The Pallium - Relics of St. Peter and St. Stephen

The pallium is an ancient liturgical symbol of the papacy and of those who share in its Apostolic authority. In the Patriarchate of Saint Stephen, the pallium is of a special design. It is a flat yoke of white wool, with twelve black crosses. The tips of the lapits (parts the hang down the front and back) are black. It is worn by the Patriarch, the Governor-General, and those with Metropolitan authority within the Patriarchate. Each pallium contains third class relics of Saint Peter the Apostle and Saint Stephen the Deacon and Protomartyr. On the front and shoulder are pins representing the nails of the Crucifixion. The Patriarchate uses silver pins with amethysts. The pallium itself should invoke the image of Christ carrying the lamb over His left shoulder. The pins are angled to follow the way that the lamb would be physically oriented.

Statement of the Cardinal Patriarch of St. Stephen on the Recent Marriage Ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States

PATRIARCHAL SEE 29 JUNE 2015 (ORCNS) - The following is the text of the statement issued by the Cardinal Patriarch of St. Stephen on the recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States:

We wished to delay until now commentary on the ruling of Supreme Court of the United States on what is often termed homosexual marriage in order to allow emotions to subside somewhat from the frenzy of the past weekend. We also wished to wait because the appointed readings for the mass of yesterday were so appropriate and timely.

The Supreme Court, with a narrow majority, voted to prohibit states from denying civil marriage licenses to homosexual couples. In so doing, the court has taken it upon itself to fundamentally alter the definition of a word – a word that has had the same meaning since before the United States, since before Christ, since before Judaism. The concept of marriage is a fundamental and essential building block upon which human societies since before the recording of history are built.

What the Supreme Court has done, however, applies only to the civil concept of marriage under United States law. The Supreme Court has absolutely no jurisdiction over the Church, which has sole jurisdiction over the administration of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. It is, therefore, time to sever the concept of “civil marriage” from Sacramental Marriage. No longer should priests act as effective agents of the state by signing marriage licenses or through other similar acts. Let couples handle the civil side of their marriage with the state, and then let them come to the Church to receive the graces and blessings of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. In Europe, this is the norm. A marriage is registered with the state independently from and prior to the rites that take place in the church. In light of this recent ruling, let us as clerics wash our hands of the civil concept of marriage in the United States.

In so doing, however, we must continue to preach the truth of the Gospels of Christ. From the Epistle appointed for Sunday, yesterday, we know that “…there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables.” Therefore we again echo the words of Blessed Paul the Apostle: “I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming, and his kingdom: Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine.” It is not hate speech to do these things if they are done with the proper intent and out of love of Christ and of our fellow man.

From the Gospel of the principal mass appointed for yesterday, our Lord reminds us: “Fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell. Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven.” Never be afraid to speak the truth out of love and respect for others. As the Venerable Fulton Sheen said, tolerance should be applied to people and never to ideas, while intolerance should be applied to ideas and never to people. It is a difficult standard to maintain, but one to which we must strive nonetheless.

In this difficult time in which the United States seems bent on turning as a society more and more from God, and in which those who warp the message of the Gospel become more and more vocal, we must nevertheless resolve to keep the faith and to proclaim the faith in word and deed.

New Franciscan Postulant Admitted

CHARLOTTE, NC, 20 May 2015 (ORCNS) - Sister Rebecca Clare Naomi Crowe Burch, p/TOR Mar. was admitted as a postulant to the Franciscan Third Order Regular of the Brothers and Sisters of Penance of the Blessed Virgin Mary (TOR Mar.) on May 18th in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. The rite of admission was officiated by Rt. Rev. Msgr. Abbot Anthony Giunta, the Minister General of the order. Also participating were Rt. Rev. Thomas Gordon, Rt. Rev. Luis Morales, and Canon Rusty Marts, of the OAC.

The TOR Mar. is a Franciscan Third Order Regular, meaning its members are clerics, laymen, or laywomen who take vows of chastity according to their state in life, obedience, and stability. The first order (monks and friars) and second order (nuns) Franciscans are exclusively unmarried and take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Members of the Third Order, or "tertiaries," otherwise participate in good works according to Franciscan tradition. "Regular" tertiaries, such as the TOR Mar, have a habit, while secular tertiaries typically do not. The TOR Mar. operates within the Patriarchal See of St. Stephen, Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church.

Msgr. Abbot Anthony imposes the white veil on
Sister Rebecca Clare as Bishop Gordon looks on.

L-R: Mr. Gordon, Canon Marts, Sister Rebecca Clare,
Bishop Gordon, Bishop Morales, and Msgr. Giunta.

Pope Francis to Visit Temporal Seat of the See of St. Stephen

Vatican City 27 March 2015 (ORCNS) - Pope Francis will make a pastoral visit to Florence, Italy, the traditional temporal seat of the Traditional Old Roman Catholic Patriarchate of St. Stephen, on the 10th of November this year. Florence was part of the Margraviate* of Tuscany, a sub-division of the Kingdom of Italy in Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire, the temporal "arm" of the Church. Before its collapse, the Margraviate's territory included Parma, Piacenza, and Brescia. Florence then grew into a powerful City-State, with rule eventually consolidated in the powerful Medici banking family. They were made Dukes of

Florence by the Pope and eventually Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Under the Napoleonic era, from 1801-1807 the region was known as the Kingdom of Etruria. (Both Etruria and Tuscany refer to the same region and derive from its ancient inhabitants, the Etruscans.)  The Holy Roman Empire was forced into dissolution in 1806. After the fall of Napoleon in 1815, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was revived as a satellite of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It eventually was annexed into the new Kingdom of Italy and now is a province within the Italian Republic. The patrimony of Etruria and its capital of Florence is perpetuated today as a treasured legacy of the Patriarchal See of St. Stephen. That legacy descends from the earliest Margraves of Tuscany and Kings of Italy in the Holy Roman Empire. The visit of Pope Francis to this important Italian city coincides with the 5th National Ecclesial Congress of the Italian Episcopal Conference, held 9-13 November. The theme of the Congress is "A New Humanism through Jesus Christ."

* A Margraviate, or March, is a territory similar to a Duchy, often in a border region. It is ruled by a Margrave (feminine, Margravine). The title of Margrave is also the origin of the French title of Marquis and the Italian title of Marchese.  

Pope Expresses Solidarity with Families in Iraq and Nigeria

Vatican City, 27 March 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis has a constant concern for the situation of Christian families and other groups of victims who have been expelled from their homes and villages, particularly in the city of Mosul and the Nineveh plains, many of whom have taken refuge in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The Pope prays for them and hopes they can return and resume their lives in the lands and places where they have lived and built good relationships for hundreds of years.

In this coming Holy Week, these families are sharing together with Christ the unjust violence of which they have been made victims, participating in the suffering of Christ himself.

In a desire to be close to these families, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, is returning to Iraq as a sign of nearness, affection, and unity in prayer with them.

The families of the Diocese of Rome, united with their bishop in the feeling of nearness and solidarity with these families, through a special collection in the parishes, are sending the traditional Easter cakes in the shape of a dove (colomba cake) to share the joy of Easter and as a herald of good based on the faith in the Resurrection of Christ.

The Holy Father, moreover, makes himself present in a concrete way with a tangible sign of solidarity. Not wanting to forget the suffering of the families in northern Nigeria either, he has also sent a similar sign of solidarity through the local Bishops? Conference.

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Acta Patriarchalis Sedis Vol. 4 Released

PATRIARCHAL SEE 6 March 2015 (ORCNS) - The Patriarchal See of St. Stephen announced today the release of the fourth volume of Acta Patriarchalis Sedis (APS). Since it began publication in 2011, APS continues to be the Patriarchate's official gazette, recording acts spiritual and temporal, church leadership, pastoral writings, and honors and appointments. Volume 4 covers the calendar year 2014.

Audience with the president of Azerbaijan: importance of intercultural and interreligious dialogue to promote peace

Vatican City, 6 March 2015 (VIS) - This morning the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and his wife were received in Audience by the Holy Father Francis. The president subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by the under secretary for Relations with States, Msgr. Antoine Camilleri.

During the cordial discussions, satisfaction was expressed for the development of bilateral relations. In particular, attention was paid to themes regarding the life of the Catholic Community in the country and to a number of initiatives in the culture field, revealing the value in the contemporary world of intercultural and interreligious dialogue to promote peace.

Reference was then made to the current regional and international situation, emphasising the importance of negotiation in conflict resolution, and education for promoting the conditions for peaceful coexistence between populations and different religious groups.

Per ulteriori informazioni consultare:   www.visnews.org 
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