ITALY: POPE JOHN PAUL II IS TO BEATIFY TWO OF HIS PREDECESSORS PIUS IX AND JOHN XXIII
Record ID:
648145
ITALY: POPE JOHN PAUL II IS TO BEATIFY TWO OF HIS PREDECESSORS PIUS IX AND JOHN XXIII
- Title: ITALY: POPE JOHN PAUL II IS TO BEATIFY TWO OF HIS PREDECESSORS PIUS IX AND JOHN XXIII
- Date: 3rd September 2000
- Summary: VATICAN CITY (RECENT) (REUTERS) 1. LV/SLV VATICAN (4 SHOTS) 0.23 VATICAN CITY (FILE) (REUTERS) 2. SCU/CU STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF POPE PIUS IX; SCU STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF POPE JOHN XXIII (4 SHOTS) 0.54 VATICAN CITY (AUGUST 31, 2000) (REUTERS) 3. SLV INTERIOR OF PONTIFICIAL NORTH AMERICAN COLLEGE FOUNDED BY PIUS IX IN 1859; SCU STATUE OF PIUS IX/SCU SIGN (3 SHOTS) 1.06 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MONSIGNOR TIMOTHY DOLAN SAYING: You know blesseds and saints there is always going to be something controversial about them, you are never going to find a bland saint or blessed, by their nature they are colourful, dynamic, creative human beings. Whenever you have a human being like that whether it be wordly or church affairs you are going to have somebody who rocks the boat a little. Most saints are that way just because they are such energetic, creative dynamic people. You are going to have some people who are happy about it you are going to have some people who are a little upset about it but you please some you displease others. There is going to be a lot of people who are very happy that Pius IX finally made it, there is going to be many people who are happy about John XXIII because there are so many people who remember him so fondly and gratefully. But there will be some who will be upset. Some people think that John XXIII was too liberal and perhaps he should not be beatified, some people think that Pius IX represents a past stage of the church and that is a bit of looking backwards and they are not going to be happy. In general the people of God, the church I think they just rejoice when anybody is declared blessed or canonised". 2.15 ROME, ITALY (RECENT) (REUTERS) 5. MV SET UP SHOT VATICAN SPECIALIST JOURNALIST MARCO POLITI WITH JOURNALIST 2.22 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) VATICAN SPECIALIST JOURNALIST MARCO POLITI SAYING: "Its not good to put on the same level a great Pope like John XXIII who underlines that the Church has also to learn from history and to put John XXIII on the same level as a Pope who thought of the Church like something above history, like something who divides human kind into friends and enemies, better into subjects and enemies". 2.59 7. SLV/LAS TILT DOWN MAIN SYNAGOGUE IN ROME (2 SHOTS) 3.12 8. LAS BUILDING TILT DOWN SET UP SHOT FORMER HEAD OF ITALIAN JEWISH COMMUNITIES TULLIA ZEVY WITH JOURNALIST 3.22 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER HEAD OF ITALIAN JEWISH COMMUNITITES TULLIA ZEVY SAYING: "I think that if there will be some rift we will try and soften it but certainly if it had not occurred our path towards dialogue and understanding would have been easier. When I say I am worried it is because I see this as a big stone on the road of understanding, cooperation and dialogue". 3.49 10. SLV PAN JEWISH QUARTER KNOWN AS THE GHETTO (2 SHOTS) 4.01 11. SCU PLAQUE COMMEMORATING THE JEWISH VICTIMS WHO WERE TRANSPORTED FROM THE GHETTO TO CONCENTRAION CAMPS 4.10 12. SLV GHETTO 4.15 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 18th September 2000 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: VATICAN CITY AND ROME, ITALY
- Reuters ID: LVAD9K31NK2SVZA21WMSHBTP2N43
- Story Text: Pope John Paul II will put two of his predecessors on
the road to sainthood on Sunday(September 3), one a 19th
century ultra-conservative accused of anti-Semitism and the
other a widely loved and gentle 20th century progressive.
Beatifying both Pius IX and John XXIII on Sunday
(September 3) is an historical and theological juggling act
that is seen as an attempt to satisfy both liberal and
traditional Catholics.
Pius, who reigned from 1846-1878, was the last Pope King
to rule as a temporal monarch over central Italy. He
centralised power, adamantly opposed religious tolerance and
called the First Vatican Council to define the doctrine of
Papal infallibility in matters of faith and morals.
John, dubbed the good Pope, reigned from 1962-1965 and
thrust the Church into the modern world, ended the Latin mass
and gave bishops more power.
But Pius, who is so far the longest reigning Pope ever,
will be forever remembered for the case of Edgardo Mortara, a
Jewish child kidnapped for Jesus.
On June 23, 1858, papal police in Bologna entered the home
of the Mortaras, a Jewish family, snatched six-year-old
Edgardo, and took him to Rome to be raised as a Catholic.
The decision to beatify Pius has shocked Jews and some
Catholics who have been urging the Vatican not to do it.
"You know with blesseds and saints there is always going
to be something controversial about them, you are never going
to find a bland saint or blessed, by their nature they are
colourful, dynamic, creative human beings," said Monsignor
Timothy Dolan, an American priest based at the Pontificial
American College at the Vatican which was founded by Pius IX.
"Whenever you have a human being like that whether it be
in wordly affairs or church affairs you are going to have
somebody who rocks the boat a little. Most saints are that way
just because they are such energetic, creative dynamic people,
" Dolan said.
"You are going to have some people who are happy about it
you are going to have some people who are a little upset about
it but you please some, you displease others. ... In general
the people of God, the church, I think they just rejoice when
anybody is declared blessed or canonised," he added.
But Vatican specialist and journalist Marco Politi thinks
differently.
"Its not good to put on the same level a great Pope like
John XXIII who underlines that the Church has also to learn
from history and to put John XXIII on the same level as a Pope
who thought of the Church like something above history, like
something who divides human kind into friends and enemies,
better into subjects and enemies," Politi said.
Many in the Jewish community are confused that Pope John
Paul II, in a year which has seen a breakthrough in
Jewish-Catholic relations following the pontiffs visit to the
Holy Land, could beatify Pius, a Pope accused of
anti-semitism.
Speaking on the site where Jews were herded together
before being deported to concentration camps during the second
world war, former head of the Italian Jewish communities
Tullia Zevy said:
"I think that if there will be some rift we will try and
soften it but certainly if it had not occurred our path
towards dialogue and understanding would have been easier.
When I say I am worried it is because I see this as a big
stone on the road of understanding, cooperation and dialogue."
On Sunday (September 3) Catholics and Jews will be
listerning with interest to Pope John Pauls' homily at the
beatification mass of both John XXIII and Pius IX.
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