Above, the late Marie Czernin, of Austria, who passed away after a long battle with cancer on October 28, 2022, one year ago, at the age of 51. (link and link) Below, the Japanese violinist Tomoko Mayeda, who performed a concert in Marie's memory in Assisi, Italy, on October 29, two days ago. Paul Badura-Skoda [...]
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, 75, named in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, now called the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith -- a post which made him the chief doctrinal official of the Catholic Church. He was present at the Synod, and has just [...]
Bishop Domenico Sorrentino, 75, of Assisi, Italy. In sorrow over the tragic violence in the Holy Land, he, like Cardinal Pizzaballa of Jerusalem, has expressed a willingness to offer himself as a hostage in exchange for the freedom of the more than 200 Israelis taken hostage on October 7 by Hamas, if it would help [...]
Letter #148, 2023, Wednesday, October 25: Francis Here is the text of the address of Pope Francis to the Synod on Synodality this morning, October 25. I mentioned in my last letter that I would include this text in full, then included only a brief excerpt. So here, as a type of amendment to that [...]
At 5 p.m. this afternoon, Rome time, the Vatican Press Office released the text of the "Letter of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to the People of God." This is the first official document to be issued from this Synod on Synodality. Here below is the complete text of this [...]
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa | Vatican Media Letter #146, 2023, Wednesday, October 26: Patriarch Pizzaballa calls for Peace Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, issued yesterday a “Letter to the Entire Diocese” in which the cardinal, who shepherds not only Jerusalem but also neighboring Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus, appealed to his flock for [...]
Catholic Bishop Erik Varden, 49, of Trondheim, Norway. He has just published a brilliant, compelling book entitled Chastity: Reconciliation of the Senses (link). The theme of chastity is a central one in the history of the Christian, and human, search for blessedness and happiness, but this theme has been "canceled" in our "post-modern" culture, and, [...]
British Dominican theologian Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, 78. Fr. Radcliffe gave a very important talk (text below) yesterday morning (October 23) in Rome to the "Synod on Synodality." He said that a seed has been planted in these days, but that the seed must now grow for 11 months, until the synod meets again in October [...]
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 69, the Vatican Secretary of State. As such, Parolin heads up the Vatican's diplomacy and is currently working to keep open all contacts in the hope of a negotiated settlement for peace in the Holy Land. Parolin's efforts have drawn the attention of many Vatican watchers, and some — in particular J.D. [...]
St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), the little flower... The Pope -- who keeps the saint's autobiography by his bedside -- has just written a beautiful letter about her, perhaps the most poetic and beautiful thing he has ever written... “It is confidence and nothing but confidence that must lead us to Love.”—from the autobiography of [...]
