FIUV PP 28

The apparition of Our Lady to Alphonse Ratisbonne
(1814-1884), a French Jew who then became a Catholic
and dedicated his life to working for the conversion
of his fellow Jews to the Christian faith.

In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI composed a new prayer ‘Pro Conversione Iudæorum’, to be used in celebrations of the Good Friday Liturgy in the Extraordinary Form. The prayer’s petition for the conversion of the Jews should be understood in the eschatological context offered by Pauline and Patristic, as well as more recent, theology, which foresees the corporate conversion of the Jews taking place in the final stage of history. It is in this way that the most recent official documents reconcile the Church’s universal missionary mandate with the circumstances of today, in the shadow of the Shoah, in which a targeted mission to the Jewish people is not envisaged. . . . . . .

The 28th in the FIUV Position Papers series, called “The Good Friday Prayer for the Jews in the Extraordinary Form” is now available in the FIUV Positio section.

In the country of the Cristeros, the Mass reemerges

The Polish edition of Paix Liturgique has published an interview with Felipe Alanís Suárez which we are happy to reproduce here. It was translated into English by S. Armaticus of the Deus Ex Machina Blog. See also the French translation. – FIUV.org.

For the Paix Liturgique, the journey of Pope Francis to Mexico was an opportunity to look at the condition of the Extraordinary Form (TLM) in a country with such a vast Catholic tradition. So we decided to conduct an interview with Felipe Alanís Suárez, that is, the newly elected president of the International Federation Una Voce and founder of Una Voce Mexico.

I – Interview with Felipe Alanís Suárez, the new president of Una Voce

1- Felipe, in 2009 thanks be to God, Una Voce Mexico was born . What was the liturgical situation in your country?

The history of the birth of Una Voce in Mexico in fact dates back to the 2006, although in fact the International Federation Una Voce (FIUV) accepted us in 2009. At that time, the Motu Proprio of Benedict XVII was not yet published , and a traditional Mass was not celebrated in the diocese regularly. Nevertheless, the Society of Saint Pius X since the seventies, was working in the country and administering to numerous communities of the faithful.

2 How did you come into contact with the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite?

Not counting the childhood stories of my mother, the first time I learned something more about the traditional Mass was when I read an extensive interview with Cardinal Ratzinger made by Vittorio Messori (Report on the state of the Church, 1985). Today the Pope Emeritus, in his characteristic clear language communicated to us what was a deeper reflection on what was theological and liturgical. This awoke in me a critical look at the liturgical reform and a keen interest in the liturgy, which was passed on for generations, and it is not ad hoc compilation. For the Tridentine Mass, so perfect in its transcendent character which is so perfectly ordered, Catholic, led me search for the sacred. A dispensation of Providence allowed me to establish contact with groups of American Catholics from the Fraternity of St. Peter and the Institute of Christ the King, as well as Latin American priests of the Institute of the Good Shepherd, who came on pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe and the sanctuaries of the Cristeros. With time, I met some other people connected to the traditional Mass and wishing to participate in its dissemination. As we lived in different cities and we wanted to stay in touch, we used the internet. And it is also thanks to the Internet that we have established contact with FIUV.

3 What actions has Una Voce Mexico has taken?

Our first mission was to communicate with all persons interested in the traditional liturgy, so that as a community we can share the variety of good talents which God has given to us. In practice it was necessary to find and make friends with the priests, who were ready to offer the Mass. Then we worked on the distribution of missals to the faithful and the creation of sheets with the lyrics of the propers of the Mass on Sunday – very valuable aids. Once “we launched” the first Mass, we soon realized that it befalls us to  offer to the new communities help in strengthening their theological knowledge about the Mass and the liturgy. So we organized a meeting, which was the culmination of a national congress of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. It took place in 2013 in the Archdiocese of Guadalajara. The retired Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, can to offer Mass at the end of our meeting. Gradually we did notice that the Christian people reacted to our proposals and found that many Mexicans, young and old, are interested in the traditional Mass. For all these Catholics, the deciding factor it is not so much nostalgia and aesthetic considerations, but rather more or less a conscious conviction that the traditional form is intimately linked to the fundamental truths of the Faith (the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, renewal of the sacrifice of the Cross …).

4 What is the situation today, with respect to the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum in Mexico?

Today, when nearly 10 years have passed since the promulgation of the Motu Proprio, the Extraordinary Form is offered in Mexico in 10 dioceses. There is still much work ahead of us, but the direction is correct and the hope is enormous. For the majority of the bishops, they still have their blinders on and judge the traditional Mass traditional through the prism of the 70s and 80s, as if it were a protest against the alleged theological progress and a sign of a lack of obedience to the Pope. Paul VI is not very well known in Mexico and the texts of Vatican II are not studied. In contrast, a strong relationship connects Mexicans with St. John Paul II and his sacred person is a pillar of Catholic identity of most of the faithful as well as the members of the clergy. And that’s why the sad events of 1988 (Ed. note: SSPX consecrations) are in the minds of many, a reference point when talking about liturgical conflicts at the end of the last century. The situation in not the same everywhere, however,  and the traditional Mass reemerged at the time of the Motu Proprio in the sees of the cardinals. In Guadalajara and Mexico City, with the support of Cardinal Sandoval and Rivera apostolates have been created that have been entrusted to the Society of St. Peter. In Morelia, Archbishop Alberto Suárez Inda, recently elevated to cardinal by Pope Francis to the College of Cardinals, celebrated the occasion of the anniversary of his priesthood with the Missal of John XXIII. The same spirit of goodwill has allowed for the bishop of Chihuahua to guide the Extraordinary Form regularly, and has been offered in the Cathedral of Chihuahua.

5 In the summer of 2014 years the traditional Mass was offered in the largest seminary in the world today, in Guadalajara: does the Extraordinary Form of the Mass presently have this right to “permanent residence” in the seminaries of Mexico?

Unfortunately not yet. In any case, it is not a daily occurrence. Photos of the priest Fr. Romanosky (FSSP) who offered that mass showed that it had a great success and aroused great interest among the clerics. They (photos) show that the Extraordinary Form is slowly gaining a place in the everyday life of the Church. We know that many clerics, as much as possible here in the country, participate  in the activities of ministries of the fraternity FSSP. Nevertheless, even in Guadalajara the Extraordinary Form does not appear officially in the program of any seminary.

6 Any final words?

The Holy See confirmed the canonization of the young José Sanchez del Rio, who became a emblematic victim of war of the Cristeros. This young 14-year-old martyr is a glory not only to Mexico, but for the whole Church. To obtain the mother’s consent to enter into the ranks of the Cristeros, José cheerfully said to her: “I have never had an occasion which is so easy to win Heaven as has presented itself today.” He understood that engaging in a fair fight is a privilege and an opportunity. In turn, we, in the Church, which is going through a crisis, we also have a great opportunity to fight for it, to obtain for our Christian life more treasures, fight for it, which for him was the source and summit: the Holy Liturgy. For anyone who happened to be despised, marginalized and even humiliated because he simply wanted to praise and worship God in the traditional Mass, I would like to offer as an example the holy José Sanchez del Rio, that they may take courage and not dispare, and persevere in the struggle with joy, as he knew that the privilege is to lead a fight without bitterness, gently, and with the power and love, ¡Viva Cristo Rey!

II – Reflections of Paix Liturgique

1 In Mexico and in Europe, the reality shows that the liturgical resistance movement launched by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1970, although fundamental and universal, accounted for only a tiny part of the reaction of the Christian people who wanted to live their faith accroding to the Catholic catechism and the traditional Mass. Thanks to the Motu Proprio of Benedict XVI, the community “Silent” – in other words those who for 50 years have not spoken a word of opposition or rebellion and surrendered new liturgical and doctrinal norms, of the parishes and bishops – are reappearing with each passing day and more clearly being manifested throughout the Church and creating embers of a great movement of a spiritual awakening, liturgical and doctrinal likewise. Historically, this movement also involves the addition of the intellectual and cultural liberation from dictatorship of the mentality of the year 1968, that bit by bit, everywhere in the world is becoming visible.

2 We know that the people of this “Silent” community, as concretely and even scientifically described in numerous international surveys – from Spain to Germany, from Switzerland to Italy, where the undisputed, reliable, and consistent results have shown that 40 to 60% of the practicing faithful would be willingly to live their faith in accordance with the Extraordinary Form. In Mexico, the tragedy of the Cristeros meant that the faithful are often very wary of the Roman authorities (which explains the strength of the phenomenon of sedevacantism there) and the success of the Extraordinary Form is another example of this.

3 Although the Extraordinary Form, just like a floodplain, is presently available for now in only 10 of the nearly 90 diocese existing in Mexico today, do not doubt, that like everywhere else where this process started, the wave of the Summorum Pontificum will slowly but surely increase throughout country. The more that this happens, gradually and the strong help of the Holy Spirit promised to the Church by Christ, it will be derived through the examples of faith and piety that will arise in the context of the offering of the Extraordinary Form.

4 It is particularly poignant when we look at the flourishing of the traditional Roman Mass in the land of the brave and holy Cristeros. Mass – the Christian ideal, which was defended at the cost of their own blood. Betrayal, which fell on them from the ecclesiastical authorities – the abandonment of the doctrine of Christ the King and his defenders – has its analogy in the form of abandonment by the Church of the ancient liturgy and the resisting  priests and faithful who have not agreed to erase it. Thank God for waking his faith of the Cristeros! Undoubtedly, thanks to the intercession of their patron saint today in Mexico, a hope is  being reborn, a liturgical – and also catechetical hope – and it will soon return peace. True peace embedded in doctrinal truth and justice to Christian souls. It’s obvious that without the real consent with respect to the liturgy, there is no possible return to a lasting peace in the Church.

Helmut Rückriegel, FIUV President d'honneur, R.I.P.

His Excellency Dr. Helmut Rückriegel, one of the elder statesmen of the International Federation Una Voce (FIUV) and a great champion of tradition over many decades, died early on 25th of January, 2016.

Dr. Rückriegel has been actively involved in the Una Voce movement since 1967. He was head of Una Voce Deutschland in 1992–2005, member of the FIUV Council, and later one of the Federation’s Presidents d’honneur.

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Obituary

Dr. Helmut Rückriegel, an important and highly meritorious upholder for the traditional Latin liturgy has left us.

Born on the 20th of November 1925 in Niedergründau, close to Hanau, he spent the days of his philological studies in Marburg, with whose university he remained in close contact for all his life. Having achieved a doctorate (Dr. Phil) he was a lecturer for ancient European languages in Manchester prior to being employed as Ambassador from 1956 by Germany’s Foreign Service. His first assignment there was the post of an attaché at the German embassy in London. Following further postings as chargé d’affaires in Israel and with the German Information Center in New York between 1979 and 1984 he ran the personal office and worked as head of protocol of the German Federal President Dr. Karl Carstens. Following that he officiated as German ambassador to Thailand until 1988 and until his retirement in 1990 as German ambassador to Ireland.

In November 1980 he was a member of the diplomatic team which greeted Pope John Paul II on his first visit to Germany. As they waited for the Pope’s aeroplane to land he found himself standing next to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and they began conversing. This led to a friendship that endured until his death.

Already fascinated by the Catholic Church from an early age as a youth he converted to Catholicism. This association post the liturgical reforms brought about by the Second Vatican Council resulted in his exemplary and incessant engagement towards the preservation and restoration of the traditional Latin liturgy and Gregorian chant. Thus, from 1992 to 2006, he occupied the position of President of Una Voce Germany. During that period he led the association and its publication, the Una-Voce-Korrespondenz, to a renewed flourishing.

A further passion of his, besides his love of literature and poetry (he knew innumerable German poems by heart) was for old English and Irish roses which he planted and cultivated at his 3,000 sqm property in Niedergründau. This rose garden was renowned amongst the friends of roses and every year was the destination of a great number of tourists. Following a long illness, during the night leading to the 25th of January 2016, Helmut Rückriegel passed away. His perseverance and his extraordinary merits for the traditional Catholic liturgy shall remain unforgotten.

Dr. Johann von Behr, deputy president Una Voce Deutschland e.V.

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In paradisum deducant te Angeli;
in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres,
et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.
Chorus angelorum te suscipiat,
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.

Act of Consecration of the International Federation Una Voce to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the Mystery of Her Immaculate Conception

4^th December 2015

Dear members of the Federation,

As you know, during the last general assembly that took place in Rome, our Federation was consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception, as Patroness of the FIUV.

Since we are approaching the feast of the Immaculate, I would like to invite each of your local associations to consecrate individually to Our Immaculate Lady, so that She helps and protects us in these difficult times.

You will find below the links to the text of the consecration in Latin, English, French, Italian and Spanish, so that next 8th December, all Una Voce associations can unanimously, make this consecration, certain that our request for protection will be attended by the Blessed Virgin, who always helps her faithful children.

Once again, I would like to thank and offer my help to all of you, asking the Immaculate Virgin Mary to always bless you.

In Christ and His Most Holy Mother.

Felipe Alanís Suárez.

President

Fœderatio Internationalis Una Voce

Latin

English

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COMUNICADO DE PRENSA FŒDARATIO INTERNATIONALIS UNA VOCE: SOBRE LA “ORACIÓN POR LOS JUDÍOS” DEL VIERNES SANTO

La Oración por los Judíos utilizada en la Liturgia del Viernes Santo dentro de la Forma Extraordinaria del Rito Romano, continúa siendo fuente de comentarios y malentendidos, sobre los cuales la FIUV (Fœderatio Internationalis Una Voce) desea comentar lo siguiente:

Declaración del Presidente de la FIUV, Felipe Alanís Suárez

Para evitar malentendidos sobre la Oración por los Judíos, el Papa Benedicto XVI compuso la versión del 2008 de esta oración, la cual está claramente basada en el principio esencial Cristiano: la aceptación de Cristo como el salvador el mundo entero, y el deseo de que todas las personas se salven. Los Judíos son mencionados debido a su papel especial en la historia de la salvación,  y por la especial consideración que debemos tener por nuestros «hermanos mayores» (como los llamó el Papa San Juan Pablo II). La oración aspira a la incorporación del pueblo Judío, del cual Nuestro Señor Jesucristo y sus primeros discípulos fueron miembros, en la salvación ganada para la raza humana por Cristo en la Cruz, una reconciliación que, como enseña San Pablo, será consumada solo hacia el final de la historia.

La FIUV está convencida que cualquier posible malentendido prevaleciente en relación a la Oración por los Judíos de la Liturgia del Viernes Santo, puede ser aclarada en el contexto del Magisterio de la Iglesia, sin la necesidad de velar los tesoros de nuestra Fe.

Como fieles adheridos a la Forma Extraordinaria del Rito Romano, reconocemos que rogar a Nuestro Señor la gracia de compartir con todos nuestros hermanos la alegría de la salvación en Jesucristo, es un acto de humildad y amor desinteresado, una obra espiritual de misericordia.

La FIUV rechaza por completo cualquier odio y hostilidad hacia el pueblo Judío, y todas las formas de injusta discriminación.

Observaciones Adicionales

1.     Aunque la Oración por los Judíos en la Liturgia del Viernes Santo del Novus Ordo, no se refiere explícitamente al reconocimiento por los Judíos de Jesucristo como Salvador, otras oraciones en la liturgia revisada si lo hacen. Las Vísperas del Domingo de Pascua conforme a la Forma Ordinaria (Novus Ordo) incluye la oración «Que el pueblo de Israel te reconozca como el Mesías de su esperanza»; y en las Laudes del 30 de Diciembre se incluye la oración «Tú, Señor, eres Dios y hombre, Señor de David y también hijo suyo, y en ti se han cumplido todas las profecías; haz que Israel te reconozca como su Mesías.»

2.     En sus oraciones diarias, los Judíos rezan por la conversión de todos los «impíos sobre la tierra». El Rabbi Jacob Neusner, respondiendo a las críticas sobre la Oración por los Judíos del año 2008, apuntaba el paralelismo con la Oración por los Judíos, destacando que «La oración Católica manifiesta el mismo espíritu altruista que caracteriza la fe del Judaísmo.» (Die Tagespost,23 de Febrero 2008)[1]

3.     El Cardenal Walter Kasper defendió la oración de 2008, explicando que una esperanza en que los Judíos acepten a Cristo, que puede ser cumplida solo por Dios más que por proselitismo, y escatológicamente (al final de la historia),  no es más que una consecuencia necesaria de la fe Cristiana.

Un diálogo sincero entre judíos y cristianos es posible solamente si por un lado se basa en la comunión de fe en el único Dios, Creador del cielo y de la tierra, y en las promesas hechas a Abraham y a los Padres, y por otro lado, en la conciencia y en el respeto de la diferencia fundamental existente, la cual consiste en la fe en Jesús como Cristo y Redentor de todos los hombres. (L'Osservatore Romano 10 de Abril 2008)[2]

Antecedentes

1.     La oración utilizada hoy en la Forma Extraordinaria fue compuesta por el Papa Benedicto XVI en 2008, en respuesta a las preocupaciones sobre la redacción de la oración usada previamente, y se expresa de la siguiente manera:

Oremos también por los Judíos:  para que nuestro Dios y Señor ilumine sus corazones, y reconozcan que Jesucristo es el Salvador de todos los hombres.

2.     Es recitada, en latín, una vez al año en el pequeño número de Iglesias al rededor del mundo donde la Liturgia del Viernes Santo es celebrada en la Forma Extraordinaria.

Esta forma parte de una serie de oraciones por diferentes categorías de personas, tanto de adentro como de fuera de la Iglesia, en esto último incluyendo tanto a herejes como paganos. En cada caso el celebrante ora por las gracias de Dios para ellos. Este patrón es seguido en el Misal reformado de 1970 («Novus Ordo»), aunque la redacción de las oraciones es diferente.[3]

3.     La oración está basada en la Escritura, notablemente San Pablo. La imagen de la «luz» penetrando los corazones de los Judíos es extraída de 2 Cor 4:3-6; San Pablo habla de la eventual conversión de los Judíos en Romanos 11:25-26. Romanos 11:29 sobre la Alianza con los Judíos dice que Dios «nunca revoca Sus promesas», lo cual es citado en la Declaración Nostra ætate del Concilio Vaticano II y por el Papa San Juan Pablo II, como la base de un especial afecto y respeto que los cristianos habrán de tener al pueblo Judío.[4]

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[1] El texto completo de este artículo se puede leer en español aquí:

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/193041?sp=y

[2] El texto completo se puede leer en español:

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/197381?sp=y

[3] Las diferentes versiones  de la oración de Viernes Santo por los Judíos, se pueden encontrar en Wikipedia en inglés:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday_prayer_for_the_Jews

[4] Romanos 11:29: ‘Porque irrevocables son los dones y el llamamiento de Dios.’ Citado en Nostra aetate 4, y por San Juan Pablo II en su Alocución a la Comunidad Judía de Berlín el 17 de Noviembre de 1980.

NOTA STAMPA DELLA FIUV SULLA PREGHIERA PER GLI EBREI DI VENERDÌ SANTO

La preghiera per gli Ebrei in uso nella forma straordinaria della liturgia di Venerdì Santo continua ad essere sorgente di commenti e malintesi, per cui la Federazione Internazionale UNA VOCE intende rispondere come segue:

DICHIARAZIONE DEL PRESIDENTE DE LA FIUV,

Mr. FELIPE ALANÍS SUÁREZ

È stata per evitare dei malintesi riguardo la preghiera per gli Ebrei di Venerdì Santo la ragione per cui Papa Benedetto XVI compose nel 2008 l’attuale versione per il Messale di 1962, la quale è chiaramente fondata su ciò che è essenziale nel Cristianesimo, cioè: l’accettazione di Cristo come Salvatore di tutto il mondo ed il desiderio che tutte le persone si salvino. Gli Ebrei sono menzionati per il loro particolare ruolo nella Storia della Salvezza e per la speciale premura che dobbiamo avere verso i nostri “fratelli maggiori” (come li chiamò il Papa San Giovanni Paolo II). La preghiera si augura l’incorporazione della stirpe ebrea (alla quale appartennero Gesù Cristo ed i suoi primi discepoli) al disegno di salvezza operato sulla Croce dal Verbo incarnato, tramite la sua riconciliazione che, secondo l’insegnamento di San Paolo, sarà compiuta solo alla fine dei tempi.

La FIUV è convinta che qualsiasi malinteso riguardo la preghiera di Venerdì Santo per gli Ebrei va chiarito nel contesto del Magistero della Chiesa senza dissimulare i tesori della nostra Fede.

Noi, fedeli attaccati alla forma straordinaria del Rito Romano, ammettiamo che chiedere al Signore la grazia di condividere con tutti i nostril fratelli la gioia della salvezza in Gesù Cristo è un atto di umilità e amore disinteressato e un’opera spirituale di misericordia.

La FIUV rifiuta energicamente ogni l’odio e l’ostilità verso il popolo Ebreo e ogni forma di ingiusta discriminazione.

Ulteriori osservazioni

Anche se nella peghiera per gli Ebrei nel Novus Ordo non si menziona esplicitamente il riconoscimento di Cristo come Salvatore dagli Ebrei, altre preghiere della liturgia nella forma ordinaria lo fanno. I Vespri nella Liturgia delle Ore della Domenica di Pasqua contiene la petizione perchè “Il popolo ebraico riconosca in te il Messia atteso e sperato”; i Lodi del 31 dicembre include l’intercessione:  “Cristo, Uomo-Dio, Signore e figlio di Davide, che hai dato compimento alle parole dei profeti, fa' che il popolo d'Israele riconosca in te il Messia e Salvatore”.

Nelle loro preghiere quotidiane, gli Ebrei pregano per la conversion di ·tutti gli empi della Terra”. Il Rabbino Jacob Neusner, nel rispondere alle critiche rivolte alla preghiera per gli Ebrei del 2008, mette in rilievo il parallelo con la preghiera Ebrea per la conversione di “tutti gli empi della Terra”. Il Rabbino Jacob Neusner, nel rispondere alle critiche rivolte alla preghiera per gli Ebrei del 2008, la mette in parallelo con la preghiera Ebrea e osserva “La preghiera cattolica manifesta lo stesso spirito altruista che caratterizza la fede del giudaismo”. (Die Tagespost,23 Feb 2008)[i]

Il cardinale Walter Kasper ha difeso la preghiera del 2008, spiegando che la speranza che gli Ebrei accettino Cristo –che sarà compiuta soltanto da Dio e non da un mirato proselitismo, e scatologicamente (cioè alla fine della Storia), altro non è che una necessaria conseguenza della fede cristiana.

“Un dialogo sincero tra ebrei e cristiani, infatti, è possibile solo, da un lato, sulla base della comunanza nella fede nell'unico Dio, Creatore del cielo e della terra, e nelle promesse fatte ad Abramo e ai Padri, e, dall'altro, nella consapevolezza e nel rispetto della differenza fondamentale che consiste nella fede in Gesù quale Cristo e Redentore di tutti gli uomini. ” (L'Osservatore Romano 10th April 2008)[ii]

CONTESTO

La preghiera per gli Ebrei usata oggi nella forma straordinaria è stata composta da Papa Benedetto XVI nel 2008, come risposta alle inquietudini riguardo la formulazione della precedente preghiera e dice così:

“Preghiamo per gli Ebrei. Il Signore Dio nostro illumini i loro cuori perché riconoscano che Gesù Cristo è il salvatore di tutti gli uomini”.

Essa è recitata in latino una volta all’anno nel piccolo numero di chiese in tutto il mondo dove il Venerdì Santo viene celebrato nella forma straordinaria. Fa parte di una serie di preghiere solenni per diverse categorie di persone, sia dentro sia fuori dalla Chiesa, le ultime dedicate agli eretici ed i pagani. In ognuno dei casi il celebrante chiede Iddio delle grazie per loro. each case the celebrant prays for God’s graces for them. Questo schema è ripreso nel Messale riformato del 1970 (Novus Ordo), anche se la formulazione delle preghiere è differente.[1][iii]

La preghiera è fondata sulla Scrittura, notevolmente San Paolo. L’immagine del “lume” penetrando i cuori degli Ebrei è tirata da 2 Cor 4: 3-6; San Paolo parla dell’eventuale conversione degli Ebrei in Rom 11: 25-26. Rom 11: 29 dice dell’Alleanza Ebraica che Dio “mai revoca le sue promesse”, versetto citato dal decreto Nostra aetate del Vaticano II e dal Papa San Giovanni Paolo II, come la base per un affetto particolare e rispetto che I cristiani devono al popolo Ebreo.[iv]

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[i] Il testo integro dell’articolo può consultarsi in italiano seguendo questo vincolo:

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/193041

[ii] Il testo integro dell’articolo può consultarsi in italiano seguendo questo vincolo:

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/197381

[iii] Le diverse version della preghiera di Venerdì Santo per gli Ebrei si può trovare sulla Wikipedia: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oremus_et_pro_perfidis_Judaeis

[iv] Romani 11: 29: “perché i doni e la chiamata di Dio sono irrevocabili!”. Citato da Nostra aetate 4, e dal Papa San Giovanni Paolo II nell’allocuzione rivolta alla communità ebrea di Berlino, a Magonza il 17 Novembre 1980.

FIUV Presse-Erklärung: Zum Karfreitags-"Gebet für die Juden"

Das Gebet für die Juden, wie es in der außerordentlichen Form der Karfreitagsliturgie gebetet wird, ist und bleibt eine Quelle für Kommentare und Missverständnisse. Darauf möchte die FIUV (Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce) mit den folgenden Ausführungen reagieren.

Stellungnahme des Präsidenten der FIUV, Felipe Alanís Suárez

Papst Benedikt XVI. verfasste im Jahr 2008 die derzeit im Gebrauch befindliche Version des Gebets für die Juden, um Missverständnisse zu vermeiden. Das Gebet beruht unbestreitbar auf zentralen Inhalten des christlichen Glaubens: nämlich der Voraussetzung, dass Christus der Retter der ganzen Welt ist, sowie dem Wunsch, dass alle Menschen gerettet werden. Die Juden werden eigens erwähnt aufgrund ihrer spezifischen Rolle, die sie in der Heilsgeschichte einnehmen, sowie aufgrund der besonderen Sorge, mit der wir uns um unsere "älteren Brüder" (so die Formulierung des Heiligen Johannes Paul II.) kümmern müssen. Das Gebet formuliert die Vorfreude auf die Eingliederung des jüdischen Volkes, zu dem unser Herr Jesus Christus sowie seine sämtlichen ersten Jünger gehörten, in der Rettung, die der Menschheit durch Christi Tod am Kreuz geschenkt wurde – einer Versöhnung, die, so die Lehre des heiligen Paulus, erst mit dem Ende der Geschichte vollständig vollzogen sein wird.

Die FIUV ist überzeugt, dass jegliches fortbestehende Missverständnis im Zusammenhang mit dem Karfreitagsgebet für die Juden im Rahmen der kirchlichen Lehre aufgelöst werden kann, ohne dass die Reichtümer unseres Glaubens verschleiert werden müssten.

Wir als Gläubige, die der außerordentlichen Form des Römischen Ritus verbunden sind, vertreten die Meinung: Wenn wir unseren Herrn um die Gnade bitten, die Freude über unsere Rettung durch Jesus Christus mit all unseren Brüdern teilen zu dürfen, dann handelt es sich dabei um einen Akt der Demut und der selbstlosen Liebe, und um ein geistiges Werk der Barmherzigkeit.

Die FIUV lehnt jegliche Form von Hass und Feindseligkeit gegen das jüdische Volk und sämt­liche Arten ungerechter Diskriminierung strikt ab.

Weitere Bemerkungen

1. Das Karfreitagsgebet des Novus Ordo erwähnt zwar nicht ausdrücklich die Juden, die Christus als ihren Retter anerkennen mögen, andere Gebete in der reformierten Liturgie hingegen tun das durchaus. Die Vesper zum Ostersonntag im Novus Ordo enthält das Gebet: "Gib, dass Israel in Dir den Messias erkennt, auf den es wartet"; das Morgenoffizium des 31. Dezember enthält das Gebet: "Christus, Sohn Davids, Erfüllung der Prophezeiungen, möge das Volk der Juden Dich als den erwarteten Erlöser erkennen" (im Lateinischen: Messias).

2. Die Juden beten in ihren täglichen Gebeten um die Bekehrung "aller Gottlosen auf Erden". Rabbi Jacob Neusner verwies in seiner Reaktion auf die Kritiken am Gebet für die Juden von 2008 auf die Parallelität beider Gebete und fügte hinzu: "Das katholische Gebet atmet denselben altruistischen Geist wie der jüdische Glaube." (Die Tagespost, 23. Februar 2008) ^[1]

3. Walter Kardinal Kasper verteidigte das Gebet von 2008. Er erklärte, die Hoffnung, dass die Juden Christus als ihren Erlöser erkennen – eine Hoffnung, die keinesfalls durch gezielten Pro­se­ly­tis­mus, sondern nur von Gott, also eschatologisch (am Ende der Zeiten) erfüllt werden kann – diese Hoffnung sei nichts anderes als eine notwendige Folge des christlichen Glaubens.

Ein aufrichtiger Dialog zwischen Juden und Christen ... ist nur möglich einerseits auf der Grundlage des gemeinsamen Glaubens an den einen Gott, den Schöpfer des Himmels und der Erde, und an die Verheißungen, die an Abraham und die Väter ergingen; andererseits im Bewusstsein und im Respekt vor dem grundlegenden Unterschied, der im Glauben an Jesus als den Christus und den Erlöser aller Menschen besteht. (L'Osservatore Romano 10. April 2008)^[2]

Hintergrund

1. Das Gebet, das heute in der außerordentlichen Form des römischen Ritus in Gebrauch ist, wurde im Jahr 2008 von Papst Benedikt als Reaktion auf Bedenken gegen das zuvor übliche Gebet verfasst. Das Gebet im Wortlaut:

„Lasst uns auch beten für die Juden, auf dass Gott unser Herr ihre Herzen erleuchte, damit sie Jesus Christus erkennen, den Retter aller Menschen."

2. Einmal jährlich wird es in den wenigen Kirchen weltweit gebetet, in denen die Karfreitags­liturgie in der außerordentlichen Form zelebriert wird. Es ist Bestandteil einer ganzen Reihe von Gebeten für unterschiedliche Personengruppen sowohl innerhalb wie außerhalb der Kirche; zur letzteren gehören auch die Häretiker und die Heiden. In jedem Fall betet der Zelebrant für die angesprochene Gruppe um die göttliche Gnade. Diesem Muster entspricht auch das reformierte ("Novus Ordo"-)Messbuch von 1970, wobei die Formulierung der Gebete eine andere ist. ^[3]

3. Das Gebet beruht auf Schriftstellen, vor allem auf Passagen in den Paulusbriefen. Das Bild vom "Licht", das die Herzen der Juden erleuchten soll, geht auf 2 Kor 4,3-6 zurück; von der zukünftig zu erwartenden Bekehrung der Juden spricht der heilige Paulus in Röm 11,25-26. Röm 11,29 sagt im Zusammenhang mit dem Bund mit den Juden, dass Gott "seine Verheißungen nie widerruft", was in dem Dokument Nostra aetate des Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzils als Grundlage für die besondere Zuneigung und den Respekt zitiert wird, den Christen dem jüdischen Volk schuldig sind. ^[4]

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[1] Vollständiger Text des Artikels in englischer Sprache:

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/193041?eng=y

[2] Vollständiger Text des Artikels in englischer Sprache:

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/197381?eng=y

[3] Die unterschiedlichen Versionen des Karfreitagsgebets für die Juden sind in Wikipedia zusammengestellt: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karfreitagsfürbitte_für_die_Juden

[4] Röm 11,29: "Denn unwiderruflich sind Gnade und Berufung, die Gott gewährt." Zitiert von Nostra aetate 4 und Papst Johannes Paul II. in seiner Rede vor der Jüdischen Gemeinde zu Berlin am 17. November 1980.