Latest news with #Bishops
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sacred Mysteries: After 1700 years, Nicaea is still worth celebrating
I was wondering whether to pay a visit to Nicaea (now Iznik, in Turkey) for the 1700th anniversary of a momentous event there, but I was a bit put off by its not having a railway station. Luckily the good fathers who gathered there in 325 were not so easily deterred. I suppose they travelled by horse, mule or foot from Constantinople, though a ship would have helped across the Sea of Marmara, or the Propontis as it was then known. Worth celebrating now is that the bishops at the Council of Nicaea decided that Jesus Christ the Son of God is as much God as is God the Father. He wasn't just of a similar substance or being; he was of the same substance or being – 'God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made'. That looks like the belief of the author of St John's Gospel, though the doctrine may not be easy to apply to a person who was also born and died, and, as Christians believed, rose again. The doctrine was important since, if Jesus was not fully human and fully divine, he would have been incapable of achieving atonement between God and humanity. We should have been left crushed by sin and death, unable to enter the gates of heaven. Since mankind has an unquenchable appetite for the infinite, we'd be in the most tragic of positions. The religious party that wanted the bishops at Nicaea to regard the Son of God only as a creature like us were followers of Arius, an influential priest born in the 250s. An anniversary issue on Nicaea has been printed by Communio (a learned theological journal founded in 1972 by Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac and Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI). In it, David M Gwynn considers how much Arius taught the errors attributed to him and how much his opponent St Athanasius should be regarded as the champion of orthodoxy. Dr Gwynn is reader in Ancient and Late Antique History at Royal Holloway in the University of London. Athanasius, he points out, was only a young priest of about 30 when he attended the council as assistant to Alexander, the patriarch of Alexandria. But he suggests that Athanasius might have drafted Alexander's circular letter denouncing Arius. Dr Gwynn writes that the teaching of Arius could not be called heresy then, as 'there were no established orthodox answers to resolve the questions under discussion'. Perhaps not, but if it contradicted points of doctrine held by Christians, it could have been seen as false. Dr Gwynn quotes a summary by Athanasius of the doctrines of the Arians. 'Not always was the Son, for he was not until he was begotten… He is not proper to the essence of the Father, for he is a creature and a thing made… The Son does not know the Father exactly… He is not unchangeable, like the Father, but is changeable by nature, like the creatures.' Dr Gwynn finds all these assertions in Arius's writings except for the last, for Athanasius's opponents repeatedly insisted that the Son was 'unchangeable and set apart from all other creatures'. I don't know that this got the associates of Arius out of trouble. To be sure, being created is not being changed, since there was nothing to be changed from. But creation adds a new thing to the world of creatures, all susceptible to change. And to class the Son as a creature, even if set apart, distinguishes him from God in a way fatal to human salvation. Anyway Dr Gwynn argues that over-simplifying Athanasius's story 'understates the scale of his contribution in defining and securing the orthodox faith'. I certainly wouldn't want that either. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Sacred Mysteries: After 1700 years, Nicaea is still worth celebrating
I was wondering whether to pay a visit to Nicaea (now Iznik, in Turkey) for the 1700th anniversary of a momentous event there, but I was a bit put off by its not having a railway station. Luckily the good fathers who gathered there in 325 were not so easily deterred. I suppose they travelled by horse, mule or foot from Constantinople, though a ship would have helped across the Sea of Marmara, or the Propontis as it was then known. Worth celebrating now is that the bishops at the Council of Nicaea decided that Jesus Christ the Son of God is as much God as is God the Father. He wasn't just of a similar substance or being; he was of the same substance or being – 'God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made'. That looks like the belief of the author of St John's Gospel, though the doctrine may not be easy to apply to a person who was also born and died, and, as Christians believed, rose again. The doctrine was important since, if Jesus was not fully human and fully divine, he would have been incapable of achieving atonement between God and humanity. We should have been left crushed by sin and death, unable to enter the gates of heaven. Since mankind has an unquenchable appetite for the infinite, we'd be in the most tragic of positions. The religious party that wanted the bishops at Nicaea to regard the Son of God only as a creature like us were followers of Arius, an influential priest born in the 250s. An anniversary issue on Nicaea has been printed by Communio (a learned theological journal founded in 1972 by Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac and Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI). In it, David M Gwynn considers how much Arius taught the errors attributed to him and how much his opponent St Athanasius should be regarded as the champion of orthodoxy. Dr Gwynn is reader in Ancient and Late Antique History at Royal Holloway in the University of London. Athanasius, he points out, was only a young priest of about 30 when he attended the council as assistant to Alexander, the patriarch of Alexandria. But he suggests that Athanasius might have drafted Alexander's circular letter denouncing Arius. Dr Gwynn writes that the teaching of Arius could not be called heresy then, as 'there were no established orthodox answers to resolve the questions under discussion'. Perhaps not, but if it contradicted points of doctrine held by Christians, it could have been seen as false. Dr Gwynn quotes a summary by Athanasius of the doctrines of the Arians. 'Not always was the Son, for he was not until he was begotten… He is not proper to the essence of the Father, for he is a creature and a thing made… The Son does not know the Father exactly… He is not unchangeable, like the Father, but is changeable by nature, like the creatures.' Dr Gwynn finds all these assertions in Arius's writings except for the last, for Athanasius's opponents repeatedly insisted that the Son was 'unchangeable and set apart from all other creatures'. I don't know that this got the associates of Arius out of trouble. To be sure, being created is not being changed, since there was nothing to be changed from. But creation adds a new thing to the world of creatures, all susceptible to change. And to class the Son as a creature, even if set apart, distinguishes him from God in a way fatal to human salvation. Anyway Dr Gwynn argues that over-simplifying Athanasius's story 'understates the scale of his contribution in defining and securing the orthodox faith'. I certainly wouldn't want that either.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What does a pope do? His role and daily duties as leader of the Catholic Church
New pope Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church following two days of voting by the conclave in Rome. White smoke billowed from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel around 5pm today (May 8) meaning that a cardinal had secured the required two-thirds majority for election. The new pope, US cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, will be known as Pope Leo XIV. The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. There are around 1.41 billion Catholics in the world. The pope makes decisions on issues of faith and morality for Catholics throughout the world. The pope's regular Vatican appointments include a blessing for tourists and pilgrims every Sunday from the window of his private study overlooking Saint Peter's Square. The pope presides over religious celebrations of all the major church festivals of the year inside Saint Peter's, including Christmas and Easter. Past popes have celebrated Mass every morning in their private chapel before spending time in their office to deal with paperwork. One of the duties of a pope is to meet at least once every five years with his more than 5,000 bishops from around the world - roughly 1,000 a year, or 20 a week. The pope lives in Vatican City, an ecclesiastical state and enclave surrounded by Rome. He receives several visits from heads of state, ambassadors, and other representatives throughout the year. Recommended reading: New pope to be elected after two days of voting in Vatican What is the papal conclave process? How the new pope is elected When did Pope Francis become the pope and how long was he in the role for? The pope also works on various documents, including doctrinal statements and legal guidelines, often with the assistance of staff. Throughout the day, prayer and meditation are also a huge part of the pope's schedule. The pope will also travel outside of Rome frequently for engagements, and to also take breaks. It was believed that the late Pope Francis was said to enjoy "waking up later during his vacation time" and doing 'more reading for pleasure, listening to music and praying'.
CBS News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Could Cardinal Robert Prevost, originally from Chicago, become first American pope?
Never in the history of the Roman Catholic Church has there been an American pope, but now, one name has been coming up as a possible frontrunner. Robert Cardinal Prevost is originally from Chicago, and serves as the head of the church's Dicastery for Bishops. The powerful position means he oversees the selection of new bishops. Prevost has spent much of his time serving in Peru, and holds nationality in both the U.S. and Peru. Father Mark R. Francis, CSV, provincial of the Viatorians in the United States, studied with Cardinal Prevost. He said Prevost could indeed be the first pope from the U.S. largely in part for his work in Latin America for many years. Francis and Prevost were seminary classmates at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago from 1978 until 1982. They also both worked in Rome in the early 2000s. "My experience of Cardinal Prevost was that he's not a showboat," said Fr. Francis. "He's very calm, but extremely intelligent, and extremely compassionate." Fr. Francis was asked what his hope is for the next pope, whoever he may be. "I think coming together as a Christian community, that we're able to read the signs of the times and figure out what we need to do as a church," Francis said. Prevost is seen as a progressive on many social issues. Overall, many view him as a centrist. Like Pope Francis, Prevost has spent time embracing marginalized groups such as the poor. "He's a person who's very sensitive, and is concerned to allow everyone to have a voice," said Fr. Francis. Would a Prevost papacy look similar to that of Pope Francis? "It would be similar in terms of basic goals, I think," said Francis. "The kind of style he would bring to the papacy would be calm, steady, very direct kind of guidance." Right now, Prevost lives in Rome, overseeing the election of new bishops all over the world. As an American, his election would be a historic surprise.
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
New York Catholic Bishops hit out at Donald Trump after he posted AI picture of himself as the Pope
New York Catholic Bishops have hit out at Donald Trump after he posted an AI-generated image of himself as the Pope. US Cardinal Timothy Dolan said on Sunday that President Trump's the posting of the image 'wasn't good' but declined to say whether the White House should apologise to offended Catholics. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, was asked about the post on the sidelines of a Mass he celebrated at a Rome church ahead of Wednesday's start of a conclave where he and other cardinals under the age of 80 will elect a successor to Pope Francis. Trump, who is not a Catholic and does not attend church regularly, posted the image on his Truth Social platform late on Friday, less than a week after attending the funeral of Pope Francis, who died aged 88 last month. The White House then reposted it on its official X account. 'It wasn't good,' Dolan said before the Mass in response to a reporter's question, adding: 'I hope he didn't have anything to do with that.' When a reporter asked if he was offended, Dolan said: 'Well, you know, it wasn't good.' Then, switching to Italian, he said it was a 'brutta figura', a colloquial phrase for when someone does something that is embarrassing or makes them look bad. Asked after the Mass if the post should be taken down and if an apology from Trump or the White House was in order, Dolan said in Italian: 'Who knows?' He declined to say anything more about it. Trump last week joked with reporters that he would like to be the next pope. He then suggested that Dolan could be a good pick: 'I must say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who's very good, so we'll see what happens.' Dolan, who was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict in 2012, is seen as a conservative and delivered one of the invocations at Trump's inauguration in January. The AI image posted on Friday shows an unsmiling Trump seated in an ornate chair, dressed in white papal vestments and headdress, with his right forefinger raised. The irreverent posting drew instant outrage on social media, with the Catholic bishops of New York state expressing their clear displeasure on X. 'There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,' they wrote. 'We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.' The picture made the front pages of many Italian newspapers on Sunday, with most condemning it or expressing outrage. Some newspapers said it should be seen as a joke. Pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter's Square on Sunday were also divided. 'Did he really post it? He posted that? It's kind of ridiculous but yeah, okay,' said Marcella Peixoto of Brazil. John Smith, an American from California, said: 'I think he's a funny guy, I think he's trying to be funny and comedy is being lost in the world. I think everyone needs to lighten up and smile like you're smiling right now'.
