The Pope Emeritus has praised worship ad orientem in a book which celebrates the 25th anniversary of the election of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.
In his book extract, the retired Benedict XVI writes: “A shepherd of the flock of Jesus Christ is never oriented only to the circle of his own faithful. The community of the Church is universal, also in the sense that it includes all of reality.”
He continues: “This is evident, for example, in the liturgy, which does not indicate only the commemoration and fulfilment of the saving acts of Jesus Christ.
“It is journeying towards the redemption of all creation. In orienting the liturgy towards the East (the Orient), we see that Christians, together with the Lord, desire to proceed towards the salvation of creation in its entirety. Christ, the Crucified and Risen Lord, is at the same time also the ‘sun’ which enlightens the world.”
In his own contribution to the book, Pope Francis writes that he shares the Ecumenical Patriarch’s commitments to defending religious freedom, fighting indifference to attacks on human dignity and promoting care of creation.
In anticipation of the celebration of Bartholmew’s anniversary on November 2, Pope Francis and Benedict joined a group of religious and civic leaders in contributing to a book, Bartholomew: Apostle and Visionary, published by Thomas Nelson.
The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano published the texts written by the two Popes last week.
At his first meeting with the Patriarch in March 2016, Pope Francis said the Patriarch expressed “all the profound human and spiritual experience of the Orthodox tradition”.
Masterpiece of the Mass restored to full glory
A Catholic altarpiece which has been called “the most influential painting ever” has been restored after four years of work.
The Ghent Altarpiece, also known as The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, was unveiled at St Bavo’s Cathedral, Ghent.
The altarpiece was commissioned by the mayor of Ghent, Jodocus Vijd, in the early 15th century. It is thought to have been started by Hubert van Eyck, who died in 1426, and subsequently completed by his brother Jan.
Its panels are hinged, so it displays a different set of scenes depending on whether they are open or closed. The outer panels depict the Annunciation and other figures. The inner panels show Jesus, Mary and St John the Baptist, while the famous central inner panel represents the Mass as the Sacrifice of the Lamb.
The piece has had an eventful history, having been stolen six times including during the Napoleonic wars and both world wars.
It was very nearly destroyed in the 16th century by iconoclasts and in 1934, one of its 12 panels was stolen and never found.
The restoration began after the Getty Foundation allocated a £1.3m grant for coordinators to remove the varnish and adjust the colours.
Bart Devolder, on-site coordinator of the project said:“The surprises begin with the frame itself. Not all of it survived, but the portions that did were cleaned to reveal silver leaf topped by transparent glazes that imitate stonework.”
On the frame is a famous inscription naming the painting’s donors and stating that the altar piece was begun by Hubert van Eyck.
“Our restoration confirmed that the inscription was original,” Mr Devolder said. “It can now be said with certainty that the Ghent Altarpiece is by Hubert and Jan van Eyck.”
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