Archbishop Sheen: A Medieval Dispute? A Medieval Solution!

We saw this one coming, but I never thought it would result in the suspension of the Cause of the Venerable Fulton Sheen.  As you may have heard, the Cause of the popular Bishop has been suspended due to a dispute over his body. 

In brief: his home diocese, Peoria, which sponsored the Cause and has done Trojan work over the last twelve years or so, has asked the Archdiocese of New York to allow the remains of the soon to be Blessed to be returned to the diocese so First Class relics can be taken to be prepared for the veneration of the faithful and a shrine established. Over the last number of years there has been a rather tense situation with regard to this request because New York, where the Archbishop is buried - in the crypt of St Patrick's Cathedral, is not so keen to let him go.  As tentative plans are being considered for the beatification ceremony in Peoria (the beatification miracle has yet to be approved by the Congregation of the Causes of Saints and the Holy Father but it seems the miracle will pass through those stages fairly easily) the request was made again, and it seems New York has said no: Fulton ain't moving. So the Bishop of Peoria, in consultation with the Congregation in Rome, and with its advice and support, has suspended the Cause and it is now relegated to the historical archives.

So there we are. What would Fulton say? Well, he would not be impressed and given his passionate sense of reason he would make his views known so no one is left in any doubt. However, without an apparition or sign from heaven (which would then be subject to the Church's discernment process - which would take us into the next century before a judgment is made) we are at an impasse. This is like being back in the Middle Ages when the citizenry of dioceses, cities and towns were fighting over who owned which Saint, and then went about all over the place stealing Saints's bodies. Fulton would not be impressed.

So, who deserves to have the body? Well, both dioceses have a case. The home diocese of Peoria is the sponsoring diocese for the Cause and the Bishop and people there have worked hard to get it to where it is. They financed part of it, but a lot of the finance came from people all over the world who made contributions out of devotion to a man they consider a Saint. Usually the diocese that sponsored the Cause should have the relics, or the greater part of the relics, of the Beatus or Saint. Peoria is his home, and he was a priest of that diocese, so justice might well dictate that Fulton should come home. It is also worth noting that the Holy See expected that the body would be returned to Peoria.

However, New York also has a case. Fulton was Auxiliary of New York, and lived most of his life there. He retired there. Most importantly he ministered there with great success. He filled St Patrick's Cathedral just as Ambrose filled Milan's Cathedral. People came to New York, a city at the centre of the world, to see him and hear him. If the world wants to come to venerate his remains, then the most central place is New York. Fulton was buried in the crypt of St Patrick's as an honour to thank him for his extraordinary ministry in the city and archdiocese.

So, there we have it - both dioceses have a case; there are reasons for and against each diocese: now what should be done? Given that we no longer divide up the bodies of Saints, thankfully - relics are just portions, it will not be a case of Solomon's judgement where half of him heads off to Peoria and the other half stays in the Big Apple. For such a Medieval dispute some might suggest such a Medieval solution. However, there is another Medieval solution which may be the best way to resolve this dispute and allow Fulton's beatification progress: let the Pope decide.

The Pope is not just the head of the Church on earth and symbol of unity within the Church, he is also the one who settles disputes. From time immemorial conflicting bishops, kings, nobles and others appealed to the Pope to settle disputes and his judgement was binding since he was the Vicar of Christ and his word was the word of God on the matter. That faculty still exists, and it is exercised in many ways, one being the right of every Catholic to appeal to the Holy Father in issues of canon law etc. In annulment cases, for example, if a person or couple is not happy with the decision of a tribunal, they have the right to appeal to the Pope. 

Let Pope Francis decide where Fulton is to rest, and both dioceses accept that decision even if it goes against them.  The only snag is that Francis might decide to send him to the cathedral in Rochester where he was Ordinary - smell of the sheep and all that. Would Fulton like to return to the place which caused him so much grief?  Well, sending him there might itself start another row...

There is no doubt that people are shocked, confused, saddened, and I would even dare say, scandalized, by the suspension of the Cause and the dispute which led to it. With all that is going on in the world, the systematic martyrdom of our brothers and sisters in the Middle East being one issue the Church needs to engage with, a fight over the body of a Saint is unnecessary, unseemly and a distraction. The Bishop of Peoria has asked for prayers and that is a good request, so let us all pray that common sense and Christian charity will prevail. We are living in dark times, we need hope and we need models of joy and faith to inspire us - the Ven. Fulton is one of these. Let's get this out of the way so the Church can celebrate the life, holiness and teachings of one of her most faithful sons and give us all a boost in these challenging times.

PS: Just reflecting on it, I  think Fulton is probably laughing in heaven: two dioceses fighting over his body, both want him. He surely remembers the years when no one wanted him as he preached the truth in a time when not even Bishops and priests wanted to hear it. 

Solemnity Of SS Peter And Paul: A Spiritual Pilgrimage

A happy feast day to you all - the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles, SS Peter and Paul.  I love these days at the end of the June, they bring us right of the heart the Church in Rome as we reflect on the first beginnings and the persecution of the first martyrs there, among them SS Peter and Paul.   This is the "Quo Vadis" week really, when we immerse ourselves in the heroism of our brothers and sisters who shed their blood for Christ and sanctified the city we now look to as the See of our Holy Father, the successor of St Peter.

It is a time when we can do a spiritual pilgrimage to those holy places.  Starting at the Mamertine prison, beside the Roman Forum, down in the lower cell, dank and damp, where Peter and Paul were held in chains together awaiting their fate. 

The Mamertine Prison

Then the journey out the Via Appia (the Appian Way) to the Quo Vadis Church, stopping off at the Circus Maximus where many of the first martyrs died. 

The Circus Maximus

The Via Appia Antica

The "Quo Vadis" Church

The "footprints of Jesus"

After a prayer in the church, and having looked at the "footpints of Jesus", back into Rome with Peter renewed, to visit his tomb in St Peter's Basilica on the Vatican hill where he was crucified upside down and then buried in the cemetery nearby.

The Crucifixion of St Peter

St Peter's Tomb

Then on out to Tre Fontane, to the site of St Paul's beheading, taking a moment to reflect on the three fountains which may well indeed symbolise the waters of baptism being poured out all over the world on countless converts redeemed by the blood of Christ and won by the intercession of the blood of the Apostles.

The beheading of St Paul

Pillar on which St Paul was beheaded at the Monastery of Tre Fontane

Then the walk into the Basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls to spend some time praying at his tomb, and perhaps some moments reading from his epistles.

The Tomb of St Paul

And finally back in to the city to the Basilica of St John Lateran, the Pope's cathedral, to pray for the Holy Father, and to venerate the heads of the two Apostles which are enshrined above the Papal Altar.

Reliquary busts containing the heads of SS Peter and Paul

above the Papal Altar in the Lateran Basilica

In news today: the US Catholic bishops have rejected the US Supreme Court's judgement on Obamacare.  An interesting analysis of the judgement on Fr Frank Pavone from Phil Lawlor.  And Scripture scholar, Fr Jerome Murphy-O'Connor believes Jesus had a nervous breakdown in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

Fr Murphy-O'Connor has many interesting and insightful things to say on the Scriptures, but sometimes he just loses the run of himself, and I think he has done it again with this particular theory.  Another of his strange notions concerns St Paul's marital status.  Even though there is not a shred of evidence to suggest St Paul was married, Murphy-O'Connor maintains that he was but his wife and children probably died in a dreadful accident and so he could not bring himself to even refer to it when he gives his biography and lists his sufferings in his epistles.  It's one thing having a theory, but theories must be backed up with evidence, or at least a tradition however vague, but Murphy O'Connor offers no evidence, just fanciful notions. 

And finally Cardinal Dolan's reflections on the Venerable Fulton Sheen and the Venerable Angeline McCrory following the Holy Father's decrees yesterday.  You know something, the Saints keep us sane.  In the midst of the craziness of the world we can look to them and see that at every point in history there were people who "got it", who convince us that we are walking the right path to Christ and urge us to keep walking, and to get up when we fall.

Archbishop Sheen Declared Venerable

Great news today - Archbishop Fulton Sheen has been declared Venerable by Pope Benedict XVI.  With the work on the miracle being processed at the moment, I think we will see his beatification in the next few years.   This is wonderful for the Church, for priests who preach the truth and for those involved in the media.  As one who fearlessly preached the Gospel over the airwaves, and suffered for it, his glorification will be a great sign of hope as we move forward in the New Evangelisation. 

I think the Venerable Fulton has friends in Rome: his positio was presented thirteen months ago - this is fast according to CCS standards.  I presume the powers that be want him beatified quickly. I know of other Causes with accompanying miracles presented long before Sheen's which are still awaiting the decree. 

I see Mother Angeline McCrory has also been declared Venerable.  I knew her sisters in the New York -one of them, Sr Aloysius McBride, was a dear friend - she died a few years ago.  It's a pity she did not live to see today, she would have been thrilled.  She knew Mother Angeline and her stories about the foundress were always entertaining and beautiful.  Hopefully her Cause will proceed quickly to beatification.  The Venerable Angeline has a lot to say about the dignity of old age and the importance of respecting life. She would be a great patron to invoke against euthanasia.  Mother Angeline was Irish!  She was born in Co. Tyrone and emigrated to Scotland, her family's native country, when she was seven, and then to the US when she joined the Little Sisters of the Poor.  She founded the Carmelites of the Aged and Infirm.

Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, companion of St Josemaria Escriva and second leader and first Prelate of Opus Dei has also been declared Venerable.  So it's a bumper lot today.

I'm not sure if you saw this article. Gary Krupp of the Pave The Way Foundation says that the fight against the "black legend" constructed about the Venerable Pius XII is almost over.  Meticulous research has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the accusations made against him are untrue. Of course everyone knows that, even those who are propagating the accusations.  Krupp is well aware of this and he takes the unusual step of referring to those who perpetuate the accusations not as scholars but as liars.  At this stage I think few who know the truth will disagree with him there.

And it seems the Supreme Court of the US is upholding Obamacare.  We will have to see what it thinks of the HHS Mandate.  The guys over at Creative Minority Report are not happy: they tell us that the only way to get rid of this attack on religious freedom is to get rid of Obama in the November elections.  We shall see how things go there.  Is it possible that the Archbald brothers are plotting rebellion??