reorganisation and destruction of irish catholic churches

St. Francis Xavier, Upper Gardiner Street.

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The Jesuit Church of St. Francis Xavier, Upper Gardiner Street, was the first Catholic Church erected in Dublin following the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829. Its predecessor at 30 Hardwicke Street was opened in 1816 by Fr. Charles Aylmer SJ, the first public chapel of the restored Society of Jesus. The four founders of the Church of SFX – Peter Kenny, Bartholomew Esmonde, Charles Aylmer and Archbishop Daniel Murray – received their early education in the school for the classics founded in 1750 by the Jesuits in Saul’s Court, off Fishamble St.With a design based on that of the church of the Gesu in Rome, the mother church of the Jesuits, Gardiner St church opened to the faithful on 3 May 1832, when Archbishop Murray celebrated the first Mass on a temporary altar. The foundation stone had been laid on 2 July 1829 by Fr. Charles Aylmer. On 12 February 1835, the church was solemnly blessed by the Archbishop in presence of 14 bishops and large congregation. The church when opened was 135’ long. It was extended in 1838 (at which time new High Altar was under construction in Rome), and in 1850 the sanctuary was extended by 25’, and a semicircular apse built which moved High Altar further back. The High Altar, 25’ high, is of an enriched classical Corinthian Order with 4 green scagliola columns. It was designed and assembled in Rome by Fr. B. Esmonde, while he was based at the Gesu, and who with Mr John B Keane was the architect of the church. It consists of many precious stones and marbles which include lapis lazuli in the drum over tabernacle with malachite inlay.

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St Francis Xavier preaching in Japan ( oil on canvas) Over the high altar, by Bernardo Celantano. It is strange that the figrue of St Francis is over the high altar, as the crucifix is always the altar centre piece. however the Jesuits in the community overcame the dilemma by having Xavier pointing to the crucifix, thus appeasing the liturgists and allowing Fr Esmonde, the architect of the church and Superior, to have his way!

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Furnishings:

· Italinate portico is of Portland stone.

· Pediment sculptures placed over portico in Fr. Nicholas Walsh’s time (1877-84) – Sacred Heart, St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier – attributed to Terence Farrell RHA

· Pulpit of cast-iron with monogram of the Society of Jesus ‘HIS’ and gilded portrait heads of ‘Christ Crowned with Thorns’ and ‘Sorrowful Mother of Christ’

· The organ has been rebuilt several times, always in original organ case. Theoriginal instrument was made by Flight & Robson (London) 1836. Jesuits purchased it for 800 guineas.

· Sculptures in Transepts: ‘Jesus in Garden of Olives’, made by French sculptor Jacques Augustin Dieudonne in 1848

· ‘Madonna and Child’ by Roman sculptor Ignazio Jacometti in 1881.

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· Four oil paintings in nave attributed to Pietro Gagliardi (Rome) and were hung in church in Fr. Nicholas Walsh’s time as Rector (1877-84)

Restorations 1877 (new roof); 1896 electricity installed (lit by gaslight before); 1932 redecorated. 1970 – extensive redecoration under Brendan Ellis, to comply with the liturgical norms and spirit of Vatican II, and a new altar table was erected in Cuban mahogany by William Hicks.

Other minor restorations and structural works done in 1974, 1983,1989 and 1990s.

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St Francis Xavier – stained glass 1906, Earley of Dublin.[/align:3ahwgvdm]

Some interesting views of the Abbey of Fontgombault in France:

http://gloria.tv/?media=65606

Tales from the crypt
Sunday, September 07, 2008 By Ruth O’Connor
Stephen Bird Flanagan’s job entails chasing angels and saints, but he says his pursuit of religious antiques is as much a calling as a career.
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In the crypt like cellar, lights glint on the curve of a chalice; on the stark relief of a monstrance; on the agony in the eye of the Christ at Calvary; on the seat of a church pew. The cool underground air and subdued lighting contrast sharply with the brassy brightness of the candelabra and a sanctuary lamp’s regal glow. You draw breath as you descend the stairs from the angel-bedecked doorway of the Dublin street above.

Stephen Bird Flanagan’s thirst for antiquities is in his blood. His grandfather, Christy Bird, founded Christy Bird Antiques on Dublin’s South Richmond Street in 1945. Bird Flanagan spent his youth running in and out of his grandfather’s shop, his attraction to the archaic and the odd growing all the while. Yet, in a curious twist, it took a trip to Australia to sow the seeds of the business Bird Flanagan now runs.

On his travels in the 1980s, Bird Flanagan was helping to restore a church when he met a glass restorer who enquired after the availability of stained glass from Irish churches. With a nose for antiques and an eye for art, Bird Flanagan’s interest was piqued.

While it may have been his work that led him to stained glass, it was his curiosity that enabled him to fashion a career out of all manner of churchware. For the past 15 years, the father-of-two has been salvaging and selling, repairing and restoring items of churchware, from hand-painted Stations of the Cross, to stained glass panels and ciboria (vessels used to hold the consecrated host for Communion).

He bought the building next door to Christy Bird Antiques (now run by his brother Christopher) and began to establish his reputation as a dealer in religious antiquities. The vast majority of his customers are clergy seeking items for churches. With the increasing sales of religious properties and the decrease in the number of clergy being ordained, the mid-90s was a time of acquisition for Bird Flanagan.

‘‘The number of items available really rose in the late-1990s and early2000s with the property boom in Ireland,” says the 43-year-old. ‘‘It has slowed down now and it is becoming more difficult to source items, but people know me now from being in the business so long and will ring if they are looking for a religious artefact.”

The area around his shop has changed a lot since 1945, when Christy Bird opened his shop. Now, Irish Vestments nestles alongside Tassilli Halal Meats and Rico’s Flafel Shop. ‘‘When I bought this building we had to knock the whole thing down, so I was able to put this floor down – using lovely tiles from a convent. We bought the three buildings here in a row.”

Bird Flanagan has a wealth of knowledge on the subject of stained glass. ‘‘Much of the stained glass you see was mass-produced by companies such as Mayer’s of Munich. Then in the early 1900s, people began commissioning Irish stained glass artists to produce works. I always had an interest in that period.”

Mayers mass-produced stained glass in the 1870s and was responsible for the stained glass windows of at least nine Irish cathedrals, including Carlow, Waterford and Letterkenny] and was, therefore, cheaper.

Bird Flanagan goes on to tell stories of renowned stained glass artists such as Evie Hone and Harry Clarke from the 1920s, as well as his interest in members of An Túr Gloine, the Irish stained glass cooperative which was formed around that time.

However, despite his interest in religious artefacts, he has been careful to keep his work separate from his home life – at least after some gentle prompting. ‘‘I used to have a lot of items at home, but I’ve been told to minimalise. My wife told me to cut down on this sort of stuff as I have two children, so you can’t really have this sort of thing lying around,” he laughs.

Having spent many years travelling throughout Britain, Ireland and continental Europe sourcing items, Bird Flanagan now sources most of his stock in Ireland, travelling around the country on foraging missions at least twice a week.

The Dublin native has also become something of a curator of religious vestments and is keen to build upon his collection of ecclesiastical garments. ‘‘Having worked with a lot of churches and convents over the years, it was a natural progression to begin collecting the vestments of the religious who had worked there.

‘‘People used to donate their wedding dresses to the church and the nuns would make vestments of them, using the lace. These ‘patchwork’ vestments are generally of inferior quality to the vestments produced by specialist manufacturers such as Bull and Clerys. I collected them for years while I was going around acquiring different pieces; there were so many of them. Now the pieces I have are the most high-quality pieces.”

Bird Flanagan sells hand and machine-embroidered vestments in the Gothic (draped-style) and the Roman style (poncho-style chasuble).The vestments are stunning for the most part, featuring intricate hand-embroidered motifs in metallic threads, heavy fringing and beautiful antique fabrics.

‘‘You have to have good sets for priests to buy. People sometimes frame them, too, as they are of exquisite workmanship. You can make new vestments, but you’re never going to get the same quality as the old vestments, with their beautiful damask and handmade lace and embroidery,” he says.

The vestments sell for anything from €100 up to €2,000 for a high Mass set of impeccable quality used during the Tridentine or Traditional Latin Mass.

Despite having other business concerns, this is where Bird Flanagan is happiest, doing his job out of sheer love of the items, the craft that went into them and a deep respect for his customers. ‘‘This is my life as well as my job. Years ago, the arts weren’t funded, so talented artists, rather than working on their own projects, would have put a lot of time into religious art – sculpture, paintings and vestments.

‘‘The religious orders commissioned a lot of work and I believe that my collection is that of the best work carried out by the best unknown or unsung artists.”

Irish Vestments – Vestments, Religious and Ecclesiastical Items is at 31B South Richmond Street, Dublin 2. See http://www.irishvestments.com or tel:01-4784245

A further text of Victoria on the Caravaggio betrayal of Christ:

St. Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh, Co. Cork

Praxiteles recently received a very interesting brochure written by W. F. Browne (nephew of Bishop Robert browne who completed Cobh Cathedral) and published about 1916 on the carillion which had been installed in Cobh Cathedral.

It contains some useful historical material: “Exhaustive enquiries were made and expert advice was obtained , and finally the order was placed with Messrs. John Taylor and Sons, of Loughborough….. the casting of the bells was very interesting and teh writer saw some of the bells for Cove being cast at Loughborough…Different manufacturers use different proportions but a usual portion is sixteen parts copper to five of tin. While tin melts at a heat of 440 degrees, it is necessary to have 1995 degrees of heat to melt copper. A great cauldron, placed high above the a glowing furnace, contained the molten copper which seethed and bubbled like boiling water. The glare was so dazzling that everyone had to wear yellow goggles. The tin which was to be added to the copper was in big solid blocs like bricks. So intense was the heat that before the block of tin had reached the surface of the liquid metal it had completely melted and disappeared. The liquid was carefully stirred with enormous long rods until properly mixed. The opening at the bottom of the cauldron was merely blocked with clay…..As the molten metal flowed into the mould, men held tapers to small openings that dotted the outer casing of the mould at various points, in order to burn away gas generated in the molten metal. After 48 hours the mould is removed, and then the bell is placed upside down on a turn table and accurately tuned, enormous tuning forks being at hand to give the absolutely correct pitch. When the chime was completed, it was tested and passed as satisfactory by Mr. W.W. Starmer of Tunbridge Wells, one of the greatest living experts on bells, who throughout gave valuable advice and assistance. Then came the question of getting the bells over [to Cobh]. It was war time, and the submarines were very active and exacting a heavy toll. Sir Lewis Bayly, the Admiral commanding the Irish Station, was keenly interested in the bells and offered to have the ship in which they were to come specially escorted. A week or two in advance the writer telephoned to the Admiral to remind him of his promise. His answer was characteristic: “All right, I’ll watch and you’ll pray”…At length the bells were in position in the tower…and all was ready for inauguration. The carilloneur of the famous belfry in Bruges, Monsieur Antoine Nauwelaerts, came specially from belgium….M. Nauwelaerts displayed the most marvellous mastery of the chimes…playing Schubert’s “Ave Maria”, beethoven’s “Sonata Pathétique”, Mendellsohn’s “Spring Song”.

Admiral Bayly (extreme right) on a visit to the United States in February 1921 and seen here with the US Admiral Simms who had commanded the American fleet in Queenstown:

Lewis Bayly died on 16 May 1938. His body was cremated after a simple service at the Side Chapel at St. Michaels.

An account of his funeral:

May 31,1938.

Dear Roger:

I have just had a long letter from Miss Voysey telling me about Admiral Bayly’s death and funeral. I thought you might be interested in her description of the services and give you an extract of her letter verbatim:

“The Admiralty wanted to give him a full Naval funeral, but I said no, it was so unlike him. So when I took him down to the side Chapel at St. Michaels at 7 a.m. Wednesday – the sun was shining and I felt so happy about him. The Admiralty took charge at the church and he went back to his old service, amongst all his Admirals, for his last journey. The wreath was lovely. I asked for no flowers, but said I would be proud to have some from his American friends, so they were mostly from you all, and the Admiralty. Only one wreath I put next to him, the Queenstown Association’s. The others went to the Cenotaph with an officer in uniform. The Queenstown wreath I took with me to Golders Green where I scattered his ashes out in the open in the Garden of Remembrance. I placed this wreath on them.”

I thought I might send this extract to some of the people who have written me and with whom I communicated about his death. Before doing so, however, I should appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Yours ever,
J. S. MORGAN, JR.

Roger Williams, Esq.,
Newport News Shipbuilding Co.,
Newport News, Virginia.

St Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh, Co. Cork

And a note on the campanologist WIlliam Wooding Starmer who died in December 1927:

Start of St Mel’s restoration works imminent.

Assessor estimates five years to complete refurbishment.

14 April 2010
By Liam Cosgrove
A lot done, more to do. It may be a term more readily identified on the national political stage, but it was a message which equally applied to last weekend’s specially convened meeting concerning the restoration of St Mel’s Cathedral.
In the days and weeks following the devastating Christmas Day fire, which left large parts of the historic nineteenth century cathedral effectively destroyed, many question marks surrounding its eventual restoration emerged.

Issues like, the extent of the damage, could the fire have been prevented, the rebuilding project’s time-frame and all-round costs were challenges that had largely remained unanswered.

That was until last Saturday morning when around 100 interested observers took their place inside the college’s spacious assembly room to hear at first hand just how restoration plans were shaping up.

Danny Donohoe, a leading member of Dublin-based property loss adjusting firm, OSG, said any hopes of commencing rebuilding works were still some way off.

“There is a lot more work needed in terms of surveying the actual damage and what is left. There will be both photographic and dimensional surveys (needed).

“It will be a long time before we know what we are dealing with here and what can be achieved. All the making safe measures have all been carried out through, conservation, architects and local authority requirements.

“There is a project committee now in place to look at representations to oversee the restoration of the cathedral and a design team selection process is now underway and that’s advanced. These actions we reckon will be finished by the end of this month or into early May at the earliest,” he said.

In reiterating the fire’s origin had begun in the cathedral’s central heating network, Mr Donohoe said the fire was largely the result of the building’s heating system being left on for 17 hours, almost 12 hours above normally accepted guidelines due to sub zero temperatures and the need to heat the cathedral ahead of Midnight Mass.

Residual deposits or soot which had built up over many years effectively ignited, he said, before spreading to the sacristy area via corroded gaps in the cathedral’s chimney flu area.

In ruling out any culpability for the fire’s outbreak, Mr Donohoe added despite severe structural damage having been caused “over 200 artefacts” were salvaged, including a sixteenth century book shrine and a statue of St Mel.

That said, Mr Donohoe was up front as to where refurbishment works currently stood.

“We estimate it could take roughly five years to carry out this work. There is a conservation architect on site throughout all of this work so we can identify and preserve anything that can be salvaged.

“We needed to put in wind bracing to those external walls, because the roof is now gone, to provide support to the building. That is now just complete.

“A temporary roof for the cathedral has been designed and that will be fitted shortly. There will be protected site hoarding going up around the cathedral,” he said, adding that conservation efforts will switch to a restorative footing by the start of next month at the latest.

In fielding questions from those looking on, Mr Donohoe said it could take a full 12 months before the true extent and cost of the rebuilding works are known.

“We just don’t know. You are dealing with a very unique building. We don’t yet know the scale of what we are ultimately going to be left with or ultimately what can or can’t go back.

“We are confident that in time we will achieve a worthy restoration that will again see St Mel’s Cathedral take its place as a beautiful centre for prayer for the people of the diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise,” he said.

Bishop Colm O’Reilly, who earlier provided an historical oversight of the cathedral’s rich heritage, maintained parishioners from every corner of the Diocese will be kept fully briefed over the coming weeks and months ahead.

“I have invited people to send in written comments about how the cathedral should look,” he said in response to a question tabled by the Leader.

“Inevitably, people nearer to Longford will have more interest and involvement.

“But on the other hand we don’t want to exclude people who maybe as far away as Clonmacnoise, Shannonbridge and places like that. One of my hopes is that this might be an opportunity to draw people in and increase interest (in St Mel’s Cathedral), tragic as all as it is.”

And here we have a recent interview given to The European by the German writer Martin Mosebach which has several pertinent remarks about the need for liturgical renewal…let the Cloyne HACK please take note:

The European: Wie bewerten Sie persönlich die fünf Jahre, die Papst Benedikt XVI. im Amt ist?
Mosebach: Benedikt XVI. hat sich die schwerstmögliche Aufgabe gestellt: Er will die schlimmen Folgen der innerkirchlichen 68er-Revolution auf nichtrevolutionäre Weise heilen. Dieser Papst ist eben kein päpstlicher Diktator, er setzt auf die Kraft des besseren Arguments und er hofft, dass die Natur der Kirche das ihr nicht Gemäße von selbst überwinden wird, wenn ihr dazu gewisse kleine Hilfestellungen gegeben werden. Dieses Programm ist so subtil, dass es weder in offiziellen Erklärungen dargestellt werden noch auch in einer schier unvorstellbar vergröberten publizistischen Öffentlichkeit verstanden werden könnte. Es ist ein Programm, das seine Wirkung erst in der Zukunft, wahrscheinlich erst deutlich nach dem Ableben des Papstes, zeigen wird. Aber schon jetzt ist der Mut des Papstes erkennbar, mit dem er Versöhnung über die engen Grenzen des Kirchenrechtes hinaus stiftet – in China durch die Integration der Patriotischen Kirche und gegenüber der russischen und griechischen Orthodoxie – und durch seine neuartige Verschmelzung traditioneller und aufgeklärter Bibeltheologie, die aus den Sackgassen rationalistischer Bibelkritik herausführt.

The European: müssen wir uns nicht auch auf Missbrauchsfälle in katholischen Einrichtungen anderen Ländern einstellen und wie sollte Ihrer Meinung nach Papst Benedikt dann darauf reagieren?
Mosebach: Selbstverständlich muß die Kirche immer damit rechnen, daß in ihren Schulen und Internaten einzelne Erzieher sich an den Schülern vergreifen, das liegt in der Natur der Sache. Wo Kinder unterrichtet werden, finden sich stets auch Persönlichkeiten mit pädophilen Neigungen ein. Wir müssen uns aber fragen, wieso es in katholischen Internaten gerade in den unmittelbar auf das Zweite Vatikanische Konzil folgenden Jahren gehäuft zu Sexualstraftaten von Priestern gekommen ist. Es führt kein Weg an der bitteren Erkenntnis vorbei: das Experiment des “Aggiornamento”, der Angleichung der Kirche an die säkularisierte Welt, ist auf furchtbare Weise gescheitert. Nach dem Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzil legten die meisten Priester die Priesterkleidung ab, sie hörten auf, täglich die Heilige Messe zu feiern und sie beteten nicht mehr täglich das Brevier. Die nachkonziliäre Theologie tat alles, um das überlieferte Priesterbild vergessen zu lassen. Alle Institutionen, die einem Priester auf seinem schwierigen und einsamen Lebensweg Hilfe geleistet hatten, wurden in Frage gestellt. Was Wunder, wenn viele Priester in diesen Jahren sich nicht mehr in überlieferter Weise als Priester empfinden konnten. Die priesterliche Disziplin, die gezielt verdrängt worden ist, wurde sehr weitgehend im Konzil von Trient formuliert. Auch damals war es darum gegangen, einer Verkommenheit des Klerus zu wehren und das Bewußtsein von der Heiligkeit des Priesteramtes neu zu wecken. Es ist schön, wenn jetzt die Amtsträger der Kirche die Opfer der Missetaten um Vergebung bitten, aber noch wichtiger wird es sein, die Zügel der Disziplin im Sinn des Konzils von Trient wieder anzuziehen und zu einem Priestertum der katholischen Tradition zurückzukehren.

The European: Wie sollte die katholische Kirche aussehen, die Papst Benedikt einmal hinterlassen wird?
Mosebach: Es wäre diesem Papst zu wünschen, dass er die ersten Spuren einer Gesundung der Kirche noch selbst bemerken dürfte. Aber dieser Papst ist so uneitel und bescheiden, dass er solche Spuren wahrscheinlich gar nicht als Ergebnis seines Wirkens ansehen würde. Ich glaube, dass er seinem Nachfolger undankbare, aber notwendige Arbeiten ersparen will, indem er selbst sie übernimmt – hoffentlich nutzt dieser Nachfolger die große Chance, die Benedikt ihm geschaffen haben wird.

“Das Jahr 1968 ist ein noch überhaupt nicht genügend erkanntes Phänomen”
The European: Die Liturgiereform hat die katholische Kirche grundlegend verändert – wieso?
Mosebach: “Liturgiereform” werden die Eingriffe Papst Pauls VI. in die über 1500 Jahre lang überlieferte römisch-katholische Liturgie nur genannt – in Wirklichkeit handelte es sich hier um eine Revolution, die vom Auftrag des Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzils, die liturgischen Bücher “behutsam” durchzusehen, nicht gedeckt ist. Sie hat die auf die Anbetung Gottes ausgerichtete Feier der letzten zwei Jahrtausende auf den Menschen zentriert, sie hat das Priesteramt ausgehöhlt und die Lehre der Kirche von den Sakramenten sehr weitgehend verdunkelt.

The European: In den späten 60er-Jahren gab es auf der Welt viele Umbrüche: die Kulturrevolution in China, der Prager Frühling in der Tschechoslowakei, die Studentenunruhen bei uns, der Vietnamkrieg – und das Zweite Vatikanische Konzil. Kann man diese Umbrüche in einer Reihe nennen?
Mosebach: Das Jahr 1968 ist ein meines Erachtens noch überhaupt nicht genügend erkanntes Phänomen. Hier in Deutschland beschäftigt man sich in diesem Zusammenhang gern mit beseligenden Erinnerungen an Wohngemeinschaften und den Streit über die richtige Marx-Lektüre. In Wahrheit ist 1968 ein Achsenjahr der Geschichte mit voneinander scheinbar vollkommen unabhängigen Anti-Traditionsbewegungen in der ganzen Welt. Ich bin aber davon überzeugt, dass man eines Tages, wenn erst genügend Abstand da ist, die chinesische Kulturrevolution und die römische Liturgiereform in einem engen Zusammenhang begreifen wird.

The European: Papst Benedikt XVI. war als Konzilstheologe an diesem Aufbruch des Konzils beteiligt. Wie erleben Sie sein Engagement heute, einzelne liturgische Elemente der vorkonziliaren Kirche wiederzubeleben?
Mosebach: Benedikt XVI. sieht eine seiner Hauptaufgaben darin, das Wesen der Kirche wieder deutlicher sichtbar zu machen – den Katholiken, und dann auch den Nicht-Katholiken. Der Papst weiß, dass die Kirche unauflösbar an ihre Tradition gebunden ist. Kirche und Revolution sind unversöhnliche Gegensätze. Er versucht, dort einzugreifen, wo das Erscheinungsbild der Kirche durch einen radikalen Bruch mit der Vergangenheit verzerrt wird. Die Kirche hat eben, wie ihr Stifter, zwei Naturen: eine historische und eine überzeitliche. Sie darf nicht vergessen, woher sie kommt, und sie darf nicht vergessen, wohin sie geht. Damit tut sich speziell die Kirche im Westen gegenwärtig schwer: Sie hat weder einen Sinn für ihre historische Gewachsenheit noch für ihr Leben in der Ewigkeit.

“Die Beziehung des Papstes zum Judentum ist keine oberflächliche, politische”
The European: Die Bitte für die Bekehrung der Juden, wie sie bis zum Konzil im Gebrauch war, wurde durch die Wiederzulassung des alten Ritus wieder erlaubt. Ist das ein richtiger Schritt?
Mosebach: Mit der Wiederzulassung der unter Paul dem VI. häufig genug gewaltsam verdrängten, gewachsenen Liturgie gelangte auch die aus dem Frühchristentum stammende Bitte um die Bekehrung der Juden, die ihren Platz in den Karfreitagsfürbitten hat, zurück in die offiziellen Bücher der Kirche. Diese frühchristliche, auf einer Formulierung des Apostels Paulus basierende Bitte, enthielt die Wendung, Gott möge die Juden von “ihrer Verblendung” befreien und “den Schleier von ihren Herzen nehmen.” Da diese Formulierungen dem Papst aufgrund der jüngsten Geschichte das Missverständnis einer Geringschätzung der Juden durch die Kirche erlaubten, hat er bei seiner Wiedereinsetzung des überlieferten Ritus hier eingegriffen und eine neue Formulierung innerhalb des Alten Ritus angeordnet, die gleichfalls Gott darum bittet, die Juden zu Jesus Christus zu führen, aber die Deutung der Geringschätzung ausschließt. Man hat dem Papst vorgeworfen, dass er überhaupt für die Bekehrung der Juden zu Jesus Christus beten lassen will – aber kann man der Kirche der Juden Petrus und Paulus ernsthaft zumuten, auf eine solche Gebetsintention zu verzichten?

The European: Wie bewerten Sie das Verhältnis des Papstes zu den Juden, zu Israel?
Mosebach: Benedikt XVI. ist vielleicht seit Petrus der erste Papst, der das Christentum derart eng aus dem Judentum heraus begreift. Sein Jesus-Buch verrät über weite Strecken den Versuch, das Neue Testament mit den Augen des Alten Testamentes zu lesen. Die Beziehung des Papstes zum Judentum ist keine oberflächliche, politische, kein bloßes Sympathisieren aus einem modischen Philosemitismus heraus, sondern ist tief theologisch, im Glauben verwurzelt. Man durfte gelegentlich gar den Eindruck haben: Wenn Benedikt nicht Christ wäre, wäre er Jude. Diesem Papst Antisemitismus nachzusagen verrät eine Unkenntnis und Inkompetenz, die vom öffentlichen Diskurs ausschließen müsste.

The European: Die Kontroverse um die Pius-Brüder hat dem Vatikan bislang keinen sichtbaren Erfolg gebracht. Was bringt diese Gruppe Ihrer Meinung nach der katholischen Kirche außer ihrer Liebe für die alte Liturgie?
Mosebach: Außer der alten Liturgie? Was gibt es Wichtigeres als die Liturgie für die Kirche? Die Liturgie ist der Körper der Kirche, die Liturgie ist der sichtbar gemachte Glaube. Wenn die Liturgie erkrankt, erkrankt die ganze Kirche – das ist keine bloße These, sondern eine Beschreibung der gegenwärtigen Situation. Man kann es nicht krass genug darstellen: Die Krise der Kirche hat es möglich gemacht, dass ihr größter Schatz, ihr Arkanum, aus ihrem Zentrum an die Peripherie gespült wurde. Der Piusbruderschaft, vor allem ihrem Gründer, Erzbischof Lefebvre, gebührt der historische Ruhm, dieses wichtigste Gut über die Jahrzehnte bewahrt und am Leben erhalten zu haben. Deshalb schuldet die Kirche der Piusbruderschaft zuerst einmal Dankbarkeit, und zu dieser Dankbarkeit gehört auch, dass sie sich bemüht, sie aus mancherlei Verwirrungen und Radikalisierungen wieder herauszuführen.

“Das Christentum ist der Grundpfeiler Europas, ich sehe keinen anderen”
The European: Die Pius-Brüder scheinen nicht wirklich auf Rom zuzugehen.
Mosebach: Bei den Gesprächen mit der Piusbruderschaft geht es um eine geduldige Überzeugungsarbeit, wie sie in geistlichen Fragen angemessen ist. Die Gespräche scheinen in sehr guter Atmosphäre vor sich zu gehen. Wenn es eines Tages gelingt, die Piusbruderschaft wieder in die volle Einheit der Kirche zu integrieren, wäre dem Pontifikat Benedikt des XVI. ein Erfolg beschieden, der in seiner Bedeutung weit über die Zahl der Piusbrüder hinausginge.

The European: Das Christentum gehört zu den Grundpfeilern Europas. Wird es in Zukunft noch relevant für den Kontinent sein?
Mosebach: Das Christentum ist der Grundpfeiler Europas, ich sehe keinen anderen. Alle geistigen Strömungen der Neuzeit, auch dann, wenn sie das Christentum bekämpfen, verdanken ihren Ursprung dem Christentum, und auch die antike Philosophie und Kunst haben wir aus den Händen des Christentums empfangen. Sollte die europäische Gesellschaft sich im Ganzen vom Christentum abwenden wollen, dann hieße das nichts anderes, als dass sie sich selbst verleugnete. Was man nicht weiß oder nicht wissen will, ist aber deswegen dennoch da. Verdrängung kann kein Fundament für eine hoffnungsvolle Zukunft sein.

The European: Sie waren einige Zeit in der Türkei – würde die Türkei als Vollmitglied die EU bereichern oder ist es schwierig, ein islamisch geprägtes Land in den abendländischen Werteverbund zu integrieren?
Mosebach: Sie verstehen sicher, dass ich Ihnen weder eine politische noch völkerrechtliche Antwort geben kann. Ich sehe nur, dass die Türkei im 20. Jahrhundert enorme Schwierigkeiten mit ihren christlichen europäischen Minderheiten hatte, und zwar gerade die antiislamische, sich modernisierende Türkei. Bis in die 50er-Jahre gab es noch ein griechisch dominiertes Konstantinopel, aber das Zusammenleben mit Christen ist den modernen Türken unerträglich gewesen, und so haben sie es denn gewaltsam beendet. Jetzt scheint man ein Heranrücken an Europa aus wirtschaftlichen Gründen erstrebenswert zu finden, ohne im Übrigen innenpolitisch die Bekämpfung der Christen zu revidieren. Von dem, was Sie “Integration in den abendländischen Werteverbund” nennen, sind wir, glaube ich, sehr weit entfernt

von Martin Mosebach – 03.04.2010

I shall see if I can find a translation.

the Piusbruderschaft is the Society of St. Pius X.