Two bombshells from Cardinal Levada
The July 17 issue of Catholic San Francisco, the Archdiocese of San Francisco's newspaper, reports (click on this post's title) on an interview with Cardinal William Levada, whom Pope Benedict XVI named head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The Cardinal has some interesting things to say, such as that the Congregation's recent document on the Church was aimed primarily at Catholics who misunderstand the nature of the Church.
The Cardinal also dropped a couple of bombshells.
The first was when he said the Pope's new directive on the Tridentine Mass "was not primarily aimed at the United States." How can he say that, when the directive itself says no such thing?
The Holy Father did not write, "Oh, by the way, the U.S. bishops get to ignore my commands. They do that anyway," did he?
You will see the second bombshell in this paragraph from the Catholic S.F. article:
"At the time of Vatican II, there was a temptation and a tendency to place Church practices and teachings in pre-conciliar and post-conciliar 'baskets,' he [Cardinal Levada] said. 'I know I did it. There was a kind of "throw this out, here's the new stuff". I think many of us regret that.' "
"I KNOW I DID IT."
"THROW THIS OUT, HERE'S THE NEW STUFF."
"THROW THIS OUT"!!!
At least he says, "I think many of us regret that." Forty years after the fact, though.
"THROW THIS OUT"! By throwing so much out, they also DROVE out tens of thousands of priests and sisters and millions of lay people. And it is still happening today.
Maybe Cardinal Levada is making amends with the new document on the Church.
We need lots of amends these days, and from many directions. Let them start by restoring the Tridentine Mass widely and accessibly.
The Cardinal has some interesting things to say, such as that the Congregation's recent document on the Church was aimed primarily at Catholics who misunderstand the nature of the Church.
The Cardinal also dropped a couple of bombshells.
The first was when he said the Pope's new directive on the Tridentine Mass "was not primarily aimed at the United States." How can he say that, when the directive itself says no such thing?
The Holy Father did not write, "Oh, by the way, the U.S. bishops get to ignore my commands. They do that anyway," did he?
You will see the second bombshell in this paragraph from the Catholic S.F. article:
"At the time of Vatican II, there was a temptation and a tendency to place Church practices and teachings in pre-conciliar and post-conciliar 'baskets,' he [Cardinal Levada] said. 'I know I did it. There was a kind of "throw this out, here's the new stuff". I think many of us regret that.' "
"I KNOW I DID IT."
"THROW THIS OUT, HERE'S THE NEW STUFF."
"THROW THIS OUT"!!!
At least he says, "I think many of us regret that." Forty years after the fact, though.
"THROW THIS OUT"! By throwing so much out, they also DROVE out tens of thousands of priests and sisters and millions of lay people. And it is still happening today.
Maybe Cardinal Levada is making amends with the new document on the Church.
We need lots of amends these days, and from many directions. Let them start by restoring the Tridentine Mass widely and accessibly.
posted by Quintero at 8:16 PM
9 Comments:
Quintero, since I can't find an e-mail for you I have to ask you this here.
Is the Cathedral of the angels in LA open 24/7 for the faithful to pray before the Blessed Sacrament?
Thanks.
Dear Tony,
Thank you for asking that holy question!
Their website is www.olacathedral.org
It says that during Daylight Savings they are open:
Mon-Fri 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sat 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sun 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Parking is a maximum of $15.00 per day.
I don't see anything on their website about Adoration.
Their phone # is (213)680-5200 and you can also contact them at:
info@olacathedral.org
Very few Catholic churches can be kept open 24/7 any more due to vandalism, theft, and other crimes, as well as due to spiraling insurance costs. For example, St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City has operating hours similar to those kept at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.
Dear Anonymous 12:19 a.m.,
You are right about many Catholic churches being unable to stay open. It is partly because there are so many criminals, drugheads, the insane and the anti-Catholic bigots around, and partly because the social covenant is gone that used to make churches off-limits and that even criminals obeyed.
I have often thought that lay Catholics should volunteer to guard their churches. That probably would create liability problems, but you would think that something could be worked out with insurers and local law enforcement.
Dear Anonymous 12:19 a.m.,
Another thought: In recent years and decades, by far the greatest damage to Catholic churches has come not from criminals, bigots and the insane but from liberal Catholic bishops who bulldoze, sell off or wreckovate them.
To quote Arte Johnson, "Verrrry interesting."
Didn't Cardinal Levada work for Cardinal Mahony a few years ago before heading the Church in San Francisco? As archbishop was he-- pardon the expression--liberal in permitting Indult Masses?
As for the celebrated or vilified paper from Cardinal Levada's office, I can't understand what the fuss is about. It is a restatement of the Church's teaching for only a couple of millenium.
The first was when he said the Pope's new directive on the Tridentine Mass "was not primarily aimed at the United States." How can he say that, when the directive itself says no such thing?
Since the document is universal, it is not "primarily" aimed at the U.S.
The situation in France between the bishops and the traditionalists is at least as bad as it is in the U.S.
I have no problem with this particular "bombshell" of His Eminence.
Dear Dino,
A web search on "William Levada" turns up many bio references, such as at Wikipedia.
Yes, Cardinal Levada served in the Archdiocese of L.A. for a long time. He was a parish priest in the 1960s and he taught at St. John's Seminary in the early 1970s.
About your last point -- yes, any restatement of Catholic teaching these days seems to draw fire.
Dear DCS,
You are right about the universal application, of course. That is not in dispute.
But from the context of Cardinal Levada's comments, I think he meant the document would not have much effect in the USA and was not meant to have much effect here.
Surely the Pope wants his directive to have as much effect in the USA as everywhere else.
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