Mary’s Touch By Mail
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e-mail: benoitlabre@verizon.net
A Letter from the Holy See to Fr. Aloysius Chang of Naju
Fr. Aloysius Chang had been expelled from the Kwangju Archdiocese in January 2008 for his unshaken support of Naju, but, after he went to Rome and appealed to the Holy See in the next month, the Holy See restored his priestly functions in April 2008. Fr. Chang has been celebrating Mass for the pilgrims in Naju and also hearing their Confessions.
On November 1, 2010, Fr. Aloysius Chang wrote a letter to all the Bishops in Korea (30 of them) reporting to them about the continuing persecution of Naju by the liberal priests and petitioning for the Bishops’ intervention. The English translation of Fr. Chang’s letter was sent to several Cardinals in the Holy See: Cardinal William Levada of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Ivan Dias of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; and Cardinal Angelo Amato of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. On December 7, 2010, Fr. Chang received a letter from Cardinal Angelo Amato dated November 13, 2010. Cardinal Amato’s letter is enclosed.
It is a short letter with only three sentences, but is of profound significance. Here are the reasons:
1. When someone sends a letter to the Holy See, he or she will probably receive a short reply signed by a Bishop in charge of replying letters. Sometimes, there may not be any reply, as there are so many letters coming in. If the contents of the letter are really serious, an Archbishop, Secretary of the Congregation (the second highest official in the Congregation) may send a reply. When the Cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation, replies directly, the Holy See must be really serious about the letter that they received. The fact that Fr. Chang received a letter from Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes, and also the fact that the Cardinal mentioned in his letter: “the documentation regarding Naju” which Fr. Chang had enclosed in his mail are strong indications of how serious the Holy See is about Naju.
2. Before Cardinal Amato was appointed the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints by Pope Benedict XVI on July 9, 2008, he had been the Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 2002 and was highly trusted by the Prefect and his superior, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. As the second highest official in the Congregation, Archbishop Amato had many opportunities to examine the reports on Naju and also must know very well about Cardinal Ratzinger’s thoughts about Naju. The fact that Cardinal Amato personally wrote to Fr. Aloysius Chang, a priest under punishment and rejection by his local Archdiocese, strongly implies that the Cardinal needed a consensus in the Holy See about Naju before writing his letter. If he were aware of any real difference between his position and that of the Holy Father or other Cardinals, he would not have been able to send this letter to Fr. Chang. Especially among the top leaders in the Holy See, unity and harmony must be a vital necessity.
3. Archbishop Giovanni Bulaitis was the Papal Nuncio to Korea from 1991 to 1997. In November 1994, he visited Naju and witnessed two miraculous descents of the Eucharist in the Chapel in Naju. After the visit, he sent detailed reports on Naju to the Holy See. Then, from 1998 to 2008, he served as the Papal Nuncio to Albania. After his retirement in 2008, Archbishop Bulaitis had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI and mentioned to the Holy Father that he had a detailed report about Naju and asked how he should present that report. The Holy Father instructed Archbishop Bulaitis to give the information to Archbishop Amato who had just been moved from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints as its Prefect. Soon afterwards, Archbishop Bulaitis visited Archbishop Amato and gave him the detailed information about Naju. After hearing the report, Archbishop Amato said, “I believe in the truthfulness of the events in Naju,” and also said that he would write a letter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding Naju. This letter that Archbishop Amato sent to his previous Congregation cannot be considered a letter that just expressed his private opinion. Archbishop Amato received the report on Naju on behalf of the Holy Father. It seems certain that Archbishop Amato’s letter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith carried some of the Holy Father’s own authority and his own instruction.
4. In early 2009, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith formally asked Archbishop Giovanni Bulaitis, residing in Rome, to submit a dossier on Naju, which would include detailed information on all the main events and the current situation in Naju including all the official documents issued by the Kwangju Archbishop as well as the rebuttals by some priests and lay people inside and outside Korea and other testimonies. Archbishop Bulaitis asked Mary’s Touch By Mail to gather and send the required documents to him. So, we sent to Archbishop Bulaitis six copies of the dossier on Naju, each with several hundred pages on March 25, 2009. The volunteer helpers in Naju sent the DNA test results on the blood samples collected from the Eucharistic miracles and the descended precious Blood and many photographs directly to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It seems that the examination at the Congregation has already been completed, as the Congregation began in the fall of 2009 to seek a consensus on Naju among the Korean Bishops, which, however, does not seem available yet because of the stubborn influence from the liberal priests in Korea.
Thus, Cardinal Angelo Amato is not a stranger to the question of Naju at all. On the contrary, he is one of the best informed persons about Naju in the Holy See and also one of the most influential persons because of his knowledge as well as the Holy Father’s strong trust in him.
It has been well known that the late Pope John Paul II and the current Pope Benedict XVI have been firmly positive on Naju. John Paul II made it known in the Holy See and all over Italy that he had recognized the truthfulness of the Eucharistic miracle through Julia in his chapel on October 31, 1995. During an official meeting with Cardinal Ivan Dias several months ago, Pope Benedict XVI said that he was favorable on Naju. The Holy See wants the official approval of Naju soon and has been patiently seeking the cooperation by the Bishops in Korea. Several of the Korean Bishops already said that they would follow the Holy See’s decision. Nevertheless, there still is a staunch opposition in Korea. Some priests in Kwangju even vowed that Naju would never be approved, which is a rebellious attitude against the sacred and supreme authority of the Holy See. Probably the Holy See needs a more forceful approach than giving gentle advices. In the mean time, because of the slanders spread by the opponents in Korea, many priests and lay people around the world have become victims of false rumors, exaggerations, and distortions about Naju. It will take more courage and toil by many priests and lay people in fighting evils and defending the truth.
In the 17th Century, the French king behaved as if he had the absolute authority and power because he was installed by God. His excessive ambition eventually led to the collapse of the French monarchy in the next century. He forgot that the royal authority and power, which surely were from above, were to be exercised truthfully and faithfully for serving God and His people. The same principle applies to the Church as well. The liberal priests in Korea have been unhesitating to distort the Church teachings and have been misusing their power in disobedience to God, in defiance of the Holy See, and to the detriment of the people for too long. May the Blessed Mother’s immaculate power from God defeat and repel the Devil and his forces as soon as possible!
— Benedict Lee at Mary’s Touch By Mail, on December 8, 2010, Solemnity of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception