Your Voice — Today’s Catholic Blog

The attention of the church has focused to Sydney, Australia and World Youth Day 2008, the latest installment of the massive gathering of young people begun by Pope John Paul II in 1984. As reported by Rocco Palmo in his blog Whispers in the Loggia, this year’s gathering drew a rebuttal from the head of a seminary for a traditionalist schismatic group, the Society of St. Pius X, who claims the event is grossly secular with very little “holy or Catholic content.” 

Read the news report here.

This article brought to mind a few years ago, when I read that World Youth Day had also been criticized by liberal theologians in the Catholic Church (Hans Kung being the only name that comes to mind).

The criticism from liberals is not that the event is secular in nature and not Catholic enough, but that it is triumphalist, that is, it presents a Catholic Church that is singing its own praises and hero worshiping a pope who rules over everyone else.

It isn’t really saying much to say both characterizations strike me as unfair.World Youth Day is an expression of joy and solidarity. It shows young people willing to travel to the other side of the globe because they care enough about the pursuit of a loving relationship with God and each other. It shows an institutional church that is interested not in the old and the established, but with the vibrant and young who will write its future chapters.

The presence of the pope in such a youth and people-centered atmosphere should put to rest complaints that it is somehow “not Catholic enough” or “too Catholic.” 

Sometimes you know you’re doing the right thing by who you’re aggravating. 

Cardinal Telesphore Toppo

The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend was a host in late June to Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, the Archbishop of Ranchi, India. Just a little background — a cardinal is a bishop or archbishop specially chosen by the pope. They are known for their red garb and hold the special responsibility upon the death of a pope to vote in the conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinal Toppo was one of the 115 men worldwide to participate in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, and it was only one of the topics he discussed during his visit.

One unusual quality about Cardinal Toppo’s June 23-30 visit was its location within the diocese — not the cathedral in Fort Wayne or even prestigious Notre Dame. His base of operations was the small rural parish of St. Patrick’s in Arcola, west of Fort Wayne. This location was actually pivotal for the visit to occur. St. Patrick’s is one of 18 or so parishes in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend to be served by a priest from overseas, in this case, Father Cyril Fernandes of India. Father Cyril’s bishop, who likes to visit from time to time, had been traveling with the cardinal and invited the cardinal to come.

The week before his visit, Cardinal Toppo had been one of several cardinals speaking at the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec. His talk was on how the Catholic Church in India is enriched by the presence of multiple rites and Eastern traditions. He told this reporter that a diverse church is effective in evangelizing to Asia, a continent that is a mosaic of people and cultures.Cardinal Toppo celebrated the June 29 10 a.m. Mass at Arcola and enjoyed a reception afterward in his honor. He told the parishioners of Arcola of how his visit was made more special by it coinciding with the 30th anniversary of his being named a bishop. He also shared stories of his friendship with Mother Teresa of Calcutta and his own path to the Catholic priesthood.

The visit was only Cardinal Toppo’s second visit to the United States and definitely his most extensive. His stay also allowed him to visit some of the other Indian priests serving in the Fort Wayne-South Bend area. 

The Today’s Catholic Book of the Month is C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce.” This is a quick summer read and we would love to hear your thoughts about it. Does your parish have a book club? Comment on this feature of Today’s Catholic news.