Cardinal Arinze Addresses Christendom's Summer Institute

"No one can have God as Father who does not have Church as mother," said Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze at Christendom College’s 2004 Summer Institute. The institute focused on Pope John Paul II and his many contributions to the Church during his 25-year pontificate. Throughout the day, a sub-theme emerged that the pope is the vital link between the Church and Christ.

"The divine element can never fall short. The human element sometimes falls short," said Cardinal Arinze, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. He described the pope as the "perpetual and visible source of unity of the bishops and all the faithful."

"When God speaks, we are not expected to hire six lawyers to debate," Cardinal Arinze said. "We obey and live it out.

Faithful Catholics will obey with humility and docility.

Father Anthony Mastroeni, a priest from the Diocese of Patterson, N.J., and adjunct professor of theology at Christendom, spoke about John Paul II and the priesthood.

"What is a priest? He is the heart of Jesus for us," said Father Mastroeni. "Many see him as just a regular guy. What we need to see is Christ."

Although the final end or purpose of the priest is to make the Eucharist available, he also has a duty to proclaim the Gospel, to be a good confessor and to be holy, he said.

Father Mastroeni rebuked the abuse of general absolution. "The doctor does not diagnose a crowd or over the phone," he said. Instead, it should be a painstaking, individual process. "In the confessional, (the priest) quickens souls back to life."

Parishioners want priests to be "beacons, not weather vanes," he said.

I have heard Fr. Mastroeni on a set of Fatima Conference tapes and from what I heard, he sounds like a good and faithful priest who is not afraid to speak the truth.

And lest we forget:

"Love the pope and pray for him," Cardinal Arinze said. "The care of Christ’s flock is not easy. He has much to suffer."

Complete article here.