Pope Creates New Dioceses, Bishops in Ukraine

ASSOCIATED PRESS, May 4—As the Vatican announced its plans to carve two new dioceses out of existing dioceses in Ukraine, in the regions of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia and Odessa-Simferopol, the Associated Press highlighted the tensions this might cause with defensive Russian Orthodox clerics. The AP suggested that papal decisions last winter to raise four apostolic administrations in Russia to the status of dioceses“provoked the ire of the Russian Orthodox Church,” noting that“Pope John Paul II has made improvement in relations with Orthodox Christians a goal of his papacy, but the Orthodox Church has pointed to alleged Catholic poaching for converts as a top obstacle to a papal visit to Russia.”

Pope Recovers from Tensions at Spa

REUTERS, May 5—After the grueling events of recent weeks, including the unprecedented emergency summit with U.S. cardinals, Pope John Paul recuperated and spoke about the quest for a peaceful world, on Italy's exquisite island of Ischia. Reuters New Service cited“bishops who took part in the meetings” as saying that“the Pope was profoundly saddened by the scandal which enveloped the U.S. Catholic Church.”

Reuters highlighted the Pope's appeal for an end to conflict in the Holy Land, quoting his homily and noon address:“It is unshakeable faith which inspires the followers of Jesus in every period of history to think thoughts of peace and open up horizons of forgiveness and harmony,” he said, invoking the Blessed Virgin's intercession, in answer to the“cry for security and peace which rises ceaselessly from so many parts of the world, especially the Holy Land.” Citing divine love as the only force which can reconcile enemies, the Pope said,“This is the love that humanity needs today perhaps more than ever because only love is credible.” Pope John Paul turned 82 on May 18.

Vatican Distinguishes Penance from Therapy

The New York Times, May 2—As the Vatican issued an apostolic letter reminding priests that group absolution is no substitute for private confession, The New York Times noted with surprise“the timing of the letter… given the perception of American Catholics coping with sexual abuse scandals involving priests that it is Church leaders who should themselves be asking for forgiveness now.” In answer to reporters' persistent questions on that theme, Josef Cardinal Ratzinger reported that“American bishops have already decided they will have a day of expiation, probably on the Feast of the Sacred Heart (June 7), which is traditionally a day of expiation for our sins.”

The Vatican letter was accompanied with important observations by Ratzinger, limning the differences between therapeutic approaches to healing the human psyche—however important—and the sacramental acts of penance and absolution.“In psychotherapy, people take upon themselves the burden of deep and often dangerous revelations about their interior lives,” Ratzinger noted.“In the sacrament of penance, one trusts God's merciful goodness in the simple confession of one's own guilt.”