A dark and dreary, cold and rainy night in Rome. All is quiet. The streets are relatively clear of both pedestrians and motor vehicles. A good time to enjoy a warm fire and a wonderful dish of pasta.

Italy is where I come to relax and do a little writing. This trip I’ve made great progress on a little book I’m writing tentatively titled Friends, Mentors and Spiritual Fathers. The book reflects on several men, now deceased, who greatly influenced me when I was young. I don’t do their stories justice. I’m not a biographer or historian. But I hope I can pay sincere tribute to these gifted men and the many treasures they shared with me over the years.

A rainy night in Rome is the perfect time to remember and give thanks for friends, mentors and spiritual parents—not just the ones I’m writing about but all the women and men who shared so much with me over the years.

Security at the Vatican was so intense yesterday that it was impossible to get anywhere near St. Peter’s Square.

Every access point was blocked by armed guards and trucks. Police were out in force on all the streets leading to Vatican City and there were even police boats cruising the Tiber River.

What’s going on? It’s impossible to say. Either some kind of credible threat was received or there was a gathering of dignitaries at the Vatican that required extra tight security.

What an age we live in! Violence and threats of violence have become so customary that we simply shrug our shoulders and continue with our daily business as best we can.

As Pope Francis said on Sunday:

Our heavenly Father always listens to his children who cry out to him in pain and anguish,” he said, and made a “heartfelt appeal” for each one of us to “hear this cry and, each one according to their own conscience, before God, ask ourselves: 'What can I do to make peace?'”

While prayer is always an effective resolution, more can be done, Francis said, explaining that each person “can concretely say no to violence to the extent that it depends on him or herself. Because victories obtained with violence are false victories, while working for peace does good for all!”

It’s easy to get frustrated, even angry, at the inconveniences caused by such intense security, but thank God for the men and women who risk their own lives protecting us. Because of Vatican security, no one drove a truck loaded with explosives into a crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square yesterday. It’s a real shame that it has to be this way, but given the world we live in, it’s a blessing that yesterday at least we were safe and violence free.

Here’s an account from Rome Reports which may explain yesterday’s heavy security:

Pope Francis met in the Vatican with the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The meeting was proposed by the Turkish president, following Donald Trump announcing his intent to move the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, an act that would exacerbate religious tension in the city.

The Holy Father and his guest held a private encounter for nearly 50 minutes, while these meetings rarely exceed a half hour.

Pope Francis and Erdogan discussed bilateral relations between the two states, the humanitarian crisis in Syria, the Catholic community's current situation in Turkey and the conflict between Jerusalem and Palestine.

Relations between the Vatican and Turkey have had their ups and downs. Pope Francis' public condemnation of Turkey's genocide of Armenians in 1915 seemed to unsettle the current Turkish leader.

Benedict XVI's comments on Islam in his Ratisbona address in 2006 didn't sit well either.

Following an extended dialogue, Pope Francis met with the president's wife and his daughter, Ezra. Then, they exchanged gifts. The president presented the pope with a hand-made ceramic image containing Istanbul's landmarks as well as four books by Persian poet Rumi. 

“Beautiful, beautiful.”

Pope Francis gave the president a medal with an angel.

He also presented him with an etching of St. Peter's Basilica and a copy of his Laudato si' encyclical along with his message for the World Day of Peace.

Before bidding farewell, the pope asked Erdogan's wife to pray for him.

I’ve been eating at a small ristorante pizzeria near the Vatican, Il Postiglione Roma, for nearly 20 years. The woman who waits on me always recognizes me with a heartfelt smile and the warmest of welcomes. Why would I go anywhere else? The food is good. The prices are reasonable. It’s in a great location. But it’s the hospitality that keeps me coming back! Viva il Postiglione Roma!

Isola Tiberina

Today I plan to visit the Basilica of St. Bartholomew which is located on an island in the Tiber River. This was Cardinal Francis George’s titular church. (Every cardinal has to have a relationship with a parish in the Diocese of Rome.) I try to visit whenever I’m in Rome to say a special prayer for Cardinal George who was a friend, mentor and spiritual father. 

From Wikipedia:

The Tiber Island (Italian: Isola Tiberina, Latin: Insula Tiberina) is the only island in the part of the Tiber river which runs through Rome. Tiber Island is located in the southern bend of the Tiber.

The island is boat-shaped, approximately 270 metres (890 feet) long and 67 metres (220 feet) wide, and has been connected with bridges to both sides of the river since antiquity. Being a seat of the ancient temple of Asclepius and later a hospital, the island is associated with medicine and healing. 

The Fatebenefratelli Hospital founded in the 16th century, and the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on the Island dating from the 10th century are located on the island.

I attended Sunday Mass at the Brick Makers’ Church (Santa Maria Della Gracie alle Fornaci) this morning. It was a children’s Mass complete with guitar accompaniment (my least favorite form of musical sacra because it is almost never done well). But it was nice to see all the children fully engaged in the liturgy.

Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci is an 18th century Baroque parish and titular church at Piazza di Santa Maria alle Fornaci 30, just south of Vatican City and north of the San Pietro train station in the Aurelio quarter.

The dedication is to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of Our Lady of Graces.

The church was originally founded in the 14th century, and served a small suburb which became important as a site for preparing materials for the building of the new St Peter’s. The name Fornaci refers to kilns used for making bricks for the work.

At the end of the 17th century it was rebuilt by Francesco Multò for the Discalced Trinitarians (a Spanish reform of the Trinitarian order), whose monastery was adjacent, and in 1720 Filippo Raguzzini added the façade.

In 1850 it took over parochial responsibilities for the area from Sant’Angelo alle Fornaci, which had just been destroyed in the suppression of the Roman Republic. In the process, it suffered a thorough restoration by Andrea Busiri Vici.

A campanile in Baroque style was added in the 1950’s.

Afterward I went to St Peter’s Square for the Angelus said by Pope Francis from the window of the Apostolic Palace high above the piazza. The sun is out today so the crowd was larger than might be expected on a cold day in February—stretching halfway to the Tiber River. A native group (I guessed from South America) was dancing in the street directly in front of the Hotel Columbus.

 The Holy Father was greeted with much enthusiasm and he responded warmly. Since I was not able to understand the pope’s remarks (my familiarity with the Italian language is limited to ordering items from a menu), I looked them up on the pope app. Here is a selection from the CNA report:

(CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis announced that Friday the first full week of Lent would be a day of prayer and fasting for peace given the many ongoing conflicts throughout the world, particularly those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.

 “Facing the tragic continuation of conflicts in different parts of the world, I invite all the faithful to a special day of prayer and fasting for peace Feb. 23, the Friday of the first week of Lent,” the Pope said Feb. 4.

 He asked that the day be offered specifically for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan and invited both non-Catholics and non-Christians to join “in the ways they deem most appropriate.”

 “Our heavenly Father always listens to his children who cry out to him in pain and anguish,” he said, and made a “heartfelt appeal” for each one of us to “hear this cry and, each one according to their own conscience, before God, ask ourselves: 'What can I do to make peace?'”

 While prayer is always an effective resolution, more can be done, Francis said, explaining that each person “can concretely say no to violence to the extent that it depends on him or herself. Because victories obtained with violence are false victories, while working for peace does good for all!”

 The Pope's appeal, which he made during his Sunday Angelus address, comes just two months after a Nov. 23 prayer vigil for peace in the two countries.

I am in Rome, one of my favorite places in the world. It’s not great weather (cold and drizzly) but still it is enchanting.

There are many Romes, of course. The Rome of history, the Rome of St. Peter and the Vatican, the Rome of culture and fashion, the Rome of wonderful food, crazy drivers and the mysterious Italian government.  All mix together to form a city of fascination and romance. I love it!

This afternoon I’m having lunch at one of the best restaurants in Rome, Da Roberto on the Via Borgo near the Vatican. My dear friend Archbishop Daniel introduced me to Da Roberto in 1996 and I’ve come back frequently. The specialty is pasta alla norcina which literally melts in your mouth! This visit is in the archbishop’s honor. He passed away on January 25 and was buried at Saint Meinrad on February 1st.

Later, I will take a taxi  to CESA, the Bio-Medical Center in Trigoria, where my friend Father Cassian Folsom, founder of the Benedictine monastery in Norcia, is recovering from knee replacement surgery. The surgery was successful and he is now in rehab. I’m eager to see him.

More to come...

Surprised by Grace, Again

I had the privilege of helping Indianapolis Archbishop Emeritus Daniel M. Buechlein, O.S.B. write his memoirs published by The Criterion Press in 2013 as Surprised by Grace: Memories and Reflections After Twenty-Five Years of Episcopal Ministry. It was a deeply moving experience for me which recalled images, conversations and shared insights from more than four decades of close association with this gifted man.

I first met Father Daniel (as he was known then) more than 50 years ago in August 1967 when I was a freshman at Saint Meinrad College in southern Indiana. He was Assistant Dean of Students and lived on the 4th floor of St. Bede Hall with us freshman. He was an extremely popular spiritual director, and the waiting area outside his combined office and room was always full of students waiting to see him.

That school year (1967-68) Father Daniel taught us History of Philosophy. It was not his area of expertise. (He had studied liturgy in Rome following his ordination to the priesthood.) And he freely admitted that he was just one or two chapters ahead of us in our textbook. Later, he taught me courses on liturgy and the sacraments, and I was amazed at his insights and understanding of the changes taking place in those turbulent times. It was clear that he welcomed the changes inspired by the Second Vatican Council—provided that they faithfully preserved the substance of the Church’s worship and belief.

Although he was a relatively young monk in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was quickly given positions of authority—first as Spiritual Director of Saint Meinrad College and then as President-Rector of Saint Meinrad School of Theology. He proved to be a good steward of these important responsibilities and an excellent pastoral leader. Father Daniel frequently told us that his first responsibility as a monk and priest, and as a seminary administrator, was to be a man of prayer.

I remember serving a private Mass for him at one of the side altars in the pre-renovation Archabbey Church at Saint Meinrad. His intense devotion to the mystery of the Eucharist was powerfully communicated to me then, and it was affirmed many times over the years as I attended countless public and private liturgies that he celebrated as a priest and then as a bishop. I can honestly say that although he was a very private man, his intense, intimate love for Christ was evident whenever he prayed but especially at Mass.

Archbishop Daniel was a man of prayer, first and foremost. But he was also a skilled administrator, a great pastoral leader. I have said that he was an intensely private man—probably “off the chart” when it came to introversion. Given a choice between being alone or with or few friends and meeting with crowds of people, there was never any question which he preferred. And yet, he knew his duty—his public role first as a seminary rector and then as a bishop. He worked hard at being a better public presence, improving his skill as a preacher and a public speaker. Although it did not come to him naturally (or with ease), he learned to “work the crowd” at gatherings of clergy, religious and lay leaders. He knew how important personal contact is, and he was determined to be a genuine pastoral presence in the seminary and in the two dioceses he served as bishop, Memphis and Indianapolis.

I worked closely with Father Daniel as Director of Development at Saint Meinrad and, later, when he became Archbishop of Indianapolis, as Secretary for Planning, Communications and Development. He wasn’t always easy to work for because he set incredibly high standards and demanded excellence. But I always knew what he wanted, and where I stood, in doing my job.

Archbishop Daniel was a master at surrounding himself with people who could work together to carry out the Church’s mission. He informed us, he inspired us and he involved us in his ministry as the chief pastor of the Archdiocese. Then he let us alone. (“No delegating up” was one of his favorite expressions.) He never micromanaged us, but he set clear expectations and was always there for us if we needed him. I believe this was his greatest gift as a pastoral leader. Combined with his absolute commitment to prayer and worship, Archbishop Daniel’s leadership style “worked” beautifully. In collaboration with his brother priests, his fellow religious women and men, and the lay faithful of west Tennessee and central and southern Indiana, he built up the Church in ways that were faithful both to authentic Catholic Tradition and to the teaching of Vatican II.

Although poor health forced him to resign as archbishop a couple of years before his 75th birthday, his legacy is clear. He was a man of prayer. He was a skilled pastoral leader. And he was a devoted son, brother, confrere and friend.

Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, OSB, returned to the Lord on January 25, 2018. May he rest in peace.

Daniel Conway    

I am proud to call myself a disciple of Pope Benedict—both now and when he was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. By God’s grace, he has been a blessing for our Church. 

He is unrivaled as an astute and balanced theologian. I have little patience with his critics, who often enough have never read his writings. Anyone who reads what Joseph Ratzinger has written—either before or after his election as pope—can see that he is never heavy-handed or rigid, but always speaks the mind of the Church, as he understands it, with a firm but gentle voice. 

Pope Benedict is a person who knows how to speak the truth with love. In my dozen or so encounters with him, I found him to be engaging, humble and serene. Several times, I met him on the street on his way to or from a bookstore. He wore a simple black cassock. He stopped to visit for a few minutes, and he had a phenomenal memory for names. In fact, once when our paths crossed, Cardinal Ratzinger smiled, waved his finger at me and said, “Ah, yes, büchlein, büchlein, the little book” which is what my surname (Buechlein) means in German!

While a lover of the tradition and heritage of the Church, Pope Benedict is thoroughly committed to the complete implementation of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. He knows the origins and development of the Council’s documents because he was there and had a direct hand in crafting several of them. He is also thoroughly acquainted with the Church Fathers and with the development of the Church’s doctrines during the past two millennia.

This pope is a profound exponent of the complimentarity of faith and reason in a society that wants to relegate God and religion to the private sector as if they are irrelevant to the economic, political and cultural realities of the modern world. He is an ardent champion for the dignity of human life, and he is a sensitive man, who is both sophisticated and simple—a holy, gentle man. 

From Surprised by Grace: Memories and Reflections on Twenty-Five Year’s of Episcopal Ministry by Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, OSB, who returned to the Lord on January 25, 2018.