Pro-Vatican II Archbishop leads a "conservative" Catholic Group

Beginning from October 24,　the Yomiuri Shimbun is now serializing columns by Archbishop Joseph Pittau, former president of Sophia University. His view on the Second Vatican Council reflects that of many bishops in Japan. The Archbishop praises almost everything introduced by the Council.
　
For example, in a most recent column dated October 31, the Archbishop appraises the idea of inculturation taking the example of kneeling in Japan. He writes the situation before the Council. When a woman in kimono knelt, her legs would be exposed but it was also done in Japan. He explains kneeling is a custom in ancient Rome, and it was introduced to Christianity.

His stay in Japan spans more than 40 years, but he still cannot understand the customs in Japan as well as other Japanese bishops who also explain that kneeling is not a Japanese custom. In fact, kneeling has been also a Japanese custom. But due to their misunderstanding, kneeling is replaced by bowing in liturgy.

On the contrary, the late Maryknoll priest, Fr. James Hayatt who started Kokoro no tomoshibi (The Light in Heart) movement in Kyoto had a completely different view on kneeling he wrote:

It is said that kneeling is not a Japanese custom. Indeed, it may not be Japanese but it is also neither European nor American. Kneeling before the Holy Eucharist is a Catholic custom. It is a very important Catholic practice beyond all nations. Bowing is a greeting between people. When you cross before the tabernacle, to Our Lord Jesus who exists in the Holy Eucharist, you shall not greet Him just like as man but adore Him as the Almighty God. It is a pity not kneeling before the Holy Eucharist. I think it a great loss for the Catholic Church in Japan.

Unfortunately, Archbishop Joseph Pittau is now an adviser to Catholic Action Fellowship Association, a "conservative" Catholic group in Japan. As long as he leads the association, it is almost impossible to openly attend the Tridentine Mass at any diocesan church in Japan.

Japanese rightists protested before the Head Office of the Japan Times in Tokyo

In October 29, some member of Japanese rightists protested before the head office of the Japan Times, a Japanese English Newspaper in Tokyo. The reason for their protest was that a letter from a reader who discribed her experience with the rightists at St. Ignatius Church in October 11.

Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009

Standing up to noisy rightists

By R. NANASHIMA

Tokyo

I would like to express my appreciation to the Japanese police force. On Sunday I was walking to Mass at my church in central Tokyo when I heard the unmistakable strains of uyoku (rightist) music. I thought, "Here we go again."

But this time it was no ordinary drive-by nuisance. On the corner outside the church, 30 or 40 protesters stood screeching into loudhailers. Their complaint was that a group called the Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace had planned a meeting that day that included an educational tour of Yasukuni Shrine. Attempts by the uyoku to enter the church and disrupt the meeting had led to its cancellation, leaving the rightwingers to stew on the corner. I noted that the protesters seemed to represent a cross section of society: men and women in suits, youths in casual attire, at least one man in kimono and geta.

A short distance away, half a dozen police vans were parked; uniformed officers lined the pavement opposite the rightwingers. As I walked between the two groups, the uyoku screamed at me in Japanese, "Get out of Japan!" Stunned, I looked at them and — I am sorry to say — uttered a common Anglo-Saxon word. They instantly rushed me, striking at me with their fists and loudhailers. The leader got close enough to clip the top of my hair. Then the police surged past me, body-slamming my attackers and wrestling them back to their side of the pavement. "Run!" a middle-aged officer shouted at me.

I obeyed and soon reached the safety of the church. I was uninjured, but if not for the officers' swift response, I would certainly have been mobbed and perhaps badly beaten. I am a slightly built woman. I was targeted for being white, but these rightwingers are versatile in their hatred: Earlier that day they had heckled and insulted Japanese churchgoers. It's a pity that they are unaware that the Catholic Church has deeper and older roots in Japan than does their brand of nationalism.

While Japanese society yawns at the small number of unspeakable fanatics in its midst, the uyoku are free to continue their mischief — even when it veers toward physical violence. I am keenly grateful to the officers who shielded me Sunday. These brave men in uniform of this country stand up to the uyoku on a regular basis. Why can't anyone else?

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/rc20091015a1.html

I myself witnessed the protest before St. Ignatius Church, I think the description of the uyoku is quite accurate. But some uyoku and some Catholics whose political view was almost the same were quite angry with the letter and decided to protest against the Japan Times on the letter.

Shuken kaifuku o mezasu kai, the Association for Restoration of Sovereignty announced their protest before the head office of the Japan Times at their website. around 11:30AM or so, they begun their protest.

Don't allow the anti-Japanese Japan Times!(1/5)


Regrettably, there was a Catholic woman who participated in this protest. She went so far as to accuse the Japan Times of the content of the articles as anti-Japanese.

Don't allow the anti-Japanese Japan Times!(2/5)

Don't allow the anti-Japanese Japan Times!(3/5)


Don't allow the anti-Japanese Japan Times!(4/5)


Don't allow the anti-Japanese Japan Times!(5/5)

What will be the future of the Catholic Church in Japan? Nobody knows. Both leftists and rightists within Church are forgetting their duty as Catholics. They have made their religion as political instrument for themselves.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary Pray for us.

"Conservative" Catholic writer appointed to Japan Post board member

Writer Sono 'to be Japan Post board member'

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The government is set to appoint writer Ayako Sono as an external board member of Japan Post Holdings Co., according to an informed source.

Sono, 78, will assume the post as early as Wednesday following an official decision by Japan Post's appointment committee--comprising external board members led by Toyota Motor Corp. Senior Adviser Hiroshi Okuda--and approval at the company's extraordinary shareholders meeting.

According to the source, Sono was strongly recommended by Shizuka Kamei, state minister in charge of financial services and postal reform, and Jiro Saito, president of Tokyo Financial Exchange Inc., who has informally been named as the next president of Japan Post.

The board's decision to plump for Sono, who reportedly has accepted the invitation, is being seen as an attempt to garner opinions on postal reforms from people outside business circles.

Sono reportedly favors the government's basic policy to review postal service privatization.

Born in Tokyo, Sono is known for producing work in a wide range of fields as well as her deep insight into religion, war and social issues. Her novels include "Kami no Yogoreta Te" (The Soiled Hands of God). She received the Imperial Award of the Japan Art Academy in 1993 and was designated a Person of Cultural Merit in 2003. In 1997, an entity over which Sono once presided won the Yomiuri International Cooperation Prize.

She served as chairman of the Nippon Foundation between 1995 and 2005 and has also held other prominent positions, including serving on government committees for judicial system reform and educational reform.

Regarding the appointment of Japan Post's top management, Kamei suggested he would not insist solely on appointing managers from private companies, saying, "I want to include creditable people from a wide range of sectors."

Although Kamei initially planned to renew the entire management section, he recently has been more flexible about allowing some members to stay on, with the caveat that they cooperate with the new president.

(Oct. 27, 2009)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20091027TDY01302.htm

Ayako Sono, a well known "conservative" Catholic writer in Japan is very respected by many conservative Catholics because of her patriotic statements on politics and other temporal issues. However, her belief as Catholic is not always in accordance with the teaching of the Catholic Church.

Sono supports the worship at Yasukuni Shrine by prime minister where the spirits of the soldiers, politicians and patriots who dedicated their lives for the Japanese Empire until the end of the Pacific War are enshrined as gods. In the shrine, people who died after the War has never been hallowed there. In newspapers and magazines, she often wrote articles defending the worship.

While she follows the Catholic teaching which prohibits abortion she actively opposes to abortion in Japan, on the other hands, she contributed to so-called "Program of Reproductive Health" including sterilization launched by Peruvian ex-president Alberto Fujimori during 1990s.

Peru Plans a Hot Line to battle Forced Sterilizations
http://www.zenit.org/article-2233?l=english

Fujimori contines to justify his "Program of Reproductive Health" which caused about 300，000 of victims in forcible sterilizations even after his exile to Japan claiming there was no forcible sterilizations and people profited from the program.

THERE WERE NO FORCED STERILIZATIONS (Part I)
http://albertofujimori.org/en/index.php?selection=health&articleId=374

THERE WERE NO FORCED STERILIZATIONS (Part II)
http://albertofujimori.org/en/index.php?selection=health&articleId=375

At that time, Sono was chairman of the Nippon Foundation which Ryoichi Sasagawa, famous right-wing activist and philanthoropist found by profits gained form boat races. She detailed her involvement with "Program of reproductive Health" and her offering of housing to Fujimori in an article of the Mainichi Shimbun dated December 3, 2000.

Fujimori shi e no yado teikyo? Watashi wa unmei ni shitagatta dake (Did I offer housing to Mr. Fujimori? I just followed my destiny)
(Japanese Article)
http://nippon.zaidan.info/kinenkan/moyo/0000266/moyo_item.html

I this article, she wirtes "the family program targeted Indios in the mountains. It offers sterilization operations to either husbund or wife only if they already had a lot of children and they consented completely." This is apparently a violation of the teaching of Catholic Church. After writing this article, Sono has never mention her involvement with "Program of Reproductive Health". She may have realized how sinful it was but as long as I know, she has never done anything to compensate for the victims of forced sterilizations.

Strange enough, both liberals and conservatives in Catholic Church have never accused her. Liberal Catholics are usually very sensitive to the violation of human rights just like left -groups and conservative ones are strict to the teaching of the Catholic Church which prohibits any artificial method for contraception. I wonder why they cannot do anything to her.

But it is not only her fault that she supported sterilization in Peru. Recently some bishops and priests in Catholic Church have been very chilly to the encyclical "Humanae Vitae" by Pope Paul VI which prohibit any artificial contraception as well as abortion. Fr. Momose Fumiaki S. J. who studied in Germany and deeply influenced with the progressive theologians like Karl Rahner. He later became professor of theology at Sophia University. Fr. Momose claimed in a book written for catechumen that the Church should reconsider her policy on contraception although he maintains to prohibit abortion.

When the Vatican questioned him because he indirectly denies the resurrection of Our Lord, some high rank clergies like Late Cardinal Stephen Hamao Fumiro who was bishop of Yokohama Diocese at that time defended him very much. Because of his radical theological views, he once left for the Philippines.

It seems almost impossible that any Catholics either in Japan or Peru remind her of the is and urge to compensate for the victims of sterilization in Peru.

Vatican's Plan for Anglican's conversion to Catholicism may have negative effects

The Vatican is now preparing for the mass conversion of the Anglican clergies to Catholicism but it seems somewhat dangerous to preserve the Catholic tradition.

Pope announces plans for Anglicans to convert en masse

The Vatican has announced that Pope Benedict is setting up special provision for Anglicans, including married clergy, who want to convert to Rome together, preserving aspects of Anglican liturgy. They will be given their own pastoral supervision, according to this press release from the Vatican:

“In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony.”

More on this very important story later. But this is clearly a historic gesture by Pope Benedict which will encourage thousands of disaffected Anglicans to become Roman Catholics.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100014171/pope-announces-plans-for-anglicans-to-convert-en-masse/

In Japan, to establish any personal ordinariate for the Anglican clergies who want to convert to Catholicism is almost impossible. Both Catholics and Anglicans are very active each other, so it is very common that Catholic bishop or priest train Anglican clergies to meditate.

But in my opinion, it is not bad that Catholic bishops will not follow the guidance from the Vatican on the conversion of Anglican clergies. Acceptance of anything special to the Anglican Church may affect the liturgy and celibacy in the Catholic Church and result in a false form of ecumenism.

First Practicing Catholic Prime Minister failed to defend the Lives of the Unborn

Ex-prime minister, Aso Taro making a speech for the election campaign in August.

In Japan, it is very difficult to spread a movement to defend the life of the unborn. The notion that it is woman who decide to give birth or not has taken root deeply since the legislation of the Eugenic Protection Act in 1948. 　

When Aso Taro, who became the church-going Catholic prime minister, so some Catholics and I, at first, expected him to act according to the teachings of the Catholic Church in this field. Moreover, there was also a Catholic politician, Yosano Kaoru who was appointed to finance minister and state minister for financial services state minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy in the cabinet. Mr. Yosano's grandmother is Yosano Akiko, a very famous poet who became a Catholic around the end of her life.

However, this expectation was soon proved to be vain when Mr. Aso appointed Obuchi Yuko, the daughter of the deceased former prime minister, Obuchi Keizo to state minister in charge of population and gender equality.

Unlike her predecessors, Ms. Obuchi herself was not a feminist and in favor of a baby hatch started with the efforts of some prol-ife activists and a doctor at Jikei hospital, run by Catholics in Kumamoto Prefecture in May of 2007.

First 'baby hatch ' to start operations this month
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070502a5.html

She was not a best person to take this position all the same. In LDP, there was a suitable person. Yamatani Eriko, a conservative Catholic politician, worked for pro-life cause and also helped to get a permission for a baby hatch from the ministry of welfare and labor. Thus it was not a good decision that Mr. Aso did not chose her.

There are some conservative politicians against feminism in Liberal Democratic Party, any prime minister have never chosen a person who would take some effective measures for declining birth rate in Japan. I have to say that even these conservative politicians are as selfish as liberal ones in regard to this problem. If they are really worried about the future of their country, they should have taken any pro-life policy.

I myself wrote a letter to Mr. Aso urging to take actions against abortion with some booklets published by a pro-life group, but I had no response from him and he did not take any action for this cause. My friend also sent a similar letter to him but with the same result.

LDP lost in a general election in this summer and became a party out of power because Some policies on labor issues and social welfare that LDP taken gave people very bad impressions. Democratic Party of Japan took the power and its leader, Hatoyama Yukio became a prime minister.

Unfortunately, this is no good in respect of pro-life movement in Japan. DPJ has a draft to relax regulations on abortion. although not all of the DPJ member are feminists, but iso far it seems to be not easy for the party to abandon this draft.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. Have mercy on us.

Flu and Communion

In Many dioceses in Japan, It is more and more difficult to receive the Eucharist on tongue. Some bishops have issues decrees as an excuse to prevent infection with flu while receiving the Eucharist.

Judging from my experience at St. Ignatius Church in Tokyo, however, the true purpose is to discourage Catholics to receive the Eucharist in hands, the method introduced more than thirty years ago. Although it was this May that St. Ignatius Church announced that the Eucharist would be given only to hands, a priest rejected to give the Eucharist on tongue even before one week of the announcement.

Pope Benedict XVI has encouraged to give the Eucharist on tongue everywhere and even after the spread of flu this year. But in Japan, as many other good examples in Rome, this is generally ignored by bishops and priests.

May the Lord grant us to receive the Eucharist in the right way in the near future.

"Traditional" Mass at St. Mary Cathedral in October 10, 2009

Last Saturday, I went to St. Mary Catholic Cathedral to attend so-called "the Solemn Pontifical Mass" sponsored by Catholic Action Fellowship Association. This was the only one official "traditional" Mass in Latin according to the Missal of Paul VI celebrated once a year. This year was the 19th anniversary of this Latin Mass.

I think nearly one-fifteen hundreds or more people attended the Mass. At first, His Eminence, Cardinal Peter Shirayanagi was supposed to celebrate the Mass but due to his health, Archbishop Alberto Bottari de Castello, Apostolic Nuncio to Japan was a principal celebrant instead. Concelebrants were Archbishop Joseph Pittau, former President of Sophia University and former Secretary of Education Ministry in Vatican, and other famous priests in Japan.

Compared with the Mass usually I attend, it was better but not best at all. Some of them who came to this Mass were not Catholic and their purpose was to sing Gregorian chants and hymns on this occasion.

At the time of Holy Communion, people in center easily could receive the Eucharist on tongue and on their kneel because there were two pews in front of the two archbishops. However, on the both side of the corner, there was no pew although People could receive the Eucharist on tongue there also.

To my surprise, there was no announcement that those who were not yet baptized should not to receive the Eucharist although there was a case in a booklet which described the event in last year; a person not yet baptized received the Eucharist and saw it interestingly.

There was other thing which would became a problem in the next year onward. No young Japanese priest took part in this Mass. Most of them who concelebrated were already over seventies and some of them nearly nineties. I wondered how long they can continue to celebrate the Mass.

I also very worried about the faith of Catholics who came to this Mass. When the Mass was over, I went outside and met a man who was one of the leaders who prepared this solemn Mass. I greeted him and showed a picture of the Anglican clergies taken in front of the Cathedral a few weeks ago, but he paid little attention.

I am very skeptical of the leaders who prepared this Mass because they seem to have no intention to ask local bishops for help to celebrate the Tridentine Mass. They only will continue the same form of the Mass which many of them think very "traditional". It is no good because according to a booklet, a priest celebrated the Tridentine Mass for the members of Catholic Action Fellowship Association in last year. I think any member of this group should make efforts so that all Catholic can attend the Tridentine Mass in their parish on a regular basis.

It has been already more than two years since the issue of "SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM" by Pope Benedict XVI which liberated the Tridentine Mass to all priest throughout the world. However, I have never found any church where priests celebrate the Tridentine Mass. There is a rumor that a priest says the Tridentine Mass at small chapel of St.Mary Cathedral in the very early morning (around 4 o'clock or so). I think it it very suspicious.

Unfortunately, Japan is not the only one country in East Asia where people have no chance to attend the Tridentine Mass. Even after the issue of "SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM", Both Korea and Taiwan had no church nor group for this purpose. Only Hong Kong has a group since 2001.

Tridentine Latin Mass Association Of Hong Kong Diocese
http://tridentine.catholic.org.hk/

Let us pray to Our Lady so that the Lord speed the day that people can attend the true traditional Mass.