The diplomatic service of the Holy See is generally recognised as the oldest in the world and the best informed. In each country to which they are sent, Nuncios have access to a great depth and breadth of information from local Bishops, Missionaries, and Church members in general. In consequence the Holy See is considered to be uniquely well informed and its diplomatic assistance and advice is sought by many governments in many areas.

At first, Popes sent envoys to different countries, often with a fact-finding mission. They would go to a country and usually return to let him know what they had found out. In the sixteenth century this started to become more formalised; Angelo Leonini, sent to Venice by the Pope in 1500, is generally thought of as the first nuncio, as we understand the term today, and St Francis Xavier, (1506-51) one of the earliest Jesuits, was nominated by the Pope to represent him in the East on a missionary tour to Goa and India.

The current Papal (Apostolic) Nuncio to Great Britain is Archbishop Faustino Sainz Muñoz, who was appointed in December 2004 by Pope John Paul II. He was born in Spain and was ordained a priest in 1964. Before he came to Great Britain, he was apostolic nuncio to Cuba and Zaire. Preaching at Ampleforth Abbey in 2009, he said, ‘Our Blessed Lord asks that we, you and I, live out that love (the Lord’s love) in the concrete circumstances of our lives, with our families, friends and those persons whom we encounter in our daily activities. Experience teaches us this will at times be challenging and difficult.’ (Source: Ampleforth Abbey )

Prayer for the Pope

God our Father, shepherd and guide,
look with love on Benedict, your servant,
the pastor of your Church.
May his word and example inspire and guide the Church,
and may he, and all those entrusted to his care,
come to the joy of everlasting life.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

This article was written in 2010 by a member of the catechetical team at the Maryvale Institute.

The post What is a Nuncio and what is his role? appeared first on The Papal Visit .

The ‘Holy See’ refers to the authority, jurisdiction, and sovereignty vested in the Pope and his advisers to direct the worldwide Roman Catholic Church. It is the Holy See which is internationally recognised as the ‘central government’ of the Roman Catholic Church, as such the Holy See enters into treaties with other States and sends and receives diplomatic representatives. The Holy See is not the same as the Vatican, a tiny State, within the confines of the Italian City of Rome which was created in 1929 in order to protect the independence of the Pope from any particular State or Government.

Prayer for the Pope

God our Father, shepherd and guide,
look with love on Benedict, your servant,
the pastor of your Church.
May his word and example inspire and guide the Church,
and may he, and all those entrusted to his care,
come to the joy of everlasting life.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

This article was written in 2010 by a member of the catechetical team at the Maryvale Institute.

The post What is an Apostolic Nunciature? appeared first on The Papal Visit .

A priest first of all is a baptised man who has heard God calling him to a particular role in the Church – that of ministerial priesthood. After usually about six or seven years training he is ordained. Being ordained, or ordination, is a sacrament; that is a special blessing from God which makes an inner change in the man. Another word for this sacrament is ‘Holy Orders’.

When a man receives Holy Orders, he is configured to Christ, which means that when he carries out his ministerial work he is acting in the power of Christ, and not in his own power. We call this a special grace of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit could be described as God’s power, energy and wisdom. In the most profound way possible, ordination creates a new man, one who, if living his vocation (calling) faithfully, can say with St. Paul: ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.’ (Galatians 2:20). He is changed not because of what he can do, but because of what he has become. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) describes Holy Orders as ‘The sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time…’ (CCC 1536).

‘Everything a priest does in his ministry flows from what he becomes at his ordination: presiding at Mass, absolving sinners, anointing the sick, proclaiming and explaining the Gospel, giving blessings, and his whole pastoral leadership of building up a local community of faith.. The priest does what he does because of what he is: a priest of Jesus Christ.’ (Diocese of Arundel and Brighton leaflet on vocations to the priesthood)

Normally priests are ordained by the bishop of the diocese they will be serving in or the religious order of which they will be a part. They are the bishop’s co-workers, and when priests are ordained, they make a promise of obedience to their bishop. Priests may be given responsibility for any of a bishop’s works or for parishes under his authority. One of the main things a priest does as a co-worker with his bishop, is to carry out the Church’s mission to: proclaim, teach, and guard the word of God found in Scripture and authentic Catholic tradition. A priest with the authority of Christ carries on the priestly ministry of Jesus in a number of ways in his parish, or local area he is looking after. Chiefly he celebrates the Mass (which is the central worship of the Church) while acting in the person of Christ. He will also celebrate some of the other sacraments; baptism, confession (often called reconciliation) marriage, and the sacrament of the sick (anointing and praying for those who are sick). He is also charged with shepherding (caring for and looking after) and governing God’s people in his parish or wherever he is placed by his bishop.

The priest, therefore, living in the midst of the people, is called to teach, sanctify and lead through service. He is called to serve others and will be involved in the many various circumstances of life. The priestly ministry is as varied as those men who are called to live this way of life. No two parishes are the same and other ministries such as university and military chaplaincies are often undertaken by diocesan priests. Like Christian marriage, the Sacrament of Holy Orders also provides a special grace (help from God) to enable the priest to carry out his vocation faithfully and successfully.

St. John Vianney ‘knew how to “live” actively within the entire territory of his parish: he regularly visited the sick and families, organised popular missions and patronal feasts (feasts of the patron saint of a church, a group, or an individual person); collected and managed funds for his charitable and missionary works, embellished and furnished his parish church, cared for the orphans and teachers of the “Providence” (an institute he founded); provided for the education of children; founded confraternities (a group of people meeting with a common aim), and enlisted lay persons to work at his side.’ (Pope Benedict XVI, Year for Priests, p. 6, Catholic Truth Society) [St. John Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests]

To pray

Lord, we thank you for our faithful priests, whose spiritual fatherhood and example of fidelity, self-sacrifice and devotion is so vital to our faith. May they be guided by the examples of Saints Peter and Paul, and all the saints. Give them hope in time of trouble and sorrow, and steadfast love for you, for their families, and for all your people. May your light shine through their lives and their good works. May they grow in holiness, knowledge and understanding of your Truth. Amen.

To read

1 Peter 5:1 – 4

Catechism of the Catholic Church 858-862, 1534-1589, 2686

Curé d’Ars by George W Rutler published by the Catholic Truth Society

To do

Pray for priests

Invite a priest for coffee or for a meal

If you want to find out more, read Pope Benedict’s letter for the Year of the Priest (which ran from 2009-2010).

This article was written in 2010 by a member of the catechetical team at the Maryvale Institute.

The post What is the role of a priest? appeared first on The Papal Visit .

The Mass has four basic parts or ‘rites’. The beginning is called the ‘Introductory Rite’. At the beginning, the priest processes in, accompanied by altar servers, (usually boys and girls who help the priest by carrying things, giving him things). Often the congregation (all those who are there) sing a hymn. Once the priest reaches the sanctuary (the part of the Church where the altar table is) he begins Mass by saying the sign of the cross; ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.’ This short prayer means that everyone is reminded that they are baptised into the One God in three persons, and so puts themselves into his protection. Then the congregation are given a few moments to reflect upon the things they have done or not done which hurt other people, and are invited to repent, or say sorry to God. This is because not being sorry for sins (when we have hurt other people or disobeyed God,) can be a barrier to being given the graces God wants to give us.

The second part of Mass is called the ‘Liturgy of the Word.’ Liturgy is an ancient word, which came from the ancient Greeks meaning ‘official work,’ so Mass is part of the official prayer of the Church. In the liturgy of the Word, everyone listens to readings from the Bible; first, a story from the Old Testament which is completed by what Jesus Christ did, e.g. the story of the Israelites being fed on manna in the desert (Exodus chapter 16), is completed when Jesus Christ said ‘I am the bread of life’ (John chapter 6). Then a psalm is prayed or sung on the same theme. The second reading is usually a letter from St Paul and then everyone stands to listen to a reading from the Gospel, the story of Jesus. This reading will show how the Old Testament is completed by Jesus. After the readings everyone sits and listens to the homily, or sermon preached by the priest. To complete this part of the Mass, on Sundays, everyone recites the Creed, which is the statement of faith in God, and then each parish has its own set of ‘intercessions’ that is, a set of prayers for local issues and people.

The third part of the Mass is called the liturgy of the Eucharist. ‘Eucharist’ means to give thanks, so it begins by the ‘offertory’ when we offer ourselves to God. This is symbolised by taking up the bread and wine which will become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and the collection. During the Eucharistic prayer everyone kneels as to worship Jesus Christ who becomes present under the appearance of bread and wine when the priest says the ‘consecration’. The change is not ‘done’ by the priest, but by Christ, and whilst visible, nothing appears to have changed, the change is one of substance, of what it is. Those who are able to receive ‘Holy Communion’ then process up to receive, either in one kind (just the host, the Body) or in two kinds (from the cup as well). Those unable to receive Holy Communion, either because they are not Catholics, or because as Catholics they have disobeyed a serious law of the Church and have not been reconciled to the Church, are invited to come forward and receive a blessing, which can be called a spiritual communion.

The final part of Mass, the concluding rite is quite short – after some time to reflect on the Eucharist (Holy Communion) everyone stands and the priest says a final short prayer, asking God for help to use the graces we have received in Mass to help us in our daily lives. He then blesses everyone in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, so we all leave knowing we have worshipped the Triune God, and strengthened by him to live our lives in the world. To the priest’s final words, ‘The Mass is ended. Go in the peace of Christ, to love and serve the Lord’ the congregation reply ‘Thanks be to God.’

Much has been written on the central mystery of the Eucharist and St. Cyril of Jerusalem writing in the late fourth century said, ‘Do not look upon the bread and wine as something ordinary, for, by the Lord’s own words, they are his Body and Blood. Even though perception suggests this to you, let faith grant you certainty. Do not judge the matter by taste! Be firmly convinced by faith that you have become worthy of the Body and Blood of Christ’ (Mystagogical Catecheses 4, 6).

To Pray

Lord Jesus Christ, You gave us the Eucharist as the memorial of your suffering and death. May our worship of this Sacrament of your Body and Blood, help us to experience the salvation won for us, and the peace of the kingdom where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

To Read

Outline of the Mass described by St. Justin Martyr, writing in about 150 AD in the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1345

Catholic Truth Society Essentials pamphlet: ‘What happens at Mass?’ (Ref. LF 3)

To Do

As well as taking part in Mass and receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, Catholics also adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament which is kept in the tabernacle (the locked box which sits at the centre behind the altar, or in another place to the side of the altar). Usually a candle burns next to the tabernacle. Catholics believe that the Lord is really present in the Blessed Sacrament under the appearance of bread and wine. Visit a Catholic church and see if you can locate the tabernacle and see the light that signifies the presence of God.

This article was written in 2010 by a member of the catechetical team at the Maryvale Institute.

The post What is a Catholic Mass? appeared first on The Papal Visit .

To answer these questions, the Church looks to the beginning of the Bible, to the description of God’s creation of everything in the world. Scientists might disagree with the biblical account, but it expresses three great truths about God, human beings and the natural world.

First, everything God made — forces of nature, rocks, plants, animals and people — was made to be good. In the Bible, each individual part of creation is described as good and the whole is described as “very good”. In reality, of course, the world is not always found to be good: people are often bad, living things die and nature can be cruel. Many parts of Creation work together harmoniously but there is also discord. Catholics believe that the original goodness of the world has been tarnished but not destroyed.

We need to respect the original divine (that is, God-like) goodness of creation. Pope Benedict XVI says, “In nature, the believer recognises the wonderful result of God’s creative activity… The environment is God’s gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility…” We should respect “the intrinsic balance of creation”. In other words, we should not engage in “reckless exploitation” of the air, water or land or needless disruption of the natural world. (Caritas in Veritate 48)

Second, human beings have a special role in Creation. Like everything else in the world, we depend entirely on God, but we are not like everything else because we were created with a difference: in “the image and likeness of God” (Gen. 1.26). This special divine likeness comes with a special gift – God gives people authority over the plants and the animals. In much the same way that people have been made to serve God, animals, plants and the rest are made to serve people.

It is not always clear how to balance the required human respect for and wonder at God’s creation with the authority given to make nature serve human purposes. There will often be room for debate, but there is no justification for either an extreme worship of nature — or a total disregard of it.

Third, human life should not be separated from either God or the rest of Creation. The first man’s body was made “from the dust of the ground” but God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Gen. 2. 7). Adam’s descendents are all both earthly and heavenly: we wonder at the heavens and use our intelligence to live well from the gifts of nature. Like Adam and Eve, we are created to live together and form and be members of living communities..

We should not try to separate our responsibility to nature from our responsibility to other people. Pope Benedict says, “when ‘human ecology’ is respected within society, environmental ecology also benefits.” (Caritas in Veritate 51) In other words, the goodness of human life, from conception to natural death, is part of the goodness of nature. It is deeply unnatural — and wrong — for governments to restrict family size for the sake of ecology or any other reason.

The responsibility that people have to nature is not just to nature itself or to the nature-creating God, but also towards all people who require nature’s bounty: “towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole” (Caritas in Veritate 51). The powerful of the world should not waste or greedily take more than their fair share of the gifts of God.

Modern technology has increased men’s sway over nature. With that greater dominion comes a greater responsibility.

Fr Gregor Mendel working in the late 19th and early 20th Century was a Catholic priest who was also as scientist. He has been called the “father of modern genetics”. He also pioneered applying mathematics to biology and his laws in inheritance revolutionised the way plants were cultivated and animals were bred. He had a good understanding of how God interacts with his creation.

To pray

Psalm 8

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honour.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

To read

Apologia: Catholic answers to today’s questions, by Fr Marcus Holden and Fr Andrew Pinsent

Concern for Animals by Deborah Jones

Global Warming – How should we respond? by Russell Sparkes, all published by the Catholic Truth Society.

To do

Why not walk, cycle or use the bus or train instead of always relying on the car, especially where short distances are concerned?

Go to a beautiful spot and give thanks to God for his creation, then go to a busy city or town and give thanks to God for people.

This was written in 2010 by a member of the catechetical team at The Maryvale Institute.

The post What is the Church’s teaching about the environment? appeared first on The Papal Visit .

The word ‘cardinal’ comes from the Latin word for ‘hinge’. So in the Diocese of Rome, the important clergy were called ‘Cardinals’. In the second and third centuries, the bishops and senior priests and deacons of the parishes and pastoral areas of Rome were the original Cardinals of the Roman Church. Later, the title of Cardinal was given to important priests and bishops who worked for the Holy See (the Diocese of Rome), and later to bishops in Italy. In the Middle Ages the title was given to the senior bishops outside Italy, and eventually in the modern era, to senior bishops all over the world. Even so, the origins of the ‘College of Cardinals’ is seen in the division among the Cardinals into three ranks: Cardinal Bishops, Cardinal Priests and Cardinal Deacons (most are bishops despite being called Cardinal Priests or Cardinal Deacons). Generally, the Cardinal Bishops and Cardinal Deacons are members of the Roman Curia, heading the departments of the Holy See (often referred to as the ‘Vatican’). The Cardinal Priests are mostly the senior Archbishops of the world, e.g. Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor who resides in England. Each has the title of an ancient Diocese in Rome (Cardinal Bishops), a Church in Rome (Cardinal Priests) or an area of the city of Rome (Cardinal Deacons). For example, Cardinal Murphy O’Connor’s titular church is “Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.” The senior Cardinal Bishop is the ‘Dean’ or head of the College (Cardinal Ratzinger held this position before being elected Pope), who presides at the election of a new Pope. The senior Cardinal Deacon is the Cardinal who announces the newly elected Pope to the world.

When a pope dies, the Cardinals administer the Church of Rome until a new Pope is elected and of course the world’s media is focussed on them during the election process for a new pope, who must be one of their number. During the reign of a Pope, the Cardinals act as a body of consulters to the Pope. Some of them are in charge of the various aspects of Church life. Others represent whole countries and regions of countries. Even those who are bishops of Dioceses will be expected to offer their service in the work of the Departments of the Holy See. For example, Cardinal Murphy O’Connor served in four different Vatican offices, including the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. From time to time, the Pope will bring the Cardinals together for a Consistory, to consult with them as a whole body. It is at these times that new Cardinals are named. Cardinals who are under 80 years of age are allowed to vote in the election of a new Pope. The maximum number set (though it can be changed by the Pope) of elector Cardinals is 120.

Some of the Cardinals of past history have not graced the position well. However, there are others who have been models of sanctity and pastoral charity. St Charles Borromeo, in the sixteenth century, was born into a wealthy noble family and related to the Pope. He was made a Cardinal at the age of 22. However, unlike many similarly elevated clerics, he did not live in the splendour which his income allowed. Having served the Pope in Rome for a few years, he was appointed Archbishop of Milan. He immediately chose to travel and visited the whole diocese, meeting the priests who were serving their parishes. He carried out the reforms which had been decreed by the Council of Trent, starting with caring for the priests of his Diocese. He was keen to make sure that children received religious education and he took upon himself the care for the poor. In all he became a model bishop. He was relentless in pursuing reform and died at the age of 46, exhausted by his efforts to gently but firmly deal with priests who were lax in caring for the souls in their care. He once preached; “nothing brings more joy to the Church than those who restore souls to spiritual life…glorifying the most Holy Trinity and preparing for themselves a never-fading crown.”

To Pray

“Father, keep in your people the Spirit which filled St Charles Borromeo. Let your Church be continually renewed and show the image of Christ to the world by being conformed to His likeness, who lives and reigns with you for ever. Amen.”

To read

Spirituality of the Priesthood by Pope John Paul II, published by the Catholic Truth Society (CTS). Pope John Paul invites us to reflect on the ministry of the priesthood within the Church, on what it is and what it entails, according to the intentions of Jesus.

Election of a Pope by Mgr Charles Burns; published by CTS. This booklet explains the new norms promulgated by John Paul II in 1996 and combines the technical with the historical and spiritual elements of the process to produce a unique and highly informative summary.

To do

Pray for our cardinals that they may have wisdom in serving the Church, both in the Vatican and in their leadership roles in their own countries.

This article was written in 2010 by a member of the catechetical team at the Maryvale Institute.

The post What is a Cardinal and what is his role? appeared first on The Papal Visit .

Jesus Christ himself appointed twelve apostles who were given the task of continuing his mission on earth; to tell everyone what he told them. He commissioned them to teach, to help others come to know God, and to receive his grace, (which is a special type of inner strength form God) through being baptised. He instructed them to lead the people, telling them that he would be with them by his Spirit at all times (Mt 28.16-20). The twelve apostles continued this mission, and others were added to their number. Chief among the apostles were St Peter, whom Jesus had called the ‘rock on which he would build the Church’ (Mt 16.18), and St Paul, a late convert who claimed the title of ‘apostle’, and was the greatest missionary of this early period. As the apostles grew older, they realised that the gifts that God had given them, and their duties, needed to be continued in the Church. Because of the graces they had been given by Jesus Christ in person, and because of his command that his Church would last until the end of time, they ‘ordained’, or commissioned, successors by laying their hands on their heads, asking God for them to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

These successors of the apostles were called ‘overseers’. From the original Greek word for ‘overseer’ (episkopos) we get the English word ‘bishop’. Ever since the beginning of the second century, every portion of the Catholic Church, or local area called a ‘diocese’, has been headed by a bishop, who has the duty to teach, sanctify (meaning, make holy) and govern God’s people. The bishop is the source of unity and sign of that unity among the people in his Diocese. He is also a link of unity with all the other bishops, and with the chief bishop, who, since the end of the first century, has been recognised as being the Bishop of Rome, the successor of Peter the Apostle. By tradition we call him the Pope, which means “father”. Among a group of Dioceses, certain ones will have been recognised, either through historical tradition, or simply because the cities are larger or more important, as having a certain seniority. The bishops of these Dioceses are called ‘Archbishops’. In England there are four Archbishops (Westminster and Southwark in London; Birmingham; and Liverpool). In Wales there is one (Cardiff). In Scotland there are two (Edinburgh and Glasgow). In England, the Archbishop of Westminster is often regarded popularly as having seniority among the other archbishops so he is always the president of the Conference of Bishops of England and Wales, the governing body of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

The first recognisable ‘archbishop’ in England was St Augustine of Canterbury (d. 604). Legend has it that Pope Gregory the Great had seen some fair headed youths in the slave market in Rome, and when told that they were Angles, decided to send missionaries to England to convert the pagan Angle and Saxon tribes. He chose Augustine, who was a Roman Benedictine monk, and sent him to England to teach the Angles and the Saxon people living there about Jesus Christ and to establish the Church. After putting off the mission, and even turning back, Augustine arrived with his 40 companions in 597. He was given immediate permission by King Ethelbert to establish the mission in Kent, and the King himself was baptised. Augustine then established three Dioceses in Canterbury, Rochester and London. He himself became the Bishop of Canterbury. In 601, Pope Gregory made him Archbishop. Thereafter, the Archbishop of Canterbury was the ‘primate’ or senior bishop in England. With the coming of the Reformation in the sixteenth century, the Archbishop of Canterbury was subject to the authority of the reigning monarch; the Church of England having been led into schism, by Henry VIII.

To Pray

“Father, by the preaching of St Augustine of Canterbury, you led the people of England to the Gospel. May the fruits of his work continue in your Church. We ask this through Jesus Christ your Son. Amen”

To read

To see the structure of the Catholic Church’s Hierarchy go to www.catholic-hierarchy.org.

The Letter of Pope John Paul II, giving guidance for Bishops, is called Pastores Gregis, available from the Catholic Truth Society or from the Vatican VA website.

To do

If you are in reach of Canterbury, go to the site of St Augustine’s Abbey. See the English Heritage wesbite for details.

This article was written in 2010 by a member of the catechetical team at the Maryvale Institute.

The post What is an Archbishop and what is his role? appeared first on The Papal Visit .

The Catholic Church is the biggest Christian denomination, with a billion members worldwide. Our leader is called affectionately “the Pope”, which means “Father”. We call the Pope “Father”, just as Catholics call their priest “Father”, because the Pope represents God as our Father, who loves us, who made us, and who sent his Son to die on the cross for us. The Pope represents God our Father in a special way, because like a good parent he guards the truth of the revelation which Jesus Christ handed on to his apostles (followers), the chief of whom was Simon whom Jesus called in his own language Cephas, meaning “Rock”. We believe that the present Pope is the successor of Peter, the Fisherman.

During his lifetime, Jesus made Peter the leader of his church on earth, to take over when Jesus died, rose again from the dead, and went to be with his Father in heaven. He said to Peter, after Simon had named Jesus as “the Son of the Living God”; “Simon, Son of John, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I say that you are Peter (the Rock) and on this Rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell will not triumph against it. Whatever you shall bind on earth you shall bind in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”. [Matthew 16:17-19] Jesus was giving Peter an immense authority; to act for Christ in guarding the truth, indeed to excommunicate (deprive of the right of Church membership) those who did not keep that truth, or who behaved in such a way which was contrary to the ethics of God’s people.

To cut a long story short, Peter did just that. He eventually went to Rome, and was crucified in the Roman games. Tradition has it that he asked to be crucified upside down, because he said he did not deserve to be crucified the same way up as his Lord! You can see his tomb today, underneath the Basilica of Saint Peter.

There have been more than two hundred Popes since then, as successors of Peter. They are like Peter, human, with no doubt human failings. But we believe as Catholics that they share his authority. The Holy Spirit we believe gives the Pope, together with all the Catholic bishops of the world, the special gift to be able to discern the true faith, and to teach that faith to the church and to the world.

Like a democratic country, as we have said, we have therefore a single leader. But unlike a democracy, we believe that the Pope has the authority to teach with or without the consent of individual members of the Church. After all, Jesus did not ask for a vote when he decided to give himself up to die on the cross. His disciples would have voted against it! We do not believe that we have the power to change the teaching in the Bible such as the Ten Commandments, or the commandment to love. That is part of what we call the “magisterium”, that is the teaching authority of the Church, handed on to us in the Bible and in the living Tradition of the Church, concerning which the Pope is as our “Father” on earth the guardian.

When our present Pope, Benedict XVI, comes to England in the autumn, he is given the great privilege of speaking in the Great Hall of Westminster, in the same building as the Houses of Parliament. In 1535, the then Chancellor of England (now called the Prime Minister) was Sir Thomas More. He was put on trial because he refused to acknowledge King Henry VIII as Head of the Church of England. More said that Jesus himself had given that commission to the apostle Peter, as we said above. The King wanted the Pope to annul his marriage with Queen Katherine of Aragon, but the Pope refused. Thomas More was condemned to death, in the same Great Hall of Westminster, and beheaded as a traitor. The Catholic Church has named him a saint and martyr.

To Pray

God our Father, shepherd and guide, look with love on Benedict, your servant, the pastor of your Church. May his word and example inspire and guide the Church, and may he, and all those entrusted to his care, come to the joy of everlasting life. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

To Read

‘The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the “rock” of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock. 400 “The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head.” 401 This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church’s very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope.’
Catechism of the Catholic Church 881. Click here to visit the Vatican VA website.

Redford, John: Bad, Mad, or God? Proving the Divinity of Christ from St.Johns Gospel. London, Saint Pauls, 2004. Catholic Basics, pp.35-41.

This article was written in 2010 by a member of the catechetical team at the Maryvale Institute.

The post What is a Pope and what does he do? appeared first on The Papal Visit .

By baptism, a ‘seed’ of holiness is placed into the soul of a baby or an adult. A saint is simply someone in whom that seed has come to full growth. That initial seed of holiness is God’s gift, and can’t be earned by any human endeavour. But God does wish us to co-operate with him, so that the seed will eventually flower and ‘bring forth much fruit’ (Jn. 15:5).

It would be a great mistake to suppose that all the saints are alike, as if they were mass-produced statues! For one thing, a person can become a saint in any walk of life, provided that it doesn’t involve sin (a rejection of God and goodness). A lawyer can become a saint – for example St Thomas More. A tramp can become a saint – for example, St Benedict Joseph Labre. A scientist can become a saint – for example St Albert the Great. A housewife can become a saint – for example, St Margaret Clitherow.

More than this, the saints are different in the very ‘style’ of their sanctity. It’s true that they all have all the virtues, since no one can have any true virtue to a high degree without having all the rest as well. But because the saints, like all of us, have varying temperaments and natural gifts, their holiness takes on a pattern unique to each one of them, just as a person’s fingerprints are unique to him. So some saints shine out by their pity for the poor and suffering, such as Mother Teresa of Calcutta, or St Damien of Molokai, who spent his life tending lepers on a remote island. Others may be outstanding for their insight into spiritual truths, such as St Thomas Aquinas, who is called ‘the Angelic Doctor’ because he seemed to think more clearly than a mere man could! Others again may impress us most by their zeal for God’s honour, like St Catherine of Siena, who humbly but firmly told the Pope that God wanted him to go back to Rome where he belonged and that he was not to be afraid of the consequences.

Many saints have worked miracles during their lives, for example raising the dead or multiplying food and drink for the needy. This shouldn’t surprise us, if we are believers in Christ, since he predicted to his disciples, ‘Amen, Amen, I say to you, he that believes in me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do, because I go to the Father’ (Jn. 14:12-3). However, it’s not part of the definition of a saint that he should have worked miracles during his life; rather, a saint is someone who has ‘heroic charity’, that is, an immense love for God, and for all that God wills.

Some saints start early, like St Thérèse of Lisieux, who as a little girl used to spend her Bank Holidays hiding in a curtain and thinking of God. Others leave it rather late, like St Ignatius of Loyola, who only started thinking of God when he had collided with a cannon ball. And others leave it very late indeed, like the ‘Good Thief’ on his cross (Lk. 23:39). But all have it in common that by the time they died, they had no other ambition, but to do God’s will, whatever it might be.

Here is a prayer of St Paul, asking that we may become saints:-

‘May you be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and the length and the height and depth; may you also know the charity of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God… Now to him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we can desire or understand, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph. 3:18-21)

To read

The Catholic Truth Society produces many small booklets on the lives of the saints, look on the Catholic Truth Society website.

To do

Find out about a particular saint that inspires you and try to copy his or her lifestyle. After all, he or she copied Christ.

Visit places where saints lived; e.g. St Bede in Jarrow, Northumberland, John Henry Newman founded the Oratory in Birmingham, and also lived at Maryvale House in the North of the city. There is a comprehensive list at the Britannia.com website.

This article was written in 2010 by a member of the catechetical team at the Maryvale Institute.

The post What is a saint? appeared first on The Papal Visit .