Who encouraged St. Pope John XXIII to call Vatican II? (The answer may surprise!)

 Many of us are familiar with the story that ‘Good’ Pope John was sitting with one of his friends when all of the sudden the word “council” fluttered from his mouth.  From this, some say, proceeded with the inspiration of the Holy Ghost an intention to call the Second Vatican Council.  There is more to this enthusiastic story, but I think it more interesting to let you know about verified instances that played a more profound role in the decision to bring about the council.

So who was it exactly that encouraged St. John XXIII? 

Do the names Cardinal Ruffini and Ottaviani ring a bell?

St. Pope John XXIII and Cardinal Ottaviani in procession

Following the early pause of the First Vatican Council, there were many calls to bring the council to a close by finishing the deliberations that had begun prior to the Italian wars that left the Pontiffs prisoners of the Vatican.  Different Popes showed varying degrees of support to the idea of breathing new life in the First Vatican Council. Pius XI and Pius XII were not exceptions to this rule.  Pius XI had personally thought highly of restarting the council, but was persuaded by his closest advisers that it was not a good time to do so because of the modernist problem.  Pius XII was a little more skeptical about restarting First Vatican but he appointed secret commissions in the late 1940’s to study the possibility.  

During the conclave of 1958 there were many names being circulated including Ruffini, Ottaviani and a young Cardinal Siri of Genoa.  All three of these figures played a key role for the late pontiff and many expected that from this group would come forth the new Pope, which as a fact of history has proven very naïve.  The French delegation of cardinals were put under and exerted great pressure to keep the aforementioned names from ascending to Peter’s throne.  Charles De Gaulle, who was the French leader at the time still supported the Gallican ways of old, shunning montanism.  The French loved Cardinal Roncalli, however, because he had lived with them and they knew his tendencies and could thus manipulate him to an extent. 

In his book, The Second Vatican Council: The Untold Story, noted Catholic historian Roberto de Mattei relates the following information:

“The idea had come from  Ernesto Cardinal Ruffini, the archbishop of Palermo, in an earlier audience on February 24, 1948. “At the feet of Pius XII,” he recounted, eleven years after receiving the purple hat, “I, the last of the priests, dared to ask for an ecumenical council. It seemed to me that it was urgently required by the circumstances and that there would be as much material to deal with as the Council of Trent had. The venerable pontiff did not reject the proposal; he did not even take note of it, as he was accustomed to do in important matters… Faced with differing opinions, which foreshadowed a conflict, Pius XII preferred to set aside the project, not unlike what his predecessor Pius XI had done.
The same Cardinals Ottaviani and Ruffini, who had suggested the idea of a council to Pius XII in 1948, stated that in his cell at the conclave, they were the first to suggest to the newly-elevted John XXIII that he convene the twenty-first universal council of the Church.

In an interview published by the weekly Epoca, Cardinal Ottaviani was asked, among other things: “When John XXIII announced the council what was your reaction?” Ottaviani replied: ‘He had spoken about it to me from the moment of his election. Or rather, to be more precise, it was I who visited him in his little room at the conclave on the eve of the election. Among other things I told him “Your Eminence, it is necessary to think about a council.” Cardinal Ruffini, who was present at the conversation, was of the same mind. Cardinal Roncalli adopted this idea and later had this to say: “I have thought of a council from the moment I became Pope.” It’s true, he welcomed our suggestion.”

Alice Von Hildebrand: Man and Woman: A Divine Invention

Once again I must, MUST recommend this talk!  Fast forward to the 12 min mark to get to the interview.

Also at the 40 minute mark she relates how the process of conception speaks to the holiness of the women and how the women is veiled because God specifically touches their womb to create life.  And that which is sacred (that which has been transformed directly by God) is to be veiled for it is Holy unto God.

I have heard she is pretty frail right now so a prayer her way would be appreciated!

+JMJ+

Exorcisms, Confession, the Eucharist - Fr. John Hollowell

Father Hollowell does a fantastic in this sermon!

+Praised be Jesus Christ!+

+ Pray for the Persecuted!

Don't Shot the Messenger

Rorate Caeli

Here is the joke:

When people, be they clerics or laymen, do things that are reprehensible society will take sides most prudent to their own sensibilities. (Be they good or bad)

Case in point:

Rorate Caeli is constantly blamed for posting things of a controversial nature.  Many claim that such posts are only divisive, leading to scandal and disregarding the virtue of prudence in their publishing efforts.  Now, to be sure, Rorate has been guilty of posting things that might have been done imprudently, but if we are being honest they have been dead on time and time again with their posts, even the ones that are controversial in nature (consider the "mean spirited" "The Horror" post after Francis P.P. was elevated, was it really that off?)

In relation to the above photo, I have seen commentary elsewhere that rather than calling for charitable correction and prayers for these poor folks and this priest, instead blame Rorate Caeli for making this disaster know.  The excuses for it are mind boggling. Some say that Rorate Caeli only wants to cause trouble and that at least these kids are at mass, so a positive exists.

It is this minimalist attitude, this modern mentality that people need to be handled with kids gloves throughout their life that permeates everything!  Everyone demands mercy, they are glad to see Easter Sunday make its way around, but if Good Friday is mentioned those with the most to lose appeal to petty notions to excuse the inexcusable.  What does this say to the men in this photo?  Sure they may be present and graces might be had, but are they disposed to recieve them?  Im not judging but seriously?

We all want to yell and scream at everyone else and demand they change their ways.  Is it more prudent to keep such things under wrap, or to expose them?  This is a gray area.  We can agree that the sex abuse coverage has been overblown, but frankly we can be grateful that the media made it known.

If you have a disagreement with someone then take Matthew 15: 18 into account and directly address the "offender". But be willing to hear them out...

The Liturgy Grips My Entire Being

Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard

"The liturgy grips my entire being. The whole complex of ceremonies, genuflections, bows, symbols, chants, texts, intellect, and the heart – by means of all these, the Church reminds me that everything that is in me: os, lingua, mens, sensus, vigor, all must be directed to God. 

All the means used by the Church to show me what are God’s rights and His claims to the worship of my filial homage and to the total ownership of my being develop in me the virtue of religion, and, by that very fact, the supernatural spirit. 

Everything in the Liturgy speaks to me of God, of His perfections, His mercies. Everything takes me back to God. Everything tells me how His providence is ever holding out to my soul means of sanctification in every trial, every assistance from on high, every warning, encouragement, promise, light, yes, even in His threats.
Also, the Liturgy keeps me ceaselessly talking to God and expressing my religion under the most varied forms. 

If, with an earnest desire to profit by it, I submit to this liturgical formation, how is it possible that the virtue of religion should not strike deeper and deeper roots into my being, after all the manifold exercises that follow, each day, from my functions as a minister of the Church? I am bound to form a habit, a mental state, and that means a genuine inner life."

+++

 Taken from: The Soul of the Apostolate

Whether one attends the New Rite or the Ancient Rites, the liturgy must speak primarily to God.  Even the lectionary is not meant for our own ends, but they are redirected to God to remind him of all He has done and will do for His Church.

An interesting article on the lectionary (old v. new) was given by Taylor Marshall HERE

+JMJ+

Three relatives of Pope Francis killed in accident in Argentina

A sad situation. HERE


The Holy Father needs our prayers now!

This was too funny to not share

You can find the story HERE

Are Integralism and Modernism just two sides of the same coin?

+Monsignor Joseph Clifford Fenton+

"An incautious reader of Cardinal Suhard’s pastoral [letter] might possibly come to the dangerously false conclusion that modernism and integralism, as we know them, are two contrary false doctrines, that one, as it were, to the left, and the other to the right, of genuine Catholic teaching. Nothing, of course, could be farther from the truth. Modernism, on the technical language of Catholic doctrine, is the name applied to the definite series of errors condemned in the decree Lamentabili Sne exitu, in the encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis, and in the motu proprio Sacrorum antistitum. Pope pius X spoke of modernism as “a conglomeration of the heresies”

Integralism, on the other hand, is essentially the teaching or the attitude of those who worked for the presentation of an integral Catholicism, of Catholic dogma set forth accurately and in its entirety. Most frequently the name of integralism was applied to the doctrine and the viewpoint of those Catholic writers who entered into controversy against the modernists during the first decade of the present century. Understood in this fashion, integralism was nothing else than the contradiction of heretical modernism, It was thus basically only the exposition of  Catholic truth.

We must not forget that fact that modernism, as such, is a definite heresy or collection of heretical teachings, while integralism, as such is nothing of the sort. The true Catholic teaching is not to be found at any half-way point between the teachings of such as Tyrrell and Loisy and the doctrines of the Catholic authors who opposed them. In opposing the dicta condemned in Lamentabili, the Pascendi, and the Sacrorum antistitum, the great Catholic authors of a generation ago were perfectly justified. If, as is usual in our own country, the name of integralism is applied to this specifically anti-modernistic teaching then integralism is nothing more than a statement of Catholic truth, implied in a denial of errors which are incompatible with the divine message of the Catholic Church.”

- Monsignor Joseph Clifford Fenton, “Two currents in Contemporary Catholic Thought” (1948)

Candlelight Procession for the Feast of the Assumption: St. Stanislaus (8/15)

This is another reminder that St. Stanislaus has a procession that will follow the 7pm high Mass.

Following the procession Sursum Corda young adults group (18 - 40 years old) will be either hosting a social event with good food and drinks around the Milwaukee area or headed down to Irish Fest for the night.

Please plan on attending this exceptional devotion and share with as many people as possible.

+JMJ+

A couple interesting videos

I thought the first video was funny.  A light moment in the middle of serious discussion. The second video shows Cardinal Burke and other clerics processing into St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis for this years ICKSP ordinations:

Post by Salus Correia.

Post by Jorge Maciel.

UPCOMING: Marian Procession at St. Stanislaus for the Assumption (8/15)

Please Share! And even if you dont ususaly come to St. Stan's come for the procession!

Also after Holy Mass, the procession and Benediction, Sursum Corda young adults group is planning a social gathering with good drinks and food for those able to come!  You are welcome to come!

Against Pentacostals and Charismatics, but for The True Pentecost

Granted that title was provocative, but...

+JMJ+

He's all things to all men....

Because in the twitter age perception is reality:

Boston (CNN) -- In some ways, the "Pope Francis effect" doesn't seem very effective at all.
Despite the immense popularity the aged Argentine has won since his election last year, not a jot of doctrine has changed, nor has the Catholic Church swelled with American converts.
But there's more than one way to measure a pontiff's influence on his far-flung flock.
Start asking around -- here in Boston and beyond, Catholics and atheists alike -- and it's easy to find people eager to share how one man, in just one year, has changed their lives.
There's the gay man who finally feels welcome in his church.
The woman who weeps when headlines deliver good news at last.
The former priest who no longer clenches his fist during Mass.
The Latinos who waited forever for a Pope who speaks their language.
"I'm telling you, brother, if you focus on the numbers, you're missing the story," says the Rev. John Unni, a Boston pastor with an accent as thick as clam chowda.
"There's an energy, a feeling, a spirit here. It's like a healing balm."

Read the rest HERE

So in otherwords (even if not intended) hes all things to all men in a very superficial sense.

I try not to talk about the daily happenings of the Holy Father because who knows what is authentic or not.  All I will say is that no one is calling for people to burn material heretics on the street, but for crying out loud what does it profit these poor souls to become complacent and have their sentiments joyfully fullfilled if they lose their soul?  Bad teaching still leads souls to perdition, and ambiguosity confuses poor souls causing dispair... a by product of scandal (again whether intended or not.

Love the Holy Father, Pray for Him but I for one will continue to not work against him but wont play the worldly game of pandering

+JMJ+

An awesome article on GK Chesterton by Fr. Leonard. Feeney (yes that one, but it is great!)

GKC

In person Chesterton was a large man who was something of a strain on his clothes. Tidiness he persistently ignored in favor of comfort. Everyone who got near him was tempted to rearrange him, or at least to giving thought as to how it could be done. Eventually Chesterton gave up the idea of expecting to be held together in ordinary attire by ordinary threads and buttons, and went around wearing a cloak. The simplicity with which one could secure a sort of stylish seclusion by the tying of a single knot or the fastening of a single hook appealed to Chesterton. A cloak was a garment calculated to reveal not how he was fashioned, but where he was to be found.

In point of kindliness, Chesterton had one of the biggest hearts that has ever lived. And yet I am told the doctors found it undersized physically when they examined him in one of his illnesses. Nothing daunted, he went right on using what share of heart he had to love the world largely and lavishly until the hour of his death. This is what is known as a paradox. 

When Chesterton stood up he was impressive. But it was even more marvelous to watch him sit down. He sat down with an air of supreme humility, as if totally collapsing in the arms of God. In the difficult assignment of being both huge and human he needed lots of support. Once seated, he would doze and dream a great deal, and seemed constantly distracted by the incessant rush of his own thoughts.

As humility was Chesterton’s outstanding moral virtue, so what he chose to call “sanity” was what he wanted most for the mind. He was far too humble to suppose that one could appropriate sanity as an assured possession without offering plenty of credentials. And so he undertook to outline what he meant by sanity perhaps more carefully than any man of his generation. One of his contemporaries, George Bernard Shaw, said sanity was the specialty of the superman. This pseudo-preternaturalism annoyed Chesterton, and his reply was devastating. “Shaw criticizes human nature,” he said, “as though he himself did not possess it.” Another contemporary, H. G. Wells, offered hope that sanity might blossom in some brain of the future. Chesterton was quick to analyze this mixture of biology and guesswork masquerading as prophecy, and he exposed it to relentless ridicule. In the end he made more of a monkey out of Wells than Evolution ever had.

The rest of the chapter is fantastic!  I know many people will scouff because its by Father Feeney, but Father was a great literary man in his day.  The comparison is often made to that of the Belloc of America.  

Read the rest HERE