January 17, 2012      CCC = V2 ?

Yesterday in his article "Year of Faith", David Timbs wrote about the October 17 letter of Pope Benedict and the January 6 note of Cardinal Levada

Benedict and Cardinal Levaa  are saying that the Catechism of the Catholic Church
(CCC) is a pretty good summary of the 16 documents of Vatican 2

Benedict and the cardinal  are putting the CCC on a footing with V2...as equally important

Which is why David is concerned

David is saying the equation CCC = V2 is not true

When I faithfully read every word of the CCC some years ago, I thought it had some good parts ....like the section on prayer...I remember thinking "hey, this is good, seems to have been written by a real human being with a taste for prayer"

And I learnt a few things I'd never properly understood or had forgotten ....like the fact that Jesus' words about "forgiveness in the next life" are a clear indication there is some sort of Purgatory, however you like to understand it 

But overall I found the CCC fairly heavy going....not quite as heavy as the new code of canon law (which I also faithfully read) ....but still a very legal and theoretical and strong on do's and don'ts sort of book

Which is what David is saying. The CCC is like someone looking at V2 through legal lenses

Not pastoral lenses

And the someone wearing the glasses (who wrote the CCC) was a small select group with a particular agenda of restricting the breadth and height and depth of the vision of V2

The small group were not the 2,000+ bishops who put together the 16 documents of V2

The CCC's use of Scripture also very suspect

To me there's one extra point that needs attention.
I hope David and others can follow it up some time

It's this: the cardinal's note encourages bishops' conferences to publish easy to read copies of V2, and encourages people to read and study the 16 documents, to use them as the basis for preaching and catechetics etc

The cardinal is encouraging people to read about
- the Church is the People of God ....while he and his supporters now question the People of God model as a valid one to describe the Church

The cardinal is encouraging people to read about
- the right and privilege and duty of the laity to have a full, conscious and active participation in the liturgy
.....while he and his supporters are leading the charge away from Communion under both kinds, 
away from special ministers of the Eucharist, 
away from altar girls, lay leaders of services for priest-less communities
and....most importantly...away from Mass in a local language with the priest facing the people
The cardinal and Benedict want us to go back to the old Latin rite...see:  Cardinal Ratzinger & single rite

The cardinal is encouraging people to read about
- more responsibilities for local churches, local bishops' conferences regarding selection of bishops, liturgy, pastoral decisions etc.....while he and his supporters are re-centralizing all power and decision making in Rome/Europe

See "Reform of the reform agenda"

In other words, the cardinal is asking us to read, study, and use documents
which he doesn't want us to put into practice....and he's using the CCC to help do this

?????????

John W

------