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Vatican is rocked by Cardinal Martini’s damning words from beyond the grave
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One of Italy’s most revered cardinals has stunned the Catholic Church by issuing a damning indictment of the institution from the grave, calling for its “transformation”.
Hours after Milan’s former archbishop, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, passed away on Friday at the age of 85, the leading daily paper ‘Corriere della Sera’ printed his final interview, in which he attacks the church — and by implication its leadership — for being “200 years out of date”.
“Our culture has aged, our churches are big and empty and the church bureaucracy rises up, our rituals and our cassocks are pompous,” the cardinal said.
“The church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change, starting from the Pope and the bishops. The paedophilia scandals oblige us to take a journey of transformation.”
Church insiders believe he wished for the interview to be published following his death.
Cardinal Martini, who was on the liberal wing of the church hierarchy, was once tipped to succeed as Pope.
His chances of being elected fell away when he revealed he was suffering from a rare form of Parkinson’s disease and he retired in 2002.
Instead, the ultraconservative German cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was chosen to be Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 following the death of John Paul II. [More]
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Independent News Service/Belfast Telegraph
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28 Comments
The good Czrdinal wasn’t talking only about the Church we know in America. Just take a look at Ireland! Where the lavender mafia hasn’t been discovered it remains hidden in the closet, preying on the innocent, and relying on fear to hide the truth from those in the pews. The need for transformation is an understatement.
Blessings to all of you who have lived…..possibly, all of your lives as Catholics, or came to us, knowing that your Faith Journey lead you to us to continue knowing and following our Lord!
Since Vatican II, I believe we continue to truly discover why Jesus came to us, lived and lives with us, and calls ALL of us to be his Presence in our world today and always. WE continue this journey with the our Lord guiding us. John XXIII and Vatican II, I believe, reminded us of that presence in each of our lives and his example of living – For Him, With Him, and In Him, with the Gifts and Graces of the Eucharist each of us receives and hopefully shares with all our Creator’s Children.
WE are the Church! How wondrous that The Cardinal “spoke,” even in his passing, of that Calling!
A wonderful friend, who also has shared the call to Priesthood and has and continues to live that call, challenged all of us close to him with some profound (at least to me) thoughts. We do not need a Vatican III. We are still discovering the Gifts and Graces of Vatican II. We need a “Re-Formation!”
“Follow me, where I go, what I do and who I know. Make it part of you to be a part of me.” I pray that each of us decides to be blessed by and lives those words.
Peace and Thanks to you, His Followers!
Freckles; Thank you for your up- lifting message…Blessings
Here’s what I think people concerned with growing conservatism in the Church and its insistence on blind, thoughtless obedience should do: never give another cent, not one, to Peter’s Pence or any Diocesan drives. None. Make them sweat which might make them stop and think. I give to my local parish and to other Church-related organizations whose goals are more in synch with mine. If enough people who were concerned with the growing trend of general all-round nastiness that seems to be coming out of the hierarchy would do this, maybe they would re-think things. I read things coming forth from Rome and Diocesan HQ’s and I think, “Where is the love?”. Where is the compassion of
Christ? I am dismayed more and more to see what resembles a gang of bullies. Legitimate authority is one thing; this is something else.
No money until they stop and really listen. They don’t have to agree but they must respect that we are all doing the best we can to observe our consciences. And primacy of conscience trumps all.
Hey,it is the old pay,pray, & obey philosophy. Until you people who complain by words take no actions it is not going to change. Start your own Mass as the Apostles did. Take the Church back to the beginning before all this Roman Empire “stuff” gave the boy’s joy filled chills. Enough with your words lets see action.
It is a shame a Prince of the Church felt he could only utter these words from beyond the grave. He knew full well he would be ridiculed by you who believe that one has to blindly follow those in power. And to you also who think your so called pope is right all the time. Sad really, that so many of you have given up your right to think for yourselves and use that God given gift of free will to decide who your leaders really are. Sad but true.
It truly is sad Thomas. Under the current leadership – silence is the only type of objection that is tolerated. There is no discussion. No exchange of ideas. No freedom. Which also means that there is no respect for the working of the Holy Spirit. Cardinal Martini acknowledged the empty churches – and they will even more empty – mostly because the compassion, love, respect, humility and humble service are empty from the Vatican.
Are some of our conservative bloggers implying Blessed John XXIII was a mistake and not a pope inspired by the Spirit?
I think if some had their way they would wipe him from the history books. They don’t get it.
The “some” who would like to wipe Pope John XXIII from the history books were the last couple of authoritarian dictator popes and their awful curia.
Christian living in this world is a transforming experience for all who attempt it. Whether a person is right-wing, left-wing, or middle-of-the-bird, changes (in the plural) are required. Unfortunately, the church power structure has never been overly friendly to calls for change, especially calls which would require the church to return to the message of its founder. As with so many of life’s endeavours, anger brings trouble to the church, and pride keeps it there and makes it worse.
Cardinal Martini, ever the scripture man, saw this from his reading of Philippians 2. Our church needs to see it too, and make the indicated changes, just as the cardinal advocated.
Well said, Andrew & Jerry.
God’s hand is choosing Pope Benedict is clearly seen in light of these comments. The church must never give in to modernism.
Trishs, are you suggesting that we don’t address the needs of our modern world and communicate with it, in an intellegent and understanding and appealing manner? Shall we take no account of scientific discoveries, technological advanes and a wider diffusion of knowledge. Shall we close the windows to the world which Blessed Pope John XXIII opened. I think not.
God’s hand? Or the politicking and deal-making at the Vatican?
The church has lost a great man. He has spoken the truth indeed. His statement that,”Our churchs are big and empty, our cassocks are pompous.” The church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change starting with the Pope and the Bishops.” Case and point, I was sent pictures of Cardinal Burk dressed in medieval robes, a trail of cloth 30 feet behind him, one picture of him with a miter 6 feet high. The Pope dresses in the same robes. From an American prespective,It is horrifying. As I am writing this, I see a beautiful statue of Jesus on his knees washing the feet of Peter. Theses Bishops can’t wait to get the best gold chains, rings. They live in their own ivory tower and world. There is a war in the church between the conservatives who want to return to pre-Vation 11 like the pope and Burk, ewtn, Franciscans of the Renewal., and the progressive catholics. The divide is getting worse
Thank you Joseph Francis for your observation and brilliant words, really in many ways the “boys” club in Rome is more and more of an embarrassment and a laughing stock and becoming more irrelevant. The cardinal was right
Well put Joseph Francis. We can only hope that the words of Cardinal Martini will give courage to some of the Bishops, Cardinals and Priests who are afraid to speak out and help them hold on to a vision of Church that is more in line with the teachings of Jesus.
Tony, you are very right – Rome is becoming more and more irrelevant. Everyone sees it except for them.
Too many in the Church want their authority felt, and they want to laud their power over others. I believe Jesus warned true followers against such behavior.
You know what they say about Bishops with big mitres – - – they have big egos.
Pray for renewal.
It occurs to me though that the progressive world hasn’t exactly been a bed of roses, in America at least. The Baby Boomer hippies destroyed marriage with divorce, it has largely been baby boomer priests who actually committed the abuse while rebelling against the vow of celibacy, the virtue of chastity has been entirely removed from secular society to the detriment of all. With such destruction coming from the so called progressives, is it any wonder that among many who actually know history, that progress itself is becoming suspect?
It is hardly the progressives in the church that has destroyed marriage but rather our culture that has permitted divorce, there were many pre baby boomer priests who abused their vows and the virtue of chastity suffered a lot during the unrest of the 60′s.
Ted, you are so wrong. The abuses did not start with the baby boomers – they have been going on for some time. The fac is that the Church leadership has become like the scribes and pharisees – they pay lip service. They cry out to legislate morality but they do not practice it. They want laws instead of working for conversion – as Jesus did. One prime example is the practice towrds abortion. The Church is so intant on getting laws passed to outlaw abortion instead of doing everything they can to make abortion a non-choice. How much money is spent on lobbyists by the church? How much money is spent on the March on Washington each January? In proprtion, how much is spent to help women and young girls who believe that abortion is their only alternative so that they might know that there are other alternatives. No, the church wants a law – and then good bye and good luck. I can’t remember one instannce of Jesus organizing a demonstration against the abuses of the government. He acted – one person at a time. The church cares that they been seen as powerful in wordly terms – not powerful in the gifts of God.
Concerned you are a welcomed breath of fresh air, thank you for your input.
One might wonder why Vatican II was even called. How can the will of a handful of prideful, control-freak men undo what took four years and hundreds of people from all religious faiths to accomplish? The state of our church is truly sad.
Thank God this man did not become pope. That’s in no way meant to be insensitive to his death all you Andrew haters out there. Cardinal Martiny deserves thanks for following his heart into the priesthood despite his mistakes as he got older. God chose John Paul II and Benedict XVI for a reason: their uncompromising support for Church teaching despite what the culture thinks.
Again, popes are not chosen by God; they are chosen by pompous, human men. In the earlier days of the church, the laity were part of choosing the pope. The idea that cardinals should be the only electors came much later.
I had an opportunity to know this holy and pastoral manwho deeply and passionately loved the Body of Christ. May he rest in peace.I had only wished he had spoken these words, and respoken them, while he was alive.
I always admired Cardinal Martini and mourn his passing. May his vision and hopes for our Church soon be realized.
The Church is formed to the Word of Jesus Christ, not the vision of any man or the world. The only “damning indictment” in Cardinal Martini’s final words is of his own beliefs.
I beg to differ! Unfortunately, the church is most certainly formed according to the vision of the guy whose wins. Take a look at the last 50 years and the choke-hold the post-Vatican II popes have had on the direction of the church! The Ecumenical Council of 1962-1965 held so much hope for the future and look what we ended up with!