Hey everybody,
The turkey is finished, and the chickens are coming home to roost.
At the least it looks like that to me.
We’ve got quite a lot of stories to report which can be each a giant evolution of a news item we’ve been covering for months, or longer — stories we’ve worked hard to report, which can be now reaching some major and necessary point of development.
You’ll see what I mean once we run through the news.
But first, let me just note that plenty of news happened over the Thanksgiving holiday, and also you were patient enough to allow us to take the weekend before diving back in. So thanks.
Now, before we get to those chickens coming home to roost, let me start with a really cool story.
‘A spiritual work of God’
As most of you understand, the Church within the U.S. has already begun a three-year process geared toward deepening faith, and at increasing ecclesial communion, intimacy with God, and the Church’s works of mercy.
No, readers, I don’t mean the synod on synodality — I’m talking at once in regards to the USCCB’s Eucharistic Revival.
The revival is a multi-year project, desiring to foster Eucharistic devotion in parishes and dioceses, and to equip practicing Catholics with actual opportunities to ask non-practicing Catholics to listen to the Gospel, and to experience the reality, beauty, and goodness of the Church.
The project is ambitious, and never without critics. Nevertheless it has generated enthusiasm amongst plenty of bishops, and already led to an uncommonly high variety of Eucharistic processions this past Corpus Christi, back in June.
A part of the Eucharistic Revival is a planned 2024 National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, to be held at Lucas Oil Stadium, and at which 100,000 Catholics are expected to be in attendance.
And earlier this month, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, coordinator of the Eucharistic Revival and Congress, announced a latest element to the project: 4 “Eucharistic Pilgrimages,” which is able to travel with the Blessed Sacrament to the Congress in Indianapolis over the course of three months, mostly by foot, from 4 corners of America.
Permit me, in the event you would, to chuck my journalistic objectivity and to editorialize, for only a moment: That is really freaking cool.
In actual fact, a quartet of walking pilgrimages bearing the Blessed Sacrament seems to me essentially the most palpably Catholic thing we’ve done on this country in a really very long time, and I’m excited to see the way it plays out.
In fact, it’s a protracted time until 2024, so one hardly wishes to count one’s pilgrims before they hatch. Nevertheless it feels like plans for the pilgrimages are well underway.
The bishop told me he expects to see God work through these pilgrimages:
I even have been attempting to make the purpose that a revival is a spiritual work of God.
I feel we are able to see that God has desired this revival — which is admittedly what I see within the working of it, it’s gotten a lot larger than I could have imagined because God’s doing something.
In a spiritual work of God, I feel we should always expect to see miracles and healings. I feel at any time when you honor God by making a sacrifice, it’s fruitful for the Kingdom. I expect we’re going to see that as we attempt to honor Him by walking across the country in this fashion.
More news
A lot of you will have been following rigorously the backwards and forwards of the German bishops’ “synodal way,” which reached a tipping point last week, when quite a lot of Curial cardinals pushed the German bishops to place the synodal path on ice, and the German bishops said they wouldn’t do it.
It’s a situation fraught with tension.
What he discovered was quite interesting: A energetic movement, by many accounts, of young families with children, a lot of whom say they’re looking mostly for a spot where basic Catholic doctrine isn’t up for day by day debate.
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Next, we’ve got been covering for months the ferocious liturgical controversy within the Syro-Malabar Eastern Catholic Church, most of which is situated in India. Long story short — since Vatican II, many Syro-Malabar priests have offered the sacred liturgy versus populum, toward the people, in a move they are saying is named for by Vatican II. Other Syro-Malabars objected to that, and urged a return to the ad orientem posture for Mass.
After a few years of disagreement, most Syro-Malabar eparchies have accepted a Vatican-backed “50-50 formula” wherein the liturgy of the Word is obtainable versus populum, and the liturgy of the Eucharist offered ad orientem.
Apart from one — the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese, where resistance to the ad orientem approach is fierce amongst many priests and laity — and I mean seriously fierce, the type where bishops are burned in effigy, police escorts are needed for presbyteral council meetings, and 1000’s protest within the streets.
And this Sunday, a bunch of protestors prevented the eparchy’s apostolic administrator – a proponent of plan “50-50” – from entering his cathedral to supply the liturgy. Police needed to escort him to safety — and now local police have locked everybody out of the cathedral, not less than in the interim.
There can be a giant meeting in January to deal with this. But readers, this story, which we’ve been covering for quite some time, has reached a significant tipping point. The chicken, so to talk, is coming home to roost. And friends, the one place where you’ll examine every little thing that’s happened — and what’s coming down the pike — is The Pillar.
So read up on a liturgical dispute unlike anything happening within the lifetime of the Church.
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Now on to a different long-simmering story reaching a tipping point: the Vatican-China deal.
A few of you on Saturday were eating turkey leftovers. A few of you were swearing in regards to the Michigan-Ohio State game. A few of you (like me) were still reveling in Nebraska’s Friday win over Iowa, which seemed almost enough to vindicate a really bad season of football.
But on the Vatican, Saturday was all about China. You see, on Saturday the Holy See released an announcement expressing its “regret” over the recent “installation” of Bishop John Peng Weizhao as “auxiliary bishop” of the “Diocese of Jiangxi.”
Why did the Holy See regret the installation of an auxiliary bishop?
- Because Bishop Peng already has an office as diocesan bishop,
- since the “Diocese of Jiangxi” is a creature of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, and isn’t actually recognized as a selected Church by the Holy See,
- and since the Vatican obviously didn’t approve the transfer of Bishop Peng from his real job to a made-up job in a non-existent diocese.
Regret indeed.
Readers, the chicken has come home to roost on the Vatican-China deal, an agreement which critics have said for years won’t prevent the Beijing government from treating the Church as its subject, and with no concern for the religious freedom or sovereignty of the Church.
The installation of Bishop Peng was in contradiction to the Holy See’s goals in China, namely to see the tip of a rupture between the “underground” Church and the officially recognized and government-regulated Church.
And while the Holy See has been quiet for years about serial violations of the agreement, this one was apparently an excessive amount of, and the Holy See spoke out — leaving in query whether the Vatican Secretariat of State will proceed its Ostpolitik approach with China, or whether it is going to begin speaking out about other issues, including the continuing genocide of the Uighur people, or the very recent and burgeoning movement for human rights reforms, sparking protests across the nation.
You possibly can read Ed’s (excellent) evaluation right here.
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But when you would like to know where Pope Francis sits on the China query, it’s value noting that on Monday, in an interview with America Magazine, the pontiff gave a really clear indication of his approach, by mentioning Cardinal Agostino Casaroli because the “biggest model” of ecclesiastical diplomacy.
Casaroli is the architect of the Church’s Ostpolitik approach to engagement with Eastern European countries – a quite controversial effort to make agreements with Communist regimes, so as to keep the Church from facing an intolerable level of persecution.
So if you would like to understand Francis’ view, it is best to understand something about Casaroli and Ostpolitik. And also you’re in luck. We’ve got an explainer hot off the presses, only for you. Read up!
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Pardon the Interruption
I’ve got a pair more big stories to speak about, but first, two things that readers have asked me about over the weekend.
First, the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, announced last week that Msgr. Jeffery Burrill, formerly of the USCCB, has been appointed a parish pastor. Msgr. Burrill was appointed a parish administrator back in June, to no small amount of controversy, given the circumstances of his resignation from the U.S. bishops’ conference, and officially appointed pastor last week.
La Crosse’s bishop said in June that Burrill had “engaged in a sincere and prayerful effort to strengthen his priestly vows and has favorably responded to each request made by me and by the Diocese.”
The diocesan vicar general reemphasized that time in social media posts over the weekend, during which he wrote that the priest has “done every little thing he was asked to do to return to lively ministry,” and “has passed through his ‘rehabilitation’ with humility, honesty and integrity.”
Given the controversy over the topic – and questions asked by The Pillar’s readers – The Pillar asked the Diocese of La Crosse in regards to the steps required to return to public ministry, after a resignation from a high-ranking position triggered by the frequent use of sex apps. The diocese has not responded to requests for comment.
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Second, here’s something you absolutely don’t see on daily basis.
The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto announced on Sunday that considered one of its priests – Fr. Josef Zyla – had spent 34 years pretending to be something he was not — namely, pretending to be considered one of its priests.
While the priest had presented himself as a married Eastern Catholic priest, and served as a parish pastor in Canada, the Polish priest was actually a Latin Catholic priest, sure to celibacy, who had abandoned his diocese and brought up with a girl, whom he had presented as his wife for the many years he spent ministering within the Ukrainian eparchy.
Again, not actually an Eastern Catholic. Not actually married.
Actually, though, a priest, which is nice news, since it means the diocese determined that the sacraments he celebrated for 34 years were illicit, but not invalid.
The letter starts on the 1hr 10min mark on this video.
The priest has been laicized, but isn’t allotted from the canonical obligation of celibacy, which implies that he isn’t free to aim marriage to his long-time companion.
“It’s sad,” said the priest on this video, after the letter was read to his congregation. “It’s very sad, because lives are destroyed.”
What’s the lesson? Don’t lead a double life. Irrespective of who you might be. Nothing good comes of it. Just ask Mrs. Zyla.
Okay, now back to some big stories.
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‘Eeeeeh’
Longtime readers of The Pillar know that we’ve got been covering the minute details of Vatican financial scandals longer even than we’ve been The Pillar — with a central focus being the set of embezzlement, corruption, and intimidation charges leveled against Pillar reader Cardinal Angelo Becciu.
How?
Well, a Vatican City prosecutor released last Thursday a phone call transcript which shows Becciu calling the pope, and urging him to log off on Becciu’s alibi within the case of a missing half-million in Vatican euro the cardinal is alleged to have sent to Cecilia Marogna, his private spy, amid a process geared toward ransoming a kidnapped Colombian nun.
The cardinal also urged the pope to strengthen that the entire matter was subject to state secrecy, seemingly in order that Becciu couldn’t be asked about it at trial.
The pope – just every week out of major surgery on the time – didn’t take the bait, and as an alternative asked Becciu to place things in writing, and got off the phone.
But recording a phone call with the Roman Pontiff without his knowledge is against the laws of Vatican City State, as is, seemingly, urging him to log off on alibis while he recovers from surgery
At the identical time prosecutors released that information, in addition they disclosed proof in one other embezzlement charge.
Becciu is accused of illicitly funneling 250,000 euros in Church money to his brother, through wire transfers to the charity his brother runs. The cardinal has at all times claimed the funds were Vatican donations, used to deliver tons of bread to the poor.
Except, guess what?
Police searches found unexpectedly and recently forged delivery receipts for nearly 20 tons of bread — suggesting that the Vatican’s dough didn’t actually make all that bread occur.
Pretty serious and concrete evidence for the cardinal. But Becciu took all of it in stride, finagled a gathering with the pope on Saturday, and told reporters on Sunday that he had “clarified” things for Francis, and been told that he could keep attending high-level cardinal meetings, not less than in the interim.
For anyone else, all of this evidence would appear to mean the knowledge of conviction. But Becciu has wriggled off the hook more times than once, and seems to have a present for survival.
So is that this end for His Eminence, or is there more to return?
Examine what’s happened — and what may be coming next.
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Finally, we reported already last week that an on-site apostolic visitation is getting underway this week within the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennesse, where the Vatican has received serious allegations in regards to the leadership of Bishop Rick Stika, especially concerning his alleged protection of a seminarian accused of serial sexual assault.
You’ll recall that Stika admitted to The Pillar that he removed a review board-appointed investigator into a few of that alleged assault, because, the bishop said, “I knew in my heart” that the seminarian was innocent.
Our sources in Knoxville proceed to affirm that they’ve had meetings scheduled with the bishops appointed to go to the diocese, who can expect to listen to about plenty of alleged issues within the diocese — including that Stika pushed a diaconal candidate to purchase two cars for the previous seminarian, essentially the most recently in April, and that the bishop continues to inform clergy within the diocese that the seminarian was actually the one assaulted — despite mounting evidence on the contrary.
Nevertheless it isn’t clear what is going to come after the visitation, and a few priests in Knoxville say they’re not especially optimistic, provided that they’ve manifested their concerns to ecclesiastical authorities quite a few times before, and with none direct response.
Several priests attribute the present intervention to current Louisville Archbishop Shelton Fabre, who got here to take heed to priests at a September meeting, and – Knoxville priests imagine – subsequently urged the Holy See to deal with the difficulty.
In either case, it is going to likely be several weeks, not less than, until there may be any known results of the apostolic visitation, if there may be.
But given this week that Pope Francis said there ought to be ecclesiastical transparency within the investigation of bishops, the apostolic visitation in Knoxville may prove a very good test case of the pope’s desire for openness on episcopal disciplinary matters.
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Subscribing Tuesday?
Today is something in the US called Giving Tuesday, which I don’t quite understand, however the gist is that folks are urged today to make particular donations to the charities of their alternative, often with matching gifts or other incentives arranged for the day.
We at The Pillar would really like to induce and encourage our readers to make such gifts, especially to Catholic charities, that are practically essentially the most comprehensive network of charitable endeavors world wide.
Should you’re on the lookout for a selected charity, and also you live in Colorado, I’d invite you to affix the FIRE Foundation, which provides grants for special education in Catholic schools, at our Adventide luncheon on Friday. Full disclosure – I’m a board member of said foundation, as is Mrs. Flynn.
But whatever Catholic charity you select, supporting the works of mercy and apostolic evangelization is a laudatory practice for Catholics, and we wish you a satisfactory Giving Tuesday.
We at The Pillar have a distinct model, and aren’t soliciting from you a donation this Giving Tuesday. We’re a journalistic operation with paying subscribers — a newsstand with an honesty box, as we wish to say.
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And by the best way, it’s Advent.
Meaning we launched this weekend the primary episode of our Advent mini-season of The Pillar’s Sunday School Bible study podcast, led by Scripture scholar Dr. Scott Powell.
In each episode of our Advent mini-season, we’ll take a look at what Scripture reveals a few set of Advent figures — Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary and Joseph, and Anna and Simeon.
We designed these episodes to be Scriptural studies meant to assist your Advent prayer – and I hope they can be.
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And eventually, listed below are some seriously talented foot pianists.
Enjoy:
Or in the event you don’t love that, enjoy this girl absolutely shredding Vivaldi:
Blessed Advent!
Please be assured of our prayers, and please pray for us. We want it!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
JD Flynn
editor-in-chief
The Pillar