MINNEAPOLIS — The home of the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is a crime scene.

Police said burglars described as “real pros” broke into the home over the weekend and stole rings and crosses adorned with jewels. The church said the items are “historically and reverentially irreplaceable.”

The thieves entered Archbishop John Nienstedt’s home by climbing up to a second-story window and breaking glass that police said was “three or four inches thick.” A police spokesman said the thieves were “pros” and “executed a well-thought-out plan.”

Rosaries and a small safe are missing, too.
Nienstedt was in Rome at the time of the break-in Saturday morning.

Catholic priests take part in a mass during a protest demanding a full-scale renegotiation of the U.S. beef import deal and the resignation of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in central Seoul June 30, 2008. South Korean police said on Monday they have detained more than 100 people for violence at weekend rallies, which was held by people fearing mad cow disease.

I could understand Catholic priests getting involved if it involved Mad Cowl Disease.

Rome (AsiaNews) – The year dedicated to Saint Paul which Pope Benedict XVI announced today will have an important ecumenical dimension. Inspired by the example of the Apostle to the Nations, the Pauline Year will show “that the action of Church is credible and effective only to the extent that its members are willing to personally pay for their fidelity to Christ in every situation.”

In the Roman basilica dedicated to the Apostle to the Nations, the Pope stressed this afternoon the witness, which united Paul and Peter up to their martyrdom, during the first vespers for the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul.

Planned as part of the celebrations of Saint Paul’s birthday (which historians place between 7 and 10 AD), the Pauline Year–from June 28,2008 till June 29, 2009– will be in the Pope’s words “a series of liturgical, cultural and ecumenical events as well as pastoral and social initiatives inspired by St Paul’s spirituality.”

“There will be conferences and special studies on St Paul’s writings which will improve our understanding of the wealth of learning they contain–a real legacy for humanity redeemed by Christ. Around the world in local dioceses, shrines and places of worship, religious, educational and welfare institutions bearing St Paul’s name or inspired by him and his teachings will be able to organise similar initiatives.”

“Last but not least,” the Pope said, “a special aspect that will need much care at the different stages of the Pauline bimillenary is its ecumenical dimension. Especially involved in bringing the Good News to all the peoples, the Apostle to the Nations did all he could for the unity and harmony of all Christians. May he lead and protect us in this bimillenary celebration, helping us progress in a humble and sincere search for the complete unity of all the parts of the mystical Body of Christ.”

Father Z posts details on Plenary Indulgences during the Pauline Year.

Here is a project that needs some prayer support. Barbara Nicolosi posts on a new Fatima movie possibly in the works. A previous attempt fell through and right now they are looking for investors to bring a commercial and mainstream version of the events at Fatima.

Hollywood did do a version of the events at Fatima in 1952 in a movie called “The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima.” This is a enjoyable movie that doesn’t depart too far from the events and is quite pious, though in a older Disney sort of way. A serious retelling of events that relies on all of the subsequent information provided by Sister Lucia in her various books on Fatima would be quite welcome. There is more documentation from a wide variety of sources about Fatima then any other apparition in Church history. When you include that with the number of witnesses (including skeptics) at Fatima that day and in the area surrounding it that have given testimonies it is quite sad that Fatima is really not that well known outside Catholic circles. I know I had never heard of it before entering the Church. I guess it is a sign of the times that Roswell gets much more attention and Fatima gets hardly any – even efforts to debunk it. Barbara writes:

…Honestly, I am starting to feel like getting together a movie package and financing makes the miracle of the sun look almost banal.

If this does come to fruition I certainly hope Barbara is involved along with other capable artists so that we get a serious artistic attempt at the retelling and not the mediocre fare of for example Walden Media.

Not exactly a surprise that the Holy Father would tap a canon lawyer of Archbishop Burke’s quality as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura the highest judicial authority within the Church – not counting the Pope. He will of course be missed being a true shepherd we have come to know and love. Saint Louis Catholic has some good commentary on this and what he calls the upcoming “unrestrained glee of the so-called progressive crowd who will not be able to contain themselves.”

We will certainly miss how quickly Archbishop Burke responds to scandal as evidenced by a letter he wrote to some women “priests” who were advertising in the Catholic section of the newspaper’s worship section

Both of you know that this is the height of false advertising, the Archbishop writes. The work that you carry out is not part of the Roman Catholic Church. It is in direct and contumacious rebellion against Roman Catholic teaching and practice. You have been excommunicated and have shown yourselves contumacious. You have incurred, automatically, the censure of excommunication because you have broken communion with the Roman Catholic Church…. I instruct you to cease immediately any reference to your activities as Roman Catholic or as constituting a Roman Catholic parish.