The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa, has called today to be a day of fasting, abstinence, and prayer for peace in Palestine and Israel. “Let us organize prayer times with Eucharistic adoration and with the recitation of the Rosary to Our Blessed Virgin Mary,” he wrote on a published statement. The Cardinal laments that many communities under his care will be unable to gather in large numbers, but encourages them to gather as parishes, religious communities and families. The... Read more
The Synod, turmoil, and misunderstandings
After a heated debate and vote in October 1963 on whether a newly written document on the Virgin Mary should be kept separate or be incorporated into Lumen Gentium, the Vatican 2 document that dives into the nature of the Church, the New York Times ran the headline, “Council Votes to Downgrade Mary.” This headline gave an impression incongruent with what actually happened at the Second Vatican Council, and in particular at that specific debate. The bishops of the Council voted that there... Read more