The New Normal

Red Hats and Gold Rings.

The stuff that this blog is made of.

That is why on this special occasion --- the creation of Pope Francis’ “First Class” ---  a new blog entry is definitely in order.

Come to think of it, there are many reasons why I should be writing about this Consistory.

For one, there is a Filipino in this batch -- Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, OMI, the Archbishop of Cotabato.

The last time a Filipino Cardinal was created Cardinal was on November 24, 2012, the Solemnity of Christ, the King of the Universe. 

It was the “surprise” consistory of Benedict XVI’s pontificate.  

Aside from being the second Ordinary Public Consistory for the Creation of Cardinals within the same year, it was one with the least number of Cardinals named.   

It was also his last.

(Looking back, that highly irregular Consistory was justified when he announced his resignation three months later. Aside from making sure that the number of Cardinal-Electors was at a maximum, he also wanted certain bishops to be in the Conclave that would elect his successor.) 

Of course, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila,

“Asia’s Rising Star” and a  papabile in the 2013 Conclave, was named in that Consistory.  Who could forget how Cardinal Chito wept...and how a fatherly Benedict XVI consoled him?

(Did I mention I was in a train to Florence when the names of the 6 Cardinals-designate in that Consistory were announced on October 24, 2012? I didn't think so.)

Anyway, back to Quevedo.

Well, what about him?

Much has already been written about this almost 75 year old archbishop since Pope Francis announced his name as part of the first batch of Cardinals of his pontificate.

He is the 8^th Filipino cardinal. 

He is the first from the conflict-torn region of Mindanao in Southern Philippines, which is dominated by our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Described as an intellectual heavyweight, he became President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and Secretary General of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.

He comes from the “peripheries of the world,” not the traditional cardinalatial sees, and therefore, represents the poor.

His colleagues regard him as a "cardinal of peace."

And that, in a nutshell, sums up Orlando Cardinal Quevedo.

Here are screen grabs of Cardinal Quevedo’s creation as cardinal, courtesy of EWTN.

Aside from Quevedo, another Sacred College "inductee" worth mentioning is the successor of Pope Francis as Archbishop of Buenos Aires --- Mario Aurelio Poli.

Aside from working with him in Argentina, Vaticanistas say Francis sees himself in Cardinal Poli in terms of pastoral approach and way-of-life.  

Perhaps it is no coincidence that Poli was given the titular church of S. Roberto Bellarmine, Pope Francis' assigned church in Rome, when he was still Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio.

But what was most noteworthy and unexpected about today’s Consistory was not the low key or lackluster celebration of this otherwise pomp and pageant-filled ceremony.

Although journalists covering the beat obviously tried to exercise restraint, one could not help but notice the coverage given to someone who may have stolen everyone's thunder.

Enter....

...the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI.

To be sure, this is nothing unusual, especially since Benedict XVI has made several appearances, whether in public or through the media, ever since he stepped down from the Chair of St. Peter, which, incidentally is the Feast being commemorated today.

However, this was his first joint liturgical appearance with Pope Francis.  For lack of a better adjective, this is obviously another FIRST in an already long list of firsts in this Papacy as well as in the Church's history.

In deference to Pope Francis, who greeted the Pope Emeritus as he entered and exited the Basilica for the ceremony, comments in social media, news photos, and live broadcast videos of Benedict XVI were kept at a minimum.

Yeah right.

In case you missed it, here's a preview of that "minimum coverage."

Here is Benedict XVI being escorted by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Cardinal Sodano, and the Prefect of the Papal Household (and Papa Benedetto's live-in personal secretary), Archbishop Georg Ganswein.  

Here's the Pope Emeritus being flanked by Cardinals, about a hundred fifty or so of them, who attended the Consistory in preparation for the Synod on the Family convoked by Pope Francis in October. 

Here he is reading the liturgical guide...

Despite the media hype, however, emphasis was made on the fact that Benedict XVI removed his white skull cap, a sign of respect for the Pope, as he greeted the current Successor of St. Peter. 

The Emeritus' outfit also spoke for itself.  As a bishop who was in attendance but not presiding, Benedict XVI, who is known to be a stickler for liturgy and a lover of fine vestments, was expected to be in watered-down papal choir (mozetta and rochet on top of his cassock), much like the cardinals attending the ceremony. However, he was curiously dressed in a grecca (double-breasted overcoat) and capeless papal cassock.

Although these are only a handful of photos and screen grabs from that hour-and-a-half long ceremony, these images speak volumes.

To say the least, these are still very exciting times...even if a year has already passed since the transition. 

This is not the list time we will be seeing the Pope and the Pope Emeritus in one liturgical celebration. (Next up is the Canonization of Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II, where it is highly anticipated that Benedict XVI will attend.)

This is not the last time we will be seeing two white skull caps being worn by two bishops at the same time.  (Unless of course, I'm in that event as well. Kidding!)

This is the new normal.

But this is still the Church.

  

Never Forget!

Towards the end of the first segment of our radio program last Sunday morning, my partner and I directed our conversation to the “first anniversary of an event that rocked the world.”

In particular, we set up our discussion to an incident that took place one year ago today, on February 11, 2013.

Glancing at the teleprompter, I noticed that a member of the production staff was scrambling to look up the event on the internet, to supplement our banter.

Several news items appeared on the prompter. But news about the piece of history we were about to discuss, curiously, did not show up.

I kept on rambling about the impact on society of that event, without yet revealing what it was.

Mindful of the fact that we were speaking to a “secular” audience, I had to qualify that the incident was a game-changer, not only for 1.2 billion people across the globe, but practically for rest of the world.

Except for my co-anchor, I got the feeling that no one knew what I was talking about. So I finally made the big reveal:

February 11th is the anniversary of the announcement of Benedict XVI’s resignation from the papacy, a historic event in all respects. 

As expected, there was no reaction. It's as if what I said was in some dead language like Latin.   

“How could anyone forget,” I thought.

Sensing that I still had to convince listeners of the need to commemorate the significance of the date, I argued that there would be no Pope Francis, a more well-received discussion topic in our program, had it not been for THAT resignation.

At the back of my mind, however, I knew I shouldn’t have said that. 

By saying Benedict’s resignation was a mere “front act” to the “main event” that was Francis’ election, I became no different from that recent Rolling Stone edition that featured Pope Francis on its cover. In praising Francis, the magazine defamed Benedict XVI in the process.

Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi strongly criticized that article saying it fell into the “mistake of superficial journalism, which in order to highlight the positive aspects of Pope Francis, thinks it should describe in a negative way the pontificate of Pope Benedict.”

Although I did not actually slander Benedict XVI by trivializing his resignation to a certain degree, I seemed to have added my voice to a number of people who think his almost eight year pontificate was not good for the Catholic Church.

Of course, that is not what I believe in.

In previous writings, I have proudly stated that I was born in the “Year of the Three Popes”: Paul VI, John Paul I, and John Paul II. More important than this, however, is the reality that I have lived (or am living) under the guidance of Three Popes: John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis.

It is a given that John Paul II is the Pope of My Youth; his life, teachings, and example have formed much of what I know and love about, and believe in the Church.

On the other hand, Pope Francis’ papacy, while still taking shape, is already making an impact on my life, and the lives of many Catholics, and non-Catholics as well.

Benedict XVI’s papacy, meanwhile, has profoundly reinforced the influence of John Paul II’s teachings in my life.  I liken its effect to the retrofitting of a piece of architecture in case an “earthquake” or the “wind of teaching that may arise from human trickery and deceitful scheming” may, in a moment of doubt or weakness, toss and sweep me (cf Eph 4:14).

The Pope Emeritus may have been regarded by some as a “transitional pope,” an elderly man who simply needed to fill the “shoes of the Fisherman,” shoes that were too big for just any cardinal, other than Joseph Ratzinger, to fill. But much like John XXIII, Benedict XVI wasn’t a mere placeholder. In his own way (and despite the mudslinging between the conservatives and the liberals during his time), he revolutionized the Church at a time when change was needed the most. If anything, Benedict XVI was not afraid to stand his ground despite criticism or negative reaction to his judgments.  His decisions were always guided by a clear conscience, a conscience examined before God, which made these decisions beyond doubt.

Benedict XVI was often criticized for decisions that made people leave the Church, in contrast to the pronouncements of Pope Francis which are drawing back people to the fold, a very unfair comparison.  In fact, the Pope Emeritus, as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger in his book Faith and the Future, already envisioned these defections, i.e., that “the church will become small,” a church that will go through “the process of crystallization and clarification.”  However, this “new Church,” despite losing its old glory, “will become the Church of the meek,” the “Church of faith.”

In spite of this prediction, Benedict XVI exerted much effort and had specific platforms to draw lukewarm or separated Catholics back to the faith.  For example, his motu propio Summorum Pontificium in 2007, which permitted the celebration of the Tridentine Mass, was, among other things, an attempt to heal the schism between the Church and those opposed to the reforms of the Second Vatican.  

(Of course, some perceived it as a step backward, a reversal of these reforms.)  He also lifted the excommunications of four bishops of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a group in schism with Rome, in an attempt to accelerate talks for healing and reunification between the two.

In 2009, the Holy Father also promulgated the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, which established communities for Anglicans, i.e., members of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion, who want to become Catholic. These communities or “ordinariates” are like Catholic dioceses but retain the elements of Anglican heritage and liturgy.  Some in the Anglican Church perceived this as a form of proselytism, an act of converting people to another

religion.  However, the Pope clarified that the Apostolic Constitution was authorized in response to numerous requests from Anglicans or former Anglicans, who did not anymore believe in what the Communion teaches or stands for.  Anglicanorum Coetibus was a big step towards Christian unity, something that has not been seen for many years.

But perhaps what defined Benedict XVI’s pontificate the most was his continuing war against the “Dictatorship of Relativism,” which he referred to as “the central problem of the faith today.” In many of his writings and teachings, both as Cardinal and Pope, he seemed to take on this threat head-on.  

He called relativism “false freedom,” a mere subjective appreciation of realities with no absolute moral truth to serve as a guide. Simply put, people allow themselves to be swayed by what they desire, by what they deem convenient.  Such skewed perceptions have a profound effect on how life, marriage, and family, among other things, are understood. 

Aware that this is what is affecting Europe, the cradle of Christianity, and parts of the world that used to be very Catholic, Benedict XVI initiated “New Evangelization” efforts, another hallmark of his papacy, to instill a “renewed missionary activity…given that a large number of people who do not know Jesus Christ, in not only far-off countries but also those already evangelized.”  To modify the idiomatic expression, Benedict XVI wanted to “teach the old dog old tricks, using new means.” 

Despite his efforts, many did not seem to connect with Benedict XVI, perhaps because of his intellectual brilliance.  Some considered him an old man who simply could not relate to the young. Others, meanwhile, argued that he did not have the charisma of his immediate predecessor and successor needed to make that connection. (Sadly, another unfair comparison.) 

Regardless of what has been said and is being said about him, however, Benedict XVI was a shining light for the Church. Yes, he may not have been a good administrator, especially with the clerical abuse and Vatileaks scandals indelibly associated with his papacy. He, however, was able to explain the faith with clarity of thought, especially during a time of crisis and confusion.  Benedict XVI was, therefore, very relevant to the Church and to the world. 

While John Paul II and Francis are being described as personifications of the theological virtues of “hope” and “charity” respectively, Benedict represents the virtue of “faith,” a faith he very much loved to share and to defend.  Even at the announcement of his resignation, he was clearly imparting a lesson --- a lesson in humility --- to everyone, most especially leaders.

“Teacher” is perhaps what best describes Benedict XVI. If only for this, he, and his legacy, must not and will never be forgotten.

To be sure, he was able to teach this old dog some tricks, both old and new.

And if you if you claim that you did not learn anything from him, I dare say that you were not paying attention.