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Catholic World News News Feature

Vacation Reading: top CWN stories from the past month July 26, 2007

With the CWN editorial staff is on vacation, some readers might want to take the time to review some of the most popular CWN headline stories from the past month.

It was just about a month ago, on June 29, that editor Phil Lawler wrote about the frustration of “Waiting-- and waiting-- for news from Rome.” At the time it seemed that the “big” stories would never break. Then the dam burst.

The first major development from Rome was the Pope’s message to the Church in China-- released on the day after the Phil’s Forum piece mentioned above. At first it seems curious that such an important document, so long awaited and so laden with political significance, was released on a Saturday. Ordinarily a major Vatican statement is introduced at a news conference, with leading prelates explaining its significance. Not so in this case; the Pope’s message to China was simply released in its entirety-- although the Vatican did simultaneously put out an “explanatory note” that was unsigned, unattributed, and (in light of the Pope’s clear prose style) probably quite unnecessary.

A bit of reflection on the Pope’s message to China yields one possible explanation for the absence of an introductory news conference. This was a carefully crafted statement, balanced to allow for diplomatic follow-up in the continuing quest of the Holy See to expand religious freedom in China. At a news conference, pressed for an immediate answer to a delicate question, a Vatican spokesman might make a misstep and undo that crucial balance. Or even if the Vatican official gave a note-perfect answer to every question, a tendentious translation could convey the wrong impression to China. It was better, the Pope evidently concluded, to let the text speak for itself.

From CWN’s perspective, the Pope’s message made a powerful case, and we issued “The Pope’s challenge to China’s Patriotic Association.”

While the impact of that message to China was still reverberating, another major story was already emerging. The Vatican revealed that a handful of important prelates had been briefed on the long-awaited motu proprio liberalizing access to the old Mass, and confirmed that the document’s appearance was imminent. Soon a date for that appearance was announced: once again a Saturday release, without an accompanying press conference. (Was the issue once again judged too delicate to allow for discussion? Or had the Pope simply decided once again that his words could speak for themselves?)

As expected, Pope Benedict did encourage wider use of the 1962 Missal, stressing that the old form of the Roman rite had never been abolished and should be recognized as an important element of the constant Catholic liturgical tradition. After an early piece analyzing the document, CWN followed up with an explanation of “Why the moto proprio is so important.”

For many CWN readers, another important aspect of the story was the reaction from the Society of St. Pius X, and our story on that topic has prompted a very lively Sound Off debate. Then CWN provoked still further excitement with an exclusive story, revealing that Pope Benedict uses older ritual for his private Mass. (It’s only fair to note that the Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, denied that report-- and that in spite of that denial, on the basis of our trusted sources, CWN stands by the accuracy of our story.)

The Pope’s motu proprio had been anticipated for over a year. But another Vatican document, issued just a few days after the motu proprio, caught most readers by surprise. In that document, from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Holy See reaffirmed the central role of the Catholic Church in God’s plan for salvation. The statement drew some complaints from Protestant leaders, but more generally favorable reactions from the Orthodox churches.

One story that simply won’t go away is the sex-abuse scandal in the United States. Early in July, after another outcropping of bad news in Chicago, Phil Lawler wrote a “Forum” piece arguing that the policies crafted by the US bishops at their Dallas meeting 5 years ago have failed to address the central cause of the scandal. And later in the month, responding to the $660 million settlement reached by the Los Angeles archdiocese with sex-abuse victims, Phil argued that Cardinal Mahony should resign to restore credibility in Church leadership.

What’s next? CWN is banking on a few quiet weeks in the late summer, but the news will begin to flow before the weather cools. There is, for instance, widespread speculation about a consistory in November, at which Pope Benedict will elevate new members to the College of Cardinals. Is that speculation on target? It seems likely. In any event you’ll learn the details on CWN.