Vatican City
Easter Day, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI intended his Easter mass to act as a special reminder to the world that we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.
The bread used for the Eucharist was a special gift. It was intended to remind us of the Pope’s concerns for our environment. The bread was a form of hearth bread. It had been cooked just a week ago by a poor family living in a place where too much dumping had polluted the landfill. Many people suffered from diseases that come from the chemicals found in the mountains of trash. The bread was a simple gift. The family received no compensation. They understood that the pope was a holy person and that he would use it as a gift to the whole world.
The wine came from Poland. It was a special reminder of the Polish woman poet, Anna Swir. She was reconciled to the Catholic Church before her death. The wine recalls the poem she wrote as a war nurse when she risked her life for a dying soldier. Everyone attending the pope’s mass was given a souvenir bookmark. One side had a translation of the poem and the other a copy of the recipe used to make the hearth bread.
At the usual time for the “kiss of peace” ceremony, the Pope requested that the people present remain standing quietly while he embraced his fellow bishops at the altar. The Pope wanted his blessing to show his love and concern for the bishops of the whole world. Then the Pope was seated and put on his bishop’s hat, a pointed head gear. The Pope wanted to remind the world that he was the head of the “college of bishops” which is the worldwide organization by which the church is governed. Then to everyone’s surprise, 2700 white rose petal leaves fell from the ceiling. These represented the 2,700 bishops who attended the Second Vatican Council, fifty years ago.
Recipients were asked to respect the gift as a free gift and to preserve the petals as a souvenir. It was suggested that they not use the hearth bread for a mass. Simply share the bread with others or at a family meal to recall the meaning. Any bread used at mass should have the same values.
Respectfully submitted:
Marilynn Thomas, Journalism Student
Thomas Aquinas College
San Francisco, California, USA
Miss Thomas was selected by the staff at her college after the pope requested that this nominally conservative Catholic College be named to write the news report for this Easter Day mass.
Briefly: A Quicklook at the Papacy of Pope Benedict XVII
by Frank Freeman
April 14, 2010
By recognizing Anna Swir, the pope is implicitly recognizing that the Catholic Church is intrinsically a feminist organization. The “hearthbread” means that our outlook on humanity is the essentially same as that of National Geographic Magazine. It is sweetened with the nearly universal experience of Christian ministries: those that go to give help to the very poor come back enlivened. The experience is that of being given to.
I hope that these brief notes help. Previous popes have had a different, more conservative, stereotyped and distanced outlook. And their previous ministries have distanced themselves from the inner qualities of the lives of the people that they served.
At one time, the people of Poland classified the poetry of Anna Swir as “existentialist.” She used a robust form of Polish and her translators mistook it for existentialism. It is primarily her war record as an army nurse that makes her poetry universal. To the pope, the universal quality, she helped injured soldiers with their death, is a part of our faith; and he honors her for it. He also calls attention to the universal in feminism. Her life of service is explicit universal feminism.
The restoration of the “college of bishops” gives the church a mechanism by which the universal in human beings can be recognized. Previous popes saw the mass wine as “existentially wine” and did not relate it to actual personal experiences. In this case, it is a life that overcomes death. By opening the door of our faith, the pope has given fresh life to his church.
