The newly released edition of the Annuario Pontifico [Pontifical Yearbook] 2001, the “who’s who” of the Catholic Church published by the Vatican Press, contains nearly two hundred corrections to the existing biographies of the popes from Peter to John Paul II. The new historical discoveries that prompted the changes are included in the opening pages of the new edition. These thirteen pages reflect the most rigorous study to date on the history of the papacy, according to the news agency Zenit.
Researchers cannot be certain of the exact dates of the pontificates of the first two centuries and, in one case, of the exact order. For this reason the Annuario Pontifico does not assign a succession number to each pontiff. A dozen popes have been given two possible dates, in keeping with historical calculations.
The corrections were a result of extensive research carried out by historian Giovanni Maria Vian, a member of the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences. Vian told the Italian newspaper Avvenire that, in the second half of the twentieth century, historical research took some important steps, and so “the chronology of the popes of the first two centuries is more uncertain.”
The most significant historical doubt affects Peter’s second successor. After Linus, Cletus (A.D. 80-92) or Clement could have been pope, either between 68 and 76 or between 92 and 99. Therefore one could have been pope before the other. And yet “the new discoveries of those years reinforce the credibility of the succession of the bishops of Rome,” Vian maintained.
Including Karol Wojtyla, there have been two hundred sixty-four popes but two hundred sixty-six pontificates. Benedict IX reigned three times between 1032 and 1048. The first time, his pontificate was interrupted by the intrusion of Sylvester III. After he returned to Peter’s chair, Benedict IX resigned and was succeeded by Gregory VI. Then, following Clement II’s death, Benedict IX returned to the papacy for the third time.
This Mason Defends the Pope
An “obituary for anti-Semitism as an institution in America” appeared in the June 1, 2001 Washington Times. Authors Jackie Mason (yes, that Jackie Mason) and Raoul Felder, both Jews, wrote, “If one person more than any other could be credited with being responsible for this remarkable recent reversal of bigoted thinking, it is Pope John Paul II. He was the first pope to visit a synagogue, although he had been wearing a [white] yarmulka (skull cap) for years. . . .
“The pope established diplomatic relations with Israel, visited the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, and apologized for the Church’s sins against Jews throughout history. The only thing he didn’t do was to get Bar Mitzvahed. And yet there are now rumbles of concern in some Jewish quarters about the Pope’s sincerity on the subject of anti-Semitism. . . .
“Recently the Pope made a visit to Damascus to repair wounds going back to 1204 when Constantinople, then the seat of the Orthodox Byzantine Empire, was sacked by Roman Catholic crusaders. In his welcoming remarks to the Pope, Syria’s new president, Bashar al-Assad, used this as an opportunity for a venomous anti-Semitic tirade, including the old lie of blood libel. The Pope ignored Mr. Assad’s remarks and instead spoke in general terms of the need for peace in the Middle East and accommodation among the world’s religions. In short, the Pope again acted like a pope, and the anti-Semite acted like an anti-Semite. Suddenly, Jews all over the world were ready to give back their white yarmulkas and say, ‘I told you so.’ The sense of things with certain Jews was that the Pope should have immediately put Mr. Assad down and because he did not do so, his silence indicated his, and the Catholic Church’s, agreement with the remarks.
“The Pope had no such obligation. He has stated his feelings on the subject many times and reaffirmed them by his actions. . . .
“The Pope, by word and deed, has done more to eradicate anti-Semitism than perhaps any other single individual in our time. Our advice to fellow Jews: Chill out.”
For Chesterton Fans, the Old Is New
Devotees of G. K. Chesterton will be pleased to know that a long-lost novel by the famous Catholic convert was scheduled at press time to be published in late June in England. The story was discovered among two hundred notebooks and papers kept in the attic of Chesterton’s final home by Dorothy Collins, who was his secretary, until her death in 1989.
The new novel, Basil Howe, is a semi-autobiographical romance penned when the author was twenty years old. If Shakespeare had what literary historians call “the dark lady” of the sonnets, Chesterton had a redheaded girl, according to this novel.
“You would never have thought it was written by Chesterton,” said Professor Denis Conlon, president of the U.K. Chesterton Society, who pieced together the story from separate notebooks. Conlon titled the book using the protagonist’s name.
“His later work was influenced by his wife,” said Conlon. “This was one she did not want. It is a good romantic novel-not quite Jane Austen, but it would stand up very well.” Basil Howe was written in 1894, eleven years before Chesterton’s first published novel, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, appeared.
Most of Chesterton’s writings were handwritten in notebooks because, according to Conlon, Mrs. Chesterton was very frugal with the daily allowance she gave her husband.
Missionary Mobilization
One hundred fifty-five cardinals met behind closed doors in late May for the extraordinary consistory of cardinals. Eugênio de Araújo Sales, archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, spoke of the need for Church unity. “Fidelity and unity with the Pope are an integral part of the Catholic faith,” he said. Lebanese Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, spoke of the difficulty of interreligious dialogue. But he said he believes that there are areas where one can live “normally”-for example, in the promotion of charitable works.
William Keeler, archbishop of Baltimore, spoke about the critical importance of the media for evangelization. He quoted the encyclical Redemptoris Missio in which John Paul II clarifies that it is not about “using” the mass media but “participating” in the media culture.
Francisco Alvarez Martínez, archbishop of Toledo, Spain, said that work was previously one of the great issues of Church social doctrine, but today the “greater challenge” is the family. José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, proposed the “globalization of holiness.” The objective, he said, is to make all Catholics understand that holiness is the norm for all Christians and not something extraordinary.
Jaime Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of Havana, stressed the role of the hierarchy in presenting holiness as a topic for the Church. “We need a real and audacious pastoral ministry of holiness,” he said.
Texts are read or improvised by the speakers, but not handed out. Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls gave reporters a summary of the addresses. Navarro-Valls concluded by quoting Jozef Tomko, former prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples: “Today we do not need a Church of support; we need missionary mobilization.”
New Kid on the Block
In the past there have been great Catholic periodicals in the United Kingdom-GK’s Weekly, The Month, and The Dublin Review come to mind-and now a new English periodical is poised to take its place in the succession.
The Saint Austin Review is a new, monthly Catholic journal of culture and ideas. Each issue focuses on a theme of interest to Catholics such as the new evangelization or liturgical reform. It also includes as regular columnists well-known writers such as Dr. Patrick G. D. Riley (covering the American scene) and Fr. James Schall, S.J. Other contributors include James Hitchcock and Ralph McInerny. There are reviews of the best-and the worst-new books; “Spotlight,” a monthly interview with a leading Catholic (or anti-Catholic); “Front Lines,” which covers the Catholic renewal in different parts of the world; and new poetry and fiction.
U.S. subscriptions are $39.95. For more information, write The Saint Austin Press, 296 Brockley Road, London SE4 2RA, United Kingdom.