Standing ovation as Pope Benedict celebrates last public Mass as pontiff

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In this news article (washingtonpost.com/world/europe/pope-benedict-xvi-in-last-public-mass-deplores-divisions-roiling-church/2013/02/13/0da7dc3a-7616-11e2-8f84-3e4b513b1a13_story.html),
At his last public Mass, on Ash Wednesday, Pope Benedict states:

**“We can reveal the face of the church and how this face is, at times, disfigured,” the German-born pontiff said, speaking in Italian on an exceedingly rare occasion: a Mass recognized to be the last of a sitting pope. “I am thinking in particular of the sins against the unity of the church, of the divisions in the body of the church.”/I

I do not understand what the Holy father is referring to when he says “sins against the unity of the church.”

The only dividing group that I know of is a small group of dissenters who want the Church to ordain women. Is this what the Holy Father is referring to? Is there some larger divisive group that I am not aware of?

I hope someone with knowledge is able to comment on this.
 
CorinneV said:
In this news article (washingtonpost.com/world/europe/pope-benedict-xvi-in-last-public-mass-deplores-divisions-roiling-church/2013/02/13/0da7dc3a-7616-11e2-8f84-3e4b513b1a13_story.html),
At his last public Mass, on Ash Wednesday, Pope Benedict states:

**“We can reveal the face of the church and how this face is, at times, disfigured,” the German-born pontiff said, speaking in Italian on an exceedingly rare occasion: a Mass recognized to be the last of a sitting pope. “I am thinking in particular of the sins against the unity of the church, of the divisions in the body of the church.”
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It could refer to the lack of unity between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, or additionally, to the question of Traditional Catholics who are reluctant to go along with some of the post Vatican II changes. Or as you mentioned, it could refer to some of those in the Church who want more liberalisation in matters such as artificial birth control.
 
Tomdstone said:
It could refer to the lack of unity between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, or additionally, to the question of Traditional Catholics who are reluctant to go along with some of the post Vatican II changes. Or as you mentioned, it could refer to some of those in the Church who want more liberalisation in matters such as artificial birth control.
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Are you implying the Holy Father was coerced into issuing the Universae Ecclesiae or that he was otherwise in error for so doing? Perhaps you intended only the SSPX by that comment.
 
Thanks for your replies. I think your answers show that, like me, you are thinking of groups that might be the ones that he is referring to. And I think those are good answers. I am wondering why the Pope is concerned enough about this issue to speak of it in one of his last public speeches as Pope, yet we Catholics are not quite sure what he is talking about.

Of course, we know that our huge Church includes people with every kind of political and economic and cultural background, and there will naturally be disagreements. And the Pope will always want to address these disagreements, but this seems to be a uniquely important disagreement that he is referring to.

Reading his words, which I think are a translation, the Holy Father seems to have something specific in mind and he sees this as one of the most important issues he can talk about.

I am surprised that, here it is Friday, and the speech was made on Wednesday, and my initial post seems to be the first mention of this issue in the Forums. I feel like somebody is out of the loop somehow.

Hope to see more discussion.
 
I went to the Vatican website and found the actual homily. This is the exact words for that portion of the homily:

Finally, the prophet considers the prayer of the priests, who turn to God with tears, saying: “Do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” (v. 17). This prayer makes us think of the importance of the witness of Christian faith and life given by each of us and our communities for showing the face of the Church, and how that face is sometimes disfigured. I think in particular of sins against the unity of the Church, and divisions within the body of the Church. To experience Lent in a more intense and manifest ecclesial communion, overcoming individualism and rivalry, is a humble and valuable sign for those who are distant from the faith or indifferent.

I’m not sure if that makes things clearer, but I find the reference to not making your heritage a mockery interesting. Maybe it’s wishful thinking but, with this reference and the reference to individualism, I tend to think that he’s referring to those in the Catholic Church that do not assent to the teachings of the Church, but would rather dissent and promote their own version of the Faith.

But I would agree that it is not a clear statement of that and that’s too bad. Maybe he did that on purpose because he wanted all of us to reflect on how we might be playing a part in the lack of unity.
 
CorinneV said:
In this news article (washingtonpost.com/world/europe/pope-benedict-xvi-in-last-public-mass-deplores-divisions-roiling-church/2013/02/13/0da7dc3a-7616-11e2-8f84-3e4b513b1a13_story.html),
At his last public Mass, on Ash Wednesday, Pope Benedict states:

**“We can reveal the face of the church and how this face is, at times, disfigured,” the German-born pontiff said, speaking in Italian on an exceedingly rare occasion: a Mass recognized to be the last of a sitting pope. “I am thinking in particular of the sins against the unity of the church, of the divisions in the body of the church.”
Click to expand...
The only dividing group that I know of is a small group of dissenters who want the Church to ordain women. Is this what the Holy Father is referring to? Is there some larger divisive group that I am not aware of?

I hope someone with knowledge is able to comment on this.

In the American Church that group isn’t small at all and they are also the same folks who are against Church teaching on gay marriage, are pro-choice, and are pro-ABC. I want to say it’s quite a large group actually.
 
Lucky7 said:
I went to the Vatican website and found the actual homily. This is the exact words for that portion of the homily:

Finally, the prophet considers the prayer of the priests, who turn to God with tears, saying: “Do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” (v. 17). This prayer makes us think of the importance of the witness of Christian faith and life given by each of us and our communities for showing the face of the Church, and how that face is sometimes disfigured. I think in particular of sins against the unity of the Church, and divisions within the body of the Church. To experience Lent in a more intense and manifest ecclesial communion, overcoming individualism and rivalry, is a humble and valuable sign for those who are distant from the faith or indifferent.

I’m not sure if that makes things clearer, but I find the reference to not making your heritage a mockery interesting. Maybe it’s wishful thinking but, with this reference and the reference to individualism, I tend to think that he’s referring to those in the Catholic Church that do not assent to the teachings of the Church, but would rather dissent and promote their own version of the Faith.

But I would agree that it is not a clear statement of that and that’s too bad. Maybe he did that on purpose because he wanted all of us to reflect on how we might be playing a part in the lack of unity.
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It says to me that we should stop all this EF - OF sniping and realize we are celebrating the same Liturgy.
 
Lucky7 said:
But I don’t see that sniping as “individualism”.
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That depends on the underlying reason for the preference; it is easy to choose one Liturgical form over the other for selfish reasons rather than spiritual reasons.
 
Bob_Aliano said:
That depends on the underlying reason for the preference; it is easy to choose one Liturgical form over the other for selfish reasons rather than spiritual reasons.
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I think, for me, there is just too huge a difference between arguing over liturgy and arguing over doctrine. However, I think it is possible he was referring to the liturgy disagreements as well.

This is when I get frustrated because I wish something as important as this wasn’t up for personal interpretation.
 
CorinneV said:
I do not understand what the Holy father is referring to when he says “sins against the unity of the church.”
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I think these are the most acute and serious problems right now:
[Mons. Georg] Ratzinger said the pope’s time in office had “created great challenges for him,” highlighting two particular issues that concerned his brother.
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"Within the church a lot of things happened, which brought up troubles, for example the relationship to the Pius Brotherhood or the irregularities within the Vatican, where the butler had let known indiscretions,” he said.
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“These were emotional years, but with God’s help and his own commitment, I think he mastered it rather well,” he added.
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Ratzinger did not specify the pope’s issues with the Pius Brotherhood, or Society of St. Pius X as the group is formally known.
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But in late December, Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the group, described Jews as “the enemies of the church” to widespread condemnation from within and outside the Catholic Church. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, reportedly said it was “absolutely unacceptable, impossible to define Jews as enemies of the church.”
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In October, the pope’s former butler Paolo Gabriele was given an 18-month prison sentence in the so-called “Vatileaks” case, after he was found guilty of stealing thousands of Vatican documents – including some of Benedict’s private papers and letters alleging corruption within the church – while working for the pontiff.
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worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/12/16936793-popes-brother-pontiff-was-troubled-by-butlers-revelations?lite
 
CorinneV said:
In this news article (washingtonpost.com/world/europe/pope-benedict-xvi-in-last-public-mass-deplores-divisions-roiling-church/2013/02/13/0da7dc3a-7616-11e2-8f84-3e4b513b1a13_story.html),
At his last public Mass, on Ash Wednesday, Pope Benedict states:

**“We can reveal the face of the church and how this face is, at times, disfigured,” the German-born pontiff said, speaking in Italian on an exceedingly rare occasion: a Mass recognized to be the last of a sitting pope. “I am thinking in particular of the sins against the unity of the church, of the divisions in the body of the church.”
Click to expand...
Thanks for raising this question, as I too am interested in what the Holy Father was referring to. I assumed he may have meant unity with all Christian denominations, i.e., protestant and other christian religions. However, in view of another post, it may be in relation to the Pius X society.

catholicnewsagency.com/news/vaticans-doctrine-chief-pius-x-society-must-accept-vatican-ii-teachings/
 
Thanks to Lucky7 for finding the official text of the Holy Father’s words.

I thought the movement to ordain women was pretty small, but one of our posters states otherwise.

It occurs to me that some of our prominent American politicians do not accept the Church’s teachings on abortion, which must ‘disfigure the face’ of our Church to non-catholics or Catholics struggling with their faith.

I’m hoping someone like John Allen or George Weigl publishes a reaction to the Pope’s speech. Maybe one of those guys has a more developed understanding of the the Pope’s concerns about ‘sins against unity of the Church.’

I hope this discussion continues. 🙂
 
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