text:
Seeing red.
Robert Mickens of the Tablet and Sandro Magister of Chiesa are reporting the names of the men behind the investigation of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. You're going to recognize a few. First, Magister:
The inspection [of LCWR] had been urged above all by some cardinals of the United States, both of the curia and residential [i.e., those who live in Rome], with direct knowledge of the "problematic" orientations of the LCWR.Cardinal Franc Rod, prefect of the congregation for religious until the end of 2010, had given the go-ahead to a rather hostile apostolic visitation of the LCWR. But after, on January 4, 2011, he was replaced by Brazilian cardinal Joo Braz de Aviz, a focolarino [member of the Focolare movement], and even before that, when the American Redemptorist Joseph W. Tobin became secretary of the same congregation, the apostolic visitation continued and concluded in a much more conciliatory manner.This changing of the guard at the top of the congregation for religious was not at all to the liking of the cardinals from the United States residing in Rome at the time Levada, Raymond L. Burke, James F. Stafford, Bernard F. Law, John P. Foley so much so that none of them attended Tobin's episcopal ordination at Saint Peter's Basilica on October 9, 2010.
That's extraordinary. On Magister's telling, those American cardinals were so disappointed with the decision to appoint Tobin -- an outsider who didn't want the job and freely admits to "ranting about the curia" -- that they couldn't be bothered to attend his ordination to the episcopacy. (I wonder who attended Cardinal Law's 2004 appointment as archpriest of St. Mary Major. His retirement ran silent.) Imagine their surprise when soon after a nun was appointed undersecretary for the congregation -- and one who doesn't usually wear a habit, just like those troublesome LCWR nuns. Those American cardinals must have seen the writing on the wall. Under new management, the apostolic visitation of the LCWR seems to have gone precisely nowhere.
Unlike the doctrinal investigation, which was run by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by Levada. As Mickens explains, the CDF had been looking into the LCWR for quite some time:
By the late 1990s, [conservative U.S. bishops] began taking their complaints about the sisters to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in Rome. The CDF, under the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, even issued a doctrinal warning against the organisation in 2001, though the last remnant of a more conciliar group of US bishops was able to stave off any direct Vatican intervention.The saga entered a new phase in 2005 when Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope. He quickly appointed the then Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco to his old post as CDF prefect. Significantly, the soon-to-be Cardinal Levada was also chairman of the doctrinal committee of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). According to sources in Rome and Washington, his successor at the conferences doctrinal office the then Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut was the man who formally petitioned the CDF to launch the current doctrinal investigation of the LCWR. Cardinal Bernard Law, who was forced to resign as Archbishop of Boston in 2002 because of his perceived mishandling of the clerical sex-abuse crisis, was reportedly the person in Rome most forcefully supporting Bishop Loris proposal.
Both Cardinal Law and Archbishop Lori (he was appointed to the prestigious see of Baltimore in March) have long supported womens religious orders that have distanced themselves from the LCWR. Cardinal Law, 80, staffs his residence in Rome with the Mercy Sisters of Alma (Michigan) and Archbishop Lori, 61, helped set up several traditional communities of sisters during his tenure in Bridgeport (2001-12). All these communities, marked by their loyalty to the hierarchy, belong to the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), which broke away from the LCWR in 1992.
Incidentally, Cardinal Law was a member of the Vaticans Congregation for Religious when it launched its own visitation separate from the CDF investigation of womens communities in the US. According to news reports, that project was at least partially funded by the Knights of Columbus, a wealthy fraternal order of Catholic men for whom Archbishop Lori has been supreme chaplain since 2005. Under the leadership of an influential Washington lawyer and former Reagan White House official, Carl Anderson, the knights have increasingly backed conservative causes and routinely make sizeable donations to the Holy See.
How sizable? According to its 2010 tax filing (.pdf), the Knights of Columbus donated about $1 million to the Vatican. But the Knights of Columbus doesn't cut checks just to Rome. In 2010, the organization gave close to $2 million dollars to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. And it donated $25,000 to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is spearheading the legal challenges to the contraception mandate; and $50,000 to the Federalist Society. It will be interesting to see the 2011 totals. (Of course, the Knights of Columbus also donate generously to humanitarian relief efforts.) But back to Mickens:
Mr Anderson is a member or consultor of several Vatican offices, and one of the five-man board of directors for the so-called Vatican Bank. His close association with the Vatican and Archbishop Lori, and the archbishops own determination to bring the LCWR into line, should not be underestimated.After appointing Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo (Ohio) to conduct the initial phase of the controversial investigation of the Leadership Conference, the CDF has now asked Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle to lead phase two. He heads a three-man team (which includes Blair [and Paprocki of Springfield Illinois]) to reform the organization or, in the CDFs sanitised words, to implement a process of review and conformity to the teachings and discipline of the Church.
Gee, when you put it that way, it almost sounds fun. Mickens concludes: "This is the Vatican team entrusted with reforming the LCWR -- three men considered to be rising stars in the American hierarchy. Each has said he has accepted the mission for the good of the church." That sentiment was echoed by Santa Fe Archbishop Michael Sheehan, who recently explained that while some people have had a tough time understanding Vatican decrees, including the imposition of the new translation of the Missal and the censure of the LCWR, accepting them "is a small price to pay for our unity with our mother church."
Perhaps Archbishop Sheehan is on to something. American Catholics have not forgotten how long it took bishops to wake up to the sexual-abuse crisis they created. And now they see that the Vatican took just three years to determine that it had no other option but to put 80 percent of U.S. nuns -- whose average age is seventy-four -- into receivership, an effort led in part by Cardinal Bernard Law. That decision has unified a good deal of Catholics all right -- against Rome.
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The hubristic statement of the week:" --- while some people have had a tough time accepting Vatican decrees, including the imposition of the new translation of the Missal and the censure of the LCWR, accepting them is a small price to pay for our unity with our mother church. "And he actually thinks that these examples of Vatican interference will actually foster unity? If you consider "unity" to be represented by an ever-increasing body drain from the world-wide Catholic Church, he's right.
John Allen, scooped by Magister and Mickens, is now on the bandwagon with his customary Vatican shill http://bit.ly/IJRG1J.
Grant Gallicho: Hold on! When you write of a good number (not "deal") of Catholics being united against Rome, have you taken conservative American Catholics into account?When I was in the Jesuits in the 1980s, the pope and Vatican intervened to take over the Society of Jesus.In all honesty, I do not recall hearing any Jesuit say at that time that he was thrilled by the intervention of the pope and the Vatican. However, I would not be surprised if there were some conservative Jesuits somewhere who were thrilled by the intervention of the pope and the Vatican.So here's my point to you, Grant: The pope and the Vatican do undertake interventions from time to time.Now, I've read the CDF's critique of the LCWR. The criticisms are small potatoes.So what did you expect?
"This is the Vatican team entrusted with reforming the LCWR three men considered to be rising stars in the American hierarchy." Rising stars, of course. Both Sartain and Paprocki are among the ten bishops on the newly formed, Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.
Well, as the holder of a Harvard degree myself, it's comforting for me to know that the Harvard man at the Vatican, Bernard Law, disgraced though he has been, is still throwing his weight around.
Sandro Magister tells us that the brother of Mother Mary Clare Millea, who was the appointed apostolic visitor for the Vatican investigation of U.S. religious women, is Msgr. William Millea, an official in the Vatican Secretariat of State, who serves as a master of ceremonies for papal Masses. Now we know how she got the job. She knows people in high places! Nepotism?
Absent Christian charity, one might say this whole episode cries to heaven for vengeance!That said, we are witnessing the increasing number of Vatican actions motivated by fear of change. Is the Roman Church imploding?Are we now undergoing Reformation II?Hot damn, these are exciting times!!!
And "who will guard the guardians"? How about a scrutiny of the records of the proposers of this fiasco?
"This changing of the guard at the top of the congregation for religious was not at all to the liking of the cardinals from the United States residing in Rome at the time Levada, Raymond L. Burke, James F. Stafford, Bernard F. Law, John P. Foley so much so that none of them attended Tobins episcopal ordination at Saint Peters Basilica on October 9, 2010."How petty. And this is what we have in Church leadership. Boo hiss!
The dire reality is that the Vatican and American bishops miss it completely that the CDF is hardly relevant and that doctrinal edicts do not move people. Thomas Farrell, your example more than limps. The nun imbroglio impacts like the pedophilia crisis. Here is but one example of what is going on all over. http://ncronline.org/news/global/austrian-parish-listens-priest-none-rec... people need is vision not people like Law harassing others while seeking personal justification. We are in a Catholic world which is keenly aware that the leaders continue to lose it. Most crucially they have no idea how much they are sinking. The Titanic, at least, was built well. The Vatican/bishops structure is falling even before hitting an iceberg or encountering a torpedo.
Helen: Exactly -- petty! Well stated.
Bill Mazzella: I asked Grant Gallicho if he had considered the views of conservative American Catholics. It sure sounds like you have not.The CDF critique of the LCWR is no big deal. It's just the conservative pope and the conservatives in the CDF acting the way conservative Catholics act at times -- petty, as Helen was allowed to put it. (Grant Gallicho deleted from my message my most charitable characterization of the Catholic bishops, just as he has deleted one of my earlier messages characterizing the Catholic bishops.)Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, is a conservative Catholic, as are the other Catholic bishops. There are many conservative American Catholics who cheer on Benedict and the CDF when they do things like the recent intervention with the LCWR.
"How petty. And this is what we have in Church leadership. Boo hiss!'Well, they don't have wives and (supposedly) girl friends with which to fight. No kids to lord it over. Petty jealousy rises to an ecclesiastical game of thrones.
To all you Vatican watchers out there:1. Who proposed James Tobin for his current job? 2. How can we get that person anointed as nominator-in-chief for all new bishops and all posts to be filled in the Vatican for the next 30 years?
Wow, is that right? The average age of LCWR-affiliated nuns is 74? Does not such a complete failure to attract vocations suggest that maybe, just maybe, some of these orders could you a bit of help in understanding their vocation? Just asking... I find striking is that many commenters year seem positively convinced that when he Vatican says they want to help, start a dialogue etc. they are clearly LYING because what they want is just to affirm their OPPRESSIVE POWER. On the other hand, help will come from Ms. Marx and some of the other distinguished speakers at the LCWR annual conferences!What is a stake here is really whether we believe that the Holy Spirit is at work through the apostolic institutions of the Church (in spite of the possibly horrible flaws of the human beings involved) or not.
I find it striking that Carlo doesn't think it strange to start a dialog with an organization by effectively taking it over.
Carlo Lancellotti: When I read that number (74), it was described as the median age, not the average age.As you may know, the median age of 74 would mean the mid-point of the ages of the sisters represented by the LCWR. Roughly half the sisters would be over 74, and half under 74. Of course one or more than one could be exactly 74, so I use the qualifier "roughly."As you may know, in the United States, women usually live longer than men do, at least in terms of statistical averages.Just to be clear, I earlier posted a statement that Archbishop Sartain had stated publicly that he sees this intervention as an opportunity for dialogue. It remains to be seen how well he will live up to his statement about dialogue.I. for one, am fully confident in the ability of the leaders of the LCWR to stand in there and carry on a dialogue with him and his two fellow bishops.Nevertheless, I have also stated that Sartain and his two fellow bishops will prevail in the intervention because they hold all the power. Let me now qualify my statement a bit. Those three bishops will not have the final say because anything they work out will also have to clear two Vatican offices, one of which may very well play a very supportive role toward the LCWR. That also remains to be seen. The other Vatican office, the CDF, will undergo a change in personnel in the near future when Cardinal Levada retires. It remains to be seen who will replace him.
"a small price to pay for our unity with our mother church."A pretty telling notion of unity, isn't it? Not even obedience is a matter of "payment," much less unity. Only a modern, liberal individualist would see unity in terms of an economy of wills. Being in unity--one body--happens only through learning, the sole path to being of one mind. The student whose teacher expects rote agreement in exchange for payment, no matter how "small" and figurative, eventually finds out only that the teacher doesn't really want her to learn.
Carlo: Bishops screw up, just like the rest of us. Exhibit A: the sexual-abuse scandals here and abroad.
Stephen McKenna: Let's be careful here. In oral cultures, rote agreement is what teachers expect of students. Even in our universities in Western culture today, we as students first need to learn the basics of a given disciplines -- we need to be able to state in our own words what the basic points are that we have learned, to show that we have learned the basic points, rather than nothing.
Carlo, I think your comment has alot of truth: perhaps, just perhaps, it is the Holy Spirit acting. It may not be a certainty, but it definitely has a positive probability. Some seem to forget that this process started years ago. The LCWR had plenty of chance to adjust course on their own and for whatever reason did not. And they can still refuse to change; that refusal has a consequence - their relationship with the Church as defined by the Vatican - which seems appropriate. Even children learn that decisions have consequences...Btw, I saw a group of the Sisters of Life recently. Seemed there were about 70 of them at an average age of about 35. FWIW, here is how they describe a vocation:A vocation is not, contrary to what we sometimes hear, a career that one chooses; neither is it about our plans to do good, or to serve others as efficiently as possible. It is important to distinguish a desire to do good work or to grow closer to Jesus from a life-calling that demands our very essence given in love to the Lord.
I attended the ordination of Archbishop Tobin, C.Ss.R. I have known Joe for almost 40 years now. Yes it true the Cardinals were not present for Joe's ordination. But the first Mass celebrated at San Afonsos in Rome, Cardinal Law was present and joined in the celebration with the new Archbishop along with a very large Redemptorist Community. It was clear from the very start the good friendship with Law and Tobin. I even had a good conversation with the Cardinal at our table. So I think that maybe you need to rethink some of your ideas on this subject.
Re: Alan C. Mitchell 05/03/2012 - 4:51 pm John Allen, scooped by Magister and Mickens, is now on the bandwagon with his customary Vatican shill http://bit.ly/IJRG1J.Alan Mitchell took the words right out of my mouth. John Allen needs a byline ID as PR counsel for all things Vatican.Mickens is really the one who connects the dots with various links among the cast of characters.Brother Luke: please read the Massachusetts attorney general investigation of Law and Law's depositions to understand what criminal child endangerment and distorting the truth involves. www.BishopAccountability.org Start with his abuse of confessional secrecy by imposing a seal on a survivor never to speak to anyone about the abuse he endured. The survivor was at the funeral of the perpetrator when he quietly told Law what happened, whereupon Law swore him to secrecy. The man has blood on his hands, IMHO.Look at his decision to put a rapist back in ministry even though the priest abandoned the mother of his child who had collapsed in drug-induced unconsciousness and died later that night. Law's very first concern: scandal. Not the death of the woman, or the child's welfare, but the priest's soppy letter saying he would be fine in another parish because no one would ever find out. So, he was reassigned. But the judge eventually ordered documents released. Please read them sometime.BTW, I am told Law is the de rigeur prelate for Americans like Tobin to meet when in Rome (don't ask me why), and I am sure Law is a good conversationalist and sparkling dinner companion.
[A] small price to pay for our unity with our mother church, says Archbishop Sheehan. But what if this is a moment when the emphasis should be on challenging the church, and even on not obeying it? Such moments have occurred before. One person who recognized that was Joseph Ratzinger. Paul Knitter heard him say this at a press conference in Rome in1963, during the Vatican Council. Knitter, who teaches at Union Theological Seminary, said that Ratzinger told us that throughout the history of the Roman Catholic Church it has happened that the bishops so lost touch with the message of Jesus that it became incumbent upon the laity to exercise their prophetic role given in Baptism and to stand up and refuse to obey. http://unionindialogue.org/paulknitter/2011/03/15/kung-ratzinger-vs-bene... for losing touch with the message of Jesus, Knitter refers to a quote from Terry Eagleton: It's hard to think of a historical movement which has more squalidly betrayed its own revolutionary origins [than Christianity]. Knitters response:
The squalid betrayal is real. But so are the revolutionary origins of the church. Im committed to the hope that the origins are stronger than the betrayal. To paraphrase St. Paul: Wherever there is an abundance of sin, there is an even greater abundance of grace.
Carlo L. @9:33 pm:As he goes about the work of guiding the Successors of the Apostles, do you suppose the Holy Spirit ever asks, like Casey Stengel in 1962, "Can't anybody here play this game?"
"What is a stake here is really whether we believe that the Holy Spirit is at work through the apostolic institutions of the Church (in spite of the possibly horrible flaws of the human beings involved) or not."I don't believe this action by the Vatican is the work of the Holy Spirit at all. Nor do I believe it is the work of the Spirit that our Church is currently being run by a small group of men who aggressively and consistently exclude women from leadership.Maybe it is the Spirit, though, that is moving Catholics everywhere to stand up and say, enough of this, we need to change this Church so becomes what Jesus wants it to be.
"When I was in the Jesuits in the 1980s, the pope and Vatican intervened to take over the Society of Jesus."Is that the incident with Father O'Keefe? Father O'Keefe was on the Board of Directors of a neigborhood group I worked for in the Bronx in the late 80s. He seemed just the nicest man and they would have been very lucky to have him running the order.
I could not agree more with the characterization of John Allen's work...the bishops and the Vatican should be paying him a fat salary for all the spin doctoring he does for them. Very disappointing.But back to the main issue here: speaking to my fellow Christians, I will tell you that the more these men behave this way while all the time insisting that it is God's plan for them to be in charge of everything as the only "authentic teachrs of faith and morals," the more I begin to doubt the goodness and providence and mercy of God. If I had a chance, I would tell them this to their faces. They are a scandal, and a disgrace to the Gospel (which they apparently do not read much). They are driving people away from the Lord. My heart just aches.
I for one would be very grateful if someone would describe a useful definition of the word "conservative". I agree the word "liberal" attempts a reach so broad it is near impossible to define. However, I believe conservatism's worthy attempt to enlarge its tent is not being done with sufficient attention to one of its most recognizable attributes and its often greatest challenge, a near obsession with details. Irrepective of language it is easy enough to agree upon the notion and the reality of a ball. Conservatism, not so much. Does not conservatism find contrived ignorance, outside of humor, an expression of something that could be more than a little worrisome? From the point of view of a conservative, ignorance on the other hand, is quite often merely an opportunity for change or a thing easily enough avoided. Obviously I am describing attributes as I see them. As for a useful definition I really do not know and my lack of understanding contributes to my inablity to follow all these remarkable discussions.
Carlo: Bishops screw up, just like the rest of us. Exhibit A: the sexual-abuse scandals here and abroad.I do not believe Carlo claims the hierarchy is incapable of sin. Everyone, including the hierarchy up to and including the pope, sins. But dealing with a crime and sin in the workplace of the Church is fundamentally different from teaching on an issue of faith and morals. Using the former to undermine the latter is a disservice to all.
I don't see that Allen's story warrants the vitriol being directed at it (and him). To my reading, it seems to cover a lot of the same ground as Mickens and Magister; it synthesizes those two reports and adds some more detail. I don't see it as some sort of apologetics. It reads as straightforward reporting to me.I suppose these background stories are mildly interesting, but I don't find any of the revelations terribly surprising. The idea to launch an investigation had to come from somewhere. Did anyone doubt that the impetus would have originated with Americans, who after all are the ones who are most likely to be aware of, and affected by, the LCWR's activities? If the LCWR has the issues and problems that the CDF's report describes, that would be the case whether it was Americans, Canadians or ancient Phoenicians who instigated the investigation.
Bruce: In reply to your two comments:- "But dealing with a crime and sin in the workplace of the Church is fundamentally different from teaching on an issue of faith and morals. Really? Tell that to the victims of the abuse and their families. So, our actions are not teachings as significant as our words?- Using the former to undermine the latter is a disservice to all."A disservice? I would say it is really pointing to a credibility issue.
Despite the usual best face from Bruce, Jim and even worse, Carlo, it's clear that the rightist US heirarchs played a major fole in the "PR diaster" discussed here already.What did you expect?My own bishop (Abp. Sheehan) when I first came to Nm seemed to be a moderate , but has continually shifted to right.e proclaimed his good friendship with Cardinal Law, was a big pleyer in Steenson's coming over to the Romans and heading up the ordinariate, has issued a number of pastorals that are to say the least by the book, etc.There is so much intertwining of who gets ahead in the hierachry game and how protected loyalists are (as we've seen in thew phily discussion.)I think the future of the US Church is rather grim given the leadership people in place.Then there's their political interventions.....
Isn't a point that the LCWR acknowledges that the traditional approach to women religious is in fact aging, and is not likely to recover its vitality as currently organized? Hence the exploration of alternative ways to organize women to carry out their spiritual and philanthropic mission -- including organization that might be outside of the formal organization of the Church. Isn't that at least part of what this is about? Just asking.
Helen,What is your argument? That because the hierarchy made a mistake, even a criminal mistake, in the sexual abuse scandal they forfeited their credibility on every other issue? Under that regime, no human has any credibility ever because we have all made mistakes, some egregious.My point is that unless you believe the magisterium has been given a special charism to teach faith and morals by Christ and the Holy Spirit then, it seems at least to me, there is no particularly rational reason to believe the creed or any dogmas of the Church. Further, Christ's promise to send the Holy Spirit becomes empty.So I believe it is a disservice to impinge the magisterium's hopefully God-guided actions in areas of faith and morals with its acknowledged and accepted failures in human activities. On the other hand, if you want to argue that the Vaticans human understanding of the faith and morals of the LCWR is mistaken that might be a fruitful area of discussion. But the fact that the nuns are involved in good works does not in any way define their view of faith or morals.
Bob Nunz:"Then theres their political interventions.."Don't get me started.Will the U.S. Bishops have tea party like support for the "Fortnight for Freedom?" I wonder now.
Bruce, they made not one mistake but systematic "mistakes" consisting of ignoring the victims and putting the clergy first. They showed callousness but also dishonesty, hypocrisy, and lack of integrity in general. Those faults are also pertinent when reacting to their statements on faith and morals. For example, on women's or family issues, I fully expect them to ignore people's suffering and callously overlook their needs when making a judgment of applied ethics. I also expect them not to say what they think but whatever seems most suitable. I am not even convinced any more that when they talk about, say, the resurrection, they honestly, in their heart of hearts, believe what they are saying. There's a long-standing habit of sweeping problems, doubts, questions under the carpet, and pretending that all is well. Of course there is a way forward for them. The way forward is for them to rebuild credibility from scratch, by their words and by their actions. They have to figure out what they truly think and believe, and they have to go by that without being afraid, come what may. In 2009 Pope Benedict wrote to the bishops of Ireland: "Only decisive action carried out with complete honesty and transparency will restore the respect and good will of the Irish people towards the Church to which we have consecrated our lives. " (Obviously, we're still waiting on decisive actions, honesty and transparency.)Haven't you noticed the outpouring of support on the rare occasions when a member of the church hierarchy unexpectedly shows some integrity? We are waiting with keen expectancy for a leader whom we can trust. That's the way forward. At this juncture I think that it is a singularly bad idea to talk of imposing penalties, to voice threats, and to govern with a heavy hand, before rebuilding some credibility. That's not the way forward.
ClaireThank you for your most recent post. I believed you have captured the sentiment of many Catholics today who have experienced this cumulative effect of the bishop's lack of effective leadership. They have come to the point where now they can only insist on their authority, but when that authority is not expressed by means of credible pastoral approaches to problems in the Church, they have given up any right to govern in that way. As Benedict himself has said, leadership also comprises the activity of the Holy Spirit on the Church faithful, the sensus fidelium. If the hierarchy does not listen to what the faithful say, the faithful are less inclined to listen to them. As you say, the way forward now is to rebuild trust.
Bruce:I would be the last person to deny a truth of our faith even if taught by some bishops and priests, who have acted so egregiously. (St. Augustine of Hippo would not approve.) But it seems to me that there is another sense to the word, credibility, that is, worthiness to be believed. Have these authoritative messengers of the content of the faith, shown themselves to be worthy of being believed?
That should be "I believe" -- auto correct
Good point, Prof. Farrell--which furthers my impression that the curia take a fairly infantalizing view of Church members.
Claire,Your expectations are just that, your expectations. They may or may not materialize. Personally, I find it quite demeaning when someone else acts on their assumption of what I might or might not do.Btw, my personal experience and observation of Cardinal Dolan is that he is the leader you can trust.
Bruce, they are not arbitrary expectations but based on past experience. I learned what to expect from experience.
Helen,I think the 'worthy of being believed' about faith and morals comes with the position precisely because of Christ and the Holy Spirit, not because of the humans involved.On the other hand, prudential judgements of how to deal with the aftermath of sexual abuse do not have the same promise.I have no idea why God choses to lead his Church this way. From a human perspective, I generally agree with you. But for some reason unfathomable to me, Christ chooses to operate in this manner and I choose to trust Him. So for faith and morals, I'll follow the magisterium.
Grant:"Carlo: Bishops screw up, just like the rest of us. Exhibit A: the sexual-abuse scandals here and abroad."Obviously they do. But I see no reason to constantly interpret their actions in the most negative possible way (as suggested by the words "crackdown", "taking over" etcetera). Everybody around here seems perfectly certain that their concerns are purely disciplinary and never pastoral.
CarloI think you are very naive about how the Vatican works. You probably do not know that at the present moment there is a serious power struggle going on in the Roman Curia. In part, it was manifest in the debacle over the finances which Archbishop Vigan tried to reform, for which he was unceremoniously shuffled off the the US to be Nuncio. The crackdown on LCWR may also be another manifestation of it as Mickens and Magister have reported on the conflict between Archbishop Tobin and the American prelates, who have influenced CDF to undertake a reform of the group. The Pope has lost control of his curia and only recently has decided to try to regain control by cracking down on Caritas Internationalis and the German bishops. I believe he may be a bit late and I suspect that people in the Vatican are already looking for his successor, with whom they hope to have better luck. These are men with huge egos exceeded only by their ambitions. It would be nice to think of a role for the Holy Spirit in all this, but I doubt that she can squeeze in among the competing egos. Even Benedict was honest enough, after orchestrating his own election, to admit in an interview that he did not think that the Holy Spirit actually picks the person who becomes Pope, but rather oversees the whole process. Decisions in Rome are largely political and then announced as pastoral.
Claire,I assume your expectations are well-grounded. That still makes any expectation about the future a learned guess at best. People change and they act differently in different circumstances. Your expectations cannot predict that change or forecast that future.
The CDF came down on the LCWR using "evidence" collected from the organization's website. Perhaps guileless as doves, the nuns were touchingly transparent on that site, posting material one commenter at dot.commonweal rightly observed made him feel as if he were eavesdropping on a private conversation. Not surprisingly, the CDF hardly seemed to recognize the nature of the genre on which they were basing their critique. Their preferred M.O. is so different: Do everything important in executive session. Create a public record of what you have done that will satisfy the demands of your superiors and protect your own backs now and in all conceivable future situations. No need to waste time on focus groups and sharing sessions, as your marching orders have already been given to you from above. Certainly no need to admit in public that some members of your own group might, along the way, have on occasion said things to which certain audiences of a different cast of mind might take exception.
Bruce and all the lovers of all things from hierarxhs - grace stil builds on nature.
"Wow, is that right? The average age of LCWR-affiliated nuns is 74? Does not such a complete failure to attract vocations suggest that maybe, just maybe, some of these orders could you a bit of help in understanding their vocation?"I venture to guess, but wouldn't know where to find the states, that the age of the average Catholic in the pew is one heck of a lot older than it was 40-50 years ago. Does not such a complete failure to attract and retain younger members suggest that maybe, just maybe, this church could use a bit of help in understanding its lack of attractiveness to younger people?
Jimmy Mac:Your comment: "Does not such a complete failure to attract and retain younger members suggest that maybe, just maybe, this church could use a bit of help in understanding its lack of attractiveness to younger people?"YES, and it may have very little to do with poor catechesis.
Many Catholics are actually post-Catholic. The hierarchy does not understand this and have no clue about how to address the issue. They still the think that Catholicism is monolithic and if they keep beating the orthodoxy drum everyone will fall in line. We will just have to see how this all shakes out.
Another example of the magisterium making mistakes is the recent "for many" change compared to "for all." It is dogma and not gospel. A move to favor one's power bloc while ignoring all reality. http://ncronline.org/news/global/pope-orders-german-catholics-make-many-... matter how one may try a conscience cannot be excused by simply following the magisterium.
These two links are to lectures by (retired) Bishop Gene Robinson and Vassar Prof Michael McCarthy, respectively, and they deal with root issues of the the ugly and apparently intractable conflicts that seem to be increasing in the church today. Don't miss them. http://www.bc.edu/church21/webcast.html?c21-20050505-mccarthy-220.mp4#fe...
Alan:I am happy to be naive, if that means thinking that the Lord can write straight sentences on the crooked lines of our humanity. But anyway, all your complaints about Vatican politics have nothing to do with my point: that people like you are way too ready to eager in judgment of other people intentions. Bishops at the Vatican are human beings like you and I, sinners like you and I. The idea that, as a general rule, their actions are mostly dictated by unworthy motives is worse than naive, it is deeply cynical and self-righteous.
Thanks for your link, Bill. Every day comes with another piece of bad news, it seems. Are Germans really going to say that Jesus poured his blood for many, not for all?In my parish for the past two weeks our pastor has changed his tone. His "for many" used to ring out loudly. The last two Sundays, it's been swallowed in an inarticulate ending. I cannot say that he does not say it, but it's all but inaudible. That is much better - I almost don't notice it. If this Sunday he does it again, I will know that it is deliberate. Maybe it is the way of the future.
Bill:"It is dogma not gospel"I would say "it's the Gospel, not dogma" since "for many" are just the words by Jesus recorded in the Gospel, but there is no dogma whatsoever that denies that Christ died for all.
"that people like you are way too ready to eager in judgment of other people intentions. "Isn't that itself a very judgmental statement?
"there is no dogma whatsoever that denies that Christ died for all." There is actually a dogmatic statement that rejects the claim he did not die for all (Unigenitus, 1715).
The heart of democracy is open discussion, and open discussion is dreaded by all undemocratic institutions.It does not matter what you discuss the crime is that you discuss at all.Before Luther many a mighty figure battered at the doors of the Roman Church Catherine of Siena, Wycliffe, Huss, Savanarola in vain. When Luther pushed, the doors flew wide open. Why? Because a new medium, the printing press, exposed the Church to open discussion in an unprecedented way. (Later the Index of Forbidden Books kept at least Spain and Italy in blissful ignorance of such discussion for another few centuries.)Today again, a new medium has arisen the internet. Perhaps it can achieve what apostles of reform and open discussion such as Kng and Drewermann and Fox have attempted in vain.No Vatican figure can take part in internet discussion, for it would compromise his authority. How will the Vatican handle this disadvantage? An index of forbidden websites?
Excellent llink, Bill. Too bad the pope and his minions keep mistaking uniformity for unity, and doubly bad that they seem to care nothing for a whole lot of the OTHER words of Jesus---you know, the ones about humility, service, love and marauders parading as shepherds. The Emperor is stark naked.
Fabulous idea Joseph - Index Textus Situ Prohibitorum. What sites should be on it? The three most powerful tools the faithful have to reform Church governance and save it from eating its own are knowledge, their voices and their pocketbooks. (And I can't help but think, satire.)
Imho, the TWO most powerful tools the "faithful" have are their feet.
Jeanne --I bet you're right about satire. Arrogant people hate being laughed at. Satire, unlike sheer name-calling, sometimes hits its mark.
there is no dogma whatsoever that denies that Christ died for all. There is actually a dogmatic statement that rejects the claim he did not die for all (Unigenitus, 1715).--J. O'Leary, yes, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
605 At the end of the parable of the lost sheep Jesus recalled that Gods love excludes no one: So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. He affirms that he came to give his life as a ransom for many; this last term is not restrictive, but contrasts the whole of humanity with the unique person of the redeemer who hands himself over to save us. The Church, following the apostles, teaches that Christ died for all men without exception: There is not, never has been, and never will be a single human being for whom Christ did not suffer.http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1O.HTM
In his recent letter to he German bishops, the Pope says that Jesus was recalling Isaiah 53 and it's important to maintain the link back to Isaiah in the Missal translation.
The heart of democracy is open discussion, and open discussion is dreaded by all undemocratic institutions.Of course, the Church is not at all a democracy. Unlike all democracies, it was founded by Christ and lead by him. I dont believe He designed it to follow a majority, but rather to lead humans to His Father.
As a young woman I was convinced that if I had a daughter, the flowering of Vatican II would make her a full and equal member of the church by the time she was an adult. Not only has that not happened, we now have a Pope who is reinterpeting the vision outlined by that Council to support an agenda of "no change, no way, no how". I agree with a previous comment that, in order to be guided by the Holy Spirit, the Curia would have to suppress their inflated egos and most of them do not seem to be capable of that. Many of the Catholics I am acquainted with are not liberal or conservative, but uninformed and/or intimidated. So, despairing of the Roman church becoming the church I hoped to leave to my children and their children. I am presently a Catholic refugee in the Episcopal Church.
No, the Church isn't. democracy...but there are two completely orthodox theological reasons why some sort of democratic elements should characterize some aspects of our lives as Catholics: 1. We are all sinners, and 2. We are all baptized and, thus, graced. Jesus wasn't a tyrant or a despot or a monarch. He pleaded with those who refused to believe that he was the Messiah to at least believe in his works. John's gospel---amazingly---is peppered with incidents like this. But the authorities in our church, who claim to act in his name, simply demand acquiescence and obedience, because they "say so." This was never the way of Jesus, and he had every right to behave otherwise. Speaking of John's gospel: I have been very moved by the film "The Gospel of John," produced 7 or 8 years ago by the Visual Bible project (which is now defunct). It is a word-for-word enactment----nothing added or removed. The central performance by Henry Ian Cusick is astonishing. I expected to hate it because it sounded absolutely awful and I simply could not imagine how it could be pulled off with any quality. It is not flawless by any means, but it enfleshes John's Jesus in a truly unique and really appealing way. So many of its scenes have come to mind while listening to John proclaimed in the liturgy these days of Easter, but even more so as I reflect on the current shenanigans in the church. I recommend it highly. I will never read/hear/think of John in the same way.
BruceJesus was a Jewish layman from the tribe of Judah, and not from the tribe of Levi from which priests derive. In the first century CE judaism was very diversified, There were sects of Sadducees, Pharisees, Qumran Covenanters, Zealots and there were those Jews who did not being to any of these sects. Jesus offered yet another interpretation of the Judaism in his day. His first followers were Jews, Jesus Messianists with whom other Jewish groups disagreed with their claims of Jesus as Messiah and Son of God. The Christian Church was formed after Jesus had been resurrected from he dead. Luke tells us that they were first called Christians at Antioch. So your claim in the above post should be adjusted to reflect the actual history of the situation.
TANGENT:Here's a repeat of Notre Dame's commencement in 2009;http://blog.cardinalnewmansociety.org/2012/05/04/kathleen-sebelius-to-sp...
there are two completely orthodox theological reasons why some sort of democratic elements should characterize some aspects of our lives as Catholics: 1. We are all sinners, and 2. We are all baptized and, thus, graced.Janet, I accept these are true but I have no idea why these imply democratic elements.
Janet @ 05/04/2012 - 8:57 am said: They are a scandal, and a disgrace to the Gospel (which they apparently do not read much).Tim Unsworth of blessed memory said something similar in his book Tim Unsworth, a collection of his articles in NCR between 1982 and 2007, published by Acta Publications in 2008: Why is it that a church founded by a man who walked on water is now often administered by mean, mindless men who walk on the manure of guilt and betrayal and who prefer to flay consciences rather than to read the book of John? Its awfully hard to subordinate ones love of God to the rules of earthly ministers.
The Christian Church was formed after Jesus had been resurrected from he dead. Luke tells us that they were first called Christians at Antioch. So your claim in the above post should be adjusted to reflect the actual history of the situation.Alan,If the statement you want me to correct is 'it was founded by Christ and lead by him', then I'll stand by it as written. Christ is alive even today.
BruceThank you for that clarification. But if you were making a theological statement rather than an historical one, you should not have written:"Unlike all democracies, it was founded by Christ and lead [sic] by him." I agree with your theological point that Christ is "alive" even today and that he leads the Church. That can be affirmed by his exaltation at the right hand of God, something that Acts and Hebrews are quite clear on. That exaltation is a post-resurrection event. Historically, however, Jesus led a band of Jewish followers, not the Christian Church as it was later to become. To use the verb "establish" is not entirely incorrect since the later Church stands in continuity with the Jewish followers of Jesus. I don't think we really disagree over the substance of your claim, only the expression of it. I apologize for being so obtuse.
Hi, Bruce...the reason these truths could nudge us toward developing some democratic elements in our chuch (esp with regard to the way authority is exercised) is that 1. all power and authority should not be held by a small group of relatively "alike" folks in an exclusive way and exercised in the heavy-handed manner of the tyrant or the absolute monarch is because these men are sinners and are thus afflicted with the same blndness, recalcitrance, hard-heartedness and penchant for "missing the mark" that is the biblical definition of sin. They need the insights and the "checks and balances" provided by others who are not part of officlaldom but who have a high stake in how the church operates. Thus, on to 2: the other baptized are the ones to provide these checks and balances, as they have also been given gifts of insight and wisdom and discerment. The hierarchy has no monopoly on these gifts. A perfectly realistic example of something that could happen democratically: the election of their bishops by the people they govern. I believe Lord Acton was correct about power and its abilty to corrupt. The church is not immune from this corruption and, in fact, may be afflicted with it much more deeply because of its origin in God and hence, its tendency for those in power to see their position as "the way God wants it.". For an interesting take on this, see "The Holiness of Democracy" in James Carroll's "Constantine's Sword". I think I stole the whole idea from him. Read the book several years ago...think I'll reread now that the Pope and bishops have put on their "power suits" yet again.
Janet, Bruce -- James Carroll has a relevant piece in the Boston Globe on the current Church situation. His opening premise is "The Catholic hierarchy is walling itself off ideologically ". He concludes with a few lines on the very subject of claims about the Church and democracy and on how that needs to be thought of more deeply as an earlier Benedict did. http://articles.boston.com/2012-04-30/news/31500953_1_joseph-ratzinger-r...
Another article that gives an accurate, albeit painful, assessment of the current situation both with the crackdown on the LCWR and the church in general:http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/catholic-social-teaching-finds-church-... is also a very moving video presentation somewhere on the BC Church in the 21st Century in which Kevin Dowling gives a personal glimpse of his work with HIV/AIDS patients; he presented it as part of a talk he gave at the C21 program a few years ago. I could not locate it so I don't have the link, but please search for it. Absolutely worthwhile and filled with hope that there are at least a few among these men who understand the depths of the human condition and the greater depths of God's love for the most forsaken. He is an inspiration.
Jack: Just read this. THANK YOU!!!
Jack BarryThanks for the link to James Carroll. I found his article to be spot on. History, history, history -- there is nothing like it -- sobering and real.
OK, this is it for today but I keep forgetting to ask:Was anyone here offended or at least taken aback by the fact that the pope's homily on Holy Thursday was about the grave disobedience involved in thinking about the ordination of women? HOLY THURSDAY!!! Of course I know that the traditional (and biblically oh-so-wrong) idea is that HT is about Jesus "ordaining" the Apostles and setting up the priesthood, etc., etc. But even if that WERE a correct interpretation (and surely it is not), can you imagine anything more crass than taking a preaching opportunity on one of our most sacred feasts to scold and scowl and make damn sure that no one thinks those dirty women can EVER do this???? These men are shaking in their Gucci loafers, for sure. They are so threatened and afraid!
Janet, thanks for the link to the BC Church in the 21st Century presentation by Bp. Dowling. He also expresses in strong terms his appreciation for the religious sisters working with him (a little after the 7 minute mark).No, not offended by Pope Benedict's homily. His words carry a lot less weight for me after I waited in vain for several months in 2010 that his letter to the people of Ireland be followed by action. Then I realized that it would not be from him that change and renewal would come. Since his election I had placed some hopes in him to deal with the great problem of the church in the present times (the sexual abuse scandal), but I had to realize that they were misplaced. Now I'm indifferent to what he might say.
Claire: Thanks for your post and I understand completely. I really do my best---despite what some of my posts indicate!---to ignore the pope and the run-of-the-mill clergy and bishops since it's nothing but a big echo chamber. It's all the same and it bearls little to no resemblance to the Gospel, wven if they mention Jesus once in a while :)One good word for Benedict Ratzinger is that he did finally take Maciel out of circulation. JP2 turned a deaf ear---more than once---to the cries of the men who had been abused in his seminary and BR finally removed him. I have to give him credit for that...I think JP2 caused a great deal of harm to the Church. He is no saint in my book, no matter how much they want to force that down everyone's throat. Michael McCarthy's talk gives a pretty fair and truthful assessment of the JP "style." I suppose the trend of beatifying and canonizing these guys before they are cold in the tomb will continue. It's an attempt to smother and steamroll more prudential views of their legacies and certainly a legitimation of their cries of "dissent" every time someone disagrees with these "saints." It's just another trick to control "uniformize" the church according to their own image...
Hi Janet,I dont personally find your arguments about democracy in the church the least bit persuasive. I believe any group of humans acting together is every bit as much susceptible to human foibles as anyone acting alone. One need only look at how Hitler managed to use democracy to commander Germany: Through the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Nazis gathered enough electoral support to become the largest political party in the Reichstag, and Hitler's blend of political acuity, deceptiveness and cunning converted the party's non-majority but plurality status into effective governing power in the ailing Weimar Republic of 1933. (from Wikipedia)On the other hand, my belief is that God has promised us that He will keep the leaders of His Church from making serious leadership errors. And Jewish history tells us He did not need democracy to do this. It doesn't preclude democracy but it certainly doesn't require or suggest it either.
IMO the analogy of dissenting faithful to Nazis is insulting and ignorant.That goes,I suppose, wit hsimple minded trust in all hierachical pronouncements.It was nm not ever thus - til JPII 9as noted_ dregdeg up "definitive" linked to "assent."Once more, grace builds on nature.
Bruce: Your analogy is ridiculous...I wasn't expecting you to see my point or be persuaded. Unless, of course, we posit that Benedict-Ratzinger might act a bit Hitler-esque if he tried to be democratic. There might be something to that, but I am sure that is not what you mean...The institutioanl church HAS made MANY serious errors...the institutional church fabricated the idea that the men running it would not make serious errors but that in itself is a serious error. All we are promised by the Lord is that the gates of hell will not ultimately prevail. The machinations of these men are a direct parallel to the actions of the men who sent Jesus to his death. It doesn't take any super-duper insight to see the patterns in the Gospel that suggest this.If you don't think the handling of the sex abuse crisis was a serious error---scandalizing the faithful worldwide and bringing a sense of spiritual death to many victims, then I guess we have a very different view of error. As long as the institutional church refuses to listen and learn, the more it reveals itself to be a huge con game, blindly running on conflict of interest and corruption.
Some of the language used by Bishop Daniel Jenky in his 'homily' on April 14 is utterly disgraceful, and way beyond the bounds of what could be called reactionary.Having Cardinal Bernard Law still making important decisions in the Vatican is equally disgraceful.
Wow, people are touchy. Sorry I upset you all. I definitely did not equate dissenting faithful to Nazis nor did I make an analogy. I simply provided an example where the democratic process was hijacked to show that democracy has no inherent protections from bad human actions. The idea that Catholic democracy somehow has this protection seems false on its face.I readily acknowledge the Catholic Church has made many bad management decisions: the sex abuse scandal is a prime example. That poor management was not a promulgation on faith and morals however.
Hi again, Bruce: Can you come up with a few examples where democracy does work better than tyranny? I'll betcha there are some...Isolating the formulation"faith and morals" apart from the direct results of institutional actions is just another part of the game. God will judge on "what we have done to the least...," not on our endless parsing of the natural law or our stunning Creeds. Their concrete errors----life-destroying errors----have far greater impact than anything else.
The latest census findings, reported by Conor Dougherty and Miriam Jordan in their May 17, 2012, Wall Street Journal story, "Minority Births Are New Majority," reveals relevant demographic changes in America data that no doubt plays a key role in the Vatican's calculus in its crackdown on the LCWR, (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270230387960457740836300335181...).The authors report: "For the first time in U.S. history, whites of European ancestry account for less than half of newborn children, marking a demographic tipping point that is already changing the nation's politics, economy and workforce." It will also change Catholicism in America. Hispanics are not only well on their way to becoming the new majority in America, but also the new majority in the church.Contrast this change with the declining population of LCWR members with a median age of 74. It seems clear that the Vatican is counting on a rise in the number of obedient, conservative Hispanic Catholics and the dying out or smothering of the progressive forces represented by the LCWR and its fervent supporters.
[...] Grant Gallicho at dotCommonweal notes that The Tablet and Chiesa have scooped John Allen (not to mention Rocco Palmo) on the brains (or lack thereof) behind the LCWR witch hunt. Is this Bernard Law's long distance middle finger to Catholics in America? That's not going to play very well in circles here. [...]


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text:
A Tangled Mess
The Law School's new Center for Constitutional Governance is off to a fast start. Its recent event on the territorial clashes between various Asian nations in the South China Sea examined the bold power plays taking place in the region and showed why the U.S. has every reason to be concerned.
This past spring, in turquoise waters 140 miles west of the Philippines, tensions over control of an unusually important triangle-shaped collection of rocks and reef bubbled to the surface. A massive, steel-hulled Philippine Navy ship was engaging in a routine patrol of the area when it spotted a group of Chinese fishing boats allegedly trawling for giant clams, baby sharks, and turtles.
The fertile fishing ground, known as the Scarborough Shoal, is a favorite of poachers, and, as would become unmistakably clear, it is the subject of a long-standing territorial dispute between China and its neighbors.
As the Philippine ship prepared to tow the fishing boats to shore and arrest those onboard, a pair of Chinese surveillance vessels appeared from the distance to block any naval action. A stare down of sorts ensued. Neither country blinked. And, day by day, more ships from each nation joined the fray.
After more than five weeks, the United States reportedly helped broker an agreement that resulted in the ships from both countries leaving the area. But fast forward nine months, and remnants of the standoff persist. According to various reports, the Chinese roped off the entrance to the shoal's lagoon and have stationed three ships there to prevent Philippine boats from entering. China also restricted Philippine imports such as bananas and pineapples; lawmakers in the Philippines responded by renaming the contested territory the West Philippine Sea and placing fish aggregating devices in the area to, in essence, fence off some of the region's best fishing spots. All the while, rhetoric between the two nations remains at a fevered pitch.
Even before this most recent dustup, the U.S. government has paid close attention to the sovereignty clashes taking place in the waters surrounding China. Professor Sarah H. Cleveland, who recently returned to the Law School after serving for two years as counselor on international law with the State Department, notes that these conflicts over small oceanic landmasses can have gigantic economic and political ramifications, and she has engaged her colleagues at the Law School on the issue.
At its most basic level, says Professor Matthew C. Waxman, "this is a territorial dispute among multiple parties with conflicting claims." But Waxman, a national security expert, pointed out there is plenty more going on. "It is also, though, about a rising China and how it will project its rising power in the region," he adds. "The stakes are huge, not only for the parties in the region but for broader geopolitics and for the global economy, especially since so much trade passes through those waters."
Beyond the Scarborough Shoal, additional boundary conflicts in the South China Sea involving important shipping routes and vast natural resources have drawn in a panoply of other governments—namely Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. (China and Japan, meanwhile, are engaged in saber rattling over islands near large natural gas and oil deposits in the East China Sea.) The conflicting claims involve a mix of international law—such as the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which delineates the scope of participating nations' water and natural resources rights beyond their shores—and the various boundaries and maritime laws created by the respective nations.
This past fall, the unfolding disputes took center stage at an event hosted by Columbia Law School's new Center for Constitutional Governance, a multifaceted program that allows scholars to explore the meaning of democracy and sovereignty in the U.S. and around the world. The center co-sponsored a high-level roundtable discussion that examined the competing claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea region and the various legal issues at play. It featured representatives from the governments of the Philippines, China, and Vietnam; international boundary expert Coalter G. Lathrop; U.S. State Department Legal Adviser Harold Hongju Koh; and Sir Daniel Bethlehem, the former legal adviser to the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office who was a visiting professor at Columbia Law School this past fall. Bernard H. Oxman '65, the nation's leading expert on the law of the sea, who teaches at the University of Miami School of Law, returned to campus for the event, as well.
Cleveland organized the conference, which was scheduled to coincide with International Law Week at the United Nations and drew a crowd of more than 150 people, including representatives from approximately 30 foreign governments. Participants examined several overlapping issues that combine to form the crux of the conflicts—including the legal ramifications stemming from how various oceanic landmasses are defined, the stated justifications underlying competing claims of sovereignty, and potential methods for determining the primacy of those claims.
"The South China Sea program helped facilitate the exchange of knowledge between academia and governments on this very pressing but little understood issue," Cleveland says, "while also providing a protected forum in which governments could air the legal and factual issues at stake. We wanted to help move the conversation beyond the sticking points."
And, make no mistake about it, those sticking points are teeming with geopolitical ramifications. The 1.4 million square miles of the South China Sea play host to nearly half of the world's commercial shipping freight every year. In the shallow waters near the contested Scarborough Shoal, more than 3,000 different species of fish flourish. The area is also the source of much of the world's horseshoe crabs, which clamber around underground hills and plateaus. Deep below the ocean bottom, meanwhile, untapped oil and natural gas reserves beckon. Sovereign control of the uninhabited islands and outcroppings in the area could result in vast economic and strategic benefits for the prevailing country, so the Philippines are far from the only nation concerned about China's continued flexing of its muscles in the region.
At the same time, diplomats are working to defuse tensions before they ignite further. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, for one, encouraged officials in China to sign off on a code of conduct with its neighbors during her visit there this past fall. (The last time strains ran so high, in 1988, 70 Vietnamese sailors died in a firefight with Chinese forces as each side rushed to plant its flag on a rocky island chain known as the Spratlys.) And international law scholars are searching for ways to use their expertise to help avoid any more bloodshed, in part by bringing the governments together to discuss non-military options for resolving existing conflicts.
"Much of the debate has not been in a legal framework," Koh noted at the conference. "What you have heard today is the beginning of a conversation. . . . Even if we cannot resolve all disputes, we can enter into various codes of conduct. It helps to have this conversation within the zone of law."
Cleveland, an expert in international law, notes that she confronted some of the most challenging issues at play in the South China Sea dispute during her time with the State Department. "In that role, I thought a lot about the scope of territorial sovereignty, non-intervention, and the propriety of threats and use of force," she says. "And then there is China's increasingly muscular posture on the international stage."
Even as panelists at the Law School conference talked through possible ideas for bringing an end to the face off, China continued to assert its dominance in the waters that bring in more than 3 million tons of fish each year—a quarter of that country's annual haul. According to Cleveland, the issue is one that will not succumb to an easy solution, and there is no better place for examining various dimensions of the problem than Columbia Law School.
"It has been exhilarating to be able to come back to the Law School and bring together academics and government officials to try to work through some of these pressing issues as events unfold," she says.
When the Center for Constitutional Governance began operations in July, its leaders envisioned events and discussions that would feature exactly the type of dynamic lineup present at the South China Sea conference. And the center's co-directors, Professors Gillian E. Metzger '95 and Trevor W. Morrison '98, plan to implement a broad array of programs and events in the coming years.
"One thing that a center like this can do is provide an institutional means for scholars on the faculty to take advantage of overlapping interests," says Morrison, the Liviu Librescu Professor of Law. "It will help us to reach out and interact with the world at large, while also providing an institutional way to deepen connections within the faculty."
The center will cast a wide net, hosting discussions for Columbia Law School faculty, bringing in outside scholars, and sponsoring events open to Law School students. Its blueprint spans the globe—from examining the growing influence of the executive branch and the American president, to considering the structure of developing constitutions and examining voting rights initiatives in emerging democracies.
Morrison notes that issues related to constitutional and governmental structure—the separation of powers and the push and pull among Congress, the president, and the courts—have interested him for years. He has written, for instance, about the power of the executive branch to detain alleged enemy combatants, the role of the courts in reviewing such detentions, and the interaction between the legislative and executive branches on questions of presidential power.
The Law School faculty, Morrison says, includes a community of scholars intent on exploring the implications of those issues as they apply to the U.S. and the rest of the world. "Questions of government structure are not just of interest to bureaucrats," he says. "They go to the heart of the relationship between government and its people."
Co-Director Gillian Metzger, who also serves as a vice dean at the Law School, says the idea to create the Center for Constitutional Governance emerged after a series of conversations with Professor Henry Paul Monaghan, a widely published constitutional law scholar who has engaged in a great deal of recent research on foreign judicial review. Metzger calls him "the driving force" behind the idea of bringing faculty members together to discuss governance issues that have international parallels. She and Morrison are running with the idea.
"My goals for the center are both internal and external," Metzger says. "On the internal side, I hope it will be a mechanism for pooling and expanding the strengths of Columbia Law School's public law faculty, with benefits for the faculty and students generally. On the external, my goal is to have the center serve as a forum where lawyers and officials at all levels of government can interact with legal academics on issues of shared concern."
Not surprisingly, several of the professors most closely affiliated with the center say their views on questions of governmental structure and federalism derive in part from the perspectives they developed while working in the executive branch. Morrison served as an associate counsel to President Barack Obama and came away with the impression that much more scholarship is needed on the little-understood, but powerful, behind-the-scenes roles of the White House Counsel's Office and the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, the latter of which operates as what Morrison calls the most important centralized source of legal advice within the executive branch.
Sarah Cleveland advised the executive branch on international law and human rights issues as a legal counselor in the Obama State Department. And Matthew Waxman honed his experience in national security law during a tenure that brought him from the National Security Council to the Pentagon and the State Department during the George W. Bush administration.
"I see Gillian and Trevor several times each day, and we're constantly talking," Waxman says. "In the coming years, there's going to be so much overlap between national security and various structural issues—for instance, how to allocate power among different government institutions."
Even though the Center for Constitutional Governance is just a few months old, it has already sponsored two other events in addition to the South China Sea conference.
Trevor Morrison, Gillian Metzger, and Professor Nathaniel Persily, along with nearly a dozen other scholars, gathered for a conference this past fall to discuss the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the signature domestic legislation of the Obama presidency. The event brought to campus health care policy experts, supporters of the health care law, and Georgetown Law Center Professor Randy Barnett, the intellectual architect of several of the arguments made in court for striking down the ACA.
Papers presented at the conference—including one by Persily and MIT political science professor Andrea Campbell on how the decision has impacted public opinion on the health care law—will be published as a book by Oxford University Press.
The second marquee event hosted by the center was a daylong workshop that featured Duke University Law Professor Curtis Bradley and Morrison examining the ways that government officials are constrained by law. Or, as Morrison describes it: "What's the relationship between law and politics? How should we be appraising what the government does? We're looking at the government structure—the roles of the three branches—and applying these old ideas to modern problems."
He pointed to several real-world scenarios where the issue comes into play, including when the president wants to use military force in places such as Libya, and in the power allocation between the executive branch and Congress over the debt-ceiling crisis of 2011.
For Sara Mark, the center's new executive director, working to ensure the success of events such as the one featuring Bradley and Morrison has amounted to a whirlwind of activity. Mark, who has a background in nonprofit management, says that her first priority in getting the center off the ground has been to assemble what she refers to as "institutional building blocks." That means putting together a board of advisers, building a website for the center, organizing larger-scale conferences and workshops, and placing scholarship in law journals. "The new center is devoted to exploring the legal boundaries of government power in essential policy areas, including health care, national security, the economy, and education," Mark says. "And right now, the contours of federal, state, and private sector authority, and the role of government itself, are at the forefront of debate. There is so much to examine."
Metzger and Morrison agree, and the co-directors say they are committed to experimenting with ideas and formats for future programs. "Eventually the center could host visiting scholars, or hold panel discussions for students with the faculty," Metzger notes.
In the meantime, those involved with the Center for Constitutional Governance will continue to consider the structural developments at play in current events such as those unfolding in the South China Sea and the developments that have taken place in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.
"So often when it comes to transitions, there's so much emphasis on individual rights such as free speech," Matthew Waxman says. "But at least as important are some of the big structural issues: How to allocate power among government branches? What kind of judicial review will there be? How do you share power with religious institutions, and with the military?"
In other words, Waxman says, "It's an extremely exciting time to be thinking about constitutional structure."


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Definition of subtense in English:
1A subtending line, especially the chord of an arc.
Example sentences
- The controlled magnification optics as well as a compact design allow for a small subtense angle and increased efficiency.
- The evanescent subtense of the angle of contact, in all curves which at the point of contact have a finite curvature, is ultimately in the duplicate ratio of the subtense of the conterminate arc.
- What is the visual subtense of the spot?
1.1The angle subtended by a line at a point.
Example sentences
- The average angular subtenses of Ricco's areas for the ten youngest and ten oldest observers were approximately 48 and 69 arc min, respectively.
- However, when the angular subtense of the missile flare is greater than the angular subtense of the target, the target will be totally obscured by the flare when the missile is on the sightline.
- The image has a larger angular subtense than the original object; therefore, the objects appear larger when seen through this optical system even though the virtual image is smaller than the object.
Early 17th century: from modern Latin subtensa (linea), feminine past participle of subtendere (see subtend).
For editors and proofreaders
Syllabification: sub·tense
Definition of subtense in:
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Suppose that we have function $y=\sin(x)$ we need to find its inverse function, assuming that $D(f)=[-\pi/4.\pi/4]$
I know that inverse of $\sin(x)$ is $\arcsin(x)$, it would be answer of a given function too, but why do I need $D(f)=[-\pi/4.\pi/4]$? I don't know, should I introduce some variable $c$, so that $y=\sin(x)$ will look like $y=\sin(x-c)$ or $y=\sin(x)+c$? Please give me a hint. In case I meet similar problem, like "find inverse of function $y=f(x)$ where $D(f)=[a,b]$" what should I do? As I know domain of given function and range of inverse function are the same, so it means that the range of $\arcsin(x)$ is $[-\pi/4.\pi/4]$, but how to proceed?


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Have oracle RAC production system. Two nodes in the primary, two nodes in the secondary. Getting a test system.Can we have two nodes in the primary and one in the secondary? Or to put it another way - can you have a one node cluster in standard oracle RAC?
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migrated from stackoverflow.com Sep 21 '11 at 6:47
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From the documentation:
This is a means to have a multi-node RAC, one which one database can only run on one node at a time, so it allows you to (more cheaply) use RAC for active-passive clustering, which saves on having both RAC and another clustering product such as VCS. Or are you asking if it is possible to have a RAC system entirely on one physical host, running Clusterware, ASM, etc and a database? Yep, that is possible too, the standard installer can do this for you.


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About Calvin Johnson
Born in Olympia, Calvin Johnson's first true relationship with music started in 1977. After returning from a trip with his parents to England, he returned and enrolled in a summer course called Radio for Everyone. The 15 year old would do his own radio show, playing the latest records by the Jam and Sex Pistols. Two of the program directors at KAOS, a radio station at nearby Evergreen State College, were interested in having Johnson join the station. In 1982, while living at the Capitol Theatre Building in Olympia, Johnson was working on a music fanzine called Sub Pop that would later become an influential label. During this time he also performed in bands such as Stella Mae, the Cool Rays, and 003 Legion. In 1983, he became a member of Beat Happening, an underground rock band that became an integral part of the Washington music scene. The band released a series of albums and toured for a number of years. At the same time, he was playing a large role behind the scenes, creating his own record label, K Records, as a way to dissuade young bands from pandering to larger corporate record labels. Johnson also established the International Pop Overthrow, a collection of 7" releases from indie acts that received critical acclaim in the U.S. and Europe. In the early '90s, he started a new group called Dub Narcotic Sound System and also performed as a member of the Halo Benders. In 1991, Johnson created the International Pop Underground Festival, a music festival featuring Bikini Kill, Fugazi, and Fastbacks. He has worked with Beck, Built to Spill, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion among countless others as a producer and engineer. In 2002, Johnson released his first solo album, What Was Me, a collection of archive tapes from his days in Dub Narcotic Sound System. ~ Jason MacNeil, Rovi


text: This exotic wildcat, the lynx, ranges from gorgeous to scary. It reminds me of an over-sized domestic cat with a hefty mane and body. There are four major species, Eurasian Lynx, Canada Lynx, Iberian Lynx, (and the smallest) Bobcat. Dawn already has great information in her artist comments here: http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/8861/1/1/how-to-draw-a-lynx,-lynx.htm My tutorial is a realistic pencil approach focusing on its face. I also want to give a shout to finalprodegy for his tutorials on wildcats. I literally followed closely on how he drew fur because I never did a wildcat and short stubby fur like this. His tut is "How to Draw a Realistic Puma." I hope you learn something from this tut and please enjoy! A fav, love it or comment would be fantastic! Luv n hugs to you all and thank you!!!


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Home > Peugeot > Peugeot 4008 2012
Below you will find the high resolution car picture for Peugeot 4008 2012. You may use the car picture for any of the following widescreen screen resolutions:
1920x1200 | 1680x1050 | 1440x900 | 1280x800
Peugeot 4008 2012
Peugeot have announced that they will be officially unveiling the Peugeot 4008 2012 at the Geneva Motor Show that will be held in March. Peugeot is apparently planning to launch the 4008 in continents other than Europe as 70 percent of the sales are expected from these areas. It should be noted that the market for Sports Utility Vehicles in Europe and Russia has steadily grown since 2005 which might be the reason behind Peugeot's move to launch the 4008 in Russia first.


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viewer: 159614 | love: 0
Imagine you are an explorer heading out to the jungle to see wild orang utans and other exotic tropical animals and you will begin to get a sense of what a visit to the Tanjung Puting National Park is like.
The park, which covers territory the size of Bali, is home to an amazing array of wildlife including it's world famous orang utans. The park is also home to monkeys, birds and other wildlife, not to mention the pristine vegetation of the jungle itself. This is a world famous natural treasure which attracts a growing number of international visitors each year.
Tanjung Puting is located in Central Kalimantan. The area was originally declared as a game reserve in 1935 and became a national park in 1982. The park sits on a peninsula that juts out into the Java sea. The sheer size of the park means that it has diverse habitat zones. This diversity means the park is home to a great variety of inhabitants, both flora and fauna.
The incredible jungle surrounds make this an amazing place to visit if you're after a truly outdoor adventure. It is an oasis of pure clean air, a clear night sky as well as a home to the gentle people of the jungle – the orang utans.
The orang utans are undoubtedly the best known inhabitants of the park, made famous through the work of the Orangutan Research and Conservation Program based at the Camp Leakey research station. Camp Leakey is an orangutan preserve and the site of the longest continuous study of any wild animal in the history of science. With around three quarters of the world's orang utan's population living on Borneo, this park is the ideal place to see these incredible creatures in the wild.
Because the vegetation of Tanjung Puting supports a large population of animals this park is one of the most important areas in Southeast Asia for the preservation of primates, birds, reptiles and fish.
To reach the Tanjung Puting National Park take a flight to the Iskandar Airport at Pangkalan Bun from Jakarta or other main Indonesian cities.
For more detailed information on the park please visit: http://www.orangutan.org/rainforest/tanjung-puting-national-park
To visit the Sumatran Orangutan Sanctuary in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, please click:
Watch the video about Tanjung Puting:
The majority of visitors to Tanjung Puting travel via boat and stay on board during their time in the park. There are also limited options to stay in simple hotels and homestays.
Take mosquito repellent, sunscreen and a torch. Don't forget your camera, you'll want to record every moment of your experience up close with the orang utans.
In the jungle there is no other option but to get around by foot so a visit to Tanjung Puting will involve walking in the great outdoors. As you trek through the tropical surrounds you'll need to keep your eyes peeled for orang utans, monkeys, bush pigs and wild deer as you go. Search for native wildlife including the great birdlife while you take in the sights of a truly exotic tropical jungle.
Walks can be tailored to your level of fitness so discuss the different options with your guide before you set out. While you are staying on the river, traditional boats called klotoks will transport you around.
To explore the park, visitors must take a boat down the Sekonyer River from Pangkalan Bun. These boats will accomodate you for the duration of your stay in Tanjung Punting.
Flights run from Jakarta and other major cities to Pangkalan Bun daily.
A number of tour operators run cruises from Pankalan Bun down the river. If you pre-arrange your tour, the tour operator will pick you up from the airport and transport you straight to the river.


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Fantastic concept art from Daniel Dociu. Tons of hi-res work by tinfoil on cghub. I'm not big on comparing artists to one another but I do have to say that Daniel's technique is similar to John Berkey's in some technical respects. Perfect placement of values via abstract shapes to create a solid formed concept. Very nicely done... One of our favorites for sure.
Keywords: digital concept spaceship vehicle illustrations designed by daniel dociu chief art director at ncsoft north america overseeing several unannounced titles across all ncsoft's north american studios with primary focus on arenanet's guild wars franchise tinfoil games architectural environment structure desinging
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The 10 Most Ridiculous Inventions Ever Patented
#5. Method Of Exercising a Cat
This brilliant invention "consists of directing a beam of invisible light ... onto the floor or wall ... then moving the laser so as to cause the bright pattern of light to move in an irregular way fascinating to cats." In other words, this guy is claiming a patent on freaking your cat out with a laser pointer.
If this is patentable, then we think we'd better get down to the patent office immediately with another amazing invention. We'll call it "Method of Chewing Food," and it will "consist of placing edible objects within the human mouth, then applying pressure via the jawbone to mash (or "chew") said objects into a swallowable consistency." While we're at it, maybe we'll patent the concept of food itself and the entire human digestive system.
#4. Method of Swinging on a Swing
Remember how you used to "pull alternatively on one chain and then the other" while "on a standard swing suspended by two chains from a substantially horizontal tree branch"? Guess what? This guy invented that, which means you owe one Steven Olson a hefty chunk of change.
Make no mistake, though: Steven Olson isn't patenting one specific model of swing set, or swing sets in general. Steven Olson is patenting the method of swinging on a swing. If this is legally sound, we're thinking of patenting that thing where your friend tries to push you so high that you actually loop over the bar and come down on the other side.
#3. Apparatus For Simulating a "High Five"
The Apparatus for Simulating a "High Five" was filed by an inventor named Albert Cohen, in an apparent attempt to make the most depressing device in history.
"During a televised sporting event," the patent explains, "a 'high five' is commonly shared between fans to express the joy and excitement of a touchdown, home run, game-winning basket, birdie or other positive occurrence. Unfortunately ... a 'high five' requires the mutual hand slapping of two participants ... As such, a solitary fan is unable to perform a 'high five' to express excitement during a televised sporting event."
That might be the most unintentionally revealing patent ever written. Can someone write Albert Cohen a letter and clue him in about sports bars or fantasy football leagues or something? There's gotta be someone out there for him to watch sports with. As it stands, he's sitting around his dank one-bedroom apartment in sweatpants, oiling up his mechanical "high five" machine for tomorrow's big game. We almost want to manufacture this thing just so we can send anyone who purchases it directly over to Albert's house to hang out with him.
#2. User-Operated Amusement Apparatus For Kicking the User's Buttocks
Why, you might ask, would someone want a device designed "for self-infliction of repetitive blows to the user's buttocks"? We have no idea, but if anyone ever decides they want one, we have the technology.
"The benefit of the present invention," the patent explains, "is as an amusement apparatus for entertainment and comic relief whereby the plurality of rotating arms rotate when the user rotates the hand crank." Well that doesn't really explain much, does it? Is this for lazy people who want to beat their children? Is it an overly-complicated way to break in new jeans, or maybe some kind of weird S&M thing?
Maybe, it's for people who have a spare corner in their basement and think to themselves, "You know what would be great right there? An apparatus to inflict repetitive blows to my buttocks."
The patent was issued September 25, 2001, just two weeks after Sept. 11, 2001. The folks at the patent office must have still been pretty shaken up when they gave this the thumbs up. There is no other explanation.
The terrorists may have gotten the Twin Towers, but we got the User-Operated Amusement Apparatus For Kicking the User's Buttocks. I'm gonna have to call this one a draw.
#1. Animal Toy
Look at the picture. The title of this patent is "animal toy," and he says it may be made of "wood" or "wood composites." That's right; the dude is trying to patent the stick.
We admire this man's vision. We guess he was just sitting in the park one day with his dog, saw a nearby twig, and had the revolutionary idea to throw the stick and make the dog chase it. We can totally picture the dog bringing the stick back and this guy's eyes going wide. He slowly lifts the stick to his face and says, "EUREKA!" then goes sprinting through the park, waving the stick in strangers' faces and shouting, "Compared to me, Thomas Edison was turds."
Now, that may have been reasonable if the above events had taken place in, say, 12,000 B.C., instead of 1999 when the patent was filed. It doesn't matter now, this guy's got the stick patent and soon every forest in the planet is about to be sued out of existence for infringement.
If you like this article, you should be reading the Daily Nooner where Ross posts haunting videos and writes hilarious combinations of words every weekday.


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With the temporary closure of Ocmulgee Public Fishing Area (PFA), Paradise PFA is now home to even more big fish!
Ocmulgee PFA, known for the trophy bass caught during the last few years, closed temporarily on November 7 to fully address and make preparations to repair detected leaks in the main lake. Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division personnel collected remaining fish and relocated them to a variety of locations. Approximately 150 older bass went to Paradise PFA. Younger bass will be held at hatcheries to re-stock Ocmulgee PFA after the repairs.
"While the closure of one area, albeit only temporary, is a difficult decision, I am pleased that we are able to continue to offer great fishing opportunities, including these additional Ocmulgee PFA bass, at another public fishing area, such as Paradise," said Bert Deener, Fisheries region supervisor.
The Ocmulgee PFA bass were stocked into 50-acre Lake Paradise. That lake, just like Ocmulgee PFA, is catch-and-release only for bass. Anglers cannot possess bass, even if caught from another lake, while fishing on Lake Paradise. Anglers may possess species other than bass in Lake Paradise, according to length and creel limits.
"Paradise Public Fishing Area already has a great bass population with quite a few trophies, but certainly will be enhanced by the addition of 150 plus bass between five and 10 pounds," Deener said.
Paradise PFA is located on 1,351 gently rolling acres in Berrien and Tift counties. Sixty lakes totaling 525 acres provide excellent boat and bank fishing; and more than 350 acres of water are intensively managed for fishing.
Paradise PFA is open from sunrise to sunset, Wednesday through Sunday, all year long. Anglers 16 and older must possess a current Georgia fishing license and a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) stamp in order to fish. Anglers in possession of a three-day fishing license, sportsman's, lifetime, senior (65+) or honorary license do not have to possess a WMA stamp. Non-angling visitors to the area will need to have a Georgia Outdoor Recreation Pass (GORP). Where can you get a license? Buy it online or find a list of retail license vendors at www.georgiawildlife.com/licenses-permits-passes or buy it by phone at 1.800.366.2661.
By purchasing a fishing license as well as fishing equipment and related items, you and your fellow anglers help fund sport fish restoration programs, thanks to the Sport Fish Restoration Act. This Act allows funds accumulated from a federal excise tax on fishing equipment and related items to be directed to activities that benefit recreational anglers. A portion of these funds is provided to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources based on several factors, including maintaining and operating public fishing areas.
To find out more about Paradise PFA, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/PFA/Paradise and click on "Receive Updates" (look for the red envelope).


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MADILL, Okla. (AP) - Like her husband, Janna Ryan, the wife of Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, is a Washington veteran after years working as a legislative staffer, attorney and lobbyist.
Now a stay-at-home mom, she comes from a family rooted deep in Oklahoma politics - of the Democratic sort.
Janna Ryan has been thrust into the spotlight since Mitt Romney introduced her husband as a running mate. Her path to Washington D.C. began in the small southern Oklahoma town of Madill. Her family is still an institution.
She's a cousin of Democratic congressman Dan Boren and a niece of former Governor and U.S. Senator David Boren. Her grandfather, the late Reuel Little, was a third-party candidate for governor in 1970.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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From 23rd to 24th July 2013, the magnificent Mount Bromo in East Java will be highlighted with a fascinating cultural attraction as the indigenous Tenggerese conduct the ritual ceremony of Yadnya Kasada.
The Yadnya Kasada (or popularly called Kesodo) is a festival held every 14th day of the Kasada Month in the traditional Hindu lunar calendar. This ceremony is to honor Sang Hyang Widhi, God Almighty, and is based on the ancient legend of Roro Anteng and Joko Seger.
Legend has it that after many years of marriage, the couple of Roro Anteng and Joko Seger remained childless, and therefore meditated atop Mount Bromo, beseeching the mountain gods for assistance. The gods granted them 24 children, with the condition that the 25th child must be thrown into the volcano as human sacrifice. The gods request was observed, and so the tradition of offering sacrifices into the volcano to appease the deities continues until today, although, of course, instead of humans, they are chickens, goats and vegetables that are thrown into the crater for sacrifice.
Yadnya Kasada is observed by the Tenggerese, who are descendants of the princes of the powerful 13th century Majapahit kingdom in East Java, who took refuge in the highlands of Mt. Bromo at the fall of the Majapahit empire. Although the majority of Javanese have converted to Islam, this unique community still clings to their ancient beliefs from the old days of Majapahit until today. Like the Hindu Balinese, the Tenggerese worship Ida Sang Hyang Widi Wasa, the Almighty God, along with the Trimurti gods, of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu, with added elements of Animism and Mahayana Buddhism.
When the Yadnya Kasada day arrives, the crowds that have traveled together up the mountain, pray together on the mountain and throw offerings into the crater of the volcano. The sacrifices include vegetables, fruit, livestock, flowers and even money, and are offered in gratitude for agricultural and livestock abundance. Some locals climb down into the crater despite obvious dangers, to retrieve the sacrificed goods, believing that these will bring good luck.
A number of travel agents in East Java offer special tours to Mt. Bromo for this occasion starting from Surabaya or Malang.
More on Yadnya Kasada can be observed in our: THE YADNYA KASADA CEREMONY AT MT. BROMO
Copyright © 2014 Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia. All Rights Reserved