CAN A CATHOLIC PRIEST, A MILITARY CHAPLAIN, BE A SAINT?

CAN A CATHOLIC PRIEST, A MILITARY CHAPLAIN, BE A SAINT?

I am very disappointed in the setback for the cause for canonization of Fr. Vincent Capodanno, a Maryknoll missionary priest and chaplain to Marines in Vietnam where he was killed on September 4, 1967.

I have followed this cause for years, written about it, and travelled to places that were associated with Fr. Capodanno, including Vietnam.  (Fr. Vincent Capodanno | Joan’s Rome (wordpress.com).

I have tons of videos from Vietnam, including the field where he was killed. Videos of Masses in churches and one of a Mass in the home and surrounding farmland of a Catholic peasant family in the countryside, not far from Danang. I even met a Vietnamese in his 90s who knew Fr. Capodanno!

On my 2013 visit to Vietnam with the late Ted Bronson, an on-fire believer in the cause for Fr. Capodanno. I am with the then bishop of Danang as a Mass was celebrated to mark an anniversary of Fr. Capodanno’s priestly ordination.

You might have recently read articles about this setback. Catholic News Agency did a story (In Rome, a setback for Father Vincent Capodanno sainthood cause – Catholic World Report) in which we read: “At the Vatican, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints is responsible for canonization decisions. In May, an advisory panel of theological consultants considered the “positio” document prepared by the postulator and its arguments in favor of and against Capodanno’s beatification. The consultants voted to recommend to the dicastery that Capodanno’s cause be suspended.”

We also read that one of the consultants for the theological commission studying Fr. Capodanno’s life, work and writings, said, “With ongoing military actions in the world today (think Ukraine), raising someone from the military for veneration may not be appropriate for our Church.”

To this, the guild responded: “No one likes war especially those who serve their countries in them. One of the most important things for these serving men and women is to have access to the Sacraments. Our chaplains selflessly give of themselves to provide these Sacraments. Pope Francis pushes strongly to ensure that chaplain priests are available for militaries.”

The Archdiocese for the Military Services is responsible for launching Fr. Capodanno’s canonization cause. Both the archdiocese and the Father Capodanno Guild, a private Catholic association that promotes the priest’s canonization cause, responded to the consultants’ recommendation to suspend the beatification cause. (You can read those in the above link).

I did a lot of thinking after reading the opinion of the consultant(s). There are obviously a thousand things I do not know about Fr. Capodanno’s life and writings and work, things the Vatican experts and consultants have been studying for some time.

However, this one particular reason really struck me: Fr. Capodanno should not be a saint because he was a military chaplain?

Does the name Fr. Angelo Roncalli ring a bell? In the three years following the outbreak of the First World War in 1915, he worked as a chaplain with the rank of sergeant in the care of wounded soldiers in the hospitals of Bergamo. In July of 1918, he agreed to serve the soldiers suffering from tuberculosis, knowingly risking his life with the danger of contagion. (https://en.gariwo.net) (also this fascinating and brief report from Vatican radio archives: Pope Saint John XXIII as military chaplain (archivioradiovaticana.va))

Fr. Roncalli became Cardinal Roncalli, archbishop of Venice, and in 1958 was elected to the papacy, taking the name Pope John XXIII. He was canonized along with Pope John Paul in 2014.

Was his military chaplaincy even a consideration in his cause? It might have even been an important thread in the rich tapestry of the life story of this humble son of farmers.

And this all brings me to ask: What about the cause of Fr. Emil Kapuan?

Fr. Kapuan, a native of Kansas, was a Catholic priest who served as a United States Army chaplain during World War II and the Korean War. Kapaun was a chaplain in the Burma Theater of World War II, then served again as a chaplain with the U.S. Army in Korea, where he was captured.

As the website dedicated to him says: A Life of Hope and Mercy. From the plains of Kansas to the battlefields of Korea, Father Emil J. Kapaun embodied what it means to live in service to others. Follow his story of selfless sacrifice and strength, and learn why today Father Kapaun is a candidate for Sainthood.

Will experts and consultants now take a second look at his life?!

VATICAN INSIDER: THE STORY OF A PRIESTLY VOCATION AND A MILITARY “PARISH” – IN BRIEF

VATICAN INSIDER: THE STORY OF A PRIESTLY VOCATION AND A MILITARY “PARISH”

Again this week in the interview segment of “Vatican Insider,” my guest is Rev. Brad Easterbrooks, a deacon at the North American College in Rome who will be ordained to the priesthood in June. Last week we looked at his pre-seminary years – work at a consulting firm and on political campaigns, law school, then the Navy and assignment as a lawyer for JAG (remember the TV show “JAG” – Judge Advocate General!).

This week we focus on Brad’s future – his June ordination and assignment to a parish in the San Diego diocese and the eventual dream of ministry as a military chaplain, serving in the military ordinariate, a “parish” that spans the globe.

The day Brad re-commissioned and was sworn in as a Navy Chaplain Candidate on the roof of the North American College overlooking St. Peter’s in September 2018:  

Meeting Pope Francis in 2019 while participating in a Vatican conference on military chaplaincy:

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest for whom you are searching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

IN BRIEF

POPE CHOOSES “PILGRIMS OF HOPE” AS MOTTO OF 2025 JUBILEE. Pope Francis sent a letter to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, as the Church begins preparations for the 2025 Jubilee year. In light of the recent Covid-19 pandemic, which left no country unscathed, Pope Francis wrote that he has chosen the motto “Pilgrims of Hope”, for the Jubilee. He notes that, “the Jubilee has always been an event of great spiritual, ecclesial, and social significance in the life of the Church.” He recalled that ever since the year 1300, which marked the first Holy Year, “God’s holy and faithful people has experienced this celebration as a special gift of grace, characterized by the forgiveness of sins and in particular by the indulgence, which is a full expression of the mercy of God.” Pope urges a prayerful preparation for 2025 Jubilee – Vatican New

POPE: MAY OUR LADY OF LOURDES OPEN OUR HEARTS TO ENCOUNTER. Pope Francis sent a video message to Catholics in Argentina who are celebrating the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Lourdes at a Shrine dedicated to her in El Challao, in the province of Mendoza. February 11 is the anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes, France. Thirty years ago, Saint John Paul II instituted the World Day of the Sick on this day of the solemnity of Our Lady of Lourdes to highlight the plight of the sick and to call the attention of health institutions, civil society and all believers, to those who take care of them. Pope: May Our Lady of Lourdes open our hearts to encounter – Vatican News

CARDINAL PETER TURKSON ON FRIDAY CELEBRATED MASS FOR 30^TH WORLD DAY OF THE SICK: He presided over the celebration of Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the XXX World Day of the Sick on the theme “Be merciful, as your Father is merciful”. The Day is celebrated in memory of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes who, the cardinal said in his homily, gave the world a “sign of God’s mercy that accompanies suffering humanity on its journey through life”…. “Letting oneself be attracted and guided by the logic of God’s mercy,” the cardinal observed, “means returning to the heart of Christian choice. By experiencing the Lord’s mercy one learns to have mercy. The cardinal was refering to the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah where God’s consolation is like that of a mother: “As a mother consoles her child, so will I console you”.  (Full story: Card. Turkson: Those who care for the sick lend their hands to God’s mercy – Vatican News

VATICAN INSIDER: THE STORY OF A PRIESTLY VOCATION

How many of you remembered to have your throat blessed on yesterday’s feast day of St. Blaise, patron saint of throat illnesses? I’ve done this for most of my life and have even experienced some special blessings while travelling abroad. Last night I went to vespers and Mass at San Giovanni dei Fiorentini and, at the end of Mass, the priest blessed the candles he used to bless our throats and then said a prayer over a basket of bread. After he blessed our throats individually, he distributed the bread among us. A very special evening!

PS. San Giovanni’s nativity scene was still up in a side chapel. In fact, many churches (and families) in Rome follow the tradition of the Christmas season ending on the February 2 feast of the Presentation (as I do in my home – that’s when decorations come down).

VATICAN INSIDER: THE STORY OF A PRIESTLY VOCATION

My special guest this week and next in the interview segment of “Vatican Insider” is Deacon Brad Easterbrooks. Currently studying at the North American College in Rome, he is looking at a special way to live his future priesthood – the life of a military chaplain! Brad, from San Diego, has a wonderful story to tell about his vocation but you really have to hear about his remarkable pre-seminary years – work at a consulting firm and on political campaigns, law school, then the Navy, work for JAG (remember the TV show “JAG” – Judge Advocate General) and then….. Well, to hear that story, tune in after the News segment!

In his Navy uniform

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest for whom you are searching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

 

 

POPE TO CHAPLAINS ON INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW – OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF BLESSED VIRGIN MARY OF LORETO TO BE INSCRIBED IN ROMAN CALENDAR ON DECEMBER 10

POPE TO CHAPLAINS ON INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW

Pope Francis on Thursday met participants of the Fifth International Course of Formation of Catholic Military Chaplains on International Humanitarian Law. He tells them to spare no effort to make sure the norms of international humanitarian law are accepted in the hearts of those entrusted to their pastoral care.

Greeting the participants of this week’s formation course entitled, “The Loss of Personal Freedom in the Context of Armed Conflicts: The Mission of the Military Chaplain,” Pope Francis began by reiterating the need “to reject the temptation of viewing the other as merely an enemy to be destroyed, and not as a person endowed with intrinsic dignity, created by God in his image.”

The violation of rights
He added that, “often, persons detained in the context of armed conflicts are victims of violations of their fundamental rights.”

How many civilians, the Pope said, “have been kidnapped, forcibly disappeared and killed. Among these, we can count numerous men and women religious of whom we hear nothing more…”

Pope Francis pointed out that “respect for the dignity and physical integrity of the human person, in fact, cannot depend upon the actions they have done, but is a moral duty to which every person and every authority is called.”

During his address, the Pontiff encouraged the ordinaries and military chaplains present, to spare no effort to make sure the norms of international humanitarian law are accepted in the hearts of those entrusted to their pastoral care.

Educational commitment
The Pope stressed in particular the need for “an educational effort alongside that of families and Christian communities.” He further described how this “involves instilling the values of friendship, understanding, tolerance, goodness, and respect for all persons.” He also said, it meant, “forming young people who are sensitive to other cultures and their richness and committed to a global citizenship, in order to promote the growth of the one great human family.”

Geneva Convention
Concluding his address, Pope Francis highlighted the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

He said that on this 70th anniversary, he wanted to “reaffirm the importance the Holy See gives to international humanitarian law and to express the hope that its norms will be respected in every circumstance. …The latter should be further clarified and reinforced where appropriate, especially with regard to non-international armed conflicts, and in particular with regard to the protection of persons deprived of freedom because of these conflicts.” (Vatican News)

OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF BLESSED VIRGIN MARY OF LORETO TO BE INSCRIBED IN ROMAN CALENDAR ON DECEMBER 10

The following decree was issued today by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments:

DECREE on the celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Loreto to be inscribed in the General Roman Calendar

Since the Middle Ages veneration for the Holy House of Loreto has been the origin of that particular shrine which still today is visited by many faithful pilgrims in order to nourish their faith in the Word of God made flesh for us.

This shrine recalls the mystery of the Incarnation, leading all those who visit it to consider “the fullness of time”, when God sent his Son, born of a woman, as well as to meditate both on the words of the Angel announcing the Good News and on the words of the Virgin in response to the divine call. Overshadowed by the Spirit, the humble handmaid of the Lord so became the dwelling place of divinity, the purist image of the holy Church.

Closely bound to the Apostolic See this shrine, praised by Popes and known throughout the world, has, over the years and no less than Nazareth in the Holy Land, been able to illustrate powerfully the evangelical virtues of the Holy Family.

In the Holy House, before the image of the Mother of the Redeemer and of the Church, Saints and Blesseds have responded to their vocation, the sick have invoked consolation in suffering, the people of God have begun to praise and plead with Mary using the Litany of Loreto, which is known throughout the world. In a particular way all those who travel via aircraft have found in her their heavenly patron.

In light of this, Pope Francis has decreed, by his own authority, that the optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Loreto should be inscribed in the Roman Calendar on 10 December, the day on which the feast falls in Loreto, and celebrated every year. This celebration will help all people, especially families, youth and religious to imitate the virtues of that perfect disciple of the Gospel, the Virgin Mother, who, in conceiving the Head of the Church also accepted us as her own.

Therefore the new memorial must appear in all Calendars and Liturgical Books for the celebration of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours; the relative texts are attached to this decree and their translations, approved by the Episcopal Conferences, will be published after confirmation by this Dicastery.

Anything to the contrary nothwithstanding.

From the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 7 October 2019, the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary.

Robert Card. Sarah, Prefect – +Arthur Roche Archbishop, Secretary