VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 221
DATE 10-12-2015

Summary:
- Twelfth meeting of the Pope with the Council of Cardinals
- The Pope expresses his condolences for the death of Cardinals Furno and
Terrazas Sandoval
- Postponement of pastoral visits in Italy during the Jubilee year
- Presentation of the document "The Gifts and the Calling of God are
Irrevocable"
- Summary of "The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable"

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 Twelfth meeting of the Pope with the Council of Cardinals
 Vatican City, 10 December 2015 (VIS) - This morning the twelfth meeting of the
Holy Father with the Council of Cardinals ("C9" began in Vatican City. The
meeting will continue until Saturday 12 December.

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 The Pope expresses his condolences for the death of Cardinals Furno and
Terrazas Sandoval
 Vatican City, 10 December 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent telegrams of
condolences to Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, and
Archbishop Sergio Alfredo Gualberti Calandrina of Santa Cruz de la Sierra,
Bolivia, following the death on 9 December of cardinals Carlo Furno, Grand
Master emeritus of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem,
aged
91, and Julio Terrazas Sandoval, archbishop emeritus of Santa Cruz de la
Sierra,
aged 79.
 In his telegram to Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Pope expresses his deepest
condolences to the College of Cardinals and recalls Cardinal Furno's long and
valuable collaboration in the Holy See, especially as apostolic nuncio,
archpriest of the papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, and Grand Master of the
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Francis asks that the
Lord,
through the intercession of Mary Salus Populi Romani, welcome the cardinal in
His eternal peace.
 In his telegram to Archbishop Sergio Alfredo Gualberti Calandrina, the Holy
Father unites his prayers with those of the pastors, clergy and faithful of
Santa Cruz de la Sierra that the Lord grant His light and peace to the cardinal
who, "with the light of faith and the strength of hope, stayed faithful to the
ministry he received, and with generosity and courage devoted his life to the
service of the Gospel, justice and peace". In this moment of inevitable human
suffering, when the mystery of the Lord's coming brings hope, he invokes the
maternal intercession of Our Lady.

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 Postponement of pastoral visits in Italy during the Jubilee year
 Vatican City, 10 December 2015 (VIS) - As confirmed by the cardinal archbishop
of Milan, Angelo Scola, this morning during a press conference, the Secretary
of
State has communicated that it is the Holy Father's intention to postpone
pastoral visits in Italy due to the intensification of activities due to the
Jubilee. As a consequence, the visit to Milan already officially planned and
announced for 7 May 2016 will be postponed until 2017. Cardinal Scola observed
that it will provided the opportunity for the Holy Father to conclude the
pastoral visit in process in the archdiocese of Milan.

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 Presentation of the document "The Gifts and the Calling of God are
Irrevocable"
 Vatican City, 10 December 2015 (VIS) - "The Gifts and the Calling of God are
Irrevocable: a Reflection on Theological Questions Pertaining to
Catholic-Jewish
Relations on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of 'Nostra Aetate' (No. 4)"
is
the title of the document published by the Commission for Religious Relations
with the Jews, presented this morning in the Holy See Press Office. The panel
was composed of Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the dicastery; Rabbi David
Rosen of the American Jewish Committee, the theologian Professor Edward Kessler
of Cambridge, and Fr. Norbert Hoffmann, S.D.B.
 Cardinal Koch recalled that on 28 October this year, in accordance with Pope
Francis' wishes, a special general audience was organised to commemorate the
promulgation of the Conciliar declaration "Nostra Aetate" exactly fifty years
earlier. The audience was attended by numerous representatives of other
religions, whose presence demonstrated that the declaration represented a
cornerstone in the change in Church's attitude towards other religions. The
Commission chaired by the cardinal decided this year to present a new document
returning to the theological principles of the fourth part of "Nostra Aetate",
extending and exploring them in further depth where they regard the relations
between the Catholic Church and Jews.
 He said, "It is an explicitly theological document that intends to retrace and
clarify the issues that have emerged during the recent decades of the
Jewish-Catholic dialogue. Prior to this text, no other document of a strictly
theological nature has been published by our Commission: the three preceding
documents, 'Guidelines and suggestions for implementing the Conciliar
Declaration "Nostra Aetate" (No. 4)' (1974), 'Notes on the correct way to
present Jews and Judaism in preaching and catechesis in the Catholic Church'
(1985) and 'We remember: a reflection on the Shoah' (1998), referred mainly to
concrete themes, useful for dialogue with Judaism from a practical point of
view".
 The new document - summarised below, along with a link to the full text -
seeks
to emphasise that dialogue with Judaism after fifty years now stands on solid
ground, as during this period significant results have been achieved. "We are
very grateful for the efforts that have been made by both Jews and Catholics
for
the promotion of our dialogue", concluded Cardinal Koch. "But it is very
important to remember that, as emphasised in the document and especially from a
theological point of view, we are only at a new beginning: many questions
remain
open and require further study".
 Rabbi Rosen highlighted that the new document shows "not only the advancement
of the recommendations of the 1974 Guidelines on 'Nostra Aetate', to appreciate
and respect Jewish self-understanding, but also a deepening recognition of the
place of the Torah in the life of the Jewish people and, in accordance with the
Pontifical Biblical Commission's work, an acknowledgement of the integrity of
Jewish reading of the Bible that is different from the Christian one. Indeed,
the very fact that the document also quotes extensively from Jewish rabbinical
sources is further testimony of this respect".
 The rabbi also mentioned that, as Cardinal Koch and Fr. Hoffman had already
mentioned, "this is a Catholic document reflecting Catholic theology.
Inevitably, then, there are passages in it that do not resonate with a Jewish
theology". He notes the importance of appreciating "the centrality that the
Land
of Israel plays in the historic and contemporary religious life of the Jewish
people".
 "Indeed even in terms of the historical survey of the milestones along this
remarkable journey since 'Nostra Aetate', the establishment of full bilateral
relations between the State of Israel and the Holy See (very much guided and
promoted by St. John Paul II) was one of the historic highlights. Moreover, the
preamble and the first article of the Fundamental Agreement between the two

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