About relics......

[wacky_wonderful]

In the book The Incredible Book of Vatican Facts and Papal Curiosities the author, Nino Lo Bello, states in part on page 122 that: “Canon law requires that a relic be enclosed in every altar of every Catholic Church or chapel.” True? And where is this info kept? At the local church? At the diocese? What happens if there is no relic?

 

[mosher]

wacky&wonderful:

In the book The Incredible Book of Vatican Facts and Papal Curiosities the author, Nino Lo Bello, states in part on page 122 that: “Canon law requires that a relic be enclosed in every altar of every Catholic Church or chapel.” True? And where is this info kept? At the local church? At the diocese? What happens if there is no relic?

How old is that book? That was true under the previous CIC but thecurrent Code is a little more permissive on this issue.

 

[Jaypeeto3]

Quite frankly, the abolition of the requirement of a relic in the altar seems to me a deliberate attempt at desacralization of the sanctuary. I recently visited a Catholic church that I would have not known it to be a Catholic edifice had it not been for the sign out front. Inside, there was no tabernacle, no statues, no icons, and a teeny weeny little wooden altar barely big enough for the priest to use it for consecrating the host and precious blood.
This is utterly unwarranted, and a protestantization of the church.

Jaypeeto3

 

[wacky_wonderful]

mosher:

How old is that book? That was true under the previous CIC but thecurrent Code is a little more permissive on this issue.

It was published in 1998.

 

[GaryCox]

Jaypeeto3:

Quite frankly, the abolition of the requirement of a relic in the altar seems to me a deliberate attempt at desacralization of the sanctuary. I recently visited a Catholic church that I would have not known it to be a Catholic edifice had it not been for the sign out front. Inside, there was no tabernacle, no statues, no icons, and a teeny weeny little wooden altar barely big enough for the priest to use it for consecrating the host and precious blood.
This is utterly unwarranted, and a protestantization of the church.

Jaypeeto3

I completely agree with you. Vatican II was misinterpreted when it came to the design of the Church. The reredos was removed, the statues gone, a table is used as the altar; its not even a Catholic looking Church anymore. Lets just pray it doesnt go further and we are sitting on fold out chairs.

 

[edward_george]

When we moved from our nice, 1937 (pre-Vatican II) church into our new, 1995 in-the-round church (which is attached to the old church, by the way…it’s used for Sunday school classes now…I think it needs to be an adoration chapel, as there is a monstrance in the closet) we did sit on folding chairs for a while until we got these upholstered “pews.” It was sort of hilarious to hear the whole congregation sit and stand as the chairs “breathed” when you did…a big KOOSH echoed through the room…

-ACEGC

 

[Catholic2003]

From the 1983 Code of Canon Law:

Canon 1237 §1 Fixed altars are to be dedicated, movable ones either dedicated or blessed, according to the rites prescribed in the liturgical books.

§2 The ancient tradition of placing relics of Martyrs or of other Saints within a fixed altar is to be retained, in accordance with the rites prescribed in the liturgical books.

 

[kleary]

wacky&wonderful:

In the book The Incredible Book of Vatican Facts and Papal Curiosities the author, Nino Lo Bello, states in part on page 122 that: “Canon law requires that a relic be enclosed in every altar of every Catholic Church or chapel.” True? And where is this info kept? At the local church? At the diocese? What happens if there is no relic?

Relics are enclosed in the Catholic Altar. This dates back to practice in the first century when the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered not on tables but on the tombs of the martyrs. You can also see in the Book of Revelation that this practice is absolutely Christian because in Heaven the souls of the saints are “under the altar of God”. Rev 6:9

Ken

 

[DavidFilmer]

Just to clarify - Canon Law is not part of the Church’s Magesterial teaching (doctrine). Canon Law can (and does, and generally should) change from time to time, whereas Church teaching (doctrine) can NEVER change.

Canon Law is binding on Catholics out of obidence, but it is NOT an expression of Church doctrine, and no doctrine may rightly be inferred from anything that happens to be in Canon Law.

So this practice is an ancient tradition (lowercase “t”) only. An Altar or Mass is not somehow invalidated if the requirements of this article are not met.

 

[Sean_O_L]

Some comments on Nino Lo Bello

“Though similar to Chick, de Semlyen has a creative side to him as well. Readers learn, for example, that the “Roman Catholic hierarchy” played a role in the assassination of President Lincoln. Also newsworthy is the charge that the Vatican “has the most efficient and widespread spy network in the whole world” (de Semlyen is kind enough to attribute this finding to yet another careful student of Catholicism, Nino Lo Bello, in his book,* The**Vatican Papers*).”
http://www.catholicleague.org/research/chick_publications.htm

"Among the books that I might have included on this list were/are any books written by the late Nino Lo Bello. After skimming just a few pages of them (e.g. “The Vatican Billions” and “Vatican, U.S.A.”), it becomes quite obvious that the late Mr. Lo Bello was a conspiracy theorist who had definite anti-Catholic tendencies. However powerful the Vatican Bank may be, I strongly doubt that it’s quite THAT powerful.

Posted by: John F. Tashjian | Aug 17, 2005 7:54:39 AM

Ten Worst Books?"

**http://www.jimmyakin.org/2005/06/10_most_harmful.html **

“The third most common element of the book, besides unproven allegations and misrepresentations, are logical fallacies. Among them, the most popular is that of guilt by association. Catholic social teaching is credited with an impressive list of allies and accomplishments. Communists, socialists, and fascists are the usual suspects (did the cold war end yet?), but on page 81 Protestant mainline denominations that “had also abandoned both Christianity and capitalism” become Catholic allies to form the Progressive movement in the United States. Catholics are also the architects of the New Deal, responsible for the growth of government expenditures, the graduated income tax (ouch!) and for evil social programs like social security. In particular, Catholic social teaching is dangerous because it promotes a long list of rights including the right to quality education, to food, to clothing, to medical care, and the like (85-86). The book has the flavor of a conspiracy theory novel, particularly when he quotes favorably Nino Lo Bello’s delusions of millions of “papal James Bonds, or pontifical 007s” (189).”

http://www.catholicsocialscientists.org/Book%20review–Montes.htm