Thursday, October 20, 2011

Benedict Honors The Cardinal Wizard of OZ:






Australian Bishops and Pope Benedict gather to hear from the Cardinal Wizard of OZ as he dedicates Domus Australia

New Mass translation can help Catholics pray better, pope says

 Cindy Wooden - Catholic News Service - 10-20-2011
VATICAN CITY -- The new English translation of the Mass is the result of a long process of international cooperation and is meant to help Catholics pray better, Pope Benedict XVI told Australia's bishops. (Not according to this member of ICEL.)

The new translation, which most Australian dioceses began introducing in parishes on Pentecost in June, "is intended to enrich and deepen the sacrifice of praise offered to God by his people," the pope said Oct. 20. (I'd just like to point out Jesus said He didn't want sacrifices.)
 
The morning after joining the bishops for the inauguration of the Domus Australia, a pilgrim center in Rome, the pope welcomed the bishops to the apostolic palace for the main talk of the "ad limina" visits, which bishops make to report on the church in their dioceses. (Actually it's a 30 million dollar bed and breakfast.)
 
Pope Benedict said the new liturgical translation was "the fruit of a remarkable cooperation of the Holy See, the bishops and experts from all over the world."
He asked the bishops to help their priests appreciate the new text and help catechists and musicians do their part to make the Mass "a moment of greater grace and beauty, worthy of the Lord and spiritually enriching for everyone."

Australian Cardinal George Pell of Sydney is the chairman of the Vox Clara Commission, an international body established by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, to assist in the evaluation of English liturgical translations. ( Pell and his compatriots totally overrode ICEL at the behest of the Vatican--hence Pope Benedict showed up to 'bless' Pell's $30 million dollar Roman bed and breakfast.)
 
The cardinal told Catholic News Service Oct. 19, "I think a goodly percentage of the people didn't notice the difference" when he began using the new text at the Sydney cathedral. "There are pockets of dissatisfaction, but overwhelmingly the priests and people are happy and they will get used to it. The prayers are immensely richer and there's much less banality." (Perhaps everyone in the Cathedral was deaf, or more likely Pell is being willfully blind.)

Some critics have said the new translation has archaic language, clumsy sentence structure and a lack of sensitivity to inclusive language.
Cardinal Pell said some of the vocabulary in the new translation is a bit challenging. For example, the new translation of the creed describes Jesus as being "consubstantial with the Father." The cardinal said, "One gentleman wrote to me and said he didn't understand 'consubstantial,' and I wrote back to him and suggested that he find out." (How swimmingly pastoral of Cardinal Pell.)

"One comparison I like to make is that -- although it's a mature, adult English -- (the translation) is a tiny bit like children's literature, because in good children's literature, every couple of pages there's probably a word the children don't understand, that expands their knowledge, and they have to either gather the meaning from the context or enquire about the meaning," the cardinal said. (Mr. Pastoral must be confusing himself with Mr Rogers, but my goodness, how utterly condescending.)

In his speech to the bishops, Pope Benedict also spoke about the hurt and damage caused by the clerical sex abuse crisis and other failures of church members.
"Yours is a pastoral burden which has been made heavier by the past sins and mistakes of others, most regrettably including some clergy and religious," the pope told the bishops. "The task now falls to you to continue to repair the errors of the past with honesty and openness, in order to build, with humility and resolve, a better future for all concerned." (Sighhhhh, it's never ever ever Rome's or a bishop's fault. It's always those 'other lesser beings' victimizing bishops and piling on the burdens.)

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I wonder if this visit of Australian bishops to Vatican City is beginning to feel like a sort of coronation for the Archduke of Sydney, otherwise known as Cardinal Pell.  I've been reading a number of stories this morning about Benedict's visit to Domus Australia mentioned in the above article.  Basically it really is a sort of bed and breakfast for Australian pilgrims in the heart of Rome.  This latest incarnation of a building bought from the Marist brothers back in 2008 is rumored to have cost somewhere between 30 and 85 million dollars.  Even at the lower figure, Australian Catholics are wondering just where the money came from for this venture of Pell's, but those kinds of questions must be too burdensome for the man because he hasn't answered any questions about cost or payment.  Kind of like Cardinal Maida of Detroit about the John Paul II Center in DC.  No, actually, exactly like Cardinal Maida.

I am beginning to develop a lot of respect for the reporting of Cindy Wooden of CNS.  Her writing is sort of the antithesis of John Allen's.  She has some seriously choice quotes from Cardinal Pell in the above article and the way she has all this put together, given Pell's position with Vox Clara,  is priceless.  Pell comes across as an elitist member of some sort of nobility and maybe that's because that's his true opinion of himself.  It's sad to think he represents a true blue member of the Vatican's ruling elite.

In other news, here's a quote from Cardinal Peter Turkson President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.  He made it in remarks about the coming ecumenical meeting in Assisi:
The 63-year-old Ghana native added that the search for truth is a condition to "defeat fanaticism and fundamentalism," which seeks to obtain peace by imposing "one's own convictions on others.It seems to me Archbishop Neinstedt of Minneapolis could meditate on these words, since he is engaging the Catholic parishes of Minnesota in just such a campaign to impose his own fundamentalist convictions on others. 

Sometimes it's confusing to be a Catholic.  Maybe Cardinal Pell could suggest a good children's story for me to read.  For myself I would suggest Pell might try reading the Wizard of OZ.




21 comments:

  1. I gagged when I read this comment of Benedict's; "The task now falls to you to continue to repair the errors of the past with honesty and opennes..."

    Fr. Anthony Ruff's words about the Catholic Church not being a system that welcomes speaking the truth is too fresh in my mind.

    Probably ten years ago or more, I was involved with a group that included the auxiliary bishop of a large archdiocese. The archbishop had just resigned from ICEL. The bishop said that his boss did not want to have to be vatican's water boy any more. The bishop is now dead, and the archbishop is retired.

    The die was already cast that long ago.

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  2. wild hair, it's sad all the way around. In my own lifetime I've seen too many really brilliant priests burn out or give up because the system is just that frustrating and stunted. I see Pell and Burke and some of the others and I truly do wonder if they have any real empathy for the rest of humanity. When a person has no empathy or compassion, they have no spiritual life. I can name more than a few of these head honchos who should have been actors rather than priests, and Pell is one of them.

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  3. --------Pope Benedict said the new liturgical translation was "the fruit of a remarkable cooperation of the Holy See, the bishops and experts from all over the world." He asked the bishops to help their priests appreciate the new text and help catechists and musicians do their part to make the Mass "a moment of greater grace and beauty, worthy of the Lord and spiritually enriching for everyone."---------


    It is interesting to note that in the United States many of the complaints about the new translations were that professional linguists were not used. The new translations have been describes as an attempt to come closer to the original Latin. Needles to say, Jesus never spoke Latin, but some how it is “the original” language of the mass. It is also interesting to note that Latin grammar promotes run on sentences with many comas and semicolons .and the main verb only at the very end of the sentence. We English speakers do not need to get closer to those grammar constructions--- Something that those of us who took a whole lot of Latin had to struggle with in our attempts to write decent English in scientific journals.

    Open lies, deceit and denial are what continue to implode the RCC. Two of my Grandchildren will be entering High School next year and I had agreed to pay for half their private education. When asked about it, I told them it was indeed OK to go to the Lutheran Academy close to their home.

    I wonder how many other cradle Catholics with graduate degrees are helping their family members go to non catholic HS and colleges. I wonder how many others of us would love to support our Catholic Universities of higher education but will not as long as their theologians are licensed by local Bishops who have the audacity to claim with out resume that they are the teacher of the diocese. Our Roman Catholic religion will continue to lead Christians in one thing, members that leave. Too bad, but it is a very dark leadership that is responsible for driving out so many of its thinking and rightfully questioning members. dennis

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  4. The "teachings" and that includes these translations from Rome are perverted, distorted, and we are maimed and crippled spiritually in its ignorance.

    The church bulletins come out in defense of the changes to the translation of the Missal. Anyone who does not agree will be told they don't know as much as the one's who made the decision to make these changes. They will tell anyone who disagrees with the new missal changes that they need to go to a class and learn about it and get some formation. It's more a way for them to belittle people than it is to enlighten them or help them on their spiritual journey. It's all about Rome's elite clerics desirous to enable and unleash a vehicle in which to subdue, restrain, deny any freedom of thought or consciousness to the People of God.

    It's an abuse of power from what I can gather. I can picture many old timers having difficulty with these translations and it seems purposeful of Rome to want to make the People of God feel small and insignificant.

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  5. Anonymous, is it ignorance that causes this change? I don't think so! Seems more like wanton human control that wishes to pervert and distort. This is a dark side of humanity. You are correct, these changes are not an attempt to enlighten but to control as an old “holy” Roman Empire. It is back to the idea of reward and punishment--- religion which the Jews were struggling with. It is taught that Moses was punished for breaking the rock tablets containing the Ten Commandments instead of that the Ten Commandments were part of an ever increasing growth and development in the People of God who were originally blessed with there own God given creative talents. Even today instead of teaching how much a blessing was the Sermon on the MOunt, this part of the New Testament is rarely taught because it does not develop the reward and punishment scheme of work hard in a greedy capitalist system and receive your monitory rewards here on earth, and those that are poor deserve it for not working hard. I remember a time in the RCC that we stood for a theology of social justice. Thanks to the dark ideas of the last 2 popes, this theology has once again been perverted to the idea of reward and punishment.

    So if you do not like the new missile, according to the Bishops it is because you have not studied enough to appreciate it. The linguists be damned, it is the "authority" of the Bishops that count. All these ideas spell out the results -- implosion from inside what is a very dark leadership. The emotional and physical violence is apparent and progressive. It is the death instinct of our society that is centrally located in the "Holy See," and the local Episcopates. dennis

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  6. I agree with you Dennis, that it is "wanton human control that wishes to pervert and distort."

    We the People of God are supposed to just "obey" and that is the cause of ignorance in the Church and in the laity who cave and/or submit to the "authority" of the bishops.

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  7. America Magazine published Anthony Ruff's resignation letter in February this year. He had worked on the new translation. Note his unhappiness about the decision making process which is also reflected in the first comment by Jeffrey Pinyan. Were most of the most controversial changes imposed by fiat some time after 2008?

    http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=12688&comments=1

    The same Jeffrey Pinyan ties himself in knots over on the Pray Tell blog (see comments 51 and on) trying to justify the new bad translation of “for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven” as equivalent to “for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins”

    http://www.praytellblog.com/index.php/2011/10/05/what-is-wrong-and-right-with-the-new-translation-continued/

    It makes me thing Pinyan is not a native speaker of English. There isn't enough parsing in the world that can justify that awful translation. It is more likely, in my opinion, that the Opus Dei and the smaller, purer church types have injected their own agenda into the liturgy. Sorry Jeff, "many" does not mean "all". Not in any part of the English speaking world. Not now, not ever. Don't try to explain how some subordinate clause is more important. A correct translation must be clear. On the basis of this fundamental error in language alone I am opposed to this translation. What's next the RC church is going to condemn the Jews for killing Jesus? Who else in the all is excluded in the many?

    However, my first inclination is to oppose it because it does not use inclusive language in other matters translated. Most of the congregation is female. The church had better say "Brothers and Sisters". It isn't acceptable to use the archaic term "Man" for humanity in 2011. It hasn't been for a very long time.

    Then again maybe I'm wrong, maybe Jesus died just for "us men and our salvation". Maybe the girls can wiggle their little fannies and rustle up us guys some coffee.

    p2p

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  8. Let me also add here, because it deserves serious attention. As the bishops and Pope Benedict XVI with their SSPX schismatics parade around in their finery in their palaces while hiding pedophiles and spending money for the defense of child molesters, spewing their lies against gays and women, a theology of the body that is a crock, they are spending money on this campaign of new missals instead of helping the poor which is a refusal to spread the Gospels and making compassion a reality in this world.

    The bishops share with the moneyed interest in the world who also desire power and control over others. They rewrite history to suit their own agenda. They put not forth the truth.

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  9. RDP46, missile seems to be rather appropriate here, as the new "missal" is a missile aimed directly at the Vatican II concept of church!

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  10. @Colleen,
    My last commented was hidden, probably because it had two links in it. Please make it reappear.

    p2p

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  11. Thanks for many of the things you do, Colleen. That's code. It means all.

    p2p

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  12. That's funny p2p, but I'm glad to know many really means all.

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  13. "Then again maybe I'm wrong, maybe Jesus died just for "us men and our salvation". Maybe the girls can wiggle their little fannies and rustle up us guys some coffee."

    LOL!! Get it yourself.... :-)

    p2p, you bring up the issue that many women find truly embarrassing - and that is that all the translations in the Bible are just for men.

    On the one hand, we women can interpret that to mean that WE DON'T NEED SAVING, because we are already SAVED. Or, that Jesus knew that the men would want to exclude women, so knowing the women are saved - the word was translated to exclude women..... just because.... God knows how men are and desirous of feeling so much more superior than women cause they are so much bigger and stronger than us women....

    The saga continues with men not paying women the same wages as men.... And what do the men squander their extra money on? Missiles, or missals...

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  14. Karen, oh what a Freudian slip. Missile is most appropriate!

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  15. I agree rdp46, the missiles are heading right for many of the laity, or are they headed for all of the laity? These translations have me all confused... many a time.... or could it be all of the time..?. LOL.

    Once upon a time
    or was that
    once many a time
    or was it
    once all of the time
    or maybe
    time upon a once
    time upon many
    many upon time
    all upon many
    many up to all
    All up to many

    It is strange what one can do with language. Before you know it, it just does not make original sense.

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  16. Enlightening, Colleen--to the max. I learned so much from reading this that I didn't know, and it helps me understand far better what's going on with these liturgical changes, and precisely who's behind them. Thank you for this valuable commentary.

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  17. The RC Church and Golf. I am not indifferent. They are similar in so many ways. Traditionalists try to keep the rest of us out, women, the poor, visible minorities, religious minorities. To them it is just the "rules" of a private country club, the executive members make them.

    When I play golf I take many, ok many, many shots. About once a round I will hit one or two that will keep me coming back for more. It is a beautiful experience to accomplish something so difficult. That personal experience is completely apart from the social-cultural-economic aspect of the game.

    Today we had an African priest, who is completing his PhD in Canada, give the sermon. His reflections on the "the greatest law" was transformational. It was a moment of experiencing the divine. That alone was enough to keep me coming back for more. Even if I don't like the context.

    p2p

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  18. @Anonymous @10:41 am

    Re: "Get it yourself." Thank you. Exactly.

    How awful that some men see women only in the Madonna/whore polemic. I'll let the experts here weigh in on this but it appears that Freud considered the complex a disorder that needed treatment.

    p2p

    PS ... and I enjoyed the translation poetry too. All up to many to you few too.

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  19. Thought I'd share this with you

    A poem by Fran Schultz

    A Luminous Cord

    There was a time in 2011
    And looking down from heaven
    An angel of the Lord
    Slipped down on a luminous cord
    Wielding a warriors sword

    There upon the ground the angel stood
    Beneath a tree of life's green leaves & wood
    Floating in the autumn air at will
    To catch a glimpse of the bird with the trill
    That never lied, cheated or knew to kill

    Then proceeded in a flight
    To a place led by a Holy might
    To the sacred books that should be read
    Then noticed that the words were changed instead
    The angel cried at this bad news & declared their works dead

    The angel then returned
    With its wings scorched & burned
    To the tree of life where the birds sing
    This time the birds did not sing
    The church bells did not chime or ring

    Looking for the luminous rope
    That drops from heaven in one's hope
    The angel stood with head up high
    Saw it raining angels from the sky
    To aide in truth and justice; remove the lie.

    (Submitted by Butterfly)

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  20. I'm not one to insist on tradition or the following of it, nor am I against change. And I don't generally even attend Mass anymore so I really don't have any money in the game so to speak. I might go back to attending Mass, or not. On this alone I offer [should that be 'sacrifice'?] my opinion.

    Of the new translations, the Pope says it will 'help Catholics pray better'. Wait, all I need to do is change my vocabulary and grammar? How utterly simplistic.

    And at this point, I quit listening to the Pope and the rest of the hierarchy on the topic. Because of all the problems in my life, and of all the obstacles to my spiritual growth, and in my efforts to develop my relationship with God, no mere change in language has ever been all that helpful. Ideas, and the challenging of those ideas can be helpful. But the words... Nope not buying it.

    Or does the Pope intend to say that it is God who has trouble with languages other than Latin? LOL
    Veronica

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