The Catholic Weekly 9 August 2020

19 9, August, 2020 catholicweekly.com.au WORLD In brief Benedict fends off shingles New papal secretary AN AUTHOR with a long and close relationship to retired Pope Benedict XVI told a German newspa- per that the 93-year-old retired pope is “extreme- ly frail.” Peter Seewald, who has published four wide-ranging book- length interviews with the retired pope, was quot- ed in the Bavarian news- paper Passauer Neue Presse. Seewald said he visited Pope Benedict on 1 August to present him with a copy of the biogra- phy, Benedict XVI: A Life . Seewald said he visited the former pontiff there in the company of Archbish- op Georg Ganswein, Pope Benedict’s personal sec- retary. The Vatican press office said on 3 August that Archbishop Gan- swein insisted there was no reason “for particular concern” over the retired pope’s health “other than that of a 93-year-old who is overcoming the most acute phase of a painful, but not serious, illness” – herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles. WHILE RECENT popes have kept the same per- sonal secretary through- out their pontificates, Pope Francis has chosen to rotate the priests serv- ing in that capacity. The Vatican press office con- firmed on 1 August that Mons Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, Francis’s personal secre- tary since April 2014, has concluded his service. Pope Francis has chosen Italian Father Fabio Saler- no from the Secretariat of State, to succeed him. THE RECENT Vatican instruc- tion on pastoral care clari- fies the responsibility of every member of the church com- munity to work together in the shared mission of evangelisa- tion and warns against turning the parish into amere provider of services, said Cardinal Beni- amino Stella. The document included “a warning signal” against no- tions of the parish “as a ‘busi- ness’ that provides different kinds of services – sacramen- tal, social, charitable – and not as a missionary community, a family,” in which everyone contributes his and her part according to their vocation, availability and abilities, said the cardinal, who is prefect of the Congregation for Clergy. “Seen in this light, the priest would have to be assisted pre- cisely in not getting lost in ad- ministration and bureaucracy, but rather to be focused on the priorities of his ministry – the Eucharist, proclamation of the Word, spiritual direction, con- fession, the promotion of char- ity, being close to the faithful, especially those most in need – and be accompanied with the assistance of and encour- aged by the example of other members of the community,” he said. The cardinal made his com- ments in an interview with Vatican Insider . It came after a number of news articles and criticisms claimed that the con- gregation’s 22-page instruction somehow gave new and un- precedented powers to the lai- ty or that its insistence a parish must be led by a priest was un- sustainable or outdated. The document, titled The pastoral conversion of the par- ¾ ¾ Carol Glatz Priests are central Parishes document warns a parish should not be confusedwith being a business People wearing face masks attend a Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Family in Nairobi, Kenya.The recent Vatican instruction on parishes warns against turning parishes into mere providers of sacraments. PHOTO: CNS PHOTO/THOMAS MUKOYA, REUTERS ish community in the service of the evangelizing mission of the church , did not introduce new legislation on pastoral care, but rather it was a guide de- tailing the role of lay men and women in the church’smission of evangelisation and offered guidance inparish reforms and restructuring. It also clarified the role of deacons, consecratedmen and women, as well as the laity, in dioceses where there is a short- age or lack of priests. Every Catholic needs to feel they have an active role and responsibility in the church’s mission, Cardinal Stella said. However, there are some who are engaged in what he called a “’vocation’ of the spectator,” fostering controversy and crit- icism regarding other people’s efforts. This kind of “vocation,” he said, “does not come fromGod and does not contribute to evangelisation.” The parish is meant to be a place to encounter the Lord, of welcoming and of experienc- ing faith lived in everyday life and as a community, he said. The “subdivision” of many different duties and ministries within the church communi- ty is seen as part of the whole church’s call to mission and to evangelize “so that the parish is not working only for its own ‘survival,’ perhaps pining for ‘the good old days,’ but that (the parish) be enlivened in each member,” who proclaims and bears witness to Christ, es- pecially to those who have be- come distant from the church or have never encountered Christ before, he said. One point of debate in the media was on the responsibil- ity of the priest in parish lead- ership. The instruction reiterates that bishops must not des- ignate deacons, consecrated and lay men and women in a priestless parish as “pastor, co-pastor, chaplain, modera- tor, coordinator, parishmanag- er,”which are typically reserved for priests . Instead, those with responsibilities should be des- ignated as “deacon cooperator, coordinator, pastoral coopera- tor or pastoral associate or as- sistant,” it said. Cardinal Stella said it is im- portant to underline the “spec- ificity of the parish priest as a ‘shepherd’ of that community, reaffirming the centrality of the Eucharist as the source and summit of the life and mission of the church.” - CNS German bishops continue to debate Vatican’s view of parishes THE VATICAN instruction on the reform of Catholic parish- es continues to stir debate in Germany, where some bish- ops say the current parish model with a priest in charge is no longer sustainable be- cause of a lack of vocations. Cardinal Walter Kasper defended the paper following widespread criticism, such as by Bishop Franz-Josef Over- beck of Essen, who said: “Inno manner does the instruction take note of the fact that we in Germany – but also in many other countries of the uni- versal church – can no longer shape church life according to the model of the people’s church we have known up till now.” Critics especially cited the lack of priests. The German Catholic news agency KNA reported that, in a guest commentary for the church website domradio.de in Cologne, Cardinal Kasper wrote: “The German criticism completely misses the actual point of the instruction, the pastoral conversion to mis- sionary pastoral work.” Cardinal Kasper, who was responsible for ecumeni- cal relations at the Vatican for many years, said the first chapters of the document and the summary made extensive reference to the common re- sponsibility of the whole con- gregation. Emphasising the responsi- bility of the parish priest was theologically legitimate, he said. He added that the “peren- nial debate” over celibacy, the ordination of women priests and management teams was causing uncertainty, which was to blame for the short- age of priests, alongside other factors. The cardinal said the document tied bishops to en- forceable criteria if they want to restructure parishes. Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki also praised the instruction and thanked Pope Francis for the guidance it provided. The 22-page document, ti- tled The pastoral conversion of the parish community in the service of the evangelising mission of the church , was re- leased by the Vatican’s Con- gregation for Clergy on 20 July. While it does not introduce new legislation on pastoral care, the Vatican press office said it was developed by the congregation as a guide relat- ed “to the various projects of reform of parish communities and diocesan restructuring, already underway or in the planning process.” It also clarifies the role of the deacons, consecrated men and women, as well as the laity, in dioceses where there is a shortage or lack of priests. Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke of Eichstatt said the instruction provided valua- ble impetus for a missionary awakening in the parishes. “The document encour- ages and supports all those who have already taken such paths,” Bishop Hanke said. By contrast, Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg criticised the document, reported KNA. “As learners we gladly ac- cept suggestions,” Bishop Feige wrote in pastoral letter to members of his diocese. “As a bishop, however, I won’t let myself be paralysed and blocked by their restric- tive orders, since much in it is quite unrealistic – especially with regard to our extreme di- aspora situation, which they evidently cannot imagine – and since no positive solu- tions are indicated in view of the mounting lack of priests.” - CNS Pastoral conversion as a vitalisation of the missionary spirit should renew the local church, the parish with its traditional structures.” Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke Arson hits Cathedral THE NICARAGUAN bishops’ conference has called an arson attack on the Managua cathedral “an act of terrorism,” but vowed not to be intimi- dated as a government campaign of intolerance targeting the Catholic Church turns increasingly cruel and involves acts of sacrilege. A still-uniden- tified assailant entered the cathedral’s Blood of Christ chapel July 31 and threw an explosive de- vice, according to Car- dinal Leopoldo Brenes of Managua. Flames en- gulfed the chapel, severe- ly charring a 382-year old image of the crucified Christ. - CNS