Vatican News Update

 

SUMMARY:

 

- Theme for World Day of Social Communications

- Protection Must Not Be a Pretext for Aggression

 

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THEME FOR WORLD DAY OF SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS

 

VATICAN CITY, 30 SEP 2008 (VIS) - "New Technologies, New Relationships. Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship" is the theme chosen by the Pope for his Message for the 43rd World Day of Social Communications, due to be published on 24 January 2009, Feast of St. Francis of Sales, patron of journalists.

 

  The announcement was made yesterday 29 September, Feast of the Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel, by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

 

  In Archbishop Celli's words, with his message for the Day of Social Communications the Holy Father "is presenting us with a true work plan, ... a compendium of commitments and responsibilities that ... those involved in the field of communications are personally called to shoulder, at a time so deeply marked by the development of new media technologies which, in effect, are creating a new environment, a new culture.

 

  "It is clear that the Pope has a certain confidence in the possibilities the communications media can offer; the media can be of great help in favouring a climate of dialogue and trust".

 

  The president of the pontifical council went on to point out that "highlighting the fact that new technologies must be accompanied by new relationships represents a profound appraisal of the interaction upon which communication exists and develops. The modernisation of instruments does not simply mean a step forwards in technical terms, but creates new conditions and possibilities for mankind to use and apply this resource for the common good, placing it at the foundation of a widespread cultural growth".

 

  Archbishop Celli also announced that in March 2009 bishops with responsibility for communication are due to attend a seminar organised in collaboration with experts in media and communication "in order to devise a more precise and up-to-date form of pastoral care for the social communications media".

 

  The World Day of Social Communications will be celebrated in almost all countries on Sunday 31 May 2009.

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PROTECTION MUST NOT BE A PRETEXT FOR AGGRESSION

 

VATICAN CITY, 30 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer at the United Nations in New York, yesterday participated in the general debate of the 63rd session of the U.N. General Assembly.

 

  "By its nature and structure, the United Nations normally creates neither the events nor the trends, but rather, serves as a sounding board where events and trends are submitted for debate and a coherent, consensual and timely response", said the archbishop in his English-language remarks.

 

  "This year has been dominated by a number of challenges and crises: natural and man-made calamities, staggering economies, financial turmoil and fuel prices, the impact of climate change, local wars and tensions. ... One of the clear facts recognised by all is that every crisis presents a mixture of natural factors and elements of human responsibility. However, these are all too often compounded by tardy response, failures or reluctance of leaders to exercise their responsibility to protect their populations.

 

  "When speaking within these walls of the responsibility to protect", the prelate added, "the common understanding of the term is found in the 2005 Outcome Document, which refers to the responsibility of the international community to intervene in situations where individual governments are not able or willing to assure the protection of their own citizens.

 

  "In the past, the language of 'protection' was too often a pretext for expansion and aggression. In spite of the many advancements in international law, this same understanding and practice tragically continues today.

 

  "However, during the past year", the archbishop continued, "there has been growing consensus and greater inclusion of this expression as a vital component of responsible leadership. The responsibility to protect has been invoked by some as an essential aspect of the exercise of sovereignty at the national and international levels, while others have re-launched the concept of the exercise of responsible sovereignty".

 

  "The 'we the peoples' who formed the United Nations conceived the responsibility to protect to serve as the core basis for the United Nations", the archbishop concluded. "The founding leaders believed that the responsibility to protect would consist not primarily in the use of force to restore peace and human rights, but above all, in States coming together to detect and denounce the early symptoms of every kind of crises and mobilise the attention of governments, civil society and public opinion to find the causes and offer solutions".

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SUMMARY: 27 - 29 SEPTEMBER

 

- Letters of Credence of New Ambassador of Czech Republic

- Against the Indiscriminate Exploitation of the Earth

- Benedict XVI Recalls the Figure of John Paul I

- Joy at Beatification of Confessor of St. Faustina Kowalska

- Pope Bids Farewell to Castelgandolfo

- Audiences

 

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LETTERS OF CREDENCE OF NEW AMBASSADOR OF CZECH REPUBLIC

 

VATICAN CITY, 27 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo, the Pope received the Letters of Credence of Pavel Vosalik, the new ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Holy See.

 

  In his English-language address the Holy Father expressed his appreciation for the ambassador's mention in his speech of "the influence of Christianity on the rich cultural heritage of your nation, and particularly the role that the Gospel played in bringing hope to the Czech people in times of oppression".

 

  "Your nation", he said, "bolstered by the sense of solidarity that enabled her to emerge courageously from the collapse of totalitarianism, also desires to contribute to the welfare of the human family by enhancing international co-operation in the struggle against violence, hunger, poverty and other social ills". In this context he mentioned the forthcoming Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union, noting how it will enable the country "to exercise strong leadership in the shared endeavour of combining unity and diversity, national sovereignty and joint activity, and economic progress and social justice across the continent.

 

  "The Church", the Pope added, "is well aware of the many challenges facing Europe precisely at a time when its nations aspire to build a more stable international community for future generations. To move forward, its leaders are called to recognise that human happiness and well-being cannot be achieved through structures alone. ... The realisation of a genuine culture worthy of man's noble vocation requires the harmonious co-operation of families, ecclesial communities, schools, businesses, community organisations and governmental institutions", entities which are "intended for the service of all".

 

  "For this reason, all of society benefits when the Church is afforded the right to exercise stewardship over the material and spiritual goods required for her ministry", said Benedict XVI, expressing the hope that "outstanding issues regarding ecclesiastical property" will be resolved and that there be "a genuine recognition of the Church's ability to contribute to the welfare of the Republic. In particular", he went on, "I hope that such considerations will be kept in clear view while a solution is sought concerning the future of the cathedral in Prague, which stands as a living witness to the rich cultural and religious heritage of your land, and testifies to the harmonious coexistence of Church and State".

 

  The Holy Father continued his address: "By its very nature, the Gospel urges people of faith to offer themselves in loving service to their brothers and sisters without distinction and without counting the cost". And he emphasised "the enormous formative potential" young people gain from participating in charitable initiatives, recalling "the many Czech citizens already serving abroad in long-term development and aid projects under the auspices of Caritas and other humanitarian organisations".

 

  In closing his remarks, the Holy Father expressed his condolences to the ambassador for the death of the Czech Republic representative to Pakistan in a recent terrorist attack in Islamabad, in which more than 50 people lost their lives. "I pray daily", he said, "for an end to such acts of aggression, and I encourage all those engaged in diplomatic service to dedicate themselves ever more keenly to facilitating peace and ensuring security throughout the world".

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AGAINST THE INDISCRIMINATE EXPLOITATION OF THE EARTH

 

VATICAN CITY, 27 SEP 2008 (VIS) - In the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo today, for the occasion of World Tourism Day 2008, Benedict XVI received 300 participants in a meeting promoted by the Centre for Youth Tourism and by the International Office for Social Tourism. They were accompanied by Cardinal Renato Martino and Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, respectively president and secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.

 

  Referring to the theme of the Day this year - "Tourism: Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change" - the Pope pointed out that humanity has the duty to protect the resources of creation and "to commit itself against the indiscriminate use of the goods of the earth", because "without adequate ethical and moral limits, human behaviour can become a threat and a challenge.

 

  "Experience shows that the responsible administration of creation is part, or should be part, of a healthy and sustainable tourist economy", Pope Benedict added, going on to mention John Paul II's 1991 Encyclical "Centesimus Annus" in which the late Pontiff "criticised the excessive and arbitrary consumption of resources, recalling that man is God's helper in the work of creation and cannot take His place. ... 'Humanity today must be conscious of its duties and obligations towards future generations'".

 

  Benedict XVI went on: "It is therefore necessary, especially in the field of tourism which depends so heavily on nature, that everyone should seek a well-balanced management of our habitat, in what is our common home. ... Environmental degradation can be stopped only by spreading an appropriate culture which includes more sober lifestyles. ... Hence the importance of educating people to an 'ethic of responsibility'".

 

  The Holy Father told his audience that the Church shared their commitment "to what is known as social tourism, which promotes the participation of the weaker sectors of society and thus can be an important tool in the fight against poverty, ... creating work, protecting resources and promoting equality". Social tourism "represents a reason for hope in a world where differences between those who have everything and those who suffer hunger, want and drought have become more accentuated".

 

  Finally, the Pope called on young people "to support and practice ways of behaviour that help to appreciate and defend nature from a correct ecological perspective, as I highlighted on a number of occasions during World Youth Day in Sydney in July".

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BENEDICT XVI RECALLS THE FIGURE OF JOHN PAUL I

 

VATICAN CITY, 28 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at the balcony of the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo in order to pray the Angelus with faithful and pilgrims gathered below.

 

  The Pope commented upon the Gospel reading of the two sons sent to work in their father's vineyard: one refuses but then changes his mind and goes, the other agrees to go but then fails to do so. "With this parable", the Holy Father said, "Jesus underlines His predilection for converted sinners, and teaches us that we need humility to welcome the gift of salvation".

 

  "Humility", he went on, "may be considered the spiritual legacy" of John Paul I, who died thirty years ago and whose episcopal motto "was the same as that of St. Charles Borromeo, 'Humilitas'. A single word that encapsulates the essential core of Christian life and indicates the indispensable virtue for people who are called to a service of authority within the Church".

 

  "Thanks to this virtue, 33 days were enough for Pope John Paul I to enter into peoples' hearts. In his discourses he used examples taken from real life, from his family memories and from popular wisdom. His simplicity was the vehicle for a solid and rich teaching which - thanks to the gift of an exceptional memory and a vast culture - he supplemented with many quotes from ecclesiastical and lay writers. He was a peerless catechist, following the footsteps of St. Pius X, his compatriot and predecessor first in the cathedra of St. Mark and then in that of St. Peter".

 

  Remarking upon one of the four general audiences celebrated by John Paul I, Benedict XVI recalled how the Pontiff had used the phrase: "We must feel small before God", and had then added: "I am not ashamed to feel like a child before its mother: we believe our mothers, I believe in the Lord and what He revealed to me".

 

  "These words", Pope Benedict concluded, "reveal the depth of his faith. As we thank the Lord for having given him to the Church and the world, we treasure his example, undertaking to cultivate the humility that was his and that made him capable of speaking to everyone, especially the smallest and those 'furthest away'".

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JOY AT BEATIFICATION OF CONFESSOR OF ST. FAUSTINA KOWALSKA

 

VATICAN CITY, 28 SEP 2008 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus today, the Pope announced that he will return to the Vatican on 30 September, thus concluding his period of summer residence in the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo.

 

  "I thank the Lord", said Benedict XVI, "for all the gifts He has given me during this time. I am thinking in particular of World Youth Day in Sydney, of the period of rest I spent in Bressanone, of the visit to Sardinia and of the apostolic trip to Paris and Lourdes.

 

  "I am also thinking", he added, "of the chance I have had to stay in this house where I am able to relax and work during the hottest months. I send a particular greeting to the community of Castelgandolfo with a heartfelt thank-you to the bishop, the mayor and the forces of law and order".

 

  The Holy Father also addressed some words to Polish pilgrims, and in particular to faithful gathered in the city of Bialystok, Poland, for the beatification of Servant of God Michael Sopocko, "confessor and spiritual father of St. Faustina Kowalska.

 

  "At his suggestion, the saint described her mystical experiences and the apparitions of Merciful Jesus in her famous 'Diary'. Thanks also to his efforts, the image of 'Jesus, in You I trust' was painted and made known throughout the world".

 

  Fr. Sopocko was "a zealous pastor, educator and propagator of the cult of Divine Mercy", said the Pope, going on to note that "in the house of the Father my beloved predecessor John Paul II will joy at his beatification. He it was who entrusted the world to Divine Mercy and hence I repeat his words: 'May God rich in Mercy bless you all!'"

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POPE BIDS FAREWELL TO CASTELGANDOLFO

 

VATICAN CITY, 29 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo, Benedict XVI made his farewells to Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano (the diocese in which Castelgandolfo is located), local religious communities, the civil authorities and the personnel in charge of security during his stay in the summer residence.

 

  Recalling that today marks the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, the Holy Father said: "let us trustingly invoke their help, and the protection of the Guardian Angels, whose feast we will celebrate in a few day's time, on 2 October".

 

  "The invisible presence of these blessed spirits", he said, "brings us great help and consolation: they walk at our side and protect us in all circumstances, they defend us from danger, and to them we can turn at any moment. Many saints established bonds of real friendship with the angels, and numerous episodes testify to their assistance on particular occasions. Angels are sent by God 'to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation' as the Letter to the Hebrews says, hence they are a real help to us on the pilgrimage towards the heavenly homeland".

 

  This afternoon, the Pope is due to bid farewell to the staff of the Pontifical Villas at Castelgandolfo, before returning to the Vatican tomorrow.

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 29 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences five prelates from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Kazakhstan, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Archbishop Tomash Peta of Maria Santissima in Astana.

 

    - Archbishop-Bishop Jan Pawel Lenga M.I.C. of Karaganda, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider O.R.C.

 

    - Bishop Henry Theophilus Howaniec O.F.M. of Santissima Trinita in Almaty.

 

    - Bishop Janusz Kaleta, apostolic administrator of Atyrau.

 

  On Saturday 27 September, he received in audience Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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SUMMARY:

 

- Uruguay: Teach the Faith of the Church in Its Entirety

- Marriage Crises Can Be Overcome

- Achieving the Millennium Development Goals

- Audiences

 

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URUGUAY: TEACH THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH IN ITS ENTIRETY

 

VATICAN CITY, 26 SEP 2008 (VIS) - In the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo this morning, Benedict XVI received prelates from the Uruguayan Episcopal Conference, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

 

  "A visit to the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul", the Pope told them, "provides a good opportunity to delve more deeply into the significance of the ministry of the successors to the Apostles". It is "an opportunity to reinforce the bonds of effective and affective unity among the college of bishops, which must demonstrate ... the ideal ... of the ecclesial community since its origins: that of 'oneness of heart and mind', a visible example to promote a spirit of fraternity and harmony among your faithful, and in modern society so often dominated by individualism and rivalries".

 

  Such communion also appears, the Holy Father noted, in the Uruguayan bishops' implementation of pastoral guidelines inspired in Jesus' meeting with the disciples in Emmaus, when "the Master, who accompanied and conversed with His companions, explained the Scriptures to them". Hence, "promoting knowledge of and meditation upon Sacred Scripture, explaining it faithfully in preaching and catechesis, or teaching it in schools, is vital in order to for people to live their Christian vocation with greater awareness, firmness and security".

 

  "The Word of God is also the source and ... content of your ministry", said the Pope, "even more necessary at a time in which many voices seek to silence God in personal and social life, leading mankind along paths that undermine true hope and disregard the firm truth in which the human heart can find rest".

 

  "Teach then", he told the bishops "the faith of the Church in its entirety, with the courage and conviction of those who live from it and for it, not shrinking from an explicit proclamation of the moral values of Catholic doctrine, which are at times the subject of debate in political and cultural circles and in the communications media, such as those referring to the family, to sexuality and to life ... from conception to natural end".

 

  Benedict XVI reminded the prelates of their reliance on "the priceless collaboration of priests, who should be constantly encouraged so that, without bowing before the dominant mentality of the world, they remain true disciples and missionaries of Christ, carrying His message of salvation ... to everyone who thirsts for words learnt of the Spirit rather than purely human knowledge. ...In this way they will bear faithful witness of what they preach, and help their brothers and sisters to flee a purely superficial religiosity and ... learn from Christ to love 'in justice and sanctity of life'".

 

  In conclusion, the Pope encouraged the Uruguayan bishops not to give way to discouragement "in so many situations of religious indifference or apathy", and to continue to be bearers of "the hope that does not disappoint" and "of Christ's love for the poor and needy. ... In difficult situations, which also affect the people of Uruguay, the Church is called to show greatness of heart, solidarity, and the capacity for sacrifice of the family of the children of God towards brothers and sisters in difficulty".

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MARRIAGE CRISES CAN BE OVERCOME

 

VATICAN CITY, 26 SEP 2008 (VIS) - This morning in Castelgandolfo, the Holy Father received 300 participants in an international meeting of the "Retrouvaille" Association, which has the aim of helping married couples in crisis.

 

  The Pope recalled how the group came into being in Canada in 1977, thanks to the efforts of Canadian husband and wife, Guy and Jeannine Beland, "to help couples in serious crisis to face their problems with a specific programme aimed at rebuilding their relationship, not as an alternative to psychological therapies but following a different and complementary route.

 

  "You are not professionals", he added, "you are married people who in many cases have experienced the same difficulties yourselves, and you have overcome them with the grace of God and the support of Retrouvaille, experiencing in your turn the desire and joy of placing your experience at the service of others. Among you are a number of priests who accompany the married people on their journey".

 

  A serious matrimonial crisis, said Pope Benedict, "has two faces. On the one hand, and especially in its most acute and painful phase, it appears to be a failure; ... this is the negative face. But there is another face, one we are often unaware of but that God sees. In fact, as nature shows us, each crisis is a passage to a new phase of life. ... At the moment of break-up", he told his audience, "you offer couples ... a positive reference to which to entrust themselves in their desperation". In this way "your meetings offer a 'handhold' so as not to lose the way altogether and gradually to climb back up the slope".

 

  Recalling the evangelical episode of the wedding at Cana, the Holy Father indicated that the "good wine" held back until the end "is a symbol of salvation, of the new nuptial alliance that Jesus came to seal with humankind". In this context he affirmed that "when married couples in difficulties or - as your experience shows - already separated, entrust themselves to Mary and turn to Him Who made them 'a single flesh', they can be certain that the crisis will - with the help of the Lord - become a way to grow, and that love will be purified, matured and reinforced".

 

  "Yours is a 'counter-current' service", he told the members of the association. "Today, in fact, when a couple goes into crisis many people are to be found who advise them to separate. Divorce is even easily proposed to people married in the name of the Lord, forgetting that man cannot separate what God has brought together".

 

  "In order to achieve your mission", the Pope concluded, "you need to nourish your spiritual life continually, to put love into what you do so that contact with difficult situations does not cause your hope to run dry or be reduced to a mere formula".

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ACHIEVING THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

 

VATICAN CITY, 26 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was a speech delivered on 25 September by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, before the 63rd session of the U.N. General Assembly which is considering the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

 

  Speaking English, Archbishop Migliore highlighted how the MDGs "will be achieved if their attainment becomes a priority for all States". To this end, "we need to foment a new culture of human relations marked by a fraternal vision of the world, a culture based upon the moral imperative of recognising the unity of humankind and the practical imperative of giving a contribution to peace and the well-being of all.

 

  "The money and resources that the least developed countries need in terms of direct aid, financial assistance and trade advantages are meagre compared to the world-wide military expenses or the total expenses of non-primary necessities of populations in more developed countries", he added.

 

  "In these days we are witnessing a debate on an economic rescue aimed at resolving a crisis that risks disrupting the economy of the most developed countries and leaving thousands and thousands of families without work. This rescue of enormous proportions, which amounts to many times the whole of international aid, cannot but raise a pressing question. How are we able to find funds to save a broken financial system yet remain unable to find the resources necessary to invest in the development of all regions of the world, beginning with the most destitute?

 

  "For this reason", he concluded, "the globalisation of solidarity through the prompt achievement of the MDGs established by the Millennium Declaration is a crucial moral obligation of the international community".

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 26 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Three prelates from the Uruguayan Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop Carlos Maria Collazzi Irazabal S.D.B. of Mercedes.

 

    - Bishop Luis del Castillo Estrada S.J. of Melo, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Roberto Reinaldo Caceres Gonzalez.

 

  This evening he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

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SUMMARY:

 

- Tenth Anniversary of Study Centre for Catholic Schools

- Instruction on Higher Institutes of Religious Sciences

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF STUDY CENTRE FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

 

VATICAN CITY, 25 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo, Benedict XVI received participants in a seminar entitled: "Beyond the Educational Emergency. Catholic schools at the service of young people". The seminar has been promoted by the Italian Episcopal Conference's Study Centre for Catholic Schools to mark the tenth anniversary of its foundation.

 

  Highlighting the importance of the mission of Catholic schools, the Pope quoted from a document of the Italian Episcopal Conference entitled "Catholic Schools in Italy Today", where it is written that "Catholic schools are an expression of the right of all citizens to freedom of education, and of their corresponding duty of solidarity in the construction of civil coexistence".

 

  "In order to be selected and appreciated, Catholic schools must be understood in their educational aims", said the Holy Father. To this end a "mature awareness" is necessary, "not only of their ecclesial identity and cultural programme, but also of their civil importance which should be considered not as a defence of special interests but as a precious contribution to creating the common good of all Italian society".

 

  Thanks to the collaboration of various Italian educational institutions and organisations, noted Benedict XVI, over these ten years the Study Centre for Catholic Schools has "been able to undertake a careful monitoring of the situation of Catholic schools in Italy, dedicating particular attention to the question of parity and reform. ... In this context, it has been noted that attendance in Catholic schools in some regions of Italy has grown with respect to the preceding decade, although serious - and sometimes even critical - situations persist.

 

  "It is", the Holy Father added in conclusion, "precisely in the context of the renewal wished for by all people who have the good of the young and the country to heart that we must favour real equality between State schools and private schools, so as to grant parents appropriate liberty of choice on the schools their children attend".

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INSTRUCTION ON HIGHER INSTITUTES OF RELIGIOUS SCIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 25 SEP 2008 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office at midday today, Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Archbishop Jean-Louis Brugues O.P. and Msgr. Angelo Vincenzo Zani, respectively prefect, secretary and under-secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, presented a document entitled: "Reform of the Higher Institutes of Religious Sciences".

 

  The text, which has been published in English, French, Spanish and Italian, is made up of three sections: Structure of Higher Institutes of Religious Sciences (HIRS), Process of Erecting an HIRS, and Final Norms.

 

  Study in HIRS, the document reads "has three primary goals. Its first aim is the promotion of the religious formation of the laity and of those in consecrated life in order that they might better participate in the task of evangelisation of the secular world in which they live. This role emphasises also the assumption of professional duties in ecclesial life and in the installation of a Christian sensibility in society. Its second goal is to prepare candidates for the many diverse lay ministries and services to the Church. And its third goal is to prepare teachers of religion at all school levels below the university level".

 

  "All the teachers, whatever their position, should always be distinguished by the suitability of their knowledge of their fields, by an upright life, the integration of doctrine, the commitment to their work, such that they might more effectively contribute to the mission of the Institute. The teaching should be animated by a commitment to Divine Revelation, by fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church and by respect for scientific truth".

 

  On the subject of students, the documents states that "the HIRS should be open to all faithful Catholics - lay and religious - marked by their moral conduct and the prior studies they may have done in this area, who desire to receive a strong preparation in Religious Sciences".

 

  The new Instruction, which substitutes a preceding norm published by the Congregation for Catholic Education in 1987, has the aim, said Cardinal Grocholewski quoting from the document, "of regularising the varied HIRS that exist in the universal Church in order to ensure appropriate academic and scientific levels, in fidelity to the Magisterium, and of responding to the requests of local Churches that desire to erect new Institutes".

 

  The cardinal highlighted how the principal novelties concern "the period of study in HIRS, which will now last for a period of five years, structured into two cycles: an initial three-year cycle at the end of which candidates receive a Baccalaureate in Religious Sciences, and a subsequent two-year cycle culminating in a Licence in Religious Sciences. The old norm", he explained, "made provision for a single period of study lasting four years".

 

  Other novelties include "the extension to these Institutes of the names of academic degrees utilised in Ecclesiastical Faculties (Baccalaureate and License, and not 'Magisterium'), and the fact that for the first time the necessary number of permanent teaching staff has been established (there must be at least five or, if the Institute offers only the first cycle of studies, at least four). Other innovations", the cardinal went on, include "the need for a sufficient number of students in each Institute (in ordinary circumstances no fewer than 75), the fact that permanent staff members of HIRS may not be permanent staff members of other academic institutions, and the more precise definition of the roles and tasks of academic authorities, both those shared with Theological Faculties (chancellor, president or dean, and the council of the Faculty), and those specific to the HIRS (moderator, director and council of the Institute)".

 

  In his remarks, Archbishop Brugues explained that the document being presented this morning "follows in the wake of one of the great intuitions of Vatican Council II: the importance of the laity". In order for lay people to perform their specific role, from "catechesis and teaching in Catholic schools and universities", to "leadership roles in Catholic action movements and Christian-inspired communications media, ... they must receive due formation. They have the right to ask for it and the Church has the duty to offer it to them".

 

  To this end, the archbishop went on, "student priests will receive the formation dispensed by Ecclesiastical Faculties, while lay people are invited to turn to the Higher Institutes of Religious Studies". These, he explained, "are two separate itineraries, differentiated above all by the kind of teaching and the stages of formation". It is hoped that the programme devised for lay people will "provide them with a new opportunity to participate in a more profound study of the truth, and create a fusion between the faith of the Church - clearly universal in its scope - and the particular cultures of the local Churches", while always seeking "a formation founded on excellence".

 

  The presentation was concluded by Msgr. Zani who, after examining the situation of Higher Institutes of Religious Studies in the world, noted that "we cannot expect to reduce within a single rigid model of formation for lay people, the plurality and diversity of the formative institutions that exist today, many of which are already recognised by the Holy See".

 

  "In any case it is necessary that when academic institutes that award ecclesiastical degrees are created, ... two fundamental criteria indicated in the Vatican Council II Declaration 'Gravissimum educationis' be respected: ... the appropriate distribution of higher institutes in the various parts of the world and the guarantee of their academic standards and exalted cultural goals".

CIC/HIRS/GROCHOLEWSKI                                                      VIS 080925 (920)

 

AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 25 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Archbishop Ramiro Moliner Ingles, apostolic nuncio to Albania.

 

 - Five prelates from the Uruguayan Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Archbishop Nicolas Contugno Fanizzi S.D.B. of Montevideo.

 

    - Bishop Arturo Eduardo Fajardo Bustamante of San Jose de Mayo.

 

    - Bishop Francisco Domingo Barbosa Da Silveira of Minas.

 

    - Bishop Martin Pablo Perez Scremini of Florida, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Raul Horacio Scarrone Carrero.

AP:AL/.../...                                                                                      VIS 080925 (90)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 25 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father, in accordance with article 30 para. 1 of the Statute of the Italian Episcopal Conference, appointed Bishop Mariano Crociata of Noto, Italy, as secretary general of that conference for a five-year period.

NA/.../CROCIATA                                                                          VIS 080925 (50)

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SUMMARY:

 

- St. Paul and the Apostles

- Promoting Reconciliation among Peoples

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

ST. PAUL AND THE APOSTLES

 

VATICAN CITY, 24 SEP 2008 (VIS) - During his general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square in the presence of some 15,000 faithful, Benedict XVI continued his catechesis on the life and work of St. Paul, focusing today on his relationship with the Apostles.

 

  St. Paul, he said, "though he was practically a contemporary of Jesus of Nazareth, never had the opportunity of meeting Him during His public life. For this reason ... he felt the need to consult the Master's first disciples, who had been chosen by Him to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth".

 

  Thus, in his Letter to the Galatians, Paul speaks of his meetings with Peter, James and John, whom he recognises as "pillars of the Church, while in his Letter to the Corinthians he makes it clear that for him Christ's words at the Last Supper are "the centre of the life of the Church", said the Pope.

 

  "The words of the Last Supper", the Holy Father explained, "on the one hand demonstrate that the Eucharist illuminates the curse of the cross, making it a blessing, while on the other they explain the scope of Jesus' death and resurrection. ... The Church is built and recognises herself as the 'Body of Christ', from and in the Eucharist".

 

  Christ's resurrection affects the present existence of believers, affirmed the Pope. We can say that "He is risen and continues to live in the Eucharist and in the Church".

 

  "The importance Paul assigns to the living Tradition of the Church, which he transmits to his communities, shows how wrong is the view that attributes the invention of Christianity to him. Before evangelising in the name of Jesus Christ, his Lord, he met Him on the road to Damascus and frequented Him in the Church, observing His life in the Twelve and in those who had followed Him along the roads of Galilee.

 

  "In forthcoming catecheses", the Holy Father added, "we will have the opportunity to give deeper consideration to the contributions Paul made to the early Church. Yet the mission he received from the Risen One concerning the evangelisation of the Gentiles needed to be confirmed and guaranteed by those who gave him ... their right hand in a sign of approval and acceptance".

 

  "The more we seek the footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth along the roads of Galilee", Benedict XVI concluded, "the more we understand that He assumed our humanity, sharing it in everything except in sin. Our faith is not born of a myth, nor of an idea, but of a meeting with the Risen One in the life of the Church".

AG/ST. PAUL/...                                                                             VIS 080924 (450)

 

PROMOTING RECONCILIATION AMONG PEOPLES

 

VATICAN CITY, 24 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience, the Pope greeted a group of young people, most of the from the Caucasus region, members of the "Rondine-Citadella della Pace" Association.

 

  "It is my hope that your meeting may contribute to affirming a culture of peaceful coexistence among peoples and to promoting understanding and reconciliation", the Pope told them.

 

  The Citadella della Pace international student residence of Rondine, a village near the Italian city of Arezzo, is a place that seeks to promote dialogue and reconciliation among peoples. Since 1997, it has welcomed young people from different countries and religions who have experienced or are experiencing war: the Caucasus region, Russia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Sierra Leone.

AG/PEACE/CITADELLA ASSOCIATION                                       VIS 080924 (130)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 24 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 

 - Fr. Francois-Marie Lethel O.C.D., as prelate secretary of the Pontifical Academy of Theology.

 

 - Msgr. Rafael Biernaski, official of the Congregation for Bishops, as bureau chief at the same congregation.

 

 - As consultors of the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff: Msgr. Nicola Bux, professor at the Theological Faculty of Puglia, Italy; Fr. Mauro Gagliardi, professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum "Regina Apostolorum", Rome; Fr. Juan Jose Silvestre Valor, professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome; Fr. Uwe Michael Lang C.O., official of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and Fr. Paul C. F. Gunter O.S.B., professor at the St. Anselm Pontifical Athenaeum, Rome.

NA/.../...                                                                                            VIS 080924 (130)

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SUMMARY:

 

- Building a World of Greater Solidarity, Freedom and Peace

- Congress on Evolution to Be Held in 2009

 

___________________________________________________________

 

BUILDING A WORLD OF GREATER SOLIDARITY, FREEDOM AND PEACE

 

VATICAN CITY, 16 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. has sent a Message, in the Pope's name, to participants in a prayer meeting being held for the opening of the 63rd General Assembly of the United Nations.

 

  The Holy Father, the English-language Message reads, "joins the members of the diplomatic community and U.N. officials present in imploring from Almighty God the guidance and strength needed to carry out the urgent tasks facing the United Nations in the coming months, including the continuing implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, the NEPAD programme (New Partnership for Africa's Development), and other initiatives aimed at ensuring that the whole human family shares in the benefits of globalisation.

 

  "Recalling with gratitude his visit to the General Assembly last April on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, His Holiness renews his appeal to international leaders to re-appropriate the lofty moral vision and the transcendent principles of justice embodied in the United Nations' founding documents.

 

  "With these sentiments the Holy Father invokes upon all in attendance an abundance of divine blessings, trusting that these moments of reflection and prayer will strengthen them in their commitment to upholding the dignity of each human person and building a world of ever greater solidarity, freedom and peace".

MESS/.../U.N. ASSEMBLY                                                         VIS 080916 (230)

 

CONGRESS ON EVOLUTION TO BE HELD IN 2009

 

VATICAN CITY, 16 SEP 2008 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning, the presentation took place of an upcoming international conference entitled: "Biological Evolution: Facts and Theories. A Critical Appraisal 150 years after 'The Origin of Species'". The conference is due to be held in Rome from 3 to 7 March 2009.

 

The congress has been jointly organised by the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, U.S.A., under the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Culture and as part of the STOQ Project (Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest).

 

  Participating in today's press conference were Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Fr. Marc Leclerc S.J., professor of the philosophy of nature at the Pontifical Gregorian University; Gennaro Auletta, scientific director of the STOQ Project and professor of the philosophy of science at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and Alessandro Minelli, professor of zoology at the University of Padua, Italy.

 

  "Debates on the theory of evolution are becoming ever more heated, both among Christians and in specifically evolutionist circles", Fr. Leclerc explained. "In particular, with the approach of the ... 150th anniversary of the publication of 'The Origin of Species', Charles Darwin's work is still too often discussed more in ideological terms than in the scientific ones which were his true intention".

 

  "In such circumstances - as Christian scientists, philosophers and theologians directly involved in the debate alongside colleagues from other confessions or of no confession at all - we felt it incumbent upon us to bring some clarification. The aim is to generate wide-ranging rational discussion in order to favour fruitful dialogue among scholars from various fields and areas of expertise. The Church has profound interest in such dialogue, while fully respecting the competencies of each and all. This is, however, an academic congress, organised by two Catholic universities, the Gregorian University in Rome and Notre Dame in the United States, and as such is not an ecclesial event. Yet the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Culture serves to underline the Church's interest in such questions".

OP/CONGRESS EVOLUTION/...                                                VIS 080916 (360)

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SUMMARY OF APOSTOLIC TRIP TO FRANCE: 14 - 15 SEPTEMBER

 

- Meeting with French Bishops

- Eucharistic Procession: Proclaim the Marvels of God

- Christ's Presence Breaks the Isolation Which Pain Induces

- May the Church Be Leaven for the People of God

 

___________________________________________________________

 

MEETING WITH FRENCH BISHOPS

 

VATICAN CITY, 14 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 5.15 p.m. today, the Pope met with French bishops at the Hemicycle of St. Bernadette in Lourdes.

 

  "This is the first time since the beginning of my pontificate that I have had the joy of meeting all of you together", said the Pope to the prelates as he opened his remarks to them.

 

  "I express my deep appreciation for this gift of yourselves", he told them, "despite the magnitude of the task, ... you carry out with fidelity and humility the triple task towards the flock entrusted to you of teaching, governing, sanctifying".

 

  "You are rightly convinced that, if every baptised person is to grow in desire for God and in understanding of life's meaning, catechesis is of fundamental importance", he said, noting how "the two principal instruments at your disposal - the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Catechism of the Bishops of France - are like precious jewels. They offer a harmonious synthesis of the Catholic faith and they ensure that the preaching of the Gospel is truly faithful to the riches that it contains. Catechesis is not first and foremost a question of method, but of content".

 

  "Diligent preparation of catechists", he continued, "will allow integral transmission of the faith, after the example of St. Paul, the greatest catechist of all time, whom we regard with particular admiration in this bi-millennium of his birth".

 

  In order to accomplish the task of evangelisation effectively, "you need co-workers. For this reason, priestly and religious vocations deserve to be encouraged more than ever. ... I would like to offer warm thanks and encouragement to all families, parishes, Christian communities and ecclesial movements, which provide the fertile soil that bears the good fruit of vocations".

 

  "It can never be said often enough that the priesthood is indispensable to the Church, for it is at the service of the laity. Priests are a gift from God for the Church. Where their specific missions are concerned, priests cannot delegate their functions to the faithful. ... Their spiritual life is the foundation of their apostolic life. You will gently exhort them to daily prayer and to the worthy celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation".

 

  Benedict XVI highlighted how "every priest should be able to feel happiness in serving the Church. In the school of the Cure d'Ars, a son of your land and patron of pastors throughout the world, constantly reiterate that the greatest thing a man can do is to give the Body and Blood of Christ to the faithful and to forgive their sins. Seek to be attentive to their human, intellectual and spiritual formation, and to their means of subsistence".

 

  Referring then to liturgical worship, the Pope affirmed that it "is the supreme expression of priestly and episcopal life, just as it is of catechetical teaching". And he went on to indicate that "in the Motu Proprio 'Summorum Pontificum', I was led to set out the conditions in which this duty is to be exercised, with regard to the possibility of using the missal of Blessed John XXIII (1962) in addition to that of Pope Paul VI (1970). Some fruits of these new arrangements have already been seen, and I hope that, thanks be to God, the necessary pacification of spirits is already taking place. I am aware of your difficulties, but I do not doubt that, within a reasonable time, you can find solutions satisfactory for all, lest the seamless tunic of Christ be further torn. Everyone has a place in the Church. Every person, without exception, should be able to feel at home, and never rejected".

 

  The Pope also remarked upon another problem "which arises with particular urgency everywhere: the situation of the family". In this context he affirmed that "marriage and the family are today experiencing real turbulence. ... For several decades, laws in different countries have been relativising its nature as the primordial cell of society. Often they are seeking more to adapt to the mores and demands of particular individuals or groups, than to promote the common good of society.

 

  "The stable union of a man and a women, ordered to building earthly happiness through the birth of children given by God, is no longer, in the minds of certain people, the reference point for conjugal commitment", he added. "However, experience shows that the family is the foundation on which the whole of society rests. Moreover, Christians know that the family is also the living cell of the Church. The more the family is steeped in the spirit and values of the Gospel, the more the Church herself will be enriched by them and the better she will fulfil her vocation".

 

  The Holy Father then identified a "particularly painful situation" concerning people "who are divorced and remarried. The Church, which cannot oppose the will of Christ, firmly maintains the principle of the indissolubility of marriage, while surrounding with the greatest affection those men and women who, for a variety of reasons, fail to respect it. Hence initiatives aimed at blessing irregular unions cannot be admitted".

 

  Referring then to the young, he recalled how John Paul II, on his first trip to France, had "delivered an address to the young people of your country which has lost none of its relevance, and which was received at the time with unforgettable fervour: 'Moral permissiveness does not make people happy'. ... I ask the Holy Spirit to speak to the hearts of all the faithful and, more generally, of all your compatriots, so as to give them - or to restore to them - the desire for a life lived in accordance with the criteria of true happiness".

 

  The Holy Father continued his address by referring to "France's Christian roots". Drawing attention to them, he said, "will permit each inhabitant of the country to come to a better understanding of his or her origin and destiny. Consequently, within the current institutional framework and with the utmost respect for the laws that are in force, it is necessary to find a new path, in order to interpret and live from day to day the fundamental values on which the nation's identity is built. Your president has intimated that this is possible".

 

  "The Church", he said in this context, "does not claim the prerogative of the State. She does not wish to take its place. She is a community built on certain convictions; she is aware of her responsibility for the whole and cannot remain closed within herself. She speaks freely, and enters into dialogue with equal freedom, in her desire to build up a shared freedom. ... Thanks to a healthy collaboration between the political community and the Church, made possible through an acknowledgement and respect for the independence and autonomy of each within their particular spheres, a service is rendered to mankind which aims at his full personal and social development".

 

  "The goal of ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue ... is to seek and deepen a knowledge of the Truth. ... The building of bridges between the great ecclesial Christian traditions, and dialogue with other religious traditions, demand a real striving for mutual understanding, because ignorance destroys more than it builds. ... To be sure, one must follow closely the various initiatives that are undertaken, so as to discern which ones favour reciprocal knowledge and respect, as well as the promotion of dialogue, and so as to avoid those which lead to impasses. Good will is not enough. I believe it is good to begin by listening, then moving on to theological discussion, so as to arrive finally at witness and proclamation of the faith itself".

 

  The Pope concluded his address to the assembled prelates by highlighting the importance of working "towards a genuine spiritual liberation. Man", he said", is always in need of liberation from his fears and his sins. Man must ceaselessly learn or relearn that God is not his enemy, but his infinitely good Creator. Man needs to know that his life has a meaning, and that he is awaited, at the conclusion of his earthly sojourn, so as to share for ever in Christ's glory in heaven. Your mission is to bring the portion of the People of God entrusted to your care to recognise this glorious destiny".

PV-FRANCE/BISHOPS/LOURDES                                          VIS 080915 (1390)

 

EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION: PROCLAIM THE MARVELS OF GOD

 

VATICAN CITY, 14 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 6.30 p.m. today the Holy Father, wearing liturgical vestments, presided over the last stage of a Eucharistic procession on the Meadow of the shrine of Lourdes.

 

  Following the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Pope pronounced an address.

 

  "Lord Jesus, You are here! And you, my brothers, my sisters, my friends, you are here, with me, in His presence!" he said.

 

  "We contemplate Him. We adore Him. We love Him. We seek to grow in love for Him".

 

  "We adore Him Who is the origin and goal of our faith, Him without Whom we would not be here this evening, without Whom we would not be at all, without Whom there would be nothing, absolutely nothing! Him through Whom 'all things were made', Him in Whom we were created, for all eternity, Him Who gave us His own Body and Blood - He is here, this evening, in our midst, for us to gaze upon".

 

  "The sacred host speaks to us of the incredible abasement of the One Who made Himself poor so as to make us rich in Him, the One Who accepted the loss of everything so as to win us for His Father. The sacred host is the living, efficacious and real sacrament of the eternal presence of the Saviour of mankind to His Church".

 

  "Mary, the holy Virgin, Mary, the Immaculate Conception, accepted, two thousand years ago, to give everything, to offer her body so as to receive the Body of the Creator. Everything came from Christ, even Mary; everything came through Mary, even Christ.

 

  "Mary, the holy Virgin, is with us this evening, in the presence of the Body of her Son, 150 years after revealing herself to little Bernadette.

 

  "Holy Virgin, help us to contemplate, help us to adore, help us to love, to grow in love for Him Who loved us so much, so as to live eternally with Him.

 

  "An immense crowd of witnesses is invisibly present beside us, very close to this blessed grotto and in front of this church that the Virgin Mary wanted to be built; the crowd of all those men and women who have contemplated, venerated, adored the real presence of Him who gave Himself to us even to the last drop of blood. ... This evening, we do not see them, but we hear them saying to us, to every man and to every woman among us: 'Come, let the Master call you! He is here! He is calling you! He wants to take your life and join it to His. Let yourself be embraced by Him! Gaze no longer upon your own wounds, gaze upon His. Do not look upon what still separates you from Him and from others; look upon the infinite distance that He has abolished by taking your flesh, by mounting the Cross which men had prepared for Him, and by letting Himself be put to death so as to show you His love. In His wounds, He takes hold of you; in His wounds, He hides you. Do not refuse His Love!'

 

  "The immense crowd of witnesses who have allowed themselves to be embraced by His Love, is the crowd of saints in heaven who never cease to intercede for us. They were sinners and they knew it, but they willingly ceased to gaze upon their own wounds and to gaze only upon the wounds of their Lord, so as to discover there the glory of the Cross, to discover there the victory of Life over death".

 

  "Jesus Christ, past, in the historical truth of the evening in the Upper Room, to which every celebration of holy Mass leads us back.

 

  "Jesus Christ, present, because He said to us: 'Take and eat of this, all of you, this is my body, this is my blood.' 'This is', in the present, here and now, as in every here and now throughout human history".

 

  "The Eucharist is also Jesus Christ, future, Jesus Christ to come. When we contemplate the sacred host, His glorious transfigured and risen Body, we contemplate what we shall contemplate in eternity, where we shall discover that the whole world has been carried by its Creator during every second of its history. Each time we consume Him, but also each time we contemplate Him, we proclaim Him until He comes again, 'donec veniat'. That is why we receive Him with infinite respect.

 

  "Some of us cannot - or cannot yet - receive Him in the Sacrament, but we can contemplate Him with faith and love and express our desire finally to be united with Him. This desire has great value in God's presence: such people await His return more ardently; they await Jesus Christ Who must come again".

 

  "Beloved brothers and sisters, day pilgrims and inhabitants of these valleys, brother bishops, priests, deacons, men and women religious, all of you who see before you the infinite abasement of the Son of God and the infinite glory of the Resurrection, remain in silent adoration of your Lord, our Master and Lord Jesus Christ. Remain silent, then speak and tell the world: we cannot be silent about what we know. Go and tell the whole world the marvels of God, present at every moment of our lives, in every place on earth. May God bless us and keep us, may He lead us on the path of eternal life, He who is Life, for ever and ever. Amen".

 

  The procession over, Benedict XVI travelled to St. Joseph Hermitage where he dined and spent the night.

PV-FRANCE/PRAYER EUCHARIST/LOURDES                         VIS 080915 (940)

 

CHRIST'S PRESENCE BREAKS THE ISOLATION WHICH PAIN INDUCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 15 SEP 2008 (VIS) - This morning the Pope departed from St. Joseph Hermitage, where he has been staying during his visit to Lourdes, and went to complete the fourth stage of the Lourdes Jubilee Way by visiting the oratory of the hospital where, on 3 June 1858, Bernadette received First Communion. The Holy Father prayed in the chapel before the Blessed Sacrament, then pronounced the fourth and final prayer of the Jubilee Way.

 

  At 9.30 a.m. in front of the basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass for today's liturgical feast of Our Lady of Sorrows in the presence of sick people and pilgrims who had come to Lourdes for the occasion.

 

  On today's memorial, said the Pope in his homily, "we contemplate Mary sharing her Son's compassion for sinners. ... As in the case of her Son Jesus, one might say that she too was led to perfection through this suffering, so as to make her capable of receiving the new spiritual mission that her Son entrusts to her immediately before 'giving up His spirit: that of becoming the mother of Christ in His members".

 

  "Today", he went on, "Mary dwells in the joy and the glory of the Resurrection". She "loves each of her children, giving particular attention to those who, like her Son at the hour of His Passion, are prey to suffering; she loves them quite simply because they are her children, according to the will of Christ on the Cross".

 

  "At the instigation of the inspired word of Scripture, Christians have always sought the smile of Our Lady, this smile which mediaeval artists were able to represent with such marvellous skill and to show to advantage. This smile of Mary is for all; but it is directed quite particularly to those who suffer, so that they can find comfort and solace therein".

 

  Pope Benedict then recalled how the Virgin Mary, during her apparition of 3 March 1858, "first taught Bernadette to know her smile, this being the most appropriate point of entry into the revelation of her mystery.

 

  "In the smile of the most eminent of all creatures", he added, "is reflected our dignity as children of God, that dignity which never abandons the sick person. This smile, a true reflection of God's tenderness, is the source of an invincible hope.

 

  "Unfortunately we know only too well: the endurance of suffering can upset life's most stable equilibrium, it can shake the firmest foundations of confidence, and sometimes even leads people to despair of the meaning and value of life. There are struggles that we cannot sustain alone, without the help of divine grace.

 

  "When speech can no longer find the right words, the need arises for a loving presence: we seek then the closeness not only of those who share the same blood or are linked to us by friendship, but also the closeness of those who are intimately bound to us by faith. Who could be more intimate to us than Christ and His Holy Mother, the Immaculate One? More than any others, they are capable of understanding us and grasping how hard we have to fight against evil and suffering".

 

  "I would like to say, humbly, to those who suffer and to those who struggle and are tempted to turn their backs on life: turn towards Mary! Within the smile of the Virgin lies mysteriously hidden the strength to fight against sickness, in support of life. With her, equally, is found the grace to accept without fear or bitterness to leave this world at the hour chosen by God".

 

  "Yes", the Holy Father emphasised, "to seek the smile of the Virgin Mary is not a pious infantilism, it is the aspiration, as Psalm 44 says, of those who are 'the richest of the people'. 'The richest', that is to say, in the order of faith, those who have attained the highest degree of spiritual maturity and know precisely how to acknowledge their weakness and their poverty before God".

 

  "Mary's smile is a spring of living water. ... From her believing heart, from her maternal heart, flows living water which purifies and heals. By immersing themselves in the baths at Lourdes, how many people have discovered and experienced the gentle maternal love of the Virgin Mary, becoming attached to her in order to bind themselves more closely to the Lord!"

 

  Then, with particular reference to the sick, the Pope went on to recall that "Christ imparts His salvation by means of the Sacraments, and especially in the case of those suffering from sickness or disability, by means of the grace of the Sacrament of the Sick. For each individual, suffering is always something alien. It can never be tamed. That is why it is hard to bear, and harder still - as certain great witnesses of Christ's holiness have done - to welcome it as a significant element in our vocation".

 

  "The grace of this Sacrament consists in welcoming Christ the healer into ourselves. However, Christ is not a healer in the manner of the world. In order to heal us, he does not remain outside the suffering that is experienced; He eases it by coming to dwell within the one stricken by illness, to bear it and live it with him. Christ's presence comes to break the isolation which pain induces".

 

  "Without the Lord's help, the yoke of sickness and suffering weighs down on us cruelly", said the Holy Father. "By receiving the Sacrament of the Sick, we seek to carry no other yoke that that of Christ, strengthened through His promise to us that His yoke will be easy to carry and His burden light".

 

  "Vatican Council II presented Mary as the figure in whom the entire mystery of the Church is typified. Her personal journey outlines the profile of the Church, which is called to be just as attentive to those who suffer as she herself was".

 

  Finally, the Pope greeted the helpers who contribute to caring for the sick in Lourdes "with competence and generosity", and who represent "the arms of the servant Church".

 

  Benedict XVI concluded his homily by reading a passage from a prayer to Mary written for this Jubilee celebration:

 

  "Because you are the smile of God, the reflection of the light of Christ, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Because you chose Bernadette in her lowliness, because you are the morning star, the gate of heaven and the first creature to experience the resurrection. Our Lady of Lourdes, with our brothers and sisters whose hearts and bodies are in pain, we pray to you!"

 

  The homily over, the Holy Father administered the Sacrament of the Sick to 10 sick pilgrims.

 

  Following the Eucharistic celebration, at 11.45 a.m., the Pope travelled to the Antoine Beguere stadium from where he was taken by helicopter to the airport of Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees, where he arrived at 12.30 p.m.

PV-FRANCE/MASS SICK/LOURDES                                      VIS 080915 (1170)

 

MAY THE CHURCH BE LEAVEN FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD

 

VATICAN CITY, 15 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Following this morning's Eucharistic celebration with sick people in Lourdes, the Pope travelled to the airport of Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees where the departure ceremony took place.

 

  The Holy Father was greeted by Francois Fillon, prime minister of France. Also present were the political and civil authorities, bishops from the Mini-Pyrenees region, and the president, vice-president and secretary general of the Conference of Bishops of France.

 

  Benedict XVI thanked the authorities, bishops, law enforcement officials, "and all the countless volunteers who have offered their time and expertise. Everyone has worked devotedly and whole-heartedly for the successful outcome of my four days in your country. Thank you very much".

 

  "My journey", he added, "has been like a diptych, the first panel of which was Paris, a city that I know well and the scene for several important meetings. I had the opportunity to celebrate Mass in the prestigious setting of the Esplanade des Invalides. There I met a vibrant people, proud of their firm faith; I came to encourage them to persevere courageously in living out the teaching of Christ and His Church".

 

 

  The Pope also recalled how he had prayed Vespers with priests and religious, and with seminarians whom he had sought to affirm "in their vocation in the service of God and neighbour".

 

  "And how can I fail to recall here the prestigious encounter with the world of culture at the Institut de France and the College des Bernardins? As you know, I consider culture and its proponents to be the privileged vehicles of dialogue between faith and reason, between God and man".

 

  The Holy Father identified the "second panel of the diptych" as Lourdes, an "emblematic place which attracts and fascinates every believer, ... like a light in the darkness of our groping to reach God. Mary opened there a gate towards a hereafter which challenges and charms us".

 

  "The Pope", he said, "was duty bound to come to Lourdes to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the apparitions. Before the Grotto of Massabielle, I prayed for all of you. I prayed for the Church. I prayed for France and for the world".

 

  Like any other pilgrim, the Holy Father explained, "I completed all four stages of the Jubilee Way, visiting the parish church, the Cachot and the Grotto, and finally the chapel of the hospital. I also prayed with and for the sick who come here to seek physical relief and spiritual hope. God does not forget them, and neither does the Church. Like every faithful pilgrim, I wanted to take part in the torchlight procession and the Blessed Sacrament procession. They carry aloft to God our prayers and our praise".

 

  Benedict XVI also recalled how he had shared with French bishops "my conviction that the times are favourable for a return to God".

 

  "May God bless France!" he cried. "May harmony and human progress reign on her soil, and may the Church be the leaven in the dough that indicates with wisdom and without fear, according to her specific duty, who God is!"

 

  After expressing his desire to return to France, the Holy Father concluded: "From Rome I shall remain close to you, and when I pray before the replica of the Lourdes Grotto which has been in the Vatican Gardens for a little over a century, I shall think of you".

 

  The papal flight took off at 13.30 and is due to arrive at Rome's Ciampino airport at around 15.30. From there the Holy Father will travel to his residence at Castelgandolfo.

PV-FRANCE/DEPARTURE CEREMONY/LOURDES                 VIS 080915 (600)

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SUMMARY OF APOSTOLIC TRIP TO FRANCE: 13 - 14 SEPTEMBER

 

- Lourdes: Experiencing Closeness between Heaven and Earth

- The Message of Mary Is a Message of Hope

- Mary, Close to Our Hearts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

LOURDES: EXPERIENCING CLOSENESS BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH

 

VATICAN CITY, 13 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 4 p.m. today, the Holy Father departed from the apostolic nunciature in Paris and travelled to the city's Orly airport. There he boarded a plane which took him to Tarbes, whence he continued his journey to Lourdes by helicopter.

 

  In his popemobile, the Pope covered the first three stages of the Jubilee Way, the itinerary that pilgrims to Lourdes are invited to follow for the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin. At each of the stages, the Holy Father paused to pray.

 

  The Way encompasses four places associated with the life of Bernadette: the font where she received Baptism; the 'Cachot', the house where her family lived; the Grotto of Massabielle, site of the apparitions of the Virgin and the heart of the Marian shrine; and the chapel in which she received First Communion. As the Pope arrived at the grotto, a child gave him a glass of water from the spring. The Holy Father then lit a candle and paused a moment to pray in silence before reading the prayer for this stage of the Jubilee Way. He then moved on to the St. Joseph Hermitage where he had dinner.

 

  At 9.15 p.m. Benedict XVI went to the basilica where, from the lower terrace, he watched the closing stages of the torchlight procession of faithful from the Grotto of the Apparitions to the basilica.

 

  The Pope opened his address to the assembled pilgrims by recalling that "150 years ago, on 11 February 1858, in this place known as the Grotto of Massabielle, away from the town, a simple young girl from Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous, saw a light, and in this light she saw a young lady who was 'beautiful, more beautiful than any other'. ... It was in this conversation, in this dialogue marked by such delicacy, that the Lady instructed her to deliver certain very simple messages on prayer, penance and conversion".

 

  "Lourdes is one of the places chosen by God for His beauty to be reflected with particular brightness, hence the importance here of the symbol of light. ... Before the grotto, night and day, summer and winter, a burning bush shines out, aflame with the prayers of pilgrims and the sick, who bring their concerns and their needs, but above all their faith and their hope".

 

  Benedict XVI indicated that "by coming here to Lourdes on pilgrimage we wish to enter, following in Bernadette's footsteps, into this extraordinary closeness between heaven and earth, which never fails and never ceases to grow. In the course of the apparitions, it is notable that Bernadette prays the rosary under the gaze of Mary, who unites herself to her at the moment of the doxology. This fact confirms the profoundly theocentric character of the prayer of the rosary. When we pray it, Mary offers us her heart and her gaze in order to contemplate the life of her Son, Jesus Christ".

 

  After pointing out that John Paul II visited Lourdes on two occasions and "keenly encouraged the prayer of the rosary", the Pope also recalled how his predecessor had enriched the Rosary "with the meditation of the Mysteries of Light".

 

  "The torchlight procession expresses the mystery of prayer in a form that our eyes of flesh can grasp: in the communion of the Church, which unites the elect in heaven with pilgrims on earth, the light of dialogue between man and his Lord blazes forth and a luminous path opens up in human history, even in its darkest moments".

 

  The Holy Father emphasised how the procession "is a time of great ecclesial joy, but also a time of seriousness: the intentions we bring emphasise our profound communion with all those who suffer. We think of innocent victims who suffer from violence, war, terrorism, and famine; those who bear the consequences of injustices, scourges and disasters, hatred and oppression; of attacks on their human dignity and fundamental rights; on their freedom to act and think. We also think of those undergoing family problems or the suffering caused by unemployment, illness, infirmity, loneliness, or their situation as immigrants. Nor must we forget those who suffer for the name of Christ and die for Him.

 

  "Mary", he added, "teaches us to pray, to make of our prayer an act of love for God and an act of fraternal charity. By praying with Mary, our heart welcomes those who suffer. ... Lourdes is a place of light because it is a place of communion, hope and conversion". Sin, by contrast, "makes us blind, it prevents us from putting ourselves forward as guides for our brothers and sisters, and it makes us unwilling to trust them to guide us. We need to be enlightened".

 

  "In this shrine at Lourdes, to which the Christians of the whole world have turned their gaze since the Virgin Mary caused hope and love to shine here by giving pride of place to the sick, the poor and the little ones, we are invited to discover the simplicity of our vocation: it is enough to love".

 

  "How many come here with the hope - secretly perhaps - of receiving some miracle; then, on the return journey, having had a spiritual experience of life in the Church, they change their outlook upon God, upon others and upon themselves", said the Pope in conclusion. "A small flame called hope, compassion, tenderness now dwells within them. A quiet encounter with Bernadette and the Virgin Mary can change a person's life, for they are here, in Massabielle, to lead us to Christ Who is our life, our strength and our light".

PV-FRANCE/TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION/LOURDES                  VIS 080914 (950)

 

THE MESSAGE OF MARY IS A MESSAGE OF HOPE

 

VATICAN CITY, 14 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. today, having greeted from his popemobile the more than 100,000 faithful crowding the Meadow of the shrine of Lourdes, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous.

 

  "On this day when the Church's liturgy celebrates the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross", he said in his homily, "the Gospel you have just heard reminds us of the meaning of this great mystery: ... The Son of God became vulnerable, assuming the condition of a slave, obedient even to death, death on a cross. By His Cross we are saved.

 

  "The instrument of torture", the Pope added, "which on Good Friday manifested God's judgement on the world, has become a source of life, pardon, mercy, a sign of reconciliation and peace. ... The Church invites us ... to give thanks to God because from a tree which brought death, life has burst out anew".

 

  "It is significant", he observed, "that during the first apparition to Bernadette Mary begins the encounter with the sign of the Cross", this is "an initiation into the mysteries of the faith that Bernadette receives from Mary. The sign of the Cross is a kind of synthesis of our faith, ... it tells us that there is a love in this world that is stronger than death. ... The power of love is stronger than the evil which threatens us. It is this mystery of the universality of God's love for men that Mary came to reveal here, in Lourdes".

 

  "The Church has received the mission of showing all people this loving face of God, manifested in Jesus Christ. ... It is He Who will make us free to love as He loves us, and to build a reconciled world. For on this Cross, Jesus took upon Himself the weight of all the sufferings and injustices of our humanity. He bore the humiliation and the discrimination, the torture suffered in many parts of the world by so many of our brothers and sisters for love of Christ".

 

  The celebration of the anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady in Lourdes, said the Holy Father, "urges us to embark upon a journey of faith and conversion. Today, Mary comes to meet us, so as to show us the way towards a renewal of life for our communities and for each one of us".

 

  "Jesus, born of Mary, is the Son of God, the sole Saviour of all people, living and acting in His Church and in the world. The Church is sent everywhere in the world to proclaim this unique message and to invite people to receive it through an authentic conversion of heart. This mission, entrusted by Jesus to His disciples, receives here, on the occasion of this Jubilee, a breath of new life".

 

  Following the Jubilee Way in the footsteps of Bernadette, "we are reminded of the heart of the message of Lourdes. Bernadette is the eldest daughter of a very poor family, with neither knowledge nor power, and in poor health. Mary chose her to transmit her message of conversion, prayer and penance, which fully accord with words of Jesus: 'What you have hidden from the wise and understanding, you have revealed to babes'. ... It is therefore a genuine catechesis that is being proposed to us in this way, under Mary's gaze".

 

  When the "beautiful lady" revealed her name to Bernadette - "I am the Immaculate Conception" - she disclosed "the extraordinary grace that she has received from God. ... Mary is the woman from this earth who gave herself totally to God, and who received the privilege of giving human life to His eternal Son".

 

  "She is beauty transfigured, the image of the new humanity. By presenting herself in this way, in utter dependence upon God, Mary expresses in reality an attitude of total freedom, based upon the full recognition of her true dignity.

 

  "This privilege", the Pope added, "concerns us too, for it discloses to us our own dignity as men and women, admittedly marked by sin, but saved in hope, a hope which allows us to face our daily life".

 

  "The primary purpose of the shrine at Lourdes is to be a place of encounter with God in prayer and a place of service to our brothers and sisters, notably through the welcome given to the sick, the poor and all who suffer. In this place, Mary comes to us as a mother. ... Through the light which streams from her face, God's mercy is made manifest. ... Mary comes to remind us that prayer ... must have a central place in our Christian lives. Prayer is indispensable if we are to receive Christ's power".

 

  Benedict XVI then went on to note that "the presence of young people at Lourdes is also an important element. ... When Mary received the angel's visit, she was a young girl from Nazareth leading the simple and courageous life typical of the women of her village. And if God's gaze focussed particularly upon her, trusting in her, Mary wants to tell you once more that not one of you is indifferent in God's eyes. ... Mary was ... conscious of her frailty in the face of God's omnipotence. Nevertheless, she said 'yes', without hesitating. And thanks to her yes, salvation came into the world, thereby changing the history of mankind".

 

  "Mary's message is a message of hope for all men and women of our day, whatever their country of origin", the Holy Father concluded. "I like to invoke Mary as the 'star of hope' ... who enlightens us and gives direction to our journey. Through her 'yes', through the generous gift of herself, she has opened up to God the gates of our world and our history. And she invites us to live ... in invincible hope, refusing to believe those who claim that we are trapped in the fatal power of destiny".

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MARY, CLOSE TO OUR HEARTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 14 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Following this morning's Eucharistic celebration, after which the bells of the shrine rang out, the Pope prayed the Angelus.

 

  Benedict XVI recalled how every day, thanks to the Angelus prayer, "when the first hours of the day are already beginning to weigh us down with fatigue, our availability and our generosity are renewed by the contemplation of Mary's 'yes'. This clear and unreserved 'yes'".

 

  "While sin divides, separating us from one another", he continued, "Mary's purity makes her infinitely close to our hearts, attentive to each of us and desirous of our true good. You see it here in Lourdes, as in all Marian shrines; immense crowds come thronging to Mary's feet to entrust to her their most intimate thoughts, their most heartfelt wishes".

 

  "Mary", the Pope explained, "shows us the right way to come to the Lord, ... in truth and simplicity. Thanks to her, we discover that the Christian faith is not a burden: it is like a wing which enables us to fly higher, so as to take refuge in God's embrace".

 

  "Here, close to the grotto, and in intimate communion with all the pilgrims present in Marian shrines and with all the sick in body and soul who are seeking relief, we bless the Lord for Mary's presence among her people, and to her we address our prayer in faith:

 

  "Holy Mary, you showed yourself here one hundred and fifty years ago to the young Bernadette, you 'are the true fount of hope' Faithful pilgrims who have gathered here from every part of the world, we come once more to draw faith and comfort, joy and love, security and peace, from the source of your Immaculate Heart. 'Monstra Te esse Matrem'. Show yourself a Mother for us all, O Mary! And give us Christ, the hope of the world!"

 

  Following the Angelus, the Holy Father travelled to the St. Joseph Hermitage where he lunched with bishops from the Midi-Pyrenees region.

PV-FRANCE/ANGELUS/LOURDES                                         VIS 080914 (340)

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SUMMARY OF APOSTOLIC TRIP TO FRANCE: 12 - 13 SEPTEMBER

 

- Strengthen Relations between Christians and Jews

- Seeking God in the Roots of European Culture

- Vespers with Priests, Religious, Seminarians and Deacons

- The Church Has Confidence in the Young

- Benedict XVI Visits the Institut de France

- Shun the Worship of Idols

 

___________________________________________________________

 

STRENGTHEN RELATIONS BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND JEWS

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 5 p.m. today in the apostolic nunciature in Paris, the Pope received representatives of the French Jewish community to whom he indicated that Christians and Jews "share a relationship that should be strengthened and lived", and that "these fraternal bonds constitute a continual invitation to know and to respect one another better".

 

  "The Catholic Church", he went on, "compellingly repeats, through my voice, the words of the great Pope Pius XI: ... Spiritually, we are Semites. The Church therefore is opposed to every form of anti-Semitism, which can never be theologically justified. The theologian Henri de Lubac - in a 'time of darkness', as Pius XII described it - added that to be anti-Semitic also signifies being anti-Christian. Once again I feel the duty to pay heartfelt recognition to those who have died unjustly and to those that have dedicated themselves to assure that the names of these victims may always be remembered. God does not forget!"

 

  After the meeting, Benedict XVI travelled by car to the College des Bernardins to address a gathering attended by 700 representatives of the French cultural world, UNESCO, the European Union, and various members of the Muslim community of France.

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SEEKING GOD IN THE ROOTS OF EUROPEAN CULTURE

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 SEP 2008 (VIS) - In the College des Bernardins in Paris at 5.30 p.m. today, Benedict XVI was welcomed by representatives from the world of French culture.

 

  The College des Bernardins was founded in 1247 by Etienne de Lexington, the Cistercian abbot of Claraval, as a centre of theological formation for Cistercian monks. Confiscated during the French Revolution, the building was sold and over the following centuries used for various purposes, until being acquired by the archdiocese of Paris. Following five years of restoration, this fine example of mediaeval architecture opened to the public on 4 September. It is used to host artistic events, conferences and meetings.

 

  The Pope's address focused on the origins of western theology and the roots of European culture. "Amid the great cultural upheaval resulting from migrations of peoples and the emerging new political configurations, the monasteries were the places where the treasures of ancient culture survived, and where at the same time a new culture slowly took shape out of the old", he explained.

 

  Yet the monks' intention was not "to create a culture, or even to preserve a culture from the past. Their motivation was much more basic: ... 'Quaerere Deum' (seeking God). Amid the confusion of the times, in which nothing seemed permanent, they wanted to do the essential, ... they were seeking the definitive behind the provisional".

 

  To this end they followed the "signposts" with which God marked the path. "This path was His word, which had been disclosed to men in the books of the Sacred Scriptures. Thus, by inner necessity, the search for God demands a culture of the word, ... eschatology and grammar are intimately connected with one another in Western monasticism. ... Thus it is through the search for God that the secular sciences take on their importance, sciences which show us the path towards language".

 

  The libraries and schools of the monasteries "pointed out pathways to the word", said the Holy Father, noting how "the word - which opens the path of that search, and is to be identified with this path - is a shared word. ... The word does not lead to a purely individual path of mystical immersion, but to the pilgrim fellowship of faith".

 

  "As in the rabbinic schools, so too with the monks, reading by the individual is at the same time a corporate activity. ... We ourselves are brought into conversation with God by the word of God. ... Particularly in the Book of Psalms, He gives us the words with which we can address Him, with which we can bring our life, with all its highpoints and lowpoints, into conversation with Him, so that life itself thereby becomes a movement towards Him".

 

  Going on to consider the importance of song in monastic life, Benedict XVI noted how St. Bernard of Clairvaux, "describes the confusion resulting from a poorly executed chant as a falling into the 'zone of dissimilarity'". This term was used by St. Augustine "to designate his condition prior to conversion: man, who is created in God's likeness, falls in his godforsakenness into the 'zone of dissimilarity', into a remoteness from God, in which he no longer reflects Him, and so has become dissimilar not only to God, but to himself, to what being human truly is".

 

  For St. Bernard "the culture of singing is also the culture of being, and the monks have to pray and sing in a manner commensurate with the grandeur of the word handed down to them, with its claim on true beauty".

 

  "In order to understand to some degree the culture of the word, which developed deep within Western monasticism from the search for God, we need to touch at least briefly on ... 'the Scriptures', which, when taken together, are naturally regarded as the one word of God to us. But the use of this plural makes it quite clear that God's word only comes to us here through ... human words, that God only speaks to us through the mediation of human agents, their words and their history".

 

  "Scripture", the Pope explained, "requires exegesis, and it requires the context of the community in which it came to birth and in which it is lived. This is where its unity is to be found, and here too its unifying meaning is opened up. ... It perceives in the words the Word, the 'Logos' itself, which spreads its mystery through this multiplicity. This particular structure of the Bible issues a constantly new challenge to every generation. It excludes by its nature everything that today is known as fundamentalism.

 

  "In effect", he added, "the word of God can never simply be equated with the letter of the text. To attain to it involves a transcending and a process of understanding, led by the inner movement of the whole and hence it also has to become a process of living. Only within the dynamic unity of the whole are the many books one book. God's word and action in the world are only revealed in the word and history of human beings".

 

  "The transcending of the letter and understanding it solely from the perspective of the whole" is, said the Pope, forcefully expressed by St. Paul with the phrase: "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life". But "the liberating Spirit is not simply... the exegete's own vision. The Spirit is Christ ... Who shows us the way. With the word of Spirit and of freedom, a further horizon opens up, but at the same time a clear limit is placed upon arbitrariness and subjectivity, which unequivocally binds both the individual and the community and brings about a new, higher obligation than that of the letter: namely, the obligation of insight and love".

 

  The Holy Father continued: "This tension between obligation and freedom, which extends far beyond the literary problem of scriptural exegesis, has ... deeply marked Western culture. It presents itself anew as a task for our generation too, vis-a-vis the poles of subjective arbitrariness and fundamentalist fanaticism. It would be a disaster if today's European culture could only conceive freedom as absence of obligation, which would inevitably play into the hands of fanaticism and arbitrariness".

 

  Pope Benedict then went on to highlight how the "ora" of monastic life is accompanied by "labora", and how "the Christian God ... is also the Creator. God is working; He continues working in and on human history. In Christ, He enters personally into the laborious work of history. ... God is working" and "man can and may share in God's activity as creator of the world. Monasticism involves not only a culture of the word, but also a culture of work, without which the emergence of Europe, its ethos and its influence on the world would be unthinkable".

 

  Returning to the idea he had expressed at the beginning of his talk, Benedict XVI reiterated that "by becoming a monk, a man set out on a broad and noble path, but he had already found the direction he needed: the word of the Bible, in which he heard God Himself speaking". Yet "if a way is to be opened up into the heart of the biblical word as God's word, this word must first of all be proclaimed outwardly".

 

  "Christians of the nascent Church did not regard their missionary proclamation as propaganda, designed to enlarge their particular group, but as an inner necessity, consequent upon the nature of their faith. ... The universality of God, and of reason open towards Him, is what gave them the motivation - indeed, the obligation - to proclaim the message. They saw their faith as belonging, not to cultural custom that differs from one people to another, but to the domain of truth, which concerns all people equally.

 

  "The fundamental structure of Christian proclamation 'outwards' - towards searching and questioning mankind - is seen in St. Paul's address at the Areopagus" when he proclaims "Him Whom men do not know and yet do know - the unknown-known; the One they are seeking, Whom ultimately they know already, and Who yet remains the unknown and unrecognisable. The deepest layer of human thinking and feeling somehow knows that He must exist, that at the beginning of all things, there must be not irrationality, but creative Reason, not blind chance, but freedom".

 

  The Pope went on: "Yet even though all men somehow know this, ... this knowledge remains unreal: a God Who is merely imagined and invented is not God at all. If He does not reveal himself, we cannot gain access to Him. ... The novelty of Christian proclamation consists in one fact: He has revealed Himself. Yet this is no blind fact, but one that is itself 'Logos' - the presence in our flesh of eternal reason".

 

  Today too "God has truly become for many the great unknown. But just as in the past, when behind the many images of God the question concerning the unknown God was hidden and present, so too the present absence of God is silently besieged by the question concerning Him".

 

  "To seek God and to let oneself be found by Him, that is today no less necessary than in former times. A purely positivistic culture which tried to drive the question concerning God into the subjective realm, as being unscientific, would be the capitulation of reason, the renunciation of its highest possibilities, and hence a disaster for humanity, with very grave consequences. What gave Europe's culture its foundation", the Holy Father concluded, "remains today the basis of any genuine culture".

 

  Following his address, the Pope travelled by car to the cathedral of Notre-Dame where he presided at Vespers with French priests, religious, seminarians and deacons.

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VESPERS WITH PRIESTS, RELIGIOUS, SEMINARIANS AND DEACONS

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 7.15 p.m. today, in the Parisian cathedral of Notre-Dame, the Pope presided at the celebration of Vespers with priests, religious, seminarians and deacons. Also present at the celebration were a number of representatives from other Churches and Christian communities.

 

  Commenting in his homily on Psalm 126, 1 - "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain" - the Pope asked: "Who is this Lord, if not our Lord Jesus Christ? It is He Who founded His Church and built it on rock, on the faith of the Apostle Peter". St. Augustine asks "how we can know who these builders are, and his answer is this: 'All those who preach God's word in the Church, all who are ministers of God's divine Sacraments. All of us run, all of us work, all of us build', yet it is God alone Who, within us, 'builds, exhorts, and inspires awe; Who opens our understanding and guides our minds to faith'".

 

  "What marvels", the Pope added, "surround our work in the service of God's word! We are instruments of the Holy Spirit; God is so humble that He uses us to spread His word. We become His voice, once we have listened carefully to the word coming from His mouth. We place His word on our lips in order to bring it to the world. He accepts the offering of our prayer and through it He communicates Himself to everyone we meet".

 

  Benedict XVI highlighted how "our earthly liturgies, entirely ordered to the celebration of this unique act within history, will never fully express its infinite meaning. Certainly, the beauty of our celebrations can never be sufficiently cultivated, fostered and refined, for nothing can be too beautiful for God, Who is Himself infinite Beauty. Yet our earthly liturgies will never be more than a pale reflection of the liturgy celebrated in the Jerusalem on high, the goal of our pilgrimage on earth. May our own celebrations nonetheless resemble that liturgy as closely as possible and grant us a foretaste of it!

 

  "Even now the word of God is given to us as the soul of our apostolate, the soul of our priestly life. ... Throughout the day, the word of God becomes the substance of the prayer of the whole Church, as she bears witness in this way to her fidelity to Christ".

 

  The Holy Father encouraged the priests not to be afraid "to spend much time reading and meditating on the Scriptures and praying the Divine Office! Almost without your knowing it, God's word, read and pondered in the Church, acts upon you and transforms you".

 

  Turning to address seminarians, he said: "You are called to become stewards of this word which accomplishes what it communicates. Always cultivate a thirst for the word of God! Thus you will learn to love everyone you meet along life's journey. In the Church everyone has a place, everyone! Every person can and must find a place in her".

 

  To deacons he said: "Without seeking to take the place of priests, but assisting them with your friendship and your activity, may you be living witnesses to the infinite power of God's word!"

 

  Benedict XVI reminded men and women religious, and all consecrated people, that their "only treasure - which, to tell the truth, will alone survive the passage of time and the curtain of death - is the word of the Lord. ... Your obedience is, etymologically, a 'hearing', for the word 'obey' comes from the Latin 'obaudire', meaning to turn one's ear to someone or something. In obeying, you turn your soul towards the One Who is the Way, and the Truth and the Life. ... The purity of God's word is the model for your own chastity, ensuring its spiritual fruitfulness".

 

  Finally, Benedict XVI greeted the representatives from other Churches and Christian communities who "have come to pray Vespers together with us in this cathedral".

 

  "I implore the Lord to increase within us the sense of this unity of the word of God, which is the sign, pledge and guarantee of the unity of the Church: there is no love in the Church without love of the word, no Church without unity around Christ the Redeemer, no fruits of redemption without love of God and neighbour, according to the two commandments which sum up all of Sacred Scripture!"

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THE CHURCH HAS CONFIDENCE IN THE YOUNG

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Following the celebration of Vespers this evening in the cathedral of Notre-Dame, the Pope greeted young people participating in a prayer vigil in preparation for tomorrow's Mass, which is due to be celebrated on the esplanade of Les Invalides in Paris.

 

  In his remarks to them Benedict XVI recalled how at the recent 23rd World Youth Day "many young people rediscovered the importance of the Holy Spirit for the life of every Christian. The Spirit gives us a deep relationship with God, Who is the source of all authentic human good.

 

  "All of you desire to love and to be loved! It is to God that you must turn, if you want to learn how to love, and to find the strength to love", he added.

 

  The Pope then went on to invite the young "to meditate on the importance of the Sacrament of Confirmation ... which leads you into a mature faith life. It is vital for you to understand this Sacrament more and more in order to evaluate the quality and depth of your faith and to reinforce it. The Holy Spirit enables you to approach the mystery of God; He makes you understand Who God is. He invites you to see in your neighbours the brothers and sisters whom God has given you, in order to live with them in human and spiritual fellowship - in other words, to live within the Church. By revealing Who the crucified and risen Lord is for us, He impels you to bear witness to Christ".

 

  "You need to speak about Christ to all around you, to your families and friends, wherever you study, work and relax. Do not be afraid! Have 'the courage to live the Gospel and the boldness to proclaim it'. ... Bring the Good News to the young people of your age, and to others as well. They know what it means to experience difficulty in relationships, worry and uncertainty in the face of work and study. They have experienced suffering, but they have also known unique moments of joy. Be witnesses of God, for, as young people, you are fully a part of the Catholic community. ... The Church has confidence in you, and I want to tell you so!"

 

  The Holy Father then drew the young people's attention to another subject: "the mystery of the Cross".

 

  "Many of you", he said, "wear a cross on a chain around your neck. I too wear one. ... It is not a mere decoration or a piece of jewellery. It is the precious symbol of our faith, the visible and material sign that we belong to Christ".

 

  "For Christians, the Cross signifies God's wisdom and His infinite love revealed in the saving gift of Christ, crucified and risen for the life of the world, and in particular for the life of each and every one of you".

 

  The cross "is not only the symbol of your life in God and your salvation, but also ... the silent witness of human suffering and the unique and priceless expression of all our hopes".

 

  "The Cross in some way seems to threaten our human security, yet above all else, it also proclaims God's grace and confirms our salvation. This evening, I entrust you with the Cross of Christ. ... Paul understood the seemingly paradoxical words of Jesus, Who taught that it is only by giving ('losing') one's life that one finds it, and Paul concluded from this that the Cross expresses the fundamental law of love, the perfect formula for real life".

 

  Having concluded his meeting with the young people, the Pope travelled to the apostolic nunciature where, having had dinner, he appeared at the balcony to greet the faithful gathered below.

 

  "Your warm welcome is most moving for the Pope!" he told them. "Thank you for waiting for me here with such enthusiasm, despite the lateness of the hour!"

 

  "I am glad to be joining the great throng of Lourdes pilgrims tomorrow to celebrate the Jubilee of the apparitions of the Virgin. Catholics in France have greater need than ever to renew their trust in Mary, recognising in her the model of their commitment to the service of the Gospel. ... I am counting on you and on your prayers for this visit to bear fruit. May the Virgin Mary keep you safe!"

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BENEDICT XVI VISITS THE INSTITUT DE FRANCE

 

VATICAN CITY, 13 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 9 a.m. this morning the Pope arrived at the Institut de France, an institution founded in 1795 which includes five separate academies: the Academie francaise, the Academie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, the Academie des sciences, the Academie des beaux-arts, and the Academie des sciences morales et politiques.

 

  The Institut is made up of eminent figures from all areas of human knowledge. In 1992 the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, became an associate member of the Academie des sciences morales et politiques, succeeding the Nobel Prize winning scientist Andrei Sakharov who died in 1989.

 

  On his arrival, Benedict XVI was greeted by Gabriel de Broglie, chancellor of the Institut de France, and by Helene Carrere d'Encausse, permanent secretary of the Academie francaise, who accompanied him to the hall of the cupola where members of the five academies were gathered. After uncovering a plaque commemorating his visit, Pope Benedict pronounced a brief address.

 

  "For me it is a very great honour to be received this morning under the cupola. ... I could not come to Paris without greeting you personally. I am pleased to have this happy opportunity to emphasise my profound links with French culture, for which I have the greatest admiration".

 

  "As Rabelais rightly asserted in his day: 'science without conscience brings only ruin to the soul!'. It was doubtless in order to contribute to avoiding the risk of such a dichotomy that, at the end of January of last year, and for the first time in three and a half centuries, two academies of the Institut, two pontifical academies and the Institut Catholique in Paris organised a joint 'Colloquium' on the changing identity of the individual. ... This initiative could be taken further, in order to explore together the countless research possibilities in the human and experimental sciences".

 

  Following the meeting, Benedict XVI travelled by popemobile to the esplanade of Les Invalides to celebrate Mass.

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SHUN THE WORSHIP OF IDOLS

 

VATICAN CITY, 13 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. today, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on the esplanade of Les Invalides in Paris, a complex of buildings that includes a hospital for war veterans, a military museum and the church of Saint-Louis des Invalides with a great dome under which is the grave of Napoleon Bonaparte.

 

  "In the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians", said the Pope in his homily to the more than 200,000 people present, "we discover ... how much the counsels given by the Apostle remain important today. 'Shun the worship of idols', he writes to a community deeply marked by paganism and divided between adherence to the newness of the Gospel and the observance of former practices inherited from its ancestors".

 

  "Apart from the people of Israel, who had received the revelation of the one God, the ancient world was in thrall to the worship of idols. Strongly present in Corinth, the errors of paganism had to be denounced, for they constituted a powerful source of alienation and they diverted man from his true destiny. They prevented him from recognising that Christ is the sole Saviour, the only One Who points out to man the path to God.

 

  "This appeal to shun idols", he added, "is also pertinent today. ... The word 'idol' comes from the Greek and means 'image', 'figure', 'representation', but also 'ghost', 'phantom', 'vain appearance'. An idol is a delusion, for it turns its worshipper away from reality and places him in the kingdom of mere appearances".

 

  "Now", the Pope asked, "is this not a temptation in our own day - the only one we can act upon effectively? The temptation to idolise a past that no longer exists, forgetting its shortcomings; the temptation to idolise a future which does not yet exist, in the belief that, by his efforts alone, man can bring about the kingdom of eternal joy on earth!" In the same way, "have not money, the thirst for possessions, for power and even for knowledge, diverted man from his true destiny?"

 

  Yet "radical condemnation of idolatry", said the Pope quoting St. John Chrysostom whose feast day falls today, "is never a personal condemnation of the idolater. In our judgements, must we never confuse the sin, which is unacceptable, with the sinner, the state of whose conscience we cannot judge and who, in any case, is always capable of conversion and forgiveness".

 

  "Never does God ... ask man to sacrifice his reason! Reason never enters into real contradiction with faith! The one God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - created our reason and gives us faith, proposing to our freedom that it be received as a precious gift. It is the worship of idols which diverts man from this perspective.

 

  "Let us therefore ask God, who sees us and hears us, to help us purify ourselves from all idols, in order to arrive at the truth of our being, in order to arrive at the truth of His infinite being!"

 

  "St. Paul asks us to make use not only of our reason, but above all our faith in order to discover Him. Now, what does faith say to us? The bread that we break is a communion with the Body of Christ. The cup of blessing which we bless is a communion with the Blood of Christ".

 

  "Over the last twenty centuries", the Holy Father recalled, "the risen Lord has given Himself to His people. ... Let us give the greatest veneration to the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord, the Blessed Sacrament of the real presence of the Lord to his Church and to all humanity".

 

  "The Mass is the sacrifice of thanksgiving par excellence, the one which allows us to unite our own thanksgiving to that of the Saviour. ... The Mass invites us to discern what, in ourselves, is obedient to the Spirit of God and what, in ourselves, is attuned to the spirit of evil".

 

  Hence, "to raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, is that not the very best way of 'shunning idols'? ... Every time the Mass is celebrated, every time Christ makes Himself sacramentally present in His Church, the work of our salvation is accomplished. ... He alone teaches us to shun idols, the illusions of our minds".

 

  Yet "who can raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord in the name of the entire people of God, except the priest?", the Pope asked and he made an appeal, "confident in their faith and generosity", to young people "who are considering a religious or priestly vocation: do not be afraid! Do not be afraid to give your life to Christ! Nothing will ever replace the ministry of priests at the heart of the Church!"

 

  "Hope will always remain stronger than all else! The Church, built upon the rock of Christ, possesses the promises of eternal life, not because her members are holier than others, but because Christ made this promise to Peter: 'You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it'".

 

  Benedict XVI concluded: "In this unfailing hope of God's eternal presence in the souls of each of us, in this joy of knowing that Christ is with us until the end of time, in this power that the Holy Spirit gives to all those who let themselves be filled with Him, I entrust you, dear Christians of Paris and France, to the powerful and merciful action of the God of love Who died for us upon the Cross and rose victorious on Easter morning. To all people of good will ... I say once more, with St. Paul: Shun the worship of idols, do not tire of doing good!"

 

  Following Mass, Benedict XVI travelled back to the apostolic nunciature where he had lunch with bishops from the Paris region.

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SUMMARY OF APOSTOLIC TRIP TO FRANCE:

 

- Reflecting on the True Meaning of Laicism

- Saturday and Sunday: Special VIS Bulletins for Papal Trip

 

OTHER NEWS:

 

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

REFLECTING ON THE TRUE MEANING OF LAICISM

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 9.20 a.m. today, the Pope departed from Rome's Fiumicino airport. After a two-hour flight his aircraft landed at Orly airport in Paris, thus beginning his tenth apostolic trip outside Italy, his first to France.

 

  As he descended from the plane, the Holy Father was welcomed by Nicolas Sarkozy, president of the French Republic. Having then greeted Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, and the civil and religious authorities present, he travelled by car to the apostolic nunciature. A few minutes later he moved on to the Elysee Palace where, at 12.30 p.m., he paid a courtesy visit to the president of the Republic.

 

  Having held a private meeting with President Sarkozy, the Pope went on to meet the authorities of State. Then, following a discourse by the French president, Benedict XVI pronounced the first address of his trip.

 

  He began his remarks by recalling that the principal reason for his visit was to mark "the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes".

 

  Referring then to President Sarkozy's comments during his visit to Rome in December 2007, to the effect that "the roots of France - like those of Europe - are Christian", the Holy Father said: "History itself offers sufficient proof of this: from its origins, your country received the Gospel message". In this context he mentioned the foundation of numerous religious congregations to assist those in need, and the "thousands of chapels, churches, abbeys and cathedrals" gracing the land.

 

  "The Church in France currently benefits from a 'regime of freedom'", he said. "Past suspicion has been gradually transformed into a serene and positive dialogue that continues to grow stronger. A new instrument of dialogue has been in place since 2002, and I have much confidence in its work, given the mutual good will".

 

  "At this moment in history when cultures continue to cross paths more frequently, I am firmly convinced that a new reflection on the true meaning and importance of 'laicite' is now necessary. In fact, it is fundamental, on the one hand, to insist on the distinction between the political realm and that of religion in order to preserve both the religious freedom of citizens and the responsibility of the State towards them; and, on the other hand, to become more aware of the irreplaceable role of religion for the formation of consciences and the contribution which it can bring to - among other things - the creation of a basic ethical consensus within society".

 

  "My greatest concern", the Pope went on, "is for young people". Many of them "are suffering from a loss of connection to family life", others are abandoned on the margins "and often left to themselves, they are vulnerable and must come to terms on their own with a reality that often overwhelms them".

 

  Hence, "it is necessary to offer them a sound educational environment and to encourage them to respect and assist others if they are to develop serenely towards the age of responsibility. The Church can offer her own specific contribution in this area. I am also concerned by the social situation in the Western world, marked sadly by a surreptitious widening of the distance between rich and poor. I am certain that just solutions can be found that go beyond the necessary immediate assistance and address the heart of the problems, so as to protect the weak and promote their dignity".

 

  The Pope also expressed his concern for "the state of our planet", highlighting how "we must learn to respect and protect it more. It seems to me that the time has come for more constructive proposals so as to guarantee the good of future generations.

 

  "Your country's presidency of the European Union", he added, "gives France the opportunity to bear witness - in accord with her noble tradition - to human rights and to their promotion for the good of individuals and society. When Europeans see and experience personally that the inalienable rights of the human person from conception to natural death - rights to free education, to family life, to work, and naturally those concerned with religion - when Europeans see that these rights, which form an inseparable unity, are promoted and respected, then they will understand fully the greatness of the enterprise that is the European Union, and will become active artisans of the same".

 

  Faced with "the danger of a resurgence of old suspicions, tensions, and conflicts among nations, which we are troubled to witness today", said the Pope, "France, which historically has been sensitive to reconciliation between peoples, is called to help Europe build up peace within her borders and throughout the world. In this regard, it is important to promote a unity that neither can nor desires to become a uniformity, but is able to guarantee respect for national differences and different cultural traditions, which amount to an enrichment of the European symphony, remembering at the same time that 'national identity itself can only be achieved in openness towards other peoples and through solidarity with them'. I express my confidence that your country will contribute increasingly to the progress of this age towards serenity, harmony and peace".

 

  The ceremony over, Pope Benedict travelled back to the apostolic nunciature where he had lunch in private.

 

  At 5 p.m. today, the Holy Father will participate in a brief meeting in the apostolic nunciature with members of the local Jewish community before going to the College des Bernardins, recently reopened to the public following its restoration, where he is due to meet with representatives from the world of culture.

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SATURDAY AND SUNDAY: SPECIAL VIS BULLETINS FOR PAPAL TRIP

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Vatican Information Service will transmit two special services on Saturday 13 September and on Sunday 14 September covering the Holy Father Benedict XVI's apostolic trip to France.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Salvatore Pappalardo of Nicosia, Italy, as metropolitan archbishop of Siracusa (area 1,341, population 334,600, Catholics 324,500, priests 145, permanent deacons 10, religious 244), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in Nicosia in 1945, he was ordained a priest in 1968 and consecrated a bishop in 1998. He succeeds Archbishop Giuseppe Costanzo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

NER:RE/.../PAPPALARDO:COSTANZO                                VIS 080912 (90)

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SUMMARY:

 

- Paraguay: Impregnate the World with the Christian Spirit

- Statistics for the Catholic Church in France

- Audiences

 

___________________________________________________________

 

PARAGUAY: IMPREGNATE THE WORLD WITH THE CHRISTIAN SPIRIT

 

VATICAN CITY, 11 SEP 2008 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received prelates from the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

 

  "The pastoral challenges you are facing are truly large and complex", the Pope told the assembled bishops. "Faced with a cultural environment that seeks to marginalise God from people and from society, or that considers Him as an obstacle to the pursuit of its own happiness, it is vital to make a vast missionary effort which, placing Jesus Christ at the centre of all pastoral activity, reveals to everyone the beauty and truth of His life and His message of salvation".

 

  "In this context, the presence of authentic witnesses of Christian life and the sanctity of pastors are perennial necessities both for the Church and the world", explained the Holy Father, going on to indicate that "the bishop, apart from being the visible head and the foundation of unity in a particular Church, is also the bond of ecclesial communion and the point of contact between his particular Church and the Universal Church".

 

  After encouraging the prelates to continue to make every possible effort "to increase unity within diocesan communities, and with this Apostolic See", the Pope expressed his appreciation at the Paraguayan bishops' choice of "the pastoral care of youth and vocations" as one of their priorities. In this context, he pointed out that "the conviction and faithfulness with which priests daily live their own vocations will stimulate in many young people the desire to follow Christ in the priesthood, responding generously to His call".

 

  Yet in order for the Christian message to reach "the furthest corners of the world", said the Holy Father, "the collaboration of the lay faithful is indispensable. Their specific vocation consists in impregnating the temporal world with the Christian spirit, and transforming it in accordance with the divine plan. For their part, pastors have the duty to offer them all the spiritual and formative means they need".

 

  "One significant aspect of the mission of the laity is the service of society through political activity". For this reason, "they must be encouraged ... to practice responsibility and dedication in this important dimension of social charity, so that the human community of which they are part ... may progress in justice, in honour and in the defence of true and authentic values such as the protection of human life, of marriage and of the family, thus contributing to the real human and spiritual benefit of all society".

 

  The Pope concluded his remarks by praising the bishops' efforts to "alleviate the needs of the people", and by calling on them to be "a living image of Christ's charity for all your brothers and sisters, especially those who suffer most: the marginalised, the elderly, the sick and the imprisoned".

AL/.../PARAGUAY                                                                         VIS 080911 (480)

 

STATISTICS FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN FRANCE

 

VATICAN CITY, 11 SEP 2008 (VIS) - For the occasion of Benedict XVI's forthcoming apostolic trip to France, due to take place from 12 to 15 September to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady at Lourdes, statistics concerning the Catholic Church in that country have been published.

 

  The information, updated to 31 December 2006, comes from the Central Statistical Office of the Church.

 

  France has a population of 61,350,000 of whom 46,427,000 (75.5 percent) are Catholic. There are 98 ecclesiastical circumscriptions, 16,553 parishes and 674 pastoral centres of other kinds. Currently, there are 186 bishops, 21,074 priests, 42,425 religious, 1,577 lay members of secular institutes and 62,831 catechists. Minor seminarians number 134, and major seminarians 1,299.

 

  A total of 2,108,240 children and young people attend 10,195 centres of Catholic education, from kindergartens to universities. Other institutions belonging to the Church, or run by priests or religious in France include 94 hospitals, 103 clinics, 520 homes for the elderly or disabled, 96 orphanages and nurseries, 49 family counselling centres and other pro-life centres, 247 centres for education and social rehabilitation, and 65 institutions of other kinds.

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 11 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Lars Petter Forberg, ambassador of Norway, on his farewell visit.

 

 - Fr. Joaquin Robledo, diocesan administrator of San Lorenzo, Paraguay, on his "ad limina" visit.

AP:AL/.../...                                                                                      VIS 080911 (50)

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SUMMARY:

 

- Honouring the Memory of Servant of God Paul VI

- Pope Sends a Text Message to WYD Participants

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

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".

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POPE SENDS A TEXT MESSAGE TO WYD PARTICIPANTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 9 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Pope has sent a text message by mobile phone to young people who participated in the recent World Youth Day, which was held in Australia in July.

 

  The English-language message was transmitted yesterday, 8 September, to mark fifty days since the Mass presided by Benedict XVI on 20 July at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse, the culminating event of World Youth Day.

 

  The text message reads: "Dear Friends, fifty days ago we were together for the celebration of Mass. Today I greet you on the birthday of Mary, Mother of the Church. Empowered by the Spirit and courageous like Mary your pilgrimage of faith fills the Church with life! Soon I am to visit France. I ask you all to join me in praying for the young people of France. May we all be rejuvenated in hope! Benedict XVI".

 

  During the course of World Youth Day, the Holy Father sent a number of brief messages, which participants were able to receive thanks to a special service provided the by Australian telecom company.

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 9 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences five prelates from the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop Ignacio Gogorza Izaguirre S.C.I. of Beth, of Encarnacion, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Claudio Silvero Acosta S.C.I. of Beth.

 

    - Bishop Mario Melanio Medina Salinas of San Juan Bautista de las Misiones.

 

    - Bishop Adalberto Martinez Flores of San Pedro.

 

    - Bishop Sebelio Peralta Alvarez of Villarrica del Espiritu Santo.

 

  This evening he is scheduled to receive in separate audiences three prelates from the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop Ricardo Jorge Valenzuela Rios, military ordinary.

 

    - Bishop Edmundo Ponziano Valenzuela Mellid S.D.B., apostolic vicar of Chaco Paraguayo.

 

    - Bishop Lucio Alfert O.M.I., apostolic vicar of Pilcomayo.

AL/.../...                                                                                             VIS 080909 (130)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 9 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia, as president delegate of the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. He substitutes Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, India, who is unable to attend the gathering.

NA/.../PELL:GRACIAS                                                                  VIS 080909 (60)

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SUMMARY OF POPE'S PASTORAL VISIT TO CAGLIARI: 7 SEPTEMBER

 

- Evangelise the World of Work and of Politics

- Pope Appeals for Mary's Protection and Recalls Haiti

- Priests: Revive the Charism You Received Every Day

- Young People: Rediscover the Religious Sense of Life

 

OTHER NEWS: 6 - 8 SEPTEMBER

 

- Bishops of Nicaragua: Solid Religious Formation of Laity

- Special Envoys to Celebrations in France and in Lithuania

- Holy Father Receives President of Romania

- Telegram for the Death of Cardinal Innocenti

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

EVANGELISE THE WORLD OF WORK AND OF POLITICS

 

VATICAN CITY, 7 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 8.30 a.m. today, Benedict XVI departed from Rome's Ciampino airport, landing at the airport of Cagliari-Elmas on the Italian island of Sardinia at 9.30 a.m. Having greeted the political, civil and ecclesiastical authorities, he travelled to the Shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria, which he visited briefly.

 

  At 10.30 a.m., the Pope celebrated Mass in the presence of 100,000 people on the esplanade in front of the Marian shrine. The wooden statue of Our Lady of Bonaria - the centenary of whose proclamation as patroness of Sardinia falls this year - stood next to the altar during the ceremony.

 

  In his homily, the Holy Father highlighted how "Christianity arrived in Sardinia not with the sword of the conquerors or through external imposition, but by growing from the blood of the martyrs who here gave their lives in an act of love towards God and mankind".

 

  "Sardinia", he went on, "has never been a land of heresies; her people have always demonstrated filial faithfulness to Christ and to the See of Peter. ... Through the sequence of invasions and domination, faith in Christ has remained in the soul of your people as a constitutive element of your Sardinian identity. ... This simple and courageous faith continues to live in your communities and in your families, where one may inhale the evangelical fragrance of the virtues that distinguish your land: loyalty, dignity, reserve, sobriety and a sense of duty".

 

  Going on to refer to the hundredth anniversary of the proclamation of the Virgin as patroness of the island, the Pope called on the faithful "to give thanks to Mary for her protection and to reiterate our faith in her, recognising her as the 'Star of the new evangelisation'".

 

  The Holy Father asked the Virgin to help the people of Sardinia "to bring Christ to families, small domestic Churches and cells of society, which today more than ever need trust and support at both a spiritual and social level".

 

  May Mary, he said, "help you to discover appropriate pastoral strategies to ensure that young people encounter Christ", young people who "by their nature are bearers of fresh energy but are often victims of a widespread nihilism, thirsty for truth and for ideals precisely when they seem to deny them. May she help you evangelise the world of work, of the economy and of politics, which needs a new generation of committed lay Christians, capable of seeking solutions of sustainable development with competency and moral rigour".

 

  At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, Benedict XVI performed an act of consecration to Mary which concluded with the consignment of a golden rose to Our Lady of Bonaria.

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POPE APPEALS FOR MARY'S PROTECTION AND RECALLS HAITI

 

VATICAN CITY, 7 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Following this morning's Mass and before praying the Angelus, the Holy Father recalled other Pontiffs who have paid homage to Our Lady of Bonaria.

           

  He mentioned Blessed Pius IX who ordered her coronation, St. Pius X who proclaimed her Patroness of Sardinia, Servant of God Paul VI who on 24 April 1970 became the first Pope to touch Sardinian soil in more than 1650 years, and "the beloved John Paul II" who prayed before the image on 20 October 1985.

 

  "May the Holy Virgin continue to watch over each and everyone", said Pope Benedict, "so that the heritage of evangelical values may be transmitted intact to the new generations, and that Christ may reign in families, in communities and in all areas of society. In particular, may the Virgin protect those who at this moment most need her maternal intervention: children and young people, the elderly and families, the sick and all those who suffer".

 

  Then, recalling the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, he called on "Mary Mother of the Word incarnate and our Mother, to protect all earthly mothers: those who, together with their husbands, educate children in a harmonious family atmosphere, and those who, for so many reasons, find themselves facing such an arduous task alone. May all of them devotedly and faithfully undertake their daily service in the family, in the Church and in society. May the Virgin Mary be a support, comfort and hope to them all.

 

 "Under Mary's gaze", the Holy Father added in conclusion, "I wish to recall the dear people of Haiti, who have been so sorely tried over recent days with the passage of three separate hurricanes. I pray for the victims, who are unfortunately numerous, and for the homeless. I remain close to the entire nation and hope it will soon receive the aid it needs".

 

  Having prayed the Angelus, the Pope travelled by car to the regional seminary where, having visited the chapel, he had lunch with Sardinian bishops. Later Benedict XVI went to the diocesan seminary where he greeted seminarians and members of the organising committee of his visit".

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PRIESTS: REVIVE THE CHARISM YOU RECEIVED EVERY DAY

 

VATICAN CITY, 7 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 5 p.m. today in the cathedral of Cagliari, Italy, the Pope met with priests, seminarians and students of the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Sardinia.

 

  The Holy Father called on the formators and professors to guide their pupils "to a daily personal experience of God through individual and community prayer, and above all through the Eucharist, celebrated and experienced as the centre of existence".

 

  Theological formation, he told the seminarians and students of the theological faculty, "must lead you to achieve a 'complete and unitary' vision of revealed truths and of their assimilation into the Church's experience of faith. From here arises the dual need to know the totality of Christian truths and to know them not as separate from one another, but in an organic way, as a unit, as a single truth of faith in God".

 

  Benedict XVI highlighted the "great flowering of religious vocations among women, of which Sardinia is a true incubator". Without them, he said, "it would have been more difficulty to spread Christ's love in villages, in families, in schools, in hospitals, in prisons and in workplaces. This heritage of good has been accumulating thanks to their dedication!"

 

  Turning to address priests, the Pope assured them of his "spiritual proximity" to help them "respond to the call of the Lord with complete faithfulness as some of your confreres have done, even recently". In this context, he mentioned Fr. Graziano Muntoni, murdered on Christmas Eve 1998 while on his way to celebrate Mass, and Fr. Battore Carzedda of the P.I.M.E., who gave his life "so that believers in all religions may open to a sincere dialogue founded upon love".

 

  The Pope went on: "Do not be afraid of or discouraged by difficulties. ... It is important you become grains of good wheat which, falling to earth, bring forth fruit". Priests "must authoritatively proclaim the Word, renew gestures of forgiveness and giving, and exercise loving solicitude in the service of their flock, in communion with pastors and faithfully compliant to the teachings of the Magisterium".

 

  The Holy Father concluded by calling on priests "daily to revive the charism you received with the imposition of hands, identifying yourselves with Jesus Christ in His triple function of sanctifying, tending and feeding the flock".

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YOUNG PEOPLE: REDISCOVER THE RELIGIOUS SENSE OF LIFE

 

VATICAN CITY, 7 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 6.15 p.m. today, Benedict XVI arrived at Piazza Yenne in the Italian city of Cagliari where he met with young people from the island of Sardinia, to whom he pronounced an address.

 

  "Dear young people", said the Pope, "you are the hope-filled future of this region, despite the difficulties of which we are all aware. I know your enthusiasm, the desires you nourish and the commitment you show in order to realise them. And I am not unaware of the difficulties and problems you face" such as "the blight of unemployment and precariousness, which puts your projects at risk, ... emigration, the exodus of the most original and enterprising forces, ... and the consequent displacement from one's environment which sometimes leads to psychological and moral damage, even more than social problems.

 

  "And what can we say", he added, "of the fact that in modern consumer society earnings and success have become the new idols before which so many prostrate themselves? The consequence of this is that people are led to give value only to those who ... 'have found fortune' or who are 'notorious', and not to those who must struggle with life every day".

 

  "There is a risk of becoming superficial, of taking dangerous shortcuts in search of success, thus giving life up to experiences that bring immediate satisfaction but that are in themselves precarious and deceptive. There is a growing tendency to individualism, and when we concentrate only on ourselves we inevitably become fragile; we lose the patience to listen which is an indispensable part of understanding others and working together".

 

  Benedict XVI reaffirmed the three values presented by John Paul II during his visit to Sardinia 23 years ago, values that "are still important today". The first is "the value of the family, which must be safeguarded as an ancient and sacred heritage. ... In the past traditional society was more helpful in forming and protecting a family" while today "other forms of cohabitation are admitted, and sometimes the term 'family' is used for unions that are not, in fact, families at all".

 

  "Dear young people", cried the Holy Father, "re-appropriate the value of the family, love it nor just for the sake of tradition but as a mature and conscious choice". He also recalled how Vatican Council II had described the family as a "small Church" because "marriage is a Sacrament, in other words a holy and effective sign of the love God gives us in Christ through the Church".

 

  The second value is "serious intellectual and moral formation", said Pope Benedict. "The crisis of a society begins", he said, "when it no longer knows how to transmit its cultural heritage and its fundamental values to the new generations. I am not only referring to the system of education. The question is a broader one. ... Jesus said : 'The truth will make you free', yet modern nihilism preaches the opposite: that freedom will make you true. There are, indeed, those who maintain that there is no truth, thus opening the way to rendering the concepts of good and evil meaningless, even making them interchangeable".

 

  The third value identified by the Pope was "sincere and profound faith". He said: "When a sense of the presence and reality of God is lost, everything becomes 'flat' and is reduced to a single dimension. Everything is 'squashed' into the material plane. ... The mystery of existence also disappears: things and people interest me not for themselves but in the degree to which they satisfy my needs. Faith, in this sense, before being a religious belief, is a way of experiencing reality, a way of thinking, an interior sensibility which enriches human beings. ... Being with Jesus, frequenting Him as a friend in the Gospel and in the Sacraments, you may learn ... that which society is often no longer capable of giving you: a religious sense".

 

  "May each of you rediscover God as meaning and foundation for all creatures, light of truth, flame of charity, bond of unity", he concluded. "You will no longer be afraid to lose your liberty, because you will experience it fully by giving it for love. You will no longer be attached to material goods, because in yourselves you will feel the joy of sharing them. You will no longer be sad at the sadness of the world, but will experience pain for evil and joy for good, especially for mercy and forgiveness. ... If you really discover God in the face of Christ, you will no longer think of the Church as an institution external to yourselves, but as your spiritual family".

 

  The meeting with young people over, Benedict XVI travelled to the airport of Cagliari where he bid farewell to the authorities before boarding his flight for Rome. He landed at Ciampino airport at 8.30 p.m. whence he travelled to his residence in Castelgandolfo.

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BISHOPS OF NICARAGUA: SOLID RELIGIOUS FORMATION OF LAITY

 

VATICAN CITY, 6 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

 

  The Holy Father praised the bishops' efforts "to bring the message of the Gospel to all areas of Nicaragua, with the selfless collaboration of your priests and of the religious institutes present in Nicaragua". He also highlighted the "valuable help" offered in this field by catechists and delegates of the Word.

 

  "It is vital that these generous servants and helpers of the evangelising mission of the Church receive the encouragement of their pastors, obtain profound and continuous religious formation, and maintain perfect faithfulness to the doctrine of the Church", the Pope said.

 

  Benedict XVI noted how "the need for a clergy well-prepared in spiritual, intellectual and human terms" had recently brought the Nicaraguan prelates "to revise the structure of the country's seminaries, in the hope of giving the seminarians of your dioceses a better formation, something that is always necessary and that requires great closeness and attention on the part of each bishop, yielding no ground in the careful discernment of candidates, or in the rigorous conditions necessary to become exemplary priests full of love for Christ and for the Church. ... It is also to be hoped that due religious assistance may improve in hospitals, prisons and other institutions".

 

  Going on then to refer to the question of popular religiosity, "a great treasure ... so deeply-rooted among your people", the Pope called for it to become "something more than a passively-received tradition", and for it to be continually revitalised "through pastoral activity that highlights the profundity of gestures and signs and indicates the unfathomable mystery of salvation and hope that they express".

 

  "One of the great challenges you are facing" he told the prelates, "is that of the solid religious formation of your faithful, ensuring the Gospel remains deeply inscribed in their minds, their lives and their work. ... This is particularly important in a situation in which poverty and emigration are accompanied by deep social inequalities and political radicalisation, especially in recent years".

 

  The Holy Father expressed his satisfaction at the bishops' efforts "to create a climate of dialogue and openness", yet without abandoning their "defence of the fundamental rights of man, denouncing situations of injustice and fomenting a concept of politics as being (rather than ambition for power and control) generous and humble service for the common good". In this context he exhorted them "to promote and accompany numerous initiatives of charity and solidarity with the most needy who are present your Churches, so as to ensure there is no lack of aid for families in difficulty, or of that generous spirit shown by so many lay people who, sometimes anonymously, strive to obtain daily bread for their poorer brethren".

 

  Speaking of educational institutions, and in particular of Catholic schools, Benedict XVI recalled how they perform "an essential mission of the Church and a priceless service to society". And he concluded by calling on bishops to encourage educators in their task and to make every effort "to preserve parents' rights to educate their children according to their own convictions and beliefs".

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SPECIAL ENVOYS TO CELEBRATIONS IN FRANCE AND IN LITHUANIA

 

VATICAN CITY, 6 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was Letter from the Pope, written in Latin and dated 3 July, in which he appoints Cardinal Godfried Danneels, archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium, as his special envoy to celebrations due to take place in Valenciennes, France, on 14 September, marking the millennium of the pilgrimage in honour of "Notre-Dame du Saint-Cordon".

 

  The cardinal will be accompanied on his mission by Fr. Bruno Feillet, rector of the basilica of "Notre-Dame du Saint-Cordon" and pastor "in solidum" of the parish of "Saint-Jean Baptiste de l'Escaut", and by Fr. Dominique Foyer, director of diocesan pilgrimage services, professor of theology in the Faculty of Lille and defender of the bond.

 

  Also made public today was a Letter from the Pope, likewise written in Latin and dated 3 July, in which he appoints Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, Germany, as his special papal envoy to celebrations making the fourth centenary of the apparition of Blessed Virgin Mary at Siluva, Lithuania, due to take place on 13 and 14 September.

 

  The mission accompanying Cardinal Meisner will be made up of Fr. Robertas Grigas, national director of Lithuanian Caritas, and by Fr. Lionginas Virbalas S.J., under-secretary of the Lithuanian Episcopal Conference.

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HOLY FATHER RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF ROMANIA

 

VATICAN CITY, 6 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today:

 

  "This morning at the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Traian Basescu, president of Romania, who subsequently went on the meet Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

 

  "The cordial discussions provided an opportunity to examine the situation in the country, with particular reference to its entry into the European Union; in this context allusion was made to the historical, cultural and spiritual identity of Europe, also highlighting the affinity of views between the Holy See and Romania on various international issues.

 

  "Various questions concerning relations between the Catholic Church and the Romanian State were also considered, as were relations with the Orthodox Church, and the hope was expressed that an increase in mutual understanding and collaboration may contribute to the good of all the inhabitants of the country, and to their spiritual and material development.

 

  "Finally, attention turned to the subject of Romanian communities abroad, for the integration of which Catholic Church institutions offer generous and effective assistance, something which President Basescu expressly recognised and for which he voiced his appreciation".

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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL INNOCENTI

 

VATICAN CITY, 8 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Following the death of Cardinal Antonio Innocenti, the Pope has sent a telegram to Maria Antonietta Baggiani, sister of the deceased. The cardinal, who died on 6 September at the age of 93, was prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy, and president emeritus of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church and of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei".

 

  In his telegram, the Pope mentions "the witness of fervent priestly zeal and of faithfulness to the Gospel" shown by the Italian cardinal during his long service of the Church.

 

  For its part, the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has released a communique announcing that Mass for the eternal repose of Cardinal Innocenti will be presided by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, in the Vatican Basilica at 9 a.m. on 10 September.

 

  Following the Eucharistic celebration, the Holy Father will address some words to those present and preside over the rites of "Ultima Commendatio" and "Valedictio".

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 8 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences four prelates from the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Archbishop Eustaquio Pastor Cuquejo Verga C.SS.R. of Asuncion.

 

    - Bishop Candido Cardenas Villalba of Benjamin Aceval.

 

    - Bishop Catalino Claudio Gimenez Medina of Caacupe.

 

    - Bishop Celso Yegros Estigarribia of Carapegua.

 

  This evening he is scheduled to receive in separate audiences three prelates from the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano of Ciudad del Este.

 

    - Bishop Zacarias Ortiz Rolon S.D.B. of Concepcion.

 

    - Bishop Juan Bautista Gavilan Velasquez of Coronel Oviedo.

 

  On Saturday 6 September, he received in separate audiences four prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop Cesar Bosco Vivas Robelo of Leon en Nicaragua.

 

    - Bishop Jorge Solorzano Perez of Matagalpa.

 

    - Bishop Paul Ervin Schmitz Simon O.F.M. Cap., apostolic vicar of Bluefields, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar Delegate David Albin Zywiec O.F.M. Cap.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 8 SEP 2008, VIS - The Holy Father:

 

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the apostolic vicariate of Pucallpa, Peru, presented by Bishop Juan Luis Martin Bisson P.M.E., upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Gaetano Galbusera Fumagalli S.D.B.

 

 - Appointed Bishop Giuseppe Betori, secretary general of the Italian Episcopal Conference, as archbishop of Florence (area 2,205, population 835,374, Catholics 812,000, priests 708, permanent deacons 55, religious 2,019), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in Foligno, Italy in 1947, he was ordained a priest in 1970 and consecrated a bishop in 2001.

 

 - Appointed Bishop Antonino Eugenio Fernandes Dias, auxiliary of Braga, Portugal, as bishop of Portalegre - Castelo Branco (area 9,149, population 244,615, Catholics 240,997, priests 100, permanent deacons 13, religious 186), Portugal.

 

 - Appointed Msgr. Martin Krebs, nunciature counsellor in the United States of America, as apostolic nuncio to Guinea and Mali, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Essen, Germany in 1956 and ordained a priest in 1983.

 

  On Saturday 6 September it was made public that the Holy Father appointed the following persons as participants in the forthcoming Twelfth General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, due to be held in the Vatican from 5 to 26 October on the theme "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church":

 

MEMBERS

 

- Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals.

- Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, Germany.

- Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, and president of the "Symposium des Conferences Episcopales d'Afrique et de Madagascar" (SCEAM).

- Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, S.D.B., archbishop of Tegucigalpa Honduras.

- Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, and president of the Association of West African Episcopal Conferences (ACEAO).

- Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia.

- Cardinal Josip Bozanic, archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia.

- Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary, and president of the "Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae" (CCEE).

- Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., archbishop of Quebec, Canada.

- Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow, Poland.

- Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B., bishop of Hong Kong, China.

- Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, France.

- Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

- Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of His Holiness for the diocese of Rome.

- Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza of Montezemolo, archpriest of the papal basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, Rome.

- Cardinal Albert Vanhoye, S.J., rector emeritus of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome.

- Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

- Cardinal Raffaele Farina, S.D.B., archivist and librarian of Holy Roman Church.

- Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo O.M.I. of Cotabato, Philippines, secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).

- Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria.

- Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil S.D.B. of Guwahati, India.

- Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, Brazil, president of the "Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano" (CELAM).

- Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life and rector of the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome.

- Bishop Peter William Ingham of Wollongong, Australia, president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania (FCBCO).

- Bishop Javier Echevarría Rodriguez, prelate of the personal prelature of Opus Dei, Rome.

- Bishop Michael Ernest Putney of Townsville, Australia.

- Bishop Filippo Santoro of Petropolis, Brazil.

- Bishop Vincenzo Paglia of Terni-Narni-Amelia, Italy, president of the Catholic Biblical Federation.

- Bishop Jose Lai Hung-Seng of Macao, China.

- Bishop Kidane Yebio of Keren, Eritrea.

- Fr. Adolfo Nicolas S.J., superior general of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

- Fr. Julian Carron, president of "Comunione e Liberazione".

 

EXPERTS

 

- Mauro Agosto, professor of Latin at the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome.

- Fr. Peter Damian Akpunonu, professor of biblical exegesis at the University of Our Lady of The Lake, Chicago, U.S.A., and member of the International Theological Commission.

- Fr. Nicolas Antiba, archimandrite of the Greek-Melkite Catholic "Eglise Saint Julien-Le-Pauvre", Paris, France.

- Fr. Enzo Bianchi, prior of the monastic community of Bose, Italy.

- Fr. Cesare Bissoli S.D.B., professor emeritus of biblical studies and catechesis at the Pontifical Salesian University, Rome.

- Fr. Joseph Bou Raad O.A.M., professor of Holy Scripture at the "Antonine Hadath" University of Baabda, Lebanon.

- Sr. Sara Butler M.S.B.T., professor of dogmatic theology at St. Joseph's Seminary, New York, U.S.A.

- Sr. Nuria Calduch Benages M.H.S.F.N., professor of the biblical theology of the Old Testament at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

- Fr. Waldemar Chrostowski, professor at the "Cardinal Wyszynski" State University, Warsaw, Poland.

- Fr. Fidel Onoro Consuegra C.I.M., director of the Biblical Pastoral Centre for Latin America (CEBIPAL), Colombia.

- Bruna Costacurta, professor of the biblical theology of the Old Testament at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

- Fr. Luis Henrique da Silva, co-ordinator of biblical revision and assessor of the Episcopal Pastoral Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil.

- Fr. Luc Devillers O.P., professor at the "Ecole Biblique De Jerusalem" and editor for the New Testament of the "Revue Biblique", Israel.

- Fr. Raul Duarte Castillo, rector of the diocesan seminary of Zamora, Mexico.

- Fr. Jorge Juan Fernandez Sangrador, director of the Library of Christian Authors (BAC), Spain.

- Fr. Juan Javier Flores Arcas O.S.B., director of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of St. Anselm, Rome.

- Fr. Marc Girard, professor of biblical exegesis at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi, Canada, and member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

- Msgr. Pedro Hidalgo Diaz, rector of the "Facultad De Teologia Pontificia y Civil" of Lima, Peru.

- Fr. Johan Maria Herman Konings S.J., professor of Holy Scripture at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

- Marguerite Lena, professor of philosophy at the Madelaine Danielou Centres, and director for the theological formation of young people at the Saint-Francois-Xavier Community of Paris, France.

 - Msgr. Ermenegildo Manicardi, rector of the "Almo Collegio Capranica" and professor at the Pontifical Biblical Instiute, Rome.

- Fr. Frederic Manns O.F.M., professor of New Testament exegesis and of ancient Hebrew literature at the "Studium Biblicum Franciscanum", Israel.

- Fr. Paolo Martinelli O.F.M. Cap., president of the Franciscan institute of spirituality at the Antonianum Pontifical Athenaeum, and professor of fundamental theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

- Fr. Fiorello Mascarenhas S.J., president of the Catholic Bible Institute, Mumbai, India.

- Fr. Jean-Bosco Matand Bulembat, rector of the Catholic Faculties of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

- Fr. Vincent Nguyen-Van-Ban, professor of Holy Scripture and director of the formation of seminarians at the major seminary of Sao Bien in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

- Sr. Mary Jerome Obiorah I.H.M., professor of Holy Scripture at the University of Nigeria and at the major seminary of the archdiocese of Onitsha, Nigeria.

- Fr. Godfrey Onah, professor of philosophy at the Pontifical Urban University, Rome.

- Fr. Salvador Pie Ninot, professor of fundamental and ecclesial theology at the Faculty of Theology of Catalonia, Barcelona, and professor of fundamental theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

- Fr. Stephen F. Pisano S.J., rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome.

- Fr. Marko Rupnik S.J., director of the Ezio Aletti Study and Research Centre, Rome.

- Alexander Schweitzer, secretary general of the Catholic Bible Federation, Germany.

- Thomas Soding, professor of biblical theology at the "Bergische" University of Wuppertal, Germany, and a member of the International Theological Commission.

- Fr. Klemens Stock S.J., secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and professor emeritus of New Testament exegesis at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome.

- Sr. Germana Strola O.C.S.O., nun of the Trappist convent of Vitorchiano, Italy.

- Fr. Zeljko Tanjic, professor of fundamental theology at the faculty of theology in the University of Zagreb, Croatia.

- Fr. Cyril Vasil, S.J., rector of the Pontifical Oriental Institute and dean of the faculty of Eastern Canon Law, Rome.

- Msgr. Timothy Verdon, professor of sacred art at the Theological Faculty of Central Italy, Florence, Italy.

- Michael Waldstein, professor of New Testament studies at the International Theological Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family, Gaming, Austria.

- Fr. Giorgio Zevini S.D.B., dean of the faculty of theology and professor of biblical studies at the Pontifical Salesian University, Rome.

- Fr. Victor Zinkuratire S.S.S., professor of biblical theology at the Catholic University of East Africa (CUEA), Nairobi, Kenya.

 

AUDITORS

 

- Carl Albert Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, U.S.A.

- Rigoberto Angarita, professor at the St. Joseph Institute of the Salesian Fathers in San Cristobal, Venezuela.

- Ponpuzhakotayil Cherian Aniyankunju, spokesperson of the archdiocese of Changanacherry of the Syro-Malabars, India.

- Sr. M. Viviana Ballarin O.P., superior general of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, and president of the Union of Superiors Major of Italy (USMI).

- Sr. Euphrasie Beya, president of the "Union Des Superieurs Majeures" (USUMA), Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

- Daniele Boscaro, head of the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts (AGESCI), Padua, Italy.

- Sr. Maria Antonietta Bruscato F.S.P., superior general of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul, Italy.

- Rafael Chainarong Monthienvichienchai, vice chancellor of St. John's University, Bangkok, Thailand.

- Moyses Lauro de Azevedo Filho, founder and moderator general of the "Shalom" Catholic community, Brazil.

- Fr. Ari Luis Do Valle Ribeiro, professor of theology at the diocesan seminary of Santo Amaro, Brazil.

- Natalja Fedorova Borovskaja, professor at the Russian State University for the Humanities and at the Russian Academy for Fine Arts, Russia.

- Luis Fernando Figari, superior general of the "Sodalitium Vitae Christianae", Peru.

- Sr. Evelyne Franc F.D.C., superior general of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, France.

- Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkowitz, professor of the philosophy of religion and of the comparative history of religions at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany.

- Elvira Go, assistant for biblical pastoral care, Philippines.

- Francisco Jose Gomez Arguello Wirtz, co-founder of the Neo-Catechumenal Way, Spain.

- Ricardo Grzona, president of the "Fundacion

 

SUMMARY:

 

- Celebrations to Be Presided by Pope: September-November

- Day of Prayer and Fasting for Christians in India

- Audiences

 

___________________________________________________________

 

CELEBRATIONS TO BE PRESIDED BY POPE: SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER

 

VATICAN CITY, 5 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff today published the calendar of celebrations to be presided over by the Holy Father between the months of September and November:

 

SEPTEMBER

 

 - Sunday 7: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Pastoral visit to Cagliari, Italy.

 

 - Friday 12 - Monday 15: Pastoral visit to France for the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Lourdes.

 

 - Sunday 21: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. At 9 a.m. in the cathedral of Albano, Italy, Mass and dedication of the altar.

 

OCTOBER

 

 - Sunday 5: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. At 9.30 a.m. in the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, opening of the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

 

 - Thursday 9: At 11.30 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica. Mass to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Servant of God Pope Pius XII.

 

 - Sunday 12: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. At 10 a.m. in St. Peter's Square, canonisation of the following blesseds: Gaetano Errico, Maria Bernarda Butler, Alfonsa of the Immaculate Conception (nee: Anna Muttathupandathu), and Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran.

 

 - Sunday 19: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Pastoral visit to the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompei, Italy. Mass at 10 a.m. and praying of the Rosary at 5 p.m.

 

 - Sunday 26: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. At 9.30 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, conclusion of the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

 

NOVEMBER

 

 - Monday 3: At 11.30 a.m. at the altar of the Cathedra in the Vatican Basilica, Mass for cardinals and bishops who died over the course of the year.

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DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING FOR CHRISTIANS IN INDIA

 

VATICAN CITY, 5 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The presidency of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), taking up the appeal launched by Benedict XVI, has today (the liturgical memory of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta) called all Italian dioceses to observe a day of prayer and fasting for Christians in India.

 

  This initiative, which may also be celebrated on a different day established by the diocesan bishop, is "a sign of spiritual closeness and solidarity with our brothers and sisters of India, so sorely tried in the faith", says a CEI communique.

 

  On 27 August, the Pope called for an immediate end to acts of violence against Christian communities in the Indian state of Orissa, which began following the murder of the Hindu leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati.

 

  Benedict XVI invited "religious leaders and civil authorities to work together to restore among the members of the various communities the peaceful coexistence and harmony which have always been the distinguishing mark of Indian society".

 

  For his part, Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil C.SS.R., major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, called all the dioceses of his country to observe a day of prayer and fasting on Sunday 7 September, so as to express "solidarity with all the victims and prayer for all our missionaries in India, who are facing most trying and difficult times for the sake of the Gospel".

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 5 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Archbishop Alfio Rapisarda, apostolic nuncio to Portugal.

 

 - Five prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Archbishop Leopoldo Jose Brenes Solorzano of Managua.

 

    - Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata Guevara S.D.B. of Esteli.

 

    - Bishop Bernardo Hombach of Granada.

 

    - Bishop Carlos Enrique Herrera Gutierrez O.F.M. of Jinotega.

 

    - Bishop Rene Socrates Sandigo Jiron of Juigalpa.

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SUMMARY:

 

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 4 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Archbishop Janusz Bolonek, apostolic nuncio to Bulgaria.

 

 - Archbishop Francesco Gioia O.F.M. Cap., emeritus of Camerino - San Severino Marche, Italy, and pontifical delegate for the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy.

 

 - Chou-seng Tou, ambassador of the Republic of China on his farewell visit.

 

 - Algirdas Saudargas, ambassador of Lithuania on his farewell visit.

 

 - Fr. Jose G. Funes S.J., director of the Vatican Observatory.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 4 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Enrique Eguia Segui, pastor of the parish of "Nuestra Senora de la Esperanza" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Buenos Aires (area 203, population 2,815,000, Catholics 2,578,000, priests 878, permanent deacons 6, religious 2,352). The bishop-elect was born in Buenos Aires in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1988.

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SUMMARY:

 

- The Meeting with the Risen Christ Changed Paul's Life

- Other Pontifical Acts

- In Memoriam

 

___________________________________________________________

 

THE MEETING WITH THE RISEN CHRIST CHANGED PAUL'S LIFE

 

VATICAN CITY, 3 SEP 2008 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI travelled from Castelgandolfo to the Vatican for his weekly general audience, which was held in the Paul VI Hall. Continuing the series of catechesis on St. Paul, he today focused on the conversion of the Apostle of the Gentiles.

 

  The Holy Father recalled how "the decisive moment of Paul's life came on the road to Damascus in the early 30s of the first century, following a period in which he persecuted the Church".

 

  In order to understand what happened to the Apostle as he travelled to Damascus "we have two sources" the Pope explained. "The first and most popular are the accounts written by Luke, who narrates the event three times in the Acts of the Apostles". The details the Evangelist chooses to highlight - the light from the sky, Paul's fall to the earth, his blindness - "relate to the core of what happened", said the Holy Father, "the Risen Christ appears as a splendid light that speaks to Saul, transforming his mind and his life. ... This meeting with Christ, which is the focus of St. Luke's account, profoundly changed Paul's life, and in this sense we can and must speak of a true conversion".

 

  Benedict XVI then went on to explain that "the second source are the Letters of St. Paul himself". The Apostle "never spoke of the particulars of the event, perhaps because he believed that everyone knew its essential details: everyone knew that from being a persecutor he had been transformed into a fervent apostle of Christ, the result not of his own reflections but of a tremendous event, a meeting with the Risen One".

 

  In certain of his writings the Apostle of the Gentiles "highlights how the apparition of the Risen Christ - of which he himself was a true witness - is the foundation of his apostolate, ... the foundation of his new life", said the Pope.

 

  Yet, Pope Benedict went on, "St. Paul did not consider the event as a conversion. And the reason", he explained, "is very clear: this transformation of his life was not the result of a psychological process, of an intellectual or moral evolution, ... but the fruit of his meeting with Christ Jesus. ... St. Paul's renewal cannot be explained in any other way. Psychological analyses cannot clarify and resolve the problem; only an event, the forceful encounter with Christ, is the key to understanding what happened".

 

  For us, the Holy Father concluded, Christianity "is not a new philosophy or a new form of morality. We are only Christians if we encounter Christ, even if He does not reveal Himself to us as clearly and irresistibly as he did to Paul in making him the Apostle of the Gentiles. We can also encounter Christ in reading Holy Scripture, in prayer, and in the liturgical life of the Church - touch Christ's heart and feel that Christ touches ours. And it is only in this personal relationship with Christ, in this meeting with the Risen One, that we are truly Christian".

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 3 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Teresina, Brazil, presented by Archbishop Celso Jose Pinto da Silva, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop Sergio da Rocha.

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IN MEMORIAM

 

VATICAN CITY, 3 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

 

 - Bishop Venancio Celestino Orbe Uriate C.P., bishop-prelate emeritus of Moyobamba, Peru, on 18 July at the age of 81.

 

 - Bishop Olindo Natale Spagnolo Martellozzo M.C.C.J., former auxiliary of Guayaquil, Ecuador, on 23 July at the age of 82.

 

 - Archbishop James Chinoa, emeritus of Blantyre, Malawi, on 18 August at the age of 84.

 

 - Archbishop Michel-Gaspard Coppenrath, emeritus of Papeete, French Polynesia, on 16 August at the age of 84.

 

 - Bishop Joseph Das, emeritus of Berhampur, India, on 5 August at the age of 78.

 

 - Bishop Wilhelm Emil Egger O.F.M. Cap. of Bolzano-Bressanone, Italy, on 16 August at the age of 68.

 

 - Bishop Affonso Felippe Gregory, emeritus of Imperatriz, Brazil, on 6 August at the age of 78.

 

 - Bishop Michael Kuchmiak C.SS.R., apostolic exarch emeritus for faithful of Byzantine rite resident in Great Britain, on 26 August at the age of 85.

 

 - Bishop Hippolytus Anthony Kunnunkal O.F.M. Cap., emeritus of Jammu-Srinagar, India, on 9 August at the age of 87.

 

 - Archbishop Marius Maziers, emeritus of Bordeaux, France, on 14 August at the age of 93.

 

 - Bishop Wolodymyr Walter Paska, auxiliary emeritus of Philadelphia of the Ukrainians, U.S.A., on 16 August at the age of 84.

 

 - Bishop Peter Quinn, emeritus of Bunbury, Australia, on 23 August at the age of 80.

 

 - Bishop Guillermo Ranzahuer Gonzalez, emeritus of San Andres Tuxtla, Mexico, on 5 August at the age of 80.

 

 - Bishop Paul Schruers, emeritus of Hasselt, Belgium, on 25 August at the age of 78.

 

 - Bishop Franco Sibilla, emeritus of Asti, Italy, on 12 August at the age of 85.

 

 - Bishop Manuel d'Almeida Trinidade, emeritus of Aveiro, Portugal, on 5 August at the age of 90.

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