke out against unauthorized alterations in the Liturgy. 

Because of the universality of the Church with its "rich tradition and creativity" the Liturgy "is not to be  distorted by communities or experts",  the Pope said this in his general audience at St. Peter's Square. 

(photo:  today in Germany this can be found almost everywhere:  the laity play in sanctuary theater) 

It's not the individual priest or believer who celebrates the Liturgy, but it is God,  who is the center of the Church, he stressed. 

For that reason these forms must be true to the universal Church.  The religious service is about the living presence of Jesus Christ and not for the recollection of something past, said Benedict XVI further. 

If the celebration doesn't proceed with Christ as the center,  then it doesn't concern Christian Liturgy.   The Liturgy of the smallest community also has the entire Church present, the Pope stressed.

An example for alterations in the Liturgy can be found in a video presentation at a Carnival "Mass" in Ochsenhausen.

From the German District Page of the SSPX...

Nuncio Complains that German Church Does Not Listen to the Pope

Bonn (kath.,net/KNA)  The ambassador of the Pope in Germany is concerned about the future of the Catholic Church in the Bundesrepublik.  "The Pope suffers from an persistently closed attitude toward him in Germany," said the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Jean-Claude Perisset, in an interview published in the "Zeit" on Wednesday.  It is a "great loss", that the Church in Germany hears the Pope so little.

The Nuncio expressed himself critically about the dialog process in the Catholic Church. "Conflict in the Church is the wrong way.  But dialog is not a conflict, but the opposite".  Whoever only values his own position,  doesn't engage in dialog.  It would be a courageous step of the Bishops, to seek a discussion with the people of the Church.  "Only those who want to turn the Church on its head, are those who do not want dialog."

With a view to the debate surrounding the Kirchensteuer [Church tax], the Nuncio said, the Church in the Bundesrepublik is "sometimes is too concerned with managing resources and forgets the announcing of the good news.".  As to the question for the reason for empty churches and few priestly vocations Perisset recalled that this is not a malfunction of the institution of the Church;  the reasons lay in the mentality of people and in erroneous beliefs.  "We need a new culture of community, of believing together.  For that reason we need also great celebrations like World Youth Day or Papal Masses in the Olympiastadion.  They show: you are not alone."

At the same time, Perisset insisted that the Church must adjust itself in its announcing the faith in today's environment.  "We say things that people don't understand any more.  We must return to the basic elements of the Faith and freshly explain these with simple words in colorful language."  The restoration of the faith has to "come again from the family, so that we might remake the Church.  If the grandparents don't take their grandchildren along, if the adults do not discuss the faith, if the faith is not developed in the family, then there is no future."

Link to kathnet....

Pope Benedict Tries on New Hard Hat

Vatican.  At as brief audience Pope Benedict XVI received a hard hat as a gift.  This was according to the Hamburg news 'Morningpost'.  The Pope put on his hardhat for the camera.  The helmet bears the inscription.  "Benedict XVI".

Link to kreun.zet.

Cardinal Burke to Reprimand Cardinal Kasper With Blessing of Holy Father

[EF Exclusive] According to Catholic Culture, there will be an emergency consistory held by the Pope next week which will deal, in addition to issues related to the clerical sex abuse hysteria, with the reception of Anglicans into the Catholic Church.

We are told by Maximilian Hanlon that it is within the context of this meeting that Cardinal Burke will  publicly reprimand Cardinal Kasper, owing possibly to the notoriously liberal Cardinal's hostility to the "ecumenism of return".  Indeed, since Cardinal Kasper has been opposed to an ecumenism of return, so it should be easy to see why Cardinal Burke would object to this.  What is more surprising is that he is doing this with the blessing of the Holy Father.

Cardinal Kasper had gotten into trouble, you may remember, for saying some controversial things prior to the Pope's trip to England and suddenly became ill and could not participate.

This will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Photo:  St. Louis Today

Related Articles:

Cardinal Kasper complains about SSPX talks

Cardinal Kasper says Europe Must Return to Christian Roots.

A Destroyer of the Faith Leaves the Curia.

Pope Admits Church Wasn't Vigilant Enough

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, SEPT. 16, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The Church was not sufficiently vigilant or sufficiently quick in responding to the problem of sexual abusers among clergy, Benedict XVI says.

The Pope made this affirmation today en route to Scotland for the first leg of his four-day trip to the United Kingdom. As is customary, he gave a press conference to a group of journalists on the flight with him.

Speaking of the sexual abuse scandal, he affirmed: "First of all I must say that these revelations were a shock to me, a great sadness; it is difficult to understand how this perversion of the priestly ministry was possible. At the moment of ordination, the priest, prepared for years for this moment, says 'yes' to Christ to be his voice, his mouth, his hands. [...] How a man who has done and said this can then fall into this perversion is difficult to understand.

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