According to the Italian Catholic news site, Petrus, word was "filtering out of the 'Sacred Palace'" that Pope Benedict has, "called Cardinal Schonborn into line" over his recent trip to Medjugorje (if you click the pick at top, you will see that His Eminence had a private audience with Pope Benedict today). The trip was billed as "private", but the Cardinal put himself squarely at the center of attention, being photographed with one of the "seers", giving a public address, and celebrating Mass for the Solemnity of the Mother of God on New Years Eve - all without requesting permission from the local bishop.
In an interview with Petrus the other day, Cardinal Saraiva Martins, Prefect Emeritus, of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints had this to say:
"Far be it from me to think of judging the conduct of Cardinal Schönborn, but I, considering the morbid attention which is concentrated on Medjugorje, and as I always do every time I go out from Rome, would have spoken beforehand with Monsignor Peric: when we Cardinals enter into a Diocese, we are entering into the "house" of the Bishop of the place and we must have the good manners and good sense to announce ourselves."
This latest rumbling on Medjugorje has been translated again by Richard Chonak of Catholic Light. In part, it reads:
Then, as the Holy See has not yet expressed itself on the apparitions and many Cardinals and Bishops have shown their skepticism on the authenticity of the apparitions, Benedict XVI has therefore asked Schönborn for more prudence in statements relative to Medjugorje (the destination, this year, of millions of pilgrims), so that his presence there, as a member of the College of Cardinals, not be exploited by anyone to "authenticate" phenomena which the Holy See intends to monitor and analyze, besides the ordinary way, with an ad hoc Commission to whose guidance Cardinal Camillo Ruini will reportedly be called.
Read the entire translation of the Petrus article at Catholic Light.
Recent Statements from the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno:
- Statement of Bishop Peric on the visit by Cardinal Schonborn (January 2, 2010)
- Questionable Games Surrounding the "Great Sign" (December 2009)
- September 26, 2009 Statement of Bishop Peric
- Diocese of Tuscany issues statement to priests on Medjugorje (2007)
- Position of Bishop Peric (updated in 2007)
Further reading on this topic (if only for the combox discussions) - this list may be updated
- Pope Benedict may have told Cdl Schonborn to be careful about Medjugorje (Fr. Z)
- Cdl Schonborn Sees the Pope (Fr. Ray Blake)
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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
