www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy The Revised Divine Liturgy Keep Writing Letters!

There are rumors in the Italian press (see http://www.quaderniradicali.it/agenzia/index.php?op=read&nid=14917) that in a short time the Argentine Mons Leonardo Sandri (present Substitute of the Secretariat of State) will be the next prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, in the place of Card Daoud who is resigning for age.

Your opinions?
What will change?

I am curious. Has anyone who participates on this forum written a letter to Metropolitan Basil? Have you received a response?

Do you have the address for Metropolitan Basil?

Thank you.

PS Sent out 4 letters today.

Brother Ed

...any returns yet?

Ungcsertezs

Writing to the bishops won�t help. They know the new liturgy is really bad but they don�t care. Bishop William won�t even talk about it. He just gets mad whenever anyone asks about it. I wrote directly to Pope Benedict XVI. I am also writing to the different people on the list posted here. I�m mailing about one letter each week. I�ll let you know when the responses come in.

If you live in Phoenix make sure to visit St. John�s Melkite. The music is different but at the least they take the Byzantine liturgy. We haven�t gone yet but a parishioner told me to go to Holy Archangels to check it out. Her family might be going there instead of St. Stephen�s. They are Slavic so we might feel more at home there and there is a choir that is pretty good.

The article on the front page of byzcath.org confirms the fact that a new prefect for the Congregation for the Eastern Churches has been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. Letters should be sent to him once he assumes his position.

Well....

Since I was all but kicked off the How We're Implementing the RDL, I will come here to this thread...

In addition to keeping the letters going, petition your church, as I am doing.

The only way to reverse the wrong that has been done is to obtain a majority of the congregation.

Sorry, not really kicked off, I may have said some things out of anger and out of line...that being said...the message is still the same, we have a right to protest if we do not like the RDL, right? Last I checked this is a Representative Republic and it is a "God given right to free speech". If a majority does not want it, why implement it?

Hello Rusyn,

Your anger is understandable. The reformed Liturgy is a hard pill to swallow. I equate it to the death of a loved one. There are stages to go through: denial, anger, grief, acceptance. I have already gone through denial and anger and currently reside in a state of grief. I am certain that acceptance is not in my future. Sadly, just a handful of people have written letters to Rome. The majority seem to take an apathetic stance. There is not a mass protest coming from the faithful and the clergy. I believe there are reasons for this. Some are afraid of confrontation. Some are not aware of the damage that has been done. Some do not care. And some truly like the changes (though I have not met anyone).

These are truly sad days in the BCC and I continue to grieve.

I wrote twice to Cardinal Daoud the prefect for the Congregation for the Eastern Churches. Received no response for either letter. I wrote Cardinal Levada, no response as well.

PLEASE NOTE!!
I wrote the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, and did receive a reply from the Office of the Secretariat of State:

"From the Vatican, 10 March 2007. Dear XXXX, I am writing in reply to the letter which you addressed to the Holy Father on 27 February last, and I would inform you that is has been duly transmitted to the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, with a request that the matter be given appropriate consideration. With every good wish, I remain yours sincerely in Christ, +Leonardo Sandri, Subsitute"

If the name of the Archbishop who signed this letter is not familiar to you, get familiar with it. It is the name of the newly appointed Prefect for the Congregation for the Oriental Churches: Archbishop Leonardo Sandri.

I don't know when he will be assuming his new role, but he will be the one we will be directing our new letters regarding the Reformed Divine Liturgy.

Does anyone have info about the date Archbishop will assume his new role?

Even when the higher-ups do not respond to a letter, they do indeed count that letter!

Meanwhile, I would think that Archbishop Sandri has already taken up the reins, although I could be mistaken. One thing to watch: we're due for a Consistory for the nomination of new Cardinals, and the Prefect of the Oriental Congregation will certainly be made a Cardinal. I'd be surprised if that Consistory is held before the autumn, but we shall see.

Fr. Serge

Archbishop Sandri has taken over as Prefect of the Oriental Congregation. I'm not sure how this bodes for the Eastern Churches...

In the later half of June, my wife and I were in Rome during an extended celebration of our wedding anniversary. One evening we had dinner with my former instructor who is on the faculty of the PIO as a liturgy professor. he related the following:

On May 25, 2007 a new rector for the PIO was nominated, Fr. Cyril Vasil' S.J. Fr Cyril is the son of a Greek Catholic priest and has a brother who is a married priest. When the Prefect was told of this fact, he became a bit unnerved. He was then informed that, yes, married men are ordained as Greek Catholic priests.

So you are saying he is very knowledgeable regarding the Eastern Churches he was just put in charge of, eh?


Rusyn31-
"Last I checked this is a Representative Republic and it is a "God given right to free speech".

Are you referring to the Church here? Uh-we may live in the good ole US of A, but the Church doesn't work like that. Especially THIS church, LOL!

Sam

Deacon John Montalvo said: "Archbishop Sandri has taken over as Prefect of the Oriental Congregation. I'm not sure how this bodes for the Eastern Churches..."

It didn't bode very well for us (re: Reformed Liturgy) under the last Prefect who was an Eastern Catholic.

I pray that the new Prefect is aware of issues such as "inclusive" language, etc., and other Western pre-occupations.

It looks like the new Prefect for the Eastern Churches has already assumed his post. Get your research together and start penning your letters.

Prefect Lights a Lamp for Eastern Churches

VATICAN CITY, JULY 3, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The recently appointed prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches lit a lamp in St. Peter's Basilica to symbolize the Church's concern for Christians in the East.

Archbishop Leonardo Sandri lit the flame in front of an icon of the Mother of God.

Archbishop Sandri said the flame is "a sign of our full attention toward our brethren of the East, who suffer daily from the consequences of war, division, hatred and attempted bombings," Vatican Radio reported.

He also said the gesture was a call to prayer for those involved in the spiral of violence that damages personal and social coexistence.