Yet the single most revolutionary act committed by any pope in at least the last 600 years fell one year ago, and it wasn't Francis who did it.

On Feb. 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI used a meeting of cardinals discussing new saints to deliver the stunning announcement that he planned to resign, effective 8 p.m. Rome time on Feb. 28.

The news was a total surprise to everyone except a handful of papal intimates, and it set the stage for all the drama that's followed.

One cardinal said afterward that he sat in the room well after the meeting broke up, still unable to comprehend what had just happened.

He played Benedict's Latin phrasing over and over again in his mind to be sure he'd understood. Continue reading.

John L. Allen Jr is an Associate Editor at the Boston Globe.

Source: Boston Globe

Image: patheos.com

As Krznaric writes, empathy (the 'Golden Rule') has its foundation in major spiritual traditions including Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism and Christianity.

Empathy, he adds, lies 'at the very core of human existence'.

Most of us like to see ourselves as empathetic, but what does it mean to really 'imagine oneself in another's place and understand the other's feelings, desires, ideas, and actions'?

And how do we get there?

'A first step is to humanise our imaginations by developing an awareness,' writes Krznaric, as 'we all possess deep wells of pain and sorrow that we can draw on to help bridge social divides and create empathic bonds'. Continue reading.

Source: Eureka Street

Image: School of Life

He made the call in a video message on June 10, the first evening of a conference of the American Catholic Council in Detroit.

"I think few people realize how powerful the pope is," Kung said, likening papal power today to the absolute power of French monarchs that the French people revolted against in 1789.

"We have to change an absolutist system without the French Revolution," he said. "We have to have peaceful change."

In the interview with Kung, played on two giant screens in one of the convention center's main rooms, the theologian predicted change in the church despite resistance from Rome. Vatican II "was a great success, but only 50 percent," he said.

Read more of Hans Kung urging a peaceful revolution against Roman absolutism

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For those with eyes to see, the suppression of the Cistercian abbey at the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, one of the traditional seven major pilgrimage sites in Rome, rates far more than placement in a "news of the weird" column. Instead, it's the latest chapter in what might be called a "Quiet Revolution" under Pope Benedict XVI, referring to a reform in clerical culture beginning in Rome and radiating beyond.

The essence of it is this: it's the end of the "by their fruits, you shall know them" logic that once translated into a free pass, or at least a strong benefit of the doubt, for superstar clerics and high-profile groups charged with misconduct. Once upon a time, the working assumption in officialdom often was that if someone is doing great good for the church, then allegations of sexual or financial impropriety against them were likely bogus, and taking them too seriously risked encouraging the enemies of the faith.

Without great fanfare, Benedict XVI has made it clear that today a new rule applies. No matter how accomplished a person or institution may be, if they're also involved in what the pontiff once memorably called the "filth" in the church, they're not beyond reach.

That's the deep significance of the Vatican's recent action vis-a-vis the Cistercians at the Basilica of Holy Cross in Jerusalem, though you certainly wouldn't get the point from most English-language coverage. A BBC headline on Thursday was typical: "Pope shuts down lap-dancing monastery," it said, playing off the fact that an ex-nightclub performer turned Catholic nun, Anna Nobili, once performed something called "the holy dance" in front of an audience at the basilica that included Vatican dignitaries.

In reality, however, the basilica was hardly a running joke.

First of all, the Cistercians have been at the basilica for almost five centuries, since 1561, and at one stage the Abbot of Holy Cross was also the Abbot General of the entire order. Given Benedict XVI's keen sense of tradition, as well as his reverence for the monastic life, it would take more than a dancing nun to trigger the suppression of the entire abbey.

Further, until quite recently the basilica was actually seen as a major success story. The consensus was that a renaissance was unfolding under Cistercian Abbot Simone Maria Fioraso, an ecclesiastical mover and shaker if ever there was one. Vocations were growing, and the basilica had become a crossroads for Italian nobility, political VIPs and pop culture icons.

In the autumn of 2008, Fioraso scored his greatest PR coup. He organized a six-day reading of the entire text of the Bible, called "The Bible Day and Night," carried live on Italian state TV. The marathon was kicked off by Benedict XVI, and concluded by the Vatican's Secretary of State, Italian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. A slew of other Vatican potentates took part, along with celebrities such as actor Roberto Benigni and the former president of Italy, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. (American Cardinals William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Daniel DiNardo of Houston also participated. DiNardo was in town for a Synod on the Bible, which was the occasion for the Bible-reading festival.)

It's tough to overestimate what a media sensation the event constituted in Italy. Headlines proclaimed, "Holy Cross in Jerusalem becomes a superstar."

Yet around the same time, rumors began to swirl that something wasn't quite right. Some critics charged that Fioraso seemed more interested in cozying up to social elites than in the traditional disciplines of the monastic life, while others raised questions about money management, especially given that the monks ran a successful boutique and hotel, apparently without clear accounting of the revenue flows. More darkly, there were rumors of "inappropriate relationships" carried on by some of the monks, understood to be code for some sort of sexual misconduct.

All that might once have been dismissed as envy or defamation, especially given Fioraso's reputation as a rising star, but not this time. The Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life launched an Apostolic Visitation, which ended in the dramatic decision to suppress the abbey entirely and to send its roughly 30 monks packing. The decree was signed by Brazilian Archbishop Joao Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and by American Archbishop Joseph Tobin, his secretary. It was approved by Benedict XVI.

As is its practice, the Vatican hasn't provided a public explanation; in typically euphemistic argot, officials say only there were "numerous allegations of conduct incompatible with the vowed life." The gist is that there were real problems at the abbey, in terms of both financial accountability and personal morality.

As one official put it, "It was not a good scene."

The suppression is part of a pattern under Benedict XVI, which began with crackdowns against high-profile clerics such as Gino Burresi, founder of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionaries of Christ. More recently, in September 2008 Benedict laicized a well-known priest in Florence, Lelio Cantini, whose Queen of Peace parish was regarded as among the more dynamic in the country. Earlier this year, Benedict permanently removed Fernando Karadima from ministry, a legendary priest in Chile known as a spiritual guide to a large swath of the clergy and episcopacy.

All those cases, and others like them one could mention, pivoted on charges of sexual misconduct and abuse.

Also part of the picture are Benedict's policy moves to expedite procedures for weeding abusers out of the priesthood, including a recent set of revisions to canon law, as well as his decision earlier this year to create a new financial watchdog authority with the power to ride herd over once-untouchable entities such as the Vatican Bank or Propaganda Fide. The overall impression is that this is a pope weary of scandal, doing what he can to clean house.

Critics, of course, will object that this quiet revolution remains incomplete until it reaches into the episcopacy — that is, until the bishops who presided over the sexual abuse crisis, or various financial scandals, or other forms of "filth" in the church, are themselves brought to account.

Whatever one makes of that objection, the fact remains that even an incomplete revolution is still a revolution. And that's no joke.

Continue reading more of John Allen Jr's article about Catholic Healthcare

In a word, Rome has "taken over" a whole sector of activity of the Catholic Church. That humanitarian assistance and its thousands of Catholic NGOs. Technically, the "Caritas" (for France, Secours Catholique and the CCFD). They were all united in meeting global 22 to May 27 for the 60th anniversary of their foundation.

An immense body: the 165 Caritas coordinate each in their countries, many humanitarian organizations that provide Catholic concrete help (social, educational, medical ...) to 24 million people. They employ 440,000 employees, not counting the 625,000 volunteers who donate their time. An admirable job, proximity and constancy under all latitudes, often misunderstood, sometimes despised. A huge machine but whose totatement decentralized budget, mostly from private donations but also from public funds, around 4 billion euros.

At this meeting the Holy See has not only decided not to renew the appointment of Lesley-Ann Knight, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis (the central organization based in Rome), a woman deemed too independent.

But in addition, the Vatican has "reframed" the general policy of the organization. He asked not to be considered, in humanitarian action, the Catholic Church as a sort of partner, but preferred among others, but his essential being. The very meaning of the reason for its social commitment.

In other words, the social action of the Catholic Church can not be technically disconnected from the central body of the Catholic faith. This action must be clearly identified Catholic.

Benedict XVI receives the congress today, said: "For us Christians, God himself is the source of charity, and charity is understood not only as a vague philanthropy, but as self-giving, even up to sacrifice his own life for others to imitate the example of Jesus Christ. " He added: "The Holy See has the task of monitoring its activity [that of Caritas] and to ensure that both its humanitarian and charity lecontenu documents available, are in full harmony with the Apostolic See and with the Magisterium of the Church, and be administered competently and transparently. "

He also asked this warning: "The experience you have amassed over the years has taught you to let you voice in the international community, anthropological vision of a healthy, nourished by Catholic doctrine and committed to defending the dignity of every human life. Without a transcendent basis, without reference to God the Creator, without regard to our eternal destiny, we risk falling prey to harmful ideologies. "

At the beginning of the congress, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State of the Holy See, was questioned even before the Congress "for humanitarian assistance that would exclude the Christian identity and adopt an approach, so to speak, neutral, who seek to please everybody "because" the Church must not only about charity, but do like Christ. "

African Cardinal, Robert Sarah, who by his presidency of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, oversees all charitable activities of the Catholic Church, was lambasted at the same conference: "A Caritas, which is not an expression has ecclesial no meaning or existence. (...) The bread is important, freedom is important, but the most important thing of all is our faith in the God of Love and our kneeling to worship and serve serving the poor. "

But why this reminder to those working in humanitarian - on behalf of the Catholic Church that they do not depend on a neutral NGO but a Catholic organization fully with all that that implies, is so important?

It indicates two things:

• What Benedict XVI continues his work of internal reform of the Catholic Church according to the course it set itself in 2005: to restore its "Catholic identity" to a Church that ended by doubting itself after Vatican II reviving the ancient tradition.
• He did, visibly, in terms of the liturgy by allowing the rite of Mass in Latin as the missal of 1962, as "extraordinary" the Roman rite. He has done a less visible by the appointment of bishops rather classic profile and probably less socially engaged than some of their predecessors. It addresses today the bastion of social action of the Church which are actually incurred and beautifully - it must be said and greet as there is often lack of volunteers - many Catholics do not recognize forcemenent in this line of Benedict XVI.

This revival, and this crop will be criticized and fought internally, but Benedict has already shown that nothing could stop his will - he considered his highest responsibility theologian pope - to make the Catholic Church ... Catholic.

Source: A palace revolution at the Vatican, which says a lot about the pontificate

Originally written in French. Translated to English by Google!