Message of BenedictXVI on the occasion of dubia Cardinal Meisner's Requiem Mass

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Wow. That is quite a statement. I wonder if it will resonate with Pope Francis?
 
Benedict XVI:
In particularly pressing need of convincing shepherds who can resist the dictatorship of the spirit of the age and who live and think the faith with determination.
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Spoke like the prophet Elijah, with zealous zeal for the Lord God of hosts.
 
We definitely need Benedict XVI’s prayers for our Church right now as does the
whole world!
 
Funny he should say that, I have heard people say the church capsized 50 years ago and he should know, he was there.
 
Casilda said:
Funny he should say that, I have heard people say the church capsized 50 years ago and he should know, he was there.
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True, holding the fort. For he embodied the shepherd that he thinks that the Church needs: “who can resist the dictatorship of the spirit of the age and who live and think the faith with determination.”
 
It is good that there are links other than lifesitenews. I just don’t trust them. Too much hyperbole. Too much hysteria.

We must pray for the entire clergy - especially for Pope Francis. May they zealously guard and defend the deposit of faith; may their hearts, always and everywhere, be obedient to Christ, and may the holy sacrifice of the mass be the pinnacle of their day.
 
Translation of the full message by Bishop Campbell of Lancaster diocese here.

One notices that Kurt Marten’s “even when the boat has taken on so much water as to be on the verge of capsizing” is translated as: “even if at times the ship is almost filled to the point of shipwreck”.

A more diplomatic way of saying it, but the point remains the same. Pope Emeritus Benedict has plainly broken his silence. An excellent development.
 
Justin_Swanton said:
Translation of the full message by Bishop Campbell of Lancaster diocese here.

One notices that Kurt Marten’s “even when the boat has taken on so much water as to be on the verge of capsizing” is translated as: “even if at times the ship is almost filled to the point of shipwreck”.

A more diplomatic way of saying it, but the point remains the same. Pope Emeritus Benedict has plainly broken his silence. An excellent development.
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Thank you for the link to the full message!

Even more powerful than the quote in my original post is the following:
The second, which again and again touched and made him happy, was the
perceptible increase in Eucharistic adoration. This was the central theme for him at
World Youth Day in Cologne – that there was adoration, a silence, in which the Lord
alone speaks to hearts. Some pastoral and liturgical authorities were of the opinion
that such a silence in contemplation of the Lord with such a huge number of people
could achieve nothing. A few were also of the opinion that Eucharistic adoration as
such has been overtaken, because the Lord wanted to be received in the Eucharistic
bread and not be looked at. Yet the fact that a person cannot eat this bread as just
some sort of nourishment, and that to “receive” the Lord in the Eucharistic
Sacrament includes all the dimensions of our existence – that receiving has to be
worship, something which has in the meantime become increasingly clearer. So the
period of Eucharistic adoration at the Cologne World Youth Day became an interior
event that has remained unforgettable, and not only to the Cardinal. This moment
for him was subsequently always present internally and a great light for him.
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How many times have I received our Lord casually or without examining my conscience! Forgive me Lord!
 
Tim_D said:
Wow. That is quite a statement. I wonder if it will resonate with Pope Francis?
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What makes you think Pope Benedict and Pope Francis are not on the same page? From all accounts, the two have a great relationship and there is no rift between them.

I think it’s a huge stretch to assume Pope Benedict’s remarks are some kind of indictment of Pope Francis. Rather, it sounds like the friendship between Pope Benedict and Cardinal Meisner went back a long way and during that interval a lot happened that really shook the Church - including a massive clergy sex abuse scandal and problems in the curia and at the Vatican Bank.

“However, what moved me all the more was that, in this last period of his life, he learned to let go and to live out of a deep conviction that the Lord does not abandon His Church, even if the boat has taken on so much water as to be on the verge of capsizing.”

Any of those scandals could easily have swamped the Barque of St. Peter, and perhaps during those dark days Cardinal Meisner despaired about the disaster of it all, but the ship didn’t sink, because the Lord was there to keep it afloat.

I have a real problem with people who search for signs of discord between Pope Benedict and Pope Francis when none exist. In speaking about his relationship to Pope Francis, Pope Benedict declared that, “obedience to my successor has always been unquestionable” and “then there is a sense of deep communion and friendship.”

Any notion to the contrary is simply a dangerous form of wishful thinking.

**No, there’s no rift between Pope Francis and Pope Benedict **
americamagazine.org/faith/2016/09/08/no-theres-no-rift-between-pope-francis-and-pope-benedict
 
Luke6_37 said:
What makes you think Pope Benedict and Pope Francis are not on the same page? From all accounts, the two have a great relationship and there is no rift between them.
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The fact that this statement was made “on the occasion of dubia Cardinal Meisner’s requiem Mass,” that it points out that he was one of the dubia cardinals and this statement a time in which the Church stands in particularly pressing need of convincing shepherds who can resist the dictatorship of the age and who live and think the faith with determination" certainly sounds like a call of vigilance to those who uphold the faith, something that seems to be contrary to Pope Francis’ refusal to answer the dubia or meet with his fellow bishops who seek his clarification as the successor of Peter.

Make no mistake about it; 20 years ago Pope John Paul II confirmed and upheld the constant and traditional teaching of the Church regarding divorced persons in irregular situations. Today, Pope Francis is allowing contradicting positions of bishops to allow something that the Church has never allowed before. Can something that was once considered serious sin no longer be sin and can bishops in one country allow what bishops in another do not based upon Canon law, tradition and Christ’s own words as recorded in the Gospels? I seriously doubt that *“when the boat has taken on so much water as to be on the verge of capsizing” * has anything to do with the sex abuse scandal.
 
Tim_D said:
The fact that this statement was made “on the occasion of dubia Cardinal Meisner’s requiem Mass,” that it points out that he was one of the dubia cardinals and this statement a time in which the Church stands in particularly pressing need of convincing shepherds who can resist the dictatorship of the age and who live and think the faith with determination" certainly sounds like a call of vigilance to those who uphold the faith, something that seems to be contrary to Pope Francis’ refusal to answer the dubia or meet with his fellow bishops who seek his clarification as the successor of Peter.

Make no mistake about it; 20 years ago Pope John Paul II confirmed and upheld the constant and traditional teaching of the Church regarding divorced persons in irregular situations. Today, Pope Francis is allowing contradicting positions of bishops to allow something that the Church has never allowed before. Can something that was once considered serious sin no longer be sin and can bishops in one country allow what bishops in another do not based upon Canon law, tradition and Christ’s own words as recorded in the Gospels? I seriously doubt that *“when the boat has taken on so much water as to be on the verge of capsizing” * has anything to do with the sex abuse scandal.
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Well whatever prompted those remarks, it’s still wishful thinking on the part of conservatives to read some kind of rift in the relationship between Benedict & Francis in them and that is sad. Like I said, Cardinal Meisner & Pope Benedict were old friends who lived through a lot and those words could refer to anything.

If you truly reflect on what Benie is saying, his real message to conservatives is that they would be happier and find greater peace of mind if they just stopped fretting over everything and trusted in the Lord to steer the ship in choppy waters.
 
Luke6_37 said:
Well whatever prompted those remarks, it’s still wishful thinking on the part of conservatives to read some kind of rift in the relationship between Benedict & Francis in them and that is sad. Like I said, Cardinal Meisner & Pope Benedict were old friends who lived through a lot and those words could refer to anything.

If you truly reflect on what Benie is saying, his real message to conservatives is that they would be happier and find greater peace of mind if they just stopped fretting over everything and trusted in the Lord to steer the ship in choppy waters.
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I don’t know why you think conservatives want to see a rift between Emeritus Pope Benedict and Pope Francis. As for the conservatives I know we want to see continuity between them.

I do not worry about the gates of hell prevailing over the Cburch, I trust that the Church will stand the test of time.

What I do worry about are my non-Catholic family and friends. I want to share with them the beauty of the Catholic faith, and to me one of the the most beautiful things is how she stands the test of time. Not calling evil good, just because society around her as a whole calls it good. They may perceive a Church that is changing her teachings. I know the church won’t, even though there may be those, including many in the Church, who try to change her, but it’s hard to convince others when they see some in the Church actively working to water down some hard Truths.
 
Luke6_37 said:
Well whatever prompted those remarks, it’s still wishful thinking on the part of conservatives to read some kind of rift in the relationship between Benedict & Francis in them and that is sad. Like I said, Cardinal Meisner & Pope Benedict were old friends who lived through a lot and those words could refer to anything.

If you truly reflect on what Benie is saying, his real message to conservatives is that they would be happier and find greater peace of mind if they just stopped fretting over everything and trusted in the Lord to steer the ship in choppy waters.
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Has Bernie Sanders been elevated to the level that you encourage “reflection” on what he said? Does Bernie himself put his trust in the Lord? Isn’t Bernie for abortion, homosexual marriage, euthanasia, etc…–you know, things that the Catholic Church opposes?

People can spin it any way they like about what Pope Emeritus Benedict has just said on the occasion of Cardinal Meisner’s requiem Mass. His past writings and his defense of the Magisterium regarding adultery speak for themselves.
 
Randolph said:
Has Bernie Sanders been elevated to the level that you encourage “reflection” on what he said? Does Bernie himself put his trust in the Lord? Isn’t Bernie for abortion, homosexual marriage, euthanasia, etc…–you know, things that the Catholic Church opposes?

People can spin it any way they like about what Pope Emeritus Benedict has just said on the occasion of Cardinal Meisner’s requiem Mass. His past writings and his defense of the Magisterium regarding adultery speak for themselves.
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That seemed disrespectful to me, also, as would, Johnny, Paulie, or Frankie
 
Tim_D said:
Make no mistake about it; 20 years ago Pope John Paul II confirmed and upheld the constant and traditional teaching of the Church regarding divorced persons in irregular situations. Today, Pope Francis is allowing contradicting positions of bishops to allow something that the Church has never allowed before. Can something that was once considered serious sin no longer be sin and can bishops in one country allow what bishops in another do not based upon Canon law, tradition and Christ’s own words as recorded in the Gospels? I seriously doubt that *“when the boat has taken on so much water as to be on the verge of capsizing” * has anything to do with the sex abuse scandal.
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That is a good explanation of the problem. There are radically different interpretations being implemented by bishops.
 
There is a lot that I like about this article. Many of the things said are so true and they really speak to me. It is written by a non-Catholic.

For example, what Pope Benedict said in a short message for the funeral of Cardinal Joachim Meisner is, according to me, of great significance. So much more, though, is being brought to the fore, making me more fully aware of the current condition in the Catholic Church. .

theamericanconservative.com/dreher/pope-benedict-sos/
 
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