VATICAN CITY — Cardinal Timothy Dolan discussed change in the Church within the context of the Mass..
“The Church is in the business of change, big time,” Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of New York, said at St. Peter’s Basilica during a Mass he celebrated for U.S. journalists.
He said that many in the media had been asking him if he believed the new pontiff would make changes within the Church.
“Jesus calls us first and foremost not to change structures, but to let God change us inside,” he said at the basilica’s catacombs in the Hungarian Chapel.
The 63-year-old cardinal said he himself needs the changes of “conversion, repentance and spiritual renewal” to better reflect “the heart of the Gospel.”
“What we’re doing right now is what makes the Church live, and it’s more important than electing a pope,” said Cardinal Dolan during his homily. “It’s a lot more important for the lives of the hundreds of millions of Catholics who went to Sunday Mass this morning.”
Cardinal Dolan said it is the Mass that helps Catholics understand “the very nature of the papacy.”
“St. Paul says, ‘I hand down to you what I myself have received,’” he said. “That is the very nature of the papacy: to hand on faithfully what God told Jesus, what Jesus told his apostles and what his apostles hand on to us traditionally.”
Turning to the day’s Gospel reading, the cardinal explained that the people of the time were trying to understand what God was telling them when they had tragedies.
“They were trying to figure it out just like we try to figure out tragedies, sickness and suffering in our life,” said the prince of the Church.
Jesus, he said, “brings us back to the basics” by stressing the need for repentance and the need to hear everyone.
“Don’t always try to figure out God’s will all the time, but try to figure out what God is asking you to do inside,” he advised.
“It is a call to renew your life, to repentance of heart and to conversion of soul.”
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For accuracy’s sake I’d like to recommend amending the headline to this article. The Cardinal’s actual quote is: “The Church is in the business of change, big time.” The headline as written gives, to my eyes, a distinctly different meaning that is at odds with the quote and could give people the wrong impression. Thanks!
Thanks be to God for Cardinal Dolan!
I like the comment that the church will go thru big changes. However knowing the media that comment will drop the part about each of us changing inside of us, and then they’ll be disappointed when the church and the next pope carry on with same teachings they’ve presented for the last 2000 years.
If we are going to go back to the basics then it should be obvious that it’s time for Cardinal Dolan to lead the USCCB back to the most critically distorted basic of our time—the definition of the term Catholic! Anti-Catholic “Catholics” hide behind a label that does not apply to them. Christ would be driving unrepentant, in-name-only “Catholics” out of the Church (temple). I have suggested repeatedly that the USCCB act as a body clear away the confusion and to publicly and formally define the term Catholic to clear away the confusion. High-profile “cafeteria” Catholics (pseudo-Catholics, quasi-Catholics, renegade Catholics, fallen away Catholics, anti-Catholics, etc.) are the devil’s brigade that continues to destroy our Church from within!
If Catholicism really matters then it’s time for our Catholic Church leaders to make the term “Catholic” crystal clear to everyone. And they also must affirm that persons who call themselves Catholic, and who do not meet the true definition of what it means to be Catholic will no longer be recognized or counted as Catholic.
Unfortunately, when Cardinal Dolan referred to Biden and Ryan as two “Catholics” when only one really is, and when Raymond Arroyo referred to Governor Cuomo as a Catholic, they gave cover to high profile politicians who were obviously not Catholic. The virtual confirmation of their anti-Catholic actions are what makes it easy for the voting “Catholics” to elect radically pro-abortion politicians into office. This is careless leadership that continues to damage the Catholic Church!
Furthermore, the recognition of pro-choice “Catholics” as real Catholics is the major reason why the pro-choice mindset is so deeply entrenched in the hearts and minds of Americans. And why the Democrat Convention culminated in the bizarre scandal of anti-Catholic “Catholics” standing in line to brazenly announce their support for the right to kill American citizens growing toward birth.
Prayers for our preborn citizens,
Charles N. Marrelli
Writers for Life
Irvine CA 92620
prolifedigest.com
I’m confused by the title “Church Changing Bigtime”. It is not exactly what Archbishop Dolan said and I think it leads people to automatically think that the Church is changing in some way.
Charles, your comment was beautiful and I could not agree more. Thank you
Charles, you are correct. The clergy must unite against those who are pro-choice a publicly denounce them. The pope should take the lead. You can’t be a Catholic and be pro-choice. Before Vatican II, anyone who did not believe one teaching of the church was considered a heretic. Being pro-choice is also a mortal sin.
Joe, the Pope has already taken the lead; remember John Paul’s statements when he was here in 1979. He said life was the foundational issue. He said it loud and clear but U.S. Bishops weren’t listening. The Bishops in American should take the lead because it was here in the U.S.A. where an incoherent Supreme Court gave us Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton! If the Bishops were awake in 1973 they would be contesting Roe/Doe like they’re contesting the so-called Religious Freedom issue. Roe/Doe was a Religious Freedom issue for more than 55 million preborn citizens. Yet we don’t see Martyr’s robed on our Bishops. We’ve become abortion tolerant! Why do you think we could have voted for so radical a pro-abortion president, and he was elected by Catholics! God forgive us! Writers for Life, prolifedigest.com.
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Charles, the pope has to use strong words against Catholics who are pro-choice. He has to address Catholics, specifically, on issues which the Catholic church is against. He must say, “you can’t be a Catholic and be pro-choice.” The post-Vatican II clerics are mostly mush-mouths.
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