Cardinal Schonborn has been delivering a series of catechetical lectures on Creation and Evolution since last October, in large part as a response to the controversy raised by his articles for the New York Times and First Things.

The fourth lecture in this series, "He upholds the universe by His word and power" has just been translated into English. The previous lectures in this series are available through our online texts section.

"He upholds the universe by His word and power"

Is there any point in praying for good weather? In the late 1960s I heard a lecture by a theology professor who explained to us students that it is completely senseless to pray for good weather; since the weather is entirely determined by inner-worldly causes, God does not intervene and everything plays out according to natural laws. This is why there is no point in praying for rain or sunshine.

If a mother is sick with cancer, is there any point in her children and her husband praying for her to be healed? Suppose she is healed: has God intervened or have the forces of nature acted in a healing way? Suppose she is not healed: what kind of God is it that ignores the tears of the children and the pleading of the husband? Can God not help? Then He is impotent. Does He not want to help? Then He is cruel and merciless.

Praise of the Creator

Does God act in the world today? Our faith takes this to be an elementary truth. To believe that God exists is also to believe that He acts, and not just now and then, not just sometime back at the beginning, but constantly, since everything has its origin in Him and since He upholds everything and directs everything to its end. Is this faith just an arbitrary assumption, a kind of drug for numbing ourselves a little in this trying world, an "opium of the people," as Karl Marx (1818-1883) called religion? Does this faith have any basis that shows it to be reasonable, meaningful, beautiful, and good?

Read the rest of this lecture.

"VATICAN CITY, FEB 9, 2006 - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Franz Scharl of the clergy of the archdiocese of Vienna, Austria, pastor of the parish of Christ's Resurrection and dean of the deaconate Vienna 4/5, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 9,000, population 2,423,466, Catholics 1,360,433, priests 1,172, permanent deacons 145, religious 2,540). The bishop-elect was born in Oberndorf, Austria in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1990."

Cardinal Schonborn and bishop-elect Scharl among the people of Vienna.

A true Schonborn Sighting today!

Cardinal Schonborn at Pope Benedict's right hand during today's general audience:

Of course, the Pope was in the spotlight for most of the event. As he should be:

We will link to the video coverage of this event once CTV has updated its archives.

Catholic Press Photo is has more pictures of the Cardinal and Pope Benedict together.

Photo credit: AP Photo, Gregorio Borgia, Dario Pignatelli

(Grazie a Rocco)

Zenit covers the story:

WASHINGTON, D.C., FEB. 7, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The new Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be available starting March 31, says the U.S. bishops' conference.

The 200-page synthesis of the 1992 Catechism will be published exclusively by USCCB Publishing, the publishing office of the episcopate.

USCCB Publishing will launch the Compendium in English and Spanish at the 2006 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. The paperback version will be available first with the hardcover to follow shortly after.

The Compendium consists of 598 questions and answers, echoing to some degree the format of the popular Baltimore Catechism which was a standard text in many Catholic parishes and schools from 1885 to the 1960s.

Catholic Online adds more information:

The Compendium is structured in four parts, with questions and answers serving as the original text.

It also includes two appendices: a list of Catholic prayers; and, "Formulas of Catholic Doctrine," including the Ten Commandments, Beatitudes, theological and cardinal virtues, and spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

Fourteen images taken from masterpieces of Christian art scattered throughout. "The sacred images, with their beauty, are also a proclamation of the gospel and express the splendor of the Catholic truth," Pope Benedict said.

Amazon.com is accepting preorders for Hardcover ($24.95) or Softcover ($14.95).

Learn more about the Compendium of the Catechism in our books section.

Gerard at Closed Cafeteria reveals some exciting news for Austrian Catholics: Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Basilica of Mariazell in September of 2007 for its 850th anniversary.

Read the original story in German (it includes a nice quote of Pope Benedict: "You know, I love Austria and the Austrians.")

CWNews had covered the story earlier before it was confirmed:

"A trip to another Marian shrine-- at Mariazell, Austria-- seems more likely. Last November 30, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna said that the Pope had accepted an invitation, and even set a date in September 2007, when Austrian Catholics will be celebrating the 850th anniversary of the founding of the Mariazell sanctuary."

Mariazell is not only the most visited pilgrimage site in Austria, but also one of the largest in Europe, and particularly popular among Catholics in Eastern Europe. It recently underwent and completed an extensive restoration.

Cardinal Schonborn will doubtless play a prominant role in welcoming Pope Benedict at this event, as he did in welcoming Pope John Paul II when he visited Mariazell himself (photo of Cardinal Schonborn below taken from that event).

Remember, it is never too early to book tickets.

Tom Kreitzberg at the Disputations blog appends a few more comments on the debate between George Coyne, S.J. and Cardinal Schonborn:

Fr. George V. Coyne, SJ, Director of the Vatican Observatory, reportedly gave a talk titled "Science Does Not Need God, or Does It? A Catholic Scientist Looks at Evolution" last night at a university in Florida.

If that link does indeed "represent[] the essentials" of his presentation (I don't know why it wouldn't be, but I wasn't there), then my reservations regarding him as an authority on the intersection of science and faith are only strengthened.

A post at Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex raises several detailed objections to that text. Let me add two or three others.

Read the rest.