VATICAN CITY — After a 15-year process, the Holy See on Friday (Jan. 20) gave its final approval to the Neocatechumenal Way, a lay movement that has been criticized for its unorthodox liturgical practices but that has been successful in attracting followers.

The movement relies on tightly knit small groups, modeled on early Christian communities, that share a decade-long spiritual growth path under the guidance of a priest.

Pope Benedict XVI told around 7,000 members of the movement that Neocatechumenal communities could continue in their tradition of celebrating a special Saturday evening Mass, as long as the local bishop approved and the celebrations remained open to the public.

Nevertheless, he encouraged the movement’s members not to remain “separate” from their parish community.

The pope praised the Neocatechumenal Way as a “special gift” of the Holy Spirit for modern times, especially as secularism “has eclipsed the sense of God and obscured Christian values.” The movement, he said, can help Christians rediscover the “beauty” of their faith.

The Way’s founder, Kiko Arguello, said Friday’s approval was a “historic moment” after the “many troubles” the movement had faced in the process of receiving the Vatican’s approval.

The movement’s focus on preaching in secular contexts resonates with Benedict’s recent focus on “re-evangelizing” Western countries where the faith has grown weak.

At the end of the audience, Benedict sent out 17 new teams of Neocatechumenal missionaries, who will work mostly in Europe and in the U.S. Each team is made up of three or four families accompanied by a priest.

Europe’s economic and financial crisis is the consequence of an “ethical crisis” and a “crisis of faith,” Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday (Dec. 22), resulting in the triumph of selfishness over social responsibility.

Benedict made his remarks in his annual Christmas speech to the Roman Curia, the Catholic Church’s central administration at the Vatican.

The pope acknowledged that “such values as solidarity, commitment to one’s neighbor and responsibility toward the poor and suffering are largely uncontroversial,” but said the “motivation is often lacking … to make sacrifices.”

While the remedy for selfishness lies in “proclamation of the gospel,” the pope said Europe is now undergoing a crisis of faith evident in the troubles of the Roman Catholic Church.

“Regular churchgoers are growing older all the time and … their number is constantly diminishing,” and “recruitment of priests is stagnating” while “skepticism and unbelief are growing.”

Benedict drew a contrast between Europe’s anemic religious life and Africa’s “joyful passion for faith,” which he experienced last month during a three-day visit to the West African country of Benin.

“None of the faith fatigue that is so prevalent (in Europe), none of the oft-encountered sense of having had enough of Christianity, was detectable there,” the pope said.

Benedict noted the benefits of religious faith to African society, which he said provides the “strength to serve Christ in hard-pressed situations of human suffering, the strength to put oneself at his disposal, without looking round for one’s own advantage.”

Pope Benedict XVI expressed regrets last Friday, during a visit to a Spanish monastery, over the “amnesia” that prevails about God, on the second day of his visit to the country.

The pope, who will be in Spain until Sunday for the Roman Catholic Church’s World Youth Day, was greeted by hundreds of nuns who waved flags and cheered as he spoke at the 16^th-century El Escorial monastery.

At the UNESCO world heritage site Benedict said, “This is all the more important today when we see a certain eclipse of God taking place, a kind of amnesia which albeit not an outright rejection of Christianity is nonetheless a denial of the treasure of our faith, a denial that could lead to the loss of our deepest identity,” the AP reported.

As pope, it has been a priority for Benedict to seek to revive Christianity, particularly in previously, staunchly Catholic Spain, where he has already made three papal visits.

The pope’s speech was also significant because El Escorial was the seat of power of King Philip II in 1559 when Spain was an international force bent on defending Catholicism from the Reformation and Protestantism.

Benedict also met withSpain’s royal family earlier in the morning. He is scheduled to have lunch with youth volunteers, talk to university educators, meet the prime minister and head the Way of the Cross, which re-enacts the crucifixion and death of Jesus.

Economic recession

The day before, upon the pope’s arrival, Benedict encouraged the youth to stay faithful amid Spain’s economic recession. He also said the government must consider the common good and protect the least fortunate when forming economic policy.

Benedict slammed economic structures that prioritize profits over people saying, “The economy cannot be measured by the maximum profit but by the common good. The economy cannot function only with mercantile self-regulation but needs an ethical reason in order to work for man,” Reuters reported.

Protests

The pope said this even as elements have protested the pontiff’s visit. On Wednesday night, prior to the arrival of the pope, 5,000 rallied in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol Plaza. Eleven people were injured and eight were arrested in clashes with pilgrims and the police.

On Thursday, only 200 congregated at the Plaza. Four demonstrators experienced light injuries in a skirmish with police. No arrests were made. Meanwhile, thousands of pilgrims were at Plaza Cibeles, waving flags and cheering as the pontiff arrived.

The pilgrims came from 190 participating countries. Just before Benedict arrived, he met with Madrid’s mayor, who gave him the keys to the city.

There was a much smaller crowd of demonstrators on Friday, but the gathering also ended in a clash with police with more injured and some detentions.

Economic recession

Spain has an unemployment rate of some 21 percent, or one out of five unemployed, and its economy is in recession. People are upset about the anti-austerity measures of the government, and angry at the $72 million cost for World Youth Day.

A young protest movement, Los Indignados, was joined in by lesbian and gay organizations, secularists and even Catholic priests to protest the cost of the pontiff’s visit.

The church says it is shouldering part of the cost, with the remainder coming from participants and donors.

In his speech, Benedict expressed support for the youth and sympathized with their unpredictable future in terms of employment. At the same time, he spoke out against consumerism, hedonism and those who “create their own gods, believe they need no roots or foundations … letting themselves be led by the whim of each moment,” Reuters reported.

Coptic Christians in Egypt may face a split within its ranks as thousands threaten to leave the church unless the laws of divorce are changed.

Christian activists in the Coptic Church, among the oldest Christian churches in Egypt, are demanding that churchgoers be allowed to divorce. Dozens of Christians took to the streets in front of St. Mark’s Church, Cairo, asking the church to give them permits for divorce and second marriages.

The protestors clashed with police. Last Saturday the Coptic Right of Life Movement said that a huge number of them might leave the church unless they were allowed to divorce.

It is estimated that up to 150,000 Copts may potentially leave the church and join a protestant or evangelical church denomination, both of which comprise up to 5 percent of the Christian population in Egypt, unless the issue is resolved.

One of the protesters, Rafik Farouk, told The Media Line, “It is my civil right to get a divorce. How dare they prevent that from me? The church and the court make it almost impossible to prove adultery. They leave us hanging.”

Under present rules, Pope Shenouda III, head of the Coptic Church, only permits divorce if one of the two spouses changes religion, or in the case of adultery.

However, the Coptic Church is perceived by some as merely trying to hang onto its power, granted by the state, to be the sole arbiter in matters of divorce and marriage among its believers.

Under Egyptian law, matters of marriage and family are the exclusive domain of religious denominations. Some Copts are seeking legal marriages and legal divorces by government law as an alternative to this.

Facebook page

Recently a Facebook page was launched by the Right to Live Movement announcing that a peaceful vigil is being slated for Sept. 15, to be held at the Ministry of Justice, to demand for divorce and remarriage rights under the Coptic Church of Egypt.

This will be the second vigil that was organized by the group. The first one took place last July 7 in the same place. They seek the right to remarry legally without having to meet the requirement of presenting a Church permit.

They are also seeking the right to divorce through the services of a notary, provided that both parties agree. Finally, they would like the 1938 regulations of the courts to be applied without the need to present any church certification.

A statement on the Facebook page says, “The movement would like to bring to attention the fact that these demands do not by any means cause pressure against the Church or Christian dogma. These demands are simply a legal way out for those whose lives experience irreconcilable differences,” Ahram Online reported.

The statement said, according to Ahram Online, “Pope Shenouda had repeatedly said in his sermons that whoever wanted to divorce and remarry outside the Church was free to do so. Accordingly, we refuse to burden the Church with our demands. But, so far, the state hasn’t provided a civil, legal way out for those who want to divorce and remarry.”

Presently, in the absence of a legal alternative to divorce and marriage, Christians are permitted to leave their denomination and seek a divorce under Islamic law. Some Coptic Christians have considered converting to Islam to seek a divorce, then returned to the Coptic Church to remarry.

Farouk, however, is not satisfied with this. He told The Media Line, “We are portrayed as fornicators who only follow our lust. Pope Shenouda keeps saying that we are acting against the New Testament.”

Divorce and remarriage rules in the Coptic Church in Egypt only became stricter after 2008. Previous to that, the 1938 bylaw was applied, where nine conditions were specified for seeking divorce, among them abandonment, mental disability, abuse and impotence.

Under Shenouda the permissible circumstances for divorce and remarriage were limited only to conversion and infidelity. Farouk told The Media Line, “We could have left the church and accepted Islam, but we want to remain in the church. We will continue to engage the Church until the last moment.”

It is estimated that there may be thousands of cases of Copts who would like to have a divorce but are not allowed to.

A custom-built stretch limousine that was made for Pope Paul VI by Ford Motor Company will be up for auction in California on Aug. 19.

The 1964 Lincoln Continental Parade Limousine will be auctioned at ‘Exceptional Motorcars and Motorcycles’ at Quail Lodge, Carmel, California. It was built upon the special request of the Vatican.

The Lincoln was used by the pope to participate in the United Nations on World Peace, where he delivered a special address. It is much more elegant than the current pope mobiles which have been used by popes of late.

The 1964 Lincoln, which was hurriedly built in less than two weeks after the Vatican’s request was made, has also been used to ferry US astronauts through the streets after a successful voyage through space.

The vehicle, which some speculate may sell for up to $350,000, has an overall length of some 21 ft. It includes exterior handrails and step plates. There is additional seating plus a raised seat which was used by the pope.

Included, too, is a public address system, added interior lighting, backup power from seven batteries, a removable roof, a transparent laudalet roof at the rear, and a roof-mounted backup windshield that protected the pope as the car paraded down the streets.

The Lincoln was later loaned to Chicago city, where it was sometimes used as a parade car and to transport visiting dignitaries. In 1968 the Vatican borrowed the vehicle for the 39^th Eucharistic Congress in Bogota, Columbia.

The car had to be up-cycled to accommodate Bogota’s high altitude (8,600 ft. above sea level). Changes included engine modifications, climate control systems, the provision of aviation gasoline by the Colombian Air force, additional rear-facing backup seats and a complete set of spare parts and tools.

On December 27 of that same year Apollo 8, the first manned space flight to travel around the moon, touched down. Commander Frank Borman, Lunar Module Pilot William Anders and Command Module Pilot James Lovell were paraded through Chicago’s streets in the Lincoln.

The Lincoln Continental also transported the astronauts of Apollo 15 (Worden, Scott and Irwin), Apollo 13 (Lovell, Haise, Mattingly), and Apollo 11 (Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins).

The Lincoln was no longer used after the early 1970s. For its historical value as well as its stature as a luxury vehicle for special use, the Lincoln is expected to be sold for up to $350,000.

It is being auctioned by Bonhams, a market leader among auctioneers of antiques and fine art relics, with offices and regional representatives operating in some 25 nations.

Pope Benedict XVI expressed concern recently over Europe’s growing “hostility and prejudice” towards Christianity, and said religious fundamentalism and secularism are alike in that they both inhibit religious freedom.

In his message slated for Jan. 1, which the Roman Catholic Church has declared World Day of Peace, Benedict said that religious fundamentalism and secularism are two extremes which obstruct genuine plurality, The New York Times said.

According to The New York Times Benedict said in his message, “It should be clear that religious fundamentalism and secularism are alike in that both represent extreme forms of a rejection of legitimate pluralism and the principle of secularity.”

Benedict’s message, entitled Religious Freedom, the Path to Peace, also condemned religious persecution in Middle Eastern countries where Christianity is a minority faith, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, Reuters reported.

The message, which was presented in a news conference by Vatican officials, stated that Christians remain the most persecuted faith group in the world, according to Reuters.

A Vatican official said up to 300 million Christians “face daily threats of murder, beating, imprisonment and murder and a further 350 to 400 million encounter discrimination in areas such as jobs and housing,” Reuters reported.

Europe was singled out most strongly, Reuters said, as some European institutions and governments attack the church for its stand on abortion, gay marriage, and take issue with Christian symbols in public areas.

In the message Benedict said, “I also express my hope that in the West, and especially in Europe, there will be an end to hostility and prejudice against Christians because they are resolved to orient their lives in a way consistent with the values and principles expressed in the Gospel.”

The pope also urged Europe to reconcile to its Christian roots, “which are fundamental for understanding its past, present and future role in history,” according to Reuters.

Vatican officials at the conference cited the proposed Equality Bill in the U.K. which will require churches to hire transsexuals or homosexuals, and “laicite” in France which has become grounds for taking issue with nativity scenes being displayed in public areas, Reuters said.

Europe’s top human rights court also banned crucifixes in schools in Italy, a ruling that Italy is appealing with the support of 10 European states, Reuters said. The pope referred to the above incidents as “sophisticated forms of hostility,” and “denial of history.”

Aggressive secularism

The pope also attacked aggressive secularism, comparing it to religious fanaticism in his message saying, “Whenever the legal system at any level, national or international, allows or tolerates religious or antireligious fanaticism, it fails in its mission, which is to protect and promote justice and the rights of all,” The New York Times reported.

The pope said, “The world needs God. It needs universal…spiritual values, and religion can offer a precious contribution to their pursuit, for the building of a just and peaceful social order at the national and international levels,” The Irish Times reported.

The statement by Pope Benedict XVI on the use of condoms as a lesser evil to prevent transmitting HIV applies equally to women, transsexuals and men.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said recently that according to the pope, it didn’t matter whether the person using the condom was a male, female or transsexual. What is important is the consideration of the life of the sexual partner, the AP reported.

Lombardi was responding to questions arising from the Italian translation of the original German manuscript of the book, Light of the World: The Pope, The Church, and Signs of the Times. The German book uses the male term for prostitute, while the Italian translation uses the female term, the AP said.

The author of the book, German journalist Peter Seewald, wrote the 239-page tome after a series of interviews with the pope for one week. In the past, Seewald had interviewed the pope twice when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and produced two bestsellers, CNN said.

According to Rome Reports, the first two books were entitled “The Salt of the Earth,” and “God and the World.” Benedict is not the first pope to grant an interview for a book, however. His predecessor, John Paul II was interviewed by journalist Vittorio Messori for the book, “Crossing the Threshold of Hope.”

In Light of the World, Benedict said condom use by male prostitutes afflicted with HIV to prevent infection of his partner is a more moral and responsible choice, according to the AP.

Clergy abuse

Regarding the issue of clergy abuse, Benedict said the Vatican should have responded more quickly. “It would have been the duty of Rome, to say outright to all countries: Look and see if you are in the same situation. Perhaps we should have done this,” AKI reported.

Regarding the victims of clergy abuse, Benedict said, “It is difficult for them to continue to believe the church is a source of good…that the church helps people….I can understand this,” according to AKI.

After the US sex abuse scandals were revealed, similar scandals came to light in Germany, Ireland and Belgium, among other European countries, that took place over decades and involved thousands of victims, according to AKI.

Willing to resign

Benedict, 83, also said he is willing to resign if he is no longer “physically, psychologically and spiritually” able to do his duty, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

No pontiff has ever resigned in the last 700 years, and the Catholic belief is that the papacy is a lifetime job. The last time a pope voluntarily resigned was in 1294, namely, Celestine V, The Sydney Morning Herald said.

Although Benedict is in good health, last year he broke his wrist from a fall when he was having a vacation in the Alps. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Benedict said, “I am sometimes concerned and I wonder whether I can make it even from a physical point of view.”

The Sydney Morning Herald said that this year, it was revealed that John Paul II, Benedict’s predecessor, signed a 1989 document that said if he is incurably ill, he would resign.

Grammy Award winning singer and bestselling book author Rebecca St. James expressed recently her firm support of a call by Pope Benedict XVI for people around the world to pray against abortion.

St. James, an Australian born singer who now lives in the U.S., has always been outspoken about her pro-life beliefs, and has lent support to Crisis Pregnancy Centers around the country by holding concerts to raise funds and to affirm life, according to Christian Newswire.

Last year St. James starred in the film, Sarah’s Choice, where she played the part of a young career woman who discovers she is pregnant and unmarried, and struggles with the decision on the life of her baby, Christian Newswire said.

The role was very meaningful for St. James, who is also an advocate of abstinence. She told Cross Rhythms, “We live in a very real world where scores of young women every day are being impacted by the heart wrenching issues and life changing choices that my character is suddenly forced to come face to face with. I feel it’s an important film with a Godly message that I am praying will profoundly touch lives.”

Crisis Pregnancy Centers nationwide have been showing the film since its release, to help women deal with very real issues that are present with an unexpected pregnancy, and to explain their pro life message, Christian Newswire reported.

Although St. James is a Protestant, she said that the pope’s call for prayer for the unborn on Nov. 27 is an imperative action that should be done by all people of faith regardless of their denomination, according to Christian Newswire.

She told Christian Newswire, “I applaud Pope Benedict for this call to pray for abortion to end. I applaud him for standing for life with strength, as he continually does, and I respect him and stand with him in this battle against abortion. Abortion not only steals life from an innocent child, but it invariably wounds the mother.”

Additionally, St. James told Christian Newswire, “I dearly hope and pray that Protestants and Catholics alike will draw together in unity, especially as it pertains to protecting life. I, as a Protestant, have been able be partner with many Catholics to promote the pro life message together. It’s a true joy for me to do this.”

St. James is a powerful voice in this call, in light of the extent of international sales of her books and music. Of Crisis Pregnancy Centers, she had said in her website, “These are the real heroes of our time. Every day, 3,300 women wake up believing there is no hope, and they tragically end their pregnancies. But there is hope through the compassionate network of pregnancy centers who are every day empowering women to choose life through their expression of practical support and love.”

As the first Anglican parishes from the U.K. announced recently that they will accept the Ordinariate offered by Pope Benedict XVI, defecting to the Roman Catholic Church, thousands more are expected to follow.

Fr. Stephen Bould of the parish of St. Peter in Folkestone said he would join the Roman Ordinariate, and most of his 35-40 member ageing, staunch traditional Anglican congregation support the move, the Daily Mail said.

Within hours of Bould’s announcement the Rt Rev John Broadhurst, who is the Bishop of Fulham, announced at a meeting of Forward in Faith (a conservative Anglo-Catholic group), that he would accept the pope’s offer as well, the Daily Mail said.

Amid vociferous cheers Broadhurst said, “I don’t feel I have any choice but to leave the Church and take up the Pope’s offer,” adding that the General Synod has been “vicious” and “vindictive,” the Daily Mail reported.

The Pope offered the Ordinariate to Anglicans who are disaffected because the Church of England is opening up to the ordination of women as priests and bishops. (For backgrounders, see  http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/08/traditional-anglican-bishops-may-convert-to-catholicism-13307).

The Ordinariate will also welcome Anglicans from Australia and the U.S. Under this new system, some of the Anglican traditions will be retained that are part of its heritage, even as they fall under the Vatican, the Telegraph said.

Broadhurst said, “It (Anglican Communion) has been marginalizing those who have been opposed to women’s ordination. The Church of England made it clear that it does not want us.  The Roman Catholic Church understands what we’re about, but our own Church does not,” the Daily Mail reported.

Currently a commission of Catholic Bishops is in England to survey how many Anglicans will join the Catholic Church. The English Ordinariate is expected to be approved early next year by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, formerly called the Inquisition, the Telegraph reported.

Questions remain regarding its operation. According to the Telegraph, the vow of celibacy will be required of priests and the Ordinary–those in charge of the Ordinariate. However married men may still, on an individual basis, be ordained.

Married priests who were newly converted may get an allowance from Rome that will be far less than what they received from the Church of England. There is also the question of church assets, as the Church of England said they would not give them up, “regardless of the actions of those who occupy them,” the Telegraph reported.

Another option for disenchanted Anglicans is a new group that was formed last month, the Society of St Wilfred and St Hilda, which was formed for those who opposed women bishops, but who still wanted to remain Anglicans. (See http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/10/9-anglican-bishops-form-new-society-in-church-of-england-13909).

There are talks that two more bishops will also resign and a number of senior figures in the Anglo-Catholic church may turn to Rome next year when the Ordinariate is established. Eventually, “thousands” may convert, the Telegraph said.

There has been no official statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury. However, Telegraph blogger Rev. George Pitcher, who is the Archbishop’s public affairs adviser, wrote, “Such departures to Rome represent an erosion, with the possibility of eventual eradication, of the Catholic tradition within our established church.”

Pope Benedict XVI thanked recently the British people prior to his departure from the U.K., even as he said he hoped that his four-day visit would fortify excellent ties between the U.K. and the Holy See.

In his speech, Benedict fondly recalled the events of his visit, and thanked the people of the U.K. for being hospitable and welcoming throughout his stay, according to the Catholic News Agency.

Benedict also thanked “Her Majesty The Queen…and other political leaders,” and said he was honored to address Parliament. “I sincerely hope that these occasions will contribute to confirming and strengthening the excellent relations between the Holy See and the United Kingdom, especially in cooperation for international development, in care for the natural environment, and in the building of a civil society with a renewed sense of shared values and common purpose,” the Catholic News Agency reported.

Benedict also thanked the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the Bishops of the Church of England, citing their shared traditions and culture; and representatives of different faiths in the U.K., for having shared thoughts concerning how religions can help in “the development of a healthy pluralistic society,” according to the Catholic News Agency.

To the Catholics of Britain, Benedict said he treasured celebrating the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, whose teachings, he said, are relevant to Christian living and witness in today’s world, the Catholic News Agency said.

The sizeable turnout for Benedict was in large part because U.K. Catholics came to pay their respect for the pontiff and to their Catholic tradition, and to indicate respect for the part the papacy has played in sustaining Catholicism over the past 2,000 years—even as they may not always agree with the pope, The New York Times reported.

However, a large number of people of different faiths also came to witness an historical time, the first state visit by a pope since the time of King Henry VIII, and to hear a different message that questioned today’s focus on consumerism and celebrity, The Telegraph said.

Notably, few protestors came compared to the sizeable crowds drawn by the pope. The turnout for the “Nope to Pope” rally slated last Saturday in London was described as a “damp squib” versus the 50,000 in Hyde Park who joined in the papal prayer vigil, The Telegraph reported.

Benedict focused on rekindling dialogue, and demanded that religion be allowed public expression, including the public celebration of Christmas, a message that rang well in a country where 72 per cent polled described themselves as Christian, and 75 per cent in a 2008 poll said the economic crisis led them to become more spiritual, The Telegraph said.

The Telegraph said a victory from the pope’s visit was seen in forwarding the newly beatified John Henry Newman as an example for furthering discussions that call for crossing both reason and faith.

Notably, too, was the fact that of late, a group from the Church of England who disagree with the ordination of women clergy are being offered accelerated entry to Catholicism with a special exemption from rules of celibacy. Benedict’s visit is seen as likely to encourage more conversions to Catholicism from this group, The Telegraph reported.