LIFE, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CHOICE ..RESPECT AND WELCOME FOR HUMAN LIFE ... another Image of God!
Pray The Rosary of the Unborn to help wipe out abortion. Get your rosary today from: http:// www.rosaryoftheunborn.com
http://www.gospeloflove.catholicweb.com
Spiritual Reflections at, TX US - POPE BENEDICT OPENS DOORS TO ANGLICAN CONGREGATIONS
| POPE BENEDICT OPENS DOORS TO ANGLICAN CONGREGATIONS |
NOTE ON CELIBACY FOR ANGLICANS ENTERING CATHOLIC CHURCH VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has sent a telegram to Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq, for the death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Iraq, who was kidnapped on 29 February. In his telegram the Pope expresses his closeness "to the Chaldean Church and to the entire Christian community", reaffirming his "condemnation for an act of inhuman violence which offends the dignity of human beings and seriously damages the cause of the fraternal coexistence of the beloved Iraqi people". Benedict XVI gives assurances of his prayers for the archbishop "who was kidnapped just after he had completed the Way of the Cross" and invokes the Lord's mercy "that this tragic event may serve to build a future of peace in the martyred land of Iraq". Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. also released the following declaration today: "We had all continued to hope and pray for his release, something the Pope had requested on a number of occasions in his appeals. "Unfortunately the most senseless and unjustified violence continues to be inflicted on the Iraqi people, and especially on the small Christian community to which the Pope and all of us are particularly close in prayer and solidarity at this moment of great suffering. "It is to be hoped that this tragic event may once more - and more powerfully - underline the responsibility of everyone, and especially of the international community, for the pacification of so troubled a country". OP/DEATH ARCHBISHOP MOSSUL/LOMBARDI VIS 080313 (270) VATICAN CITY, 5 MAR 2008 (VIS) - St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church, was the subject of Benedict XVI's catechesis during this morning's general audience. The Holy Father greeted pilgrims gathered in the Vatican Basilica before going on to the Paul VI Hall where more than six thousand people were waiting to hear him speak. St. Leo the Great, "as implied by the epithet tradition soon accorded to him", was one of the greatest incumbents of the See of Rome, the authority and prestige of which he strengthened. "He is also the earliest Pope whose sermons have come down to us, sermons he would address to the people who gathered around him during celebrations", said the Pope "It is natural we should think of him also in the context of these Wednesday general audiences, which have over recent decades become a customary way for the Bishop of Rome to meet with the faithful and with many visitors from all over the world". St. Leo the Great was elected as Pope in the year 440. His pontificate lasted more than two decades and included "difficult times" during which "repeated barbarian invasions, the progressive weakening of imperial authority in the West and a lengthy social crisis forced the Bishop of Rome ... to take on an important role also in civil and political affairs", said Pope Benedict. For example, in 452 Leo the Great met with Attila the Hun in Mantua to dissuade him from continuing the invasion which had devastated parts of northern Italy. In 455 he similarly sought to dissuade Genseric the Vandal and, though he did not prevent him invading and sacking Rome, he did convince him not to raze the city and to respect the basilicas of St. Peter's, St. John Lateran and St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, where part of the population had taken refuge. In his numerous sermons and letters, St. Leo appears to us "in all his greatness, dedicated to the service of truth in charity through the assiduous exercise of the word which reveals him, at one and the same time, as theologian and pastor. ... Constantly concerned for his faithful and for the people of Rome, but also for communion between the various Churches and for their needs, he tirelessly supported and promoted Roman primacy". The Holy Father explained how during Leo's pontificate the Council of Chalcedon took place, "the most important assembly in the history of the Church up to that time", which "affirmed the union in the one Person, without confusion and without separation, of the two natures, human and divine". "It is clear", Benedict XVI went on, "that this Pope felt particularly acutely his responsibility as Peter's Successor, whose role in the Church is unique because 'just one Apostle is entrusted with what is communicated to all the Apostles'". Leo the Great "showed himself capable of exercising this responsibility in both West and East, intervening prudently, firmly and coherently in various circumstances, both through his writings and by his legates. Thus he showed how the exercise of Roman primacy was necessary then, as it is now, as an effective service to communion, which is a characteristic of the one Church of Christ. "Conscious of the historical moment in which he lived and of the move that was taking place - in a period of profound crisis - from a pagan to a Christian Rome, Leo the Great remained close to the people and to the faithful with pastoral activity and prayer". He also "related the liturgy to the daily life of Christians", showing how "Christian liturgy is not a recollection of past events but the realisation of invisible truths that act upon the life of each individual". AG/LEO THE GREAT/... VIS 080305 (630) SEMINAR OF CATHOLIC-MUSLIM FORUM TO BE HELD IN NOVEMBER VATICAN CITY, 5 MAR 2008 (VIS) - In the light of the open letter "A Common Word" signed by 138 Muslim scholars, and of Benedict XVI's response through Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., a delegation of five signatories of that letter met with five representatives of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue in the Vatican on 4 and 5 March. A communique made public today and signed by the heads of the two delegations, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad, states that, "in order to further develop Catholic-Muslim dialogue, the participants agreed to establish the 'Catholic-Muslim Forum' and to organise the first seminar of the forum in Rome from 4 to 6 November 2008". That meeting will be attended by 24 religious leaders and scholars from each side. The theme will be "Love of God, Love of Neighbour" and the sub-themes "Theological and Spiritual Foundations" and "Human Dignity and Mutual Respect". The seminar will conclude with a public session on 6 November and the participants will be received by Pope Benedict XVI. The participants in this month's meeting were, on the Catholic side, Cardinal Tauran, Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata and Msgr. Khaled Akasheh, respectively president, secretary and head officer for Islam of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue; Fr. Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot M.C.C.J., president of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies; and Fr. Christian W. Troll S.J., visiting professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University. On the Muslim side, the meeting was attended by Sheikh Murad, president of the Muslim Academic Trust, UK; Professor Aref Ali Nayed director of the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, Amman, Jordan; Dr. Ibrahim Kalin of the SETA Foundation, Ankara, Turkey; Imam Yahya Pallavicini, vice-president of CO.RE.IS. (Comunità Religiosa Islamica), Italy; and Sohail Nakhooda, editor-in-chief of "Islamica" Magazine, Amman, Jordan. CON-DIR/CATHOLIC MUSLIM MEETING/TAURAN VIS 080305 (320) HOLY FATHER TO CANONISE FOUR BLESSEDS ON 12 OCTOBER VATICAN CITY, 1 MAR 2008 (VIS) - During the ordinary public consistory held this morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI declared that the following Blesseds will be canonised in a ceremony to be held on Sunday 12 October: Gaetano Errico, Maria Bernarda Butler (nee Verena), Alfonsa of the Immaculate Conception (nee: Anna Muttathupandathu), and Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran. A number of cardinals then expressed to the Pope their desire to pass from the order of deacons to the order of priests. The College of Cardinals is divided into three orders: of bishops, of priests and of deacons. Cardinals in the order of bishops are each assigned one of the seven suburbicarian churches or suffragan dioceses (Ostia, Albano, Frascati, Palestrina, Porto-Santa Rufina, Sabina-Poggio Mirteto, Velletri); cardinal patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches are also members of the order of bishops. Cardinals of the order of priests receive a title or church within the city of Rome; the order of priests includes cardinal diocesan archbishops and bishops, as well as others. The order of deacons includes cardinals who are not diocesan bishops. At the request of Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, the diaconate of San Saba has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal. At the request of Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, the diaconate of the Most Holy Name of Mary at the Forum of Trajan has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal. At the request of Cardinal Lorenzo Antonetti, the diaconate of St. Agnes in Agone has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal. At his request, Cardinal James Francis Stafford has relinquished the diaconate of Jesus the Good Shepherd at Montagnola and been assigned the presbyteral title of San Pietro in Montorio. At the request of Cardinal Giovanni Cheli, the diaconate of Sts. Cosmas and Damian has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal. Finally, in the wake of Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos' move to the order of priests, the Holy Father confirmed Cardinal Agostino Caccavillan, deacon of Holy Guardian Angels at Citta Giardino, in the office of proto-deacon. OCL/ORDINARY PUBLIC CONSISTORY/... VIS 080303 (380) YOUNG PEOPLE: WITNESSES TO THE GOSPEL, BUILDERS OF PEACE VATICAN CITY, 1 MAR 2008 (VIS) - A prayer vigil was held in the Paul VI Hall at 5 p.m. today for the occasion of the sixth European Day for Universities. The initiative has been being promoted by the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE) and the vicariate of Rome's office for pastoral care in universities on the theme: "Europe and the Americas together to build a civilisation of love". During the gathering there were satellite linkups with university students in the cities of Naples, Italy; Bucharest, Romania; Toledo, Spain; Avignon, France; Minsk, Belarus; Washington DC, U.S.A.; Mexico City, Mexico; Havana, Cuba, Aparecida, Brazil, and Loja, Ecuador. At 6 p.m. the Holy Father arrived to pray the Rosary. He then extended greetings in various languages, both to the young people present in the Paul VI Hall and to those following events from the European and American cities. "Christianity", said the Pope, "is a profound and powerful link between the so-called old continent and what has been called the 'new world'". In this context he recalled "the fundamental position that Holy Scripture and Christian liturgy occupy in the culture and art of European and American peoples. "Unfortunately", he added, "so-called 'western civilisation' has also partly betrayed its Gospel inspiration. What is needed, then, is an honest and sincere reflection, an examination of conscience. It is necessary to discern between what serves to build the 'civilisation of love' according to the design that God revealed in Jesus Christ, and what runs counter to it". Addressing young Europeans and Americans, Benedict XVI said: "God calls you to co-operate, alongside your peers all over the world, so that the lifeblood of the Gospel may renew the civilisation of these two continents and of humanity entire. "The great European and American cities are becoming more and more cosmopolitan, but they often lack this lifeblood, which is capable of ensuring that differences do not become the cause of division and conflict but of mutual enrichment. "The civilisation of love", said the Pope, "is 'conviviality', in other words a respectful and peaceful coexistence that finds joy in its differences in the name of a shared vision which the Blessed Pope John XXIII founded on the four columns of love, truth, freedom and justice". He went on: "This, dear friends, is the duty I consign to you today: be disciples of and witnesses to the Gospel, because the Gospel is the good seed of the Kingdom of God, in other words the civilisation of love! Be builders of peace and of unity!" The Holy Father concluded his remarks by identifying one "sign of this Catholic unity" in the initiative of giving each of the students present a CD copy of his recent Encyclical "Spe salvi" in five languages. AC/EUROPEAN DAY UNIVERSITIES/... VIS 080303 (480) IN HEALING MAN JESUS ACHIEVES A NEW CREATION VATICAN CITY, 2 MAR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter's Square. The Sunday liturgies of Lent, the Pope remarked "take us on a true Baptismal journey". If last Sunday Jesus promised the Samaritan woman the gift of "living water", today with the healing of the blind man He shows Himself as "light of the world" and next Sunday, with the raising of Lazarus, as "the resurrection and the life". He continued: "Water, light and life are symbols of Baptism, the Sacrament that 'immerses' believers in the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ, freeing them from the slavery of sin and giving them eternal life". The Pope noted how in today's Gospel reading the disciples, in keeping with the mentality of the time, believe the man is blind as a consequence of his sins or those of his parents, but "Jesus rejects this prejudice" and His words enable us to hear "the living voice of God, which is wise and providential Love". The Holy Father explained: "Faced with a man debilitated by his limitations and his suffering, Jesus does not think of any possible sins but of the will of God Who created the man for life. ... He enters into immediate action: mixing dust with His own saliva to make mud which He spreads over the blind man's eyes. This gesture alludes to the creation of man, which the Bible recounts with the symbol of dust moulded and animated with the breath of God". "In healing man, Jesus achieves a new creation. But that episode of healing gives rise to animated discussion because Jesus performs it on the Sabbath and thus, according to the Pharisees, breaks the precept of the feast day. Thus, at the end of the narrative, Jesus and the blind man both find themselves 'driven out' by the Pharisees: the One because He violated the law, the other because, despite the cure, he was still branded as a sinner since birth". "To the blind man Jesus reveals that He has come into the world for judgement, to separate the curable blind from those who will not let themselves be healed because they believe they are healthy. Indeed, in man there is a strong temptation to build a system of ideological security, even religion itself can become an element of this system, as can atheism or laicism, but by doing so he remains blinded by his own selfishness". The Holy Father concluded his remarks: "Let us allow ourselves to be healed by Jesus Who can and wants to give us the light of God! Let us confess our blindness, our short-sightedness and, especially, what the Bible calls the 'great sin': pride". NG/LENT BAPTISM/... VIS 080303 (480) PAPAL APPEALS FOR IRAQ, HOLY LAND AND CHILDHOOD VATICAN CITY, 2 MAR 2008 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus today, Benedict XVI launched an appeal for the release of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Iraq, who was kidnapped last Friday. "I join the appeal made by the patriarch, Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, and his collaborators", said the Pope, "that the beloved prelate, who is also in delicate health, may be promptly released. At the same time I raise a pray for the souls of the three young men who were with him at the moment of his kidnapping and were killed. Furthermore, I express my closeness to all the Church in Iraq and in particular to the Chaldean Church, which has suffered another serious blow, as I encourage pastors and faithful to remain strong and firm in hope. May those who control the destiny of the beloved people of Iraq increase their efforts ... to ensure that [Iraqis] may rediscover peace and security and not be denied the future to which they have the right". The Pope then went on to recall how over the last few days "tension between Israel and the Gaza Strip has reached very serious levels. "I renew my urgent appeal to the authorities, both Israeli and Palestinian, to stop this spiral of violence, unilaterally and unconditionally. Only by showing absolute respect for human life, even that of the enemy, can we hope to give a future of peace and coexistence to the young generations of those peoples who both have their roots in that Holy Land. I invite the entire Church to raise prayers to the Almighty for peace in the land of Jesus and to show attentive and effective solidarity to both peoples, Israeli and Palestinian". Finally, the Holy Father referred to the recent discovery of the corpses of two young Italian brothers who disappeared from their home more than a year ago. "A very sad end", he said, "that affected me deeply as it did many people. I wish to take this opportunity to launch a cry in support of childhood: Let us look after our little ones! We must love them and help them to grow. I say this to parents, but also to institutions. In launching this appeal, my thoughts go to children all over the world, and especially to the most defenceless, exploited and abused. I entrust each child to the heart of Jesus Who said: 'Let the little children come to me'". ANG/IRAQ HOLY LAND CHILDHOOD/... CARDINAL BERTONE POSTPONES ARMENIA VISIT VATICAN CITY, 2 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today released a communique announcing that Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. has postponed his visit to Armenia, which was scheduled to have taken place from 2 to 6 March. "Considering the situation that has arisen in Armenia following protests there and the state of emergency declared by the government, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., secretary of State, will not travel to Yerevan today as had been planned. "The visit, still not cancelled, may take place over coming days with a different programme. His visit to Azerbaijan remains unchanged". OP/POSTPONEMENT ARMENIA TRIP/BERTONE SALESIAN GENERAL CHAPTER: UNITY OF SPIRITUAL LIFE VATICAN CITY, 3 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Pope to Fr. Pascual Chavez Villanueva, rector major of the Salesians, and to participants in the 26th general chapter of the congregation which begins today in Rome. In his Message, dated 1 March, the Holy Father writes that the theme chosen for this general chapter - "Da mihi animas, cetera tolle" (Give me souls, take away all else) - expresses "that same programme of spiritual and apostolic life which Don Bosco made his own". "It is vitally important for the Salesians to draw continual inspiration from Don Bosco, to know him, study him, love him, imitate him, invoke him and make their own that apostolic passion which flows from the heart of Christ". The theme to be studied over coming days "expresses in synthesis the mysticism and asceticism of Salesians" writes the Pope, indicating that "it is necessary to overcome the dispersive effects of activism and to cultivate the unity of spiritual life by acquiring a profound mysticism and a solid asceticism. This nourishes apostolic commitment and is a guarantee of effectiveness in pastoral activity. It is in this that each Salesian's path to sanctity must consist, and on this that the formation of new vocations to Salesian consecrated life must concentrate". The Holy Father expresses the view that "evangelisation must be the principal and priority frontier" in the Salesian mission. "In pluri-religious settings and in secularised ones, it is necessary to find new ways to make the figure of Jesus known, especially to the young, so they may become aware of His perennial attraction". "It is important to help young people to turn their interior resources to account as dynamism and positive desire; to bring them into contact with ideas rich in humanity and evangelical values; to encourage them to become active members of society through work and participation in the common good". Benedict XVI thanks the congregation "for the research and educational activities of the Pontifical Salesian University". Going on to refer to the "educational emergency" that exists in many parts of the world, he writes: "The Church needs the contribution of scholars to study the methodology of educational and formative processes, the evangelisation of the young and their moral education, together finding answers to the challenges of post-modernity and inter-culturality, and of social communications, while at the same time seeking to come to the help of families". In this context, the Pope affirms that "education is one of the key points of the modern anthropological problem, to the solution of which I am sure that the Pontifical Salesian University will not fail to make a precious contribution". At the end of the Message, Benedict XVUI recalls that 2015 will mark the bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco, and expresses the hope that the anniversary may stimulate Salesians "to be ever more 'credible signs of God's love for the young', and to ensure that the young truly do become the hope of the Church and society". MESS/SALESIAN GENERAL CHAPTER/CHAVEZ VIS 080303 VATICAN CITY, 27 FEB 2008 (VIS) - In his general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope concluded his series of catecheses on the figure of St. Augustine. Before the audience, the Holy Father went to the Vatican Basilica to greet pilgrims who had been unable to find a place in the hall. VATICAN CITY, 23 FEB 2008 (VIS) - In a ceremony held in St. Peter's Square at midday today, Benedict XVI symbolically presented families, teachers and young people with the letter he wrote on 21 January to the diocese and city of Rome concerning the vital importance of education. In his remarks the Holy Father recalled how "education has never been easy, and today it seems to be becoming more difficult than ever". This means that a lot of parents and teachers "renounce their duty and do not even manage to understand the true nature of the mission entrusted to them. There are, in fact, too may uncertainties, too many doubts circulating in our society and in our culture, too many distorted images propagated by the social communications media". Nonetheless, he continued, "we feel supported by a great hope, a deep trust" that "also in our own time it is possible to educate in goodness, ... and each person is called to make his or her own contribution". Addressing parents, teachers, priests and catechists, Benedict XVI encouraged them "joyfully to shoulder the responsibility with which the Lord entrusts you, so that the great heritage of faith and culture - which is the most authentic treasure of this our beloved city - may not be lost in the passage from one generation to another, but rather be renewed and strengthened, and become a guide and a stimulus on our journey towards the future". The Pope called on parents to remain firm in their love for one another and to show "a coherent witness of life" in order to help new generations "clearly to distinguish good from evil and, in their turn, to build solid rules for life that may support them through future trials. Thus you will make your children rich with that most precious and lasting inheritance which consists in the example of the daily practice of faith". "Your task", the Holy Father told teachers, cannot "be limited to supplying notions and information while ignoring the great question of truth, especially of the truth that can be a guide in life. ... In close association with parents, you are entrusted with the noble art of forming the individual". Pope Benedict then encouraged priests, religious and catechists of Roman parishes "to be trustworthy friends in whom [children and young people] can reach out and touch Jesus' friendship with them. At the same time, be sincere and courageous witnesses of the truth that makes people free and that shows the new generations the way that leads to life". Pointing out how education is not just the responsibility of educators, Benedict XVI reminded children and young people that they too are called "to be participants in your own moral, cultural and spiritual development. It is up to you, then, freely to welcome in your hearts, minds and lives the heritage of truth, goodness and beauty that has accumulated over the centuries and that has its cornerstone in Jesus Christ. "It is up to you to renew and develop this heritage, freeing it from the many lies and distortions that often make it unrecognisable and provoke diffidence and disillusionment in you". On this difficult journey, he concluded, "you are never alone. Not only are your parents, teachers, priests and friends near you, ... but above all that God Who created us and Who is the secret guest of our hearts. ... He is the true hope and the solid foundation of our lives. To Him, most of all, can we entrust ourselves". AC/EDUCATION/DIOCESE EVERYONE HAS AN INBORN NEED OF GOD VATICAN CITY, 24 FEB 2008 (VIS) - This morning the Pope visited the Roman parish of Santa Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio, where he celebrated Mass. Referring to the Old Testament reading on the journey through the desert, the Holy Father noted how "the people, rather than abandoning themselves faithfully into His hands, insisted that God meet their expectations and requirements and, in the moment of trial, lost trust in Him. "How often does this happen in out lives", he added. "In how many circumstances, rather than meekly conforming ourselves to divine will, would we like God to accomplish all our designs and fulfil all our expectations. In how many occasions does our faith appear fragile, our trust weak, our religiosity contaminated by magical elements of merely earthly origin?" In this period of Lent in which the Church invites us "to true conversion, let us humbly and obediently welcome the warning of the responsorial Psalm: 'O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts'". Turning then to consider the Gospel account of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar, Benedict XVI highlighted how at a certain point the woman asked Jesus for water, "thus showing how everyone has an inborn need of God and of the salvation that only He can achieve". This Sunday's liturgy, said the Pope, encourages us "to re-examine our relationship with Jesus, to seek His face tirelessly. This is indispensable so that you, dear friends, may continue - in a new cultural and social context - the work of evangelisation and of human and Christian education that has been carried out in this parish for more than a century". "Open your hearts to that pastoral missionary activity which encourages each Christian to go out and meet people - in particular young people and families - in the places where they live, work and spend their free time, in order to announce to them God's merciful love. ... I encourage you to persevere in you commitment to education, which is the typical charism of all Salesian parishes". In a meeting held following Mass, the Pope again evoked the episode of the Samaritan woman. She, he said "may appear representative of modern mankind, of modern life. She had had five husbands and lived with another man. She made copious use of her freedom but did not become freer, rather she became emptier. But we also see that this woman had a burning desire to discover true happiness, true joy. In this context, the Pope encouraged the faithful "to continue your pastoral and missionary commitment, your dynamism, to help people today discover true freedom and true joy". At the end of the visit, one of the parishioners read out a Roman dialect poem in honour of the Pope. "Unfortunately", the Holy Father replied, "I do not speak the Roman dialect, but as Catholics we are all a little Roman, we carry r HML/.../SANTA MARIA LIBERATRICE OPENING THE HEART TO THE WORD OF GOD VATICAN CITY, 24 FEB 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square, to pray the Angelus with thousands of faithful gathered below. On this third Sunday of Lent, said the Holy Father, "the liturgy presents us with one of the most beautiful and profound texts of the Bible: the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman". "Jesus spoke of 'living water' capable of quenching thirst and of becoming, in her, a spring 'gushing up to eternal life'. He also showed that He knew details of her personal life and revealed that the hour had come to worship the one true God in spirit and in truth. Finally - something very rare - He confided to her that He was the Messiah". "The theme of thirst runs throughout the Gospel of John", said the Pope, "from the meeting with the Samaritan woman to the great prophecy during the Festival of Booths, and even unto the Cross when, in order to fulfil Scripture, Jesus said before dying 'I am thirsty'. ... Yes, God thirsts for our faith and our love. Like a good and merciful father He desires all possible good for us, and this good is He Himself. "The woman of THE POPE CONDEMNS ALL FORMS OF DIRECT EUTHANASIA "Death", said the Pope, "concludes the experience of earthly life, but through death there opens for each of us, beyond time, the full and definitive life. ... For the community of believers, this encounter between the dying person and the Source of Life and Love represents a gift that has a universal value, that enriches the communion of the faithful". In this context, he highlighted how all the community should participate alongside close relatives in the last moments of a person's life. "No believer", he said, "should die alone and abandoned". All society "is called to respect the life and dignity of the seriously ill and the dying", said the Holy Father. "Though aware of the fact that 'it is not science that redeems man', all society, and in particular the sectors associated with medical science, are duty bound to express the solidarity of love, and to safeguard and respect human life in every moment of its earthly development, especially when it is ill or in its terminal stages. "In more concrete terms", he added, "this means ensuring that every person in need finds the necessary support through appropriate treatments and medical procedures - identified and administered using criteria of therapeutic proportionality - while bearing in mind the moral duty to administer (on the part of doctors) and to accept (on the part of patients) those means for preserving life which, in a particular situation, may be considered as 'ordinary'". As for forms of treatment "with significant levels of risk or that may reasonably be judged to be 'extraordinary', recourse thereto may be considered as morally acceptable, but optional. Furthermore, it will always be necessary to ensure that everyone has the treatment they require, and that families tried by the sickness of one of their members receive support, especially if the sickness is serious or prolonged". Just as when a child is born family members have specific rights to take time off work, said the Pope, in the same way "similar rights must be recognised" to the relatives of the terminally ill. "A greater respect for individual human life inevitably comes through the concrete solidarity of each and all, and constitutes one of the most pressing challenges of our times". After noting how it is becoming ever more common for elderly people in large cities to be alone "even in moments of serious illness and when approaching death", the Holy Father noted that such situations increase pressures towards euthanasia, "especially when a utilitarian view of people has become established". In this context, he once again recalled "the firm and constant ethical condemnation of all forms of direct euthanasia, in keeping with the centuries-long teaching of the Church". "The synergetic efforts of civil society and of the community of believers must ensure not only that everyone is able to live in a dignified and responsible way, but also that they can face moments of trial and of death in the finest condition of fraternity and solidarity, even where death comes in a poor family or a hospital bed". Society, said the Holy Father must "ensure due support to families who undertake to care in the home, sometimes for long periods, sick members who are afflicted with degenerative conditions, ... or who need particularly costly assistance. ... It is above all in this field that synergy between the Church and the institutions can prove particularly important in ensuring the necessary help for human life in moments of frailty". AC/.../PONTIFICAL ACADEMY FOR LIFE GREEK-CATHOLIC UKRAINIANS, FIRST AD LIMINA VISIT IN 70 YEARS The Pope expressed his joy at having the opportunity to welcome the bishops, who had thus far been prevented by "serious and objective reasons" from making this joint pilgrimage to the Holy See. "Now that your Churches have rediscovered their complete freedom", he said, "you are here to represent your communities, reborn and vibrant in the faith, which have never ceased to feel their full communion with Peter's Successor. You are welcome, dear brothers, in this house in which intense and incessant prayers have always been said for the beloved Greek-Catholic Church of Ukraine". Referring to the bishops' reports on the situation in their country, the Holy Father indicated how he had noted with interest their commitment "to constantly promote, consolidate and verify unity and collaboration within your communities, so as to be able to meet the challenges that face you as pastors and that are the focus of your concerns and your pastoral programmes". Benedict XVI praised the prelates' "generous efforts and tireless testimony" in their dealings "with your people and the Church", reminding them that in their missionary and pastoral duties "priests are of indispensable assistance". Hence, the Pope invited the bishops to ensure that priests, "in the various initiatives of 'aggiornamento', do not follow the novelties of the world but present society with the responses that only Christ can give to the hopes for justice and peace in the human heart". The Holy Father also stressed the importance of making increased efforts to provide priests with courses of spiritual exercises, formation and theological and pastoral renewal, "if possible also in collaboration with the Latin episcopate, each respecting its own traditions. It cannot be denied that such collaboration between the two rites would lead to greater harmony of heart among those who serve the one Church. "I am certain that, with such an inward attitude, any misunderstandings will be more easily resolved, in the awareness that both rites belong to the one Catholic community and that both have full and equal citizenship in the one Ukrainian people", he added. In this context, the Pope recommended that the Greek-rite prelates "meet regularly, for example one a year, with the Latin bishops". The Holy Father then went on to consider the difficulties faced by Ukrainian bishops "as regards the responsible obedience of male and female religious, and their co-operation in the needs of the Church. With the magnanimity of pastors and the patience of fathers, exhort these brothers and sisters tirelessly to defend the 'non-secular' nature of their vocation" and "faithfully to observe their vows ... so they can provide the Church with the particular testimony that is asked of them". On the subject of ecumenism, the Pope recognised that "real and objective obstacles persist. However", he said, "it is important not to lose heart in the face of the difficulties, but to continue along the journey that began with prayer and patient charity". He also noted how, "for centuries in CONGRESS FOR TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY "MULIERIS DIGNITATEM" VATICAN CITY, 1 FEB 2008 (VIS) - For the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of John Paul II's Apostolic Letter on the dignity and vocation of women "Mulieris dignitatem", the Pontifical Council for the Laity has organised an international congress, to be held in Rome from 7 to 9 February, on the theme: " Woman and man, the ' humanum ' in its entirety". Over its three days the congress will examine such questions as: maternity, paternity and the importance of these two dimensions within the family and in the various areas of social life; the balance between family life and work; and the need for a greater presence of women in public life and in the assumption of ecclesial and civil responsibilities. The main objectives of the congress are to review the progress made over the past 20 years in the field of the advancement of women and the recognition of their dignity; to open up a reflection in the light of revelation on the new cultural paradigms and on the difficulties faced by Catholic women in living according to their identity and in collaborating in fruitful reciprocity with men in building up the Church and society; to remind women of the beauty of the vocation to holiness, encouraging them to respond to it with increasing awareness and, as players in the mission of the Church, to place at the service of the apostolate, family, workplace and culture, all the richness of the feminine "genius". CON-L/CONGRESS WOMEN/... VATICAN CITY, 27 JAN 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square, to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered below. The Holy Father then went on to point out that Jesus began to preach in "In Jesus' day the term 'gospel' was used by Roman emperors for their proclamations, Whatever the contents, these were defined as 'good news', in other words as announcements of salvation, because the emperor was considered to be lord of the world and all his edicts as harbingers of good. Thus, applying this word to Jesus' preaching had a strong critical significance as if to say: God, not the emperor, is the Lord of the world and the true Gospel is that of Christ. WORKING FOR PEACE AND REMEMBERING LEPROSY SUFFERERS VATICAN CITY, 27 JAN 2008 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus today, the Pope addressed a special greeting to children from Catholic Action who had come to St. Peter's Square in the company of their parents and educators on a traditional annual visit marking the closure of their "month of peace". VATICAN CITY, 25 JAN 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was a communique concerning the sixth meeting of the Eleventh Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. The meeting, held on 21 and 22 January, was part of preparations for the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod, due to take place from 5 to 26 October on the theme: "The Word of God in the Life and the LETTER FROM THE POPE ON VITAL IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION During last Sunday's Angelus, for the occasion of the Day of Catholic Schools which the diocese of Rome was celebrating that day, the Holy Father had encouraged administrators, teachers, parents and pupils of Catholic schools, despite the difficulties they face, to continue their work "which has the Gospel as its focus, following an educational syllabus that aims at the integral formation of the human person". In his Letter, which is dated 21 January, Benedict XVI notes that education today "seems to be becoming ever more difficult. ... Hence there is talk of an 'educational emergency', confirmed by the failures which too often crown our efforts to form well-rounded individuals, capable of collaborating with others and of giving meaning to their lives". There is also talk of a 'break between the generations', which certainly exists and is a burden, but is the effect rather than the cause of the failure to transmit certainties and values". The Holy Father notes that parents and teachers may feel the "temptation to give up" on education, and even run the risk "of not understanding what their role is", and he identifies "a mentality and a form of culture that lead people to doubt the value of the human person, the meaning of truth and of good and, in the final analysis, the goodness of life itself". Faced with such difficulties, "which are not insurmountable", the Pope says: "Do not be afraid! ... Event the greatest values of the past cannot simply be inherited, we must make them our own and renew them through often-difficult personal choices. "However", he adds, "when the foundations are shaken and essential certainties disappear, the need for those values returns to make itself imposingly felt. Thus we see today an increasing demand for real education". It is demanded by parents, by teachers, "by society as a whole, ... and by the young people themselves who do not want to be left to face the challenges of life alone". The Holy Father writes of the need "to identify certain common requirements for authentic education", noting that "it requires, above all, the nearness and trust that are born of love". "It would, then, be a poor education that limited itself to imparting notions and information while ignoring the great question of truth, above all of that truth which can be a guide to life". The Pope identifies "the most delicate aspect of education" as that of "finding the right balance between freedom and discipline". However, he affirms, "the educational relationship is above all an encounter between two freedoms, and successful education is formation in the correct use of freedom. ...We must, then, accept the risk of freedom, remaining ever attentive to helping it and to correcting mistaken ideas and choices". "Education cannot forgo that authoritative prestige which makes the exercise of authority credible" writes the Holy Father, adding that this is "acquired above all by the coherence of one's own life". He also highlights the decisive importance of a sense of responsibility. "Responsibility is first of all personal but there also exists a responsibility we share together", he says. In this context, Benedict XVI observes that "the overall trends of the society in which we live, and the image it gives of itself through the communications media, exercise a great influence on the formation of new generations, for good but also often for evil. Society", he adds, "is not an abstract concept, in the final analysis it is we ourselves". In closing, the Holy Father refers to hope, the subject of his last Encyclical, as the "soul of education", indicating that "our hope today is threatened from many sides and we too, like the ancient pagans, risk becoming men without 'hope and without God in the world'". "At the root of the crisis of education lies a crisis of trust in life," he concludes. "Hope directed towards God is never hope for me alone, it is always also hope for others. it does not isolate us but unites us in goodness, stimulating us to educate one another in truth and in love". BXVI-LETTER/EDUCATION/... ASK GOD FOR UNITY AMONG ALL CHRIST'S DISCIPLES VATICAN CITY, 16 JAN 2008 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father recalled that the day after tomorrow, 18 January, marks the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the theme of which this year is St. Paul's invitation to the Thessalonians: "Pray without ceasing". MARRIAGE : A PRECIOUS TREASURE TO BE GUARDED AT ALL COSTS
VATICAN CITY, 31 OCT 2009 (VIS)
Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. today released the following English-language declaration concerning speculations about the celibacy issue in the forthcoming Apostolic Constitution regarding personal ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with the Catholic Church.
There has been widespread speculation, based on supposedly knowledgeable remarks by an Italian correspondent Andrea Tornielli, that the delay in publication of the Apostolic Constitution regarding Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with the Catholic Church, announced on 20 October 2009 by Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is due to more than 'technical' reasons. According to this speculation, there is a serious substantial issue at the basis of the delay, namely, disagreement about whether celibacy will be the norm for the future clergy of the provision.
Cardinal Levada offered the following comments on this speculation: "Had I been asked I would happily have clarified any doubt about my remarks at the press conference. There is no substance to such speculation. No one at the Vatican has mentioned any such issue to me. The delay is purely technical in the sense of ensuring consistency in canonical language and references. The translation issues are secondary; the decision to delay publication in order to wait for the 'official' Latin text to be published in 'Acta Apostolicae Sedis' was made some time ago.
"The drafts prepared by the working group, and submitted for study and approval through the usual process followed by the Congregation, have all included the following statement, currently Article VI of the Constitution:
"1. Those who ministered as Anglican deacons, priests, or bishops, and who fulfil the requisites established by canon law and are not impeded by irregularities or other impediments may be accepted by the Ordinary as candidates for Holy Orders in the Catholic Church. In the case of married ministers, the norms established in the Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul VI 'Sacerdotalis coelibatus', n. 42 and in the Statement "In June" are to be observed. Unmarried ministers must submit to the norm of clerical celibacy of canon 277, para 1 of the Code of Canon Law.
"2. The Ordinary, in full observance of the discipline of celibate clergy in the Latin Church, as a rule ('pro regula') will admit only celibate men to the order of presbyter. He may also petition the Roman Pontiff, as a derogation from canon 277, para 1, for the admission of married men to the order of presbyter on a case by case basis, according to objective criteria approved by the Holy See.
"This article is to be understood as consistent with the current practice of the Church, in which married former Anglican ministers may be admitted to priestly ministry in the Catholic Church on a case by case basis. With regard to future seminarians, it was considered purely speculative whether there might be some cases in which a dispensation from the celibacy rule might be petitioned. For this reason, objective criteria about any such possibilities (e.g. married seminarians already in preparation) are to be developed jointly by the Personal Ordinariate and the Episcopal Conference, and submitted for approval of the Holy See".
Cardinal Levada said he anticipates the technical work on the Constitution and Norms will be completed by the end of the first week of November.
OP/CELIBACY ANGLICANS/LOMBARDI:LEVADA VIS 091103 (570)
Anglicans entering Catholic Church
In a meeting with journalists held this morning in the Holy See Press Office Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia O.P., secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, presented a note on a new measure concerning "Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church".
Commenting on the English-language note, which has been published by his dicastery, Cardinal Levada explained how, "with the preparation of an Apostolic Constitution, the Catholic Church is responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion.
"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. Under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, pastoral oversight and guidance will be provided for groups of former Anglicans through a Personal Ordinariate, whose Ordinary will usually be appointed from among former Anglican clergy.
"The forthcoming Apostolic Constitution provides a reasonable and even necessary response to a worldwide phenomenon, by offering a single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application. It provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy. Historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Constitution therefore stipulates that the Ordinary can be either a priest or an unmarried bishop. The seminarians in the Ordinariate are to be prepared alongside other Catholic seminarians, though the Ordinariate may establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony".
"The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church, particularly through the efforts of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The initiative has come from a number of different groups of Anglicans" who, said Cardinal Levada, "have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church. For them, the time has come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion".
The cardinal further indicated that "it is the hope of the Holy Father Benedict XVI that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith. Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: 'There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism'.
"Our communion", the cardinal added in conclusion, "is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith".
In a joint declaration on the same subject, Catholic Archbishop Vincent Gerard Nichols of Westminster and Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury affirm that the announcement of the Apostolic Constitution "brings to an end a period of uncertainty for such groups who have nurtured hopes of new ways of embracing unity with the Catholic Church. It will now be up to those who have made requests to the Holy See to respond to the Apostolic Constitution", which is a "consequence of ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.
"The on-going official dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion provides the basis for our continuing co-operation", the declaration adds. "The Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) agreements make clear the path we will follow together.
"With God's grace and prayer we are determined that our on-going mutual commitment and consultation on these and other matters should continue to be strengthened. Locally, in the spirit of IARCCUM, we look forward to building on the pattern of shared meetings between the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales and the Church of England's House of Bishops with a focus on our common mission".
CDF/ANGLICANS CATHOLICS/LEVADA VIS 091020 (820)
EUROPE MUST KEEP ITS CHRISTIAN HERITAGE ALIVE
VATICAN CITY, 26 SEP 2009 (VIS) - At 4.30 p.m. today Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, greeted the Holy Father at Prague Castle. The castle dates from the ninth century and has been the seat of Holy Roman emperors, kings and governors. Since 1918 it has been a fortified citadel enclosing various monuments and museums. It is the seat of the president of the Republic and is the cultural and historical symbol par excellence of Bohemia.
Benedict XVI had a private meeting with President Klaus before going on to meet with Jan Fischer, prime minister of the Czech Republic, and with Premysl Sobotka and Miloslav Vlcek, presidents, respectively, of the senate and of the chamber of deputies. Subsequently, accompanied by President Klaus and his wife, the Pope visited the Spanish Hall for a brief concert by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, after which he met the country's political and administrative authorities, the diplomatic corps, university rectors and various representatives from the civil, business and cultural worlds of the Czech Republic.
In his address to them the Holy Father mentioned the fact that his visit "coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the totalitarian regimes in Central and Eastern Europe, and the 'Velvet Revolution' which restored democracy to this nation. The euphoria that ensued was expressed in terms of freedom. Two decades after the profound political changes which swept this continent, the process of healing and rebuilding continues, now within the wider context of European unification and an increasingly globalised world.
"The aspirations of citizens and the expectations placed on governments", he added, "called for new models of civic life and solidarity between nations and peoples without which the long desired future of justice, peace and prosperity would remain elusive. Such desires continue to evolve. Today, especially among the young, the question again emerges as to the nature of the freedom gained".
"Every generation has the task of engaging anew in the arduous search for the right way to order human affairs, seeking to understand the proper use of human freedom. ... True freedom presupposes the search for truth - for the true good - and hence finds its fulfilment precisely in knowing and doing what is right and just. Truth, in other words, is the guiding norm for freedom, and goodness is freedom's perfection".
"Indeed, the lofty responsibility to awaken receptivity to truth and goodness falls to all leaders - religious, political and cultural, each in his or her own way", said Pope Benedict. "For Christians, truth has a name: God. And goodness has a face: Jesus Christ. The faith of Christians, from the time of Sts. Cyril and Methodius and the early missionaries, has in fact played a decisive role in shaping the spiritual and cultural heritage of this country. It must do likewise in the present and into the future. The rich patrimony of spiritual and cultural values, each finding expression in the other, has not only given shape to the nation's identity but has also furnished it with the vision necessary to exercise a role of cohesion at the heart of Europe".
"As we are all aware" the Czech nation "has known painful chapters and carries the scars of tragic events born of misunderstanding, war and persecution. Yet it is also true, that its Christian roots have nourished a remarkable spirit of forgiveness, reconciliation and co-operation which has enabled the people of these lands to find freedom and to usher in a new beginning, a new synthesis, a renewal of hope. Is it not precisely this spirit that contemporary Europe requires?
"Europe is more than a continent. It is a home! ... With full respect for the distinction between the political realm and that of religion - which indeed preserves the freedom of citizens to express religious belief and live accordingly - I wish to underline the irreplaceable role of Christianity for the formation of the conscience of each generation and the promotion of a basic ethical consensus that serves every person who calls this continent, 'home'".
The Pope then went on to explain how his presence in this capital city, "which is often spoken of as the heart of Europe", prompts the question: in what does the 'heart' consist? "Surely", he said, "a clue is found in the architectural jewels that adorn this city. ... Their beauty expresses faith; they are epiphanies of God that rightly leave us pondering the glorious marvels to which we creatures can aspire when we give expression to the aesthetic and cognitive aspects of our innermost being. ... The creative encounter of the classical tradition and the Gospel gave birth to a vision of man and society attentive to God's presence among us".
"At the present crossroads of civilization, so often marked by a disturbing sundering of the unity of goodness, truth and beauty and the consequent difficulty in finding an acceptance of common values, every effort for human progress must draw inspiration from that living heritage. Europe, in fidelity to her Christian roots, has a particular vocation to uphold this transcendent vision in her initiatives to serve the common good of individuals, communities, and nations".
Having completed his address, the Holy Father went on to the cathedral of St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert for the celebration of Vespers.
PV-CZECH REP./AUTHORITIES/PRAGUE VIS 090927 (900)
STRENGTHEN SPIRITUAL AND MORAL VALUES IN SOCIETY
VATICAN CITY, 26 SEP 2009 (VIS) - At 6 p.m. today the Pope presided at the celebration of Vespers with bishops, priests, religious, seminarians and members of lay movements in Prague's cathedral of St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert.
"Love for Christ and for one's fellow men and women must be the hallmark of every Christian and every community", said the Holy Father, and in this context he encouraged those present to "nourish your love for Christ by prayer and listening to His word; feed on Him in the Eucharist, and by His grace, be builders of unity and peace wherever you go".
He went on: "Twenty years ago, after the long winter of Communist dictatorship, your Christian communities began once more to express themselves freely. ... Yet you are well aware that even today it is not easy to live and bear witness to the Gospel. Society continues to suffer from the wounds caused by atheist ideology, and it is often seduced by the modern mentality of hedonistic consumerism amid a dangerous crisis of human and religious values and a growing drift towards ethical and cultural relativism. In this context there is an urgent need for renewed effort throughout the Church so as to strengthen spiritual and moral values in present-day society".
"Your pastoral activity in the field of educating new generations should be undertaken with particular zeal. Catholic schools should foster respect for the human person; attention should also be given to the pastoral care of young people outside the school environment, without neglecting other groups of the faithful. Christ is for everyone! I sincerely hope that there will be a growing accord with other institutions, both public and private. It is always worth repeating that the Church does not seek privileges, but only to be able to work freely in the service of all, in the spirit of the Gospel".
The Pope told bishops and priests: "it is your task to work tirelessly for the good of those entrusted to your care". To consecrated people he pointed out that, "by professing the evangelical counsels, you recall the primacy that each of us must give to God in our lives. By living in community, you bear witness to the enrichment that comes from practising the commandment of love".
Finally the Pope turned to young people in seminaries or houses of formation. "Be sure", he told them, "to acquire a solid cultural, spiritual and pastoral preparation". And he concluded: "In this Year of Priests, with which I chose to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of the 'Cure of Ars', may you learn from the example of this pastor who was completely dedicated to God and to the care of souls; he was well aware that it was his ministry, nourished by prayer, that constituted his path to sanctification".
Following the celebration, the Holy Father travelled to the apostolic nunciature where he spent the night.
PV-CZECH REP./VESPERS/PRAGUE VIS 090927 (500)
CHRIST IS OUR FIRM HOPE
VATICAN CITY, 27 SEP 2009 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father travelled by plane from Prague to Brno, the second largest city of the Czech Republic, where at 10 a.m. he celebrated Mass on the esplanade near the city airport. Among the thousands of people present were faithful from Slovak, Polish, Austrian and German dioceses.
The readings of the ceremony were focused on the theme of hope. In his homily the Holy Father affirmed that "history has demonstrated the absurdities to which man descends when he excludes God from the horizon of his choices and actions, and how hard it is to build a society inspired by the values of goodness, justice and fraternity, because the human being is free and his freedom remains fragile".
"In the modern age both faith and hope ... have been relegated to the private and other-worldly sphere", said the Pope, "while in day-to-day public life confidence in scientific and economic progress has been affirmed. We all know that this progress is ambiguous: it opens up possibilities for good as well as evil", yet it is "not enough to guarantee the moral welfare of society.
"Man needs to be liberated from material oppressions", he added, "but more profoundly, he must be saved from the evils that afflict the spirit. And who can save him if not God, Who is Love and has revealed His face as Almighty and Merciful Father in Jesus Christ? Our firm hope is therefore Christ".
Pope Benedict went on: "Here, as elsewhere, many people suffered in past centuries for remaining faithful to the Gospel, and they did not lose hope; many people sacrificed themselves in order to restore dignity to man and freedom to peoples, finding in their generous adherence to Christ the strength to build a new humanity.
"In present-day society, many forms of poverty are born from isolation, from being unloved, from the rejection of God and from a deep-seated tragic closure in man who believes himself to be self-sufficient, or else merely an insignificant and transient datum; in this world of ours which is alienated 'when too much trust is placed in merely human projects', only Christ can be our certain hope. This is the message that we Christians are called to spread every day, through our witness".
At the end of Mass and before praying the Angelus Benedict XVI noted how Moravia, the region in which Brno is located, "is blessed with a number of Marian shrines that are visited by crowds of pilgrims throughout the year".
And he called upon the Virgin to "keep the flame of faith alive in all of you, a faith that is nourished by traditions of popular piety with deep roots in the past, which you rightly take care to maintain, so that the warmth of family conviviality in villages and towns may not be lost. At times one cannot help noticing, with a certain nostalgia, that the pace of modern life tends to diminish some elements of a rich heritage of faith. Yet it is important not to lose sight of the ideal expressed by traditional customs, and above all to maintain the spiritual patrimony inherited from your forebears, to guard it and to make it answer to the needs of the present day.
PV-CZECH REP./MASS ANGELUS/BRNO VIS 090927 (560)
THEME FOR THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE 2010
VATICAN CITY, 29 JUL 2009 (VIS) - "If you want to cultivate peace, protect the creation" is the theme chosen by Benedict XVI for his Message for the 43rd World Day of Peace, which will be celebrated on 1 January 2010.
"The theme", says a communique made public today, "aims to raise awareness about the strong bond that exists in our globalised and interconnected world between protecting the creation and cultivating peace.
"This close and intimate tie", the communique adds, "is further accentuated by the many problems concerning man's natural environment, such as the use of resources, climate change, the application and use of biotechnology, and demographic growth. If the human family is unable to face these new challenges with a renewed sense of social justice and equity, and of international solidarity, we run the risk of sowing seeds of violence among peoples, and between current generations and those to come".
The communique goes on: "Following the precious guidelines contained in paragraphs 48 to 51 of the Encyclical 'Caritas in veritate', the papal Massage will make it clear that the protection of the environment is a challenge for all humankind. It is shared and universal duty to respect a collective asset destined for everyone".
The communique concludes by noting that "ecological questions must be faced, not just because of the dreadful prospects that environmental degradation presages; they must be translated, above all, into a strong motivation to cultivate peace".
.../MESSAGE WORLD PEACE DAY/... VIS 090729 (250)
POPE ANNOUNCES HIS NEW ENCYCLICAL "CARITAS IN VERITATE"
VATICAN CITY, 29 JUN 2009 (VIS) - At midday today, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his private study overlooking St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus with thousands of pilgrims gathered below.
On this Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Benedict XVI addressed a special greeting to faithful of his own diocese of Rome, assuring them of his constant prayers "that Rome may uphold its Christian vocation by maintaining unadulterated its immense spiritual and cultural heritage", and "that its inhabitants may translate the beauty of the faith they have received into concrete forms of thought and action, thus offering those who ... come to this city, an atmosphere charged with humanity and evangelical values".
"Today's Solemnity also has a universal aspect", he went on. "It expresses the unity and catholicity of the Church. That is why every year on this day, the new metropolitan archbishops come to Rome to receive the pallium, symbol of their communion with Peter's Successor".
"May the shared veneration of these martyrs [Peter and Paul] be a sign of an ever greater and more deeply felt communion among Christians all over the world".
Following the Angelus prayer, Benedict XVI indicated that "the publication of my third Encyclical, entitled 'Caritas in veritate', is now imminent. Returning to the social themes contained in 'Populorum progressio' written by Servant of God Paul VI in 1967, this document - dated today 29 June, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles - aims to delve more deeply into certain aspects of the integral development of our age, in the light of charity and of truth.
"To your prayers I entrust this latest contribution made by the Church to mankind, in her commitment to sustainable development while fully respecting human dignity and the real needs of everyone", he concluded.
ANG/ST. PETER ENCYCLICAL/... VIS 090630 (310)
ALWAYS BE SIGNS OF UNITY AMONG THE FAITHFUL
VATICAN CITY, 30 JUN 2009 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Pope received the 34 metropolitan archbishops upon whom he imposed the pallium yesterday, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles. The archbishops were accompanied by members of their families.
The Holy Father addressed the prelates in various languages. To the new Italian archbishops he expressed the hope that, during the recently-inaugurated Year for Priests, they would "be exemplary pastors, zealous and rich in love for the Lord and for your communities. Thus you will guide and provide solid support for priests, your primary collaborators in pastoral ministry, and co-operate effectively in spreading the Kingdom of God throughout the beloved land of Italy".
Benedict XVI also had words of encouragement for new Spanish-speaking archbishops: "Following the footsteps of the Good Pastor", he said, "always be signs of unity among your faithful, strengthening bonds of communion with Peter's Successor, with your suffragan bishops and with everyone who collaborates in your evangelising mission. In this Year for Priests that has just begun, keep your clergy very close to your hearts. They expect to be kindly treated by you, like fathers and brothers who accept them, listen to them and show concern for them".
The Pope also thanked Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki of Lviv of the Latins, Ukraine, for "the service he has given the Church, as a collaborator of mine and, prior to that, of my venerated predecessor John Paul II". AC/.../METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOPS VIS 090630 (250)
CONGRESS OF RELIGIOUS AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING
VATICAN CITY, 12 JUN 2009 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning, a press conference was held to present a forthcoming congress on the theme: "Female Religious in Network against Trafficking in Persons". The event, due to be held in Rome from 15 to 18 June, has been organised by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Participating in today's press conference were Fr. Eusebio Hernandez Sola O.A.R., bureau chief at the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; Sr. Victoria Gonzales de Castejon R.S.C.J., secretary general of the UISG; Carmela Godeau, vice head of mission of the IOM; Sr. Bernadette Sangma F.M.A., and Stefano Volpicelli of the IOM.
"The problem of human trafficking represents a new form of slavery of the twenty-first century, one that offends the dignity and freedom of many women and minors, but also of youths and adult men, most of them from poor countries" said Fr. Hernandez Sola. "These new forms of poverty remind us that religious life is, by vocation, called to play a prophetic role in society and the Church today. A new conception of charity must carry consecrated life to the new frontiers of evangelisation, and to the new forms of poverty, among the most serious of which is the loss of personal dignity".
For her part, Sr. Bernadette Sangma explained that awareness about the phenomenon of human trafficking has increased to such an extent over the last few years that "some congregations ... have adopted the struggle against trafficking as part of their capitular deliberations, making it an obligatory mandate for members of their congregation. This has also included a number of male orders".
"Given the complexity of the factors involved in human trafficking, networking in this field is not an option but a necessity if we hope to make any kind of strategic commitment. The criminal bands that prey on women and children are highly organised and linked to one another, from one part of the world to the other. Only through a networking strategy which includes the victims' countries of origin, of transit and of destination, will it be possible to implement measures to prevent the weakest and most vulnerable people from becoming human merchandise".
Sr. Victoria Gonzales de Castejon noted how, for the religious of the UISG, the last six years of collaboration with the IOM have provided "an opportunity to put the intentions of the Union into real effect, and to increase the scope of our actions aimed at contrasting human trafficking. ... What emerges clearly from the work that has been achieved is the richness and complementarity in exchanges and collaboration between two organisations that represent public and the private aspects - lay people and female religious - in the common cause of defending the lives of people who live in situations of poverty and marginalisation".
OP/HUMAN TRAFFICKING/UISG VIS 090612 (500)
ONLY BY SAYING "YES" TO GOD DOES LIFE ACQUIRE MEANING
VATICAN CITY, 5 APR 2009 (VIS) - Young people from all over the world, including a 7,000-strong delegation from the archdiocese of Madrid, Spain where Word Youth Day is due to be celebrated in 2011, participated in the Palm Sunday Eucharistic celebration presided by the Pope in St. Peter's Square this morning. Today also marks 24th World Youth Day, celebrated this year at a diocesan level on the theme: "We have set our hope on the living God".
Before Mass, Benedict XVI blessed the palms and olive branches by the obelisk in the square then led the procession to the altar.
In his homily the Holy Father remarked that Christ, with His death on the cross, demonstrated once again "the fundamental law of human existence: 'Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life'.
"Those who wish to keep their lives for themselves", he added, "to live only for themselves, to keep everything for themselves and exploit every possibility; those people lose their lives. They become empty and boring. Only by abandoning ourselves, only in the disinterested giving of 'I' in favour of 'you', only in the 'yes' to the greater life, which is of God, do our own lives become broader and greater".
"Love", Benedict XVI explained, "means the abandoning of self, the giving of self, not wishing to possess oneself but becoming free of self; not closing in on oneself (what will become of me?) but looking ahead towards others: towards God and towards the people He sends me".
"In reality, however, it is not a question of simply recognising a principle but of living its truth, the truth of the cross and the resurrection. Hence, it is not enough to make one single great decision. It is certainly important to dare to make the great fundamental decision, to dare to say the great 'yes' which the Lord asks of us at a certain moment in our lives", yet this must then be "constantly renewed in our everyday lives in which, ever and anew, we must abandon our own self and place ourselves at the disposal of others".
The Pope went on: "Sacrifice and denial are part of a just life. Those who promise a life without this ever-new gift of self, are deluding others. Without sacrifice, there can be no fulfilling life". In this context he also explained how in his own experience "the times in which I said 'yes' to a sacrifice were the greatest and most important moments of my life".
"The glory of God, His lordship, His will, these are always more important and truer than my thoughts, than my will. What is essential is ... to learn this just ordering of reality and accept it intimately, trusting in God and believing that He is doing the right thing, that His will is truth and love, that my life becomes good if I learn to adhere to this order. For us the life, death and resurrection of Jesus are the guarantee that we can truly trust God. It is in this way that His Kingdom is realised".
The cross "travels from one end of the earth to the other, from sea to sea, and we accompany it. We travel with it on its path and thus we discover our own path.
"When we touch the cross, when, indeed, we carry it, we touch the mystery of God, the mystery of Jesus Christ", the Pope added. "But we also touch the fundamental law, the basic norm of our lives: the fact that without the 'yes' to the cross, without walking in communion with Christ day after day, life can have no success".
Benedict XVI concluded his homily by again emphasising how "those who wish to keep their life for themselves lose it. Those who give their life (in the small everyday actions that are part of the great decision), those people find it. This is the truth, a demanding but beautiful and liberating truth in which, little by little, we wish to enter as the cross journeys across the continents".
HML/PALM SUNDAY/... VIS 090406 (700)
PAPAL TELEGRAM FOR EARTHQUAKE IN L'AQUILA
VATICAN CITY, 6 APR 2009 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. has sent a telegram, in the Pope's name, to Archbishop Giuseppe Molinari of L'Aquila, Italy, for the earthquake that struck the city and province in the early hours of this morning provoking scores of deaths and injuries.
"The dramatic news of the violent earthquake which struck the territory of the archdiocese has filled the Supreme Pontiff's heart with consternation, and he charges Your Excellency to pass on the expression of his heartfelt participation in the suffering of the beloved people affected by the tragic event. Giving assurances of his fervent prayers for the victims, especially the children, His Holiness asks the Lord to bring comfort to their families and, while giving affectionate words of encouragement to the survivors and the people who in various ways are helping in the rescue operations, he sends everyone his special apostolic blessing".
TGR/EARTHQUAKE L'AQUILA/BERTONE VIS 090406 (160)
FIGHTING POVERTY INCREASES OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEACE
VATICAN CITY, 27 FEB 2009 (VIS) - In the Clementine Hall today, The Pope received members of the Belgian associations "Pro Petri Sede" and "Etrennes Pontificales," both of which offer annual financial aid for the needs of the Holy See.
"The Pauline Year", said the Holy Father addressing the group in French, "by meditating on the words of the Apostle of the Gentiles, enables us to become aware of the fact that the Church is a Body pulsating with a single life, the life of Jesus. Hence, each member of the ecclesial body is profoundly bonded to all the others and cannot ignore their needs. Nourished by the same Eucharistic bread, the baptised cannot remain indifferent when bread is lacking from the tables of other human beings".
"This year", he went on, "you have once again responded to the call to open your hearts to the needs of the disinherited, so that those members of Christ's Body suffering poverty may be helped and thus enabled to live better lives and be freer to bear witness to the Good News".
"Entrusting the fruit of your savings to Peter's Successor", said Benedict XVI, "you enable him to carry out real and active charity, the sign of his solicitude for all Churches, for all the baptised, for all human beings. I thank you from the bottom of my heart in the name of the people whom your generosity will help as they struggle against the evils that threaten their dignity. If we fight against all forms of poverty we give peace more chance to come and take root in our hearts".
AC/.../PRO PETRI SEDE:ETRENNES PONTIFICALES VIS 090227 (280)
PROMOTING A CULTURE OF PEACE
VATICAN CITY, 27 FEB 2009 (VIS) - Made public yesterday afternoon was the final declaration of the annual meeting of the Joint Committee for Dialogue of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (Vatican) and the Permanent Committee of al-Azhar for Dialogue among the Monotheistic Religions (Cairo, Egypt). The meeting was held in Rome on 24 and 25 February.
The English-language declaration explains that the annual meeting of the Joint Committee for Dialogue - an institution established in 1998 - was jointly presided by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, and by Sheikh Ali Abd al-Baqi Shahata, secretary general of the Academy for Islamic Research of al-Azhar.
The theme of the meeting - "The Promotion of a Pedagogy and Culture of Peace with Particular Reference to the Role of Religions" - was presented from the Catholic point of view by Bernard Sabella, associate professor emeritus of sociology at Bethlehem University, and from the Islamic standpoint by Sheikh Ali Shahata.
A the end of the meeting the participants agreed on the following:
"1. Peace and security are much needed in our present world marked by many conflicts and a feeling of insecurity.
"2. ... No true and lasting peace can be achieved without justice and equality among persons and communities.
"3. Religious leaders, especially Muslims and Christians, have the duty to promote a culture of peace, each within his respective community, especially through teaching and preaching.
"4. A culture of peace should permeate all aspects of life: religious formation, education, interpersonal relations and the arts in their diverse forms. To this end, scholastic books should be revised in order not to contain material which may offend the religious sentiments of other believers, at times through the erroneous presentation of dogmas, morals or history of other religions.
"5. The media have a major role and responsibility in the promotion of positive and respectful relations among the faithful of various religions.
"6. Recognising the strong link between peace and human rights, special attention was given to the defence of the dignity of the human person and his or her rights, especially regarding freedom of conscience and of religion.
"7. Youth, the future of all religions and of humanity itself, need special care in order to be protected from fanaticism and violence, and to become peace builders for a better world.
"8. Mindful of the suffering endured by the peoples of the Middle East due to unresolved conflicts, the participants, in respect of the competence of political leaders, ask to make use, through dialogue, of the resources of international law to solve the problems at stake in truth and justice".
The next meeting of the joint committee is due to be held in Cairo on 23 and 24 February 2010.
OP/DIALOGUE MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS/TAURAN VIS 090227 (470)
FREEDOM IS ACHIEVED IN SERVICE TO OTHERS
VATICAN CITY, 21 FEB 2009 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, the Holy Father visited the Major Roman Seminary for the occasion of the feast of its patroness, Our Lady of Trust.
The Pope presided at a "lectio divina" for the seminarians on the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians, held in the seminary's major chapel.
Commenting on the words of the Apostle of the Gentiles in his Letter to the Galatians - "you were called to freedom" - Benedict XVI asked: "What is freedom? How can we be free? St. Paul helps us to understand this complex question of freedom" when he says "do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another".
Pope Benedict went on: "The absolute self who depends on nothing and no-one seems truly and definitively to possess freedom. I am free if I depend on no-one, if I can do anything I want. Yet this absolute exaltation of self is 'flesh', in other words degradation of man. It is not the conquest of freedom. Libertinism is not freedom, rather it is the failure of freedom".
"Paradoxically, freedom is achieved through service", he said. "Our truth is that we are, first and foremost, creatures, creatures of God, and we live in a relationship with the Creator. We are relational beings, and only by accepting this fact do we enter the truth. Otherwise we fall into lies and there, in the end, we destroy ourselves. ... The only human freedom is shared freedom".
"Man has need of order, of laws, in order to realise his freedom, which is a freedom he shares with others. ... If there is no shared truth about man, ... all that remains is positivism and people get the impression of something imposed from outside, even violently imposed. Hence this rebellion against order and laws, as if they represented a form of slavery".
This Letter, the Holy Father continued, "contains a reference to the rather sad situation of the Galatians themselves, when Paul writes: 'If you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another'".
"We see similar things happen today when, rather that entering into communion with Christ, with the Body of Christ which is the Church, everyone wants to be better than everyone else and, with intellectual arrogance, wants to make it known that they are best. This gives rise to destructive polemics, to a caricature of the Church, which should be of one heart and soul.
"In St. Paul's warning we must also find a call to examine our own consciences today: not thinking we are better than others, but discovering ourselves in the humility of Christ, in the humility of the Virgin Mary, entering the obedience of the faith. In this way the great spaces of truth and freedom in love open before us".
At the end of the ceremony the Pope dined with the seminarians, before returning to the Vatican.
BXVI-VISIT/.../MAJOR ROMAN SEMINARY VIS 090223 (510)
FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY: GOD'S GIFT TO THE BAPTISED
VATICAN CITY, 11 FEB 2009 (VIS) - In his general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope began a new series of catecheses dealing with the great writers of the Eastern and Western Church during the Middle Ages. The focus of his attention today was St. John Climacus, who was born in 575 and died some time after 650.
"Amid the mountains of Sinai, where Moses encountered God and Elijah heard His voice, John lived and recounted his spiritual experiences", said the Holy Father. "At the age of around twenty he decided to live as a hermit in a cave at the foot of the mountains, in a place known as Tola some eight kilometres from the current monastery of St. Catherine. ... After forty years of hermitic life ... he was appointed as 'hegumen' of the great monastery of Mount Sinai".
The saint "became famous for his work the 'Scala' (Klimax), ... a complex treatise on spiritual life in which John describes the monk's path from renouncing the world to perfection of love, a path which, according to the book, has thirty steps".
"This path", the Pope continued, "may be summarised in three phases: the first is expressed in a break with the world in order to return to the state of evangelical infancy, ... which is true infancy in the spiritual sense".
The second phase, Benedict XVI explained, "consists of the spiritual struggle against the passions". For John Climacus "it is important to be aware that passions are not bad in themselves, they become so through the bad use that man's freedom makes of them. If purified, the passions open man to the way that leads to God".
"The last phase of the path, covering the last seven steps of the 'Scala', is Christian perfection", said the Pope. "The first three of these steps are simplicity, humility and discernment, of which John, in harmony with the Desert Fathers, feels the last to be the most important, discernment. ... In this way it is possible to achieve tranquillity of heart ('esichia'), thanks to which the soul can approach the abyss of the divine mysteries. ... The state of tranquillity, of inner peace, prepares the adept for prayer, which in John has a dual function: 'bodily prayer' and 'prayer of the heart'".
The last of the thirty steps is dedicated to "faith, hope and, above all, charity. John also speaks of charity as 'eros' (human love), an image of the nuptial bond between the soul and God. ... John is convinced that an intense experience of 'eros' makes the soul progress much more than the harsh struggle against the passions".
"Can the existence of a man who spent all his life on Mount Sinai so long ago", asked the Holy Father, "still say anything to us today? At first glance the answer may appear to be no, ... but if we look a little closer we see that the monastic life is simply a symbol of the baptismal life, of Christian life".
The Holy Father highlighted the importance of the fact that the last steps of the "Scala" correspond to the fundamental virtues: faith, hope and charity. "They are not accessible only to moral heroes but are a gift of God to all the baptised, in them our life grows", he said.
"Faith is fundamental because ... it means renouncing our own arrogance, ... rejecting the pretension of judging alone without entrusting ourselves to others. ... What we must do is entrust ourselves only to Sacred Scripture, the Word of the Lord, look with humility to the horizon of the faith so as to enter into the vastness of the universal world, the world of God".
"Through hope we transcend everyday life", Pope Benedict concluded. Thus "our lives become great and we can support our daily fatigue and disappointments, we can be good to others without expecting any reward. Only when there is God - the great hope to which we are drawn - can we take the little steps of our lives and so learn charity. In charity is hidden the mystery of prayer, of personal acquaintance with Jesus".
AG/ST. JOHN CLIMACUS/... VIS 090212 (710)
CHRIST IS THE ANSWER TO THE ENIGMA OF SUFFERING AND DEATH
VATICAN CITY, 11 FEB 2009 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica at 4.30 p.m. today, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the seventeenth World Day of the Sick, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Healthcare Ministry, celebrated Mass for the sick, and for pilgrims of UNITALSI (Italian National Union for Transport of the Sick to Lourdes and International Shrines) and of Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi.
At the end of Mass, Benedict XVI arrived in the basilica where he blessed the sick and made some brief remarks.
"This Day invites us to make sick people more intensely aware of the spiritual closeness of the Church", said the Pope, because the Church "is the family of God in the world, within which no-one must suffer for lack of what they need. At the same time, today we have the opportunity to reflect on the experience of sickness and pain, and more generally on the meaning of life which must be lived to the full, even in suffering".
Recalling then how this year's World Day is dedicated to sick children, the Holy Father asked: "If we remain speechless before the suffering of adults, what can we say when sickness strikes a young and innocent child? How can we, even in such difficult situations, see the merciful love of God, Who never abandons His children at their time of trial?"
He went on: "Such questions are frequent and sometimes disquieting, and the truth is that on a merely human level they do not find adequate answers, because the significance of suffering, sickness and death remains unfathomable to our minds. However, the light of faith comes to our aid.
"The Word of God", he added, "reveals to us that these evils are also mysteriously 'embraced' by the design of salvation. Faith helps us to uphold the belief that human life is beautiful and worthy to be lived to the full, even when undermined by sickness.
"God created man for happiness and for life, while sickness and death came into the world as a consequence of sin", the Pope explained. "But the Lord has not left us to ourselves. He, the Father of life, is doctor par excellence to man and never ceases His loving attentions to humanity".
"We are achieving an ever greater awareness of the fact that the life of man is not a disposable product, but a precious casket to keep and safeguard with all possible care, from beginning to final and natural conclusion. Life is a mystery which, of itself, calls for responsibility, love, patience and charity on the part of each and every individual. Even more so, then, it is necessary to surround the sick and suffering with care and respect. This is not always easy, but we know where we can draw the courage and patience to face the vicissitudes of earthly life, in particular sickness and suffering of all kinds".
"For we Christians", he concluded, "the reply to the enigma of suffering and death is in Christ. ... It is in the 'school' of the Eucharistic Christ that we are able to love life always and to accept our apparent impotence in the face of sickness and death".
"May the Light that comes from on high" he concluded, "help us to understand and give meaning and value also to the experience of suffering and death".
AC/MASS WORLD DAY SICK/... VIS 090212 (580)
A NEW CULTURE OF SOLIDARITY TO FACE THE CURRENT CRISIS
VATICAN CITY, 31 JAN 2009 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican's Clementine Hall, the Pope received leaders of the Italian CISL trade union, in a meeting marking the organisation's sixtieth anniversary.
The Holy Father began by recalling how sixty years ago the CISL "took its first steps, playing an active role in establishing the free international trade-union organisation to which it brought its own contribution of a firm grounding in the principles of the Church's social doctrine and of autonomous trade-union activity free from political and party leanings".
Today, he told his audience, "you continue to draw inspiration for your activities from the social Magisterium of the Church, with the aim of protecting the interests of workers and pensioners in Italy".
Benedict XVI then went on to refer to the Church's "concern for social problems, which have increased over the last century". In this context he mentioned Leo XIII's Encyclical "Rerum novarum", which "strongly defended the inalienable dignity of workers. The guidelines contained in that document", he said, "helped to reinforce Christian influence on social life".
In 1991 John Paul II marked the hundredth anniversary of "Rerum novarum" by publishing his Encyclical "Centesimus annus". Ten years earlier, in his Encyclical "Laborem exercens", dedicated to the subject of work, the same Pope had described trade unions as "an indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrialised societies", said Benedict XVI.
"A recurring element in the Magisterium of twentieth-century Popes", he went on, "is the call for solidarity and responsibility. In order to overcome the economic and social crisis we are currently experiencing, we know that free and responsible efforts must be made by everyone. In other words what is needed is to overcome individual and sectorial interests, and unite to confront the difficulties affecting all areas of society, and particularly the world of work. Never before has this been so urgent as it is today; the difficulties afflicting the world of work call for closer and more effective collaboration among the many different components of society".
"My hope is that from the current global crisis there may emerge a shared desire to create a new culture of solidarity and of responsible participation, which are indispensable conditions if we are to build the future of our planet together".
"May the sixtieth anniversary of the CISL", the Pope concluded, "be a cause to renew the original enthusiasm and rediscover your original charism. The world needs people who dedicate themselves disinterestedly to the cause of work in full respect of human dignity and the common good".
AC/WORK ECONOMIC CRISIS/CISL VIS 090202 (440)
CHRIST GIVES MEANING TO OUR SUFFERING
VATICAN CITY, 1 FEB 2009 (VIS) - At midday, before praying the Angelus with faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI recalled the fact that today in Italy marks the Day for Life, the theme of which this year is: "The power of life in suffering".
"Jesus always taught His disciples that in order to enter into glory He had to suffer, to be rejected, condemned and crucified. Suffering was an integral part of His mission", said the Pope.
"Jesus suffered and died on the cross for love. In this way He gave meaning to our own suffering, a meaning that many men and women of all ages have understood and made their own, thus experiencing profound serenity even amid the bitterness of harsh physical and moral trials".
Recalling then the theme of the Day for Life, a theme chosen by Italian bishops, the Pope explained how it reflects "the pastors' love for their people and the courage to announce the truth, the courage to say clearly, for example, that euthanasia is a false solution to the drama of suffering, a solution unworthy of humankind.
"The true response cannot, in fact, be that of delivering people to death, however 'sweet' a death it may be, but of bearing witness to the love that helps people face pain and agony in a human way. We can be certain that no tear, either of those who suffer or of their loved ones, is lost before God".
The Holy Father concluded by entrusting to the protection of the Virgin Mary people who suffer "and those who work day after day to support them, serving life at every stage: parents, healthcare workers, priests, religious, researchers, volunteers, and many others". ANG/DAY FOR LIFE/... VIS 090202 (300)
CONTINUE CO-OPERATION IN ORDER TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNION
VATICAN CITY, 2 FEB 2009 (VIS) - Made public today was the text of a Message from the Pope to His Holiness Kirill, for the occasion of his enthronement as patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The ceremony took place yesterday, 1 February, in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who led the Holy See delegation to the enthronement ceremony, delivered the Message to Kirill, along with a chalice from the Pope "as a sign of the desire to achieve full communion as soon as possible".
In his English-language Message Benedict XVI tells the new patriarch of his "esteem" and "spiritual closeness", and adds: "I pray that our heavenly Father will grant you the abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit in your ministry and enable you to guide the Church in the love and peace of Christ".
Kirill's predecessor Alexis II, writes the Pope, "left his people a deep and abiding inheritance of ecclesial renewal and development. ... He likewise maintained a spirit of openness and co-operation with other Christians, and with the Catholic Church in particular, for the defence of Christian values in Europe and in the world.
"I am certain", he adds, "that Your Holiness will continue to build on this solid foundation, for the good of your people and for the benefit of Christians everywhere.
"As president of the Department of External Church Relations, you yourself played an outstanding role in forging a new relationship between our Churches, a relationship based on friendship, mutual acceptance and sincere dialogue in facing the difficulties of our common journey.
"It is my earnest hope", the Holy Father concludes, "that we will continue to co-operate in finding ways to foster and strengthen communion in the Body of Christ, in fidelity to our Saviour's prayer that all may be one, so that the world may believe".
BXVI-MESSAGE/ENTHRONEMENT/KIRILL VIS 090202 (330)
PROTECT THE VITAL COHESIVE ROLE OF THE FAMILY
VATICAN CITY, 2 FEB 2009 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of Janos Balassa, the new ambassador of Hungary to the Holy See.
In his English-language address to the diplomat, the Pope explained how "the forces that govern economic and political affairs in the modern world need to be ... built upon an ethical foundation, giving priority always to the dignity and the rights of the human person and the common good of humanity.
"In view of its strong Christian heritage, stretching back over a thousand years, Hungary is well placed to assist in the promotion of these humane ideals within the European community and the wider world community, and it is my hope that our diplomatic relations will serve to support this vital dimension of your country's contribution to international affairs".
Referring then to his Message for the 2008 World Day of Peace in which he had "stressed the primordial importance of the family for building peaceful community relations at every level", the Holy Father noted how "in much of modern Europe the vital cohesive role that the family has to play in human affairs is being called into question and even endangered as a result of misguided ways of thinking that at times find expression in aggressive social and political policies.
"It is my earnest hope", he added, "that ways will be found of safeguarding this essential element of our society, which is the heart of every culture and nation. One of the specific ways government can support the family is by assuring that parents are allowed to exercise their fundamental right as the primary educators of their children, which would include the option to send their children to religious schools when they so desire".
Benedict XVI then highlighted how the Catholic church in Hungary, "after decades of oppression, sustained by the heroic witness of so many Christians, ... has emerged to take her place in a transformed society, able once more to proclaim the Gospel freely. She seeks no privileges for herself, but is eager to play her part in the life of the nation, true to her nature and mission".
He concluded: "As the process continues of implementing the agreements between Hungary and the Holy See - I think of the recently signed memorandum on religious assistance for the armed forces and border police - I am confident that any outstanding questions affecting the life of the Church in your country will be resolved in the spirit of good will and fruitful dialogue which has characterised our diplomatic relations ever since they were so happily restored", in 1990.
CD/LETTERS CREDENCE/HUNGARY:BALASSA VIS 090202 (450)
TURKEY: GUARANTEES OF FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND WORSHIP
VATICAN CITY, 2 FEB 2009 (VIS) - Bishops from the Episcopal Conference of Turkey were received this morning by the Holy Father, at the end of their "ad limina" visit. A visit, he told them, "that is providentially taking place in the year dedicated to St. Paul", and assumes particular importance because the prelates "are pastors ... in the land where the Apostle of the Gentiles was born and where he founded many communities".
"I know that in your country you have given particular emphasis to this Jubilee Year, and that many pilgrims are visiting the sites so dear to the Christian tradition. My wish is that they may find easier access to those places which are so significant for the Christian faith, and to liturgical celebrations", said the Pope. Then, commenting upon the "ecumenical dimension" of the Pauline year, he expressed the hope that this "may make further progress possible along the path of unity of all Christians".
Benedict XVI went on to recall the "rich history" of the Church in Turkey, a history marked "by the development of the first Christian communities" and by such names as St. John and St. Ignatius of Antioch. As for the modern age, "Benedict XV and Blessed John XXIII also figure in the life of the nation and of the Church in Turkey", said the Pope, going on to mention Fr. Andrea Santoro, an Italian priest killed in the Turkish city of Trabzon on 5 February 2006. "May this prestigious history be for your communities - the vigour of whose faith and abnegation under trial I am well aware - not only a reminder of a glorious past, but also a stimulus to continue with generosity along the journey you have begun, bearing witness among your brothers and sisters to God's love for all human beings".
"In ecclesial communion the people of God will find an effective support for their faith and hope", he said. "Bishops are primarily responsible for the concrete realisation of that union. The profound communion that must exist among them, in the diversity of rites, is expressed above all in the true fraternity and mutual collaboration that enables them to carry out their ministry in a collegial spirit, strengthening the body of Christ".
"The Christian community in your country, lives in a nation governed by a constitution that affirms the lay nature of the State, but where the majority of the population is Muslim. For this reason it is very important for Christians and Muslims to work together to promote humanity, life, peace and justice, The distinction between the civil and the religious sphere is clearly a value that deserves to be protected".
He went on: "It is up to the State to provide effective guarantees that all citizens and all religious communities may enjoy freedom of worship and religion, making any violence against believers, whatever their religion may be, unacceptable. In this context, I am well aware of your desire and readiness to open a sincere dialogue with the authorities in order to find a solution to the various problems your communities have to face, such as recognition for the juridical status of the Catholic Church and her property".
"Such recognition", Pope Benedict concluded, "cannot but have positive consequences for everyone. It would be appropriate for permanent contacts to be established, for example through a bilateral commission, in order to study as-yet unresolved questions".
AL/.../TURKEY VIS 090202 (580)
TELEGRAM FROM HOLY FATHER TO PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
VATICAN CITY, 21 JAN 2009 (VIS) - Made public yesterday afternoon was a telegram from Benedict XVI to Barack Obama, congratulating him on his inauguration as forty-fourth president of the United States of America.
In the English-language telegram the Holy Father offers his "cordial good wishes, together with the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you unfailing wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high responsibilities.
"Under your leadership", he adds, "may the American people continue to find in their impressive religious and political heritage the spiritual values and ethical principles needed to co-operate in the building of a truly just and free society, marked by respect for the dignity, equality and rights of each of its members, especially the poor, the outcast and those who have no voice.
"At a time when so many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world yearn for liberation from the scourge of poverty, hunger and violence, I pray that you will be confirmed in your resolve to promote understanding, co-operation and peace among the nations, so that all may share in the banquet of life which God wills to set for the whole human family.
The Pope concludes: "Upon you and your family, and upon all the American people, I willingly invoke the Lord's blessings of joy and peace".
TGR/PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION/U.S.A.:OBAMA VIS 090121 (230)
WORK AND PRAY FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
VATICAN CITY, 21 JAN 2009 (VIS) - In today's general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope recalled how the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began last Sunday, inspired this year by the words of the Prophet Ezekiel: "That they may become one in your hand".
"Full unity, for which the Lord prayed and for which all His disciples must tirelessly strive, is linked to the very life and mission of the Church in the world", he said. "For this reason it is important that all Christian communities become aware of the urgent need to work with every possible means to achieve this great objective".
"Aware that unity is above all a 'gift' of the Lord", Benedict XVI continued, "it must be implored with tireless and faithful prayer, escaping our own concerns and addressing ourselves to Jesus. This is the invitation the 'Week' makes to believers in Christ from all Churches and ecclesial communities. Let us respond generously".
From the words of the Prophet Ezekiel it is clear that "the Lord wishes all His people to proceed patiently and perseveringly towards the goal of full unity. Such a commitment requires humble and docile adherence to the command of the Lord, Who blesses it and makes it fruitful".
"Ezekiel's vision has particular significance for the entire ecumenical movement, because it highlights the vital need for authentic interior renewal in all members of the People of God, a renewal which only God can bring about. ... The week of prayer for unity thus becomes, for all of us, a stimulus to a sincere exchange of ideas, to an ever more humble acceptance of the Word of God, and to an ever deeper faith.
"The Week", he added, "is also a good occasion to thank the Lord" for "the meetings, dialogue and fraternal gestures He has allowed us to accomplish". In this context the Pope recalled his three meetings with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, and the patriarch's participation in the Synod on the Word of God held in the Vatican in October 2008. He also spoke of his "sharing the pain of the Patriarchate of Moscow for the passing of our beloved brother in Christ, His Holiness the Patriarch Alexis II. I remain in communion of prayer with these our brethren as they prepare to elect a new patriarch of their great and venerable Orthodox Church".
He went on: "I have also had the chance to meet representatives of the various Christian communities of the West, with whom I continue to consider the important witness Christians are called to give today, ... in a world ever more divided and facing so many cultural, social, economic and ethical challenges".
In this Pauline Year, said Benedict XVI, "let us make St. Paul's longing our own", for the saint "spent his life entirely for the one Lord and for the unity of His mystical Body, and with his martyrdom rendered a supreme witness of faithfulness and of love for Christ".
"The desire dwelling in our hearts is that the day of full communion may come quickly, when all the disciples of our one Lord may finally celebrate the Eucharist together, the divine sacrifice for the life and salvation of the world".
Following the audience, as is the tradition on today's feast of St. Agnes, the Pope blessed two lambs, the wool of which will be used to make the palliums bestowed on new metropolitan archbishops on June 29, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles.
Subsequently, in a brief ceremony, the Holy Father received the tile of honorary citizen of the Austrian town of Mariazell, home of a famous shrine which he visited in September 2007. AG/CHRISTIAN UNITY/... VIS 090121 (630)
IRANIAN CATHOLICS: STRONG IN THE FAITH, ROOTED IN THEIR LAND
VATICAN CITY, 16 JAN 2009 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Iran, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit. The conference is made up of ordinaries of the Armenian, Chaldean and Latin Churches who, the Pope reminded them, represent "the richness of unity in the diversity that exists in the bosom of the Catholic Church, to which you bear daily witness in the Islamic Republic of Iran".
"Yesterday as today", he went on, "the Catholic Church never ceases to give encouragement to those concerned for the common good and peace among nations. For its part neither will Iran, a bridge between the Middle East and sub-continental Asia, cease to fulfil this vocation".
The Pope reaffirmed that the bishops live "in a land with a very ancient Christian presence that has developed and survived through the many vicissitudes of Iranian history". After then thanking priests and religious for their efforts, he also highlighted the collaboration of the Catholic Church in rebuilding work in the region of Bam, recently struck by an earthquake".
"Nor do I wish to forget the Catholic faithful", he said, "whose presence in the land of their ancestors brings to mind the biblical image of the yeast in the dough, which makes the bread rise and gives it flavour and texture". The Holy Father then went on to invite Iranian Catholics to "continue steadfast in the faith of their fathers and to remain rooted in their land, so as to collaborate in the development of the nation".
"Although your various communities live in different situations", he told the prelates, "some of your problems are shared. It is necessary to develop harmonious relations with public institutions which, with the grace of God, will certainly become more profound and enable those communities better to carry out their ecclesial mission, while upholding mutual respect. ... I invite you to promote all initiatives that may favour better reciprocal knowledge. There are two avenues to be explored: cultural dialogue, which is the centuries-old richness of Iran, and charity".
Referring to the lack of priests and religious, and the difficulties they face on their mission, such as that of travelling to distant communities, the Pope identified a way of overcoming these problems in "the institution of a bilateral commission with the authorities - which is already at the planning stage - so as to enable the improvement of relations and mutual understanding between the Republic of Iran and the Catholic Church".
Turning his attention to migrants "who go beyond their own frontiers in search of more favourable possibilities for their professional lives and the education of their children", the Holy Father told the bishops that this question requires them, "as shepherds of your flock, to give particular help to the faithful who live in Iran, inviting them to remain in contact with relatives who have chosen a different destiny, that they may maintain their identity and their ancestral faith".
"The road before you is long and requires perseverance and patience. The example of God, patient and merciful with His people, will serve you as a model and help you find the space necessary for dialogue".
"Your Churches are heirs to a noble tradition and to a long Christian presence in Iran", Pope Benedict concluded. "They have, each it its own way, contributed to the life and development of the nation, and they wish to continue their efforts in the service of Iran, while conserving their own identity and freely living their faith".
AL/.../IRAN VIS 090116 (600)
PROTECTING CIVILIANS DURING CONFLICT
VATICAN CITY, 16 JAN 2009 (VIS) - On 14 January, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, addressed the Security Council in the course of an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.
Speaking English, the archbishop noted that although the Security Council has been discussing this topic for more than a decade, "civilian security during conflict is becoming more and more critical, if not at times dramatic, as we have been witnessing in these past months, weeks and days in the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to name just a few".
"Humanitarian access, special protection of children and women and disarmament continue to be three vital pillars for providing greater protection to civilians", he said. "It is sadly clear that political and military designs supersede basic respect for the dignity and rights of persons and communities, when methods or armaments are used without taking all reasonable measures to avoid civilians; when women and children are used as a shield for combatants; when humanitarian access is denied in the Gaza Strip; when people are displaced and villages destroyed in Darfur and when we see sexual violence devastating the lives of women and children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo".
In this context he noted that "protection of civilians requires not only a renewed commitment to humanitarian law, but demands first and foremost good political will and action".
"The broad spectrum of mechanisms the UN is putting in place to ensure the protection of civilians will be successful if, at the very least, it is able to foster a culture of responsible exercise of leadership among its members and holds them and every party in a conflict accountable to such a responsibility towards individuals and communities.
"The increasing burden of war casualties and consequences imposed on civilians comes also from the massive production, continued innovation and sophistication of armaments", Archbishop Migliore added. "In this context", he concluded, the Holy See "fully supports and encourages the objectives of the recent General Assembly resolution 'Towards an Arms Trade Treaty', which lays down the first important step toward a legally binding instrument on arms trade and transfers".
DELSS/ARMED CONFLICTS/U.N.:MIGLIORE VIS 090116 (380)
HOPE IN FACING CURRENT DIFFICULTIES
VATICAN CITY, 31 DEC 2008 (VIS) - At six this evening in the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father presided over the first vespers on the solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the singing of the traditional "Te Deum" hymn of thanksgiving concluding the civil year, and the Eucharistic blessing.
During his homily, the Holy Father asserted that Christmastime "holds a profound Marian connotation; the birth of Jesus, God-man, and the divine maternity of Mary are inseparable realities; the mystery of Mary and the mystery of the only-begotten Son of God made man form a single mystery, in which one helps better understand the other".
"This afternoon", he said, "we want to place in the hands of the heavenly Mother of God, our hymn of thanksgiving to the Lord for the blessings He has abundantly given us in these past twelve months" and "add our petition for forgiveness for not having always employed our time usefully".
Addressing particularly the faithful of the Diocese of Rome, Benedict XVI emphasized that "the encounter with Christ renews our personal existence and helps contribute to the construction of a just and fraternal society. That is why, as believers, we can also offer a great contribution in overcoming the current educational emergency. It is as important as ever that the harmony between families, schools, and parishes grows for a deeper evangelization and a courageous promotion of what is human, capable of showing to the greatest number of people possible the richness that wells forth from the encounter with Christ".
In these times, which are marked by insecurity and worry for the future, it is necessary to feel the living presence of Christ. Mary, the Star of Hope, leads us to Him. With her maternal love she is the one who can lead us, especially the young, to Jesus".
The Holy Father told those "responsible for the future" of Rome, to "not be afraid of the apostolic work that the Lord has entrusted to you, do not hesitate to choose a lifestyle that does not follow the current hedonist mentality. ... The growing needs of evangelization require many workers in the vineyard of the Lord: do not hesitate to respond to respond readily if He calls you. Society needs citizens who are not merely concerned with their own interests because, as I recalled on Christmas Day, 'if people look only to their own interests, our world will certainly fall apart'".
"This year", he continued, "concludes with the awareness of a growing economic and social crisis that now affects the entire world; a crisis that demands the greatest sobriety and solidarity of all in order to help, especially, those persons and families in the most serious difficulties". In this context he noted that "the Christian community is already committing itself ... Caritas and other charitable organizations are doing what they can, but it is necessary for all to work together because nobody can think of building happiness for themselves alone".
"Even if there are many clouds forming on the horizon of our future, we should not be afraid. As believers, our great hope is eternal life in communion with Christ and the entire family of God. This great hope gives us the strength to face and to overcome the difficulties of this worldly life".
Benedict XVI concluded affirming that "Mary's maternal presence assures us this evening that God never abandons us if we trust in Him and follow His teachings. With filial love and confidence we present our hopes and desires to Mary, as well as our fears and the difficulties that we hold in our heart as we bid farewell to 2008 and prepare ourselves to welcome 2009".
After the ceremony the Pope visited the creche in St. Peter's Square.
HML/VESPERS: TE DEUM/... VIS 090102 (610)
FIGHTING POVERTY THROUGH SOBRIETY AND SOLIDARITY
VATICAN CITY, 1 JAN 2009 (VIS) - At 10 this morning in the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father presided over the Eucharistic celebration on the solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, which also marks the 42nd Wold Day of Peace, the theme of which is "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace" for 2009.
Commenting on the World Day of Peace during his homily, the Pope explained that there exists, on one hand, "the poverty chosen and proposed by Jesus and, on the other hand, the poverty that must be fought to make the world more just and united".
"The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem", he said, "shows us that God chose poverty for Himself in His coming among us. ...His love for us prompted Jesus not only to make Himself human but even to make Himself poor".
Nevertheless, he added, there exists "a poverty that prevents persons and families from living their dignity; a poverty that offends justice and equality and that, as such, threatens peaceful living together".
In his message this year the Pope recalled that "in the face of diffuse plagues such as pandemic illnesses, the poverty of children, food crises" he had returned to denouncing "the unacceptable arms race". Referring to the phenomenon of globalization, said that it is necessary that nations "make the effort to maintain a high level of solidarity".
Benedict XVI asked if "we are prepared to read the current economic crisis in its complexity as a challenge for the future and not just as an emergency to which to give short term answers. Are we ready to make a profound change in the dominant model of development together, to correct it concretely and for the long term? Even more than the immediate financial difficulties, the state of the planet's ecological health and, above all, the cultural and moral crisis whose symptoms have been evident all over the world demand it."
"In order to fight the iniquitous poverty that oppresses many men and women and threatens the peace of all, it is necessary to rediscover sobriety and solidarity as evangelical and, at the same time, universal values. Misery cannot be effectively fought" if "the gap between those who waste the superfluous, and those who don't even have the necessary is not lessened", he affirmed.
The Holy Father entrusted to the Virgin Mary "the deep desire of living in peace that dwells in the hearts of the great majority of Israeli and Palestinian peoples who are once more placed in danger by the intense violence in the Gaza Strip in response to other violence".
"Violence, hate, and distrust are also forms of poverty - perhaps the worst - that must be fought". In this sense he also expressed "the justified hope that, with wisdom and the far-sighted contribution of all, it will not be impossible to listen to one another, to meet with one another, and to give concrete answers to the diffuse desire to live in peace, security, and dignity".
HML/POVERTY: PEACE/... VIS 090102 (480)
PROMOTING A NEW WORLD ORDER WORTHY OF THE HUMAN BEING
VATICAN CITY, 1 JAN 2009 (VIS) - At noon today, shortly after celebrating Mass in the Vatican Basilica, Benedict XVI addressed the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus.
The Pope wished a happy New Year to all present and to those who were following the Angelus on radio or television, assuring them that "with the Lord's grace - and only with it - can we have ever-new hope that the future will be better than the past".
With the message for the World Day of Peace, the theme of which is "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace" in 2009, he affirmed that his wish "is to dialogue anew with those responsible at national levels and in international organizations, offering the Catholic Church's contribution in promoting a new world order worthy of the human being".
"At the beginning of the new year", he said, "my first objective is precisely to invite all leaders and ordinary citizens not to be disheartened in the face of difficulties or failures, and to renew their commitments".
The Holy Father noted that "in the second part of 2008, an economic crisis of vast proportions arose. This crisis must be examined in detail as a serious symptom that requires intervention at its roots. It is not enough - as Jesus would say - to take a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Putting the poor in first place means decidedly moving toward the global solidarity that John Paul II pointed out as necessary, co-ordinating the potentialities of the market with those of civil society in constant respect of the law and tending always to the common good".
"Jesus Christ", the Pope concluded, "did not organize campaigns against poverty but proclaimed the Gospel for a complete ransom from moral and material misery to the poor. The Church, with its unceasing labors of evangelization and human promotion, does the same. We call on the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, to help all men and women walk together the Path of peace".
ANG/POVERTY: ECONOMIC CRISIS/... VIS 090102 (400)
MORE THAN TWO MILLION IN FUNCTIONS WITH POPE
VATICAN CITY, 30 DEC 2008 (VIS) - During 2008, 2,215,000 faithful and pilgrims participated in a general or special audience, the prayer of the Sunday Angelus, or the liturgical celebrations presided over by the Holy Father.
According to data on the year that is about to end provided by the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, more than half a million people participated in the Wednesday general audiences - October being the month of heaviest attendance - and more than a million participated in the Sunday Angelus prayers in St. Peter's Square.
PD/AUDIENCE STATISTICS POPE/... VIS 081230 (80)
TAIWANESE BISHOPS: UNITED WITH FAITHFUL OF THE MAINLAND
VATICAN CITY, 12 DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father received the bishops of the Taiwanese Episcopal Conference this morning at the end of their “ad limina” visit.
In the speech addressed to them the Pope emphasized that the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Catholic Evangelization in Taiwan represented “an occasion to manifest ever more eagerly your oneness with each other and with our Lord as you together promote the Church’s common apostolate”.
“This unity of mind and heart”, he continued, “is evidenced by your desire to cooperate more closely in spreading the Gospel among non-believers and forming those already initiated into the Church through Baptism and Confirmation. I am pleased to note that you continue to coordinate a variety of institutions for this purpose, with due emphasis on the parish, the ‘prime mover and pre-eminent place for catechesis’”.
Speaking then of the needs of priests and catechists, the Pope recalled that the programs of priestly formation should be “designed with due consideration for the variety of ages, life conditions and duties found among your clergy” and asked that the catechists be furnished ‘“with the necessary resources so that they may follow the example of Jesus in speaking the truth straightforwardly and in a way readily accessible to all”.
“Effective catechesis inevitably builds stronger families, which in turn give birth to new priestly vocations. ... Parents, pastors, teachers, parish leaders, and all the members of the Church must set before young people the radical decision to follow Christ, so that in finding him, they find themselves”.
Benedict XVI referred to the recent pastoral letter of his episcopate, “Social Concern and Evangelization”, which “underscores the Church’s need to engage actively in the promotion of family life”. “Your deep concern for the good of families and society as a whole”, he said, “moves you to assist couples in preserving the indissolubility of their marital promises. Never tire in promoting just civil legislation and policies that protect the sacredness of marriage. Safeguard this sacrament from all that can harm it, especially the deliberate taking of life in its most vulnerable stages”.
“The Church’s solicitude for the weak similarly compels her to give special attention to migrants. In several recent pastoral letters, you have indicated the essential role of the parish in serving migrants and raising awareness of their needs. I am also pleased to note that the Church in Taiwan has been actively advocating laws and policies that protect the human rights of migrants. As you know, many of those who arrive on your shores not only share in the fullness of the Catholic communion, but also carry with them the unique cultural heritage of their respective places of origin. I encourage you to continue welcoming them with affection so that they may receive the assiduous pastoral care that will assure them of their belonging to the ‘family of the faith’”.
“Your apostolic bond with the Successor of Peter entails a pastoral responsibility for the universal Church across the globe. This particularly means, in your case, a loving concern for Catholics on the mainland, whom I constantly hold in prayer. You and the Christian faithful in Taiwan are a living sign that, in a justly ordered society, one need not fear to be a faithful Catholic and a good citizen. I pray that as part of the great Chinese Catholic family, you will continue to be spiritually united with your brethren on the mainland”. AL/TAIWAN/... VIS 081212 (570)
RECEPTION AND FUTURE OF ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE
VATICAN CITY, 12 DEC 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican the Holy Father received the participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and its president, Cardinal Walter Kasper. The session is dedicated to the theme “The Reception and Future of Ecumenical Dialogue”.
This topic, the Pope said, “presents two essential dimensions: on the one hand the discernment of the path taken up to now and, on the other, the identification of new paths to follow, seeking to overcome together the differences that unfortunately persist in the relationships between the disciples of Christ”.
“Without a doubt, theological dialogue constitutes an essential ingredient for re-establishing the full communion that we all aspire to and, therefore, it must be sustained and encouraged. This dialogue is developed more in the context of ecclesial relations that ... broaden it and involve not only pastors but the entire People of God”.
The Holy Father, with respect to the progress made, mentioned “relations with the Orthodox Churches and the ancient Eastern Orthodox Churches, both for what they bring to theological dialogue as well as for the consolidation and growth of ecclesial fraternity” and spoke of the last document of the International Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches entitled “Ecclesial Communion: Conciliar Character and Authority”, affirming that “it safely opens a positive perspective of reflection on the relationship between the primate and sinodality in the Church, a crucially important point in the relations with our Orthodox brothers and sisters”.
In conclusion, Benedict XVI recalled that the plenary session had given special attention to the “Harvest Project” (ecumenical consensus/convergence on some fundamental aspects of the Christian faith identified in the papers of the first four international bilateral dialogues to those who participated in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council). The results of the dialogue with “the Lutheran World Federation, the World Methodist Council, the Anglican Communion, and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches are found ‘in an intermediate stage of the journey and it is useful and opportune to objectively analyze the results obtained’”.
AC/PLENARY/PROMOTION OF CHRISTIAN UNITY/... VIS 081212 (365)
BEAUTY INSEPARABLE FROM SEARCH FOR TRUTH AND GOODNESS
VATICAN CITY, 25 NOV 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has sent a Message to Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, to mark the annual public session of the Pontifical Academies. The Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Literature "dei Virtuosi al Pantheon", which is organising the event this year, has chosen the theme: "The universality of beauty: a comparison between aesthetics and ethics".
"We are reminded of the urgent need for a renewed dialogue between aesthetics and ethics, between beauty, truth and goodness", the Pope writes, "not only by contemporary cultural and artistic debate, but also by daily reality. In fact, at various levels, there is a dramatically-evident split ... between the two dimensions: that of the search for beauty - understood however in reductive terms as exterior form, as an appearance to be pursued at all costs - and that of the truth and goodness of actions undertaken to achieve certain ends.
"Indeed", he adds, "searching for a beauty that is foreign to or separate from the human search for truth and goodness would become (as unfortunately happens) mere asceticism and, especially for the very young, a path leading to ephemeral values and to banal and superficial appearances, even a flight into an artificial paradise that masks inner emptiness".
The Holy Father goes on to recall how he has on various occasions underlined the need "for a broadening of the horizons of reason" in order "to regain an understanding of the intimate link binding the search for beauty to the search for truth and goodness. ... And it such a commitment applies to everyone, it applies even more to believers, to the disciples of Christ, who are called by the Lord to 'give reasons' for all the beauty and truth of their faith".
The beauty of the works undertaken by believers "to render glory unto the Father", in accordance with Christ's mandate, "demonstrates and expresses ... the goodness and profound truth of such gestures, as it does the coherence and the sanctity of those who accomplish them. ... Our witness must, then, draw nourishment from this beauty, ... and to this end we must know how to communicate with the language of images and symbols ... in order effectively to reach our contemporaries".
Benedict XVI also mentions the recent Synod, during which bishops "emphasised the perennial importance 'beautiful witness' has for the announcement of the Gospel, and underlined how important it is to know how to read and scrutinise the beauty of works of art inspired by the faith ... in order to discover a unique path that brings us close to God and His Word".
Finally, the Holy Father mentions John Paul II's Letter to Artists, "which invites us", writes Pope Benedict "to reflect upon ... the fruitful dialogue between Holy Scripture and various forms of art, whence countless masterpieces have emerged". Finally, the Pope launches an appeal to academics and artists, reminding them that their mission is "to arouse wonder at and desire for beauty, to form people's sensitivity and to nourish a passion for everything that is a genuine expression of human genius and a reflection of divine beauty".
MESS/ETHICS AESTHETICS/PONTIFICAL ACADEMIES VIS 081125 (540)
WORLD OF JUSTICE CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT CHRIST
VATICAN CITY, 12 NOV 2008 (VIS) - In his general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square, the Pope turned his attention to St. Paul's eschatological teaching.
In his First Letter to the Thessalonians, said the Holy Father, "St. Paul speaks of the return of Jesus, an event known as the 'parusia' or advent". The saint describes this vividly "using symbolic images that nonetheless transmit a simple and profound message: 'In the end we will be with the Lord forever'. ... Our future is 'to be with the Lord'".
Benedict XVI pointed out how in his Second Letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle "changes perspective and speaks of the negative events that will precede the end. We must not allow ourselves to be deceived, he says, as if the Day of the Lord were truly imminent by some chronological calculation. ... The continuation of the Pauline text makes it clear that the coming of the Lord will be preceded by apostasy and by the appearance of a person identified only as 'the lawless one', the 'one destined for destruction', whom tradition came to identify as the Antichrist".
The Pope examined the fundamental attitudes a Christian must adopt in the face of the ultimate realities of death and the end of the world: "The first attitude", he said, "must be the certainty that Jesus rose and that, with the Father, He remains with us forever. ... Secondly, the certainty that Christ is with me; and since the future world has already begun in Christ, this gives us the certainty of hope. The future is not an area of darkness in which no-one can find their way. ... Without Christ, the future is dark even today. ... Christians know that the light of Christ is stronger and hence they experience a hope that is not vain, a hope that gives certainty and courage to face the future".
The third attitude, the Pope went on, "is responsibility before Christ for the world and for our fellow man and, at the same time, the certainty of His mercy. ... We have to work to ensure this world opens to Christ, that it is renewed. ...We know that God is the true Judge, we are sure He is good, we know His face, the face of the risen Christ. ... For this reason we can be sure of His goodness and live our lives courageously".
At the end of his First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul "repeats a prayer of the early Christian communities of Palestine, putting it into the mouths of the Corinthians themselves: 'Marana tha! Our Lord, come!' ... which is also how the Book of the Apocalypse ends. ... Can we pray like this today? In our lives, in our world, it is difficult to pray sincerely for this world to perish, for the coming of the New Jerusalem, the Final Judgement, Christ the Judge. ... Nonetheless, like the first Christian community we can say: Come Jesus! Of course we do not want the end of the world to come now. On the other hand, we do want the world of injustice to end, we do want the world to change, the civilisation of love to begin, a world of justice and peace to come, a world without violence and hunger. ... But without the presence of Christ a truly just and renewed world will never come".
"We can and must cry out urgently in the circumstances of our own time: Come, Lord! Come in Your way, in the ways that You know. Come where there is injustice and violence. Come into the refuge camps of Darfur and North Kivu, in so many parts of the world. Come where drugs dominate. Come also among the rich who have forgotten You and who live for themselves alone. Come where You are known. Come in Your way and renew today's world. Come also into our hearts ... that we too may become light of God, Your presence".
AG/ST. PAUL/... VIS 081112 (680)
THE 'THINKING' OF CHRIST PURIFIES US OF FALSE WISDOM
VATICAN CITY, 31 OCT 2008 (VIS) - Yesterday evening after the eucharistic celebration in the Vatican basilica presided over by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Holy Father met with professors and students of the Roman pontifical universities on the occasion of the opening of the academic year.
Commenting on what St. Paul says about Christian wisdom, distinguishing between the wisdom of God and the “wisdom of this world”, Benedict XVI affirmed that the latter “is a way of living and seeing things divorced from God, following dominant opinions according to the criteria of success and power. ‘Divine wisdom’ consists in following the mind of Christ; it is Christ who opens the eyes of the heart to follow the path of truth and love”.
“St. Paul exhorts those who consider themselves wise according to the criteria of the world to 'become fools' in order to become truly wise before God. This is not an anti-intellectual attitude or an opposition to ‘recta ratio’. Paul - following Jesus - opposes a type of intellectual pride in which human beings, even though knowing much, lose the sensibility of truth and the ability to open themselves to the newness of divine action”.
The Pope emphasized that the Apostle to the Gentiles “denounced the poison of false wisdom, which is human pride. What is harmful is not knowledge in itself but rather the presumption, the “boastfulness” of what we have come to - or believe we have come to - know. It is precisely in this that revolts and discord have come from within the Church and, analogously, in society. We must, therefore, cultivate the wisdom, not of the flesh, but of the Spirit”.
“The ‘thinking of Christ’ that we have received through grace purifies us of false wisdom. We come to this ‘wisdom of Christ’ through the Church and in the Church, letting ourselves be carried on the river of its living tradition”.
The Holy Father shared his desire with the professors and students that, being faithful to Christ, “we may fervently dedicate ourselves to intellectual work, free of the temptation of pride, and boast always and only in the Lord”.
AC/...PONTIFICAL UNIVERSITIES VIS 081031 (340)
UNIVERSE DOES NOT ORIGINATE FROM CHAOS: IT IS A COSMOS
VATICAN CITY, 31 OCT 2008 (VIS) - Today the Pope received members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences whose plenary assembly is meeting from 31 October to 3 November on the theme of: "Scientific Insight into the Evolution of the Universe and of Life".
At the beginning of his address, the Holy Father asserted that both Pius XII just as John Paul II highlighted the fact that "there is no opposition between faith’s understanding of creation and the evidence of the empirical sciences. Philosophy in its early stages had proposed images to explain the origin of the cosmos on the basis of one or more elements of the material world. This genesis was not seen as a creation, but rather a mutation or transformation".
"In order to develop and evolve, the world must first 'be', and thus have come from nothing into being. It must be created, in other words, by the first Being who is such by essence".
"To state that the foundation of the cosmos and its developments is the provident wisdom of the Creator is not to say", Benedict XVI continued, "that creation has only to do with the beginning of the history of the world and of life. It implies, rather, that the Creator founds these developments and supports them, underpins them and sustains them continuously".
While recalling that Galileo "saw nature as a book whose author is God in the same way that Scripture has God as its author", the Pope emphasized that "this image also helps us to understand that the world, far from originating out of chaos, resembles an ordered book; it is a cosmos".
"The distinction between a simple living being and a spiritual being that is 'capax Dei', points to the existence of the intellective soul of a free transcendent subject". This is why, he concluded, "the Magisterium of the Church has constantly affirmed that 'every spiritual soul is created immediately by God - it is not ‘produced’ by the parents - and also that it is immortal'. This points to the distinctiveness of anthropology and invites exploration of it by modern thought".
AC/SCIENCE: EVOLUTION UNIVERSE/ACAD VIS 081031 (340)
CATHOLIC IDENTITY IN MOVEMENTS AND COMMUNITIES
VATICAN CITY, 31 OCT 2008 (VIS) - The participants in the XIII Conference of the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowship" (Hermandad Catolica de las Comunidades y Asociaciones de la Renovacion Carismatica) were received by Benedict XVI this morning in the Vatican.
"As I have stated on other occasions", the Pope said, "ecclesial movements and new communities, which have flourished since Vatican Council II, constitute a unique gift from the Lord and a invaluable resource for the life of the Church. They should be welcomed with confidence and esteemed for their various contributions so that they might be of efficient and fruitful benefit to all".
Referring then to one of the conference's themes, "charisms in the life of the local Church", the Holy Father asserted that "what the New Testament tells us about charisms, which appear as visible signs of the coming of the Holy Spirit, is not a historical event of the past, but an ever-living reality: it is the same Divine Spirit, soul of the Church, which acts in the Church in every age and these works, mysterious and efficacious, are made manifest in our time in a providential manner".
"The movements and new communities are like eruptions of the Holy Spirit in the Church and contemporary society. We can affirm that one of the elements and positive aspects of the Communities of Charismatic Covenant Renewal is the emphasis that the charisms and gifts of the Holy Spirit receive in these and their merit is in having recalled the actuality of these [charisms and gifts] in the Church".
Benedict XVI continually recalled that in various documents Vatican Council II mentioned the theme of new ecclesial communities and that also "the Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights the value and importance of new charisms in the Church, whose authenticity is guaranteed by their openness to submit to the discernment of ecclesial authority. Precisely because there is a promising flourishing of ecclesial movements and community, it is important that pastors practice a prudent and wise discernment process with them ".
"I know that various ways are being studied to give papal recognition to new ecclesial movements and communities and that those who have already received it are not few in number. ... Pastors, above all the bishops, should keep this fact in mind when discerning according to their competency".
The Pope noted that one of the objectives of the Fraternity, "following the indications of ... John Pual II, is safeguarding the Catholic identity of the charismatic communities, encouraging them to maintain close ties to the bishops and the Roman Pontiff", and showing their pleasure for the creation of a permanent center for the formation of members and directors of the charismatic communities.
"Safeguarding fidelity to Catholic identity and an ecclesial nature in your communities", the Pope concluded, "will allow you to give everywhere a living and active witness of the profound mystery of the Church. Thus the ability of the various communities to attract new members will also grow".
AC/CHARISMATIC RENEWAL/... VIS 081031 (490)
POPE RECEIVES THE PRESIDENT OF LEBANON
VATICAN CITY, 31 OCT 2008 (VIS) - This afternoon the Press Office of the Holy See published the following brief:
"This morning, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience the President of the Republic of Lebanon, His Excellency Gen. Michel Sleiman and his entourage. Following the audience President Sleiman met with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State, where they were then joined by His Excellency Mr. Fawzi Salloukh, the Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, and His Excellency Msgr. Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.
In the course of cordial conversation, the Holy See's interest in Lebanon and its continual struggle to safeguard its unique identity was reaffirmed. Vigorous appreciation was then expressed for the effort that the country and its leaders are carrying out with the intention of bringing institutional life back on track of normal political dialogue, in which every component of the Lebanon population might offer its contribution to the common welfare and see their concerns and expectations met with due consideration. Finally, the delicate regional situation was touched upon, expressing hopes for a rapid and just solution to the Palestinian question and noting the conditions and problems of the Christian communities in the Middle East".
OP/LEBANON/SLEIMAN VIS 081031 (190)
LOVE OF GOD AND NEIGHBOUR ARE INSEPARABLE
VATICAN CITY, 19 OCT 2008 (VIS) - At 9 a.m. today the Pope travelled by helicopter to Pompeii in Southern Italy. There he celebrated Mass in the square of the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary at 10.30 a.m. and, in the afternoon, led the praying of the Rosary.
Addressing his homily to 50,000 faithful, the Holy Father said that he had come on a pastoral visit to Pompeii "especially to entrust the assembly of the Synod of Bishops taking place in the Vatican to the Mother of God".
Commenting on today's readings of the Mass, Benedict XVI emphasised "the wonderful expression by Zephaniah who, addressing Jerusalem, says: the Lord 'will renew you in His love'. Yes, the love of God has this power: to renew all things beginning with the human heart, which constitutes His work of art where the Holy Spirit best accomplishes His transformative action.
"With His grace," the Pope added, "God renews human beings' hearts, forgiving our sins, reconciling us to Him, and infusing in us the strength to do good. All this becomes apparent in the lives of the saints and we see it in particular in the apostolic work of Blessed Bartolo Longo, the founder of the new Pompeii".
Referring to the second reading taken from the Letter to the Romans in which St. Paul "exhorts love", the Pope said that "these pages delineate a programme for the life of a Christian community, whose members have been renewed by love and who continually strive to renew themselves in order to discern the will of God and not to fall into the conformity of a worldly mentality".
"The characteristic of Christian civilisation," he added, "is charity: God's love that is translated into love of others".
Speaking of Blessed Bartolo Longo, the Holy Father stressed "his numerous charitable initiatives for our brothers and sisters who are most in need. Incited by love, he had the capacity to project a new city that arose around the Marian shrine like an emanation of his own light of faith and hope. A Marian citadel of charity ... was founded here in this valley, rescuing and promoting it. Thanks to God the history of the Church is full of experiences like this. ... They are experiences of fraternity that show the face of a different society, like leaven in a social context. The strength of charity is irresistible: it is love that truly carries the world forward"!
The Pope highlighted the fact that Blessed Longo, like St. Paul, "from being a persecutor of the Church became an apostle", because "he had moved away from the Christian faith, becoming militantly anticlerical and even participating in spiritualist and superstitious practices. ... With his personal conversion he bore witness to a great spiritual force that transforms us from within, making us capable of carrying out great things according to God's plan".
"Pompeii", emphasised the Holy Father, "is an example of how faith can work in the city of man, creating apostles of charity who place themselves at the service of the weak and the poor, and who work to that even the weakest may be respected in their dignity and find acceptance and support. Here in Pompeii it is evident that the love of God and neighbour are inseparable. ... Here, at Mary's feet, families come to find or to fortify the happiness of love that keeps them united".
At the end of the homily the Pope highlighted the importance of praying the Rosary: "It is a contemplative prayer that is accessible to all: large and small, laity and clergy, the learned and the uneducated. It is the spiritual bond with Mary that allows us to remain united to Jesus, to conform ourselves to Him, to assimilate His feelings, and to act as He acted. The rosary is a spiritual 'weapon' in the fight against evil and all violence, for peace in our hearts, our families, our society, and our world".
At the end of Mass and before praying the Angelus, Benedict XVI led the Supplication to the Virgin of the Rosary written by Blessed Longo in 1883, which is traditionally prayed on the first Sunday of October.
PV-ITALY/MASS/POMPEII VIS 081020 (710)
PRIMARY MISSIONARY COMMITMENT IS PRAYER
VATICAN CITY, 19 OCT 2008 (VIS) - Following this morning's solemn celebration of the Eucharist and the traditional supplication to the Virgin of Pompeii, Benedict XVI prayed the Angelus with thousands of faithful gathered at the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Holy Rosary.
Before the Marian prayer, the Pope entrusted the work of the current Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to the intercession of the Virgin, "that it may bring fruits of authentic renewal in all Christian communities". He also recalled how October is "the month of missions and of the Rosary", pointing out that "the primary missionary commitment of each one of us is, in fact, prayer.
"It is above all by prayer that the way is prepared for the Gospel", he added. "It is by prayer that hearts are opened to the mystery of God and souls are prepared to welcome His Word of salvation".
The Holy Father then went on to refer to today's beatification in Lisieux, France, of Ludovico Martin and Maria Zelia Guerin, the parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus whom Pius XI declared patron of missions. "With their prayer and evangelical witness, these new blesseds accompanied and shared" the saint's path, he said. In this context he went on: "I wish to recall another prayer intention very close to my heart: the family, which has a fundamental role in educating children in a universal spirit, open and responsible towards the world and its problems, and in the formation of vocations to the missionary life".
The Pope invoked the protection of the Virgin of Pompeii upon all families of the world, "already thinking of the Sixth World Meeting of Families, due to take place in Mexico City in 2009".
Finally, Benedict XVI addressed some remarks in French to pilgrims gathered for the beatification ceremony in Lisieux. "With their exemplary married life they announced the Gospel of Christ", he said of the new blesseds. "They lived their faith enthusiastically, transmitting it to their family and among their friends and acquaintances".
Having prayed the Angelus, the Holy Father travelled to the residence of the pontifical delegation where he had lunch with bishops from the Campania region. In the early afternoon, he greeted a number of benefactors of the Pompeii shrine.
PV-ITALY/ANGELUS/POPE VIS 081020 (390)
ROSARY IS ANCHORED IN HOLY SCRIPTURE
VATICAN CITY, 19 OCT 2008 (VIS) - Before praying the Rosary at 5 p.m. today with faithful gathered at the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Holy Rosary at Pompeii, Italy, Benedict XVI paused for a few moments in the chapel of Blessed Bartolo Longo. Subsequently, in remarks he made following the Marian prayer, the Pope asked: "Where did this great apostle of Mary find the energy and constancy necessary to achieve such an important enterprise? Was it not in the Rosary which he welcomed as a true and heartfelt gift from the Virgin?
"Yes", he cried, "that is how it was! ... This popular Marian prayer is a vital spiritual means to increase our intimacy with Jesus and to learn, in the school of the Blessed Virgin, always to carry out the divine will".
"Yet in order to be apostles of the Rosary, it is necessary to gain a personal experience of the beauty and profundity of this prayer, so simple and universally accessible. ... The Rosary is a school of contemplation and of silence. At first sight it may seem like a prayerful accumulation of words and hence not easily compatible with the silence which is rightly recommended for meditation and contemplation. In reality though, this regular repetition of the Ave Maria does not disturb inner silence, rather it ... nourishes it".
The Pope recalled that, as in the case of the Psalms in the Liturgy of the Hours, "silence rises up through the words and phrases, not as a vacuum but as a presence of ultimate meaning which transcends the words themselves and, together with them, speaks to the heart. ... Even when prayed in large groups ... the Rosary must be seen as a contemplative prayer, and this cannot come about if an atmosphere of inner silence is lacking". Furthermore, he went on, the Rosary "is interwoven with elements from Holy Scripture" such as "the enunciation of the mystery using ... words taken from the Bible. ... The first part of the Ave Maria comes from the Gospel; ... the second part ... rings out like the response of children who, addressing themselves imploringly to their mother, express their own adherence to the plan of salvation. ... Thus the minds of those who pray remain anchored in Scripture and in the mysteries it contains".
Finally, Pope Benedict spoke of World Mission Day, which is being celebrated today. Once again he evoked the figure of Barotlo Longo who, famous for his spirit of charity, wished the shrine of Pompeii to be "open to the whole world as a centre whence to irradiate the prayer of the Rosary and a place of intercession for peace among peoples. Dear friends", the Pope concluded, "I wish to confirm both these goals - the apostolate of charity and the prayer of peace - and entrust them once more to your spiritual and pastoral efforts".
The prayer over, Benedict XVI departed from the shrine of Pompeii and at 6.30 p.m. began his return journey to the Vatican by helicopter.
PV-ITALY/ROSARY/POMPEII VIS 081020 (520)
DECLARATION ON POSSIBILITY OF PAPAL TRIP TO HOLY LAND
VATICAN CITY, 19 OCT 2008 (VIS) - Following a number of news agency reports concerning the caption under Pope Pius XII's photograph in Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Museum, and the cause for his beatification, Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. yesterday released the following declaration:
"As is already known, the Holy See representative to Israel has in the past raised objections concerning the caption about Pius XII in the Yad Vashem Museum. It is, therefore, to be hoped that this be the subject of a new, objective and profound examination on the part of the museum management.
"However, though important, this fact cannot be considered decisive in determining any papal journey to the Holy Land, which, as is known, the Pope would like to undertake but which has yet to be definitively planned.
"As for the cause of beatification, I reiterate what was said recently that the Pope has not yet signed the decree on the heroic virtues of Servant of God Pius XII, a signature that is necessary for the continuation of the cause. He is dedicating profound thought and reflection to the matter and in such a situation it is not appropriate to seek to exercise pressure upon him in one way or in another".
OP/PIUS XII/LOMBARDI VIS 081020 (220)
RESPECTING THE HUMAN DIGNITY OF ALL PATIENTS
VATICAN CITY, 20 OCT 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, the Pope received participants in the national congress of the Italian Surgical Society, who are meeting to consider the theme: "Towards a Surgery that Respects the Sick".
After highlighting how, in the past, it was possible only to alleviate the suffering of the sick, whereas today, thanks to the advances of science and technology, it is possible to cure them, the Holy Father called attention to the risk of "abandoning patients at the moment in which it is felt impossible to obtain appreciable results".
Although it may no longer be possible to hope for a cure, "that person's suffering can be relieved", because patients "have a dignity which must be honoured, and which constitutes the necessary foundation of all medical activity. Respect for human dignity, in fact, requires unconditional respect for each individual human being, born or unborn, healthy or sick, whatever their condition may be".
The Pope referred to the importance of doctors discovering "the most appropriate means to communicate with each patient. Such means of communication, while respecting the truth of the facts, will aim to sustain hope which is an essential element of therapy. ... Patients want to be listened to, not just subjected to sophisticated diagnoses".
"On the one hand, it is undeniable that the will of the patient must be respected, without forgetting, however, that the individualistic exaltation of autonomy leads to an unrealistic, and certainly impoverished, reading of human reality. On the other hand, the professional responsibility of doctors must bring them to suggest treatments that aim at the true good of patients, with an awareness that their specific competencies generally make them better capable of evaluating the situation than the patients themselves".
Benedict XVI concluded by stressing the need "to promote a sense of responsibility among family members towards their sick relative. This is an important factor in order to avoid increasing the sense of alienation that a person inevitably suffers if entrusted to a form of medical care that is highly technological but lacks sufficient human sentiment".
AC/HUMAN DIGNITY ILLNESS/... VIS 081020 (360)
ANGELUS: THE SYNOD IS A CONSTITUENT PART OF THE CHURCH
VATICAN CITY, 5 OCT 2008 (VIS) - Returning to the Vatican following this morning's celebration of the Eucharist in the Roman basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls where he inaugurated the Synod of Bishops, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
The Pope remarked upon "the importance and function of this assembly of bishops, who have been chosen in such a way as to represent the entire episcopate and called to give more effective assistance to Peter's Successor, both expressing and consolidating ecclesial communion".
The Synod, he went on, "is an important body, established in September 1965 by my venerated predecessor, Servant of God Paul VI. ... The aims of the Synod of Bishops are these: to promote close ties and collaboration between the Pope and bishops of the whole world, to provide direct and precise information on the situation and problems of the Church, to favour agreement on doctrine and pastoral activity, and to consider questions of great current importance".
"The synodal aspect is a constituent element of the Church. It consists in coming together from all peoples and cultures to become one in Christ and to walk together behind Him. ... Indeed the word 'synodos' ... suggests the idea of 'journeying together', which has always been the experience of the People of God in the history of salvation. ... I invite you all to support the work of the Synod with your prayers, particularly invoking the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, the perfect disciple of the divine Word".
After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father recalled how beginning this evening the Italian State broadcaster, RAI, will begin the "Bible day and night" initiative, which consists in the complete and uninterrupted reading of the Bible over seven days and nights in the Roman basilica of Sant Croce in Gerusalemme. Around 1,200 readers from 50 countries will participate in the event. Benedict XVI himself will inaugurate the event by reading the first chapter of Genesis, to be transmitted at 7 p.m. on RAI's main television channel.
"The Word of God", said the Pope, "will thus enter peoples homes to accompany the lives of families and individuals; a seed that, if welcomed, will not fail to bring abundant fruit".
ANG/SYNOD:BIBLE/... VIS 081006 (400)
FIRST GENERAL CONGREGATION
VATICAN CITY, 6 OCT 2008 (VIS) - The first General Congregation of the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops was held This morning in the Synod Hall. The meeting was presided by the Pope, and 244 Synod Fathers were present.
In some brief opening remarks, Benedict XVI pointed out how "at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord speaks of two ways of building the house of one's life: on sand or on rock. Those who build on sand do so only on visible and tangible things: on success, career and money", he said.
"These seem to true reality, but one day they will pass away", he added. "We see this now with the fall of the great banks. Money disappears, it becomes nothing. And thus all these things which seem to be real and upon which we can rely, are in fact of secondary importance. ... Only the Word of God is the foundation of all reality, stable like heaven. Therefore we must change our concept of reality. A realist is one who recognises that the Word of God - this reality that appears so weak - is in fact the foundation of everything".
Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and president delegate on duty, also pronounced some brief words at the beginning of this morning's session.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., archbishop of Quebec, Canada, relator general of the Synod, then read out the "Relatio ante disceptationem," (report before the discussion) of which some extracts are given below:
"We are united in the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to listen to what the Spirit says to today's Churches concerning 'the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church'", he said. "The goal of the Synod is primarily a pastoral and missionary one. It consists in, together, listening to the Word of God to discern how the Spirit and the Church aspire to respond to the gift of the Word made flesh through the love of the Holy Scriptures and the proclamation of the Kingdom of God to all humanity".
"The Synod will propose pastoral orientations to 'reinforce the practice of the encounter with the Word of God as the source of life', in focusing on the reception of Vatican Council II as concerns the Word of God in its relationship with renewed ecclesiology, ecumenism and dialogue with nations and religions".
"Thanks to the Trinitarian and Christocentric vision of Vatican Council II, the Church renewed consciousness in its own mystery and mission. ... In fact, the dogmatic Constitution 'Dei Verbum' marked a real turning point in the manner of dealing with Divine Revelation. Instead of privileging, as before, the noetic dimension of truths to be believed, the Council Fathers emphasised the dynamic and dialogic accent of Revelation as personal self-communication of God. Thus they laid the bases for a more vivid encounter and dialogue between God Who calls and His people who respond.
"This turning point was vastly welcomed as a decisive fact by theologians, exegetes and pastors. However, one generally recognises the fact that the Constitution 'Dei Verbum' was not sufficiently received and that the turning point still has not achieved all the fruits desired and expected in the life and mission of the Church. Taking into account the progress to date, the question should be: why has the model of personal communication not penetrated the Church's conscience, prayer, and pastoral practices as well as the theological and exegetical method? The Synod should propose concrete solutions to bridge the lacunae and find a remedy to the ignorance of the Scriptures which adds to today's difficulties in evangelisation.
"We must recognise, in fact, that the life of faith and the missionary impulse of Christians are deeply affected by socio-cultural phenomena such as secularisation, religious pluralism, globalisation and the enormous expansion in the communication media, with consequences such as: the growing gap between rich and poor, the blossoming of esoteric sects, the threats to peace, without forgetting the current assaults against human life and family.
"To these phenomena, we must add the Church's internal difficulties dealing with the transmission of faith in the family, the weaknesses in catechetical formation, the tensions between the ecclesial Magisterium and university-level theology, the internal crisis of exegesis and its relationship with theology, while in a more general way 'a similar separation sometimes exists between biblical scholars and the pastors and everyday people of the Christian community'.
"The Synod must face this great challenge of the transmission of faith in the Word of God today. In a pluralistic world, marked by relativism and esoterism, even the notion of Revelation poses questions and calls for clarification.
"'Convocatio, communio, missio'. Around these three keywords that translate the triple dimension (dynamic, personal and dialogic) of Christian Revelation, we will show the thematic structure of the 'Instrumentum laboris'. The Word of God convokes, it activates communion with God's plan through obedience to faith and sends the chosen people towards nations. This Word of Covenant culminates in Mary, who embraces the Word made flesh in faith, the Desired One of the nations. We will return to the three dimensions of the Word of Covenant as the Holy Spirit incarnated them in the history of salvation, the Holy Scriptures and ecclesial Tradition".
"To begin, we must start from the Mystery of a God that speaks", Cardinal Ouellet explained, "a God Who is Himself the Word and gives Himself to be known by humanity in many ways. Thanks to the Bible, humanity knows it has been called upon by God ; the Spirit helps it to listen and welcome the Word of God, thus becoming the 'Ecclesia', the community assembled by the Word. This community of faithful receives its identity and its mission from the Word of God that founds it, nourishes it and engages it to the service of the Kingdom of God".
"The Word of God, witnessed by Scripture, hence has different forms and harbours different levels of meaning. It shows God Himself Who speaks, His Divine Word, His creative and saving Word, and finally His Word made flesh in Jesus Christ, 'the mediator and the fullness of all revelation'".
"The written or transmitted Word of God is a word of dialogue and also a Trinitarian word, offered to man in Jesus Christ to introduce him to Trinitarian communion and to find his full identity. ... God speaks and, because of this, man appears as one-who-has-been-called. ... It is important to maintain this anthropological dimension of Revelation, because it plays an important role today in the hermeneutics of Biblical texts. Vatican Council II redefined the dialogic identity of man, starting from the Word of God in Christ".
"On the pastoral level", he asked, "should we not verify that this dialogic and filial anthropology founded on Christ occupies its proper place in the liturgy, in catechesis and in theological teaching?"
Going on to refer to the figure of the Virgin, he said: "Mary, perfectly accomplishes the divine vocation of humanity by her 'yes' to the Word of Covenant and her mission. Through her divine motherhood and her spiritual motherhood, Mary appears as the permanent model and form for the Church, like the first Church. Let us look briefly at the flesh-and-blood dimension of Mary, between the old and the new Covenant, who accomplishes the passage from Israel's faith to the Church's faith. Let us contemplate the Annunciation, which is the unsurpassable origin and model for self-communication with God and the experience of faith in the Church. This will be used as a paradigm to understand the dialogic identity of the Word of God in the Church".
In the section of his address dedicated to "Tradition, Scripture and Magisterium", the cardinal indicated that "in the living tradition of the Church, the Word of God takes first place: it is the living Christ. The written Word testifies to this. In effect, Scripture is a historical assertion and a canonical reference that are necessary for prayer, the life and the doctrine of the Church. However, Scripture is not all the Word, it is not totally identified with her, from which stems the importance of the distinction between the Word and the Book, like between the letter and the Spirit".
"Despite the complexities of the relationship between Scriptures, Tradition and Magisterium, the Holy Spirit assures a unity to the whole, especially if we maintain the responsorial and even nuptial dynamic of the relationship of the Covenant. In placing the ecclesial functions of Scriptures, Tradition and Magisterium within a Marian ecclesiology, we invite a change of the paradigm where the emphasis passes from the noetic dimension to the personal dimension of Revelation. The archetypical figure of Mary allows emphasising the dynamic dimension of the Word and the personal nature of faith as a gift of oneself, all while inviting the Church to live under the Word and open to all actions by the Holy Spirit".
The second part of Cardinal Ouellet's report, entitled "Communio" and dedicated to the Word of God in the life of the Church, began with a section on the sacred liturgy.
"The liturgy", he said, "is considered as an exercise of the priestly function of Jesus Christ, exercise in which the integral public worship is practised by the mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is to say the Head and His members. ... The primary subject of the holy liturgy is Christ Himself, addressing His People and offering Himself to His Father as sacrifice of love for the salvation of the world. Even if in the achievement of liturgical rites the Church seems to have a primary role, in truth, she only plays a subordinate role, at the service of the Word and He who speaks. Church-centricism is alien to the Council reforms".
"How to cultivate in the faithful the conscience that the Liturgy is the practice of the priestly function of Jesus Christ to whom the Church is associated as the beloved Spouse? What consequences should arise from the rediscovery of this original place of the Word on Biblical hermeneutics, on the celebration of the Eucharist and in particular on the place and function of the Liturgy of the Word, including the homily?"
On the subject of the ecclesial interpretation of the Word of God, the cardinal archbishop of Quebec posed the question whether "after several decades of concentration upon human meditations on the Scriptures, should we not find again the divine depth of the inspired text, without losing the precious acquisitions from new methodologies?
"We cannot overemphasise this point because the crisis of exegesis and theological hermeneutics has a profound effect on the spiritual life of the People of God and their trust in the Scriptures. It also affects ecclesial communion, because of the climate of often unhealthy tension between university theology and ecclesial Magisterium. Faced with this delicate situation, and without getting into the debates on schools, the Synod must give a direction, to heal relationships and favour integration of acquired knowledge from biblical and hermeneutical sciences into the ecclesial interpretation of Holy Scriptures".
"Missio: The Word of God in the Mission of the Church" was the title of the third part of the cardinal's remarks. "The heart of the mission of the Church is to evangelise", he said. "For the Church, evangelising means bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new. ... When the Spirit speaks to the Church today, recalling the Scriptures, He calls her to a new testimony of love and unity to raise credibility in the Gospel faced with a world more attuned towards witnesses than doctors. ... Consequently, the witness of the Word of God demands that the missionary disciples be authentic witnesses of the primacy of love over science".
On the subject of ecumenism, the cardinal pointed out that since "the official entry of the Catholic Church in the ecumenical movement, Popes made a priority of the cause for Christian unity. ... Although the ecumenical encounters and dialogue have produced fruits of brotherhood, reconciliation and mutual aid, the situation today is characterised by a certain degree of discomfort that calls for a deeper conversion to 'spiritual ecumenism'".
Finally, turning to consider the question of dialogue between nations and religions, the cardinal observed that "the missionary activity of the Church is rooted, as we have said, in the mission of Christ and the Spirit that reveals and spreads the Trinitarian communion to all cultures in the world. ... The missionary activity of the Church testifies Her love for the whole Christ which includes all cultures. In Her efforts for evangelisation of cultures, this activity aims towards the unity of humanity in Jesus Christ, but all in respect and integration of all human values".
"Among the partners of the different dialogues of the Church with nations, the Jewish people occupy a unique place as the heir of the first Covenant, whose Holy Scriptures we share. This common heritage invites us to hope".
"Then come the faithful to the Muslim faith, they too rooted in the Biblical tradition, believers in the one God. Faced with secularisation and liberalism, they are allies in the defence of human life and in the assertion of the social importance of religion. ... Then finally come the humans 'from every race, language, people and nation', that are under the heavens, because the immolated Lamb shed His blood for all. The Word of God is especially destined to those who have never heard Him, because, in God's heart and in the missionary conscience of the Church, the last have the grace of being the first".
In his conclusion the cardinal remarked:
"Jesus always comes to the Church 'to bear witness to the Truth' and to communicate knowledge of God, which He possesses in full, to all those who believe in His name. ... Conscious of the ecclesiological renewal tied to the dynamic and dialogic concept of Revelation, we have suggested some paths to study the Word of God, beginning from Mary's faith as it extends through the life of the Church, the Liturgy, preaching, 'lectio divina', exegesis and theology.
"The application of this Marian paradigm presupposes a pneumatological study of the ecclesial tradition and the scriptural exegesis that account for the performative virtue of the Word of God, while distinguishing it carefully from the Eucharistic presence. More than a library for the erudite, the Bible is a temple where the Spouse of the Canticle listens to the promises of the Beloved and celebrates his kisses. ... This more dynamic rather than noetic perspective calls for a more contemplative theology, rooted in the liturgy, the Fathers and the lives of the saints, exegesis practised in a faith conforming to its object, and a philosophy of being and of love.
"It opens to a more fruitful spiritual reading of the Bible, to an ecclesial interpretation of the Scriptures and to a revitalisation of the missionary dialogue of the Church and Her love for man, imperfect image of God".
SE/FIRST CONGREGATION/... VIS 081006 (2530)
OFFICIAL VISIT OF THE HOLY FATHER TO THE ITALIAN PRESIDENT
VATICAN CITY, 4 OCT 2008 (VIS) - Pope Benedict XVI, returning the visit to the Vatican made by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on 20 November 2006, today travelled to the Quirinal Palace, Italy's official presidential residence.
The Pope left the Vatican by car at 10.30 a.m. Just outside Vatican City, in Pius XII Square, he was greeted by a delegation from the Italian government led by Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. The Holy Father's motor cavalcade stopped a second time in Piazza Venezia near Rome's City Hall, where he was greeted by Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno. Arriving at the Quirinal, President Napolitano came out to meet and welcome Benedict XVI.
Before his private meeting with the president, the Pope greeted former presidents of the Republic. After the meeting, he briefly visited the chapel of the Quirinal Palace. The Holy Father and President Napolitano then each pronounced their discourses.
Responding to the president's greeting, the Pope recalled how "at a certain moment in history, this palace became almost a sign of contradiction as, on the one hand, Italy longed to become a unified State and, on the other, the Holy See was concerned with maintaining its own independence as a guarantee of its universal mission. ... I am referring", he said, "to the 'Roman question' which came to an end with the signing of the Lateran Pacts on 11 February 1929".
Benedict XVI indicated that his visit "serves to confirm the fact that the Quirinal and the Vatican are not two hills that ignore one another or face one another acrimoniously; rather that they are places symbolising mutual respect for the sovereignty of the State and of the Church, ready to co-operate to promote and serve the integral good of human beings and the peaceful continuance of social coexistence. This - I would like to reiterate - is a positive state of affairs that may be observed almost daily at various levels, one to which other States may also look and draw useful lessons".
After highlighting the fact that today marks the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, "the special protector" of Italy, the Pope explained how "in this saint, who attracts believers and non-believers alike, we may see an image of the perennial mission of the Church, also in her relationship with civil society. The Church in this modern age of profound and sometimes difficult changes, continues to present everyone with the Gospel's message of salvation and undertakes to contribute to building a society founded on truth and freedom, on respect for life and human dignity, on justice and social solidarity.
"Hence", he added, "the Church does not aim to acquire power nor does she seek privileges or positions of economic and social advantage. Her only aim is to serve mankind, drawing inspiration, as the supreme norm, from the words and example of Jesus Christ Who 'went about doing good and healing all'".
He went on: "In order to carry out this her mission, the Church must, everywhere and always, be able to enjoy the right of religious freedom in its broadest sense. ... The full guarantee of religious liberty cannot be limited to the free exercise of worship, but has to give due consideration to the public dimension of religion, and hence to the possibility of believers playing their part in building the social order", he said quoting his own 18 April address before the United Nations.
This contribution to building society takes on many forms, observed the Holy Father, because the Church "is at one and the same time a spiritual and a visible reality in which members have diverse vocations, tasks and roles. She feels a particular responsibility towards the new generations. One particularly urgent problem today is education, the indispensable key that gives access to a future inspired by the perennial values of Christian humanism".
Benedict XVI expressed the hope that "Italian Christian communities ... may educate people, and especially the young, to be responsible citizens committed to civil life", and that "pastors and faithful will continue to make an important contribution to building, the common good of the country, even in these moments of economic and social uncertainty, ...with a particular concern for the poor, the marginalised, the young in search of work and those without work, families and the elderly".
"I also hope", he went on, "that the contribution of the Catholic community will be welcomed by everyone with the same ready spirit as that in which it is offered. There is no reason to fear prevarication by the Church and her members detrimental to freedom, indeed they hope that their own freedom not to betray their consciences illuminated by the Gospel will also be recognised.
"This will be easier", Benedict XVI concluded, "if is never forgotten that all elements of society must, with mutual respect, undertake to create ... the true good of mankind, something that the hearts and minds of Italians, nourished by 20 centuries of culture impregnated with Christianity, well understand".
VE/OFFICIAL VISIT ITALY/NAPOLITANO VIS 081006 (850)
HONOURING THE MEMORY OF SERVANT OF GOD PAUL VI
VATICAN CITY, 9 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Made public yesterday evening was a Letter from the Pope to Bishop Luciano Monari of Brescia, Italy, for the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the death of Pope Paul VI.
In his Letter the Holy Father describes how Servant of God Paul VI (Giovanni Battista Montini), a native of the diocese of Brescia, "was called by Divine Providence to guide the Church during a historical period marked by no small number of challenges and problems".
In recalling his predecessor's pontificate (1963-1978), Benedict XVI remarks upon "the missionary ardour that animated him and encouraged him to make demanding apostolic journeys, even to distant countries, and to perform acts of great ecclesial, missionary and ecumenical significance.
"This Pontiff's name", he adds, "remains linked above all to Vatican Council II. ... With the passage of the years the importance of his pontificate for the Church and for the world is becoming ever clearer, as is the priceless heritage of teaching and virtue which he left to believers and to all humanity".
Pope Benedict express his own appreciation for the trust Paul VI showed in him by appointing him as archbishop of Munich, Germany, in March 1977, and in making him a cardinal three months later.
Recalling Paul VI's death (6 August 1978), he writes: "I give thanks to God for having granted the Church a pastor who was a faithful witness of Christ the Lord, so sincerely and profoundly enamoured of the Church and so close to the hopes and expectations of the men and women of his time".
The Holy Father concludes his Letter by expressing the hope that "each member of the people of God may know how to honour his memory through commitment to a sincere and constant search for the truth".
BXVI-LETTER/PAUL VI/MONARI VIS 080909 (310)
ROAD OF ECUMENISM LEADS TO JOINT EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION
VATICAN CITY, 18 JUL 2008 (VIS) - This morning, after celebrating Mass in the chapel of Cathedral House in Sydney, the Holy Father received in private audiences Marie Bashir, governor of New South Wales; Morris Iemma, premier of New South Wales, and Clover Moore, mayor of Sydney, each accompanied by members of their family.
Shortly before 10.30 a.m., Benedict XVI went to the crypt of St. Mary's Cathedral where he presided at an ecumenical meeting with 40 representatives of other Churches and Christian confessions, and with members of the New South Wales Ecumenical Council. Following introductory greetings from Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, and Anglican Bishop Robert Forsyth of Sydney, the Pope pronounced an address:
"Australia is a country marked by much ethnic and religious diversity", he said, "a nation which recognises the importance of religious freedom. This is a fundamental right which ... allows citizens to act upon values which are rooted in their deepest beliefs, contributing thus to the well-being of society".
Benedict XVI mentioned the second millennium of the birth of St. Paul which the Church is celebrating this year, recalling how the Apostle of the Gentiles affirmed that through Baptism we become members of the Body of Christ. "This Sacrament, entryway to the Church and 'bond of unity'", said the Pope, "is the point of departure for the entire ecumenical movement. Yet it is not the final destination. The road of ecumenism ultimately points towards a common celebration of the Eucharist, which Christ entrusted to His Apostles as the Sacrament of the Church's unity par excellence".
"For this reason, a candid dialogue concerning the place of the Eucharist - stimulated by a renewed and attentive study of scripture, patristic writings, and documents from across the two millennia of Christian history - will undoubtedly help to advance the ecumenical movement and unify our witness to the world".
The ecumenical movement has, the Pope observed, "reached a critical juncture. To move forward, we must continually ask God to renew our minds with the Holy Spirit, Who speaks to us through the scriptures and guides us into all truth. We must guard against any temptation to view doctrine as divisive and hence an impediment to the seemingly more pressing and immediate task of improving the world in which we live".
"The more closely we strive for a deeper understanding of the divine mysteries, the more eloquently our works of charity will speak of God's bountiful goodness and love towards all. ... Ecumenical dialogue advances not only through an exchange of ideas but by a sharing in mutually enriching gifts. An 'idea' aims at truth; a 'gift' expresses love. Both are essential to dialogue. Opening ourselves to accept spiritual gifts from other Christians quickens our ability to perceive the light of truth which comes from the Holy Spirit.
"St. Paul", Pope Benedict added, "teaches that it is within the 'koinonia' of the Church that we have access to and the means of safeguarding the truth of the Gospel, for the Church is 'built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets' with Jesus Himself as the cornerstone".
"Every element of the Church's structure is important, yet all of them would falter and crumble without the cornerstone Who is Christ. As 'fellow citizens' of the 'household of God', Christians must work together to ensure that the edifice stands strong so that others will be attracted to enter and discover the abundant treasures of grace within. As we promote Christian values, we must not neglect to proclaim their source by giving a common witness to Jesus Christ the Lord".
Following the ceremony, Benedict XVI went to the chapter house of the cathedral where he met with 40 representatives of other religions.
PV-AUSTRALIA/ECUMENICAL MEETING/SYDNEY VIS 080718 (630)
INFUSE THE YOUNG WITH RELIGIOUS VALUES
VATICAN CITY, 18 JUL 2008 (VIS) - Following today's ecumenical meeting, the Pope met with representatives of other religions in the chapter house of St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney.
Having been greeted by a representative from the Jewish community, and another from the Muslim community, the Pope began his talk by reiterating once again that Australia "is a nation that holds freedom of religion in high regard".
"A harmonious relationship between religion and public life is all the more important at a time when some people have come to consider religion as a cause of division rather than a force for unity. In a world threatened by sinister and indiscriminate forms of violence, the unified voice of religious people urges nations and communities to resolve conflicts through peaceful means and with full regard for human dignity".
"Religious sense", he said, "leads us to meet the needs of others and to search for concrete ways to contribute to the common good. Religions have a special role in this regard, for they teach people that authentic service requires sacrifice and self-discipline, which in turn must be cultivated through self-denial, temperance and a moderate use of the world's goods".
"These values, I am sure you will agree, are particularly important to the adequate formation of young people, who are so often tempted to view life itself as a commodity", said Benedict XVI.
After indicating that "the world's religions draw constant attention to the wonder of human existence", the Pope explained how "men and women are endowed with the ability not only to imagine how things might be better, but to invest their energies to make them better. ... Yet religion, by reminding us of human finitude and weakness, also enjoins us not to place our ultimate hope in this passing world".
The Church, said Pope Benedict, "approaches dialogue believing that the true source of freedom is found in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe it is He Who fully discloses the human potential for virtue and goodness, and He Who liberates us from sin and darkness. The universality of human experience, which transcends all geographical boundaries and cultural limitations, makes it possible for followers of religions to engage in dialogue so as to grapple with the mystery of life's joys and sufferings".
"My dear friends, I have come to Australia as an ambassador of peace. ... Our effort to bring about reconciliation between peoples springs from, and is directed to, that truth which gives purpose to life. Religion offers peace, but more importantly, it arouses within the human spirit a thirst for truth and a hunger for virtue. May we encourage everyone - especially the young - to marvel at the beauty of life, to seek its ultimate meaning, and to strive to realise its sublime potential!"
Following the meeting, the Holy Father returned to Cathedral House where he had lunch with Cardinal George Pell and twelve young people from various countries: a young man and young woman from each of the continents, and a young man and young woman from Australia.
PV-AUSTRALIA/INTER-RELIGIOUS MEETING/SYDNEY VIS 080718 (520)ST. ISIDORE: FUSION OF ACTIVE AND CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE
VATICAN CITY, 18 JUN 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis during this morning's general audience to St. Isidore of Seville, who lived from 560 to 636 and whom the Council of Toledo in 653 defined as the "Glory of the Catholic Church". The audience, held in St. Peter's Square, was attended by 11,000 people.
Isidore was a friend of Pope Gregory the Great and younger brother to St. Leander, bishop of Seville, whom he succeeded in that episcopal see, the Pope explained, recalling how during that period "the Visigoths, barbarians and followers of Arianism, had invaded the Iberian peninsula and occupied territories once part of the Roman empire. These lands had to be won over to Catholicism".
The saint, under his brother's guidance, became disciplined and studious. Their house had a large library of pagan and Christian works, and hence Isidore's writings "reveal an encyclopaedic knowledge of classical pagan culture as well as a profound understanding of Christian culture".
"In his personal life Isidore experienced a permanent interior conflict ... between a desire for solitude to dedicate himself exclusively to meditating upon the Word of God, and the need to show charity towards his fellow man for whose salvation, as bishop, he felt responsible".
This Doctor of the Church, who as a young man also suffered exile, "was pervaded with great apostolic zeal: he experienced the exhilaration of contributing to the formation of a people that had finally found its unity, both politically and religiously, with the providential conversion from Arianism to Catholicism of the heir to the Visigoth throne, Hermenegild.
"However we must not undervalue", the Holy Father added, "the enormous difficulties in responding adequately to such serious problems as relations with heretics and with the Jews; an entire series of problems that seem very real even today, especially if we consider events in certain regions, in which we almost seem to see the re-emergence of situations very similar to those on the Iberian peninsula in the sixth century".
In St. Isidore, said Pope Benedict, "we have to admire ... his concern not to neglect the fruits that human experience had produced, in the history of his homeland and of the entire world. Isidore would not have wanted to lose anything of mankind's achievements in ancient times, pagan, Jewish or Christian". At the same time the saint, "in discussing theological problems, showed he understood their complexity and often proposed solutions that encapsulated and expressed the complete Christian truth".
With the "realism of a true pastor", Isidore of Seville proposed a fusion of contemplative and active life, inspired by the example of Christ Who "offered us an example of the active life when, during the day, He ... performed miracles in the city, but showed us the contemplative life when He retired to the mountain and spent the night there in prayer. ... Just as we must love God through contemplation, so we must love others through action".
"This, I believe, is the summary of a life that sought contemplation of God, dialogue with God in prayer and the reading of Holy Scripture, and action in the service of the human community. This", the Holy Father concluded, "is the lesson that the great bishop of Seville leaves to us, Christians of today who are called to bear witness to Christ at the beginning of a new millennium".
AG/ISIDORE OF SEVILLE/... VIS 080618 (570)
POPE SENDS HIS GREETINGS TO EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS OF QUEBEC
VATICAN CITY, 18 JUN 2008 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience, which was celebrated in St. Peter's Square, the Pope addressed some remarks to participants in the International Eucharistic Congress being held in Quebec, Canada, from 15 to 22 June on the theme: "The Eucharist: gift of God for the life of the world".
"I am spiritually present at this most solemn ecclesial meeting", he said, "and I trust it will be a time rich in prayer, reflection and contemplation of the mystery of the Blessed Eucharist, for the Christian communities of Canada and for the Universal Church. May it also be a propitious moment in which to reaffirm the Church's faith in the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament".
Benedict XVI concluded his remarks by expressing the hope that the congress "may revive in believers - not just in Canada but in many other nations in the world - an awareness of the evangelical and spiritual values that have forged their identity".
AG/EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS CANADA/... VIS 080618 (180)
GREGORY THE GREAT: HUMILITY IS THE MEASURE OF GREATNESS
VATICAN CITY, 4 JUN 2008 (VIS) - In his general audience this morning, held in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI resumed the catechesis he began last week on St. Gregory the Great, focusing today on the doctrine of this Pope and Doctor of the Church.
The Holy Father began by recalling how St. Gregory, in his numerous works, "never displays any concern with outlining a doctrine 'of his own'. Rather, he seeks to echo the Church's traditional teaching on the path to follow to reach God".
"A passionate reader of the Bible", the author of the Homilies on the Gospels believed that when reading Scripture "Christians must not draw theoretical knowledge so much as daily nourishment for their soul". Gregory likewise insisted that approaching "Holy Scripture only to satisfy one's own desire for knowledge means giving way to the temptation of pride".
"Intellectual humility is the primary rule for people seeking to penetrate supernatural truth on the basis of the Holy Books", said the Pope, remarking that "where the Word of God is involved, to understand means nothing if understanding does not lead to action".
In his Moral Commentary to Job this Doctor of the Church, following patristic tradition, examined the sacred text in the light of its threefold significance: literal, allegorical and moral. ... The moral ideal consists in achieving a harmonious integration of word and deed, of thought and commitment, of prayer and dedication to one's duties. ... This great Pope thus outlined a complete life project for true believers, which during the course of the Middle Ages represented a kind of 'Summa' of Christian morals".
In his most famous work, the Pastoral Rule, Gregory "seeks to delineate the ideal bishop, master and guide of his flock. ... The bishop is above all the 'preacher' par excellence and as such he must primarily be an example to others. ... For pastoral action to be effective, bishops must understand its recipients and adapt their interventions to the situations of each". Gregory also "insists on the daily duty pastors have to recognise their own poverty, so that pride does not make the good achieved ineffective in the eyes of the supreme Judge".
"All these precious guidelines", said Pope Benedict, "demonstrate St. Gregory's exalted concern for the care of souls, which he defined as 'ars artium' (the art of arts). ... In the theological design that Gregory develops in his works, past, present and future are relativized. What has most importance for him is the entire span of the history of salvation, which continues to unravel through the dark meanders of time. ... He believes that the leaders of the Christian community must continually undertake to reread events in the light of the Word of God".
Finally Benedict XVI mentioned the relationships Gregory "cultivated with the Patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria and Constantinople", noting how he was "constantly concerned with recognising and respecting their rights, avoiding any form of interference that could limit their legitimate autonomy". And if Gregory "opposed the title of 'Ecumenical' for the Patriarch of Constantinople", said the Pope, "he did so because he was concerned for the fraternal unity of the universal Church and, above all, because he was profoundly convinced that humility was the fundamental virtue for all bishops, and even more so for a Patriarch.
"In his heart", the Holy Father added, "Gregory continued to be a simple monk and for that reason opposed the use of grand titles. He wished to be 'servus servorum Dei' (servant of the servants of God). ... Intimately inspired by the humility of God Who in Christ became our servant, ... he was convinced that a bishop must imitate such humility".
Although Gregory's wish had been "to live as a monk in permanent communion with the Word of God", Benedict XVI concluded, "for His love he became the servant of everyone in a time full of tribulation and suffering; he became the servant of the servants. This is why he was 'Great' and shows us the measure of true greatness". AG/ST. GREGORY THE GREAT/... VIS 080604 (690)
POPE RECALLS ST. FRANCIS CARACCIOLO AND BLESSED JOHN XXIII
VATICAN CITY, 4 JUN 2008 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience, the Pope addressed some remarks to participants in a pilgrimage being promoted by the Order of Minor Clerks Regular to mark the end of celebrations for the fourth centenary of the death of their founder, St. Francis Caracciolo (1563-1608).
"Dear friends", said the Pope, "I hope that this important occasion many contribute to renewing in everyone the living desire to serve Christ, following the teachings of this great saint who was a lover of the Eucharist, a humble servant of the poor, and an ascetic constantly immersed in contemplation of the Crucified Christ".
The Holy Father then turned to greet Polish pilgrims, recalling that yesterday marked the 45th anniversary of the death of Blessed John XXIII "whom people called 'John the Good' or 'Good Pope John'. It was he who called Vatican Council II which began the renewal of the Church, the reform of her structures and the 'aggiornamento' of her liturgy. May this reform", Benedict XVI concluded, "produce fruits in us and in the Church of the third millennium".
AG/CARACCIOLO JOHN XXIII/... VIS 080604 (200)
NEW STRATEGIES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER
VATICAN CITY, 3 JUN 2008 (VIS) - This morning at the Rome headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. read out a Message from the Holy Father during the opening session of the "High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bio-energy". The conference is being held at FAO headquarters from 3 to 5 June.
In his Message, the Holy Father writes that "hunger and malnutrition are unacceptable in a world which has, in fact, levels of production, resources and knowledge sufficient to put an end to such dramas and their consequences. The great challenge of today is to 'globalise', not just economic and commercial interests, but also the call for solidarity, while respecting and taking advantage of the contribution of all components of society".
To the 50 heads of State and government participating in the conference, Benedict XVI reiterates the hope he expressed before the U.N. General Assembly in April: that of overcoming "the obvious paradox of a multilateral consensus that continues to be in crisis because it is still subordinated to the decisions of a few".
After calling on leaders "to collaborate in an increasingly transparent way with ... organisations committed to closing the growing divide between rich and poor", the Holy Father exhorts them "to continue with structural reforms which, at the national level, are indispensable in order to face the problems of underdevelopment, of which hunger and malnutrition are direct consequences".
"Poverty and malnutrition are not a simple fatality, provoked by adverse environmental situations or by disastrous natural calamities", writes the Pope, noting at the same time that "purely technical and economic considerations must not prevail over the duties of justice towards people suffering from hunger".
The "primary right to food is intrinsically linked to the safeguarding and defence of human life", he says. "Each person has the right to life. Hence it is necessary to promote the effective implementation of this right, and peoples suffering from lack of food must be helped to become gradually capable of satisfying their own need for healthy and sufficient nourishment".
Referring to the current problem of rising prices of agricultural products, the Pope calls for the drawing-up of "new strategies to fight against poverty and to promote rural development, ... through structural reform processes which enable the challenges posed by security and by climate change to be faced".
"The global increase in agricultural production will, nonetheless, be effective only if accompanied by the effective distribution of that production, and if it is primarily destined to satisfying essential needs".
Modern technologies, notes Benedict XVI, "are not enough to meet shortfalls in food", and he goes on to mention the need for "political action which, inspired by those principles of natural law written in man's heart, protects the dignity of the individual. ... Only by protecting the person, then, is it possible to combat the main cause of hunger".
If negotiations and decisions were to take respect for human dignity into account, "it would be possible to overcome otherwise-insurmountable obstacles, and to eliminate - or at least diminish - disinterest towards the good of others. ... The defence of human dignity in international activity, even in emergencies, would also help to limit superfluity, with a view to the needs of others, and to administer the fruits of creation with justice, placing them at the disposal of all generations.
"In the light of such principles", the Pope adds in conclusion, "it is my hope that the delegations present at this meeting may take on new commitments and set themselves to pursue them with great determination. The Catholic Church, for her part, wishes to unite herself to these efforts".
MESS/FOOD/FAO:BERTONE
LETTERS OF CREDENCE OF NINE NEW AMBASSADORS
VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of nine new ambassadors to the Holy See: Ahmada Rweyemamu Ngemera of Tanzania; Nyine S. Bitahwa of Uganda; Wesley Momo Johnson of Liberia, Hissein Brahim Taha of Chad; Debapriya Bhattacharya of Bangladesh; Sergei F. Aleinik of Belarus; Alexandre Cece Loua of Guinea, Tikiri Bandara Maduwegedera of Sri Lanka, and Obed Wadzani of Nigeria.
Addressing the diplomats as a group, the Pope expressed the view that "the primordial gauge in political matters is the search for justice, so as to ensure that the dignity and rights of human beings are always respected and that all the inhabitants of a country may share in the wealth of their nation. The same holds true for the international sphere".
"The international community", he continued, "is also called to act - over and above simple justice - by showing its solidarity with the poorest and ensuring a better distribution of wealth, enabling especially those countries whose wealth resides in the soil or under the soil to be the primary beneficiaries thereof. Rich countries cannot appropriate what comes from other lands".
"Justice and solidarity must mean that the international community oversees the distribution of resources", said the Holy Father, highlighting how "it is also necessary to develop ... fraternal relations in order to create well-balanced societies where harmony and peace can reign, and to regulate any problems that may arise through dialogue and negotiation, without using any form of violence which always affects the weakest and poorest people".
Benedict XVI explained how "solidarity and fraternity are a definitive expression of the fundamental love which we must show our brothers and sisters, because all people with responsibility in public life are primarily called to make their mission one of service to their compatriots and, in a broader sense, to all the inhabitants of the planet".
The Holy Father concluded his remarks by indicating that, "for their part, the local Churches will not fail to do everything possible to make their contribution to the wellbeing of their compatriots, sometimes in difficult situations. Their desire is tirelessly to continue serving human beings, all human beings, without discrimination of any kind".
In his speech, delivered in written form, to the ambassador of Tanzania, the Pope recalls how the country, "is also held in esteem for the important role undertaken by its political leaders in the process of pacification of the Great Lakes Region" and for its "generous hospitality to refugees fleeing from hostilities in neighbouring countries". The Holy Father also notes certain negative trends such as "an increase in the regional traffic of arms and interruptions in important initiatives of dialogue and reconciliation", and affirms that the Holy See "continues to exhort all who hold responsibility in the region not to loose confidence in the value of dialogue, but to explore with an open mind and follow all possibilities that may lead to the conclusion of a lasting peace".
In his discourse to the Ugandan representative, the Pope notes the country's achievements "in the fields of education, development and health care, especially in the struggle against HIV/AIDS with dedicated attention to those affected and a successful policy of prevention based on continence and the promotion of faithfulness in marriage". He also praises "the culmination of efforts to formalise peace agreements and to bring to a conclusion the long years of warfare marked by cruel and senseless violence", expressing the hope that all displaced people may "return to their homes and resume a peaceful and productive existence".
Benedict XVI informs the ambassador of Liberia of his satisfaction over "the decision by the International Monetary Fund ... to take steps towards cancelling Liberia's debt". He also underlines the importance of the "educational apostolate", noting how "many of your children and young people have been traumatised by the experience of war, some of them forced to become soldiers and to abandon their education, resulting in low levels of literacy across the population. The Church in such circumstances seeks to offer the people hope, to give them faith in the future".
The Pope tells the ambassador of Chad that "the quality of relations between religious communities living in Chad, especially between Christians and Muslims, is an important element on the country's path to reconciliation".
"I am confident that your country's active participation in bodies such as the United Nations Organisation will contribute to the 'culture of peace' which Bangladesh desires to build at home and abroad", writes the Pope in his speech to the Bangladeshi ambassador.
"Considered as an integral part of the life and destiny of Belarus", Pope Benedict says to that country's representative, "the Catholic Church looks forward to continuing to exercise her role in society through her various structures and institutions", which "seek only to serve men and women and all of society through the transmission of universal values inspired by the Gospel. In this regard the Catholic Church in Belarus, from both the Latin and Byzantine traditions, does not ask for special privileges but only to contribute to the growth and development of the country. All she requests is the freedom to be able to fulfil serenely the mandate received from the divine Founder in service of His creation. In this same spirit and with the same sense of mutual responsibility, the Catholics of Belarus are committed to moving forward in the area of ecumenical dialogue, especially with the Orthodox Church in your country".
To the ambassador of Guinea, the Pope expresses the hope that "following the painful trials the nation has been through, active co-operation may consolidate stability and encourage fraternity among the people". He also makes clear his hope that the international community may support such efforts.
To the diplomat from Sri Lanka, Benedict XVI notes how "Catholics in Sri Lanka, together with other Christians, are united with many Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims in the ardent longing for lasting peace in the country and a definitive end to long-standing grievances. Sadly, violence continues to take its toll on the populace, causing grave concern to the Holy See and the international community". He also mentions the government's decision to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate cases of human rights violations, making particular reference to "Fr. Jim Brown and his assistant, whose whereabouts are still unknown, almost two years after their disappearance".
Finally, the Holy Father praises Nigeria for the dynamism it "has introduced into the struggle against corruption and crime and the strengthening of the rule of law. ... I pray that politicians and social workers, professional people in the fields of economy, medicine and law, police officers and judges, and all involved in combating crime and corruption will work together diligently for the protection of life and property, supported by the loyal co-operation of all citizens. The Church will not fail to make her specific contribution by offering an integral education based on honesty, integrity and love of God and neighbour". CD/LETTERS OF CREDENCE/... VIS 080529 (1180)
EVANGELISATION AND EDUCATION OF THE NEW GENERATIONS
VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, the Pope met with members of the Italian Episcopal Conference, who are currently holding their general assembly in the Vatican's Synod Hall. The central theme of their deliberations has been evangelisation and education among the new generations.
The Pope opened his address to them by affirming that the "educational emergency" he has referred to on a number of previous occasions "assumes a very specific form: that of the transmission of the faith to the new generations". In this field "we must negotiate the obstacles placed in our way by relativism, by a culture that puts God within parenthesis and discourages all truly committed choices, and in particular definitive choices, rather privileging ... self-affirmation and immediate satisfaction".
To face these difficulties, said the Pope, bishops have at their disposal "many charisms and forms of evangelising energy" which they must "accept with joy". Particularly important, he went on, "are personal relationships, especially sacramental confession and spiritual guidance. Each of these moments represents an opportunity given to us to help our young people see the face of the God Who is the true friend of mankind".
"The current educational emergency raises the question of an education that is truly educational", an education that "re-establishes full and integral formation of the person as the centre of its focus. ... It is, in fact, fair to ask whether the quality of teaching would not be improved by a simulating comparison between educational centres established - while respecting universally valid teaching programmes - by popular groups concerned with interpreting the educational choices of individual families".
Benedict XVI indicated that Italy "needs to overcome a difficult period in which economic and social dynamism seemed to weaken, faith in the future diminished, and the poverty of many families led to a growing sense of insecurity". In this context, he also noted "signs of a new climate" due to "a more serene relationship between political forces and the institutions" which has been inspired by "a more acute sense of a shared responsibility for the future of the nation. ... There exists, in fact, a widespread desire to resume the journey, to face and resolve at least the most urgent and pressing problems, to open a new season of economic (but also civic and moral) growth".
"As bishops we cannot fail to make our own specific contribution, so that Italy may see a period of progress and harmony", he said. "To this end we must first of all bear frank witness to the fact that ... the fundamental problem of mankind today remains the problem of God. No other human and social problem can truly be solved if God does not return to the centre of our lives".
"Within the framework of a healthy and well-understood laicism, it is important to resist all tendencies to consider religion, and in particular Christianity, as a purely private matter", said the Holy Father.
He laid particular emphasis on the prelates' concern for "the family founded on marriage, ... in order to encourage a culture favourable, and not hostile, to the family and to life, and to ask public institutions for coherent policies that recognise the central role families play in society, especially in generating and educating children". Furthermore, he added, "our commitment to the dignity and protection of human life in all moments and conditions must remain strong and constant".
"We cannot close our eyes and remain silent in the face of the poverty, discomfort and social injustice that afflict such a large part of humankind, and that require generous commitment from everyone. ... Of course, our readiness to help must come about while respecting the laws which undertake to ensure the well-ordered progress of social life, both within a State and towards those who come from outside". C/.../ITALIAN EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE VIS 080529 (650)
PLENARY OF WORKING COMMISSION BETWEEN HOLY SEE, ISRAEL
VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Yesterday in the Vatican, the Permanent Bilateral Working Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel held its plenary meeting for the purpose of advancing negotiations concerning article 10 para. 2 of the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel of 30 December 1993.
According to a communique released yesterday afternoon, the Holy See delegation was headed by Msgr. Pietro Parolin, under-secretary for Relations with States, and the Israeli delegation by Aaron Abramovich, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The work of the plenary meeting of the commission "took place in a climate of great cordiality and good will, and accomplished significant progress towards the shared goal, both substantially and in terms of putting in place procedures to improve desired effectiveness and on-going negotiations", says the communique.
The next meeting of the plenary will be held in Israel in the first half of December this year, "in the meantime the commission will continue upon its task at the 'working level'".
.../PLENARY BILATERAL COMMISSION/ISRAEL VIS 080529 (190)
VATICAN MUSEUMS PRESENT EXHIBITION ON MATILDA OF CANOSSA
VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Matilda of Canossa, the Papacy and the Empire (history, art and culture at the origins of the Romanesque) is the title of a forthcoming exhibition, which was presented this morning in the Vatican Museums.
The exhibition will be inaugurated on 31 August and run until 11 January 2009, and will have two separate sites: the Casa di Mantegna in Mantua and the abbey of San Benedetto Po. It focuses on the biographical and political events of Matilda's life as a starting point to examine and interpret a period of confrontation between Popes and Emperors which led to the demarcation and separation of the two powers (religious and secular) and thus laid the foundations of the modern conception of power in the West.
Countess Matilda of Canossa (1046-1115), a powerful feudal landowner and ardent supporter of the Papacy in the controversy over investitures, dominated the area of Italy immediately north of the Papal States.
The exhibition - using works of art, documents and artefacts from various museums in Italy and Europe - reveals a world undergoing a profound transformation. Matilda's fame and the need to make her a symbol of support for the Papacy created a myth that has lasted down until our own time, and over history has inspired such figures as Dante, Giulio Romano and Gianlorenzo Bernini who recreated her figure in masterpieces of literature, painting and sculpture.
.../MATILDA OF CANOSSA/VATICAN MUSEUMS VIS 080529 (250)
GREGORY THE GREAT: A MAN OF GOD AT THE SERVICE OF OTHERS
VATICAN CITY, 28 MAY 2008 (VIS) - In his general audience today, held in St. Peter's Square, the Pope turned his attention to St. Gregory the Great, who was Bishop of Rome from 590 to 604 and whom "tradition deemed worthy of the title of 'Magnus', the Great".
Gregory, said the Holy Father, "truly was a great Pope and a great Doctor of the Church". He was born in Rome in 540 to a rich and noble family, which stood out "for its attachment to the Christian faith and for its service to the Apostolic See".
Benedict XVI recalled how Gregory first entered upon an administrative career, becoming prefect of Rome in 572. "However such a life cannot have satisfied him for shortly afterwards he decided to abandon all public office and withdraw to his house on the 'Clivius Scauri', beginning life as a monk". In this way "he acquired a profound knowledge of Holy Scripture and of the Fathers of the Church, which he later used in his own works".
Gregory's skills and experience caused Pope Pelagius II to appoint him as deacon and send him as ambassador to Constantinople "to help surmount the last vestiges of the Monophysite controversy and, above all, to obtain the emperor's support in the struggle to counteract the pressure of the Lombards". A few years later, "he was called back to Rome by the Pope who made him his secretary". When Pelagius II died, Gregory succeeded him in the See of St. Peter. It was the year 590.
A large number of documents have been conserved from Gregory's pontificate, said the Pope, "thanks to the 'Registro' which includes around 800 of his letters. ... Among the problems afflicting Italy and Rome at that time, was one of particular weight in both civil and ecclesial life: the question of the Lombards". Gregory established "fraternal relations with them, with a view to a future peace founded on mutual respect and the serene coexistence of Italians, Greeks and Lombards".
Negotiations with the Lombard king, Agilulf "led to a truce which lasted for nearly three years (598-601), after which it proved possible to stipulate a more stable armistice in 603", said the Holy Father. "This positive result was possible also thanks to the contacts which the Pope had, in the meantime, established with Queen Theodelinda, a Bavarian and a Catholic. ... Little by little Theodelinda managed to lead the king to Catholicism, thus preparing the way for peace". The "beautiful" story of this queen, said the Pope, "demonstrates the importance of women in the history of the Church".
"Pope Gregory was also active in the field of social work. With the income of the considerable patrimony which the See of Rome possessed in Italy, especially in Sicily, he bought and distributed grain, helped those in need, assisted poverty-stricken priests, monks and nuns, paid the ransom of citizens who had fallen prisoner to the Lombards, and bought armistices and truces".
"Gregory", the Pope explained, "undertook these intense activities despite poor health which often forced him to keep his bed for days on end. ... Notwithstanding the difficult conditions in which he had to work, he managed, thanks to the holiness of his life and his abundant humanity, to conquer the trust of the faithful, achieving what, for his own time and for the future, were truly grand results".
"He was a man immersed in God. The desire for God was perpetually alive in the depths of his soul and precisely for this reason he always remained close to others, to the needs of the people of his time. At a time of disaster - a desperate time - he managed to create peace and bring hope. This man of God shows us", Benedict XVI concluded, "where the true sources of peace are, where true hope comes from, and thus he is also a guide for us today".
AG/ST. GREGORY THE GREAT/... VIS 080528 (670)
SERVICE OF AUTHORITY AND OBEDIENCE
VATICAN CITY, 28 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life today published an Instruction entitled: "The Service of Authority and Obedience", presented this morning at an assembly of male and female superiors general being held at the Salesianum in Rome.
"In the first place, the text examines the theme of religious obedience", says a communique released by the congregation, "the root of which is seen in that search for God and for His will which is particular to believers. ... Christian and religious obedience does not, then, appear simply as the implementation of ecclesiastical or religious laws and rulings, but as the momentum of a journey in search of God which involves listening to His Word and becoming aware of His design of love - the fundamental experience of Christ Who, out of love, was obedient unto His death on the cross.
"Authority in religious life", the communique adds, "must be understood in this light, in other words, as a way to help the community (or institute) to seek and achieve the will of God. Obedience, then, is not justified on the basis of religious authority, because everyone in a religious community (first and foremost the authorities themselves) are called to obedience, Authority places itself at the service on the community so that God's will may be sought and achieved together".
"The question of religious authority must be placed in the context of the great shared commitment to obedience, ... the theme that opens and closes this document", says the communique. The Instruction also considers "the delicate matter of 'difficult obedience', that in which what is requested of the religious is particularly hard to carry out, or in which the subject feels he sees 'things which are better and more useful for his soul than those which the superior orders him to do'. ... Drawing from a still-relevant text of Paul VI, the document also dwells upon the possibility of 'objections of conscience' in the subject who must obey".
"The Instruction seeks to recall, above all, that obedience in religious life can give rise to difficult moments, to situations of suffering in which it is necessary to refer back to the Obedient One par excellence, Christ. ... It must, moreover, be borne in mind that authority too can be 'difficult', experiencing moments of discouragement and fatigue which can lead to resignation or inattention in exercising an appropriate guidance ... of the community".
"The reference to conscience helps people to consider obedience not just as a passive and irresponsible execution of orders, but as a conscious shouldering of commitments ... which are a real actuation of the will of God".
"If the document contains a serene and faith-motivated exhortation to obedience, it also offers a vast and coherent set of guidelines for the exercise of authority", such as "inviting people to listen, favouring dialogue, sharing, co-responsibility, ... and the merciful treatment of the people" entrusted to authority.
The Instruction, the communique concludes, "gives particular resonance to the religious community as a place in which, under the guidance of the superior, a form of 'community discernment' must be exercised in decision-making. This practice, for the implementation of which important suggestions are offered, does not however eliminate the role of authority ... And it must not be forgotten that, by ancient tradition, the highest authority within religious institutes resides in the general chapter (or similar institution), which is a collegial body".
CIS/INSTRUCTION OBEDIENCE AUTHORITY/... VIS 080528 (590)
TELEGRAM FOR VICTIMS OF CYCLONE IN MYANMAR
VATICAN CITY, 6 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. has sent a telegram, in the Pope's name, to Archbishop Paul Zinghtung Grawng of Mandalay, and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar, for the cyclone which struck the country recently, leaving thousands of victims in its wake. The text of the English-language telegram is given below:
"Deeply saddened by news of the tragic aftermath of the recent cyclone, the Holy Father expresses his heartfelt sympathy. With prayers for the victims and their families, he invokes God's peace upon the dead and divine strength and comfort upon the homeless and all who are suffering. Confident that the international community will respond with generous and effective relief to the needs of your countrymen, His Holiness asks you to convey his solidarity and concern to the civil authorities and to all the beloved people of Myanmar".
TGR/CYCLONE MYANMAR/BERTONE:GRAWNG VIS 080506 (160)
OFFICIAL VISIT OF CATHOLICOS KAREKIN II
VATICAN CITY, 6 MAY 2008 (VIS) - His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, will make an official visit to the Church of Rome and to the Holy Father from 6 to 9 May.
According to a communique released by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the patriarch will be accompanied by 18 bishops of the Catholicosate of all Armenians and by a group of 75 Armenian Apostolic faithful, from Armenia and other countries in east and west. They will participate in the main events of the visit.
Karekin II, who was elected as the 132nd Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians in October 1999, is due to arrive in Rome this evening.
Tomorrow, 7 May, having prayed at the tomb of St. Peter and visited the statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator, patron saint of Armenia, which is located in the north patio of the Vatican Basilica, the Pope will welcome him at the beginning of the general audience in St. Peter's Square. In the afternoon, the Catholicos is to receive a doctorate "honoris causa" in "the theology of youth pastoral care" from the Pontifical Salesian University.
On Thursday 8 May, the Patriarch will visit the Pontifical Armenian College and, during the afternoon, participate in an academic congress being held at the Pontifical Oriental Institute on "holy sacrifice in the Armenian tradition".
On the morning of Friday 9 May, His Holiness Karekin II and his entourage will visit the offices of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, after which Benedict XVI will receive the Catholicos in the Vatican Apostolic Palace. Following a private meeting between the two, the Pope will also receive the bishops accompanying the Patriarch. A celebration of the Word is due to take place, jointly presided by the Pope and Karekin II, at which the Armenian Apostolic faithful of the Patriarch's entourage will also participate.
On the evening of 9 May, the Catholicos and his entourage will participate in the celebration of Vespers at the papal basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, the final event of the Patriarch's visit to Rome.
In November 2000, scarcely a year after his election, His Holiness Karekin II visited the Church of Rome and John Paul II. During that visit the Pope and the Patriarch presided at a Liturgy of the Word in the Vatican Basilica during which John Paul II gave the Catholicos a relic of St. Gregory the Illuminator which had been conserved for many years at the Convent of St. Gregory the Armenian in Naples, Italy.
In September 2001, John Paul II made a visit to Armenia and to the See of Etchmiadzin where the Catholicos resides. The Patriarch also came to Rome for the Polish Pontiff's funeral on 8 April 2005.
The communique concludes by explaining that, on the occasions of the various meetings between Bishops of Rome and the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, joint declarations have been signed on questions of great ecumenical importance in the historical, theological and pastoral fields.
OP/VISIT POPE ROME/KAREKIN II VIS 080506 (520)
CHURCH'S CHALLENGE: TO COMMUNICATE THE JOY BORN OF FAITH
VATICAN CITY, 19 APR 2008 (VIS) - In New York at 9.15 a.m. today, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass in the city's neo-Gothic St. Patrick's Cathedral. As he arrived, the Holy Father was greeted by Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York, Msgr. Robert T. Ritchie, the rector of the cathedral, and Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York.
The celebration of Mass for the Universal Church, which coincided with the third anniversary of Benedict XVI's election to the pontifical throne, was dedicated to clergy and religious of U.S. east coast dioceses, where New York is located.
"In this country", said the Holy Father in his homily, "the Church's mission has always involved drawing people 'from every nation under heaven' into spiritual unity, and enriching the Body of Christ by the variety of their gifts. As we give thanks for past blessings, and look to the challenges of the future, let us implore from God the grace of a new Pentecost for the Church in America".
The Church, he went on, "is called to proclaim the gift of life, to serve life, and to promote a culture of life. ... The proclamation of life, life in abundance, must be the heart of the new evangelisation. For true life - our salvation - can only be found in the reconciliation, freedom and love which are God's gracious gift.
"This", he added, "is the message of hope we are called to proclaim and embody in a world where self-centredness, greed, violence, and cynicism so often seem to choke the fragile growth of grace in people's hearts. ... Perhaps we have lost sight of this: in a society where the Church seems legalistic and 'institutional' to many people, our most urgent challenge is to communicate the joy born of faith and the experience of God's love".
Benedict XVI then dwelt on some features of the cathedral building itself, associating them with the mission of priests and religious within the Church.
"The first", he said, "has to do with the stained glass windows. ... From the outside, those windows are dark, heavy, even dreary. But once one enters the church, they suddenly come alive; reflecting the light passing through them, they reveal all their splendour. ... It follows", he explained, "that we, who live the life of grace within the Church's communion, are called to draw all people into this mystery of light.
"This is no easy task in a world which can tend to look at the Church, like those stained glass windows, 'from the outside': a world which deeply senses a need for spirituality, yet finds it difficult to 'enter into' the mystery of the Church. Even for those of us within, the light of faith can be dimmed by routine, and the splendour of the Church obscured by the sins and weaknesses of her members. It can be dimmed too, by the obstacles encountered in a society which sometimes seems to have forgotten God and to resent even the most elementary demands of Christian morality".
"Yet the word of God reminds us that, in faith, we see the heavens opened, and the grace of the Holy Spirit lighting up the Church and bringing sure hope to our world".
The second feature the Pope considered was the architecture of the cathedral, "like all Gothic cathedrals, a highly complex structure, whose exact and harmonious proportions symbolise the unity of God's creation. ... Does this not bring to mind our need to see all things with the eyes of faith, and thus to grasp them in their truest perspective, in the unity of God's eternal plan? This requires, as we know, constant conversion, and a commitment to acquiring 'a fresh, spiritual way of thinking'. ... Is not this ongoing 'intellectual' conversion", he asked, "as necessary as 'moral' conversion for our own growth in faith, our discernment of the signs of the times, and our personal contribution to the Church's life and mission?".
In this context, Pope Benedict expressed the view that "one of the great disappointments which followed Vatican Council II, with its call for a greater engagement in the Church's mission to the world, has been the experience of division between different groups, different generations, different members of the same religious family. We can only move forward if we turn our gaze together to Christ! In the light of faith, we will then discover the wisdom and strength needed to open ourselves to points of view which may not necessarily conform to our own ideas or assumptions. ... In this way, we will move together towards that true spiritual renewal desired by the Council, a renewal which can only strengthen the Church in that holiness and unity indispensable for the effective proclamation of the Gospel in today's world".
"Here, within the context of our need for the perspective given by faith, and for unity and co-operation in the work of building up the Church, I would like say a word about the sexual abuse that has caused so much suffering. I have already had occasion to speak of this, and of the resulting damage to the community of the faithful. Here I simply wish to assure you, dear priests and religious, of my spiritual closeness as you strive to respond with Christian hope to the continuing challenges that this situation presents. I join you in praying that this will be a time of purification for each and every particular Church and religious community, and a time for healing".
"The unity of a Gothic cathedral, we know, is not the static unity of a classical temple, but a unity born of the dynamic tension of diverse forces which impel the architecture upward, pointing it to heaven. Here too, we can see a symbol of the Church's unity, which is the unity ... of a living body composed of many different members, each with its own role and purpose".
"Certainly within the Church's divinely-willed structure there is a distinction to be made between hierarchical and charismatic gifts. Yet the very variety and richness of the graces bestowed by the Spirit invite us constantly to discern how these gifts are to be rightly ordered in the service of the Church's mission".
"In the finest traditions of the Church in this country", the Pope concluded, addressing the priests and religious, "may you also be the first friend of the poor, the homeless, the stranger, the sick and all who suffer. Act as beacons of hope, casting the light of Christ upon the world, and encouraging young people to discover the beauty of a life given completely to the Lord and His Church".
At the conclusion of Mass the Holy Father made some off-the-cuff remarks concerning his Petrine ministry:
"At this moment I can only thank you for your love of the Church and Our Lord, and for the love which you show to the poor Successor of St. Peter. I will try to do all that is possible to be a worthy successor of the great Apostle, who also was a man with faults and sins, but remained in the end the rock for the Church. And so I too, with all my spiritual poverty, can be for this time, in virtue of the Lord's grace, the Successor of Peter. It is also your prayers and your love which give me the certainty that the Lord will help me in this my ministry. I am therefore deeply grateful for your love and for your prayers. My response now for all that you have given to me during this visit is my blessing, which I impart to you at the conclusion of this beautiful celebration".
PV-U.S.A./HOMILY RELIGIOUS/NEW YORK VIS 080420 (1290)
FAITH HELPS US TO SEE LIFE AS GOD DOES
VATICAN CITY, 19 APR 2008 (VIS) - This afternoon, having lunched with bishops of the archdiocese of New York, the Pope travelled by car to the city's St. Joseph's Seminary, where he was welcomed by the rector, Msgr. Gerald T. Walsh.
The Pope first went to the seminary chapel where he met with a group of 50 disabled children. One of them addressed a greeting to the Holy Father in the name of all of them, after which Pope Benedict made some remarks of his own.
"God", he said, "has blessed you with life, and with differing talents and gifts. Through these you are able to serve Him and society in various ways. ... Sometimes it is challenging to find a reason for what appears only as a difficulty to be overcome or even pain to be endured. Yet our faith helps us to break open the horizon beyond our own selves in order to see life as God does. God's unconditional love, which bathes every human individual, points to a meaning and purpose for all human life".
Benedict XVI encouraged the young people "to pray every day for our world, ... including those who have yet to come to know Jesus. And please do continue to pray for me", he concluded. "As you know I have just had another birthday. Time passes!"
PV-U.S.A./DISABLED CHILDREN/NEW YORK VIS 080420 (240)
YOUNG PEOPLE: PERSONAL PRAYER, LITURGICAL PRAYER, CHARITY
VATICAN CITY, 19 APR 2008 (VIS) - Today at 4.30 p.m. local time, the Holy Father met with young people and seminarians at New York's St. Joseph's Seminary.
Following a welcome speech delivered by Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York, three representatives of the 20,000 young people presented the Pope with bread, rice and maize as a symbol of the richness of their various traditions. A group of young people then sang him "Happy Birthday" in German.
The Pope began his address by referring to the six images on display at the meeting. "Images", he said, "of six ordinary men and women who grew up to lead extraordinary lives. The Church honours them as Venerable, Blessed, or Saint: ... St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. John Neumann, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Venerable Pierre Toussaint, and Fr. Felix Varela. ... Each responded to the Lord's call to a life of charity and each served Him here, in the alleys, streets and suburbs of New York".
"And what of today?" the Pope asked. "Who bears witness to the Good News of Jesus on the streets of New York, in the troubled neighbourhoods of large cities, in the places where the young gather, seeking someone in whom they can trust? God is our origin and our destination, and Jesus the way", he said.
After highlighting the fact that young Americans today "are brought up with a sense of generosity, service and fairness", the Holy Father recalled how his own adolescence was "marred by a sinister regime that thought it had all the answers; its influence grew - infiltrating schools and civic bodies, as well as politics and even religion - before it was fully recognised for the monster it was. It banished God and thus became impervious to anything true and good".
"Let us thank God", said the Pope, "that today many people of your generation are able to enjoy the liberties which have arisen through the extension of democracy and respect for human rights".
"The power to destroy does, however, remain", he warned. "To pretend otherwise would be to fool ourselves. Yet, it never triumphs; it is defeated. ... During the beautiful Easter vigil liturgy, it was not from despair or fear that we cried out to God for our world, but with hope-filled confidence: dispel the darkness of our heart! dispel the darkness of our minds!" And "what might that darkness be?" the Pope asked. "What happens when people, especially the most vulnerable, encounter a clenched fist of repression or manipulation rather than a hand of hope?" In this context, he recalled young people "affected by drug and substance abuse, homelessness and poverty, racism, violence, and degradation - especially of girls and women".
Another "area of darkness - that which affects the mind - often goes unnoticed, and for this reason is particularly sinister. The manipulation of truth distorts our perception of reality, and tarnishes our imagination and aspirations", said the Pope. Hence "the fundamental importance of freedom must be rigorously safeguarded" because "it can be misunderstood or misused so as to lead not to the happiness which we all expect it to yield, but to a dark arena of manipulation in which our understanding of self and the world becomes confused, or even distorted by those who have an ulterior agenda".
The Holy Father noted that "often the call for freedom is made without ever referring to the truth of the human person, ... and in truth's place - or better said its absence - an idea has spread which, in giving value to everything indiscriminately, claims to assure freedom and to liberate conscience. This we call relativism".
"Dear frieds", he told the young people "truth is not an imposition. Nor is it simply a set of rules. It is a discovery of the One who never fails us; the One Whom we can always trust. ... Ultimately truth is a person: Jesus Christ. That is why authentic freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in".
"How then can we as believers help others to walk the path of freedom which brings fulfilment and lasting happiness? ... Christ's light beckons you to be guiding stars for others, walking Christ's way of forgiveness, reconciliation, humility, joy and peace".
Benedict XVI then turned his attention to "four essential aspects of the treasure of our faith: personal prayer and silence, liturgical prayer, charity in action, and vocations.
"What matters most", he added, "is that you develop your personal relationship with God. That relationship is expressed in prayer. ... Friends, do not be afraid of silence or stillness, listen to God, adore Him in the Eucharist. Let His word shape your journey as an unfolding of holiness".
"Through the liturgy, the 'work of Jesus' is continually brought into contact with history; with our lives in order to shape them. ... Whenever you gather for Mass, when you go to Confession, whenever you celebrate any of the Sacraments, Jesus is at work".
The Pope then referred to "new injustices" stemming "from the exploitation of the heart and manipulation of the mind; even our common habitat, the earth itself, groans under the weight of consumerist greed and irresponsible exploitation", he said. "We must respond with a renewed social action that stems from the universal love that knows no bounds".
He invited the young men and women to express their gratitude to "parents, grandparents and godparents, ... they made it possible for you to receive the greatest gift of your life", Baptism. "On that day you entered into the holiness of God Himself. You became adoptive sons and daughters of the Father. You were incorporated into Christ".
Turning then to address the 300 seminarians from east coast dioceses present at the gathering, the Pope told them: "The People of God look to you to be holy priests. ... I urge you to deepen your friendship with Jesus the Good Shepherd. ... Reject any temptation to ostentation, careerism, or conceit".
The Holy Father also underlined the generous contribution made by religious and by regular priests "to the mission of the Church. ... The wondrous array of charisms proper to each religious institute is an extraordinary spiritual treasury. ... Through the discovery of charisms, which yield such a breadth of spiritual wisdom, I am sure that some of you young people will be drawn to a life of apostolic or contemplative service".
"The hope which never disappoints is Jesus Christ", said Pope Benedict in conclusion, telling the young people present that within the Church "you too will find the courage and support to walk the way of the Lord. ... You are Christ's disciples today. Shine His light upon this great city and beyond".
Finally, the Pope bid farewell to his audience "until we meet again in Sydney this July for World Youth Day!"
PV-U.S.A./YOUTH SEMINARIANS/NEW YORK VIS 080420 (1150)
POPE AT GROUND ZERO: GOD BRING PEACE TO OUR VIOLENT WORLD
VATICAN CITY, 20 APR 2008 (VIS) - In New York at 9.30 a.m. local time today, the Pope visited Ground Zero, the name now used to refer to the site once occupied by the twin towers of the World Trade Centre.
On 11 September 2001 two aircraft crashed into the twin towers, destroying them and a number of neighbouring buildings in a terrorist attack which cost the lives of 2,896 people. The site today is a vast 80-metre deep crater, surrounded by a fence and marked with a cross.
In 2002 the reconstruction of the World Trade Centre was put out for tender in a competition won by the architect Daniel Libensky. Today, Ground Zero is a construction site where work is scheduled to finish in the year 2012. The main building of the new complex will be the "Freedom Tower", 541 metres high.
Benedict XVI arrived at Ground Zero accompanied by Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York. Awaiting him there were Michael Bloomberg, mayor of the city; David A. Paterson and John Corzine, respectively governors of New York and of New Jersey; 24 people representing the forces that responded to the attack of 11 September, and a number of injured and relatives of the victims.
The Holy Father kneeled for a few minutes of silent prayer for the victims of the attack, then lit a candle before pronouncing the following prayer:
"O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.
"We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all who died here -
the heroic first-responders:
our fire fighters, police officers,
emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel,
along with all the innocent men and women
who were victims of this tragedy
simply because their work or service
brought them here on 11 September 2001.
"We ask you, in your compassion
to bring healing to those
who, because of their presence here that day,
suffer from injuries and illness.
Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families
and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope.
"We are mindful as well
of those who suffered death, injury, and loss
on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Our hearts are one with theirs
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.
"God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.
"God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.
Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all".
The prayer over, the Pope greeted survivors of the attack, relatives of some of the victims, and members of the rescue squads. Finally, he imparted his blessing to those present.
After the ceremony, the Holy Father returned to his residence where he bid farewell to the staff of the Holy See permanent mission to the United Nations in New York before having lunch in private.
PV-U.S.A./PRAYER GROUND ZERO/NEW YORK VIS 080420 (620)
VATICAN CITY, 5 APR 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received 300 participants in an international congress entitled: "Oil on the wounds. A response to the blight of abortion and divorce". The event is being promoted by the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family in collaboration with the Knights of Columbus.
Benedict XVI expressed his satisfaction at the participants' focus on the parable of the Good Samaritan in studying questions "which bring so much suffering to the lives of people, families and society". He also recalled how in debating such matters, "often purely ideologically, a kind of conspiracy of silence is created. Only through an attitude of merciful love can we ... bring help and enable victims to rise up again and resume the course of their lives.
"In a cultural context marked by increasing individualism, hedonism and, all too often, by a lack of solidarity and adequate social support", the Pope added, people make "decisions that contrast with the indissolubility of the conjugal bond and with the respect due to human life freshly conceived and still guarded in the maternal womb".
He went on: "Divorce and abortion are, of course, different choices, at times made in difficult and dramatic circumstances. They often give rise to traumas and are a source of profound suffering for the people who make them. ... They leave wounds that mark life indelibly.
"The Church's ethical judgement concerning abortion and divorce is clear and well-known to everyone: they are grave sins which - in various ways and with due evaluation of subjective responsibilities - injure the dignity of the human person, involve a profound injustice in human and social relationships, and offend God Himself, the guarantor of the marital bond and the architect of life".
Nonetheless, "the Church, following the example of her divine Master, always has to deal with real people, especially the weakest and most innocent, ... as well as other men and women who, having perpetrated those acts, are stained with sin and bear its interior wounds while seeking peace and the possibility of rehabilitation.
"The Church", said the Pope, "has the primary duty to approach these people with love and delicacy, with kindness and maternal concern, in order to announce the merciful closeness of God and Jesus Christ. ... Yes, the gospel of love and of life is also always the gospel of mercy" and, "on the basis of this mercy, the Church cultivates an indomitable faith in mankind and its capacity for recovery. She knows that, with the help of grace, human freedom is capable of the definitive and faithful giving of self which makes it possible for the marriage of a man and a woman to be an indissoluble bond", just as she knows that "human freedom, even in the most difficult circumstances, is capable of extraordinary gestures of sacrifice and solidarity to accept the life of a new human being".
"Hence", Pope Benedict went on, "it may be seen that the 'noes' pronounced by the Church in her moral guidelines, and upon which public opinion sometimes unilaterally fixes its attention, are in fact so many 'yeses' to the dignity of human beings, their lives and their capacity to love".
Turning to consider the consequences of divorce, the Holy Father recommended that pastoral efforts be concentrated on ensuring "that children do not become the innocent victims of conflicts between divorcing parents", and that efforts be made to ensure "as far as possible" the continuity "of the bond with parents and of the relationship with their family and social origins, which are indispensable for well-balanced psychological and human development".
"How much selfish complicity often lies at the roots of a difficult decision that so many women have had to face alone and of which they still have the open wound in their soul!" said Benedict XVI talking of abortion. Then, echoing John Paul II's words from his Encyclical "Evangelium vitae", he added: "Do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. ... The Father of mercies is ready to give you His forgiveness and His peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation".
In closing, Benedict XVI expressed his appreciation for "all those social and pastoral initiatives which seek the reconciliation and cure of people affected by the drama of abortion and divorce". They are, he concluded, "essential elements in building the civilisation of love of which humanity today has more need than ever". AC/DIVORCE ABORTION/JOHN PAUL II INSTITUTE VIS 080407 (760)
PAIN OF POPE FOR DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP OF MOSUL, IRAQ
LEO THE GREAT, TIRELESS PROMOTER OF ROMAN PRIMACY
VIS 080303 (110)
GOD IS THE ANSWER TO THE DISQUIET OF OUR HEARTS
THE "ADVENTURE" OF PRIESTHOOD IS NECESSARY FOR THE WORLD
church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus. At 10 a .m., celebration of the Eucharist.
Mass. In the Basilica of St. John Lateran at 5.30 p.m., the beginning of the Easter Triduum with the Mass of the Last Supper.
CHRIST ANNOUNCES THE PROXIMITY OF THE
CONCLUSION OF MEETING OF SYNOD'S ORDINARY COUNCIL
VATICAN CITY, NOV 19, 2007 (VIS) -This morning in the Vatican, the Pope received prelates from the Kenya Episcopal Conference who have just completed their five-yearly "ad limina" visit. Speaking English, the Pope began his talk to them by recalling that "it is bishops who, as ministers and signs of communion in Christ, are pre-eminently called to make manifest the unity of His Church." In this context he urged them "to continue your fraternal cooperation with one another in the spirit of the community of Christ's disciples, united in your love for Him and in the Gospel that you proclaim." "Within each diocese, the vibrancy and harmony of the presbyterate offers a clear sign of the vitality of the local Church. ... As bishops, we must constantly strive to build up the sense of community among our priests. ... We must be close to them and encourage them, in the first place, to remain firmly rooted in prayer. ... Let them drink deeply from the wells of Sacred Scripture and from the daily and reverent celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist. Let them give themselves generously to praying the Liturgy of the Hours." " A key