Potpourri of Popery, Lateran Dedication Edition

The occasion of a church's dedication is a feast day for all its parishioners, so today, the feast of the Pope's cathedral, is a feast day for us all. The original structure dates back to Constantine --it was a castle belonging to his wife, Fausta, later given as a gift to Pope for his personal residence. It's dedicated to Christ the Savior (and secondarily to the two St. Johns --Baptist & Evangelist). Five great ecumenical councils were held here, and it was the center of Christianity for a long time (the popes lived there from 324 until the Avignon period). Notable features are the actual "cathedra" --episcopal throne-- of the Holy Father, the presence of the "holy steps" by which Christ ascended to Pilate's praetorium (brought from Jerusalem by St. Helen), and a famous baptistry. The altar on which St. Peter celebrated mass is enclosed within the main altar.

[Update: in comments, Rueful Red remarks they don't make statues like the one of St. Bartholomew holding his flayed skin anymore. You'll find it here at St. John's]

Popery:
Sunday's Angelus was about Zaccheus, but he worked in a comment about St. Charles Borromeo, whose feast it was, too:

Once more the Gospel tells us that love, flowing from the heart of God and working through the heart of man, is the force that renews the world.

This truth shines forth in a singular way in the witness of the saint whose feast falls on this day: Charles Borromeo, archbishop of Milan. The figure of St. Charles rises up in the 16th century as the model of the pastor known for his exemplarity in charity, doctrine, apostolic zeal and above all prayer: "We conquer souls," he said, "on our knees."

He prayed in a particular way for peace to hold between Turkey & Northern Iraq. It's always notable to whom he speaks --people, not politicians, in this case:

I cannot forget that in that region numerous people, fleeing from the uncertainty and terrorism that have made life in Iraq difficult in these years, have found refuge. Precisely for the good of these people, among whom are many Christians, I strongly desire that all the parties involved work for peaceful solutions.

I desire, furthermore, that the relations among the migrant populations and the local populations develop in the spirit of that high moral civility that is the fruit of spiritual and cultural values of every people and country. May those who are in favor of security and hospitality know how to use the appropriate means to guarantee the rights and duties that are the foundation of all true common life and encounters among peoples.

Wednesday's Audience was B16's treatment of the hope of all of us hotheaded commentators, St. Jerome. The Pope didn't call special attention to it, but I always think it's interesting, pace the feminists, how seriously women were taken in the early Church, as evidenced by the fact that someone like Jerome was happy to have them as disciples:

Some members of the Roman aristocracy, above all noblewomen such as Paola, Marcella, Asella, Lea and others, desired to commit themselves to the way of Christian perfection and to deepen their knowledge of the Word of God, and they chose him to be their spiritual guide and teacher in the method to read sacred texts. These women also learned Greek and Hebrew themselves.

The Pope highlights Jerome's ideas about scripture and the principles of translation:

he respected even the order of words in sacred Scripture, because "even the order of the words is a mystery," that is, a revelation.
He also reiterated the need to turn to the original texts: "Whenever a question is raised among the Latins regarding the New Testament due to discordant readings of the texts, we must turn to the original, that is, the Greek text in which the New Testament was first written. Likewise for the Old Testament, if there are divergences between the Greek and Latin texts, let us turn to the original text in Hebrew. In this way, "we will be able to find in the rivulets everything that flows from the spring" (Ep. 106,2).

I didn't know about St. Jerome's interest in literature --the Pope draws it out-- but then he concludes with what we might expect: principles for reading Scripture well.

What can we learn from St. Jerome? Above all I think it is this: to love the word of God in sacred Scripture. St. Jerome said, "To ignore Scripture is to ignore Christ." That is why it is important that every Christian live in contact and in personal dialogue with the word of God, given to us in sacred Scripture.

This dialogue should be of two dimensions. On one hand, it should be truly personal, because God speaks to each of us through sacred Scripture and has a message for each of us. We shouldn't read sacred Scripture as a word from the past, but rather as the word of God addressed even to us, and we must try to understand what the Lord is telling us.

And so we don't fall into individualism, we must also keep in mind that the word of God is given to us in order to build communion, to unite us in the truth along our way to God. Therefore, despite the fact that it is always a personal word, it is also a word that builds community, and that builds the Church itself. Therefore, we should read it in communion with the living Church.

• Here's the address to Catholic pharmacists discussed last week.
• The Pope also celebrated a mass for cardinals deceased during the past year, with his typical lovely homily. (Spanish)
• And released a letter on the importance of St. John Chrysostom, for which I can't yet find a text.
• And, in an historic first, received Saudi King Abdullah (who presented the Holy Father with a sword) in audience.
  

Potpourri:

• Japan: Cardinal Hamao succumbs to cancer.
• Saudi Arabia: how did King Abdullah's Vatican visit play in the Arab media? The Apostolic Vicar for Arabia comments.
  
• Spain: a martyr's letter to his girlfriend. The author was beatified Oct. 28.
• U.S.: Cacciaguida congratulates the USCCB for this ad supporting the "Mexico City Policy." But notes its the redoubtable Knights of Columbus who paid for it. And we have a new ambassador to the Vatican (designated): Mary Ann Glendon. Fr. Neuhaus is delighted by the appointment but less than pleased with the reportage surrounding it.
  

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