Amy, as usual, has a wonderful analysis of the NCR editorials I quoted earlier.

She also says this about today's feast:

Today's the memorial of St. Irenaeus, who, in the second century, successfully repressed the real story of Jesus because he didn't like it and was desperate to hide the real story of Mary Magdalene, Queen of the Sacred Feminine.

How funny is that?!? I just love her! She links to Mike Aquilina's tribute to Irenaeus, which is just wonderful. Here's the first paragraph (tell me you don't want to read more!):

St. Irenaeus is a giant. Pay no mind to the modern academics who portray him as a meanie nun out to rap gnostic knuckles with a crozier-sized ruler. St. Irenaeus was a scholar’s scholar, a biblical theologian of the first rank. He was a global diplomat who actually succeeded at making peace. And he was a holy, plain-speaking, and truth-telling bishop. If today’s gnostic resurgents don’t like him, it’s because, after eighteen centuries and more, his critique is still right as rain and still raining all over the gnostic parade.

Very fair editorial by John Allen at NCR:

The mid-June vote of the U.S. bishops in favor of a new translation of the Order of Mass may one day be remembered, to borrow a phrase from George Bush, as the “end of major combat operations” in the liturgy wars that have rocked English-speaking Catholicism since the mid-1990s.

In the wake of the vote at the bishops’ June 15-17 meeting in Los Angeles, attention now turns to securing the peace.

Regardless of where experts stood on the wisdom of the translation, generally seen as more “Roman” in both style and substance than the existing texts, most seem to agree on three points regarding the “full court press,” as one put it, of catechesis and formation needed to prepare Catholics to embrace a new liturgical language:

• The process should not be rushed, and should involve a coordinated national effort;
• Formation should begin with priests, deacons and lay pastoral ministers, and then move on to ordinary lay Catholics;
• The mainstream liturgical community in the United States should be at the heart of the effort. Among other things, this implies that some who opposed the translations will now face the task of “selling” them.

The basic premise of the editorial, which is in agreement with a notion Cardinal Arinze noted in his letter to Bishop Skylstad before "the vote," is that however we may feel about the ins and outs of the translation, this is what it is and if we want people to accept it, we have the responsibility to present it positively.

Of course, the NCR couldn't help themselves in another editorial this week:

The language of battle is unfortunate because liturgy is supposed to serve as a point of union, not division. It is appropriate because the tactics used to reverse the reforms that had resulted from the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s and more than three decades of subsequent work were secretive and engineered by people incompetent in the discipline and accountable only to a small group who had achieved power. That power was used to accomplish what they could not by persuasion or through the mainstream of liturgical scholarship.

If wars ever have winners, then the winners in this one comprised a small crowd of powerful actors in the Vatican, in league with others passionately opposed to the direction that translation of documents had taken in the 35 years since Vatican II, who managed to overthrow that process and put in place one of their own.

Sounds a little sore loser-ish to me. Where in the authoritative Vatican II documents does it call for the creation of the office of liturgist? I've seen them create more division than foster more unity.

Magister writes about Benedict's view of liturgical music based on last Saturday's concert:

Step by step, Benedict XVI is impressing a new form and a new style on the governance of the universal Church.

Recent days were marked by the announcement of a change in the secretary of state: from Angelo Sodano to Tarcisio Bertone.

But another event orchestrated by pope Joseph Ratzinger is of no less importance: the concert conducted in the Sistine Chapel, on Saturday, June 24, by maestro monsignor Domenico Bartolucci.

With this concert, Benedict XVI has symbolically restored the Sistine Chapel to its true maestro. Because the famous chapel is not only the sacred place decorated with the frescoes of Michelangelo, it also gives the name to the choir that for centuries has accompanied the pontifical liturgies.

Maestro Bartolucci was named the “perpetual” director, the director for life, of the Sistine Chapel by Pius XII in 1959. Under this and later popes, he was an outstanding interpreter of the liturgical music founded upon Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony. But after a long period of opposition, in 1997 he was dismissed and replaced by a choirmaster thought to be more fitting for the “popular” music dear to John Paul II.

He also has some stuff to say about the changing of the guard at the Secretariat of State:

In the case of the secretariat of state, the announcement was moved forward at the order of Benedict XVI, who by doing this wanted to cut short the resistance posed by part of the curia against his decision to appoint Bertone.

Pope Joseph Ratzinger had opted for Bertone – his main collaborator in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1995 to 2003 – for a number of months. And he had decided a number of months earlier, at least since last February, on dismissing Sodano during the summer.

But Sodano did not willingly accept his exit from the stage. Formally, he said he was ready “to hand over to others my office whenever the Holy Father wishes”: a willingness he restated one last time in a June 18 interview. But in the meantime, he put into motion a campaign of support for his remaining in office until his 80th birthday, November 23, 2007. For his part cardinal Szoka, who is the same age as Sodano, entrenched himself behind the slogan: “As long as he stays, I’m staying, too.”

The campaign was carried out by some of the cardinals formerly of the curia who had been career diplomats: Achille Silvestrini, Pio Laghi, Giovanni Cheli. Their argument against Bertone’s appointment as secretary of state was his lack of diplomatic experience: an indispensable prerogative, in their view, for a prime minister of the Holy See, especially with a pope who does not have a diplomatic background either.

So Bertone’s name, the objections to his appointment, and the names of the hypothetical alternative candidates were covered in the press long before the date anticipated by Benedict XVI for the change in the secretariat of state.

Two weeks to go:

Governor Mitt Romney, Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, and a phalanx of religious figures called today on the Legislature to honor a scheduled vote next month on a proposed gay-marriage ban, saying any move by gay-rights advocates to kill the measure would be a subversion of democracy.

Two weeks before lawmakers are set to take up the proposed constitutional amendment, Romney and the religious leaders are clearly concerned that same-sex marriage supporters on Beacon Hill will devise a tactic to prevent the measure from even coming up for debate. Such an outcome could abruptly end the long and active campaign to put the ban to voters in 2008.

Multifaith coalition targets O'Malley:

In an unusual incidence of religious leaders in Massachusetts publicly criticizing one another, a multifaith coalition of clergy who support same-sex marriage plan to accuse Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley and other Catholic leaders of ``religious discrimination" today.

The gay-marriage supporters plan to call on O'Malley and the other three Catholic bishops of Massachusetts to stop campaigning for a repeal of same-sex marriage, arguing that it is discriminatory to deny civil marriage benefits to gay couples whose marriages are sanctioned by other religious denominations and that it violates the principle of church-state separation to deny civil marriage rights based on Catholic teaching.

``While their magisterium teaches one thing, there are plenty of other faith traditions that don't agree," said the Rev. Anne C. Fowler, an Episcopal priest who is the rector of St. John's Church in Jamaica Plain and president of the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry. ``Who are the religious voices who get heard? It's the religious right, and around here it's the Catholic Church, so here is the progressive interfaith community trying to take some action."

The coalition, which has been actively campaigning, plans to hold a press conference today on Beacon Hill. It will release a letter calling on the Catholic bishops to stop campaigning against same-sex marriage rights.

For the Harry Potter fans among us:

JK Rowling gives an interview regarding the last book.

Mike Aquilina with his usual insightful thoughts on the Fathers, weighs in on youth ministry and our ancestors in the faith:

The Church Fathers had a distinctive approach to youth ministry.

Now, don’t jump to conclusions. I haven’t uncovered any evidence that St. Ambrose led teens on ski trips in the nearby Alps. Nor is there anything to suggest that St. Basil sponsored junior-high dances in Pontus. (There’s not even a hint of a pizza party.) In fact, if you check all the documentary evidence from all the ancient patriarchates of the East and the West, you won’t find a single bulletin announcement for a single parish youth group.

Yet the Fathers had enormous success in youth and young-adult ministry. Many of the early martyrs were teens, as were many of the Christians who took to the desert for the solitary life. There’s ample evidence that a disproportionate number of conversions, too, came from the young and youngish age groups.

How did the Fathers do it?

They made wild promises. [read the rest]

Thanks for Dunkin Dave for the link. Sorry it took so long to post.

This week was overwhelming with school work. Now that all the papers are turned in I can enjoy a bit of the weekend.

Gerald at Closed Cafeteria has the scoop on the amendments that the US Bishops approved to the translation of the Order of the Mass.

For those in my Diocese of Fall River, the bishop released a Pastoral Letter today on the second phase of pastoral planning. It's in pdf format and linked on the diocesan homepage.

Story from the Washington Post.

Check out the pictures. You can see Washington sems Justin Huber and Vincent DaRosa, along with Mount alum, Father Ingels in various pictures throughout the slide presentation. Some nice ones of the National Shrine too.

After months of rumors, the Holy Father made some major appointments today:

Cardinal Sodano, the Secretary of State, is retiring as of September 15 and he will be replaced by Cardinal Bertone of Genoa.

Also, Cardinal Szoka, the "governor" of the Vatican City State is retiring and will be replaced by Archbishop Lajolo who has been the number two man at the Secretariat of State.

The rumors were all correct... no surprises here.

ECUSA's last ditch effort before the end of their meeting.

Frank Griswold sums up the point of the resolution: "Unless there is a clear perception on the part of our Anglican brothers and sisters that they have been taken seriously in their concerns, it will be impossible to have any genuine conversation."

Time will tell if they're convinced.

I've been following the meeting of the Episcopalians in Columbus all week and reading many different views and commentaries, and it dawned on me that I should be keeping a list of links in case anyone else is interested in reading more:

Father Neuhaus reacts to Jefferts Schori's election

No Ban on Gay Bishops

Media Bias?

Homosexuality isn't a sin

The Separations Begin...

From Catholic World News:

Pope Benedict XVI may publish an encyclical on Church social teaching next year, according to an Italian newspaper.

Il Sole 24 Ore, a business daily, cites "unofficial information" pointing to an encyclical on "ethical and spiritual questions posed by the process of globalization."

The year 2007 will bring the 20th anniversary of the encyclical Sollicitude Rei Socialis, in which Pope John Paul II commented on world economic affairs, the Italian daily notes. The report adds that Vatican offices-- particularly the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences-- have shown a keen interest in the process of globalization.

From the AP:

Gov. Kathleen Blanco signed a strict anti-abortion ban into law and a group supporting abortion rights condemned the move as an example of "misplaced priorities of politicians in Louisiana."

The ban has no immediate effect — it will only take effect if the U.S. Constitution is amended to allow states to ban abortion or if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down its own 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that provides for a right to abortion.

From Catholic World News:

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls has confirmed that he hopes to leave his post soon.

In a June 17 interview with the Italian television network La7, Navarro-Valls said that he was happy to have served Pope Benedict XVI at the start of his pontificate, but now was ready to step down. "After so many years-- perhaps too many-- a change would be good for me," he said.

Navarro-Valls said that Pope Benedict is well aware of his desires. He said that he has told the Pontiff, "with all necessary respect," of his wish for a career change.

Two Reuters stories on the Bishops' meeting...

The Task Force finishes its work:

U.S. Catholic bishops on Thursday ended years of soul searching over whether Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should be denied communion, leaving the decision with local bishops.

Sambi speaks:

Pope Benedict's representative in the United States on Thursday urged Catholic bishops to transform the reputation of a church still tarnished by the nationwide pedophile priest scandal.

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the new apostolic nuncio, or papal ambassador, to the United States, told the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops he was saddened that the church was best known for a scandal involving abusive priests and complicit bishops. But he did not suggest specific ways to improve the church's image.

"It cannot be that the church in the United States is known for a sex scandal," Sambi told some 300 bishops and cardinals assembled for their biannual meeting.

"There are many positive aspects of the church in America that have to be known. Individually, and as a body, we have to transform this situation of suffering and pain into a occasion for resurrection," Sambi added.

Well, here we are at the beginning of another week. But it's not just any week. There's much going on in the Catholic world over the next seven days that deserves mentioning.

In US Catholic news, all eyes will be on Washington, DC this week as Cardinal McCarrick bids farewell and Archbishop-designate Wuerl is installed on Thursday.

Liturgically, we have two solemnities in a row: the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday and the Nativity of John the Baptist on Saturday. Sunday returns us back to the weekend celebration of Ordinary Time, which has been celebrated during the week since June 5.

And, of course, the articles are still multiplying on the approval of the new Mass translation by the US Bishops last week. Commentators are still weighing in and perhaps somewhere along the line, we may actually hear what the bishops discussed and voted on for the other 95% of their meeting!

Here on the website, I'll be posting an article written by a seminarian friend regarding the congregation's use of the orans position during the Our Father at Mass.

Before concluding the post, I am compelled to wish a most blessed 30th birthday to Dunkin Dave. Many happy returns!

Other than that, have a wonderful week and keep checking back for more updates.

From Catholic News Service:

ROME (CNS) -- Twenty-five years after six children in Medjugorje, a village in what is now Bosnia-Herzegovina, began reporting apparitions of Mary, pilgrims are still flocking to the site and church officials are still cautious about the authenticity of the events.

Marian experts continue to debate the significance of Medjugorje, and several have published books -- ranging from enthusiastically supportive to skeptical -- to coincide with the anniversary.

In Medjugorje, Franciscan pastors are preparing for overflow crowds on June 24-25, the dates on which the alleged apparitions and messages began in 1981. They insist, however, that no special commemorations are planned.

"Everything's been booked solid for more than a year, and we're expecting thousands of pilgrims. But we're not putting on any spectacle or festival -- just the usual program of prayer," Franciscan Father Ivan Sesar, pastor of St. James Parish in Medjugorje, said in a telephone interview.

Of the six children who originally reported visions from Mary, sometimes daily, one says she still receives messages from Mary on the 25th of each month. They are published online, eagerly awaited by a large network of Christians dedicated to Medjugorje.

According to Bishop Ratko Peric of Mostar-Duvno, whose diocese includes Medjugorje, the messages now number more than 30,000, a fact that only increases his own skepticism about the authenticity of the apparitions.

Rocco has a great summary of the various amendments regarding the new translation of the Order of the Mass. It's worth checking it out.

The US Bishops are meeting for the next few days in Los Angeles. The agenda item getting the most attention is the discussion and vote on the new translation of the Order of the Mass. I don't have time to watch any of it or digest too much of the debate at this point since I'm sickeningly busy... but I will be watching as closely as I can.

Two blogs who will be covering the meeting quite comprehensively:
American Papist
Whispers in the Loggia

I love reading these guys and their analysis and commentary are typically fair and right on the mark. How did we follow these meetings without these guys in the past??

You will not regret reading this whole thing from the Onion:

EUREKA, MO—Pope Benedict XVI returned to Rome today following a historic, three-day trip to Six Flags St. Louis, the first official papal visit to a major American theme park since Pope Paul VI's Thanksgiving Mass at Wet 'n Wild in August 1966.

As the park opened its doors to the general public last Friday, the pope emerged from the last car of the Foghorn Leghorn National Park Railway to greet the throngs of people who had assembled hours earlier for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pay their respects to the blessed pontiff and to vie for a seat on Superman Tower of Power, a popular free-fall ride.

The pope began his visit with a brief sermon delivered from the balcony of the Old Glory Amphitheatre, and blessed the park's many concession-stand workers who "provide sustenance for our brethren seeking to beat the heat."

"My friends in Christ, as we stand together today among this unusually large weekday crowd, I urge you and your children to exercise the twin virtues of faith and patience, for unto those who wait will come great rewards and monstrous thrills," the pontiff told those in line for the Screamin' Eagle roller coaster.

The pope was honored in a special ceremony outside the Warner Bros. Backlot, in which he was presented with a complimentary season pass, good for free entry at any Six Flags or Hurricane Harbor until August 31.

Thanks for the link Rocco!

The Episcopalians are meeting again:

The first openly gay Episcopal bishop said Wednesday that the church's top policymaking body should not heed a request from Anglicans worldwide to place a moratorium on electing gay or lesbian bishops.

The Episcopal General Convention, which runs through June 21 in Columbus, must vote on whether to stop electing gay bishops for now so that the embattled Anglican family -- deeply divided over homosexuality -- can stay together.

Joined by national gay rights activists, New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson urged the convention to reject the proposed moratorium and any discrimination based on sexual orientation.

"It's not our job to decide what the Anglican Communion will or will not do in response to our actions," he said at a news conference. "What we're called to do is to, as faithfully as we can, discern God's will and act on it in our context."

The head of a national coalition of gay Episcopalians said the church's membership in the communion doesn't mean it should give up its ability to make its own rules.

"If indeed there is some kind of split or schism over these issues I want to insist that the responsibility needs to lay firmly at the feet of those who are threatening to leave, not those of us who are threatening to stay," said the Rev. Susan Russell, president of Integrity.

Robinson made it clear that he believes gay rights are consistent with Episcopal and Christian values.

I think Rev. Russell is wrong. If the leadership says one thing and some of the underlings decide to directly contravene it, thus causing schism, then they have left and the original organization stands. The dissenters leave, not the ones who have always held fast to the teachings. But whatever you have to tell yourself to sleep at night....

From Zenit:

Divorce, illegitimacy and cohabitation have seriously weakened the vital institution of marriage, even beyond the looming threat of the imposition of same-sex marriage by American judges.

That is the contention of 60 prominent signatories who, under auspices of the Witherspoon Institute, have issued a new document, "Marriage and the Public Good: Ten Principles."

The document bills itself as seeking to add a "substantial new contribution to the public debate over marriage." The signatories claim that the case for marriage "can be made and won at the level of reason."

...

To this end, it offers 10 principles that summarize the public value of marriage and why society should endorse and support the institution:

1) Marriage is a personal union, intended for the whole of life, of husband and wife.

2) Marriage is a profound human good, elevating and perfecting our social and sexual nature.

3) Ordinarily, both men and women who marry are better off as a result.

4) Marriage protects and promotes the wellbeing of children.

5) Marriage sustains civil society and promotes the common good.

6) Marriage is a wealth-creating institution, increasing human and social capital.

7) When marriage weakens, the equality gap widens, as children suffer from the disadvantages of growing up in homes without committed mothers and fathers.

8) A functioning marriage culture serves to protect political liberty and foster limited government.

9) The laws that govern marriage matter significantly.

10) "Civil marriage" and "religious marriage" cannot be rigidly or completely divorced from one another.

The English summary of the Holy Father's Audience today. He's moved on from Peter to Andrew in his catechesis on the apostles:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Continuing our weekly catechesis on the Church’s apostolic ministry, today we consider the figure of the Apostle Andrew. According to John’s Gospel, Andrew was the first Apostle to be called by Jesus; he then brought his brother, Simon Peter, to the Lord. The fraternal relationship of these two great Apostles is reflected in the special relationship between the sister Churches of Rome and Constantinople. The name "Andrew" is Greek, and in the Gospel of John, when some Greeks wish to see Jesus, it is Andrew, with Philip, who brings their request to the Lord. Jesus’ response, with its reference to the grain of wheat which dies and then produces much fruit (cf. Jn 12:23-24), is a prophecy of the Church of the Gentiles, which would spread throughout the Greek world after the Lord’s Resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. According to some ancient traditions, Andrew preached the Gospel among the Greeks until he met his death by crucifixion. His example inspires us to be zealous disciples of Christ, to bring others to the Lord, and to embrace the mystery of his Cross, both in life and in death.

This time from Peoria, the ordination of Mountie, Deacon Peter Zorjan (among others). Thanks Greg for the head's up.

Absolutely awesome editorial by Father Landry, the editor of our diocesan paper on the absence of ordinations in our diocese this year. This one is a must-read.

From the Anchor:

Normally editorials are dedicated to commenting on some recent or upcoming news event. This week it is regrettably devoted to the lack of one.

The first or second Saturday in June is traditionally a day of great joy in our diocese, as the customary occasion for new ordinations to the priesthood. Throughout the fifty-year history of this newspaper, there has always been at least one story each year on newly ordained diocesan priests, their first assignments and the hope-filled spiritual infusion they bring to the entire local Church. This year there will be no story because there will be no ordination.

Our old Boston "defender of truth" is back again. I'm all about helping those who struggle with same-sex attraction, but is this really the way to go about doing it?

From the Boston Globe:

A Catholic priest preached yesterday at the main worship service associated with Boston's gay pride week, setting up a potential conflict with a church hierarchy that has been increasingly vocal in its criticism of the growing acceptance of gay relationships in Western societies.

The Rev. Walter H. Cuenin, a longtime advocate of outreach to gays and lesbians in the Catholic Church, did not criticize or dispute Catholic teaching during his remarks, and he quoted several times from a 1997 document issued by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, which declared that "the teachings of the Church make it clear that the fundamental human rights of homosexual persons must be defended."

George Weigel takes two humorous and passing swipes in his weekly column. He writes about the Jesuit and priestly anniversaries (60th and 50th respectively) of Avery Cardinal Dulles and also marks the 70th birthday of Father Neuhaus (I had no clue he was this old).

On Ascension Thursday (not to be confused with Ascension Thursday Sunday)...

...those of us who know and esteem him [Card. Dulles] will happily say, in the language he loves, "ad multos annos, gloriosque annos, vivas" - which, at the risk of offending certain members of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy, I venture to translate as...

Is he always this catty? The full article here.

Sorry for my disappearance over the last few days. I had a couple days of retreat to begin the program that I joined. For those who are unaware, I am now a member of PACT (Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers). I will be working on my Master's in Education during this summer and next summer at Providence College and I will be teaching religion full time in the fall at Saint Mary's High School in Westfield, MA. I will be living in Springfield with five other people from the program.

It looks like it's going to be a very intense seven weeks this summer, but I'm excited. The people I will be with look to be great fun and fine company.

As a follow-up to my post of a few days ago, here are more links to stories of ordinands from Mount Saint Mary's:

Fr. Phan (snatch this one up because it will probably be replaced when next week's paper is posted).
Fr. Workman
Fr. Thompson
Fr. Vu
Deacon Vaccaro

Sadly, I can't find anything in this week's Southern Nebraska Register about ordinations there. I did find this little tid-bit from the Rockford paper:

The Rev. Matthew M. Bergschneider, to be Secretary to the Diocesan Bishop and Diocesan Master of Ceremonies, effective July 1, 2006.

If you can find anything else, let me know and I'll post it.

Friends who have been ordained in recent weeks:

Rev. Mr. Schnobrich of Burlington, VT
Fathers Shaffer, Royals, and Garrett of Washington, DC

Sadly, after an admittedly brief search, I couldn't find any more articles about ordinations of guys from the Mount. If anyone knows of any others, let me know!

I had the privilege of attending four ordinations this year: diaconate in Columbus, OH; diaconate and priesthood in Lincoln, NE; and priesthood in Providence, RI. I also knew guys getting ordained in at least another dozen dioceses. I can honestly say the Church's future is much brighter with these guys at the altar. Still basking in the glow of Pentecost, I can clearly see the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these new clerics.

Many happy and blessed years to all of you!

There was a meeting in my hometown of the U.S. Roman Catholic- Polish National Catholic Dialogue and they released a statement. Frankly, I wasn't even aware that there was a serious dialogue going on, but apparently it's been going for 22 years. Oops.

During our century-long division we have grown apart in ways that at first glance make reconciliation appear to be difficult. The Polish National Catholic Church, which during most of its existence was a member of the Union of Utrecht, has developed a strong sense of autonomy and the desire to preserve its distinctive traditions, including the vital role played by the laity in church governance. Even though the primacy and infallibility of the Bishop of Rome was not an issue at the time of our division, our churches today have different understandings of the Pope’s role in the Church. Another complicating factor is the presence of a significant number of former Roman Catholic priests in the ranks of the Polish National Catholic clergy. Such is the legacy of the divisions of the past that remain with us today.

At this point in our relationship, therefore, we the members of the Polish National Catholic-Roman Catholic dialogue wish to reaffirm our resolve to overcome what still divides us, and to state clearly that our goal is full communion between our churches. We wish to emphasize that “full communion” does not imply absorption or uniformity, but a unity that fully recognizes differing traditions that are consistent with our common apostolic faith. It must still be determined if any of our divergent traditions are truly church-dividing, or simply examples of legitimate diversity which, in the words of Pope John Paul II, “is in no way opposed to the Church's unity, but rather enhances her splendor and contributes greatly to the fulfillment of her mission” (Ut Unum Sint, n. 50). We plan to give further consideration to other concrete steps concerning reciprocity in regard to the sacraments, acting as godparents, and the requirement of canonical form for lawfulness only in mixed marriages. We are equally committed to a thorough examination of the theological concepts of primacy and conciliarity. This will include searching for a common understanding of the ministry of the Bishop of Rome in the Church.

As members of a commission authorized to engage in this ecumenical dialogue, our role is not to speak definitively for either of our churches. Nevertheless, we hope to propose new incremental steps that will make concrete the growing unity between us, and we wish our faithful to know of our conviction that a way can be found to overcome this regrettable division that took place among Catholics here in the United States. We know that the goal of unity is nothing less than the will of Christ for us. Therefore we ask the faithful of both our churches to join us in fervent prayer that, with a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the barriers between us will fall and we will one day soon find ourselves joined again in that perfect unity that befits the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm not sure where you might get the whole statement. It was emailed to me originally. If you want the whole thing, let me know and I'll pass it on.