Peggy Noonan on the Media

I read today Peggy Noonan's blog post.  I have been a great fan of hers since her speech writing days, and look forward to her regular column on Fridays in the Wall Street Journal.  She has a piece today that really struck a cord with anyone who has been in Rome and been a witness to these recent Papal events--and the antics of the secular media.  The column deserves to be quoted in full, but I hope she won't mind if I quote a part of it, the last part (the final paragraph is perfect).  You can read the full blog entry here.

The second is that there’s a lot of ignorant, tendentious and even aggressive media chatter about the church right now, and it’s starting to grate. Church observers are blabbering away on cable and network news telling the church to get with the program, throwing around words like “gender” and “celibacy” and “pedophile” and phrases like “irrelevant to the modern world.”

I wouldn’t presume to tell Baptists or Lutherans or Orthodox Jews how they should interpret their own theology, what traditions to discard and what new ones to adopt, what root understandings are no longer pertinent. It would be presumptuous, and also deeply impolite in a civic sense. The world I came up in had some virtues, and one was that we gave each other a little more space, a little more courtesy both as individuals and organizations, never mind faiths. That kind of public courtesy is what has allowed America, with all its sharp-elbowed angers and disagreements, to operate.

Right now every idiot in town feels free to tell the church to get hopping, and they do it in a new way, with a baldness that occasionally borders on the insulting. Whatever their faith or lack of it they feel free to critique loudly and in depth, to the degree they are capable of depth. I have been critical of the church over the sex scandals for longer than a decade. Here’s one column—but I write of it because I love it and seek to see it healthy, growing and vital as it brings Christ into the world. Some of the church’s critics don’t seem to be operating from affection and respect but something else, or some things else.

When critics mean to be constructive, they bring an air of due esteem and occasional sadness to their criticisms, and offer informed and thoughtful suggestions as to ways the old church might right itself. They might even note, with an air of gratitude free of crowd-pleasing sanctimony, that critics must, in fairness, speak of those parts of the church that most famously work—the schools that teach America’s immigrants, the charities, the long embrace of the most vulnerable—and outweigh a whole world of immediate criticisms.

But when they just prattle on with their indignant words—gender, celibacy, irrelevant—well, they’re probably not trying to be constructive. One might say they’re being vulgar, ignorant and destructive, spoiled too. They think they’re brave, or outspoken, or something. They don’t have enough insight into themselves to notice they’d never presume to instruct other great faiths. It doesn’t cross their minds that if they were as dismissive about some of those faiths they’d have to hire private security guards.

I once read an account of Anne Boleyn’s death. In the moments after she was beheaded her head was held aloft by her executioner, to show the crowd. Her nervous system was shocked, her neurons misfired, her head didn’t know it was severed from her neck. Her eyes blinked, her mouth moved crazily. Those critics who go on TV now to tear down what they don’t even understand: they are removed and unknowing. They are Anne Boleyn’s head.

The first ballot. . . Black Smoke!

So I took the bus down to St. Peter's Square.  Some sisters from the Community of the Lamb (a wonderful group of sisters) were at the bus stop, and I rode down with them.  We joined up with some American seminarians when we switched buses.

There were lots of people flowing into the square, and the journalists were like vultures descending on the crowds.  The Piazza was much fuller than it normally is on a Tues. at 7:00pm, but it wasn't packed.  I think most people figured the Pope would not be elected tonight.

A middle-aged Italian woman came up to ask to talk.  The Italians rarely have trouble talking with strangers. She said a few interesting things.  I asked if she wanted an Italian Pope.  Her response: "Basta!" (Enough!)  There really is a sentiment among the Italians that their country is broken.  Although not so much in the press, the current political situation in Italy is in absolute turmoil with no clear party ready to run the government.  There is almost a despair among the Italians about their own future, and their inability to be trusted with the workings of the Vatican.  They see their political leaders as corrupt, untrustworthy, and without a concern for the common good of the people.  So, when I asked her who she wanted, she emphastically said an American--"Il Cappuccino " (the Capuchin).  She wanted Cardinal O'Malley.  There remains a great love for the Italians of the Franciscans, especially because of St. Padre Pio, the 20th century priest and mystic.  There is also a sense of the humility and simpleness of the Capuchins, especially O'Malley, that the Italians find very attractive.  It didn't hurt that there was apparently a picture in the Italian Press of Cardinal O'Malley giving bread to the poor.

She also said that her pastor was not in favor of an American Pope.  Why?  Because of the danger of the CIA!  As is often said, the Italians have never heard a conspiracy theory that they're not willing to believe.  The juicer the gossip, the more they want to hear!

She was also Roman and a long-time Papal watcher.  She said that they never elect in the morning, always in the afternoon.  So, if the past is any guide, don't expect white smoke in the morning.

The smoke came much later than was expected.  Fr. Lombardi had thought that it would come around 7:00pm.  It didn't come until about 7:40pm.  I'm not sure if we should expect the same for the remaining days, or whether this was just a first day glitch.

Anyway, here are the pictures of the smoke and the smokestack.  There are also a few of the Loggia, prepared for the new Pope's entrance, and a few of the Piazza.

Oaths in the Church

As part of the Conclave, a number of people, in addition to the Cardinals, must take oaths.  The most recent will be the one they take today at the start of the election.  The Cardinal Dean, Cardinal Sodano, will read the following text:

We, the Cardinal electors present in this election of the Supreme Pontiff promise, pledge and swear, as individuals and as a group, to observe faithfully and scrupulously the prescriptions contained in the Apostolic Constitution of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, Universi Dominici Gregis, published on 22 February 1996. We likewise promise, pledge and swear that whichever of us by divine disposition is elected Roman Pontiff will commit himself faithfully to carrying out the munus Petrinum of Pastor of the Universal Church and will not fail to affirm and defend strenuously the spiritual and temporal rights and the liberty of the Holy See. In a particular way, we promise and swear to observe with the greatest fidelity and with all persons, clerical or lay, secrecy regarding everything that in any way relates to the election of the Roman Pontiff and regarding what occurs in the place of the election, directly or indirectly related to the results of the voting; we promise and swear not to break this secret in any way, either during or after the election of the new Pontiff, unless explicit authorization is granted by the same Pontiff; and never to lend support or favor to any interference, opposition or any other form of intervention, whereby secular authorities of whatever order and degree or any group of people or individuals might wish to intervene in the election of the Roman Pontiff.

Then each Cardinal in turn will place his hand on the Gospels and swear to the foregoing.

The  taking of oaths, while controversial for some Protestant denominations, has long been acceptable in the Catholic Church.  Over the course of the centuries, the Church has a developed understanding of the nature of oaths, both theologically and legally.

Canon law defines the nature of an oath as: “the invocation of the divine Name as witness to the truth.”  (CIC 1199)  We usually consider oaths in regards to a witness in a court action.  Truth is, of course, the correlation between objective reality and my own internal knowledge of it.  The internal knowledge can only be expressed by an external manifestation—by telling what I know.  Of course, given our fallen human nature, it is possible for us to deliberate break the correlation between what we know and what we say.  The idea of the oath is that we assert the witness of God—who knows both the objective reality and the truth of our hearts—to the correlation between our external words and our internal knowledge of the truth.
In addition, the oath can be similar to a vow in that a person swears his intention to carry out a certain act.  Again, God is invoked as a witness to the truth of the person’s intention.  A man taking an oath does this not by making God testify, but by relying on the authority of God.  Put another way, the man who takes an oath asserts that were God asked, he would agree with the oath taker.

As an oath is by its very nature an act of religion.   In classical Catholic understanding, acts of religion do not mean what we mean in the modern secular use of the word.  Rather, religion is a virtue that is a species of the virtue of justice.  As justice is about giving another his due, the most important act of justice is to give God his due, which is religion.  So the fulfillment of oath involves doing justice to God.  As such, as an act of religion that relies specifically on the greater certainty and power of God, an oath is also inherently an act of worship.  Oaths gain their force because the one making them ties the truth of his statement to his relationship with God, and thus his very salvation.

This is why, in the Church, the taking of an oath is an extremely grave matter.  For many of the Fathers of the Church oaths were to be avoided.  Although not going quite that far, even St. Thomas recognizes that oaths should be taken very carefully:

Even as a medicine is useful for healing, and yet, the stronger it is, the greater harm it does if it be taken unduly, so too an oath is useful indeed as a means of confirmation, yet the greater the reverence it demands the more dangerous it is, unless it be employed aright… (ST, q. II-II, q. 89, a. 5, ad 3)

Thus the Angelic Doctor offers this advice to anyone who might take an oath:  “he who ventures to swear on holy things should do so fasting, with all propriety and fear of God.”  (ST, II-II, q. 89, a. 10.)  One might also recall the words of St. Thomas More to his daughter Meg, as given in Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons:  "When a man takes an oath, Meg, he's holding his own self in his own hands. Like water. And if he opens his fingers then—he needn't hope to find himself again"

This gravity is expressed also in the penalty for its violation. As Benedict XVI made clear during his pontificate, the penalty for violating this particular oath is excommunication latae sententiae, that is automatically.

The matters over which the Cardinals will decide affects the functioning of the Church, and the salvation of souls.  It is of the gravest of acts, and it is also a deeply spiritual act.  The presence of oaths helps to emphasize the spiritual nature of the undertaking, as well as the gravity of observing what has been determined to be the best ordering of the process.

Telegram to Benedict XVI

The Holy See has published the text of the Telegram sent by the Cardinals to His Holiness Benedict XVI, emeritus Pontiff.  The text is below:

TO HIS HOLINESS
POPE EMERITUS BENEDICT XVI
CASTEL GANDOLFO 

THE CARDINAL FATHERS, GATHERED AT THE VATICAN FOR THE GENERAL CONGREGATIONS IN VIEW OF THE NEXT CONCLAVE, SEND YOU THEIR DEVOTED GREETINGS AND EXPRESS THEIR RENEWED GRATITUDE FOR ALL YOUR BRILLIANT PETRINE MINISTRY AND FOR YOUR EXAMPLE OF GENEROUS PASTORAL CARE FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHURCH AND OF THE WORLD. WITH THEIR GRATITUDE THEY HOPE TO REPRESENT THE RECOGNITION OF THE ENTIRE CHURCH FOR YOUR TIRELESS WORK IN THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD. IN CONCLUSION, THE MEMBERS OF THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS TRUST IN YOUR PRAYERS FOR THEM, AS WELL AS FOR THE WHOLE CHURCH.  

+ CARDINAL ANGELO SODANO
DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS

EWTN Appearance - on the Internet

EWTN has now posted my appearance on Rome Dispatch with Joan Lewis to the Internet.  You can see it on EWTN's YouTube channel, or here:

Rome Dispatch with Joan Lewis

I will be a guest on Rome Dispatch with Joan Lewis today (Sunday, March 3) live at 10:00am Eastern Time (that's 4:00pm here in Rome) on EWTN.  It should be re-broadcast Sunday, March 3 at 9:00pm ET as well, but check your local listings.

Letter of Convocation

Above is a copy of the letter of Convocations sent to each of the Cardinals convoking the first general Congregation of Cardinals following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.  When reading these, it is helpful for Americans to recall that the Italians generally have a much more elevated style of writing in correspondence.  Italian letter writing tends to include a great deal of formal elements, which sometimes seems odd to Americans.  Even so, I find this one relatively simple. 

Note the "SV/3".  In Rome, all issued documents get protocol numbers. The "SV" indicates that this is being issued during the period sede vacante.  This is the apparently the third document that was issued.

Below is my somewhat less than perfect translation:

In the News

The other day I did a short interview with Edward Pentin, a reporter for The National Catholic Register, among others.  He published the story the other day.  He probably makes me sound more an expert than I really am, but I appreciate the coverage.  You can see the article here, my contribution is towards the end:

Benedict’s New Name: Pope Emeritus, His Holiness Benedict XVI, Roman Pontiff Emeritus

Vacancy Signs

Like most churches, here at the ancient Papal Basilica of San Clemente in Rome, we keep a prominent portrait of the Roman Pontiff.  Right around 8:00pm, when there See of Peter was vacated, we took down the portrait.  We are a sacramental Church, we live and breath signs and symbols. The vacancy of the office of Pope is reflected in various ways, large and small.  The empty space on the wall is a visible reminder in the church of the empty chair in the Church: