Long-distance conference

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the fact that I am able to follow the Sacra Liturgia conference almost in realtime. The conference, which wrapped up its final day today, has been well-represented on Twitter, via its official account, but also via attending clerics such as Father James Bradley and Father Z (who also shares impressions on his blog). Msgr. Andrew Burnham today endorsed the Twitter coverage of his own paper, which was presented on his behalf by Msgr. Keith Newton, by tweeting: “The Tweets flowed well and presented the argument”.

I am looking forward to studying the summaries of the papers presented at the conference. What is already clear is that some very important topics were discussed: liturgy is important and so very much more than simple rituals. It really is the way we get to see not only who God is, but also who we are and what form our relationship with Him takes and must take.

Lastly, while the full texts of the papers will be published next year, I can already share, in Dutch no less, Bishop Dominique Rey’s opening remarks.

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Hushing up the cardinals – proof of the big bad Vatican?

Much talk yesterday about the heavy-handed Vatican forbidding the American cardinals from holding daily press briefings to inform people of what goes on at the General Congregations. But, as always, is there any basis about such a reading of the events?

As Fr. James Bradley rightly points out, the highest authority in the Vatican at the moment is the College of Cardinals. No one can bar them from doing anything, apart from standing orders from the former Pope, or themselves. Certainly, within the College there may have been some pressure upon the Americans to stop the briefings, but there is no reason to assume that anyone forced anyone else. In fact, given the situation in which information was apparently leaked to the media, a fairy strict communications shutdown is understandable. Of course, the daily briefings by Fr. Lombardi will continue, but the cardinals will devote themselves to the internal forum, which is of course the most important these days.

We should ask ourselves if we have any real need to know the details of the daily proceedings. Of course it’s interesting, but I don’t think that such a process of electing a new Pope should be sidetracked by too much focus on external communication and media briefings. The outcome is important, and those 115 cardinals (expected to be finally complete today) need our support in prayer and thought, not our need for answers and our thoughts about what they should do and who they should vote for. Leave that to the Holy Spirit.

In these events, the general congregations and the conclave, we must not forget the element of faith. Faith in the Holy Spirit, that He will guide His Church and grant her the shepherd she deserves and needs, and faith in the cardinal electors, that they will decide and vote according to their conscience and open to the whisperings of the Lord.

Photo credit: Cardinals O’Malley, DiNardo and George, Gregorio Borgia/AP