Rumors, Resginations And The Reform Of The Reform

Does the 'reform of the reform' really mean all the decision making about everything starts and stops here?

Pope has no plans to reverse Vatican II reforms, says Cardinal Bertone
Vatican City, Aug 28, 2009 / 10:06 am (CNA).-

The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said this week that the reports of supposed plans to roll back changes to the Church’s liturgy that began with the Second Vatican Council “are pure fabrication.”

In an interview with L’Osservatore Romano, the cardinal was asked about the “reservations” or “fears” of some who think the Holy Father is going “against” Vatican II, when the reality is actually the opposite. (This is a CNA article so editorial opinion passes for news.)

In order to understand Benedict XVI’s manner of governing the Church, Cardinal Bertone explained, one has to consider his own personal history as a protagonist in the conciliar and post-conciliar Church. Other items to note are: his inaugural speech as Pope, his speech to the Roman Curia on December 22, 2005 and the changes he has personally called for, enacted and patiently explained. (Actually, I think his funeral homily for JPII is far more indicative of his true leanings. Interesting that Cardinal Bertone left that one out.)

Cardinal Bertone noted several key points of the Council that the Pope has constantly promoted, including fostering “a more understanding relationship with the Orthodox and Eastern Churches” and entering into dialogue with Judaism and Islam. These efforts, the cardinal said, have been met with responses unseen up to now. (I can agree with this for the most part, while noting some of the progress came because of incredible PR screw ups. But it's also of note that Bertone doesn't mention any emphasis on collegiality or decentralization of power, which were critical aspects of Vatican II.)

After noting the positive relationship the Pope has with the bishops, Cardinal Bertone said that when it comes to the reform of the Church, “Benedict XVI has called us back to the source of the Word of God, to the evangelical law and the heart of the Church’s life: Jesus, who we know, love, adore and imitate.” (He mentions Peter a whole lot as well.)

The Vatican's Secretary of State also pointed out that the Pope has given the Church a great gift with his book “Jesus of Nazareth,” in which he reminded us that his desire is “to make Christ the heart of the world.” (Since Christ (in many forms, but especially love) is already the heart of the world, the issue is to open people up to that knowledge, not make Christ into that which He already is.)

Cardinal Bertone noted the tendency in the secular media to ascribe to the Pope, or to the Vatican, the responsibility for everything that happens in the Church or that is said by any member of the local Churches, institutions or ecclesial groups, “and this is not right.” (Maybe not, but it is the fruit of the papacies of JPII and B16, whose major reform of the reform is to reemphasise the central authority of the Papacy and Vatican curia.)

It would be more accurate, he said, to attribute to each person responsibility for his or her own actions or words, “especially when they patently contradict the teachings and example of the Pope.”

The way that the media covers such cases depends on reporters and media professionals having good intentions and a love for the truth, Bertone observed. (Are you listening CNA? The operative word is truth, not opinion. I on the other hand, do not claim to be a journalist and can have all the opinions I want.)

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Here's another interesting CNA piece:

Bishop of Scranton to step down next week
Scranton, Pa., Aug 28, 2009 / 11:12 am (CNA).-

Most Rev. Joseph F. Martino, Bishop of Scranton, will resign as head of the Diocese of Scranton next week, sources within the diocese confirmed to the local press today.

The sources did not explain the reason for the 62-year-old bishop’s decision. The sources also did not specify if the Bishop’s resignation was going to be presented or if it had been already submitted and accepted by the Vatican.

When asked by CNA to confirm Bishop Martino's resignation, diocesan spokesman William Genello said that the diocese will hold a press conference next Monday for media members only.
According to Canon law, a Bishop can present his resignation to the Holy Father for reasons other than the age limit (75), but he remains the head of the diocese until his resignation is accepted.

Speculation about the bishop's future began earlier this week when the local press in Scranton reported that his belongings were being moved from the rectory of St. Peter's Cathedral, to a retreat house in Dalton, Pa.

Joseph Martino was installed as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Scranton in October, 2003, and rapidly became one of the stronger pro-life voices in the U.S. episcopate.
In a pastoral letter issued last year before the presidential election, Bishop Martino wrote, “To begin, laws that protect abortion constitute injustice of the worst kind. They rest on several false claims including that there is no certainty regarding when life begins, that there is no certainty about when a fetus becomes a person, and that some human beings may be killed to advance the interests or convenience of others.”

On February this year, he wrote to Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Bob Casey concerning his vote against the Mexico City Policy, expressing his “deep concern” that the senator’s staff was misrepresenting the vote as "pro-life."

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The NCR take on this resignation is somewhat different from the CNA take. Bishop Martino was not big on pastoral compassion, and real big on his own authority as a bishop. To say his style was confrontational is an understatement. See Senator Casey, the USCCB, various colleges and theology departments, Scranton voters, the organizers of the St Patrick's day parade and Notre Dame-- that's just the last 9 months.

Like Roberto Duran, there didn't seem to be a fight Bishop Martino wanted to miss. Is he also, like Duran, saying 'no mas'? Speculation is rampant as to the reasons for this sudden resignation. Did that silent majority of USCCB bishops petition the Vatican to remove him? Did his diocese revolt against him? Did Casey use his influence with the Vatican? Is the Vatican recognizing a pastoral mistake? Is there some sort of major scandal in the offing? While I think there may be some truth in all of the above, I wouldn't be surprised if all the fighting and all the attendant stress finally did him in, and the official reasons will be health related.

For some reason, I think it's curious that just as Archbishop Sheehan is proposing a completely different model of authority, one based in collaboration, the next day the one bishop who most modeled the opposite approach suddenly resigns.

I find it just as curious that as the Catholic world is rife with rumors of a unilateral Curial decision to change the rubrics of the Mass, the next day Cardinal Bertone is saying no, no, no, it's all rumor and isn't going to happen. Pope Benedict isn't going to do that. Which still implies that Pope Benedict believes he has the authority to completely over ride anything an individual bishop might decide to do in his own diocese. Since Martino believed very strongly in his authority to do what ever he wanted in his own diocese it would have been very interesting to see the outcome of these two butting authoritarian heads. Maybe they did, and Bishop Martino found out just how far his authority extended.

In the meantime I guess Cardinal Bertone wants us to see Pope Benedict as the good guy who isn't going to force the Church back into the rubrics of the pre Vatican II Mass. Maybe this rumor mongering was all a big PR strategy designed to make it appear that Benedict is listening to the more progressive wing of the Church. When the reality is, all he has done is maintain the status quo while deflecting from the fact he still retains all the meaningful authority in himself.

If that's true, than the Martino resignation may be just one more example of flexing the muscle of the central authority of the Vatican. That in reality, neither of these situations represents anything more, and that's the central message of the 'reform of the reform'. At it's core it's about re centralizing all ecclesiastical power and has nothing to do with the wishes of progressives or conservatives---much less the Holy Spirit.