Vatican Council

The Rev. Francis X. Murphy, a religious scholar, educator and writer whose inside reporting of the workings of the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s brought him international attention, died Thursday at Anne Arundel Medical Center of complications from cancer surgery. He was 87. A member of the Redemptorist Fathers and Brothers, Father Murphy had lived since 1985 at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Annapolis, where he was a writer in residence. Born and raised in the Bronx, N.Y., to Irish immigrant parents, he studied at the Redemptorists' preparatory seminary in North East, Pa., and professed his vows in 1935.

In October 2012 the Church will observe the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Like every anniversary, it is a time to look back and to look ahead. There will be many articles and talks on the history of the council and its true meaning. As well there should. Among those who took a leading part in the council was a young bishop named Karol Wojtyla, later known to the world as Pope John Paul II. He called the Second Vatican Council "a unique and unrepeatable experience.

Pope Benedict XVI authorized yesterday wider use of the long-marginalized Latin Mass, a move that delighted Catholic traditionalists but worried others who fear the erosion of important church reforms. Revival of the service, which had largely been supplanted by the modernizing spirit of the Second Vatican Council, also angered Jewish groups because it contains a passage calling for their conversion. In a decree known as a motu propio, essentially a personal decision, the pope urged priests to celebrate a 1962 version of the 16th-century Tridentine Mass when their congregations request it. Until now, priests could use the Latin Mass only with permission from their bishops, which was not always forthcoming.

Pope Benedict XVI authorized yesterday wider use of the long-marginalized Latin Mass, a move that delighted Catholic traditionalists but worried others who fear the erosion of important church reforms. Revival of the service, which had largely been supplanted by the modernizing spirit of the Second Vatican Council, also angered Jewish groups because it contains a passage calling for their conversion. In a decree known as a motu propio, essentially a personal decision, the pope urged priests to celebrate a 1962 version of the 16th-century Tridentine Mass when their congregations request it. Until now, priests could use the Latin Mass only with permission from their bishops, which was not always forthcoming.

Sister Mary Luke Tobin, 98, the only American woman to participate in the Second Vatican Council, died Aug. 24 at the order's motherhouse in Nerinx, Ky. She was superior general of the Sisters of Loretto from 1958 to 1970. When she was invited to Rome, she was president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a group of leaders from U.S. congregations of religious sisters. She was invited to attend the third and final session of the Second Vatican Council in Rome in 1964 and 1965.

The agreement between Israel and the Vatican to establish diplomatic relations this year must be seen in many dimensions. In all, it is a positive step, an improvement in the ability of different peoples to gain the riches of human values from human contact.At one level, this is a step in reconciliation of Christians and Jews and of the Catholic Church and Judaism. The Vatican refused to recognize Israel on its independence in 1949. The reason varied, being first a requisite for the internationalization of Jerusalem, and later for Palestinian independence.

AT THEIR annual meeting last week, the U.S. Catholic bishops agreed to look into the idea of promoting Fridays as days of fast and abstinence. (Abstinence pertains to what sort of food you eat; fasting, to how much you eat.)In many religions, the occasional limiting of the consumption of food is a devout practice. Muslims are unique in observing a whole month (Ramadan) of strict daylight fasting.In ancient Judaism, certain foods were always forbidden (e.g. pork). The only official time of fasting was the Day of Atonement.

"This isn't just a Catholic church, but a major piece of the downtown Baltimore skyline," says the Rev. Richard T. Lawrence, speaking of St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church, where he is pastor.This Sunday, the parish will hold a solemn pontifical high mass to rededicate the historic structure after the recent start of physical repairs. The service, to be followed by a champagne brunch, also will mark the beginning of the church's 150th year at North Front Street and the Fallsway.Seven years in the planning, the repairs finally got under way five months ago when the church's woodwork was stripped and restained, the pews were moved from parallel rows to a semi-circle facing the altar, and ramps were created for the access of handicapped worshipers.

Relations between Roman Catholics and Jews -- a difficult and often ugly history of 2,000 years that began to heal after the Second Vatican Council -- got a boost in Baltimore last night from prominent priests and rabbis even as lingering conflicts were acknowledged.The modern relationship, based on a 1965 Vatican edict repudiating the belief that Jews are collectively guilty for killing Jesus of Nazareth, was affirmed last night at St. Mary's Seminary as "one of the greatest revolutions in human history."

This year, the Roman Catholic Church marks the 25th anniversary of "Nostra Aetate," a document issued by the Second Vatican Council that represented a sharp departure in the church's official attitude toward Judaism. The document renounced centuries of Christian teaching that blamed Jews for the death of Jesus and opened the way for Catholic -- Jewish dialogue that has had far -- reaching effects. Meanwhile, Protestants are also re-examining their relationship to Judaism. As the following reflections show, these efforts at interfaith dialogues have profound implications for Christians and Jews alike.

Sister Mary Luke Tobin, 98, the only American woman to participate in the Second Vatican Council, died Aug. 24 at the order's motherhouse in Nerinx, Ky. She was superior general of the Sisters of Loretto from 1958 to 1970. When she was invited to Rome, she was president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a group of leaders from U.S. congregations of religious sisters. She was invited to attend the third and final session of the Second Vatican Council in Rome in 1964 and 1965.

The next pope will inherit a church facing serious challenges, such as the polarization between liberals and conservatives, competition with evangelical Protestants, the secularization of Western Europe and the clergy's steadily declining ranks. The new pontiff will have to find a way to bridge the chasm between the message he preaches and the practices of his flock, who often ignored Pope John Paul II's strict teachings on divorce, premarital sex and contraception. In the United States, he will need to help restore the credibility of the church after the priest sex abuse scandal - the worst in the history of the American church.

The Rev. Francis X. Murphy, a religious scholar, educator and writer whose inside reporting of the workings of the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s brought him international attention, died Thursday at Anne Arundel Medical Center of complications from cancer surgery. He was 87. A member of the Redemptorist Fathers and Brothers, Father Murphy had lived since 1985 at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Annapolis, where he was a writer in residence. Born and raised in the Bronx, N.Y., to Irish immigrant parents, he studied at the Redemptorists' preparatory seminary in North East, Pa., and professed his vows in 1935.

BY THE time I resigned from the Catholic priesthood to marry in 1988, most of the straight priests I knew had already married. The gay priests I knew were exemplary men -- hardworking, dedicated and talented. Yet as I watched more and more friends depart to marry, my sense of isolation became acute. The priesthood I left felt very different from the one I entered. I loved the priesthood, especially the core elements that defined it -- leading worship, preaching, celebrating the sacraments and the myriad duties of pastoral ministry.

Relations between Roman Catholics and Jews -- a difficult and often ugly history of 2,000 years that began to heal after the Second Vatican Council -- got a boost in Baltimore last night from prominent priests and rabbis even as lingering conflicts were acknowledged.The modern relationship, based on a 1965 Vatican edict repudiating the belief that Jews are collectively guilty for killing Jesus of Nazareth, was affirmed last night at St. Mary's Seminary as "one of the greatest revolutions in human history."

AT THEIR annual meeting last week, the U.S. Catholic bishops agreed to look into the idea of promoting Fridays as days of fast and abstinence. (Abstinence pertains to what sort of food you eat; fasting, to how much you eat.)In many religions, the occasional limiting of the consumption of food is a devout practice. Muslims are unique in observing a whole month (Ramadan) of strict daylight fasting.In ancient Judaism, certain foods were always forbidden (e.g. pork). The only official time of fasting was the Day of Atonement.

ALTHOUGH Roman Catholics constitute the largest single religious community in the world and embrace nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population, relatively few people are aware of the prolonged, slow-motion coup that has been under way in the church since the election of Pope John Paul II in October 1978.Although no phone lines have been cut and no one has been placed under house arrest, it is a coup nonetheless, fueled by the ideology and resentment of the defeated minority at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)

To the Rev. Francis Xavier Murphy, religion "is like caviar.""It's an acquired taste," says the retired Redemptorist priest.Three decades after writing witty but controversial inside looks at Vatican Council II under an assumed name, he has lost none of his taste for the faith or for generating heated discussion."

The agreement between Israel and the Vatican to establish diplomatic relations this year must be seen in many dimensions. In all, it is a positive step, an improvement in the ability of different peoples to gain the riches of human values from human contact.At one level, this is a step in reconciliation of Christians and Jews and of the Catholic Church and Judaism. The Vatican refused to recognize Israel on its independence in 1949. The reason varied, being first a requisite for the internationalization of Jerusalem, and later for Palestinian independence.

To the Rev. Francis Xavier Murphy, religion "is like caviar.""It's an acquired taste," says the retired Redemptorist priest.Three decades after writing witty but controversial inside looks at Vatican Council II under an assumed name, he has lost none of his taste for the faith or for generating heated discussion."