Speeches 1980 - Monday, 21 June 1980


TO THE INDIANS OF NORTH AMERICA

Tuesday, 24 June 1980




Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It is a joy for me to meet today with all of you, representatives of the North American Indians of Canada and the United States. I greet you in the peace of Christ, and through you I wish to extend my greetings to all whom you represent, to all the Indian people of your continent. When you return home, please tell your families and friends that the Pope loves them, and that he invokes upon them joy and strength in the Holy Spirit.

You have made this long journey to Rome to participate in a special moment in the history of your people. You have come to rejoice in the beatification of Kateri Tekakwitha. It is a time to pause and to give thanks to God for the unique culture and rich human tradition which you have inherited, and for the greatest gift anyone can receive, the gift of faith. Indeed, Blessed Kateri stands before us as a symbol of the best of the heritage that is yours as North American Indians.

But today is also a day of great happiness for the Church throughout the world. All of us are inspired by the example of this young woman of faith who died three centuries ago this year. We are all edified by her complete trust in the providence of God, and we are encouraged by her joyful fidelity to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a true sense the whole Church, together with you, declares in the words of Saint Paul: “Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, glory be to him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever"[1].

The Church has declared to the world that Kateri Tekakwitha is blessed, that she lived a life on earth of exemplary holiness and that she is now a member in heaven of the Communion of Saints who continually intercede with the merciful Father on our behalf.

Her beatification should remind us that we are all called to a life of holiness, for in Baptism God has chosen each one of us "to be holy and spotless and to live through love in his presence"[2]. Holiness of life - union with Christ through prayer and works of charity - is not something reserved to a select few among the members of the Church. It is the vocation of everyone.

My brothers and sisters, may you be inspired and encouraged by the life of Blessed Kateri. Look to her for an example of fidelity; see in her a model of purity and love; turn to her in prayer for assistance. May God bless you as he blessed her. May God bless all the North American Indians of Canada and the United States.

[1] Eph 3, 20-21.

[2] Ibid. 1, 4.



TO LLOYD THOMSON

AMBASSADOR OF AUSTRALIA

ACCREDITED TO THE HOLY SEE

Thursday, 26 June 1980



Mr Ambassador,

I am happy to receive from Your Excellency the Letter accrediting you as the Australian Ambassador to the Holy See. I welcome you and I thank you for the kind words which you have addressed to me in your own name as well as on behalf of the Government and people of Australia.

The first concern of the Church is the spiritual well being of every person; and therefore she always directs her primary attention to the deepest longing of the human person, to the hunger of the soul for eternal life. Nevertheless, the other needs and longings of the human person are not forgotten.

For the Church, in her desire to remain faithful to the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, cannot remain indifferent to the hopes and joys, the needs and sufferings of the men and women of our day. Furthermore, through religious activities the Church can help individuals grow in commitment to those basic human values which are so important for any society or culture. At the same time those activities can assist in the establishment of unity and harmony among peoples and nations.

You have made reference to those concerns which Australia and the Holy See hold in common.

The Church notes with satisfaction the desire of your country to continue to contribute to the efforts of the international community aimed at ridding the world of poverty, violence, ignorance and disease, at fostering true justice and peace, and at promoting the fundamental dignity of every human being. In this regard I wish to express my sincere appreciation for all that your nation, faithful to its tradition of hospitality, has done and continues to do for the many immigrants and refugees whom you have welcomed to your shores. The Church desires to offer her moral support to these worthy endeavours.

I would request you kindly to convey my cordial greetings to the Government and people of Australia. I assure Your Excellency of the full cooperation of the Holy See in the fulfilment of your assignment and I extend my best wishes for the fruitful accomplishment of your mission.



TO THE NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE OF NIGERIA

29 June 1980




Your Eminence,
Dear brother Bishops,
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Greetings in the peace and joy of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am very happy that you have come to Rome and I hope that your visit here will enrich your lives and deepen your faith.

As I welcome you today, it is as though I have before me a miniature reproduction of the Church in your beloved country. For you are made up of Bishops, priests, religious and laity, and you have come, on this great feast of Saints Peter and Paul, to express your unity with the Successor of Peter and your communion with the universal Church. As I greet you I also wish to extend my greeting to all the faithful in Nigeria. Please tell them that the Pope loves them and that he sends them his blessing in the love of the Risen Saviour.

You come today as pilgrims on a journey which also includes a visit to the Holy Land and to Lourdes. As pilgrims you are particularly attentive to everything you see and to everyone you meet. You carefully observe and take note, you pause and ponder, you listen to the message embodied in each person and place. As pilgrims of faith, you take time as well to meditate and pray - to enter more fully into the mystery of faith to which each of the shrines bears witness. As you visit each shrine, as you enter each Church, as you spend time in each city along the way, seek to discover the meaning which lies behind them, and to penetrate the vision of faith which gave rise to them. Open your hearts to the mystery of which each place speaks, to the mystery of the Redeemer who entered into human history.

The Church herself is like a pilgrim in a foreign land. She is a community of men and women who, united in Christ and led by the Holy Spirit, are journeying to the Kingdom of the Father. In the midst of the world yet never fully at home there, enmeshed in history yet destined for eternal life, threatened by evil yet buoyed up by the consoling mercy of God, this community of believers goes forward day by day trusting in the providence of the Lord.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we have the great privilege of belonging to this pilgrim people as it journeys through history towards a heavenly homeland. In this journey, we must never forget that we have a special mission to fulfil. For the Gospel we have received is intended for every man, woman and child on the face of the earth. To every citizen of our own country, to every person on our own continent, to the whole world, by our words and by our deeds and especially through the celebration of the Eucharist we proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes in glory.

May God watch over each of you and protect you during your pilgrimage, and may God bless every member of the Church in Nigeria.

                                                            July 1980

APOSTOLIC PILGRIMAGE TO BRAZIL

PRAYER OF JOHN PAUL II

IN THE BASILICA OF APARECIDA

Aparecida (Brazil), 4 July 1980



Our Lady Aparecida!

1. At this solemn and exceptional moment, I wish to open before you, O Mother, the heart of this people, in whose midst you have wished to dwell in such a special way—as in the midst of other nations and peoples—as in the midst of that nation whose son I am. I wish to open before you the heart of the Church and the heart of the world to which this Church was sent by your Son. I wish to open to you my heart also.

Our Lady Aparecida! The woman revealed by God to crush the serpent's head (cf. Gen. Gn 5,15) in your Immaculate Conception! Chosen from all eternity to be the mother of the Eternal Word, who, at the annunciation of the angel, was conceived in your virginal womb as the Son of Man and a real man!

United more closely to the mystery of the redemption of man and of the world at the foot of the cross on Calvary!

Given on Calvary as mother to all men in the person of John, the Apostle and Evangelist!

Given as mother to the whole Church, from the community that was preparing for the coming of the Holy Spirit to the community of all those who are pilgrims on earth, in the course of the history of peoples and nations, of countries and continents, of eras and generations!...

Mary! I greet you and I say to you Ave! in this sanctuary where the Church of Brazil loves you, venerates you and invokes you as Aparecida, as revealed and given to her in a particular way. As her mother and patroness! As mediatrix and advocate with the Son whose mother you are! As the model of all souls that possess true wisdom and, at the same time, the simplicity of the child, and that deep trust that overcomes all weakness and all suffering!

I wish to entrust to you particularly this People and this Church, this whole great and hospitable Brazil, all your sons and daughters, with all their problems and their worries, their activities and their joys. I wish to do so as Successor of Peter and Pastor of the universal Church, entering into this heritage of veneration and love, dedication and trust, which for centuries has been part of the Church of Brazil and of all those who form it, without considering differences of origin, race, and social position, and wherever they live in this immense country. At this moment they have all been looking to Fortaleza and asking themselves: "Where are you going?"

O Mother! Let the Church be for this Brazilian people a sacrament of salvation and a sign of the unity of all men, adopted brothers and sisters of your Son and children of the heavenly Father!

O Mother! Let this Church following the example of Christ by serving man constantly, defend everyone, especially the poor and the needy, those living on the fringes of society and in want. Let the Church of Brazil always be at the service of justice among men and at the same time contribute to the common good of all and to social peace.

O Mother! Open the hearts of men and let everyone understand that only in the spirit of the Gospel and observing the commandment of love and the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount will it be possible to construct a more human world, in which the dignity of all men will really be given new value.

O Mother! Let the Church which in this land of Brazil has carried out a great work of evangelization in the past and whose history is rich in experience, accomplish her tasks today with new zeal, with new love of the mission received from Christ. For this purpose grant her numerous priestly and religious vocations, so that the whole People of God may benefit from the ministry of the stewards of the Eucharist and of the witnesses to the Gospel.

O Mother! Accept in your heart all Brazilian families! Accept all adults and old people, the young and children! Accept the sick and all those who live in solitude! Accept workers in the fields and factories, intellectuals in schools and universities, all those who are working in any institution. Protect them all!

Do not cease, O Virgin Aparecida, to demonstrate with your own presence in this land that love is stronger than death, more powerful than sin! Do not cease to show us God, who so loved the world that he gave it his only Son, that none of us should perish but have eternal life (cf. Jn. Jn 3,16). Amen!




TO THE SECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

OF YUGOSLAVIA

Sunday, 13 July 1980



Your Excellency,

I extend a cordial welcome to you, to Mrs. Vrhovec, and to the distinguished personalities accompanying you. It gives me pleasure to meet so eminent a member of the Government of Yugoslavia. Since the visit by your predecessor, Mr. Milos Mini, to Pope Paul VI in November 1977, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has been represented at the alternately sad and joyful events in the Vatican from August to October 1978, and earlier this year the Holy See similarly manifested its sympathy with the Yugoslav peoples at the time of the death of President Tito. All this has been a confirmation of the growth of good relationships between the Holy See and Yugoslavia and a pointer towards their further development. I myself will be happy to advance them, as did my predecessor Pope Paul VI.

Your country’s endeavours in the field of international relations are positively reflected in this process. I am happy to reiterate the sentiments expressed by Pope Paul VI when he spoke of the Holy See’s appreciation of Yugoslavia’s activity in pursuit of better cooperation between nations, particularly in questions concerning peace, disarmament, and the support due to developing countries. The Holy See attaches great importance to these questions, some of which have become very acute at the present time in view of the many obstacles that seem to stand in the way of dialogue for the solution of serious disputes concerning relations between peoples and the development of countries while ensuring respect for their independence and dignity. I have referred to such problems repeatedly, especially before the General Assembly of the United Nations and at the UNESCO headquarters and also on my journeys to my native Poland and many other countries of the world, including the journey to Brazil that I have just completed, and I have expressed my concern that each country may be able to experience the development required by its dignity, while preserving its independence and its own characteristics and traditions, in an atmosphere of respect for the rights and freedoms of each people and each individual everywhere.
Another reason for interest in the constructive development of our relations is provided by the effects it ought to have on the life and activity of the Church in Yugoslavia. As you are well aware, the Catholic Church, while not seeking privileges, needs to be assured of the requirements for her work and that of her institutions, making it possible to develop the potentialities contained in the resources of the Christian faith. This will enable Catholics to play in an ever better way their proper part as loyal citizens, who are ever desirous of contributing selflessly to the welfare of their homeland, and it will certainly be to the advantage of the wellbeing and the progress of all their fellow citizens, of the whole of Yugoslavia.

Good will and a spirit of understanding will ensure the success of these hopes by overcoming difficulties of any kind. God grant that cooperation will continue to grow, both within your country and in the broad field of international relations, for the good of all.

Yugoslavia and its peoples are of deep interest to me. I pray God to bless them and to assist them in furthering their material and moral progress and in ensuring their prosperity and happiness. May I assure Your Excellency of my sincere good wishes for yourself and for the distinguished leaders of your country.

                                                       August 1980

MESSAGE OF JOHN PAUL II

TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

OF THE UNITED NATIONS


To His Excellency

Mr Salim Ahmed Salim
President of the General Assembly
of the United Nations Organization

1. The importance of this Special Session and of the content of its work prompts me to send to this distinguished Assembly some thoughts and reflections on a subject which has been a constant concern of the Holy See, especially during the past two decades. The Holy See intends moreover by this message to pledge its continued interest in this area. The work of preparation for this Session has been long and involved. It has absorbed the energies and the resources of the major organs of the United Nations Organization, and has been the focus of much work and of great expectations on the part of peoples around the world. The Holy See has followed all this work closely and with an earnest desire to be of service.

Whatever may have been the gains or shortcomings of past efforts, this Special Session should be seen as a new opportunity to set a course which will benefit all peoples and nations. It deserves to be a new opportunity because of the work that has been put into it, but even more because of the needs and just aspirations of so many people who rightfully continue to look for a better and more humane future for themselves and their children.

2. To be a new opportunity, this Session of the United Nations Organization must not become submerged in the past. Rather it should be an occasion for everyone to learn from the past and to make new strides forward, being aware of what may have hindered progress in the past, so that sterile checkmates may be avoided in the future. This work cannot afford to be caught by old polarities. It must transcend them. It cannot be the captive of stale ideologies; it must instead bypass them. If the participants in this gathering are of one mind in the desire to look afresh at common problems, then already the atmosphere has been created that will make this one of the most productive Sessions that the United Nations system has seen.

3. In these discussions the Catholic Church has her own role to play. She does not seek to speak out on merely economic or technological questions. She does not attempt to give concrete solutions to the complex realities which are not her proper responsibility. This does not mean that the Church is unaware of the complexities of the problems before this Assembly. Nor is she unknowledgeable about the substance and the content of the issues that must be confronted here by the experts from various parts of the world. But the Church speaks here first of all to give witness to her concerns for everything that touches the human condition. Many of you know already that the Holy See has taken part in various ways in most of the preparatory work for this Special Session, as well as participating in the work of the various organizations whose own concerns figure largely in this Assembly.

While the Holy See rightly leaves the purely technological and economic matters to those whose proper responsibilities they are, it continues to be present at these meetings in order to add its voice within the discussions themselves. It does so in order to offer a vision of the human person and society. It does so in order to propose some helpful criteria to ensure that human values, values of the spirit, values of peoples and cultures, are not inadvertently made subservient to some lesser goal of merely economic or material gain that ultimately would prove unworthy of the very person and the very society all of us seek to foster.

4. As has been recognized, ever greater importance is now attributed to non-economic considerations in forming new structures of international relations. In this regard, religious and ethnic factors, education and public opinion play a great part. Peace itself becomes a driving force of so many parts of the global community that peace which is irreconcilable with military or economic wars.

Such a perspective does indeed lie before us at this Special Session. And if I speak to you out of my Christian inheritance and use a vocabulary that is proper to those of us who follow the one whom we call the Prince of Peace, this is done with the conviction that the words I speak can be readily understood by men and women of good will everywhere and be of benefit to them.

5. My first major point is an appeal to all of you here, to all peoples everywhere. It is an appeal to go beyond any static positions that belong to a particular ideology. Let every system and each functioning part of a system look to what in fact it can do, to ask what in fact it can contribute, to see how in fact it can advance the real goals of human living, regardless of whatever positions the stale arguments of ideological bias may wish to impose artificially - positions and biases which may hinder rather than promote real progress and fraternal collaboration.

There is no question but that this great Assembly has men and women of different, even opposed, systems and ideologies. We cannot, however, afford to let the limitations of ideological biases obstruct our concern for man - man in the concrete, the whole man, every man[1]. Therefore we cannot let these ideological categories imprison us. We cannot let outdated conflicts control us in such a way that we cannot respond to the real needs of peoples everywhere.

6. In the place of ideological stalemates that have perhaps prevailed in the past, I would like to suggest a criterion that is an attitude and guiding principle which measures each and every concrete decision that all of you, member States, of this Assembly will make: it is hope, a solid, realistic, hope for every man, woman and child, and for society itself.

This hope is not a wish. It is not a vague sentiment. It is a category born of our experience of history and nourished by our common desires for the future. As such, this hope accepts history as the place of its own operation and declares quite openly and quite realistically that the future is a history to be made, to be made by us with the help of Almighty God. It is a future to be built by united efforts to secure the common good through mutual cooperation and collaboration. This hope is, then, the guiding criterion that tells us that, if there is a history to be made and if we are responsible for the common good now and in the future, we must together work out and put into practice the modifications that are necessary now so that the future we yearn for will correspond to the hope we share for all individuals, peoples and nations on this earth.

7. Viewing this attitude of hope as our common outlook and as a guiding principle in the actions of this Assembly, permit me to point out a few of the items that deserve serious consideration at this Session and beyond. The issues I speak of are not the only ones of great importance. They are, however, some of the more urgent concerns that have already been discussed at various UN meetings; and they demand our attention both by reason of the work already devoted to them, and by reason of the urgency of the current world condition.

- There is a paramount need for a greater and more equitable sharing of resources. This includes the transfer of science and technology, which was the subject of the UN meeting in Vienna last year. It means a technology that is appropriate to the needs and best interests of the people and nations involved. But it means much more than just material sharing. There is an urgent need for a sharing of the resources of the mind and the spirit, of scientific knowledge and cultural and artistic expression. Such a sharing is not one-way. It is mutual and multilateral, and it implies that the cultural, ethical and religious values of peoples must always be respected by the parties involved in this sharing. It implies mutual openness to learn from one another and to share with one another.

In this sharing, there is no question that technological development and economic growth will involve some change in the social and cultural patterns of a people. To a certain extent this is inevitable and must be faced realistically for the sake of the growth of a people. But if we are honest when we say that man is not just homo oeconomicus, then all of us must take care to see that any harmful change wherein positive values are sacrificed is minimized and that ethic-moral, cultural and religious values are placed ahead of the merely economic indicators of growth.
In this sharing, finally, it is good to recognize and to support the many new ways of cooperation among peoples and nations. Not only is there sharing between one group and another; developing nations are also learning to share among themselves, and regional groups are aiding one another to help find the best means to further their mutual interests.

- You member States of this Assembly cannot rest content with lofty perspectives or ethical ideals alone. You have the responsibility to negotiate together in good faith and mutual respect. The negotiations you carry out should be as all-inclusive as possible, taking into account the advantages to be had from the most complete and far-reaching agreement possible on all the items before you for negotiation. This kind of enlightened realism will do much to construct the necessary modifications for our common future built on our common hope.

- My predecessor Paul VI called on the developed nations to contribute 1% of their Gross National Product (GNP) to the cause of development. The figure that is actually set aside today for this purpose seems very much lower. I recognize that inflation is a worldwide problem affecting the industrialized as well as the developing countries. However, the Holy See wishes to reiterate the appeal of Paul VI that 1% of the GNP is not an unrealistic goal. The contribution of this percentage would greatly aid the Common Fund agreed to through the UNCTAD negotiations as well as a possible World Development Fund.

- For initiatives of this kind to be effective, there must be a renewed effort on the part of all nations, developed and developing, to end all waste, whether material or human.

On the material level the questions of the environment carried on by UNEP and other agencies deserve renewed study and action. The whole problem of energy might well be seen in this context so that the most effective and appropriate energy resources are made available without unnecessary waste and exploitation of materials.

On the human level, many UN conferences have highlighted concern for children, for women, for the handicapped, for so many categories and peoples whose resources are being exploited or not used for their good and the good of society. Once again the commitment to various aspects of human development for the common good can rekindle hope for people, giving them the prospect of a fuller and more fruitful existence.

- Finally I would be untrue to my charge if I did not call attention to the poor and to those on the margin of society throughout the world. There are countries rich in cultural and other spiritual and human resources, but which are among the poorest economically and among those who are suffering most from the current situation. We all know the staggering statistics about the real horror of famine that afflicts so many around the globe. Suffering peoples in various regions cry out to us to give them relief now so that they can survive.

Can all of us who have so much, at least commit ourselves to giving new hope to these poor of the world by realizing a pledge first to relieve their plight and then to provide for their most basic needs, such as food, water, health and shelter. To relieve the immediate suffering and to provide those elements that will help people become more self-reliant would be a sure indication that we are contributing to the hope that this earth and its peoples need.

8. In so many of these matters, what will be needed is the political will that goes beyond immediate self-interest. Such a political will has in the past led to great achievements such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Such a will must be constantly guided by criteria that exalt the human and social, the ethical and cultural, the moral and spiritual over the solely economic and technological.

Such a will needs to be developed not only among world leaders but among all peoples at every level of life. Many issues can be solved only on the global level, and you at this Assembly have these tasks before you. But many can and ought to be brought to fruitful agreement on the continental or regional or other intermediate level. The need for global solutions to many problems should not blind us to the possibilities of resolving problems and building a better future on less than all-encompassing levels of life. In fact, applying the notion of subsidiarity, we can see that there are many groups and peoples who can solve their own problems better at a local or intermediate level, and that such action moreover gives them a direct sense of participation in their own destinies. This is a positive advance and one to which we all should be sensitive.

9. In my pastoral visits in Europe, in North and South America and in Africa, I have spoken often and in varying ways of the need for the conversion of hearts. I have stressed the need for each one of us to be converted, to see in the other person a brother or a sister united by the bond of a common humanity under God. My predecessor Paul VI in his Encyclical "Populorum Progressio", a document which remains one of the enduring and valid contributions to the work of development, said: "There can be no progress towards the complete development of man without the simultaneous development of all humanity in a spirit of solidarity... ‘Man must meet man, nation must meet nation, as brothers and sisters, as children of God. In this mutual understanding and friendship, in this sacred communion, we must also begin to work together to build the common future of the human race’ "[2].

May I complete this message to you today by recalling these words and this perspective to your reflection. May I ask that as you seek a change in the structures that will better serve the common good in justice and equity, you will not forget the education and inspiration of your peoples that will help bring about the conversion of hearts. Only through the conversion of hearts can brothers and sisters "build the common future of the human race", and construct the great and lasting edifice of peace. And it is to this peace - the new name of which aptly remains "development"[3] - that all the efforts of this Special Session must be directed. With God’s help may it be so!

From the Vatican, 22 August 1980.

IOANNES PAULUS PP. II


[1] Cf. Redemptor Hominis, 43.

[2] Populorum Progressio, 43.

[3] Cf.Populorum Progressio , 87.


TO THE MALABAR AND MALANKAR BISHOPS

IN THEIR "AD LIMINA" VISIT

Castelgandolfo

Friday, 29 August 1980




Venerable and dear Brothers in our Lord Jesus Christ,

1. I am very grateful to you for your visit today; it is indeed with great joy that I address my affectionate greeting to all of you who, together with Cardinal Joseph Parecattil, Archbishop of Ernakulam and President of the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Eastern Code of Canon Law, have come from different parts of India for this ad limina visit and for your collegial meeting.

2. In you I sense the presence here of the whole Syro-Malabar Church, this Eastern and authentically Indian Church which for centuries has been a marvel of Christian witness in fidelity to its primitive faith and to its legitimate traditions. And hence my greeting goes today to your entire Church: to the priests, to the men and women Religious, to the members of Secular institutes, to the young, to the old, to the fathers and mothers of families, to the workers, to the children and to all the faithful, especially those who are in sickness and in pain.

My greeting and good wishes go also to the faithful and Pastors of the other Churches who live alongside of you in the different parts of Kerala and in the rest of India, as well as to the brethren of the Christian communities which are not yet in full communion with us. They go likewise to all the members of the non-Christian religions.

3. In this collegial visit, I wish officially to express my gratitude for the diligent reports which you have placed at my disposal and at the disposal of my collaborators in the Apostolic See, for a greater knowledge of your Eparchies with their many clergy and religious. These Eparchies are teeming with pastoral and missionary activity; their activities are also manifested in the field of culture through colleges and schools, in the field of charitable and social assistance through hospitals and dispensaries, and wherever there is need to work for the human, social and spiritual advancement of your communities or of anyone without distinction of belief, race or rite. I have noted your commitment, full of dedication and of love for all. This is an honour and a duty for the whole Catholic Church, and this is also the task of your Church. It has always been so, and today especially this commitment shines with new lustre. I am happy to render testimony to your zeal.

4. This perspective of openness to all people without any distinction is a challenge to my own apostolic service, which is described by "Lumen Gentium" in these words: "universo caritatis coetui praesidet, legitimas varietates tuetur et simul invigilet ut particularia, nedum unitati noceant, ei potius inserviant"[1].

I have desired this encounter with you and I wish to thank you for the praiseworthy responsibility with which you have accepted the invitation of the Sacred Congregation to participate in a study meeting on the reform of the Sacred Liturgy of your own Church. This is a meeting from which it seems right to expect the happiest of results with respect to a clear liturgical discipline and a liturgical renewal according to the directives and spirit of the Second Vatican Council. You may be sure that the Successor of Peter, on every occasion, as in this fraternal encounter, has only one desire and proposal, that of being what the Council has called: "unitatis tum Episcoporum tum fidelium multitudinis, perpetuum ac visible principium et fundamentum"[2].

5. What fundamentally does this encounter of ours and your collegial meeting with the competent Congregation of the Holy See look to if not to the realization of perfect communion in vinculo pacis? The Liturgy manifests and effects unity in an altogether special way. "Liturgical actions are not private functions, bus are celebrations of the Church, which is the ‘sacrament of unity’, namely, a holy people united and organized under their bishops. Therefore liturgical actions pertain to the whole body of the Church; they manifest it and have effects upon it"[3].

Besides setting forth with such vigour this general fundamental theological concept, the Council draws attention to other principles of the greatest importance: the Church desires to respect and foster in a special way "the spiritual adornments and gifts of the various races and peoples.

Anything in their way of life that is not indissolubly bound up with superstition ad error she studies with sympathy and, if possible, preserves intact. Sometimes, in fact she admits such things into the liturgy itself, as long as they harmonize with the true and authentic liturgical spirit"[4]. Moreover "Lumen Gentium" states: "By divine providence it has come about that various churches established in diverse placed by the apostles and their successors have in the course of time coalesced into several groups, organically united, which, preserving the unity of faith and the unique divine constitution of the universal Church, enjoy their own discipline, their own theological and spiritual heritage... This variety of local Churches with one common aspiration is particularly splendid evidence of the catholicity of the undivided Church"[5].

But at the same time the Council wishes these Churches to be faithful to their traditions: "For it is the mind of the Catholic Church that each individual Church or rite should retain its traditions whole and entire, while adjusting its way of life to the various needs of time and place"[6]. This same Decree also proclaims: "All Eastern rite members should know and be convinced that they can and should always preserve their lawful liturgical rites and their established way of life, and that these should not be altered except by way of an appropriate and organic development"[7].

To attain their aim it is necessary to have a rigorous and severe application of the conciliar directives on fidelity to the traditions of one’s own rite: "Easterners themselves should honour all these things with the greatest fidelity. Besides, they should acquire an ever greater knowledge and a more exact use of them. If they have improperly fallen away from them because of circumstances of time or persons, let them take pains to return to their ancestral ways"[8]. Difficulties will not be lacking in the field of returning to the genuine sources of one’s own rite. It is a question, nevertheless, of difficulties which must be faced viribus unitis and Deo adiuvante.

The liturgical renewal is hence the fundamental element for the ever fruitful life of your Church: a renewal founded on fidelity to your own genuine ecclesial traditions and open to the needs of your people, to your culture and to possible changes owing to your own organic progress. You will be usefully guided by the fundamental principles which are set out in the letter "Dominicae Cenae", and which will assist you not to err in a matter that is so important and so delicate.

6. After these reflection on the Liturgy, I am pleased to speak about the Memorandum that you wished to make known to me through the Sacred Congregation for the Eastern Churches. The content of this document, despite the brevity imposed on it by reason of circumstances, invites me to reflect on the history of your glorious Church, which in the free world is the Eastern Church that is most numerous and flourishing, the one with the greatest number of priests, men and women religious, seminarians and laity.

How can we fail to emphasize with joy and with true satisfaction the contribution of your Church to the cause of the missions, not only in India but also elsewhere, to the promotion of priestly and religious vocations, to the activities of teaching and of charitable assistance, etc.? There is no question of understimating the many human factors that have their own influence in these phenomena, but rather of noting how these factors are also indebted to the Christian faith of your Syro-Malabar families, who are always open to giving their children to the cause of the universal Church even beyond the boundaries of your particular Church.

I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to you the Bishops, to your priests, to the Religious, the members of Secular Institutes, the seminarians and the generous families, for what you have done and continue to do for the universal Church. What at one time the missionaries of Europe and America did and are still doing in auxilium Orientalium, you have done and are doing in auxilium Ecclesiae Latinae.

I sincerely thank you. All of this is in perfect harmony with the spirit of the Council which wants the particular Churches to feel in their heart responsibility for the other Churches and for the universal Church.

7. After a glance at your Church, my thought turns to the desiderata that you have presented. The importance of what you set forth, as well as the canonical, ecclesiological, pastoral, doctrinal and practical implications thereof, explain why it is not possible on this occasion to give an immediate and complete response to your proposals.

When there is a question of matters that concern the whole Church, and the creation of supra-episcopal structures in which the interests of different Bishops and particular Churches are involved, the Holy See adopts serious and wise procedures that are sanctioned by the practice of many centuries. I wish to assure you how happy I am to see that you are endeavouring to affirm and deepen your identity as a particular Eastern Church.

I am pleased to quote here the thought of my great predecessor Paul VI in his concluding discourse at the 1974 Synod of Bishops: "Eodem tamen tempore exoptamus, ut sedulo caveatur ne altior pervestigatio essentialis huius aspectus rerum, quae Ecclesiae sunt, ullo modo noceant firmitati ‘communionis’ cum ceteris particularibus Ecclesiis et Petri successore, cui Christus Dominus, grave, perenne atque amoris plenum hoc officium commisit, ut agnos et oves pasceret[9], ut fratres confirmaret[10] ut fundamentum esset et signum unitatis Ecclesiae"[11].

With reference to some phrases of your Memorandum, I would like to recall an aspect to the collegial teaching of the Second Vatican Council: "Romanus enim Pontifex habet in Ecclesiam, vi muneris sui, Vicarii scilicet Christi et totius Ecclesiae Pastoris, plenam, supreman et universalem potestatem, quam semper libere exercere valet"[12]. On the occasion of the above-mentioned Synod, Paul VI added: "unum potius adest propositum, quo videlicet omnes - pro suo quisque munere suscepto fideliterque impleto - Dei voluntati respondeant, maxima impulsi dilectione"[13]. I wish however to assure you that everything will be done, compatibly with the good of the universal Church and with the necessary gradualness.

8. In the same order of ideas there is also the problem of the assistance to your faithful outside your Eparchies. On the one hand by unforgettable predecessor John Paul I, in his brief pontificate, had the opportunity and joy of being able to appoint Archbishop Antony Padiyara as Apostolic Visitor for the Malabar faithful living in different regions of India outside the territories of Eastern jurisdiction. The Archbishop has striven with exemplary solicitude to fulfil the task entrusted to him, and I wish to express my gratitude to him coram vobis.

Also involved, on the other hand, in this question are the Papal Representative in India and the Latin Ordinaries of those places where these Malabar faithful are living. I can assure you that there will be rendered accessible to these faithful all the helps which the laws of the Church foresee, particularly by the prescriptions, which you yourselves have cited, of the Decree "Christus Dominus". It is well known how, after the Council, the Church wished to revise the Apostolic Constitution "Exul Familia", and my predecessor Paul VI in "Pastoralis Migratorum Cura" did not omit any effort to place every spiritual help at the disposal of emigrants. The common concern of the Bishops of the emigrants’ places of origin and the Bishops of their new homes requires a harmony of relationships and a spirit of fraternal collaboration. It is my most earnest desire, and my convinction, that the Episcopal Conferences, whether of India of the regional ones, will find a way to develop a just manner of providing for this need.

In this effort to help the most needy faithful, either spiritually or materially, the Malabar Bishops will find in the Holy See a sincere support and an animating force, which, in an ecclesial perspective that embraces the needs of the individual particular Churches and the common good of the whole Church, seeks to create a climate of mutual knowledge and esteem among all people, especially among the faithful of different races, nations and rites.

9. I would like to add yet a word about your Eparchies. I am not only thinking of your Church in terms of numbers, statistics and the outstanding activities of each of your Eparchies, but I am contemplating the rich spiritual life that exists therein.

I am thinking of your priests, so numerous and generous. I am thinking of the men Religious who are members of Eastern Institutes, as well as Orders and Congregations of Latin origin, and who are docile to the call of Christ and in the vanguard of the Church’s life. I am thinking of the great numbers of women Religious of contemplative and active life, whose consecrated oblation reflects that of Mary, and becomes the basis for a selfless service that mirrors the maternal care of the whole Church, especially for the little ones, for the weak, the poor and the suffering.

I am thinking of the young people, and particularly of the seminarians: each of you has a minor seminary for candidates for the priesthood, and there are two major seminaries - the Pontifical Seminary of Alwaye and the Apostolic Seminary of Kottayam - besides the Scholasticate of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, with two theological faculties and a third one already envisioned.

In this regard it is worthwhile to call attention to the following exhortation: "The formation of future priests should be considered as one of the most important ministries in a diocese and, in some ways, the most demanding. In fact, the work of teaching unites the professor very closely to the work of Our Lord and Master, who prepared his Apostles to be witnesses of the Gospel and dispensers of the mysteries of God"[14].

In conclusion, I present to your reflection a profound desire of my heart: You are here united with Peter "communione fraternae caritatis atque studio permoti universalis missionis Apostolis traditae"[15]. This is a propitious occasion for recalling the supreme theme of unity: fraternal unity among Bishops, unity between the different rites, unity between the Bishop and the priests, between the Bishop and Religious, between the Bishop, priests and laity, between the poor and the well-to-do. The unity which in these days of grace you have sought in the liturgical and pastoral fields must be the first fruit of this particular experience of harmony and collaboration.

My thoughts go to the Bishops of the other rites who work in the same territory and who must be not only brothers who coexist with you but who live alongside of you in profound ecclesial communion with you and with the whole Church. My thoughts go also to the various groups and communities of separated brethren who look with sincere admiration to your bond with the Successor of Peter.

My last word is one of hope and prayer to Mary Mother of the Church. May she protect you always and through her intercession may your Eparchies continue to have a great flowering of vocations and great holiness of life. May she enable all of us to fix our gaze constantly on her Son, Jesus Christ, the great High Priest and chief Shepherd of the Church of God.

And now a word to the Malankar Bishops, who are associated in a fraternal way with the group of Malabar Prelates.

I wish to extend a very special greeting to you, since this year is the anniversary of an extraordinary event in your Church. You are celebrating the Golden Jubilee of that spiritual movement of which the late and esteemed Mar Ivanios was a pioneer and which brought into full communion with Rome himself, other Prelates, and the communities which he founded: the Brothers of the Imitation of Christ and the Sisters of Bethany.

As a sign of my own sharing in this Golden Jubilee, I am happy to announce my decision to send as my Representative and as the bearer of my message Cardinal Wladislaw Rubin, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Eastern Churches, who will be present for the solemn celebrations that are scheduled for 26-28 December next.

I assure you of my prayers, my blessing and my fraternal affection in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[1] No. 13

[2] Lumen Gentium, 23.

[3] Sacrosanctum Concilium, 26.

[4] Ibid., 37.

[5] No. 23.

[6] Orientalium Ecclesiarum, 2.

[7] Ibid., 6.

[8] Ibid., 6.

[9] Jn 21:13-17.

[10] Lk 22:32.

[11] 26 October 1974: AAS 66 (1974), p. 636.

[12] Lumen Gentium, 22.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, "The Theological Formation of Future Priests", IV, 1, 3.

[15] Christus Dominus, 36.

                                                                           September 1980


Speeches 1980 - Monday, 21 June 1980