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Unrealistic hopes
A caution on training women for diaconate
In an unusual document signed by the heads of three Vatican Congregations, the Holy See has condemned programs that would have prepared women for the ordained
diaconate.
The Vatican “notification”—issued jointly by the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith, Divine Worship, and the Clergy—noted that such programs create “hopes which are lacking a solid doctrinal foundation and which can generate pastoral disorientation.” The document was signed by the prefects of those congregations:
Cardinals Joseph Ratzinger, Jorge Medina Estévez, and Darío Castrillón Hoyos, respectively. It was specifically approved by Pope John Paul II prior to publication.
The Vatican officials said that there are many other ways in which the Church can promote the dignity of women and their participation in the Church. There has been substantial debate among Catholic historians and theologians as to whether women were ordained as deacons in the past. The preponderance of evidence suggests that in the early Church some women were referred to as deacons, but the role they played was clearly not associated with the ordained ministry as it is known today. A Vatican commission has been studying the question of female deacons for seven years, and is expected to conclude that study later this year.
The full text of the latest Vatican notice read:
1. Our offices have received from several countries signs of courses that are being planned or underway, directly or indirectly aimed at the diaconal ordination of women. Thus are born hopes which are lacking a solid doctrinal foundation and which can generate pastoral disorientation.
2. Since ecclesial ordination does not foresee such an ordination, it is not licit to enact initiatives which, in some way, aim to prepare candidates for diaconal ordination.
3. The authentic promotion of women in the Church, in conformity with the constant ecclesial magisterium, with special reference to (the magisterium) of his Holiness John Paul II, opens other ample prospectives of service and collaboration.
4. The undersigned Congregations —within the sphere of their proper authority—thus turn to the individual ordinaries, asking them to explain (this) to their own faithful and to diligently apply the above-mentioned directives.
New Martyrology published
Lists over 6,000 saints
A new and comprehensive Martyrology, including all of those beatified or canonized since Vatican II, was unveiled at the Vatican on October 2.
The new Martyrology, listing all recognized saints, replaces an edition that was published in 1956. The 800-page volume also corrects some errors in the old edition on the basis of new historical research. A few names have been deleted, as the latest research raises doubts that the individuals actually existed. More typically, the new volume includes additional information about saints whose biographies have not been well known.
The new martyrology does not seek to list every saint, explained Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez of the Congregation for Divine Worship. Rather, the volume lists those whose cult is officially approved by the Catholic Church.
The martyrology lists 6,538 names of those who have been beatified or canonized. However, a number of individual martyrs are listed along with their “companions,” whose identity is not known. In some cases—particularly those involving the persecutions of the early Church—there is not even a precise number for the “companions” of martyrs.
The martyrology is the product of an enormous collaborative project, undertaken by the Congregation for Divine Worship along with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Diversity as an opportunity
Dialogue stressed in a city torn by violence
In a message to an inter-religious conference being held in Sarajevo during September, Cardinal
Francis Arinze said that people of different backgrounds should regard encounters with each other “not as a menace, but as an opportunity.”
The Sarajevo conference, bringing together Christians and Muslims, had been organized by the (Catholic) Council of European Episcopal Conferences together with the (Protestant) European Council of Churches. The sessions were dedicated to the relationships between Christians and Muslims in Europe, where immigration from Arabic countries has changed demographic patterns and often provoked deep resentments.
Cardinal Arinze, the president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, noted the significance of holding such a conference in Sarajevo, a city that had been shattered by ethnic conflict. He called for the creation of a new and different model: “the example of a pluralist Europe, welcoming and respectful of the dignity of man.”
Priestly formation on the Internet
Successful test for new Vatican program
After successfully testing an educational video-conference that was broadcast worldwide through the Internet, the Congregation for the Clergy is now prepared to offer similar programs of formation for priests on a regular basis.
Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, the prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, told reporters that he was pleased with the initial program broadcast on September 29, in which 29 different theologians had offered reflections on developments in christology since Vatican II. The 90-minute program, including presentations by theologians scattered around the globe, encountered no serious technical difficulties.
Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos said that the high-tech presentation was a response to a challenge from Pope John Paul II, who had urged Vatican officials to make effective use of the means of modern communications. He observed that a regular monthly series of similar presentations would help to inform priests who might otherwise not have access to such educational resources.
The cardinal also reported that Pope John Paul had written to congratulate the Congregation on its initial Internet broadcast, and expressed his regrets that he had not been able to take an active role in the conference. The Pontiff is expected to be one of the participants in a coming monthly presentation.
Man at the center
Conference recalls Laborem Exercens
In a message to an international conference on labor, meeting in Rome to mark the 20th anniversary of his encyclical
Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II reiterated his fundamental message that “man must remain the protagonist of his own work.”
The “great economic and social transformations” that Europe is now experiencing, the Pope said, create both tensions and opportunities for new interaction between local and international markets. But it would be a major mistake, he warned, to assume that economic forces operate by themselves. Man must remain in control of his own destiny, and in command of his own employment, he said.
“While the historic forms in which human labor is done may change, the fundamentals remain unchanging,” the Pontiff wrote. He called for reflection on how the forms of the “new economy” can be shaped so as to promote “new solidarity,” to safeguard the environment, and to create new opportunities for all.
Vatican prepares for euro
Pope’s profile to grace coins
When the euro begins circulating on January 1, the coins minted by the Vatican will display the left profile of Pope John Paul II.
Pier Paolo Francini, the director of the Vatican bureau that supervises the production of stamps and coins, told the Roman news agency I Media that his agency is now preparing for the arrival of the new European currency in November. The official debut of the euro will be at the beginning of 2002, but Vatican agencies are now being prepared to handle the new coins.
The euro will be the official unit of currency throughout the European monetary union. The Vatican city-state, by virtue of a treaty relationship with Italy, will be a full partner to the new monetary scheme. The euros minted by the Vatican will be accepted as currency in other European lands, and those of other states will be accepted in the Vatican.
Back to Catholic World Report November 2001 Table of Contents