Catholic News 2
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) -- Hurricane Matthew spared Florida's most heavily populated stretch from a catastrophic blow Friday but threatened some of the South's most historic and picturesque cities with ruinous flooding and wind damage as it pushed its way up the coastline....
NEW YORK (AP) -- Donald Trump reeled Friday under a barrage of campaign missteps and scandalous revelations of lewd comments he made about women several years ago, undermining the Republican's attempts to steady a presidential bid at risk of imploding....
This morning in the Holy See Press Office a press conference was held to present the music CD of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir: “Palestrina. Missa Papæ Marcelli – Motets”, a monographic work on Pierluigi de Palestrina edited by Deusche Grammophon. The panel was composed of Archbishop George Gänswein, prefect of the Papal Household; Msgr. Massimo Palombella, director of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir; Dickon Stainer, president and chief executive officer of Global Classics Universal Music Group International; Clemens Trautmann, president of Deustche Grammophon; and Mirko Gratton, director of the Classical Music Department of the Universal Group.Archbishop Gänswein explained that it was not by chance that the second CD by the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir contained the famous Missa Papæ Marcelli and several motets on the theme of mercy, selected to emphasise also musically the extraordinary Jubilee convened by the Holy Father. &ld...
This morning in the Holy See Press Office a press conference was held to present the music CD of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir: “Palestrina. Missa Papæ Marcelli – Motets”, a monographic work on Pierluigi de Palestrina edited by Deusche Grammophon. The panel was composed of Archbishop George Gänswein, prefect of the Papal Household; Msgr. Massimo Palombella, director of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir; Dickon Stainer, president and chief executive officer of Global Classics Universal Music Group International; Clemens Trautmann, president of Deustche Grammophon; and Mirko Gratton, director of the Classical Music Department of the Universal Group.
Archbishop Gänswein explained that it was not by chance that the second CD by the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir contained the famous Missa Papæ Marcelli and several motets on the theme of mercy, selected to emphasise also musically the extraordinary Jubilee convened by the Holy Father. “Last year, on the occasion of the presentation of the first CD of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel, the principal intention was to promote awareness of the centuries-long history of this ancient institution of the Holy See, its artistic, cultural and above all spiritual function, and its special bond with the Pope. .. Listening to this CD and reading the accompanying booklet, one is immediately aware not only of the spiritual reasons for such refined and sublime music, but also of the great commitment by the director and the singers of the choir in perceiving and rendering the original inspiration. With this Mass, the prince of Roman polyphony has successfully sought to respond to what the Council of Trent asked of liturgical music: that is, the intelligibility of the text united with the quality of the music”.
“This challenge remains pertinent today”, he continued, “and sees the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir engaged in positioning liturgical relevance the great musical heritage of the Church, intelligently acknowledging scientific studies on ancient music and experimenting new ways of implementing and proposing great music in the context of the liturgical reform of Vatican Council II. In this way, the aims of this CD, which is presented as a cultural operation, go far beyond in their endeavour to contribute to communicating the essence of the Catholic Church’s mission, which is to evangelise, that is, to announce the good news also through beauty, the way to God, and to invite the search for good, the querere Deum which is inherent in art and in religious music. This is intended to express that outbound Church of which Pope Francis speaks, a Church that is not afraid to speak the language of man and his needs, of which music is a high and universal expression”.
The maestro and director of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel, Msgr. Massimo Palombella, highlighted that the “almost mythological” Missa Papæ Marcelli is Palestrina’s first work for six voices and the only composition explicitly dedicated to a pope. Furthermore, it is attributed “the merit of having saved polyphony, ensuring that ‘intelligibility of the text’ requested of polyphonic music by the Council of Trent.
“The possibility, more unique than rare, of recording in the Sistine Chapel, is an added value in the search for aesthetic pertinence”, he remarked. “Indeed, by taking this approach, the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir has for some time now been revisited a certain way of singing intended to produce strong and powerful ‘basilica sounds’. This happened for the simple fact that in the time of Palestrina, the Pope’s celebrations did not take place in St. Peter’s Basilica, but rather in the Sistine Chapel, and also because the current St. Peter’s Basilica did not exist as it was in construction. Singing in the Sistine Chapel necessarily demanded the search for a more intimately perceived sonority. The great emotionality of a mass of sound, of singing voices filling the vaults of a basilica with sound, is replaced by the refined perception of the text, from the emotional and expressive rendering of the word through sound, from the dialectical relations that emerge from the contrapuntal language understood as an intellectual component moved by the emotions”.
New York City, N.Y., Oct 7, 2016 / 01:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced Thursday that the New York archdiocese is establishing an independent compensation program for victims of sexual abuse committed by clergy of the local Church.“This program will, please God, continue to help bring a measure of peace to those who have suffered abuse by a member of the clergy of the archdiocese,” the Archbishop of New York wrote in an Oct. 6 letter to the faithful.“While the Church … has made great strides in dealing vigorously with clergy accused of abuse, and in preventing acts of abuse through our Safe Environment programs, we continue to hear from victim-survivors that more needs to be done to reach out to those who have been harmed in the past.”He added, “As this Year of Mercy nears its conclusion, it is fitting and proper that we take this opportunity to ask forgiveness for mistakes that have been made by those – only a tiny p...
New York City, N.Y., Oct 7, 2016 / 01:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced Thursday that the New York archdiocese is establishing an independent compensation program for victims of sexual abuse committed by clergy of the local Church.
“This program will, please God, continue to help bring a measure of peace to those who have suffered abuse by a member of the clergy of the archdiocese,” the Archbishop of New York wrote in an Oct. 6 letter to the faithful.
“While the Church … has made great strides in dealing vigorously with clergy accused of abuse, and in preventing acts of abuse through our Safe Environment programs, we continue to hear from victim-survivors that more needs to be done to reach out to those who have been harmed in the past.”
He added, “As this Year of Mercy nears its conclusion, it is fitting and proper that we take this opportunity to ask forgiveness for mistakes that have been made by those – only a tiny percentage of our priests – representing the Church, and seek reconciliation with those who have been hurt and feel alienated from the Church.”
The Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program will be headed by Kenneth Feinberg, an attorney and mediator who led the Sept. 11 victims' fund, and who will be assisted by Camille Biros. They will determine issuance and amount of compensation to be given to victims.
The Archdiocese of New York has said the compensation “will be just and fair, based on the experience and judgment of Mr. Feinberg and Ms. Biros,” and that it will “fully cover compensation awarded by the IRCP at whatever amount that is determined to be.”
Those who accept financial compensation waive their right to sue the archdiocese for more money over the abuse.
“Beginning immediately, they will work with those individuals who have previously notified the archdiocese that they suffered abuse,” Cardinal Dolan wrote. “We are contacting these individuals to invite them to participate in the program.”
Having completed that work, Feinberg and Biros are to begin reviewing new allegations against archdiocesan clergy in a process that will include the district attorney as well as independent investigators and a lay review board.
Those who have already brought forward sex abuse allegations to the archdiocese and who have not yet been otherwise compensated – about 170 persons – must apply for compensation under the program by Jan. 31, 2017. Those who have not already reached out to the archdiocese over sex abuse allegations are not bound by the Jan. 31 deadline.
Feinberg commented: “We hope the program will be successful and that any victims of abuse come forward in a timely fashion to seek compensation through this independent program.”
The progress of the compensation program will be tracked by an independent oversight committee, “although the decisions reached by Mr. Feinberg and Ms. Biros regarding compensation to victim-survivors are final and cannot be appealed or overturned by the archdiocese or the Independent Oversight Committee,” the cardinal said.
The oversight committee will be composed of Raymond Kelly, a former New York City police commissioner; Loretta Preska, a federal district judge; and Dr. Jeanette Cueva, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University.
Kelly commended Cardinal Dolan for “his proactive leadership in redressing the wrongs committed in the past by some clergy in the New York Archdiocese” and added, “I'm honored to support the IRCP as it seeks to provide justice and restitution to victims of abuse.”
Cardinal Dolan continued in his letter that “I hear from you, my people, that, while still bruised and angry about this past crisis, you do appreciate very much the reform and progress that has been made. But, you also tell me that more outreach needs to be done to the victim-survivors. I hope this helps.”
He noted that the compensatory funds will be borrowed in a long-term loan “to be paid back gradually by scraping to find income from sources not designated for specific Church or charitable use.” They will come from neither money given to parishes and schools nor the archdiocese's capital campaign or stewardship appeal.
Joseph Zwilling, communications director of the New York archdiocese, told the Wall Street Journal that the loan would be repaid with other assets, such as investments.
New York state has recently considered changing its law regarding the statute of limitations on child sex abuse cases to make it less restrictive on lawsuits. The New York Catholic Conference has lobbied against the effort, saying that while they support increasing the statute of limitations, the proposed legislation was too broad, because it allowed for a limitless window, even over allegations from more than half a century ago, in which the alleged perpetrators were no longer living.
“This extraordinary provision would force institutions to defend alleged conduct decades ago about which they have no knowledge, and in which they had no role, potentially involving employees long retired, dead or infirm, based on information long lost, if it ever existed,” the conference said.
Cardinal Dolan concluded his letter announcing the program, saying, “May I ask your prayers that this outreach might accomplish its goal of helping bring peace and reconciliation to those victim-survivors who have not only experienced the horror of abuse, but have also felt as if they were abandoned by the Church.”
LONDON (AP) -- The London School of Economics says some of its academics will no longer be allowed to advise the U.K. government on Britain's exit from the European Union because they are not British citizens....
MOSCOW (AP) -- International diplomatic pressure increased on Moscow Friday to end the joint Russian-Syrian siege of the city of Aleppo, but Moscow's U.N. ambassador says he will most likely veto a Security Council resolution that would ground Russian warplanes....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States called Friday for a war crimes investigation of Russia and Syria, ramping up the rhetoric against Moscow for its part in a deadly military offensive in Aleppo while potentially making it harder to restart diplomatic efforts to end the conflict....
GENEVA (AP) -- Russia lodged a formal complaint last month with the United Nations over a top U.N. official's condemnations of Donald Trump and some European politicians, an intervention that underscores the unusual links between the Republican presidential nominee and the Kremlin....
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Hurricane Matthew sideswiped Florida's Atlantic coast Friday, toppling trees onto homes and knocking out power to more than 800,000 people but sparing the most heavily populated stretch of shoreline the catastrophic blow many had feared....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. is accusing Russia of hacking political sites, saying it is trying to interfere with the upcoming presidential election....
