Cardinal Bertone in the Figaro Magazine
BERTONE: "FAITH AND REASON ARE NOT OPPOSED”
Benedict XVI has just published an Apostolic Exhortation, "Sacramentum caritatis" (the sacrament of love), dedicated to the Eucharist. The text emphasises the sacred dimension of the Catholic liturgy...
The Pope has often explained that the real aim of the reform sought by
the Second Vatican Council was to put God back at the centre of the liturgy and
to enable the Christian people to understand the meaning of the great rites.
Vatican II wanted to preserve the intrinsic value of the liturgy, while
allowing the faithful to participate in the celebration of the divine
sacrifice. The Holy Father therefore asks the bishops, priests and faithful to
truly apply the texts of the Council, for example through the use of Latin and
Gregorian, which the reform of Paul VI never proscribed, but on the contrary,
wanted to keep in their rightful and important place.
Why did Cardinal Ratzinger, and now Pope Benedict XVI, so often condemn
interpretations of the liturgy that were considered abusive?
Unfortunately, the application of the Council's major orientations has
been subject to more or less erroneous translations, leading to notable
impoverishments. The fruits of the
Council's liturgical reform are nonetheless considerable. It is true that abuses must be combated
because part of the Christian people may have drifted away from the Church
because of these errors. The errors are not in the texts of the Council, but in
the behaviour of those who have tried to interpret the liturgical reform of
Vatican II as they saw fit.
Is a decree extending the possibility of celebrating Mass in Latin
according to the pre-Vatican II rite (the so-called St. Pius V Mass) still
planned?
The value of the Conciliar reform is intact. However, both in order not to lose the great
liturgical patrimony given by St. Pius V and in order to accede to the wishes
of the faithful who want to attend Masses according to this rite, within the
framework of the Missal published in 1962 by Pope John XXIII, with its own
calendar, there is no valid reason not to give priests all over the world the
right to celebrate according to this form. The authorisation of the Supreme Pontiff would
obviously leave the rite of Paul VI fully valid. The publication of the motu
proprio specifying this authorisation will take place, but it will be the Pope
himself who will explain his motives and the framework of his decision. The
Supreme Pontiff will personally give his vision of the use of the old Missal to
the Christian people, and in particular to the bishops.
In Western Europe, the Church is experiencing a major crisis in priestly
and religious vocations. How can we stop
the fall?
Contrary to popular belief, it should be remembered that there have
always been periods of vocational crisis, followed by periods of recovery. If the current crisis dates back to 1965 and
following years, its amplitude was very different from one country to another. Today, we see clear signs of renewal. In
Italy, many dioceses are experiencing a definite increase in vocations. I also have the feeling that the new vocations
are stronger and more mature than in other times.
Doesn't one of the reasons for the drop in the number of ordinations lie
in the lack of attraction, and perhaps of solidity, of the intellectual and
spiritual formation of future priests in diocesan seminaries, particularly in
France?
Indeed, the formation of future priests is fundamental. The curriculum of seminarians must include an
excellent understanding of the priestly virtues, in particular celibacy, prayer
and unconditional consecration to Christ. Seminary superiors are obliged to reflect on
the importance of formation in authentic prayer life. Furthermore, vocation promotion must be
constant. There has been a certain
amount of complacency in this area, which is totally unacceptable and
surprising to say the least. In my former diocese of Genoa, I have memories of
young people who gave up future brilliant professional careers to enter the
seminary with the idea of helping the Church and the Pope to change the world.
These young people are shining models, and their development in the service of
the Church should be given as an example.
It seems that the Holy See is facing persistent difficulties with the
media world. Many analysts even point to a certain difficulty the Church has in
communicating...
We are indeed faced with an extremely serious problem. The Church's messages are subject to a form of
manipulation and falsification on the part of a certain number of Western
media. I observe a fixation of certain
journalists on moral themes, such as abortion or homosexual unions, which are
of course very important issues, but which in no way summarise the thinking and
work of the Church. It is clear that the press gives little coverage to the
social and charitable activities of thousands of Catholic organisations around
the world. Why this deafening silence? If
we think back to the Pope's speech in Regensburg, I do not understand the error
of the media, which never stressed that the Holy Father's words were not
specifically about Islam, that the central theme of his speech was that of God
present at the centre of social life, a society without God being destined to
self-destruction. Benedict XVI's thinking has been neatly obscured. The commentators who isolate phrases in a
fallacious extrapolation of things are engaging in a dishonest exercise of
their profession.
Archbishop of Genoa, you have made some very virulent comments against
the book and the film "Da Vinci Code". In retrospect, how do you
judge this phenomenon?
We are now seeing the same type of attack with James Cameron's film,
which claims to have found the ossuary of Christ and his family. This is a strategy against the Church and
against the divine figure of Christ. These
campaigns seek to undermine the faith of the Christian people and the trust of
the faithful in the Church. In the case
of The Da Vinci Code, it was impossible, even in the context of a work of
fiction, to leave unanswered such inventions and stupidities, which have as
their sole source the greediest malice. The
apocryphal hospels, to which these films or books refer, are not, as some would
have us believe, a contemporary discovery. Most of these texts have been known
since antiquity. The oldest apocryphal
gospels date back to the third century AD, while the most recent ones date back
to the second century AD. The oldest apocryphal Gospels date back to the third
century AD, while the Gospels recognised by the Church were written, at the
latest, a few decades after the life, death and resurrection of Christ. Authors
who seek to confuse these two sources are taking advantage of religious ignorance.
The Church must therefore take back in
hand the organisation of catechesis, renew the preaching of its pastors and
systematically denounce the lies. The
Holy Father sums up this struggle perfectly when he explains that we have a
duty to affirm together the historical, philosophical and theological reasons
for the faith.
Why does Benedict XVI give the fight against relativism such an
important place?
Denouncing the ravages of relativism is a historic challenge for the
Church. As a society that considers that
nothing really matters and that everything is equal can no longer recognise an
absolute truth, or even share universal values. The Pope wants to recall the importance of
natural law, on which the norms of the international community are based. The Nuremberg trial could not have taken place
without the basis of a recognised natural morality, which precedes other laws. In the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul writes
that this morality is inscribed in the human heart. Relativism must be combated by seeking to make
explicit the true link between faith and reason: faith and reason are not
opposed.
Doesn't the introduction of a new religion on European soil, with Islam,
represent another new challenge for the Church?
Multi-culturalism is now a fact in a number of European countries,
especially France. The Church takes note of this and naturally intends to
confront this situation. The Catholic
and Christian presence in Europe presupposes an unabashed affirmation of our
identity. We thus return to the
imperative need for catechesis and education, especially moral education. Europe's Christian roots are above all
spiritual and moral reference points. The
knowledge of what we are allows us to confront and dialogue with other cultures
and other visions of man. In his speech in Regensburg, the Holy Father made it
clear that a healthy confrontation with Islam is not only a de facto necessity
but a requirement in order to understand the principles that can unite us, as
well as our differences. Beyond the vain polemic that followed this speech,
many thinkers of Islam perceived positively this invitation of the Pope to
confront our two systems.
In our secular societies, what place can the Church have in the public
space?
Secularism is the autonomy of the civil and political sphere from the
religious sphere, not from morality. I
regret that some states, particularly France, were so opposed to the inclusion
of Christian roots in the unfinished draft European Constitution. Secularism should not be confused with
secularism. Faith is not a private
matter: it affects all aspects of the life of the city. In France, faith has been the driving force
behind immense social and charitable works, such as the Society of Saint
Vincent de Paul and Catholic Relief Services. Faith therefore requires great
visibility.
What are the particular memories you have of your long association with
the Holy Father? In your opinion, what
are the outstanding features of his personality?
Benedict XVI is first of all a great thinker, an authentic intellectual, who can nevertheless express his thoughts in very clear words. As Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he used to say that he was first and foremost a protector of the Faith of the simple, against all the obscure systems of the intellectualists. The Pope wants to protect the Faith of the people first. I often hear the humorous comment that the faithful used to come to see the great Pope John Paul II, but now they come to hear Benedict XVI... The Holy Father is a very gentle man, very affable and always cordial. He cultivates friendship. When I worked with him at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I realised that he had an absolutely extraordinary network of friends from all walks of life and all religions. As he walked across St Peter's Square to his office, young people always came up to him to talk freely about their lives, about faith and about God.
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