Six years ago today, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected the 265th Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, choosing the name Benedict XVI. Below, a reminder of what that day was like for Catholics around the world. Enjoy!

Papal Emblem

I apologize for the lack of posts over the last few days. There is not much ecclesial news happening around these parts. When the Pope goes on vacation for the summer the Catholic news cycle slows down quite dramatically.

The most interesting tid-bit that has emerged within the last week is the Vatican’s release of modifications to the norms on grave crimes against the church. The official notice from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated:

[T]he Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith…held it necessary to proceed with a reform of the [Normae de gravioribus delictis], emending it not in its entirety, but only in certain areas, in order to render the text more useful.

The most significant adjustments within the document come in response to two particular offenses: the molestation of minors by priests and the ordination of women.

Source: Catholic Online

Tomorrow it is expected that Pope Benedict XVI will appoint Bishop Kurt Koch, current Bishop of Basel and former president of the conference of Swiss Bishops,  as the head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. (In fact, the appointment has already been confirmed by Fr. Federico Lombardi.) Bishop Koch replaces Cardinal Walter Kasper who has served on the council since 1999.

Koch was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Basel on June 20, 1982. On August 21, 1995, he was elected Bishop of the the same diocese. Koch was ordained to the episcopacy on January 6, 1996 by Pope John Paul II.

The news of this appointment is already getting support from the World Council of Churches general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit:

“We rejoice at the appointment of Bishop Kurt Koch as president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity”, said Tveit commenting on the news. “We welcome his appointment and look forward to working with him for the visible unity of the church”, he added.

During this morning’s Mass celebrating the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, the Holy Father conferred the pallium on 38 new metropolitan archbishops.

To the glory of Almighty God and the praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the apostles Peter and Paul, and of the Holy Roman Church, for the honor of the Churches, which have been placed in your care, and as a symbol of your authority as metropolitan archbishop: We confer on you the pallium taken from the tomb of Peter to wear within the limits of your ecclesiastical provinces.

May this pallium be a symbol of unity
and a sign of your communion with the Apostolic See,
a bond of love, and an incentive to courage.
On the day of the coming and manifestation
of our great God and chief shepherd, Jesus Christ,
may you and the flock entrusted to you
be clothed with immortality and glory.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski:

Archbishop Thomas Wenski receives the Pallium | Reuters

Here is the full text homily given by Pope Benedict XVI at this morning’s Pallium Mass.

Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, Rome | Source: Getty

Dear brothers and sisters!

The biblical texts of this Eucharistic Liturgy of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, in their great wealth, highlight a theme that could be summarized thus: God is close to his faithful servants and frees them from all evil, and frees the Church from negative powers. It is the theme of the freedom of the Church, which has a historical aspect and another more deeply spiritual one.

This theme runs through today’s Liturgy of the Word. The first and second readings speak, respectively, of St Peter and St Paul, emphasizing precisely the liberating action of God in them. Especially the text from the Acts of the Apostles describes in abundant detail the intervention of the Angel of the Lord, who