VATICAN CITY, (ZENIT.org) 25-Sep-2000.- On a day marking two Marian events, John Paul said, "The Jubilee of the Son is also the Jubilee of the Mother."
The events were the end of an international congress dedicated to Mary, and the Jubilee of Marian Shrines around the world.
During a Mass in St. Peter's Square, attended by 50,000 faithful, the Holy Father spoke about the love that Christ's followers, and not just Catholics, should have for Mary.
John Paul II cited a passage from St. Mark's Gospel in which Christ embraces a child and gives him as an example to his disciples. The Holy Father said it is a lesson given by the one who, although above all, did not hesitate to become "the least of all."
In this way, the Pope explained, one can understand better Mary's greatness, whose primacy is "rooted in humility," and whose privileged relation with the Holy Spirit "did not free her from the hardships of the human condition during her earthly life."
"Mary totally lived the daily reality of so many families of her time," he said. "She experienced poverty, pain, exile, misunderstanding. Her spiritual greatness does not 'distance' her from us: She traveled our road and has been in solidarity with us in the 'pilgrimage of faith.'"
The celebration of 2000 years of Christianity, therefore, is also dedicated to the Virgin, the Holy Father said. Hence, he added, the Jubilee is not just an opportunity to live with a stronger love for Christ, but also to experience "renewed Marian devotion."
The Bishop of Rome specified the fundamental principles that must guide this devotion for the Virgin that, at times, has been tainted by superstitions. Above all, he said, true devotion "must be well founded on Scripture and Tradition," and that the believer must find in the liturgy "a sure orientation for the most spontaneous manifestations of popular religiosity."
The Pope also said that devotion must not be based on words but "must be expressed by an effort to imitate Holy Mary on the road of personal improvement."
In order to overcome "every form of superstition and vain credulity," the Pope advised the faithful to accept "in the right way, in harmony with ecclesial discernment, the extraordinary manifestations that the > Blessed Virgin often grants for the good of the people of God."
The Holy Father called for healthy prudence given the numerous Marian apparitions that are claimed today around the world. Yet, he added, Mary continues to communicate her message of love to people, at times in a surprising manner.
Finally, if love for the Virgin is real, "it must always be able to rise to the source of the greatness of Mary, in an incessant 'Magnificat' of praise to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."
At the end of the Mass, before reciting the Angelus with the pilgrims, the Pope mentioned the places of Marian devotion that celebrated their Jubilee Sunday.
Along with Lourdes (France), Fatima (Portugal), Guadalupe (Mexico), Lujan (Argentina), Jasna Gora (Poland), he mentioned the lesser-known shrines, such as Lavang (Vietnam), Walsingham (England), Knock (Ireland), the Immaculate Conception (Washington, D.C.), Our Lady of the Good Voyage (Philippines), Velankanni (India), Ostra Brama (Lithuania), Merced (Ecuador), Montserrat (Puerto Rico) and Our Lady of the Angels (Costa Rica).
John Paul II also announced that the Diocese of Le Puy-en-Velay in France will host the next international congress dedicated to the Mother of Christ. [Source: http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?numberr78 ]
POPE TO CONSECRATE NEW MILLENNIUM TO MARY & THE ORIGINAL FATIMA PROPHECY
Pope John Paul II will conduct an act of dedicating the new millennium to Mary, the Vatican has announced. According to The Immaculate Heart Messenger, a major Catholic magazine, the consecration will take place on October 7th, 2000, on the occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
The Pontiff has ordered that the "miraculous statue" of Mary which rests on the spot of the apparitions of Mary at Fatima, Portugal, be transported to Rome to be set up inside St. Peter's Basilica. There the Pope will lead a night-time torchlight procession, then kneel and pray before the statue of Mary.
A number of Catholic officials are convinced that the Pope will also use the occasion to formally declare as dogma the widely held Catholic belief that Mary is Co-redeemer of Mankind. They note that when Pope John Paul II first took office, he pledged, "Totus Tuus Maria" ("I am totally yours, Mary.")
[SOURCE: http://www.texemarrs.com/ponemil.htm - Link via: http://www.newsviewtoday.com ]
THE MOTHER OF THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT!
CONTROVERSY FLARES OVER PROPOSED MARIAN DOCTRINE
On June 4, 1997, L'Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican newspaper, published a brief statement from a theological commission which had studied proposals to define the dogma of the Virgin Mary as Mediatrix, Coredemptrix, and Advocate. The commission, which included both Catholic and non-Catholic theologians, recommended against a papal or magisterial definition of the dogmas at this time.
Following the publication of that opinion, newspapers around the world, including many diocesan newspapers, published articles on the story under headlines that proclaimed, "Vatican Against Marian Definitions." But Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici, an international movement promoting the definitions, countered that the statements are "neither authoritative nor an official condemnation." The group also disputed some of the commission's conclusions.
The first steps in the controversy began with the call for a theological commission to discuss the proposals during the 12th International Mariological Congress, held in Czestochowa, Poland in August 1996. The panel of 15 theologians, including an Anglican, a Lutheran, and three Orthodox, was led by the president and the secretary of the Pontifical International Marian Academy, as well as the well-known Mariologist, Father Rene Laurentin of France.
The commission's conclusions were summed up in two paragraphs. They objected to the movement because the "titles, as proposed, are ambiguous," Vatican II did not seem to encourage such a definition, not enough theological work had been done in this area, and finally, it would present "ecumenical difficulties."
Dr. Mark Miravalle, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and the president of Vox Populi, while thanking the commission for their contribution to the discussion, vigorously defended the proposals. Answering the objection that the titles are ambiguous and lacking in theological clarity, Miravalle observed that Pope John Paul II, himself, has used the title "Coredemptrix" repeatedly during his pontificate, and the Second Vatican Council used the titles and roles of "Mediatrix" and "Advocate" in referring to the Blessed Mother. He added that the council fathers, who were careful to state that Vatican II was not a "dogmatic council," did not anywhere prohibit further Marian definitions, and in fact, encouraged further development in the area in the document Lumen Gentium, article 54.
In refuting the claim that further Marian doctrines could in some way be an obstacle for ecumenical activity, Miravalle cited the Holy Father's encyclical Ut Unum Sint as saying that, in ecumenism, "the whole body of doctrine as taught by the Church must be presented."
"The Blessed Virgin Mary must be seen not as the obstacle, but as the instrument and Mother of the ecumenical movement, remembering that no one unites the children of a family more than the mother of the family," Miravalle said in a statement issued on June 13. "Let us leave such decisions [of the appropriate timing of a definition] to the present Vicar of Christ, Pope John Paul II."
Miravalle also pointed out that Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici (Voice of the People for Mary Mediatrix) has been endorsed by over 500 bishops, including 42 cardinals, and is supported by 4.5 million Catholics from over 155 countries. He carefully added that the intent is not a petition for change of some doctrine, but a prayerful request of the Holy Father to make explicit what has been implicit in Church teaching throughout her history, setting it apart from some petition movements agitating for change in Church doctrines and disciplines.
Appealing to Canon 212, Vox Populi recalled its roots in the Marian movements that petitioned Pope Pius XII, during the 1950s, to dogmatically define the Virgin Mary's bodily assumption in heaven at the end of her earthly life.
For Catholics who are interested in finding out more about these proposed definitions, Vox Populi recommended they contact Queenship Publishing Company, PO Box 42028, Santa Barbara, California 93140-2028 for copies of the booklet, "Mary: Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate." [ http://www.cwnews.com - Document Number: 5296 ] [ED Note: bold lettering was added by editor]
THE NEXT POPE COULD BE THE NEXT ISSUE
WILL THE POPE RETIRE?
VATICAN CITY (AP) October 20, 2000-- An influential European cardinal has added his voice to speculation swirling for months -- that Pope John Paul II, burdened by age and illness, may resign.
Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Belgium suggested John Paul might step aside next year, now that he has achieved his dream of leading the church into the new millennium.
Mere mention of the issue has angered the Vatican, which sees such talk as seeking to weaken the papacy. Reaction to Danneels' suggestion was swift.
"This is the personal opinion of Cardinal Danneels, which we do not confirm," said a one-line statement issued yesterday by the pope's spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls.
Danneels, who has been mentioned as a possible successor to John Paul, is the highest-ranking churchman to go public with the thought, which has been on the minds of many given the pope's frail condition.
A top German bishop, Karl Lehmann, broke the ice in February when he said he thought the pope would step down if he thought he could no longer lead the church.
John Paul will be 81 in May. His speech is slurred and his hands tremble. Since hip surgery following a fall in his bathroom in 1994, he has had difficulty walking and climbing stairs.
He looked weak when he received Queen Elizabeth II at the Vatican on Tuesday, needing a cane for support.
Danneels' comments were reported by Belgian and Italian media from advance excerpts from a book "Frankly Speaking. Six Conversations with the Cardinal," to be released Monday.
Speaking about the retirement age for bishops of 75, the cardinal said, "I wouldn't be surprised if the pope also retired after 2000. He absolutely wanted to reach the Jubilee year, but I believe he would retire afterward," according to published reports. [Source: http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/national/pope201.shtml ]
PAPAL TRIP TO SYRIA BEING PLANNED
Catholic World News - 2 Oct 2000 - Plans for a papal trip to Syria remain incomplete, according to spokesmen for the Holy See, despite published reports that dates have been fixed in February 2001. Responding to reports in the Syrian media, the papal nunciature in Damascus has issued a statement confirming that plans are being made, but insisting that no precise arrangements have been finalized. And Syria's ambassador to the Holy See has confirmed that the news reports "are no more than rumors."
Pope John Paul II has indicated that he wants to visit Syria, as part of his Jubilee pilgrimage to the sites connected with the history of salvation. He has mentioned the importance of Damascus, insofar as St. Paul was converted on the road to that ancient city. There has also been speculation that on a trip to Syria, the Pope would stop in Turkey to visit Ephesus, in the footsteps of St. John. The government of Turkey recently helped to pave the way for such a visit by issuing a formal invitation to the Pope. Vatican representatives are expected to visit Syria during the next few weeks, to make preparations for a papal pilgrimage. (Catholic World News)
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