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Vatican City, Jul 11, 2016 / 03:53 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The outgoing Holy See press officer has clarified that there are no directives forthcoming from the Vatican directing that priests face in the same direction as the faithful while saying Mass.

Fr. Federico Lombardi's July 11 communique follows on the appeal by Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, asking priests to “implement this practice wherever possible, with prudence and with the necessary catechesis, certainly, but also with a pastor’s confidence that this is something good for the Church, something good for our people.”

Cardinal Sarah's suggestion was made last week at a conference on liturgy being held in London.

“Cardinal Sarah has always been concerned, rightly, about the dignity of the celebration of Mass, in a way that adequately expresses an attitude of respect and adoration for the Eucharistic mystery,” Fr. Lombardi's statement said.

He added that some of the cardinal's words were “misinterpreted, as if he were announcing new indications differing from the liturgical norms given until now, and the words of the Pope on the celebration towards the people and on the ordinary rite of Mass.”

Whatever such misinterpretations were made, Cardinal Sarah himself had made it clear in his July 5 speech that he was neither mandating nor legislation a change to the Mass. He stated: “I believe that it is very important that we return as soon as possible to a common orientation, of priests and the faithful turned together in the same direction—Eastwards or at least towards the apse—to the Lord who comes, in those parts of the liturgical rites when we are addressing God.”

“This practice is permitted by current liturgical legislation,” Cardinal Sarah stated, adding that “it is perfectly legitimate in the modern rite.”

The cardinal added that priests' “pastoral judgement will determine how and when this is possible, but perhaps beginning this on the first Sunday of Advent this year … may be a very good time to do this.”

"Looking to the East", a reflection on ad orientem worship from 2014:https://t.co/OmZ07n9t0L

— James D Conley (@bishop_conley) July 7, 2016 In his statement, Fr. Lombardi said it is good to remember that the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, n.299, states that “The altar should be built apart from the wall, in such a way that it is possible to walk around it easily and that Mass can be celebrated at it facing the people, which is desirable wherever possible. The altar should, moreover, be so placed as to be truly the center toward which the attention of the whole congregation of the faithful naturally turns.”

On the other hand, the Congregation for Divine Worship issued a response to a question about GIRM n.299 in 2000, saying it does not exclude that the priest might offer Mass facing the apse – that is, in the same direction as the faithful.

Despite the fact that the celebration of Mass ad orientem is a legitimate option in the ordinary form of the Roman rite, some ecclesial leaders were quick to oppose the suggestion made by the head of the Vatican's department on worship.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster wrote a letter to the priests of his diocese discouraging them from saying Mass while facing the same direction of the people.

While acknowledging that the Congregation for Divine Worship has confirmed that liturgical law allows priests to offer Mass while turned in the same direction as the people, he nevertheless suggested this is an illegitimate personal preference.

Mass is “not the time for priests to exercise personal preference or taste,” Cardinal Nichols wrote, according to the Catholic Herald.

Fr. Lombardi also used his statement to add in a comment that Pope Francis “has expressly mentioned that the 'ordinary' form of the celebration of Mass is that provided by the Missal promulgated by Paul VI, whereas the 'extraordinary', which was permitted by Pope Benedict XVI for the purpose and in the manner explained by him in the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, must not take the place of the 'ordinary.'”

In Summorum Pontificum Benedict XVI had, in fact, clarified rather that the extraordinary form was “never abrogated” and “in principle, was always permitted”.

Fr. Lombardi then reiterated that “there are therefore no foreseen new liturgical directives starting next Advent, as some have improperly deduced from some of Cardinal Sarah’s words.”

He added that “it is better to avoid using the expression 'the reform of the reform', in referring to the liturgy, since it can at times be a source of misunderstandings.”

Cardinal Sarah had said we cannot “dismiss the possibility or the desirability of an official reform of the liturgical reform,” adding that “if we are to implement Sacrosanctum Concilium more faithfully, if we are to achieve what the Council desired, this is a serious question which must be carefully studied and acted on with the necessary clarity and prudence.”

The cardinal had also recommended that a “full and rich celebration” of the extraordinary form of the liturgy “should be an important part fo liturgical formation of clergy,” reasoning that “how can we begin to comprehend or celebrate the reformed rites with a hermeneutic of continuity if we have never experienced the beauty of the liturgical tradition which the Fathers of the Council themselves knew?”

Fr. Lombardi concluded, saying, “all this was expressly agreed during a recent audience granted by the Pope to the same Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship.”

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Lincoln, Neb., Jul 11, 2016 / 05:04 pm (CNA).- “I caught one!”

Someone screamed this outside of Fr. Ryan Kaup’s rectory window the other night, waking him up at 12:30 a.m.

That’s because Fr. Kaup’s parish, Cristo Rey in Lincoln, Neb., is a Pokestop.

What’s a Pokestop, you say? It’s part of Pokémon Go, the newest app craze released last week by Niantic Labs. The app - part geocaching, part exercise-tracking, part game - takes users through their real-life neighborhoods in order to “catch them all”. It’s become so popular that just two days after its release last Thursday, the time people spent on the game surpassed time spent on other popular apps like Whatsapp, Snapchat and Instagram.

Points, prizes and levels are gained by catching Pokémon and by going to Pokestops - tagged locations in the real world where users can stock up on gear and points for the game.

And many of those stops, it turns out, are located at churches.

The reason for this? Niantic Labs was once part of Google, and their founder and CEO once worked on the technology that powers Google Maps. That technology was used in Ingress, a geolocation game similar to Pokemon Go. The locations that appear in the game are either famous landmarks, locations based on geo-tagged photos from Google, or locations that were submitted as suggestions by players. Pokemon Go is currently not accepting Pokestop location applications.

Still, the phenomenon has some pastors and youth ministers, who are experiencing increased foot and road traffic to their churches, wondering how they can harness the popularity of the game for the good of the Gospel.  

#PokemonGO is the first thing that's willingly got me to go into a church in about 10 years.

— Calvin (@aurosan) July 10, 2016 “I figured out I lived at a Pokéstop when I downloaded the game,” Fr. Kaup told CNA.

“I heard a bunch of kids in the parish talking about the game after Mass, rejoicing in the fact that they had caught a Charmanderzar in the parish hall. After that I had to check it out,” he said.

Fr. Kaup’s parish is located in a residential neighborhood, a bit off the path, so it’s not one that people typically stumble upon. But since the breakout of Pokémon Go, Father said he’s noticed several cars slow down as they go by, or pull up into the parking lot for a few minutes to gather their Pokéballs.   

He said he explained the game to his secretary, and told her to expect to see some increased traffic around the parish in the coming days and weeks as the game picks up.

“I told her that it’s a great opportunity to engage them and invite them in to pray,” he said.

 He’s also wondering how he can make his Pokéstop parish more inviting.

“Anytime we have an encounter with another human being it is an opportunity for evangelization,” he said. “Cristo Rey being a Pokéstop brings people to our doors who never would have come otherwise...I’m toying with the idea of putting up a sign outside that says ‘Pokéstop. Come in and say hello!’ or something along those lines. Any chance we get to share the Gospel is a good thing.”

Phil, who works in Catholic ministry in Denver, told CNA that he thinks the game still has the potential to be too individualistic. People need to be intentional about how they use the app, and churches need to be intentional about welcoming Pokémon “trainers”, as they’re called, for the game to have any real impact, he said.

Some Catholics who have used the app said it’s simply a good tool to meet other people in an organic way.

I have met more people by playing Pokemon Go than I ever have by just having my personality and being places.

— Melissa P. Keating (@AndCompanions) July 11, 2016 Allan Phan, a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo who is teaching summer catechesis with Totus Tuus this summer, said the game has helped his team bond with each other and with people they’ve encountered.

“It can be a good tool to spark a conversation and start a relationship with another human being,” he told CNA.

Craig de Aragón, a Catholic who works as the assistant director for a group of radio stations in Denver, told CNA that whether at a church or elsewhere, the game is a good chance for people to connect.

“I think Pokemon Go has the potential to connect people. Whether at churches or any random Pokéstop, it's on us Catholics to connect and reach out to others.”

The Wardrobe Door, a Christian blog out of Tennessee, even has eight tips for churches that want to capitalize for the Kingdom using their Pokéstops , including putting out signs and having greeters, drinks and snacks available for whoever Poké-stops by.

Time will tell how long the game craze will last, but until then, if you see someone wandering around your parish parking lot with a phone in their face, you might want to ask them if they’re hunting some Pokémon.

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Washington D.C., Jul 11, 2016 / 05:12 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Archbishop William Lori are once again calling on the House of Representatives to enact the Conscience Protection Act to defend the rights of health care workers.

Back in March, the chairmen the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities and the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty sent a letter to the House asking for their support.

According to the letter, the Conscience Protection Act would make sure people providing health care would be able to do so  “without being forced by the government to help destroy innocent unborn children.”

After three recent examples of the government failing to protect the rights of conscientious objection, a new letter was sent July 7 explaining that federal laws providing protection in theory have not “proved effective in practice.”

Since their letter sent in March, the bishops said, “three new developments make the need for immediate action to pass the Conscience Protection Act even more urgent.”

On June 21, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the California’s Department of Managed Heath Care could continue covering “elective abortions.” In 2014, the state had mandated all health plans to cover abortions. Though religious employers objected, no changes were made.

The New York Department of Financial Services then did the same, ordering all small group employers – including faith-based companies – o cover abortions as of the first of this year.

Cardinal Dolan and Archbishop Lori cited the last incident from Washington state.

On June 21, the Skagit County Superior Court ordered public hospitals providing maternity care to also provide abortions on-site. The ruling came after Skagit Regional Heath sent women to abortion clinics because its employees did not want to perform the operations.

“These disturbing new actions to force healthcare providers to participate in the destruction of human life cry out for an immediate federal remedy,” the chairmen said.

Cardinal Dolan and Archbishop Lori explained that a difference in opinion should be respected, writing, “Even those who disagree on the issue of abortion should be able to respect those who wish not to participate in abortion.”

“As we continue to bask in the glow of our Forth of July celebrations,” they concluded, “we strongly urge you to uphold the rights to life and liberty which our Founding Fathers wisely asserted as most fundamental to our nation's existence.”

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