Catholic Fire

July 31st marks the Feast Day of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits. As Pope, Benedict XVI talked about the strong spirituality of the saint, who he described as a man who always put God first. BENEDICT XVI April 22, 2006 "St. Ignatius of Loyola was first and foremost a man of God. In his life, God was first. His greatest glory and his greatest service came first. He was a profoundly prayerful man from whom the daily celebration of the Eucharist was the heart and crowning point of his day. Thus, he left his followers a precious spiritual legacy that must not be lost or forgotten. Precisely because he was a man of God, St. Ignatius was a faithful servant of the Church, in which he saw and venerated the Bride of the Lord and the Mother of Christians. And from his desire to serve the Church in the most beneficial way possible, was born the special vow of obedience to the Pope, which he himself describes as "our first and principal foundation.” The Order was establ...

February 11, 2013: The day started off just like any other. At 11.00 a.m. Pope Benedict XVI met with cardinals to announce three canonizations. But Benedict XVI added another item to the list...one that would forever mark the Catholic Church. BENEDICT XVI "Due to an advanced age, I am no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.” The 85 year-old Pope had announced his resignation. Cardinals seemed shock and confused. At that point, they were the only ones who knew. Them along with a handful of journalists covering the meeting. Just moments later, at 11.46 a.m, two news agencies broke the story within the same minute.  French Agency,  I Media and Ansa. But still, the world media was somewhat skeptical, until the Vatican announced a press conference at  roughly 12:07 Rome time. The hours that followed, the story ran like wildfire. During that press conference, at roughly 1 pm, it was announced, that at the end of the month the Pope would go ...

Dr. Taylor Marshall (one of my favorite bloggers) sums up the new Encylical Lumen Fidei   (Latin for "The Light of Faith") written by both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis in 15 simple points: He begins with referring to Nietzsche as the pioneer of non-faith for our era. Consequently, "humanity renounced the search for a great light, Truth itself." He then refers to Dante, who in the Divine Comedy, after professing his faith to Saint Peter, describes that light as a "spark, which then becomes a burning flame and like a heavenly star within me glimmers." The encyclical builds on Saint Peter's initial faith when he said, "You are Christ, the Son of the Living God!" Next, he traces the history of faith from Abraham and up on through the Hebrews of the Old Testament. The Incarnation reveals the ultimate object of faith - Jesus Christ. "In many areas in our lives we trust others who know more than we do. We trust the architect wh...

April 29, 2013. (Romereports.com) The spokesperson for the Vatican, Father Federico Lombardi, confirmed that Benedict XVI will likely return to the Vatican at about midday on May 2. The Pope emeritus has been staying at Castel Gandolfo for the past two months, as crews finished work on the Mater Ecclesie convent to turn it into the new home for Benedict XVI. Joining him back at the Vatican will also be four consecrated women, Memores Domini, a part of Communion and Liberation, that help Benedict XVI in his daily life, as well as his personal secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, who will continue in his role as Prefect of the Pontifical Household. It is also very likely that the convent will also house the Pope emeritus' brother, Georg Ratzinger, who is also a priest and Benedict's only living family member.

February 28, 2013. (Romereports.com) It was the first time ever a Pope's farewell was televised live. Benedict XVI left his home inside the Vatican joined by cardinals Angelo Comastri and Agostino Vallini. At about 5 p.m., before getting in the car that would take him to the helicopter, he said goodbye to the staff at the Vatican.   At 5:05 p.m., as the bells at St. Peter's Basilica rang out across the Square, the helicopter took off towards Castel Gandolfo. The ride took Benedict XVI across the Eternal City, taking a detour along some of the major landmarks, like the Colosseum and the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Upon arriving at Castel Gandolfo, the Pope was welcomed by Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, the bishop of Albano, as well as the town mayor. A small caravan took him to the the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo at about 5:30 p.m. Thousands of pilgrims, donned with banners, thank you signs and flags, cheered on the last few words of Benedict XVI as Pope. BENED...

February 24, 2013. (Romereports.com) It was the last time that Benedict XVI appeared before his studio window to lead the Angelus as Pope. It's estimated that about 200,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square to thank the Pope for his eight year Pontificate. Some came with banners to thank the Pope and be part of history. With only days left as Pope, Benedict XVI clearly spoke about his retirement. In Italian he said, God is asking me to serve the Church in a way that's more appropriate for my age and strength.  BENEDICT XVI “The Lord is calling me 'out to the mountain' to devote more time to prayer and meditation, but this does not mean I'm abandoning the Church. In fact, if God is asking this of me, it's precisely to continue serving the Church with the same dedication and love with which I have served so far, but in a way that's more suited for my age and strength.” The Pope's Angelus was repeatedly interrupted by applause and che...

February 21, 2013. (Romereports.com)  Young people from across the world contributed to a video to give thanks to Benedict XVI. Titled “For a young man of 85,” they thanked the Pope for his generosity, for beatifying John Paul II, for his affection and his humility. The young participants also thank him for his example, his visits to other countries and the three World Youth Days held during his pontificate.

February 21, 2013. (Romereports.com) Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesperson, released more details about the last public appearance for Benedict XVI as Pope. It will take place on Wednesday, February 27 at St. Peter's Square and will follow the structure of a regular general audience.   However, a much larger number of pilgrims are expected to attend. So far, they Vatican has received 30,000 requests for the seated areas of the square. His last general audience will promptly begin at 10:30, as is usual. Before it starts, Benedict XVI will quickly ride through the square on the Popemobile to greet the pilgrims. First, there will be the day's reading of the Gospel, and after, the catechesis by Benedict XVI in several languages. FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI Vatican Spokesperson “There won't be a particular or complex structure. Father Sapienza says it won't even last longer that usual. He thinks it will be done by midday.” During the conference, Lombardi also...

February 20, 2013. (Romereports.com) Ever since Benedict XVI announced his resignation, the most active Catholics online have launched initiatives to show their support. One of them titled “Give Thanks,” an idea from Regnum Christi and the Legion of Christ, to show their support for Benedict XVI through Facebook and Twitter. It allows them to share experiences, videos, photos, and other initiatives to thank him, or even pray for the Pope. Using the hashtag #2BXVI they encourage users to write a message to the Pope on Wednesday, February 20 at 8 p.m. local time in Rome. The organizing group is analyzing the possibility of repeating the virtual event until February 28, the last day of Benedict XVI as Pope.

Vatican City, 20 February 2013 (VIS) – Fourteen texts with an anthropological theme written by Joseph Ratzinger between 1972 and 2005―before being elected Pope―are being published in the volume "Joseph Ratzinger in Communio: Anthropology and Culture (Michigan/Cambridge, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2013), edited by David L. Schindler and Nicholas J. Healy. The texts―articles and contributions―address, among others, themes such as humanity between reproduction and creation; Jesus Christ today; the meaning of Sunday; hope, technological security understood as a problem of social ethics; and God in John Paul II's "Crossing the Threshold of Hope". As reported by "L'Osservatore Romano", the connecting theme in the Pope's writings is that they been published or re-edited in the American edition of the international Catholic periodical "Communio". This is the second volume dedicated to Joseph Ratzinger's texts, the first of which, ...

O Lord Jesus Christ, Supreme Pastor of Your Church, we thank you for the ministry of Pope Benedict XVI and the selfless care with which he has led us as Successor of Peter, and Your Vicar on earth. Good Shepherd, who founded Your Church on the rock of Peter’s faith and have never left Your flock untended, look with love upon us now, and sustain Your Church in faith, hope, and charity. Grant, Lord Jesus, in Your boundless love for us, a new Pope for Your Church who will please You by his holiness and lead us faithfully to You, who are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen. Pledge to Pray here.

February 18, 2013. (Romereports.com) This week, Benedict XVI will not be seen in public. On Sunday afternoon he began a spiritual retreat, to reflect on the first week of Lent. These spiritual exercises have become part of a tradition now, where the Pope stops all activities and gathers in prayer with other members of the Roman Curia. But of course, this time around the retreat coincides with the last days of his pontificate, making it even more appealing to the public. Italian Cardinal, Gianfranco Ravasi will be leading the spiritual exercises. CARD. GIANFRANCO RAVASI President, Pontifical Council for Culture “We begin these days with great excitement. They are days of solitude, silence, meditation,with all my brothers and friends here present. We come to show our affection, of our gratitude, and our admiration.” Cardinal Ravasi is an active user of the social networking sites, especially Twitter. So he has decided to write posts that summarize the key messages of the day. ...

February 17, 2013. (Romereports.com) In his second to last Angelus, the Pope greeted thousands of pilgrims, as he looked over his studio window in St. Peter's Square. The Pope gave his catechesis on Lent, but with thousands of people there, he also thanked them for their prayers these last few days. BENEDICT XVI “Let me also thank you for the prayers and support you have shown me in these days. May God bless all of you! ” To say farewell to Benedict XVI, thousands of pilgrims made their way to St. Peter's square to witness one of the Pope's last public events. Among cheers and applause, people held banners thanking the Pope for his eight year pontificate. In his catechesis he talked about how Jesus was tempted out in the desert. He also explained the true meaning of Lent. BENEDICT XVI “The Church, which is our mother and teacher, calls all its members to a spiritual renewal. A call to refocus our energy towards God, leaving behind pride and selfishness to inst...

February 14, 2013. (Romereports.com) The Pope met for the last time with the priests from Rome during a memorable gathering where he improvised several remarks and memories about the Second Vatican Council.   The Pope was welcomed with great applause. He thanked the priests for their support and told them that he would always be close to them. BENEDICT XVI “Even though I will retire in prayer, I am sure you all will always be close to me, although I will remain hidden from the world.” Afterward, with relative ease, he summed up his memories on the key points of the Second Vatican Council. He highlighted the intense work of the delegates and the value of the documents they drafted. But he warned that it was also the “Council of the media” that many times made wrong interpretations. BENEDICT XVI “We know that this “council of the media” was accessible to anyone, so this made it more efficient in creating more calamities and problems and much misery: closed seminaries, cl...

February 14, 2013. (Romereports.com) The Vatican spokesperson, Father Federico Lombardi, confirmed that the papal secretary, Msgr. Georg Gaenswein, will follow Benedict XVI when he withdraws to Castel Gandolfo. He will then move to the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery inside the Vatican, along with the housekeeping staff that tended to the Pope in the last seven years. Georg Gaenwein will remain prefect of the Pontifical Household, and will organize the schedule for the new Pope, however he has no decision making authority in the process. FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI Vatican Spokesperson  “Msgr. Georg Gaenswein will travel along with the Pope to Castel Gandolfo and the monastery, and will continue to assist him personally, and also the Memores Domini.” About the start of the conclave, Lombardi doesn't expect it to begin during the first half of March. According to Canon Law, it must begin 15 to 20 days after the start of the Sede Vacante period. FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI Vatican Spok...

At the end of the Holy Father’s last public Mass as Bishop of Rome.  This is so beautiful it may bring tears to your eyes. H/T: Father Z.

February 13, 2013. (Romereports) “I thank you all for the love and prayers that have accompanied me. Thank you," said the Pope. "In these difficult days, I've felt almost physically, the power of prayer that comes through the love for the Church and your personal prayers. Continue to pray for me, for the Church and the future Pope. The Lord will guide.” Looking calm and serene, Benedict XVI led his first public appearance, after announcing his resignation. Before a full crowd, he once again said he made the decision with complete liberty.  He echoed Monday's statement by saying that he  does not have the strength to carry out the office. Then he continued with his weekly catechesis, on  Ash Wednesday. He talked about the temptation Jesus experienced when He was in the desert. In today's modern world, said the Pope, the temptation is to push faith aside and seek false solutions. BENEDICT XVI “While the Lord continues to raise up examples of radical co...