Speechs 2007
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 850th ANNIVERSARY
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Most Reverend Father Abbot,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,
Dear Cistercian Monks of Heiligenkreuz,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Consecrated Life,
Distinguished Guests and Friends of the Monastery and the Academy,
Ladies and Gentlemen!
On my pilgrimage to the Magna Mater Austriae, I am pleased to visit this Abbey of Heiligenkreuz, which is not only an important stop on the Via Sacra leading to Mariazell, but the oldest continuously active Cistercian monastery in the world. I wished to come to this place so rich in history in order to draw attention to the fundamental directive of Saint Benedict, according to whose Rule Cistercians also live. Quite simply, Benedict insisted that “nothing be put before the divine Office”.[1]
For this reason, in a monastery of Benedictine spirit, the praise of God, which the monks sing as a solemn choral prayer, always has priority. Monks are certainly – thank God! – not the only people who pray; others also pray: children, the young and the old, men and women, the married and the single – all Christians pray, or at least, they should!
In the life of monks, however, prayer takes on a particular importance: it is the heart of their calling. Their vocation is to be men of prayer. In the patristic period the monastic life was likened to the life of the angels. It was considered the essential mark of the angels that they are worshippers. Their very life is worship. This should hold true also for monks. Monks pray first and foremost not for any specific intention, but simply because God is worthy of being praised. “Confitemini Domino, quoniam bonus! – Praise the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is eternal!”: so we are urged by a number of Psalms (e.g. Ps Ps 106,1). Such prayer for its own sake, intended as pure divine service, is rightly called officium. It is “service” par excellence, the “sacred service” of monks. It is offered to the triune God who, above all else, is worthy “to receive glory, honour and power” (Ap 4,11), because he wondrously created the world and even more wondrously renewed it.
At the same time, the officium of consecrated persons is also a sacred service to men and women, a testimony offered to them. All people have deep within their hearts, whether they know it or not, a yearning for definitive fulfilment, for supreme happiness, and thus, ultimately, for God. A monastery, in which the community gathers several times a day for the praise of God, testifies to the fact that this primordial human longing does not go unfulfilled: God the Creator has not placed us in a fearful darkness where, groping our way in despair, we seek some ultimate meaning (cf. Acts Ac 17,27); God has not abandoned us in a desert void, bereft of meaning, where in the end only death awaits us. No! God has shone forth in our darkness with his light, with his Son Jesus Christ. In him, God has entered our world in all his “fullness” (cf. Col Col 1,19); in him all truth, the truth for which we yearn, has its source and summit.[2]
Our light, our truth, our goal, our fulfilment, our life – all this is not a religious doctrine but a person: Jesus Christ. Over and above any ability of our own to seek and to desire God, we ourselves were already sought and desired, and indeed, found and redeemed by him! The gaze of people of every time and nation, of all the philosophies, religions and cultures, ultimately encounters the wide open eyes of the crucified and risen Son of God; his open heart is the fullness of love. The eyes of Christ are the eyes of a loving God. The image of the Crucified Lord above the altar, whose romanesque original is found in the Cathedral of Sarzano, shows that this gaze is turned to every man and woman. The Lord, in truth, looks into the hearts of each of us.
The core of monasticism is worship – living like the angels. But since monks are people of flesh and blood on this earth, Saint Benedict added to the central command: “pray”, a second command: “work”. In the mind of Saint Benedict, and Saint Bernard as well, part of monastic life, along with prayer, is work: the cultivation of the land in accordance with the Creator’s will. Thus in every age monks, setting out from their gaze upon God, have made the earth live-giving and lovely. Their protection and renewal of creation derived precisely from their looking to God. In the rhythm of the ora et labora, the community of consecrated persons bears witness to the God who, in Jesus Christ, looks upon us, while human beings and the world, as God looks upon them, become good.
Monks are not the only ones who pray the officium; from the monastic tradition the Church has derived the obligation for all religious, and also for priests and deacons, to recite the Breviary. Here too, it is appropriate for men and women religious, priests and deacons – and naturally Bishops as well – to come before God in their daily “official” prayer with hymns and psalms, with thanksgiving and pure petition.
Dear brother priests and deacons, dear brothers and sisters in the consecrated life! I realize that discipline is needed, and sometimes great effort as well, in order to recite the Breviary faithfully; but through this officium we also receive many riches: how many times, in doing so, have we seen our weariness and despondency melt away! When God is faithfully praised and worshipped, his blessings are unfailing. In Austria, people rightly say: “Everything depends on God’s blessing!”.
Your primary service to this world must therefore be your prayer and the celebration of the divine Office. The interior disposition of each priest, and of each consecrated person, must be that of “putting nothing before the divine Office”. The beauty of this inner attitude will find expression in the beauty of the liturgy, so that wherever we join in singing, praising, exalting and worshipping God, a little bit of heaven will become present on earth. Truly it would not be presumptuous to say that, in a liturgy completely centred on God, we can see, in its rituals and chant, an image of eternity. Otherwise, how could our forefathers, hundreds of years ago, have built a sacred edifice as solemn as this? Here the architecture itself draws all our senses upwards, towards “what eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined: what God has prepared for those who love him” (1Co 2,9). In all our efforts on behalf of the liturgy, the determining factor must always be our looking to God. We stand before God – he speaks to us and we speak to him. Whenever in our thinking we are only concerned about making the liturgy attractive, interesting and beautiful, the battle is already lost. Either it is Opus Dei, with God as its specific subject, or it is not. In the light of this, I ask you to celebrate the sacred liturgy with your gaze fixed on God within the communion of saints, the living Church of every time and place, so that it will truly be an expression of the sublime beauty of the God who has called men and women to be his friends!
The soul of prayer, ultimately, is the Holy Spirit. Whenever we pray, it is he who “helps us in our weakness, interceding for us with sighs too deep for words” (Rm 8,26). Trusting in these words of the Apostle Paul, I assure you, dear brothers and sisters, that prayer will produce in you the same effect which once led to the custom of calling priests and consecrated persons simply “spirituals” (Geistliche). Bishop Sailer of Regensburg once said that priests should be first and foremost spiritual persons. I would like to see a revival of the word “Geistliche”. More importantly, though, the content of that word should become a part of our lives: namely, that in following the Lord, we become, by the power of the Spirit, “spiritual” men and women.
Austria (Österreich) is, in an old play on words, truly Klösterreich: a realm of monasteries and a land rich in monasteries. Your ancient abbeys whose origins and traditions date back many centuries are places where “God is put first”. Dear friends, make this priority given to God very apparent to people! As a spiritual oasis, a monastery reminds today’s world of the most important, and indeed, in the end, the only decisive thing: that there is an ultimate reason why life is worth living: God and his unfathomable love.
And I ask you, dear members of the faithful: see your abbeys and monasteries for what they are and always wish to be: not mere strongholds of culture and tradition, or even simple business enterprises. Structure, organization and finances are necessary in the Church too, but they are not what is essential. A monastery is above all this: a place of spiritual power. Coming to one of your monasteries here in Austria, we have the same impression as when, after a strenuous hike in the Alps, we finally find refreshment at a clear mountain spring… Take advantage of these springs of God’s closeness in your country; treasure the religious communities, the monasteries and abbeys; and make use of the spiritual service that consecrated person are willing to offer you!
Finally, I have come also to visit the Academy, now the Pontifical Academy, which is 205 years old and which, in its new status, the Abbot has named after the present Successor of Peter. Important though it is that the discipline of theology be part of the universitas of knowledge through the presence of Catholic theological faculties in state universities, it is equally important that there should be academic institutions like your own, where there can be a deeper interplay between scientific theology and lived spirituality. God is never simply the “object” of theology; he is always its living “subject” as well. Christian theology, for that matter, is never a purely human discourse about God, but always, and inseparably, the logos and “logic” of God’s self-revelation. For this reason scientific rationality and lived devotion are two necessarily complementary and interdependent aspects of study.
The father of the Cistercian Order, Saint Bernard, in his own day fought against the detachment of an objectivizing rationality from the main current of ecclesial spirituality. Our situation today, while different, nonetheless has notable similarities. In its desire to be recognized as a rigorously scientific discipline in the modern sense, theology can lose the life-breath given by faith. But just as a liturgy which no longer looks to God is already in its death throes, so too a theology which no longer draws its life-breath from faith ceases to be theology; it ends up as a array of more or less loosely connected disciplines. But where theology is practised “on bent knee”, as Hans Urs von Balthasar[3] urged, it will prove fruitful for the Church in Austria and beyond.
This fruitfulness is shown through fostering and forming those who have vocations to the priesthood or the religious life. Today, if such a vocation is to be sustained faithfully over a lifetime, there is a need for a formation capable of integrating faith and reason, heart and mind, life and thought. A life devoted to following Christ calls for an integration of one’s entire personality. Neglect of the intellectual dimension can give rise all too easily to a kind of superficial piety nourished mostly by emotions and sentiments, which cannot be sustained over a lifetime. Neglect of the spiritual dimension, in turn, can create a rarified rationalism which, in its coldness and detachment, can never bring about an enthusiastic self-surrender to God. A life devoted to following Christ cannot be built on such one-sided foundations; half-measures leave a person unhappy and, consequently, also spiritually barren. Each vocation to the religious life or to the priesthood is a treasure so precious that those responsible for it should do everything possible to ensure a formation which promotes both fides et ratio – faith and reason, heart and mind.
Saint Leopold of Austria – as we heard earlier - on the advice of his son, Blessed Otto of Freising, who was my predecessor in the episcopal see of Freising (his feast is celebrated today in Freising), founded your abbey in 1133, and called it Unsere Liebe Frau zum Heiligen Kreuz – Our Lady of Holy Cross. This monastery is dedicated to Our Lady not simply by tradition – like every Cistercian monastery –, but among you there burns the Marian flame of a Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Bernard, who entered the monastery along with thirty of his companions, is a kind of patron saint of vocations. Perhaps it was because of his particular devotion to Our Lady that he exercised such a compelling and infectious influence on his many young contemporaries called by God. Where Mary is, there is the archetype of total self-giving and Christian discipleship. Where Mary is, there is the pentecostal breath of the Holy Spirit; there is new beginning and authentic renewal.
From this Marian sanctuary on the Via Sacra, I pray that all Austria’s shrines will experience fruitfulness and further growth. Here, as at Mariazell, I would like, before leaving, to ask the Mother of God once more to intercede for all of Austria. In the words of Saint Bernard, I invite everyone to become a trusting child before Mary, even as the Son of God did. Saint Bernard says, and we say with him: “Look to the star of the sea, call upon Mary … in danger, in distress, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. May her name never be far from your lips, or far from your heart … If you follow her, you will not stray; if you pray to her, you will not despair; if you turn your thoughts to her, you will not err. If she holds you, you will not fall; if she protects you, you need not fear; if she is your guide, you will not tire; if she is gracious to you, you will surely reach your destination”.[4]
[1] Regula Benedicti 43,3.
[2] Cf. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Gaudium et Spes, 22.
[3] Cf. HANS URS VON BALTHASAR, Theologie und Heiligkeit, an essay written in 1948, in Verbum Caro. Schriften zur Theologie I, Einsiedeln, 1960, 195-224.
[4] BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, In laudibus Virginis Matris, Homilia 2, 17.
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 850th ANNIVERSARY
Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Mr President,
Archbishop Kothgasser,
Dear Volunteers and Honorary Members
of the different Charitable Agencies in Austria,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
and above all: Dear young friends,
I have looked forward with particular joy to this meeting, which takes place near the end of my visit to Austria. And naturally there is the further joy of having heard not only a marvellous piece by Mozart, but also, unexpectedly, the “Vienna Choir Boys”. Heartfelt thanks! It is good to meet people who are trying to give a face to the Gospel message in our communities; to see people, young and old, who concretely express in Church and society the love which we, as Christians, must be overwhelmed: the love of God which enables us to see others as our neighbours, our brothers and sisters! I am filled with gratitude and admiration when I think of the generous volunteer work done in this country by so many people of all ages. To all of you, and to those who hold honorary and unremunerated positions in Austria, I would like today to express my special appreciation. I thank you, Mr. President, you, Archbishop Kothgasser, and, above all, you, the young people representing volunteer workers in Austria, for your beautiful and profound words of greeting.
Thanks be to God, many people consider it an honour to engage in volunteer service to individuals, groups and organizations, or to respond to specific needs concerning the common good. This kind of involvement is first of all an occasion for personal growth and for active and responsible participation in the life of society. The willingness to take up volunteer work can have various motivations. Frequently it is simply born of a desire to do something meaningful and helpful, and out of a desire for new experiences. Young people rightly and naturally also discover in volunteer work a source of joy, positive experiences and genuine camaraderie in carrying out a worthwhile project alongside others. Often these personal ideas and initiatives are linked to a practical love of neighbour; the individual thus becomes part of a wider community of support. I would like to express my gratitude and heartfelt thanks for the remarkable “culture of volunteerism” existing in Austria. I wish to thank every woman and every man, all the young people and all the children – the volunteer work carried out by children is at times impressive; we need only think of the activity of the Sternsinger at Christmastime; you, dear Archbishop, have already mentioned this. I would also like to express gratitude for the efforts, large and small, which often go unnoticed. Thank you and Vergelt’s Gott [May God reward you!] for your contribution to building a “civilization of love” at the service of everyone and the betterment of the nation. Love of neighbour is not something that can be delegated; the State and the political order, even with their necessary concern for the provision of social services, – as you, Mr President, have said – cannot take its place. Love of neighbour always demands a voluntary personal commitment, and the State, of course, can and must provide the conditions which make this possible. Thanks to such involvement, assistance maintains a human dimension and does not become depersonalized. Volunteers like yourselves, then, are not “stopgaps” in the social fabric, but people who truly contribute to giving our society a humane and Christian face.
Young people especially long to have their abilities and talents “awakened and discovered”. Volunteers want to be asked, they want to be told: “I need you” - “You can do it!” How good it feels to hear words like these! In their human simplicity, they unwittingly point us to the God who has called each of us into being and given us a personal task, the God who needs each of us and awaits our response. Jesus called men and women, and gave them the courage needed to embark on a great undertaking, one to which, by themselves, they would never have dared to aspire. To allow oneself to be called, to make a decision and then to set out on a path - without the usual questions about whether it is useful or profitable - this attitude will naturally bring healing in its wake. The saints have shown us this path by their lives. It is a fascinating and thrilling path, a path of generosity and, nowadays, one which is much needed. To say “yes” to volunteering to help others is a decision which is liberating; it opens our hearts to the needs of others, to the requirements of justice, to the defence of life and the protection of creation. Volunteer work is really about the heart of the Christian image of God and man: love of God and love of neighbour.
Dear Volunteers, Ladies and Gentlemen. Volunteer work reflects gratitude for, and the desire to share with others, the love that we ourselves have received. In the words of the fourteenth-century theologian Duns Scotus,[1] Deus vult condiligentes – God wants persons who love together with him. Seen in this light, unremunerated service has much to do with God’s grace. A culture which would calculate the cost of everything, forcing human relationships into a strait jacket of rights and duties, is able to realize, thanks to the countless people who freely donate their time and service to others, that life is an unmerited gift. For all the many different or even contradictory reasons which motivate people to volunteer their services, all are ultimately based on a profound solidarity born of “gratuitousness”. It was as a free gift that we received life from our Creator, it was as a free gift that we were set free from the blind alley of sin and evil, it was as a free gift that we were given the Spirit with his many gifts. In my Encyclical I wrote: “Love is free; it is not practised as a way of achieving other ends”.[2] “Those who are in a position to help others will realize that in doing so they themselves receive help; being able to help others is no merit or achievement of their own. This duty is a grace”.[3] By our commitment to volunteer work, we freely pass on what we ourselves have received. This “inner logic” of gratuitousness goes beyond strict moral obligation.
Without volunteer service, society and the common good could not, cannot and will not endure. A readiness to be at the service of others is something which surpasses the calculus of outlay and return: it shatters the rules of a market economy. The value of human beings cannot be judged by purely economic criteria. Without volunteers, then, no state can be built up. A society’s progress and worth constantly depend on people who do more than what is strictly their duty.
Ladies and Gentlemen! Volunteer work is a service to human dignity, inasmuch as men and women are created in the image and likeness of God. As Irenaeus of Lyons, in the second century, said: “The glory of God is the living man, and the life of man is the vision of God”.[4] And Nicholas of Cusa, in his treatise on the vision of God went on to develop this insight: “Since the eye is where love is found, I know that you love me… Your gaze, O Lord, is love…. By gazing upon me, you, the hidden God, enable me to catch a glimpse of you… Your gaze bestows life… Your gaze is creative”.[5] God’s gaze – the gaze of Jesus fills us with God’s love. Some ways of looking at others can be meaningless or even contemptuous. There are looks that reveal esteem and express love. Volunteer workers have regard for others; they remind us of the dignity of every human being and they awaken enthusiasm and hope. Volunteer workers are guardians and advocates of human rights and human dignity.
Jesus’ gaze is connected with another way of seeing others. In the Gospel the words: “He saw him and passed by” are said of the priest and the Levite who see the man lying half-dead on the wayside, yet do not come to his help (Lc 10,31-2). There are people who see, but pretend not to see, who are faced with human needs yet remain indifferent. This is part of the coldness of our present time. In the gaze of others, and particularly of the person who needs our help, we experience the concrete demands of Christian love. Jesus Christ does not teach us a spirituality “of closed eyes”, but one of “alertness”, one which entails an absolute duty to take notice of the needs of others and of situations involving those whom the Gospel tells us are our neighbours. The gaze of Jesus, what “his eyes” teach us, leads to human closeness, solidarity, giving time, sharing our gifts and even our material goods. For this reason, “those who work for the Church’s charitable organizations must be distinguished by the fact that they do not merely meet the needs of the moment, – as important as this is – but they dedicate themselves to others with heartfelt concern… This heart sees where love is needed, and acts accordingly”.[6] Yes, “I have to become like someone in love, someone whose heart is open to being shaken up by another’s need. Then I find my neighbour or - better – then I am found by him”.[7]
Finally, the commandment of love for God and neighbour (cf. Mt Mt 22,37-40 Lc 10,27) reminds us that it is through our love of neighbour that we Christians honour God himself. Archbishop Kothgasser has already quoted the saying of Jesus: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25,40). If Jesus himself is present in the concrete man or woman whom we encounter, then unremunerated service can bring us to an experience of God. Sharing in human situations and needs leads to a “new” and meaningful kind of togetherness. In this way, volunteer work can help bring people out of their isolation and make them part of a community.
To conclude, I would like to mention the power of prayer and its importance for everyone engaged in charitable work. Praying to God sets us free from ideologies or a sense of hopelessness in the face of endless needs. “Even in their bewilderment and failure to understand the world about them, Christians continue to believe in the ‘goodness and loving kindness of God’ (Tt 3,4). Immersed like everyone else in the dramatic complexity of historical events, they remain unshakably certain that God is our Father and loves us, even when his silence remains incomprehensible”.[8]
Dear members and volunteer workers of charitable organizations in Austria, Ladies and Gentlemen! Whenever people do more than their simple duty in professional life and in the family – and even doing this well calls for great strength and much love – , and whenever they commit themselves to helping others, putting their precious free time at the service of man and his dignity, their hearts expand. Volunteers do not understand the term “neighbour” in the literal meaning of the word; for them, it includes those who are far away, those who are loved by God, and those who, with our help, need to experience the work of redemption accomplished by Christ. The other, whom the Gospel calls our “neighbour”, thus becomes our privileged partner as we face the pressures and constraints of the world in which we live. Anyone who takes seriously the “priority” of his neighbour lives and acts in accordance with the Gospel and shares in the mission of the Church, which always looks at the whole person and wants everyone to experience the love of God. Dear volunteers, the Church fully supports your service. I am convinced that the volunteers of Austria will continue to be a source of great blessing and I assure you of my prayers. Upon all of you I invoke the joy of the Lord which is our strength (cf. Neh Ne 8,10). May God in his goodness be ever close to you and guide you constantly by the help of his grace.
[1] Opus Oxoniense III d. 32 q. 1 n. 6.
[2] BENEDICT XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 31.
[3] Ibid., 35.
[4] Adversus Haereses IV, 20, 7.
[5] De visione Dei / Die Gottesschau, in Philosophisch-Theologische Schriften, hg. und endgef. von Leo Gabriel, übersetzt von Dietlind und Wilhelm Dupré, Wien, 1967, Bd. III, 105-111.
[6] BENEDICT XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 31.
[7] JOSEPH RATZINGER / BENEDICT XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, New York, 2007, p. 194.
[8] BENEDICT XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 38.
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 850th ANNIVERSARY
International Airport of Vienna/Schwechat
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Mr President,
As I prepare to leave Austria at the conclusion of my pilgrimage for the 850th anniversary of the National Shrine of Mariazell, I recall with gratitude these days filled with memorable experiences. I feel that I have come to know even better this beautiful country and its people.
I offer heartfelt thanks to my Brother Bishops, to the Government, to the public authorities and, not least, to the many volunteers who assisted in the organization of this visit. I pray that you will share richly in the graces we have received in these days. My warm, personal thanks go in particular to you, Mr President, for your gracious words of farewell, for having accompanied me on this pilgrimage, and for all the attention you have shown me. Thank you!
Once again I was able to experience Mariazell as a particularly grace-filled place, a place which in these days welcomed all of us and gave us inner strength for the road ahead. The throngs of people who joined in our celebration in the Basilica, in Mariazell itself and throughout Austria should inspire us, with Mary, to look to Christ and, as persons whom God looks upon with love, and to face with confidence the path to the future. It was nice that the wind and the bad weather could not stop us, but, in the end, added even more to our joy.
At the very beginning of my pilgrimage, our common prayer in the Square “Am Hof” brought us together in a way which transcended national borders and directly showed us Austria’s open hospitality, which is one of this country’s finest qualities.
May the quest for mutual understanding, and the creative development of ever new ways of building trust between individuals and peoples, continue to inspire the national and international policies of this nation. Vienna, faithful to its rich history and its location in the vital centre of Europe, can offer a specific contribution in this regard, by consistently upholding the traditional values of the continent, values shaped by the Christian faith, to the European institutions and to the work of promoting international, intercultural and interreligious relations.
On life’s pilgrimage we frequently pause to consider with gratitude the progress already made, and to look with prayerful hope at the road still before us. I made just such a stop at the monastery of Heiligenkreuz. The tradition cultivated there by the Cistercian monks puts us in touch with our roots, whose strength and beauty ultimately derive from God himself.
Today I was able to celebrate Sunday, the Lord’s Day with you – representing all the parishes of Austria – in the Cathedral of Saint Stephen. This gave me an opportunity to be united in a special way with the faithful in all the parishes of Austria.
Finally, a very moving moment for me was my meeting with volunteers from the charitable organizations which are so many and varied in Austria. The thousands of volunteers I was able to see represent the many thousands more who, throughout the country, by their readiness to help others, show forth humanity’s noblest features and help believers to recognize the love of Christ.
Gratitude and joy fill my heart at this moment. To all of you who have been with me during these days, to all who put so much effort and hard work into making this very full programme proceed so smoothly, and to all who joined in my pilgrimage and shared in our celebrations, I once more express my deep gratitude. As I leave you, I entrust the present and the future of this country to the intercession of the Gracious Mother of Mariazell, Magna Mater Austriae, and to all the saints and beati of Austria. With them we want to look to Christ, our life and our hope. With great affection I offer to one and all a sincere “Vergelt’s Gott”!
Papal Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo
Thursday, 13 September 2007
Your Excellency,
I am very pleased to welcome you to the Vatican and to accept the Letters of Credence by which you are appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic to the Holy See. I thank you for the cordial greetings which you have brought to me from President Gašparovic, and I ask you kindly to convey to him my own respectful greetings, together with my prayerful good wishes for the well-being and prosperity of the Republic. Indeed, the bonds uniting the Bishop of Rome to the people of your country stretch back to the time of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and your presence here today is but another example of the mutual respect and affection the Holy See and Slovakia have for one another.
Next year will mark the Fifteenth Anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Slovak Republic and the Holy See. This cooperation has been especially fruitful in recent years, as evidenced by your Government’s ratification of two of the four items contained in the Basic Agreement signed in 2000. I am grateful for Your Excellency’s reassurance that the Republic is committed to fulfilling the other two points of the Basic Agreement regarding conscientious objection and the financing of Church activities. In this regard, I reaffirm the Holy See’s readiness to assist you and your colleagues in whatever way possible to bring these important matters to a successful conclusion.
A key approved item of the Basic Agreement, as noted by Your Excellency, concerns education. It is important that States continue to guarantee the Church the freedom to establish and administer Catholic schools, affording parents the opportunity to choose a means of education that fosters the Christian formation of their children. As they grasp Christian teaching, young people appreciate their personal dignity as creatures made in the image and likeness of God (Gn 1,27), and thus recognize a purpose and direction for their lives. Indeed, a solid education that nourishes all the dimensions of the human person, including the religious and spiritual, is in the interest of both Church and State. In this way, young people can acquire habits that will enable them to embrace their civic duties as they enter adulthood.
The combined efforts of Church and civil society to instruct young people in the ways of goodness are all the more crucial at a time when they are tempted to disparage the values of marriage and family so vital to their future happiness and to a nation’s social stability. The family is the nucleus in which a person first learns human love and cultivates the virtues of responsibility, generosity and fraternal concern. Strong families are built on the foundation of strong marriages. Strong societies are built on the foundation of strong families. Indeed, all civic communities should do what they can to promote economic and social policies that aid young married couples and facilitate their desire to raise a family. Far from remaining indifferent to marriage, the State must acknowledge, respect and support this venerable institution as the stable union between a man and a woman who willingly embrace a life-long commitment of love and fidelity (cf. Familiaris Consortio FC 40). The members of your National Council are engaged in serious discussions on how to promote marriage and foster family life. The Catholic Bishops, too, in your country are worried about increases in the rate of divorce and the number of children conceived out of wedlock. Thanks to the efforts of the Council for Family and Youth, the Conference of Bishops has expanded educational initiatives that raise awareness of the noble vocation to marriage, thus preparing young people to assume its responsibilities. Such programmes open the door to further collaboration between Church and State and help to ensure a healthy future for your country.
As the Republic strives to achieve social progress at home, she also looks beyond her borders towards the wider international community. The rich cultural and spiritual heritage of Slovakia holds great potential for revitalizing the soul of the European continent. Your Excellency has drawn attention to the heroic sacrifices made by countless men and women in your nation’s history who, in times of persecution, laboured at great cost to preserve the right to life, religious liberty, and the freedom to place oneself at the charitable service of one’s neighbour (cf. Deus Caritas Est 28). Such essential values are imperative to building a peaceful and just European Union. I am confident that the celebrations marking the 1150th Anniversary of Saints Cyril and Methodius will renew Slovakia’s vigour to bear witness to these timeless values. In this way, she will inspire other member States of the European Union to strive for unity while recognizing diversity, to respect national sovereignty while engaging in joint activity, and to seek economic progress while upholding social justice.
Your Excellency, I am confident that the diplomatic ties between the Slovak Republic and the Holy See, which already enjoy a spirit of goodwill and mutual esteem, will continue to support the integral development of your nation. I assure you that the various offices of the Roman Curia are eager to assist you in the fulfilment of your duties. With my sincere good wishes, I invoke upon you, your family and all the beloved people of the Slovak Republic abundant divine blessings.
Papal Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo
Saturday, 15 September 2007
Your Excellency,
1. It is with particular pleasure that I welcome you to the Vatican and accept the Letters of Credence by which you are appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ireland to the Holy See. I would ask you kindly to convey to your President, Mrs Mary McAleese, and to the Government and people of your country my gratitude for their good wishes. I warmly reciprocate them and assure the citizens of your nation of my prayers for their spiritual well-being.
2. As Your Excellency has observed, for over sixteen hundred years Christianity has shaped the cultural, moral and spiritual identity of the Irish people. This is not simply a matter of historical importance. It lies at the heart of Irish civilization and it remains as a ‘leaven’ in the life of your nation. Indeed, the Christian faith has lost nothing of its significance for contemporary society since it touches "man’s deepest sphere" and gives "meaning to his life in the world" (Redemptor Hominis RH 10), enabling both civic and religious leaders to uphold the absolute values and ideals inherent in the dignity of every person and necessary for every democracy.
3. In recent years Ireland has enjoyed unprecedented economic growth. This prosperity has undoubtedly brought material comfort to many, but in its wake secularism has also begun to encroach and leave its mark. Against the backdrop of these developments, I was interested to learn of the recent launch of a ‘structured dialogue’ between the Church and the Government. I applaud the initiative. Some might question whether the Church is entitled to make a contribution to the governance of a nation. In a pluralist democratic society should not faith and religion be restricted to the private sphere? The historical rise of brutal totalitarian regimes, contemporary scepticism in the face of political rhetoric, and a growing uneasiness with the lack of ethical points of reference governing recent scientific advances – one need only think of the field of bio-engineering – all point to the imperfections and limitations found within both individuals and society. Recognition of those imperfections indicates the importance of a rediscovery of moral and ethical principles, and the need both to recognize the limits of reason and to understand its essential relationship of complementarity with faith and religion.
The Church, in articulating revealed truth, serves all members of society by shedding light on the foundation of morality and ethics, and by purifying reason, ensuring that it remains open to the consideration of ultimate truths and draws upon wisdom. Far from threatening the tolerance of differences or cultural plurality, or usurping the role of the State, such a contribution illuminates the very truth which makes consensus possible and keeps public debate rational, honest and accountable. When truth is disregarded, relativism takes its place: instead of being governed by principles, political choices are determined more and more by public opinion, values are overshadowed by procedures and targets, and indeed the very categories of good and evil, and right and wrong, give way to the pragmatic calculation of advantage and disadvantage.
4. The Northern Ireland Peace Process has been a long and arduous endeavour. At last, there is hope that it will bear enduring fruit. Peace has been achieved through widespread international support, determined political resolve on the part of both the Irish and the British Governments, and the readiness of individuals and communities to embrace the sublime human capacity to forgive. The entire international human family has taken heart from this outcome and welcomes this wave of hope sent across the world that conflict, no matter how engrained, can be overcome. It is my fervent prayer that the peace which is already bringing renewal to the North will inspire political and religious leaders in other troubled zones of our world to recognize that only upon forgiveness, reconciliation and mutual respect can lasting peace be built. To this end, I welcome your own Government’s commitment to deploy both experience and resources in the prevention and resolution of conflict, as well as its pledge to increase various forms of assistance to developing countries.
5. Your Excellency, like many nations around the globe, Ireland has in recent years made care of the environment one of its priorities in both domestic policy and international relations. The promotion of sustainable development and particular attention to climate change are indeed matters of grave importance for the entire human family, and no nation or business sector should ignore them. As scientific research demonstrates the worldwide effects that human actions can have on the environment, the complexity of the vital relationship between the ecology of the human person and the ecology of nature becomes increasingly apparent (cf. Message for the 2007 World Day of Peace, 8).
The full understanding of this relationship is found in the natural and moral order with which God has created man and endowed the earth (ibid., 8-9). Curiously, while the majesty of God’s fingers in creation (cf. Ps Ps 8,3) is readily recognized, the full acknowledgement of the glory and splendour with which he has specifically crowned man (cf. Ps Ps 8,5) is at times less readily understood. A kind of split morality ensues. The great and vital moral themes of peace, non-violence, justice, and respect for creation do not in themselves confer dignity on man. The primary dimension of morality stems from the innate dignity of human life ) from the moment of conception to natural death ) a dignity conferred by God himself. God’s loving act of creation must be understood as a whole. How disturbing it is that not infrequently the very social and political groups that, admirably, are most attuned to the awe of God’s creation pay scant attention to the marvel of life in the womb. Let us hope that, especially among young people, emerging interest in the environment will deepen their understanding of the proper order and magnificence of God’s creation of which man and woman stand at the centre and summit.
6. Your Excellency, I am sure that your appointment will further strengthen the bonds of friendship which already exist between Ireland and the Holy See. As you take up your new responsibilities you will find that the various offices of the Roman Curia are most ready to assist you in the fulfilment of your duties. Upon you, your family and your fellow citizens I cordially invoke the abundant blessings of Almighty God.
Consistory Hall, Castel Gandolfo
Saturday, 15 September 2007
Dear Sisters,
Welcome to the Apostolic Palace! I am very pleased to welcome you, I thank you for your visit, and I cordially greet each one of you. One could say that your Community, located in the territory of the Pontifical Villas, dwells in the shadow of the Papal home, hence, that the spiritual bond between you and the Successor of Peter is very close. This is demonstrated by the many contacts that you have had since your foundation with the Popes while they were staying here at Castel Gandolfo, as has just been mentioned by your Mother Abbess, whom I warmly thank for her kind words on behalf of you all. In meeting you this morning, I too would like to renew my deep gratitude to your Fraternity for your daily support of prayers and your intense spiritual participation in the mission of the Pastor of the universal Church.
In the silence of the cloister and in the total and exclusive gift of yourselves to Christ according to the Franciscan charism, you offer the Church a precious service. In reviewing the history of your Monastery, I noticed that a great many of my Predecessors, on meeting your Fraternity, always reaffirmed the importance of your witness as contemplatives "happy with God alone". In particular, I recall what the Servant of God Paul VI said to you on 3 September 1971: that in the face of those who consider cloistered people as out of touch with reality and the experience of our time, your existence has the value of a special witness which intimately affects the Church's life. "You represent", Paul VI stressed, "so many things that the Church appreciates and which Vatican II has confirmed. Faithful to the Rule, to common life, to poverty, you are a seed and a sign" (Holy Father's Three Pastoral Visits, 3 September 1971, L'Osservatore Romano English edition [ORE], 23 September, p. 2). As if continuing these reflections, a few years later, on 14 August 1979, beloved John Paul II, in celebrating Holy Mass in your chapel, desired to entrust himself, the Church and the whole of humanity to your prayers. "You have not left the world", he observed, "because you did not want to bear the crosses of the world... you carry them all in your heart, and in the troubled scenario of history you accompany humanity with your prayer.... Because of this presence of yours, hidden but authentic within society and even more so within the Church, I also look with confidence to your joined hands" (Homily at Mass for Poor Clares and Basilian Sisters, Albano, Italy, 14 August 1979; ORE, 27 August, p. 3).
So, dear Sisters, this is what the Pope expects of you: that you be bright torches of love, "joined hands", watching in ceaseless prayer, totally detached from the world, in order to sustain the ministry of the One whom Jesus has called to guide his Church. May you be "Poor Sisters" who, after the example of St Francis and St Clare, observe "the holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ by living in obedience, without anything of one's own, and in chastity". The silent work of those who, like you, endeavour to live the Gospel "sine glossa" with simplicity and joy does not always echo in public opinion but - you may be certain - the contribution you make to the apostolic and missionary work of the Church in the world is truly extraordinary, and God will continue to bless you with the gift of many vocations as he has done thus far.
Dear Poor Clare Sisters, may St Francis, St Clare and the many Saints of your Order help you "persevere faithfully to the end" in your vocation. May you be especially protected by the Virgin Mary, whom today's liturgy presents to us for contemplation at the foot of the Cross, closely associated in Christ's mission and, as the Sorrowful Mother, a sharer in the work of salvation. On Calvary, Jesus gave her to us as Mother and entrusted us to her as children. May the Sorrowful Virgin obtain for you the gift of following her divine Crucified Son and of embracing serenely the difficulties and trials of daily life. With these sentiments, I impart to all of you a special Apostolic Blessing, which I willingly extend to those who commend themselves to your prayers.
Castel Gandolfo
Monday, 17 September 2007
Your Eminence,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I address a cordial welcome to all of you, gathered to remember beloved Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyęn Van Thuân, whom the Lord called to himself on 16 September five years ago. Five years have passed but the noble figure of this faithful servant of the Lord lives on in the minds and hearts of all who knew him. I too cherish many personal memories of the meetings I had with him during the years of his service here in the Roman Curia.
I greet Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino and Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi, respectively President and Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, together with their collaborators. I greet the members of the San Matteo Foundation established in memory of Cardinal Van Thuân, and of the International Observatory, called after him and created for the dissemination of the Church's social doctrine, as well as the deceased Cardinal's relatives and friends. I also express my sentiments of deep gratitude to Cardinal Martino for his words on behalf of those present.
I willingly take the opportunity once again to highlight the shining witness of faith which this heroic Pastor bequeathed to us. Bishop Francis Xavier - this is how he liked to introduce himself - was called to the Father's House in autumn 2000, after a long and difficult period of illness faced in total abandonment to God's will. A little earlier, my venerable Predecessor John Paul II had appointed him Vice-President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, of which he later became President, and he set about publishing the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. How can we forget the outstanding features of his simple, ready cordiality? How can we not shine light on his conversational skill and his ability to make himself close to everyone? We recall him with deep admiration while we remember the great visions full of hope that inspired him and that he was able to present easily and engagingly: his fervent dedication to disseminating the social doctrine of the Church among the world's poor; his longing for evangelization in Asia, his Continent; his ability to coordinate activities of charity and human promotion which he encouraged and supported in the most remote places of the earth.
Cardinal Van Thuân was a man of hope. He lived on hope and spread it among those he met. It was thanks to this spiritual energy that he was able to withstand all the physical and moral difficulties. Hope sustained him as a Bishop who for 13 years was cut off from his diocesan community; hope helped him to see in the absurdity of the events that had happened to him - he was never tried throughout his lengthy detention - a providential plan of God. He received the news of the disease, the tumour that was later to lead to his death, at the same time that he learned of his appointment as Cardinal by Pope John Paul II, who held him in high esteem and was very fond of him. Cardinal Van Thuân liked to repeat that the Christian is the man of the moment, of the now, of the present time that must be welcomed and experienced with Christ's love. In this ability to live in the present shines forth Cardinal Van Thuân's intimate abandonment in God's hands and the Gospel simplicity that we all admired in him. And could it be possible, he used to wonder, that those who trust in the Heavenly Father then refuse to allow themselves to be embraced by him?
Dear brothers and sisters, I accepted with great joy the news that the Cause of Beatification of this unique prophet of Christian hope is being initiated. As we entrust this chosen soul to the Lord, let us pray that his example may be an effective lesson for us. With this hope, I cordially bless you all.
Pontifical Palace, Castel Gandolfo
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
I am pleased to welcome you while you are making your ad limina visit, an expression of communion between Bishops and the See of Peter, and an effective means to respond to the requirement of reciprocal knowledge which stems from the reality itself of this communion (cf. Pastores Gregis, n. 57). Bishop Antoine Ganyé, President of your Bishops' Conference, has presented to me on your behalf some facts about the life of the Church in Benin, and I cordially thank him. Through you, I would like to greet warmly all the members of your diocesan communities, priests, men and women religious, seminarians, catechists and all the lay people, inviting them to grow in faith in Jesus, the one Saviour of humankind. Please be kind enough also to convey my affectionate greeting to dear Cardinal Bernardin Gantin. Lastly, I offer cordial good wishes to all the People of Benin, so that they may courageously persevere in their commitment to building a society that is increasingly fraternal and respectful of every person.
In past years you have given proof of great evangelical courage in steering the People of God through the numerous difficulties that your society has experienced, thereby showing your pastoral interest in the important issues that confronted it, especially in the field of justice and human rights.
In all these situations, you tirelessly proposed the Church's teaching based on the Gospel, thus inspiring hope in your People's hearts and helping to preserve national unity and concord. In the face of the many challenges confronting you today, I strongly encourage you to develop an authentic spirituality of communion in order "to make the Church the home and the school of communion" (Novo Millennio Ineunte, n. 43). In fact, this communion, which Bishops are first of all required to live with one another in order to find strength and support in their ministry, fosters missionary dynamism, "always ensuring the witness of unity so that the world may believe and making ever greater room for love, so that all people may attain to the Trinitarian unity [communion] from which they have come forth and to which they are destined" (Pastores Gregis, n. 22).
I also ask you to encourage this communion in your presbyterium, helping your priests by the quality of your relationship with them to assume their priestly ministry fully. I would like to warmly encourage each and every one of them to keep a balance in his apostolic life, making ample room for an intense spiritual life in order to create and reinforce his relations of friendship with Christ, so as to serve generously the section of the People of God entrusted to him and to proclaim the Kingdom of God to all. It is then that the Gospel will be made truly present in society. In conformity with the Church's wisdom, may priests also be able to discern in their people's "traditions" the true goodness that favours growth in the faith and in genuine knowledge of God, and rejects all that is in opposition to the Gospel.
On the other hand, your quinquennial reports show how strongly traditions continue to influence social life. Although their best aspects must be encouraged, manifestations that are harmful, stir up fear or exclude others must be challenged. Christian faith must inculcate in hearts the inner freedom and responsibility that Christ gives to us as we face the events of life. A sound Christian formation will therefore be an indispensable support in helping the faithful compare the faith with the "traditional" beliefs. This formation must always enable them to learn to pray confidently, so as to be close to Christ always and in times of distress, in order to find support in the Christian communities through the effective signs of God's love which sets people free. The collaboration of catechists makes an invaluable contribution to this demanding task. I know of their devotion and of the care you take to train them and to enable them to live a dignified life. I offer them my cordial greetings, and tell them how grateful the Church is for their commitment to serving her.
Dear Brothers, the Institutes of Consecrated Life in your Dioceses make a generous contribution to the mission. May men and women religious always keep their heart and gaze fixed on Our Lord Jesus, so that through their works and through the total gift of themselves, they may communicate their own experience of God's love to all! In serving society's most deprived without distinction, which is an essential commitment for most of them, they must never leave aside God and Christ, whom it is right to proclaim but without seeking to impose the faith of the Church. "A Christian knows when it is time to speak of God and when it is better to say nothing and to let love alone speak" (Deus Caritas Est 31). I also invite the members of contemplative communities, by being a discreet presence, to remain a permanent appeal for all believers to seek God's Face ceaselessly and to thank him for all his goodness.
In your Country's cultural context, it is necessary that the Church's presence be expressed in visible signs that show the true meaning of her mission to men and women. Among these signs, warm and fervent liturgical celebrations have an eminent place. At the very heart of society, they eloquently witness to the faith borne by your communities. Thus, it is important that the faithful take part in the liturgy in a way that is full, active and fruitful. To encourage this participation it is legitimate to permit certain appropriate adaptations to the different cultural contexts, with respect for the norms established by the Church. However, in order to avoid the introduction into the liturgy of cultural elements incompatible with the Christian faith or actions that give rise to confusion, seminarians and priests must be given a sound liturgical formation which enables them to deepen their knowledge of the theological foundations, importance and value of the liturgical rites.
Moreover, the Church's presence in society is also expressed through the public interventions of her Pastors. On various occasions, you have courageously defended the values of the family and respect for life when they were threatened by ideologies that proposed models and attitudes in opposition to an authentic conception of human life. I encourage you to continue this policy which is a service to the whole of society. In this perspective, the formation of young people is also one of your pastoral priorities. I would like here to pay a tribute to the work carried out by all the people who contribute to their human and religious education, especially in Catholic teaching whose quality is widely recognized. In helping young people to acquire human and spiritual maturity, help them to discover God, help them discover that it is in the gift of themselves to the service of others that they will become freer and more mature! Since young couples may meet obstacles - obstacles often linked to culture and tradition - to committing themselves to Christian marriage and in living with fidelity to the commitments taken, they need a serious preparation for this Sacrament as well as on-going guidance of families, particularly at the most difficult moments.
Lastly, I would like to tell you of my pleasure at noting that relations between Christians and Muslims take place on the whole in an atmosphere of mutual understanding. Therefore, to prevent seeing the development of some form of intolerance and to avoid all violence, it is right to encourage a sincere dialogue based on an ever truer reciprocal knowledge, especially through respectful human relations, through an agreement on the values of life and through mutual cooperation in all that furthers the common good. Such a dialogue also requires that competent people be trained to help spread knowledge and understanding of the religious values that we share and to respect loyally the differences.
Dear Brothers, now that our meeting is drawing to a close, I encourage you to persevere in your mission at the service of the People of God in Benin, living ever more intensely the mystery of Christ. Do not be afraid to propose the radical newness of life brought by Christ and offered to every human being so that he may fulfil his whole vocation! I entrust each one of you to the motherly intercession of Mary, Queen of Africa. May she intercede for the priests, men and women religious, seminarians, catechists and faithful of each one of your Dioceses. To you all, I warmly impart an affectionate Apostolic Blessing.
Papal Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo
Friday, 21 September 2007
Mister President,
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to welcome you during the conference of the Executive Committee of Centrist Democratic International, and I extend cordial greetings to the Delegates present from many nations throughout the world. I thank your President, the Honourable Pier Ferdinando Casini, for the kind words of greeting he has offered to me on your behalf. Your visit gives me an opportunity to bring to your attention some of the values and ideals that have been moulded and deepened in a decisive way by the Christian tradition in Europe and throughout the world.
Notwithstanding your different backgrounds, I know that you share several basic principles of this tradition, such as the centrality of the human person, a respect for human rights, a commitment to peace and the promotion of justice for all. You appeal to fundamental principles, which, as history has shown, are closely interconnected. In effect, when human rights are violated, the dignity of the human person suffers; when justice is compromised, peace itself is jeopardized. On the other hand, justice is truly human only when the ethical and moral vision grounding it is centred on the human person and his inalienable dignity.
Ladies and Gentlemen, your activity, inspired by these principles, is subject to increasing challenges today due to the profound changes taking place in your respective communities. For this reason, I wish to encourage you to persevere in your efforts to serve the common good, taking it upon yourselves to prevent the dissemination and entrenchment of ideologies which obscure and confuse consciences by promoting an illusory vision of truth and goodness. In the economic sphere, for example, there is a tendency to view financial gain as the only good, thus eroding the internal ethos of commerce to the point that even profit margins suffer. There are those who maintain that human reason is incapable of grasping the truth, and therefore of pursuing the good that corresponds to personal dignity. There are some who believe that it is legitimate to destroy human life in its earliest or final stages. Equally troubling is the growing crisis of the family, which is the fundamental nucleus of society based on the indissoluble bond of marriage between a man and a woman. Experience has shown that when the truth about man is subverted or the foundation of the family undermined, peace itself is threatened and the rule of law is compromised, leading inevitably to forms of injustice and violence.
Another cause highly esteemed by all of you is the defence of religious liberty, which is a fundamental, irrepressible, inalienable and inviolable right rooted in the dignity of every human being and acknowledged by various international documents, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The exercise of this freedom also includes the right to change religion, which should be guaranteed not only legally, but also in daily practice. In fact, religious liberty corresponds to the human person’s innate openness to God, who is the fullness of truth and the supreme good. An appreciation for religious freedom is a fundamental expression of respect for human reason and its capacity to know the truth. Openness to transcendence is an indispensable guarantee of human dignity since within every human heart there are needs and desires which find their fulfilment in God alone. For this reason, God can never be excluded from the horizon of man and world history! That is why all authentically religious traditions must be allowed to manifest their own identity publicly, free from any pressure to hide or disguise it.
Moreover, due respect for religion helps to counter the charge that society has forgotten God: an accusation shamelessly exploited by some terrorist networks in an attempt to justify their threats against global security. Terrorism is a serious problem whose perpetrators often claim to act in God’s name and harbour an inexcusable contempt for human life. Society naturally has a right to defend itself, but this right must be exercised with complete respect for moral and legal norms, including the choice of ends and means. In democratic systems, the use of force in a manner contrary to the principles of a constitutional State can never be justified. Indeed, how can we claim to protect democracy if we threaten its very foundations? Consequently, it is necessary both to keep careful watch over the security of civil society and its citizens while at the same time safeguarding the inalienable rights of all. Terrorism needs to be fought with determination and effectiveness, mindful that if the mystery of evil is widespread today, the solidarity of mankind in goodness is an even more pervasive mystery.
In this regard, the social teaching of the Catholic Church offers some points for reflection on how to promote security and justice both at the national and international levels. This teaching is based on reason, natural law and the Gospel: that is, principles that both accord with and transcend the nature of every human being. The Church knows that it is not her specific task to see to the political implementation of this teaching: her objective is to help form consciences in political life, to raise awareness of the authentic requirements of justice, and to foster a greater readiness to act accordingly, even when this might involve conflict with situations of personal interest (cf. Deus Caritas Est 28). In this her mission, the Church is moved only by love for humanity and the desire to work together with all people of goodwill to build a world in which the dignity and inalienable rights of all persons will be safeguarded. For those of you who share a faith in Christ, the Church asks you to bear witness to that faith today with even greater courage and generosity. The integrity of Christians in political life is indeed more necessary than ever so that the “salt” of apostolic zeal does not lose its “flavour”, and so that the “lamp” of Gospel values enlightening the daily work of Christians is not obscured by pragmatism or utilitarianism, suspicion or hate.
Your Excellencies, I thank you once again for this welcome opportunity to meet with you. Wishing you success in your respective missions, I assure all of you of a remembrance in my prayers, that Almighty God may bless you and your families, and that you may receive the wisdom, integrity and moral strength to serve the great and noble cause of human dignity.
Hall of the Swiss, Papal Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo
Saturday, 22 September 2007
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
For several years now it has been customary for recently appointed Bishops to gather in Rome for a meeting experienced as a pilgrimage to the tomb of St Peter. I welcome you with special affection. As well as encouraging you to reflect on a Bishop's responsibilities and tasks, this experience enables you to revive in your souls the knowledge that you are not alone in governing God's Church, but that together with grace you have the support of the Pope and of your confreres.
Being at the heart of Catholicism in this Church of Rome opens your minds to a more vivid perception of the universality of the People of God and develops your concern for the whole Church.
I thank Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re for his words expressing your sentiments and address a special thought to Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, as I greet each one of you and remember your Dioceses.
On the day of Episcopal Ordination, before the imposition of hands, the Church asks the candidate to take on certain commitments which, as well as proclaiming the Gospel faithfully and safeguarding the faith, also include the resolution "to pray for the People of God without ceasing". I would like to reflect with you precisely on the apostolic and pastoral character of the Bishop's prayer.
The Evangelist Luke wrote that Jesus Christ chose the Twelve Apostles after spending the whole night on the mountain in prayer (cf. Lk Lc 6,12); and the Evangelist Mark explained that the Twelve were chosen "to be with him, and to be sent out" (cf. Mk Mc 3,14).
Like the Apostles, dear Confreres, we too have been called primarily to be with Christ, to know him more deeply and to share in his mystery of love and his relationship full of trust in the Father. Through intimate personal prayer, the Bishop, just as and more than all the faithful, is called to grow towards God in a filial spirit, learning confidence, trust and faithfulness, Jesus' own attitudes in his relationship with the Father, from Jesus himself.
And the Apostles understood well that prayerful listening and the proclamation of what they had heard were to take priority over the many things to be done, so they decided: "we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Ac 6,4). This apostolic programme is more timely than ever.
In a Bishop's ministry today the organizational aspects are absorbing, the commitments many and the needs always numerous, but the first place in the life of a successor of the Apostles must be kept for God. Especially in this way will we help our faithful.
St Gregory the Great had formerly recommended in his "Pastoral Rule" that the Pastor should in a singular way lead all the others in prayer and contemplation (cf. II, 5). This is what tradition was subsequently to formulate in the well-known saying: "Contemplata aliis tradere" (cf. St Thomas, Summa Theologiae, IIa-IIae, q. 188, art. 6).
In the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est, by referring to the account of the biblical episode of Jacob's ladder, I wished to emphasize how it is that precisely through prayer the Pastor becomes sensitive to the needs of others and merciful to all (cf. n. 7).
And I remembered the thought of St Gregory the Great, who held that the Pastor wrapt in contemplation is able to regard the needs of others as his own in prayer: "per pietatis viscera in se infirmitatem caeterorum transferat" (cf. Pastoral Rule, ibid.).
Prayer teaches people to love and opens hearts to pastoral charity in order to welcome all who turn to the Bishop. Modelled from within by the Holy Spirit, the Bishop consoles with the balsam of divine grace, enlightens with the light of the Word and reconciles and edifies in fraternal communion.
Dear Confreres, your priests must have a special place in your prayers so that they may always persevere in their vocation and be faithful to the presbyteral mission entrusted to them.
It is particularly edifying for every priest to know that the Bishop, from whom he has received the gift of the priesthood or who in any case is his father and friend, is close to him in prayer and affection and always ready to receive him, listen to him and encourage him.
Likewise, the entreaty for new vocations must never be absent from the Bishop's prayers. They must be insistently implored from God so that he may call "those whom he desires for the sacred ministry".
May the munus santificandi that you have received also involve you in being animators of prayer in society. In the cities where you live and work, often chaotic and noisy, where man hurries on and loses himself, where people live as though God did not exist, may you be able to create places and opportunities for prayer, where in silence, in listening to God through lectio divina, in personal and communal prayer, man may encounter God and have a living experience of Jesus Christ who reveals the authentic Face of the Father.
Never tire of ensuring that parishes and shrines, places of education and of suffering, but also families, become places of communion with the Lord. I would especially like to urge you to make the cathedral an exemplary house of prayer, particularly liturgical prayer, where the diocesan community, reunited with its Bishop, can praise and thank God for the work of salvation and intercede for all people.
St Ignatius of Antioch reminds us of the power of communal prayer: "If the prayer of one or two possesses such power, how much more that of the Bishop and the whole Church!" (Epistle to the Ep 5).
In brief, beloved Bishops, be men of prayer! The "spiritual fruitfulness of the Bishop's ministry depends on the intensity of his union with the Lord. It is from prayer that a Bishop must draw light, strength and comfort in his pastoral activity", as is written in the Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops (Apostolorum Successores, n. 36).
In addressing God, for you yourselves and for your faithful, may you have the trust of children, the daring of a friend and the perseverance of Abraham who was tireless in intercession: like Moses, raise your hands to Heaven, while your faithful fight the good fight of faith; like Mary, praise God every day for the salvation that he brings about in the Church and the world, convinced that for God nothing will be impossible (cf. Lk Lc 1,37).
With these sentiments, I impart a special Apostolic Blessing to each one of you, to your priests, to the men and women religious, to the seminarians and to the faithful of your Dioceses.
Monday, 24 September 2007
Mr Ambassador,
I am pleased to receive from your hands the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Nicaragua to the Holy See. As I thank you for your kind words, I offer you a most cordial welcome at this solemn ceremony. It marks the beginning of the mission entrusted to you by your Government, one which you also carried out in the past between 1997 and 1998.
Please convey to Mr Daniel Ortega Saavedra, President of the Republic, my best wishes for peace, well-being and prosperity for his beloved Nation, recently so harshly tried by Hurricane Felix. As I did then, I address prayers to the Almighty for the human victims and I express my spiritual closeness to the numerous injured who have lost their homes or work implements. It is to be hoped that in addition to internal help, they will receive generous contributions from the international community.
Like many other countries, Nicaragua has to face various financial, social and political problems. Finding the means to solve them is no easy task, although it can rely not only on the good disposition and collaboration of citizens but especially on that of leaders of the various political and commercial bodies. Furthermore, concerted efforts and a common will are indispensable to make decisive action by leaders possible, in order to confront the challenges of a globalized world which they must tackle with a spirit of true solidarity.
This Christian and also human virtue, my Predecessor John Paul II said, must inspire the action of individuals, government leaders, members of international agencies and institutions as well as all members of civil society, who must feel committed to working for an authentic development of peoples and nations, keeping the good of each and every one as their goal, as Catholic social doctrine teaches (cf. Sollicitudo Rei Socialis SRS 40-41).
In your address, Mr Ambassador, you referred to the priorities identified by your Government, such as the implementation of the "Hunger Zero" project and of measures to combat the drug problem, to increase literacy and to eliminate poverty. To achieve these goals and thus reduce the gap between those who have everything and those who lack the basic necessities such as education, health care and housing, transparency and honesty in public management are fundamental. When dealing with any form of corruption, these qualities will increase the Authorities' credibility among the citizens and are crucial for a just development.
With regard to these objectives, civil leaders will find in the Church in Nicaragua, despite the paucity of her means, sound principles inspired by the Gospel and sincere collaboration in the search for just solutions. It is also essential to recognize the Church's efforts to increase the awareness and responsibility of Nicaraguan citizens by encouraging their participation and involvement to meet the needs of those who are often steeped in poverty and marginalized.
Bishops in your Country, taking into account the national and diocesan structures and faithful to their strictly pastoral mission, confirm their willingness to maintain dialogue and constant and sincere communication with the Government. Thus, they help to ensure the essential conditions that foster true reconciliation, establishing an atmosphere of peace and authentic social justice. Nevertheless, "The direct duty to work for a just ordering of society, on the other hand, is proper to the lay faithful" (Deus Caritas Est 29), who must develop their political activity as a "social charity". I spoke on this topic to the Apostolic Nuncios in Latin America at a meeting with them last 17 February (cf. L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 28 February 2007, p. 3).
The Holy See would also like to express its gratitude to Nicaragua for its stance at the multilateral forums on social themes, especially respect for life when it is confronted by considerable internal and international pressure. In this context, it should be considered as very positive that last year the National Assembly approved the abolition of therapeutic abortion. It is indispensable, in this respect, to increase State assistance and the help of society itself for women who have serious problems with their pregnancy.
Together with the inevitable theme of life, there is an urgent need to recover and promote the human and moral values threatened by so many forms of violence, even in homes. This violence is frequently the result of the break-up of the family or debasement of customs. The Church in Nicaragua is well aware of this sad reality. She endeavours to face it with her teaching and pastoral programmes, but the intervention of public institutions, with appropriate educational programmes that refer to the organization of social life, are also necessary.
Mr Ambassador, at the end of this ceremony, I would like to express to you my best wishes for the success of your mission, and may it help to strengthen the good, traditional bonds of agreement and cooperation between Nicaragua and the Holy See. Please convey my greeting to the President of the Republic. I shall remember the entire Nicaraguan People in my prayers through the intercession of Sr Maria Romero, the first and widely loved woman Blessed of your Country. I ask the Most High always to help you in your mission which begins today, while I invoke abundant Blessings upon you and your collaborators as well as on the Government Authorities and citizens of Nicaragua.
Consistory Hall, Papal Summer Residence at Castel Gandolfo
Monday, 24 September 2007
Your Eminences,
Dear and venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,
I am particularly pleased to welcome you and address a cordial greeting to each one of you at the beginning of the ad limina visit of the Latin-rite Bishops. I greet with great pleasure the Greek-Catholic Bishops who have accepted my invitation to be present at this meeting. Today, all Pastors of the beloved Church which lives in Ukraine are gathered in spirit round the Successor of Peter. It is an act of ecclesial communion, an eloquent testimony of that brotherly love which Jesus bequeathed as a distinctive sign to his disciples. Let us make our own the Psalmist's words: "Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!". And further, for those who live in his love, the Lord "has commanded the blessing, life for evermore" (Ps 133[132]: 1-3). Conscious of this and with sentiments of esteem and deep cordiality, I thank each one of you for the pastoral work you carry out daily at the service of the People of God.
I know of the great effort you make to proclaim and witness to the Gospel in the beloved Land of Ukraine, at times encountering numerous difficulties but always sustained by your awareness that Christ guides his flock with a firm hand. He himself has entrusted this flock to your hands as his ministers. The Pope and the collaborators of the Roman Curia are close to you and follow with affection the developments in each one of your local Churches, ready in any circumstance to offer you their contribution and fully aware of being called by the Lord to serve unity and communion in the Church.
Today's meeting sheds light on the beauty and riches of the mystery of the Church. As the Second Vatican Council recalls: "The one mediator, Christ, established and ever sustains here on earth his holy Church, the community of faith, hope and charity, as a visible organization.... This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him" (Lumen Gentium LG 8). In the variety of her rites and historical traditions, in every corner of the earth, the one Catholic Church proclaims and testifies to Jesus Christ himself, the Word of salvation for every man and for the whole man. For this reason, the secret of the effectiveness of all our pastoral and apostolic projects is first and foremost fidelity to Christ. We Pastors, as well as all the faithful, are asked to live in intimate and constant familiarity with him, in prayer and in listening with docility to his Word. This is the only way to become in every context signs of his love and instruments of his peace and harmony.
I am sure, dear and venerable Brothers, that motivated by this spirit it would be possible to intensify cordial collaboration between the Latin and Greek-Catholic Bishops for the good of the entire Christian People. Thus, you will be able to coordinate your pastoral plans and apostolic activities, always offering the witness of that ecclesial communion which is also an indispensable condition for the ecumenical dialogue with our Orthodox brethren and those of other Churches. May I be permitted in particular to draw your attention to the proposal of at least one annual meeting that would gather together the Latin-rite Bishops and those of the Greek-Catholic rite, to discuss together how to make your pastoral action increasingly more harmonious and effective. I am convinced that fraternal cooperation between Pastors will be an encouragement and incentive to all the faithful to grow in unity and apostolic enthusiasm, and will also foster fruitful ecumenical dialogue.
Dear and venerable Brothers, thank you once again for accepting my invitation to take part in this fraternal meeting. Upon each one of you and upon your communities, I invoke the motherly protection of Our Lady, whom the Latin Liturgy today venerates as Our Lady of Mercy. May it be she who supports you in your daily ministry and makes it bear spiritual fruit; may she console and comfort you in difficulties and, in the hour of trial, obtain for you the joy of ever deeper communion with her divine Son and increasingly strengthen the brotherhood that exists between you as Successors of the Apostles. Let us entrust to Mary in a special way the ad limina visit of the Latin-rite Bishops which begins today, as well as the pastoral initiatives of all your communities. With these hopes, while I invoke an abundant outpouring of grace and heavenly comfort upon you and your respective ecclesial work, I cordially impart to each one of you a special Blessing, which I willingly extend to the faithful entrusted to your episcopal ministry and also to the entire beloved People of Ukraine.
CONCERT ON THE 110th ANNIVERSARY
Speechs 2007