Vatican deplores Belgian parliament’s criticism of on condoms

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican has deplored a Belgian parliamentary resolution that criticized Pope Benedict XVI for his remarks about condoms and AIDS prevention.

In an April 17 statement, the Vatican’s Secretariat of State said it “deplores the fact that a parliamentary assembly should have thought it appropriate to criticize the Holy Father on the basis of an isolated extract from an interview, separated from its context and used by some groups with a clear intent to intimidate.”

The statement said it appeared that those groups were hoping “to dissuade the pope from expressing himself on certain themes of obvious moral relevance and from teaching the church’s doctrine.”

The Belgian parliament voted overwhelmingly April 2 to have the government relay to the Vatican the parliamentarians’ disapproval of Pope Benedict’s statement March 17 that distributing condoms was not the key to preventing AIDS.

The Belgian ambassador to the , Frank E. de Coninck, met April 15 at the Vatican with Dominique Mamberti, secretary for relations with states, to formally inform the Vatican of the resolution.

The Secretariat of State said that it “notes with regret this action, unusual in the context of the diplomatic relations existing between the Holy See and the kingdom of Belgium.”

The pope was asked about condoms in AIDS prevention by reporters aboard his flight to Cameroon March 17. After highlighting the church’s efforts to help AIDS victims, the pope said: “One cannot overcome the problem with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, they increase the problem.”

The pope went on to explain that true prevention requires a change in sexual behavior and a real effort to befriend and care for those living with AIDS.

In its statement April 17, the Secretariat of State said the pope “also emphasized the commitment of the church in both these areas. Without this moral and educational dimension, the battle against AIDS will not be won.”

“While in some European countries an unprecedented media campaign was unleashed concerning the predominant, not to say exclusive, value of prophylactics in the fight against AIDS, it is consoling to note that the moral considerations articulated by the Holy Father were understood and appreciated, in particular by the Africans and true friends of Africa, as well as by some members of the scientific community,” the statement said.

In the midst of the debate about the pope’s comments on condoms, Vatican officials and the Vatican newspaper cited several studies by researchers and by international agencies, including the World Health Organization, showing that the most effective anti-AIDS campaigns in Africa have been based on efforts to promote abstinence and fidelity in sexual relations.

Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, told National Review Online March 25 that “the best evidence we have supports the pope’s comments.”

Green said when an individual uses a condom thinking it will reduce the risk of exposure to HIV that person may also take part in riskier behavior and take greater chances than one would take without condoms, for example, by having multiple and concurrent sexual partners.

Kudos for Bishop D’Arcy’s Notre Dame stance

There has been much coverage concerning the decision of the University of Notre Dame to not only invite President Obama to speak at its 2009 commencement ceremony but also bestow on him an honorary doctor of laws degree from the university. I fail to understand how this so-called university can justify its decision to honor someone who not only supports abortion but also seeks to expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. I was pleased to read (CR, April 2) that Bishop John M. D’Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend has decided not to attend the 2009 commencement ceremony and trust that more and more Catholics will support his decision.

Don’t confuse honors with a political dinner

Concerning the flap about inviting and honoring President Barack Obama at Notre Dame, I was disappointed with Father Reese’s comparison to Cardinal Egan. Father Reese neglected to mention that the Al Smith Dinner was not an occasion to bestow an honor, and that Notre Dame is bestowing an honorary doctorate degree on the president. The comparison is not well-crafted. The Al Smith Dinner invited both Republican and Democratic candidates to state their case; but Notre Dame is singling our President Obama for an honor, not merely to talk. Good for the position by the local bishop, who appreciates when not to reward support for an intrinsic moral evil.

Which distinction also undercuts the attempt to make the appearance of President Bush comparable? While the death penalty is generally opposed by the church, see the Catechism section 2266 and 2267, it does not rise to the level of the intrinsic moral evil that abortion and embryonic stem-cell research maintain, while shamefully enjoying support from so many self-proclaimed Catholic legislators.

Catholic institutions should not honor Obama

While the church does oppose the death penalty except in the gravest of circumstances, I disagree with Patrick Weadon’s assertions in his letter (CR, April 2) regarding President Barack Obama speaking at Notre Dame. He is implying that President (then Governor) Bush’s presiding over lawful executions is the immoral equivalent of President Obama’s blatant support of abortion.

Capital punishment and abortion are very different.

In our country, executions occur only for the most heinous crimes, and are quite rare. We have an extremely thorough judicial system that ensures a lengthy appeal process for the convicted. Persons who are on death row have placed themselves there by their own free will, choosing to commit a capital offense. On the other hand, abortion has killed millions and millions of innocent babies. They never received their day in court. They were condemned for simply being an inconvenience.

President Obama is wrong on the issue of abortion. His enthusiastic mission to spread this evil in our country, and throughout the world, is an outrage. He, or anyone that hold his views on this most fundamental issue, must never be honored by any institution that calls itself Catholic. ready to celebrate 800th anniversary of order’s founding

VATICAN CITY – Some 1,800 Franciscan from all over the world were expected to converge on the Umbrian hill town of , , to celebrate the 800th anniversary of papal approval of the Franciscan rule.

For the first time, representatives from the four main Franciscan branches were to meet in Assisi – the birthplace of their founder, St. Francis – to take part in an International Chapter of Mats April 15-18.

A Chapter of Mats gets its name from the time in 1221 St. Francis called more than 3,000 friars to the Portiuncula chapel in Assisi for a general meeting or chapter.

Because the small town could not accommodate the large number of visitors, the friars lived in huts made out of reeds and slept on mats, said Father Jose Rodriguez Carballo, minister general of the .

The three other Franciscan groups participating are the Capuchins, the Conventual Franciscans and the Third Order Regular Franciscans.

The chapter falls on the 800th anniversary of the formal founding of the Franciscan order when St. Francis presented his rule to Pope Innocent III for approval in 1209.

During a press conference April 7 at , Father Rodriguez underlined the spiritual nature of the gathering and said organizers hope it will be an occasion for “coming together as a family, offering the church and the world our witness of brotherhood and celebrating our beginnings.”

With days dedicated to testimonials, penance, fasting, prayer and pilgrimage, the gathering will also be a call to conversion and to live the Gospel as St. Francis asked his disciples to, the minister general said. Men and women religious will have an occasion to profess their continued fidelity to the pope when they meet with Pope Benedict XVI April 18 during a special audience at Castel Gandolfo, he said.

St. Francis, who was born to a wealthy family in Assisi sometime around 1181, dedicated himself to the poor and preached living a way of peace. He founded three religious orders – the Friars Minor, the , and the Brothers and Sisters of Penance – giving each one a special rule.

The orders evolved over time and today include:

– The first order, which is made up of three separate bodies – the Friars Minor, the Conventual Franciscans and the Capuchins.

– The second order, the Poor Clares, which includes all of cloistered professing the Rule of St. Clare as well as the Sisters of the Annunciation and the Conceptionists.

– The third order, which is made up of the Third Order Regular Franciscans, a secular order and new foundations.

Father Rodriguez said while the Franciscan branches are juridically separate from one another they are united spiritually and collaborate on a number of projects around the world.

Instead of considering the orders as divided, he said they represent the diversity and plurality in the world.

“The Franciscan order flows from a very rich charism” that can find expression in many people and places, he said.

There are also countless groups, including Anglicans, Lutherans and Presbyterians, who find inspiration in St. Francis and live according to his rule, he said.

Even some Buddhists and Muslims have a special devotion to the Franciscan St. Anthony of Padua, Capuchin Father Mariano Steffan said at the April 7 press conference. The Franciscan charism “is very open; it doesn’t make distinctions, create barriers or segregate,” he said.

However, this causes some difficulty in discernment “because when there is such a diversity of expression it’s hard to tell when you have the right balance and when you’ve gone too far,” he said.

MCC concerned about same-sex bills

Two bills that the Maryland Catholic Conference believes could undermine respect for human sexuality are advancing in the final days of the Maryland General Assembly.

Senate Bill 566 would prohibit discrimination based on “gender identity,” codifying into law a distinction between a person’s “gender identity” and his or her “assigned sex at birth.” The bill does not include protections for religious institutions, which would be required to comply with the employment and other provisions regarding transgendered persons, according to the MCC.

Senate Bill 785 would exempt same-sex domestic partners from the inheritance tax and MCC leaders believe it would expand the list of limited benefits available to domestic partners with the intent of putting the state on the path to equating same- sex relationships with marriage.

“We have serious concerns with both pieces of legislation,” said Mary Ellen Russell, MCC executive director. “They may seem well-intentioned on the surface, but we’re very concerned about the trend this type of legislation is taking in undermining basic moral principles regarding marriage and the understanding of the human person and human sexuality.” Ms. Russell noted that if SB 785 is approved, it would be the third “limited benefits” bill passed in more than a year and the first to restrict such benefits to same-sex couples. She questioned why the bill excludes heterosexual partners.

“That feature of the bill really reveals the problematic nature of trying to extend the special status of marriage to other relationships where there isn’t an obvious rationale for it,” Ms. Russell said.

The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee approved SB 566 on a 9-6 vote last week, with the full Senate expected to take up debate on the measure as The Catholic Review went to press April 7.

The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee is expected to vote on SB 785 this week.

The last day of the legislative session is April 13.

Obama disqualified for honors at Catholic institution

I was pleased by parts of Patrick Weadon’s letter (CR, April 2), yet I came to a different conclusion than he. I was glad to see a couple statements in his letter: one emphasizing opposition to capital punishment, and another that “Obama’s refusal to protect the unborn is morally wrong.” Also further, that President Obama “may” be wrong on the issue of abortion (I presume that Patrick here means to infer that Mr. Obama definitely is wrong on the issue, as he stated below).

I think the comparison is misapplied between President Bush being governor of Texas at the time 152 executions were carried out and to the abortion record, over 1 million annually in the U.S. alone. Perhaps a good witness would be if every governor of every state in which capital punishment is law resigned for reason of conscience – unless a governor is actively attempting to change that particular state’s laws to eliminate the death penalty.

I know President Bush’s position on abortion. I know President Obama’s position on abortion. At present, President Obama’s actions – by executive orders and by stated support for actions against right to conscience, his support for the Freedom of Choice Act and actions that through the U.N. would increase abortions around the globe – disqualify him from being honored at a Catholic institution, in my opinion.

Exsultet is challenge and joy for

By George P. Matysek Jr. [email protected]

Every Easter Vigil, deacons throughout the archdiocese face one of the most challenging yet spiritually rewarding duties of their ministry: chanting the Exsultet.

Standing in front of as many as 1,000 people or more inside churches illuminated by candlelight, deacons sing the traditional Easter proclamation without accompaniment as all eyes are fixed on them.

“It’s very intimidating,” said Ray Moreau of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland. “But once I start singing those first few notes, the intimidation leaves and it’s amazing how you become calm and the Spirit is with you and it works.”

Intoning the triumphant chant is one of the most prayerful and reflective moments of the liturgy for Deacon Moreau. The chant takes its name from the Latin word in the opening line, “Rejoice, heavenly powers!”

“It’s an amazing compilation of the story of salvation that leads up to the Resurrection,” Deacon Moreau explained. “It covers the complete beginning and end from Adam and creation and sin and redemption. It takes you to the Resurrection.”

Deacon Charles Hiebler called it “an honor and a privilege” to sing the hymn.

“It’s the first proclamation of the risen Christ,” said Deacon Hiebler, who has chanted the Exsultet at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen where he is now assigned and at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Baynesville.

To prepare, Deacon Hiebler listens and practices to a recording of the lengthy chant and studies the pattern of the music’s many rising and falling notes weeks before the Easter Vigil.

“I meet with the music director to make sure I have the notes down right until it becomes almost natural to sing it,” he said. “It’s got to be perfect or close to it so it’s not a distraction, and it proclaims the message that you’re attempting to sing.”

The biggest challenge is competing with the billowing clouds of incense that usually linger in the sanctuary at the exact time the chant must be sung, he said. The Exsultet is sung following the blessing of the Paschal Candle.

“I make sure I drink some water before Mass,” he said.

Deacon Herman Wilkins knows all about the pressures of singing the Exsultet. He recalled struggling with the challenging music during the 2003 Easter Vigil at Our Lady of Hope in Dundalk. Admitting that his singing voice is less than stellar, he remembered that there was a loud crashing sound like breaking glass a few minutes into the chant. A choir member had dropped a set of bells.

“All I could think was that my voice shattered the stained glass,” Deacon Wilkins remembered with a laugh. “I had to get myself composed. I’ll tell you, it took about five minutes to sing but it seemed like forever.”

Deacon Wilkins later used his experience with the Exsultet in a homily about hitting challenges head on. He no longer sings the chant, demurring to a music minister, he said. “It’s a beautiful prayer for Easter, and it should be given the reverence of someone who knows how to sing,” he said.

While it is normally the deacon’s responsibility to proclaim the Exsultet, it may also be sung by a priest or, with some modifications, by a layperson.

A secret to a successful Exsultet is starting in the right key, according to Deacon Moreau. Start too high or too low and you’re sunk, he said.

“I ask the Lord to be with me and make me an instrument of praise to come out well enough that the people experience the joy and the prayerfulness of it,” he said.

Basilica hosts display of rare liturgical vestments

The shimmering golden cape-like vestment worn by Cardinal James Gibbons in 1884 is one of several rare and historic liturgical garments now on display at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore.

Known as a cope, Cardinal Gibbons’ ornate vestment features intricate patterns of hand-stitched leaves interwoven with golden beads. It is accompanied by a “fiddleback” chasuble, a poncho-like garment that takes its nickname from its distinctive shape.

Cardinal Gibbons wore the regal vestments during the Third Plenary Council, a meeting of U.S. bishops held in the same basilica where the garments are now on display.

“They just don’t make them like this any more,” said Jen Swanson-Seningen, organizer of the “Sacred Stitches” exhibit. “It’s like stepping back in time. Kids will see things they’ve never seen before and seniors will see things they haven’t seen in a long time.”

Mark Potter, executive director of the Basilica of the Assumption Historic Trust, noted that all the vestments in the exhibit were made prior to the . Many of them were discovered when the basilica was undergoing a restoration several years ago.

“After the Second Vatican Council, the old vestments in a lot of parishes were either thrown out or put in a closet and the basilica was really no exception to that,” Mr. Potter explained. “These vestments were stored in a closet in the old choir room.”

The vestments were found in boxes and many were left sitting on large garment racks, he said. With the reopening of the basilica, the vestments were relocated to a secure location and stored on a better clothing rack.

“We had all these beautiful vestments, so we thought it would be nice to put them on display,” he said. “They’re part of our heritage and for so many years they’ve just been put away.”

The exhibit includes a set of Irish poplin vestments given to Archbishop Michael J. Curley by the bishop and clergy of the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise in Ireland. They feature hand-stitched Celtic designs.

A red-buttoned black cassock believed to have belonged to Cardinal Lawrence Shehan is another item on display, along with vestments with colorful hand-painted flowers.

The “Sacred Stitches” exhibit is located in the temporary exhibition area of the basilica’s undercroft and is open during normal basilica hours, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (excluding Mass times on Sunday). The free display runs until Sept. 27.

Visit www.baltimorebasilica.org for more information. St. Mary’s displays treasure trove of biblical coins

On a sunny afternoon in late March, several eighth-graders from St. Mary’s Elementary School were not roaming the nearby docks of Annapolis, nor were they ducking in and out of the state capital’s numerous shops and eateries.

Instead, they were standing in the Charles Carroll House, dressed in first-century garb and explaining the history of rare biblical coins on display. “This is great!” cackled Redemptorist Father John “Jack” Kingsbury, pastor of St. Mary, Annpaolis, with delight.

It might not have been an ordinary day for most teenagers, but the eighth-graders serving as docents were having fun in their long flowing robes and headwear.

Behind the encased coins was a re-creation of a painting depicting Jesus entering the temple to turn over the moneychangers’ table. Father Kingsbury estimated that the rare display of Jesus’ anger occurred around 28 A.D.

A coin enthusiast, Father Kingsbury amassed the collection over the years and will eventually gift it to his religious order, which administers to St. Mary’s and schools as well as the Charles Carroll House.

“The question I’m answering with the exhibit is, what type of coin could possibly be present on that table at the time this happened,” Father Kingsbury said. “These coins will be from around 28 A.D. and before.”

History permeated the March 29 exhibit, which came just four days after Maryland Day. Charles Carroll, the lone Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence and a staunch defender of the rights of Catholics, lived on St. Mary’s grounds.

“For me, this is a tribute to Carroll,” Father Kingsbury said.

The collection of shiny bronze and silver coins will be on display throughout the summer at the Charles Carroll House. Father Kingsbury believes it to be one of the most thorough collections of biblical coins in the U.S.

Eighth-graders like Conor Moore, Meghan Norwood, Caroline Rubino and Jordan Culver provided intricately detailed histories of the display, making their required service hours pass quickly.

“It’s shocking that they’ve been around for 2,000 years,” said Conor after conducting one of his many tours.

Father Kingsbury said the key coin was the Shekels of Tyre, the temple tax and the coin given to Judas as his reward for betraying Christ.

“The purity of this coin was known through all of the world at this time so that they wanted the best possible coin to pay the tax,” Father Kingsbury said.

Also included were examples of Hasmonean, Herodian, Roman Prefect/Procurator and Roman regular issue coins.

The first-century dress worn by the students helped visitors become immersed in the environment.

“They kind of sprung that on us afterward,” Caroline said with a laugh when asked about her biblical clothing. “We didn’t have time to back out!”

As Caroline explained the coin history with her friends Meghan and Jordan, it was clear that they had become invested in the coins. They deftly answered questions, thanks to tutoring from Father Kingsbury.

“We learned about their symbols and the meanings behind them,” Meghan said.

The eighth-graders met with the pastor once every two weeks since August.

“Someone said they basically started out as a bunch of coins and they didn’t mean all that much, but now each one has a little story to tell,” Father Kingsbury said. “I love that’s where this whole thing went.” Archbishop O’Brien remembers fourth anniversary of pope’s death

Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien commemorated the fourth anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s death by laying a wreath of yellow flowers beneath a bronze statue of the Polish pontiff at the Pope John Paul II Prayer Garden in downtown Baltimore April 2.

Wearing a purple stole and standing beside Cardinal William H. Keeler, the archbishop sprinkled holy water on the wreath and prayed that the late pope is resting in peace.

In an interview with The Catholic Review following the brief ceremony, Archbishop O’Brien said he met the late pope “a couple of dozen times” and always found him to be “very personable.”

“He took a great interest not only in people, but in what they were doing and why they were in Rome,” Archbishop O’Brien said. “He was very person-centered and I think that was his theology too, with respect for every human being.”

Archbishop O’Brien said he is praying for the of Pope John Paul II, whose sainthood cause is now under consideration in Rome.

Archbishop, cardinal support beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen

The Archbishop Fulton John Sheen Foundation announced that Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien and Cardinal William H. Keeler have joined the Episcopal Advisory Board for the cause for beatification of Archbishop Fulton J Sheen. Cardinal Keeler and Archbishop O’Brien are among bishops from across the United States who support the cause. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979) was a universally popular evangelist, radio/TV personality, writer and missionary whose cause for beatification was officially opened in 2002 by the Diocese of Peoria, Ill., Archbishop Sheen’s birthplace.

The Sheen Foundation is the official promoter of the beatification cause. Visit the Web site at archbishopsheencause.org to learn more about Archbishop Sheen’s canonization and how to help the cause.