January 20, 2012
Catholic San Francisco
17
Guest Commentary
Theologians, defenders of faith, prominent among recently named bishops worldwide By Sandro Magister ROME – Rounding the turn of his first year as prefect of the congregation for bishops, Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec has surveyed the course in an interview for Avvenire, the newspaper owned by the Italian episcopal conference. In the Nov. 18 interview, he revealed among other things that it often happens, “more than I could have expected,” that the candidate chosen to be made a bishop does not accept the appointment. He indicated the reasons for such refusals in the growing difficulty of fulfilling the role, in a society in which the bishops are under public attack, “in part as a result of the scandals and charges concerning sexual abuse.” As for career ambitions, the cardinal cautioned that if a priest or a bishop aspires and maneuvers to be promoted to a prominent diocese, “it is better for him to stay where he is.” He concluded the interview by sketching the profile of the bishop the church needs most today: “Today, especially in the context of our secularized societies, we need bishops who are the first evangelizers, and not mere administrators of dioceses, who are capable of proclaiming the Gospel, who are not only theologically faithful to the magisterium and the pope but are also capable of expounding and, if need be, of defending the faith publicly.” This profile of the bishop as theologian and “defensor fidei” fits Cardinal Ouellet himself perfectly. A Canadian from Quebec, 67, a member of the Society of St. Sulpice, Ouellet was part of the circle of the international theology journal Communio, founded by, among others, Joseph Ratzinger and Hans Urs von Balthasar, who were his intellectual mentors. In Quebec, he witnessed one of the most dizzying collapses of Catholicism in the past century. This region, which had a strong Catholic character until the middle of the 20th century, is today one of the most secularized in the world. As an archbishop, he fought energetically to give a voice and a body back to Christianity in his land. Pope Benedict XVI appreciated this so much that he called him to Rome first as a speaker at the synod of bishops in 2008, and then, since 2010, as prefect of the congregation for bishops. Among the cardinals of the Roman Curia, Ouellet is the closest to Pope Benedict XVI, with whom he meets regularly, once a week. And he may be the only one in whom the pope confides without reservation. Since Ouellet has presided over the Vatican congregation that selects and proposes new bishops to the pope, the preference shown for theologians and defenders of the faith has been more and more evident. Over the past five months alone, at least 12 appointments could be characterized this way. 1. Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan As a theologian, his mentor was above all von Balthasar; but Ratzinger also had no small impact on his formation. His
talent was and is that of making himself heard, more than in the halls of academia, in the public square. After Carla Maria Martini, Scola is the cardinal to whom the secular media pay the most attention. He speaks and writes in full harmony with the magisterium of Pope Benedict XVI. 2. Charles J. Chaput, archbishop of Philadelphia Chaput has never been a theologian in the specific sense of the word. But he is certainly a great apologist, capable of preaching the Gospel from the rooftops, without timidity and without compromise, in a society where the competition is particularly fierce both within and against the religious sphere.
Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan
Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle
Archbishop Charles J. Brown, apostolic nuncio to Ireland
3. Ivo Muser, bishop of Bolzano and Bressanone He studied theology in Innsbruck, and in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He taught at the Academic Theological Institute of Bressanone. He was also for several years the secretary of his predecessor as bishop, Wilhelm Egger, a theologian and renowned biblicist in his own right. 4. Stanislaw Budzik, archbishop of Lublin He has been secretary general of the Polish episcopal conference and also studied theology in Innsbruck, where he acquired the title of professor at the Pontifical Theological Academy of Krakow. 5. Nuno Bras da Silva Martins, auxiliary bishop of Lisbon He received his doctorate in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and taught fundamental theology at the Catholic University of Portugal as well as at the Gregorian in Rome, where he was also rector of the Pontifical Portuguese College. 6. Luis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of Manila He received his doctorate in theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., with a thesis on episcopal collegiality. In 2001, he became bishop of Imus, where he distinguished himself by his nearness to the poor and his simple and charitable way of life. At the episcopal conference of the Philippines, he is president of the commission for the doctrine of the faith. Manila is a cardinal see, and there are some who have even added Tagle to the list of the “papabili” – cardinals considered papal material by Vatican pundits. 7. Charles Morerod, bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg A Dominican, 50, he is a theologian of world renown. On relations among the religions, he has harshly criticized the relativistic ideas of the Catholic Paul Knitter and the Anglican John Hick. He is one of three theologians on the Roman side in the discussions under way between the Church of Rome and the schismatic Lefebvrist traditionalists of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X.
Is it hard to find a bishop for the Catholic Church? The church has an established practice of consultation for the appointment of bishops. To make this choice you listen to the views of a list of people that can vary from situation to situation but that usually includes a grid of figures. This survey provides enough data to rule out some candidates and propose and accept others. In some cases you have to wait and investigate further. Overall it is a serious process, usually well done. – Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, interviewed by Gianni Cardinale for a Nov. 18, 2011, article in Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian episcopal conference.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec
8. Francesco Cavina, as bishop of Carpi A doctor in canon law, he had been an official of the Vatican secretariat of state since 1996, in the section for relations with states. At the same time, he taught sacramental theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. 9. Filippo Santoro, archbishop of Taranto As a young priest, he began as director of the Higher Institute of Theology in Bari. After which he went on mission to Brazil, as the Communion and Liberation director for that country and for the entire Latin American continent. In 1992, he participated as a theologian in the fourth conference of the Latin American episcopate in Santo Domingo. Ordained a bishop in 1996, he served as a member of the commission for the doctrine of the faith at the Brazilian episcopal conference. 10. Franco Giulio Brambilla, bishop of Novara An auxiliary bishop of Milan since 2007and the vicar for culture, he is one of the most accomplished Italian theologians. 11. Johannes Wilhelmus Maria Liesen, bishop of Breda, in Holland He was a professor of biblical theology and has been a member of the international theological commission since 2004. 12. Charles J. Brown, titular archbishop of Aquileia Aquileia, which as a diocese lives only in historical memory, is not where the newly elect is going. His true destination is the apostolic nunciature in Ireland. Brown has never been part of the Vatican diplomatic corps, and is an American from New York, but the pope wanted him specifically as his ambassador in a nation rocked by scandals. Ireland, with seven vacant dioceses, is awaiting a redesign and a new beginning with new men. Rome-based journalist and author Sandro Magister is the creator of the website http://chiesa.espresso. repubblica.it, where this article first appeared. He studied theology, philosophy and history at the Theological Faculty of Milan and at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart.
Two US cardinals, 20 other bishops could retire for age reasons in 2012 By Nancy Frazier O’Brien WASHINGTON (CNS) – Two U.S. cardinals and 20 other U.S. bishops could retire because of age this year. There are eight active U.S. bishops, including a cardinal, who have already turned 75. Another cardinal and 13 other bishops will celebrate their 75th birthday in 2012. At age 75, bishops are required by canon law to submit their resignation to the pope. With the retirements in 2011 of Cardinals Bernard F. Law, Justin Rigali and Roger M. Mahony and the death of Cardinal John P. Foley, Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was the only U.S. cardinal still active over age 75 at the start of the year. The former archbishop of San Francisco and Portland, Ore., and former auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles turned 75 on June 15, 2011, but is expected to remain in the Vatican post until Pope Benedict XVI names his successor. He took the job at the Vatican in 2005 and became a cardinal in 2006.
Turning 75 on Jan. 16, 2012, is Cardinal Francis E. George, who has served as archbishop of Chicago since 1997 and was named a cardinal in 1998. He previously served as archbishop of Portland and bishop of Yakima, Wash. Pope Benedict often has asked cardinals to stay on the job after they reached the age of 75. Even when a cardinal retires in his 70s, he remains an active member of the College of Cardinals, eligible to enter a conclave and vote for a new pope, until age 80. In addition to Cardinal Levada, the seven other active U.S. bishops who are already 75 and the dates of their 75th birthday are: – Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 6, 2010. – Bishop Thomas G. Doran of Rockford, Ill., Feb. 20, 2011. – Bishop Edward U. Kmiec of Buffalo, N.Y., June 4, 2011. – Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco, June 14, 2011. – Bishop Donald W. Trautman of Erie, Pa., June 24, 2011. – Bishop Ricardo Ramirez of Las Cruces, N.M., Sept. 12, 2011. – Bishop Tod D. Brown of Orange, Nov. 15, 2011. In addition to Cardinal George, the 13 bishops turning 75 in
2012 and the dates of their 75th birthday are: – Archbishop John G. Vlazny of Portland, Feb. 22. – Auxiliary Bishop Roger W. Gries of Cleveland, March 26. – Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer of San Angelo, Texas, May 18. – Bishop Walter A. Hurley of Grand Rapids, Mich., May 30. – Bishop Robert J. Shaheen of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, June 3. – Bishop John F. Kinney of St. Cloud, Minn., June 11. – Bishop Matthew H. Clark of Rochester, N.Y., July 15. – Auxiliary Bishop Paul H. Walsh of Rockville Centre, N.Y., Aug. 17. – Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim of the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle, Oct. 1. – Archbishop Henry J. Mansell of Hartford, Conn., Oct. 10. – Bishop Joseph N. Latino of Jackson, Miss., Oct. 21. – Auxiliary Bishop John C. Dunne of Rockville Centre, Oct. 30. – Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell of Springfield, Mass., Dec. 23.