Benedict XVI Speechs 2009
Venerable Brothers,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I greet you all with affection at the end of the traditional Marian Vigil that concludes the month of May in the Vatican. This year it has acquired a quite special value because it occurs on the eve of Pentecost. In gathering together in spiritual recollection around the Virgin Mary and contemplating the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, you have relived the experience of the first disciples, who gathered in the Upper Room together with "the Mother of Jesus" and "with one accord devoted... to prayer", awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts Ac 1,14). Let us too, on this penultimate evening of May, pray for the outpouring of the Spirit Paraclete upon us, upon the Church in Rome and upon the entire Christian People.
The great Feast of Pentecost invites us to meditate on the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Mary, a very close, privileged and indissoluble relationship. The Virgin of Nazareth was chosen in advance to become the Mother of the Redeemer through the power of the Holy Spirit: in her humility, she found favour in God's eyes (cf. Lk Lc 1,30). In fact, in the New Testament we see that Mary's faith, so to speak, "attracts" the gift of the Holy Spirit. First of all in the conception of the Son of God, a mystery that the Archangel Gabriel himself explains in this way: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (Lc 1,35). Immediately afterwards Mary went to help Elizabeth, and when she arrived and greeted her, the Holy Spirit caused the child to leap in the womb of her elderly kinswoman (cf. Lk Lc 1,44); and the whole dialogue between the two mothers is inspired by God's Spirit, especially the Magnificat, the hymn of praise in which Mary expresses her innermost sentiments. The whole event of Jesus' birth and early childhood is guided almost tangibly by the Holy Spirit, although he is not always mentioned. Mary's heart, in perfect unison with the divine Son, is a temple of the Spirit of truth in which every word and every event are preserved in faith, hope and charity (cf. Lk Lc 2,19).
We may therefore be certain that the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, in the whole of his hidden life in Nazareth always found in his Mother's Immaculate Heart, a "hearth" ever alight with prayer and with constant attention to the voice of the Spirit. The events at the Wedding at Cana are an attestation of this unique harmony between the Mother and the Son in seeking God's will. In a situation laden with symbols of the Covenant, such as the wedding feast, the Virgin Mother intercedes and provokes, so to speak, a sign of superabundant grace: the "good wine" that refers to the mystery of Christ's Blood. This leads us directly to Calvary, where Mary stands beneath the Cross together with the other women and with the Apostle John. The Mother and the disciple receive spiritually the testament of Jesus: his last words and his last breath, in which he begins to pour out the Spirit; and they receive the silent cry of his Blood, poured out entirely for us (cf. Jn Jn 19,25-34). Mary knew where that Blood came from: it had been formed within her by the power of the Holy Spirit and she knew that this same creative "power" was to raise Jesus, as he had promised.
Thus Mary's faith sustained that of the disciples until their encounter with the Risen Lord and continued to accompany them also after his Ascension into Heaven, as they waited for "[Baptism] in the Holy Spirit" (cf. Acts Ac 1,5). At Pentecost the Virgin Mother appears anew as the Bride of the Spirit, for a universal motherhood of all those who are generated by God through faith in Christ. This is why, for all the generations, Mary is an image and model of the Church which together with the Spirit journeys through time, invoking Jesus' glorious return: "Come, Lord Jesus" (cf. Ap 22,17).
Dear friends, let us too learn at the school of Mary to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, to listen to his inspirations and to follow them with docility. He makes us grow in accordance with the fullness of Christ, in accordance with those good fruits which the Apostle Paul lists in his Letter to the Galatians: "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Ga 5,22). I hope you will be filled with these gifts and that you will always walk with Mary, in accordance with the Spirit, and, while I express my gratitude and praise for your participation in this evening's celebration, I warmly impart the Apostolic Blessing to all of you and to your loved ones.
June 2009
Clementine Hall
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Your Eminences,
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
Monsignor Rector,
Dear Priests and Seminarians,
I welcome you with joy on the occasion of the celebrations of these days that mark an important moment in the history of the Pontifical French Seminary in Rome. After a century and a half of faithful service, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, which had been in charge of conducting the Seminary since its foundation, has now handed it over to the Bishops' Conference of France.
We must thank the Lord for the work carried out in this institution where, since it opened, almost 5,000 seminarians or young priests have been trained for their future vocation. In acknowledging the work of the members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Fathers and Brothers, I would like to entrust to the Lord in particular the apostolates which the Congregation founded by Venerable Fr Libermann preserves and develops across the world and most especially in Africa based on his charism which has lost none of its power and justice. May the Lord bless the Congregation and its missions.
The task of forming priests is a delicate mission. The formation offered by the Seminary is demanding, because a portion of the People of God will be entrusted to the pastoral solicitude of the future priests, the People that Christ saved and for whom he gave his life. It is right for seminarians to remember that if the Church demands much of them it is because they are to care for those whom Christ ransomed at such a high price. Many qualities are required of future priests: human maturity, spiritual qualities, apostolic zeal, intellectual rigour.... To achieve these virtues, candidates to the priesthood must not only be able to witness to them to their formation teachers but even more, they must be the first to benefit from these same qualities lived and shared by those who are in charge of helping them to attain maturity. It is a law of our humanity and our faith that we are all too often capable of giving only what we ourselves have previously received from God through the ecclesial and human mediation that he has established. Those who are placed in charge of discernment and formation must remember that the hope they have for others is in the first place a duty for themselves.
This passing on of witnessing coincides with the beginning of the Year for Priests. This coincidence is a grace for the new team of priest-formation teachers gathered by the Bishops' Conference of France. While the team receives its mission, like the whole Church, it is given the possibility to examine more deeply the identity of the priest, a mystery of grace and mercy. I would like to mention here the eminent figure of Cardinal Suhard, who said of Christ's ministers: "Eternal paradox of the priest. He bears within him those who are contrary. He reconciles, at the price of his life, fidelity to God with fidelity to man. He seems poor and feeble.... He has neither political power nor financial means, nor the force of arms that others use to conquer the earth. His strength lies in being unarmed and being "able to do all things in the One who gives him strength'" (Fulget Ecclesia, n. 141, p. 21, 14 December 1960). May these words that so vividly evoke the figure of the Holy Curé d'Ars ring out as a vocational appeal to numerous young Christians in France who desire a useful and fruitful life in order to serve God's love.
The particular characteristic of the French Seminary is its location in the city of Peter; echoing the desire of Paul VI (cf. Address to the Alumni of the French Pontifical Seminary, 12 September 1968; ORE, 26 September 1968), I hope that during their stay in Rome the seminarians will give priority to becoming acquainted with the Church's history in order to discover the breadth of her catholicity and her living unity around the Successor of Peter, and that love of the Church will thus be rooted in their hearts for ever.
As I invoke upon you all the Lord's abundant graces through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Clare and Blessed Pius IX, I very warmly impart the Apostolic Blessing to all of you and to your families, to the former seminarians who have been unable to come here and to all the Seminary's lay personnel.
Consistory Hall
Monday, 8 June 2009
Your Eminence,
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
I warmly welcome you Pastors of the Church of Venezuela to this meeting during your ad limina visit. As Successor of Peter, I thank the Lord for this opportunity to strengthen my brothers in the faith (cf. Lk Lc 22,32) and to share in their joys and worries, in their projects and their difficulties.
First of all I thank Archbishop Ubaldo Ramón Santana Sequera of Maracaibo, President of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference, for his words expressing your communion with the Bishop of Rome and the Head of the Episcopal College, as well as the challenges and hopes of your pastoral ministry.
In fact the challenges you must face in your pastoral work are ever more numerous and difficult, aggravated moreover as they have been recently by the serious global economic crisis. Yet, the present time also offers many true reasons to hope, that hope which can fill the hearts of all human beings "can only be God God who has loved us and who continues to love us "to the end'" (Spe Salvi,n. 27). As he did with the disciples of Emmaus (cf. Lk Lc 24,13-35), the Risen Lord also walks beside us, imbuing us with his spirit of love and fortitude so that we may open our hearts to a future of hope and of eternal life.
You have before you, dear Brothers, an exciting task of evangelization and you have begun the "Mission for Venezuela" in line with the Continental Mission promoted by the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops' Conferences at Aparecida. These are also times of grace for those who are dedicated to the Gospel cause without reserve. Trust in the Lord. He will make your self-giving and sacrifices fruitful.
I encourage you, therefore, to increase your initiatives to make Jesus Christ and his message known in their fullness and beauty. For this, in addition to the sound doctrinal formation of the entire People of God, it is important to encourage a profound life of faith and prayer. In the liturgy, in the intimate dialogue of personal or community prayer, the Risen Christ comes to meet us, transforming our hearts with his loving presence.
I would also like to remind you of the need of a spiritual life for Bishops. Configured fully to Christ the Head by the sacrament of Orders they are in a certain way a visible sign of the Lord Jesus (cf. Lumen Gentium LG 21). For this reason the pastoral ministry must be a consistent reflection of Jesus, Servant of God, showing to everyone the capital importance of faith and likewise the need to give priority to the vocation to holiness (cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Gregis, n. 12).
Fruitful pastoral action requires close affective and effective communion among the Pastors of the People of God who "should appreciate that they are closely united to each other and should be solicitous for all the Churches" (Christus Dominus CD 6). This unity, which today and always must be promoted and expressed in a visible manner, will be a source of comfort and apostolic effectiveness in the ministry entrusted to you.
The spirit of communion involves paying special attention to your priests. As the closest collaborators of the episcopal ministry, they must be the first recipients of your pastoral care and should be treated with closeness and brotherly friendship. This will help them to carry out with self-denial the ministry they have received and, when necessary, to accept advice in a filial spirit on some aspects they may need to improve or correct. I therefore encourage you to redouble your efforts to give an impetus to the pastoral zeal of your priests, especially during this coming Year for Priests which I have chosen to declare.
In addition to this is the interest that must be shown to the Diocesan Seminary, in order to encourage a thorough and competent selection of those called to be pastors of the People of God, without economizing on the human or material means this may require.
The lay faithful, for their part, participate in their own specific way in the Church's saving mission (cf. Lumen Gentium LG 33). As disciples and missionaries of Christ they are called to illumine and to order temporal realities in such a way that they respond to God's loving plan (ibid., n. 31). This requires a mature laity that bear a faithful witness to their faith and feel the joy of belonging to the Body of Christ. Among other things lay people must be offered an adequate knowledge of the Church's social doctrine. In this regard I appreciate your work to make the light of the Gospel shine on the most important events that affect your country, with no other interest than to disseminate the most genuine Christian values, with a view to encouraging the search for the common good, harmonious coexistence and social stability.
I entrust the needy to you in particular. Continue to encourage the many charitable projects of the Church in Venezuela so that your neediest brothers and sisters may feel the presence among them of the One who on the Cross gave his life for every human being.
I end with a word of hope and encouragement to you in your task; you may always count on my support, concern and spiritual closeness. Please convey my affectionate greeting to all the members of your particular Churches; to the Bishops emeritus, the priests, the religious and the lay faithful, especially married couples, young people, the elderly and those who are suffering. With these sentiments and as I invoke the protection of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Coromoto, so deeply loved throughout Venezuela, I cordially impart to you the Apostolic Blessing.
Clementine Hall
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Distinguished and Dear Friends,
Thank you for your visit which fits into the context of your annual meeting. I greet you all with affection and am grateful to you for all that you do, with proven generosity, at the service of the Church. I greet and thank your President, Count Lorenzo Rossi di Montelera, who has expressed your sentiments with fine sensitivity, giving an overview of the Foundation's work. I also thank those who, in various languages, have wished to express your common devotion. Our meeting today acquires special meaning and value in the light of the situation that humanity as a whole is experiencing at this time.
Indeed, the financial and economic crisis which has hit the industrialized, the emerging and the developing countries, shows clearly that certain economic and financial paradigms which prevailed in recent years must be rethought. Therefore, at the international congress which took place yesterday your Foundation did well to address the topic of the search for, and identification of, the values and rules which the economic world should abide by in order to evolve a new model of development that is more attentive to the requirements of solidarity and more respectful of human dignity.
I am pleased to learn that you examined in particular the interdependence between institutions, society and the market, in accordance with my venerable Predecessor John Paul II's Encyclical, Centesimus annus. The Encyclical states that the market economy, understood as: "an economic system which recognizes the fundamental and positive role of business, the market, private property and the resulting responsibility for the means of production, as well as free human creativity in the economic sector" (n. 42), may be recognized as a path to economic and civil progress only if it is oriented to the common good (cf. n. 43). However, this vision must also be accompanied by another reflection which says that freedom in the economic sector must be circumscribed "by a strong juridical framework which places it at the service of human freedom in its totality", a responsible freedom, "the core of which is ethical and religious" (n. 42). The above-mentioned Encyclical appropriately states: "just as the person fully realizes himself in the free gift of self, so too ownership morally justifies itself in the creation, at the proper time and in the proper way, of opportunities for work and human growth for all" (n. 43).
I hope that by drawing inspiration from the eternal principles of the Gospel it will be possible, with the research inherent in your work, to elaborate a vision of the modern economy that is respectful of the needs and rights of the weak. My Encyclical dedicated to the vast topic of the economy and work is, as you know, due to be published shortly. It will highlight what for Christians are the objectives to pursue and the values to promote and to defend tirelessly, if we are to achieve a truly free and supportive human coexistence. I likewise note with pleasure all that you do for the Pontifical Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies (PISAI), to whose goals you and I attribute great value for an increasingly fruitful interreligious dialogue.
Dear friends, thank you once again for coming! I assure each one of you of my remembrance in prayer, while I warmly bless you all.
Hall of Popes
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Dear Friends of the Council of the Alcide De Gasperi Foundation,
I deeply appreciate your visit and greet you all with affection. In particular, I greet Mrs Maria Romana, daughter of Alcide De Gasperi, and Hon. Giulio Andreotti who was his close collaborator for many years. I willingly take the opportunity that your presence affords me to recall this great figure who, in historical periods of profound social change in Italy and in Europe, beset with problems, was able to work effectively for the common good. Formed at the school of the Gospel, De Gasperi was able to express the faith he professed in consistent, concrete actions. Indeed, spirituality and politics were two dimensions that co-existed within him and characterized his social and spiritual commitment. He guided the reconstruction of Italy that was emerging from Fascism and from the Second World War with prudent foresight and courageously plotted the path to the future; he defended freedom and democracy in the country. He relaunched Italy's image on the international scene and promoted economic recovery, opening himself to collaboration with all people of good will.
Spirituality and politics were so well integrated in him that if one wishes to understand this esteemed government leader properly one should not limit oneself to taking stock of the political results he achieved, but rather must also note his fine religious sensibility and firm faith which never ceased to motivate his thought and action. In 1981, 100 years after his birth, my Venerable Predecessor John Paul II paid homage to him saying that "in him, faith was the centre of inspiration, the cohesive force, the criterion of values, and a reason for choice" (cf. Address to Leaders of the Christian Democrat Parties of Europe, Latin America and Africa for the centenary of the birth of De Gasperi, 2 April 1981; L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 21 April 1981, p. 9). The roots of this sound evangelical testimony are to be sought in the human and spiritual formation he received in his region, the Trentino, in a family where love for Christ was the daily bread and reference for every decision. He was just over 20 when in 1902, taking part in the first Catholic Congress of the Trentino, he sketched the guidelines of the apostolic action that was to form the entire programme of his life: "It is not enough to preserve Christianity in itself", he said, "it is right to fight with the whole great Catholic army to regain for the faith the fields it has lost" (cf. A. De Gasperi, I cattolici trentini sotto l'Austria, Ed. di storia e letteratura, Rome 1964, p. 24). Won by Christ, he was to be faithful to this attitude until he died, even at the cost of great personal sacrifice. "I am not a bigot", he wrote to his future wife, Francesca, "and perhaps not even as religious as I ought to be; but the personality of the living Christ attracts me; it subjugates me, it uplifts me like a child. Come, I want you to be with me and to follow me in the same attraction, as if towards an abyss of light" (A. De Gasperi, Cara Francesca, Lettere, edited by M.R. De Gasperi, Morcelliana, Brescia 1999, PP 40-41).
We should not, therefore, be surprised to learn that in his day, overloaded as he was with institutional commitments, he always made ample room for prayer and for his relationship with God, when possible beginning every day by attending Holy Mass. Indeed, the summit of his spirituality corresponded with some of his most chaotic and eventful moments. When, for example, he experienced imprisonment, he wanted to have the Bible with him as his principal book and he subsequently retained the habit of noting Bible references on bits of paper as constant nourishment for his spirit. Towards the end of his government career after a harsh parliamentary confrontation he answered a colleague who had asked him what the secret of his political action was: "what do you expect? It is the Lord!".
Dear friends, I should like to reflect longer on this figure who honoured the Church and Italy but I limit myself to highlighting the recognition of his moral rectitude, based on indisputable fidelity to the human and Christian values, as well as the serene moral conscience that guided him in political decisions. "In the democratic system", he said in one of his discourses, "a political administrative mandate is conferred with a specific responsibility... but there is a parallel moral responsibility before one's own conscience, and in order to make a decision, one's conscience must always be illuminated by the Church's doctrine and teaching" (cf. A De Gasperi, Discorsi politici 1923-1954, Cinque Lune, Rome 1990, p. 243). Of course, some moments were fraught with difficulty and perhaps also misunderstanding on the part of the ecclesiastical world, but De Gasperi was unwavering in his adherence to the Church that was, as he testified in a discourse in Naples in June 1954, "full and sincere... also in the moral and social directives contained in the Papal Documents that have almost daily nourished and shaped our vocation to public life".
On that same occasion he noted that "to operate in the social and political field neither faith nor virtue suffices; it is right to create and to foster an instrument suited to the times... that has a programme and method of its own, an autonomous responsibility, a technique and a democratic management". Docile and obedient to the Church, he was therefore autonomous and responsible in his political decisions; he did not use the Church for political ends nor did he descend to making compromises with his upright conscience. At the end of his days he could say: "I have done all that was in my power, my conscience is at peace". He died comforted by the support of his relatives and friends, on 19 August 1954, after murmuring Jesus' name three times. Dear friends, while we pray for the soul of this statesman of international fame who served the Church, Italy and Europe with his political ability, let us ask the Lord to obtain that remembrance of his experience of government and his Christian witness may be an encouragement and an incentive to those who today are in charge of the future of Italy and of other peoples and, especially, to those inspired by the Gospel. With this wish, I thank you again for your visit and bless you all with affection.
Monumental entrance of the Home for the Relief of Suffering
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Dear Sick People,
On my Visit to San Giovanni Rotondo, I could not omit a stop at the Home for the Relief of Suffering, conceived of and desired by St Pio of Pietrelcina as a "place of prayer and science where the human race united in the Crucified Christ becomes one flock with one Shepherd". For this very reason he wished to entrust it to the material and, above all, spiritual support of the Prayer Groups, who have here the centre of their mission of service to the Church. Padre Pio intended that in this well-equipped hospital one could experience first-hand that the commitment of science to treating the sick must never be separated from filial trust in God, who is infinitely kind and merciful. When he inaugurated the Home on 5 May 1956 he described it as a "creature of Providence" and spoke of this institution as "a seed planted on earth by God, which he will warm with the rays of his love".
Here I am among you, therefore, to thank God for the good that you have been doing in this "Home for the Relief of Suffering" for more than 50 years, faithful to the instructions of a humble Capuchin Friar with results recognized at both the scientific and medical levels. Unfortunately it is not possible for me, much as I would like to, to visit every ward and greet the patients one by one, together with those who nurse them. But I do wish to extend to each one the patients, doctors, relatives, health-care workers and pastoral workers a word of paternal comfort and encouragement to continue in this evangelical work together which aims to relieve peoples' suffering, making the most of every resource for the human and spiritual good of the sick and their relatives.
With these sentiments, I cordially greet you all, starting with you, brothers and sisters who are tried through illness. Next, I greet the doctors, the nurses and the health-care and administrative staff. I greet you, venerable Capuchin Fathers, who as chaplains are continuing the apostolate of your holy Confrère. I greet the Prelates, first of all Archbishop Domenico Umberto D'Ambrosio, the former Pastor of this Diocese who is now called to guide the archdiocesan community of Lecce. I am grateful to him for the words he has kindly addressed to me on your behalf. I then greet the Director General of the Hospital, Dr Domenico Crupi, and the representatives of the sick, and I am grateful for the kind words they have just addressed to me, enabling me to be better acquainted with what is being achieved here and with the spirit in which you do it. Every time one enters a place of healing, one thinks naturally of the mystery of illness and pain, to the hope of healing and the inestimable value of good health, of which one becomes aware only when it has been lost. In hospitals one sees first-hand the preciousness of our existence but also its fragility. Following the example of Jesus who travelled throughout Galilee "healing every disease and every infirmity among the people" (Mt 4,23), the Church, from her origins moved by the Holy Spirit, has considered it one of her duties and privileges to be at the side of those who suffer cultivating a preferential attention to the sick.
Illness, which is manifested in so many forms and strikes in different ways, gives rise to disturbing questions: why do we suffer? Can the experience of pain be considered positive? Who can free us from suffering and death? These are existential questions that more often than not remain humanly unanswerable, since suffering constitutes an enigma that is inscrutable to human reason. Suffering is part of the very mystery of the human person. I emphasized this in the Encyclical Spe Salvi, noting that: it "stems partly from our finitude, and partly from the mass of sin which has accumulated over the course of history, and continues to grow unabated today". And I added that: "certainly we must do whatever we can to reduce suffering: ... but to banish it from the world altogether is not in our power. This is simply because... none of us is capable of eliminating the power of evil,... which,... is a constant source of suffering" (cf. n. 36).
God alone can eliminate the power of evil. Precisely because Jesus Christ came into the world to reveal to us the divine plan of our salvation, faith helps us to penetrate the meaning of all that is human, hence also of suffering. Thus an intimate relationship exists between the Cross of Jesus the symbol of supreme pain and the price of our true freedom and our pain, which is transformed and sublimated when it is lived in the awareness of God's closeness and solidarity. Padre Pio sensed this profound truth and, on the first anniversary of the inauguration of this Institution, he said that in it "the suffering person must experience God's love through the wise acceptance of his sufferings in serene meditation on his own destiny" (Discourse, 5 May 1957). He noted further that in the Home for the Relief of Suffering "the patients, doctors and priests shall be reservoirs of love" and that "the more abundant love is in oneself, the better communicated it will be to others" (ibid.).
To be "reservoirs of love": this, dear brothers and sisters, is the mission of which, this evening, our Saint reminds you who in various capacities form the great family of this Home for the Relief of Suffering. May the Lord help you to realize the project initiated by Padre Pio with the contribution of all: doctors and scientific researchers, health-care workers and various administrative personnel, volunteers and benefactors, Capuchin Friars and other Priests. We must not forget the Prayer Groups who "alongside the Home for the Relief of Suffering are in the front line of this citadel of charity, nurseries of faith and hearts of love" (Padre Pio, Discourse, 5 May 1966). I invoke upon each and every one the intercession of Padre Pio and the motherly protection of Mary, Health of the Sick. I thank you again for your welcome and as I assure you of my prayers for each one of you, I warmly Bless you all.
New Church of San Pio of Pietrelcina
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Dear Priests,
Dear Men and Women Religious,
Dear Young People,
My pilgrimage to San Giovanni Rotondo ends with our Meeting. I am grateful to the Archbishop of Lecce, Archbishop Domenico Umberto D'Ambrosio, Apostolic Administrator of this Diocese, and to Fra Mauro Jöhri, Minister General of the Friars Minor Capuchin, for their cordial welcome on your behalf. My greeting is now addressed to you, dear priests, engaged in serving the People of God every day as wise guides and diligent workers in the Lord's vineyard. I also greet with affection the beloved consecrated people, called to bear a witness of total dedication to Christ through the faithful practice of the Evangelical Counsels. A special thought for you, dear Capuchin Friars, who lovingly care for this oasis of spirituality and evangelical solidarity, welcoming pilgrims and devotees recalled by the vivid memory of your holy confrère, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. I warmly thank you for this precious service that you offer to the Church and souls who rediscover here the beauty of faith and the warmth of divine tenderness. I greet you, dear young people to whom the Pope looks confidently as the future of the Church and of society. Here, in San Giovanni Rotondo, everything speaks of the holiness of a humble friar and zealous priest who also invites us this evening to open our hearts to the mercy of God; he is urging us to be holy, that is, to be sincere and true friends of Jesus. Thank you too for the words of your young representatives.
Dear priests, the day before yesterday, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart and a day of priestly holiness, we inaugurated the Year for Priests, during which we shall commemorate with veneration and affection the 150th anniversary of the death of St John Mary Vianney, the Holy Curé d'Ars. In the Letter I wrote for the occasion, I wanted to stress how important the holiness of priests is for the Church's life and mission. Like the Curé d'Ars, Padre Pio also reminds us of the dignity and responsibility of the priestly ministry. Who was not struck by the fervour with which he relived Christ's Passion in every Eucharistic celebration? In him, as in the Curé d'Ars, a total willingness to accept the faithful, especially sinners, flowed from love for the Eucharist. Furthermore, if in a turbulent and difficult epoch St John Mary Vianney sought in every possible way to enable his parishioners to rediscover the meaning and beauty of sacramental repentance, the holy Friar of the Gargano was consumed until the end of his life by his longing to care for souls and to convert sinners. How many people changed their way of living thanks to his patient priestly ministry; what long hours he spent in the confessional! Like the Curé d'Ars, it was his ministry as confessor itself that constituted this holy Capuchin's distinctive feature and his greatest claim to glory. Consequently how can we fail to understand the importance of taking part devoutly in the Eucharistic celebration and of receiving the sacrament of Confession frequently? The sacrament of Penance in particular should be increasingly appreciated and priests must never resign themselves to seeing their confessionals deserted, or limit themselves to noting loss of interest in the faithful for this extraordinary source of serenity and peace.
Then there is another important lesson we can learn from Padre Pio's life: the value of and need for prayer. He would answer those who asked him to express an opinion of himself: "I am only a poor friar who prays". And effectively he prayed always and everywhere with humility, trust and perseverance. Here then is a key point, not only for the spirituality of the priest but also for that of every Christian, and especially for you, dear men and women religious, chosen to follow Christ more closely through the practice of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. One may sometimes be overcome by a certain discouragement at the weakening or even abandonment of faith which is recorded in our secularized societies. It is certainly necessary to find new channels for communicating the Gospel truth to the men and women of our time, but if the essential content of the Christian proclamation is always to remain the same, we must turn to its original source, to Jesus Christ who is "the same yesterday and today and for ever" (He 13,8). The human and spiritual life of Padre Pio teaches us that only a soul closely united with the Crucified One succeeds in communicating the joy and riches of the Gospel even to those who are remote.
Love for Christ is inevitably linked to love for Christ's Church, guided and enlivened by the power of the Holy Spirit, in which each one of us has a role and mission to carry out. Dear priests, dear men and women religious, the tasks entrusted to you and the charisms which you interpret may differ but may the spirit in which you carry them out always be the same so that your presence and action among the Christian people become an eloquent witness of God's primacy in your lives. Was it not perhaps precisely this that everyone perceived in St Pius of Pietrelcina?
May I now be permitted to address a special word to the young people whom I see here in such large numbers and so enthusiastic. Dear friends, thank you for your warm welcome and for the fervent sentiments which your representative has expressed. I noted that the pastoral plan of your diocese for the three-year period 2007-2010 pays great attention to the mission to young people and families, and I am certain that this approach of listening, confrontation, dialogue and verification to which you are committed will lead to an ever greater care of families and regular listening to the real expectations of the new generations. I have in mind the problems that confront you, dear young men and women, and that risk stifling the enthusiasm characteristic of your youth. Among these, in particular, I mention the phenomenon of unemployment that is dramatically affecting many young men and women in Southern Italy. Do not lose heart! Be "young people with great hearts", as you have often heard repeated to you this year since the Diocesan Youth Mission, animated and guided by the Regional Seminary of Molfetta last September. The Church does not abandon you. Do not abandon the Church! Your contribution is necessary for building living Christian communities and societies that are more just and open to hope. And if you want to have "great hearts", learn at the school of Jesus. Just the other day we contemplated his great Heart overflowing with love for humanity. He will never abandon you or betray your trust, he will never lead you on the wrong paths. Like Padre Pio, may you too be faithful friends of the Lord Jesus, keeping up a daily relationship with him through prayer and listening to his Word, with an assiduous practice of the Sacraments and cordial membership in his family which is the Church.
This must be the basis of the programme of life of each one of you, dear young people, as well as you, dear priests and you, dear men and women religious. I assure each and every one of you of my prayers, as I implore the motherly protection of St Mary of Grace, who watches over you from her Shrine in whose crypt Padre Pio's remains repose. I warmly thank you once again for your welcome and I bless you all, together with your families, your communities your parishes and your entire diocese.
Clementine Hall
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Your Eminences,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Dear Members and Friends of ROACO,
It has become a happy custom to welcome you at the end of the second annual meeting of the Assembly of Organizations for Aid to the Eastern Churches. I am grateful to Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, for his kind words on behalf of all. I reciprocate with a cordial greeting which I gladly extend to the Secretary, Archbishop Cyril Vasil', to the recently appointed Undersecretary, to the Dicastery's other collaborators and to Cardinal Foley. I greet their Excellencies the Prelates and the Custos of the Holy Land who are gathered with the Representatives of the International Catholic Agencies and of Bethlehem University. I warmly thank you, dear friends, for all that you do for the Eastern and Latin communities resident in the territories entrusted to this Congregation and in the other regions of the world where the children of the Catholic East, together with their Pastors, strive to build a peaceful coexistence with the faithful of other Christian denominations and different religions.
With the forthcoming Feast of Sts Peter and Paul, the Year dedicated to the Apostle to the Gentiles for the 2,000th anniversary of his birth is coming to a close. Taken by Christ and consumed by the Holy Spirit, he was a privileged witness of the mystery of the love of God manifested in Christ Jesus. His inspired word and his witness confirmed by the supreme gift of martyrdom were an incomparable praise of Christian love and are very timely. I am referring in particular to the hymn to Christian love in the First Letter to the Corinthians (1Co 13). On the lips of Paul of Tarsus, the word of God points out to us unequivocally what is "greatest" for all disciples of Christ: love! It is the fruitful source of all service to the Church, its measure, its method and its verification. Through your adherence to ROACO you wish to live out this love in particular by offering your availability to the Bishop of Rome through the intermediary of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches. In this way "the charitable movement, which the Congregation is supervising by the Pope's mandate so that that the Holy Land and other Eastern regions can receive in an orderly and balanced manner the necessary spiritual and material support for their ordinary ecclesial life and special needs, must continue, indeed, must grow" (Discourse during Visit to the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, 9 June 2007).
Today's meeting rekindles the joy of my recent Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In this regard I renew my gratitude to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, to the Papal Representative for Israel and for the Palestinian Territories, to Father Custos and to all who have helped to make my pilgrimage fruitful. Indeed, there were many moments of grace, when I was able to encourage and comfort the Catholic communities in the Holy Land, urging their members to persevere in their witness a witness filled with fidelity, celebration, and at times great suffering. I was also able to remind the Christians of the region of their ecumenical and interreligious responsibility, in keeping with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. I renew my prayer and my appeal for no more war, no more violence, no more injustice. I wish to assure you that the universal Church remains at the side of all our brothers and sisters who reside in the Holy Land. This concern is reflected in a special way in the Annual Holy Land Collection. I therefore exhort your ROACO Agencies to continue their charitable activities with zeal and with fidelity to the Successor of Peter.
Dear friends of ROACO, I accompany with special appreciation the work you do in this sensitive global situation which threatens to jeopardize loving ecclesial service in general, the projects already embarked upon and, especially, the future initiatives of your charitable organizations. I would like to take the opportunity to urge you and the agencies you represent to redouble your efforts. With a spirit of faith and with careful analyses and the necessary realism it will be possible to correct certain impractical decisions and to face effectively the current situations of need. I am thinking of the plight of refugees and migrants, which deeply concerns the Eastern Churches, and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, still lacking attention, where it is also necessary to take into account Israel's legitimate concern for its own security. In the face of these totally new challenges, the Church's loving service remains an effective instrument of salvation and the safest investment for the present and for the future.
Dear friends, I have several times emphasized the importance of the education of the People of God and, especially at this time when we have just started the Year for Priests, I am eager to recommend that you give the most favourable attention possible to the care of priests and the support of seminaries. When I inaugurated this unique Jubilee Year last Friday, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, I entrusted all the priests in the world to the Heart of Christ and to the Heart of the Immaculate Mother, with a special thought for those in the East as in the West who are living moments of difficulty and trial. I take this opportunity also to ask you to pray for priests. I ask you to continue to support me too, the Successor of the Apostle Peter, so that I may fully carry out my mission at the service of the universal Church. I thank you once again for the work you are doing: may God reward you abundantly. With these sentiments, I impart to each one of you, to your loved ones and to the communities and agencies you represent, the comfort of the Apostolic Blessing.
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Your Eminence,
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
I receive you with great joy, Pastors of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. Our meeting acquires special significance during these days when the whole Church is celebrating the Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and it is a great comfort to me for I know the deep links of fidelity and love that the faithful of your country feel for the Church and for the Pope.
You have come to the tombs of these two Princes of the Apostles to express your communion with the Successor of Peter and to reinforce the unity that must always unite you and that must continue to grow. I thank Bishop Pierre Nguyên Vãn Nhon, Bishop of Ðà Lat, for his kind words on your behalf. Allow me to greet in particular the Bishops who have been appointed since your last ad limina visit. I would also like to remember venerable Cardinal Paul Joseph Pham Ðinh Tung, Archbishop of Hanoi for many years. With you, I thank God for the pastoral zeal he exercised humbly in profound fatherly love for his people and great brotherhood for his priests. May the example of holiness, humility, simplicity of life of the outstanding Pastors of your country be for you incentives in your episcopal ministry at the service of the Vietnamese people, to whom I wish to express my high esteem.
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate, the Year for Priests began a few days ago. It will bring into the limelight the greatness and beauty of the ministry of priests. I would be grateful if you would kindly thank the diocesan and religious priests of your beloved country for their lives consecrated to the Lord and for their pastoral efforts with a view to the sanctification of the People of God. Be concerned for them and full of understanding, and help them to complete their continuing formation. If he is to be an authentic guide conformed to the Heart of God and the teaching of the Church, the priest must deepen his inner life and strive for holiness after the example of the humble Curé d'Ars. The flourishing of priestly and religious vocations, especially in the consecrated life of women, is a gift of the Lord for your Church. Let us give thanks to God for their charisms, which you encourage by respecting and promoting them.
In your Pastoral Letter last year you paid special attention to the lay faithful, highlighting the role of their vocation in the family context. It is to be hoped that every Catholic family, by teaching their children to live in accordance with an upright conscience, in loyalty and truth, may become a home of values and human virtues, a school of faith and love for God. Lay Catholics for their part must show by their life, which is based on charity, honesty and love for the common good, that a good Catholic is also a good citizen. For this reason you must ensure that they have a sound formation, by promoting their life of faith and their cultural standard so that they may serve the Church and society effectively.
I would like to entrust to you the young people in particular, especially rural youth who are attracted by the city to continue their advanced studies in it and to find jobs. It would be desirable to develop appropriate pastoral care for these young internal migrants, starting by strengthening, here too, collaboration between the young people's original dioceses and the host dioceses and by being unsparing in ethical advice and practical directives.
The Church in Vietnam is currently preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnamese episcopal hierarchy. This celebration which will be especially marked by the Jubilee Year 2010, will enable it to share the joy of faith enthusiastically with all the Vietnamese, in renewing their missionary commitments. On this occasion the People of God must be asked to give thanks for the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. This gift was generously received, lived and witnessed to by numerous martyrs who wished to proclaim the truth and universality of faith in God. In this regard, witness born to Christ is a supreme service that the Church can offer to Vietnam and to all the peoples of Asia, because it responds to the profound research for the truth and values that guarantee integral human development (cf. Ecclesia in Asia). In the face of the many challenges that this witness currently encounters, closer collaboration is necessary between the different dioceses and between the dioceses and religious congregations, as well as within them.
The Pastoral Letter that your Bishops' Conference published in 1980 emphasized "the Church of Christ in the midst of his People". In contributing her specific message, the proclamation of the Good News of Christ, the Church is contributing to the human and spiritual development of people, but also to the development of the country. Her participation in this process is a duty and an important contribution, especially at the time when Vietnam is gradually opening to the international community.
You know, as well as I do, that healthy collaboration between the Church and the political community is possible. In this regard, the Church invites all her members to be loyally committed to building a just, supportive and fair society. Her intention is certainly not to replace government leaders; she wishes only to be able to play a just role in the nation's life, at the service of the whole people, in a spirit of dialogue and respectful collaboration. By active participation in her own province and in accordance with her specific vocation, the Church can never be exempt from practising charity as an organized activity of believers, and on the other hand, there will never be a situation where the charity of each individual Christian is unnecessary, because in addition to justice humans need, and will always need, love (Deus Caritas Est 29). Furthermore, it seems important to me to emphasize that religions do not represent a threat to the nation's unity since they aim to help individuals to sanctify themselves and through their institutions desire to put themselves generously and impartially at the service of their neighbour.
Your Eminence, dear Brothers in the Episcopate, on your return to your country, please convey the Pope's warm greeting to the priests, men and women religious, seminarians, catechists and all the faithful, especially to the poorest and to those who suffer physically and spiritually. I warmly encourage them to stay faithful to the faith received from the Apostles, whose generous witnesses they are, in conditions that are often difficult, and to show the humble firmness which the Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia, n. 9) recognizes as one of their characteristics. May the Lord's Spirit be their guide and their strength! As I entrust you to the motherly protection of Our Lady of La Vang and to the intercession of the holy Martyrs of Vietnam, I impart to you all an affectionate Apostolic Blessing.
Saturday, 27 June 2009
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Ep 1,2).
Venerable Brothers,
It is with these words that St Paul, "an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God" addressed "the saints" who lived in Ephesus and the "faithful in Christ Jesus" (Ep 1,1). Today, through this proclamation of peace and salvation, I wish you welcome on the patronal feast of Sts Peter and Paul with which we shall conclude the Pauline Year. Last year, His Holiness Bartholomew 1, the Ecumenical Patriarch, wished to honour us with his presence in order to celebrate together the inauguration of this year of prayers, reflection and the exchange of acts of communion between Rome and Constantinople. In our turn, we had the joy of sending a delegation to the corresponding celebrations organized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Moreover it could not be otherwise in this year dedicated to St Paul who strongly recommended that "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace [be maintained]", teaching us that "there is one body and one Spirit" (Ep 4,3-4).
Welcome, therefore, dear Brothers who have been sent by His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch, to whom, in reciprocation, I ask you to take my warm fraternal greeting in the Lord. We will thank the Lord together for all the fruits and benefits that the celebration of the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of St Paul has brought us. We will celebrate in harmony the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul, the protòthroni of the Apostles, as the Orthodox liturgical tradition invokes them, that is, those who occupy the first place among the Apostles and are called "teachers of the ecumene".
By your presence, which is a sign of ecclesial brotherhood, you remind us of our common commitment to seeking full communion. You know this already, but I have the pleasure today once again of confirming that the Catholic Church intends to contribute in every possible way to re-establishing full unity, in response to Christ's will for his disciples and keeping in mind the teaching of Paul who reminds us that we are called "to the one hope". In this perspective we can therefore contemplate confidently the successful continuation of the work of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics. This Commission will be meeting next October to address a crucial topic for relations between East and West, that is, the "role of the Bishop of Rome in the communion of the Church in the first millennium". The study of this aspect is in fact proving indispensable for deepening the overall knowledge of this issue in the current context of the search for full communion. The Commission, which has already carried out important work, will be generously received by the Orthodox Church of Cyprus to which, from this moment, we express all our gratitude, since her fraternal welcome and the prayerful atmosphere that will surround our conversations cannot but facilitate our task and our mutual understanding.
I would like those who are taking part in the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue to know that they are accompanied by my prayers and that this dialogue has the full support of the Catholic Church. I hope with all my heart that the misunderstandings and tension encountered among the Orthodox Delegates at the last Plenary Meetings of this Commission have been resolved in brotherly love in such a way that this dialogue may be more broadly representative of Orthodoxy.
Beloved Brothers, I thank you once again for being with us today and I ask you to convey my fraternal greeting to His Holiness Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch, to the Holy Synod and to all the clergy, as well as to the Orthodox faithful. May the joy of the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul that we traditionally celebrate on the same day fill your hearts with trust and hope.
Paul VI Audience Hall
Monday, 30 June 2009
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
After the celebrations for the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, it is a real pleasure for me to meet all of you, Metropolitan Archbishops who received the pallium yesterday in the Vatican Basilica, and your relatives and friends who have accompanied you to this special audience. Thus the joy of communion experienced on the feast of the two great Apostles on which I was able to confer upon you the pallium, a symbol of the unity that binds the Pastors of the particular Churches to the Successor of Peter, Bishop of Rome. I address my cordial welcome to each one of you, who come from every continent, significantly revealing the face of the Catholic Church, spread over all the earth.
I first address you, beloved Pastors of the Church in Italy. I greet Archbishop Giuseppe Betori of Florence, Archbishop Salvatore Pappalardo of Siracusa and Archbishop Domenico Umberto D'Ambrosio of Lecce. We are at the beginning of the Year for Priests: may you therefore take pains to be exemplary Pastors, zealous and full of love for the Lord and for your communities. You will thus be able to guide and firmly support in their pastoral ministry the priests, your first collaborators, and cooperate effectively in spreading the Kingdom of God in the beloved land of Italy.
I am pleased to meet the French-speaking pilgrims who are accompanying the new Metropolitan Archbishops upon whom I have had the joy of conferring the pallium. I would like first of all to greet Archbishop Ghaleb Moussa Abdalla Bader of Algiers, Algeria, Archbishop Pierre-André Fournier of Rimouski, Canada, Archbishop Joseph Aké Yapo of Gagnoa, Côte d'Ivoire, Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa of Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Archbishop Philippe Ouédraogo of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. I also extend my warm greetings to the Bishops, priests and faithful of our countries, assuring them of my fervent prayers. The pallium is a sign of special communion with the Successor of Peter. May this sign also be for the priests and faithful of your dioceses an appeal to consolidate increasingly authentic communion with their Pastors and among all the members of the Church.
I extend warm greetings to the English-speaking Metropolitan Archbishops upon whom I conferred the pallium yesterday: Archbishop Paul Mandla Khumalo of Pretoria, South Africa; Archbishop J. Michael Miller of Vancouver, Canada; Archbishop Allen Henry Vigneron of Detroit, U.S.A.; Archbishop Anicetus Bongsu Antonius Sinaga of Medan, Indonesia; Archbishop Philip Naameh of Tamale, Ghana; Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan of New York, U.S.A.; Archbishop Vincent Gerard Nichols of Westminster, U.K.; Archbishop Robert James Carlson of Saint Louis, U.S.A.; Archbishop Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij of Bangkok, Thailand; Archbishop George Joseph Lucas of Omaha, U.S.A.; Archbishop Gregory Michael Aymond of New Orleans, U.S.A. and Archbishop Patebendige Don Albert Malcom Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka. I also welcome their family members, their relatives, friends and the faithful of their respective Archdioceses who have come to Rome to pray with them and to share their joy on this happy occasion. The pallium is received from the hands of the Successor of Peter and worn by the Archbishops as a sign of communion in faith and love and in the governance of God's People. It also recalls to Pastors their responsibilities as shepherds after the Heart of Jesus. To all of you I affectionately impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace and joy in the Lord.
I cordially greet the Spanish-speaking Metropolitan Archbishops who have come to Rome for the solemn ceremony of the conferral of the pallium: Archbishop Domingo Díaz Martínez of Tulancingo; Manuel Felipe Díaz Sánchez of Calabozo; José Luis Escobar Alas of San Salvador; Carlos Osoro Sierra of Valencia; Víctor Sánchez Espinosa of Puebla de los Ángeles; Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Tlalnepantla; Archbishop Ismael Rueda Sierra of Bucaramanga, and Archbishop Braulio Rodríguez Plaza of Toledo, as well as the relatives, friends, priests and faithful of their respective particular Churches who have accompanied them. Dear Brothers in the Episcopate, may the black silk cross embroidered on the pallium remind you that you must be every day more closely configured to Jesus Christ. Following in his footsteps as the Good Shepherd, always be signs of unity among your faithful, strengthening your bonds of communion with the Successor of Peter, with your suffragan Bishops and with all those who collaborate in your evangelizing mission. In this Year for Priests which has just began, carry deeply in your hearts your priests who expect of you kindly treatment as fathers and brothers who welcome them, listen to them and are concerned about them. I place you and your diocesan communities under the protection of Mary Most Holy, Queen of Apostles, who is so widely venerated in the countries that you come from: Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador, Colombia and Spain.
I welcome with joy the relatives and friends of the new Metropolitan Archbishops of Brazil who have accompanied them for the conferral of the pallium, a sign of profound communion with the Successor of Peter. In this communion I address a special greeting to Archbishop Sérgio da Rocha of Teresina; Archbishop Maurício Grotto de Camargo of Botucatu; Archbishop Gil António Moreira of Juiz de Fora; and Archbishop Orani João Tempesta of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. Please convey my greetings to the priests and to all the faithful of your Archdioceses, so that united in the same faith of Peter you may contribute to the evangelization of society. As a pledge of joy and peace in the Lord, I impart my Blessing to you all.
I greet you, Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki of Lviv for Latins, and all those who surround you at this moment of lively ecclesial communion. Once again, I am grateful for your service to the Church as my collaborator, and earlier, as that of my venerable Predecessor John Paul ii. May the Spirit of the Lord accompany you in your pastoral ministry for the faithful entrusted to your care, to whom I send a cordial greeting.
I cordially greet the Poles present here. In particular, I greet Archbishop Andrzej Dziega, the new Metropolitan of Szczecin-Kamien who received the pallium yesterday, and the faithful who come from this Metropolis. In the Year for Priests may the pallium also be for priests a symbol and a challenge to build communion with their own Bishops, among themselves and also with the faithful. As I implore for all of you the gifts of God's charity, I cordially bless you. Praised be Jesus Christ!
Dear brothers and sisters, may today's memorial of the Protomartyrs of Rome be a stimulus for each one of us to love Jesus Christ and the Church ever more intensely. May you be accompanied by the maternal assistance of Mary, Mother of the Church, by the Apostles Peter and Paul and by St John Mary Vianney. To each and every one of you I impart my Blessing.
July 2009
Clementine Hall
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I meet you with great pleasure, aware of the precious pastoral service that you carry out in the context of the promotion, animation and discernment of vocations. You have come to Rome to take part in a congress of reflection, comparison and sharing among the Churches of Europe on the theme: "Sowers of the Gospel of Vocation: a word that calls and sends forth" and it aims to imbue your commitment to vocations with new dynamism. The fostering of vocations is a pastoral priority for every diocese which assumes even greater value in the context of the Year for Priests that has just begun. I therefore warmly greet the Bishops Delegate for the pastoral care of vocations of the various Bishops' Conferences, as well as the directors of the national Vocations Centres, their collaborators and all of you present.
At the heart of your labours is the Gospel Parable of the Sower. The Lord scatters the seed of the word of God freely and with abundance but knowing that it may fall on poor soil, which will not allow a seed to mature because of dryness, or that its vital force may be extinguished, choked by thorn bushes. Yet the sower does not lose heart, for he knows that part of this seed is destined to find "good soil", namely, ardent hearts capable of receiving the word with willingness to help it mature through perseverance and yield fruit generously for the benefit of many.
The image of the soil can evoke the reality of the family, on the whole good; the sometimes arid and harsh environment of work; the days of suffering and tears. The earth is above all the heart of every person, especially of youth, to whom you address your service of listening and guidance: a heart that is often confused and disoriented, yet capable of containing unimaginable powers of generosity. It is like a bud ready to open to a life spent for the love of Jesus, able to follow him with the totality and the certainty that comes from having found the greatest treasure that exists. It is always and only the Lord who sows in human hearts. Only after the abundant and generous sowing of the word of God can one progress further along the paths of companionship and education, of formation and discernment. All this is linked to that tiny seed, the mysterious gift of divine Providence which releases from within an extraordinary force. In fact, it is the Word of God who brings about in himself what he says and desires.
There is another saying of Jesus' which uses the image of the seed, and which can accompany the Parable of the Sower: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (Jn 12,24). Here the Lord insists on the connection between the death of the seed and the "much fruit" that it will yield. The grain of wheat is he, Jesus. The fruit is having "life abundantly" (Jn 10,10), which he acquired for us through his Cross. This is also the logic and the true fruitfulness of every vocations ministry in the Church. Like Christ, the priest and the animator must be a "grain of wheat" who sacrifices itself to do the Father's will; who lives hidden from the clamour and the noise; who renounces the search for that visibility and grandiose image which today often become the criteria and even goals of life in a large part of our culture and which attract many young people.
Dear friends, be sowers of trust and hope. The sense of being lost that the youth of today often experience is indeed profound. Human words are frequently without a future or prospects, and also lack meaning and wisdom. The attitude of frenetic impatience and of the inability to live through a period of waiting is spreading. Yet, this could be God's hour: his call, mediated by the power and efficacy of the word, generates a path of hope towards the fullness of life. The word of God can truly become light and strength, a spring of hope, it can plot a path that passes through Jesus, the "path" and the "way"; through his Cross, which is the fullness of love. This is the message that comes to us from the Pauline Year which has just ended. St Paul, won over by Christ, inspired and formed vocations, as can be seen clearly from the greetings of his Letters, in which dozens of proper names appear, that is, the faces of men and women who worked with him in service of the Gospel. This is also the message of the Year for Priests that has just begun: the Holy Curé d'Ars, John Mary Vianney who is the "beacon" of this new spiritual itinerary was a priest who devoted his life to the spiritual guidance of people, with humility and simplicity, "tasting and seeing" God's goodness in ordinary situations. He thus proved to be a true teacher in the ministry of consolation and vocational guidance. The Year for Priests therefore offers a beautiful opportunity to rediscover the profound sense of the vocations ministry, as well as the fundamental decisions on its method: simple and credible witness, communion, with itineraries organized and shared within the local Church, the daily routine which is a lesson in following the Lord in everyday life; listening, guided by the Holy Spirit, to orient youth in their search for God and for true happiness; and lastly truth, which alone can give rise to inner freedom.
Dear brothers and sisters, may the word of God become in each one of you a source of blessing, of consolation and of renewed trust, so that you may help many to "see" and "touch" that Jesus whom they welcomed as Teacher. May the Word of the Lord always dwell within you, renew in your hearts the light, love and peace that God alone can give, and make you capable of witnessing and proclaiming the Gospel, source of communion and love. With this hope, which I entrust to the intercession of Mary Most Holy, I warmly impart the Apostolic Blessing to you all.
Monday, 6 July 2009
Mr Ambassador,
I welcome you with joy, Your Excellency, on the occasion of the presentation of the Letters accrediting you as Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Haiti to the Holy See, a mission moreover which is not unknown to you, Your Excellency, since you formerly held the same office at the Holy See from 2002 to 2004.
I am grateful to you for conveying the cordial message addressed to me by H.E. Mr René Garcia Préval, President of the Republic. To reciprocate, I would be grateful to you if you would kindly express to him my best wishes for himself and for all Haitians, hoping that they may be able to live in dignity and safety and form a society that is increasingly just and fraternal. Mr Ambassador, as I thank you for your courteous words, I would also like to mention to you the forthcoming celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Concordat between the Holy See and Haiti, the oldest in America. On this occasion, I am delighted with the numerous fruits that the Agreements have produced for the Church and for the nation, emphasizing once again in this regard that in Haiti the Catholic community has always enjoyed the esteem of the Authorities and of the population.
In recent months, Your Excellency, your country has suffered natural disasters which have caused serious damage throughout the national territory. The widespread destruction of farmland caused by hurricanes have aggravated the already difficult situation of many families. I hope that the international solidarity, for which I appealed on various occasions last year will continue to be forthcoming. In fact, in this particularly delicate period of national life the international community must give concrete signs of support to people in need. Moreover, as is known, in recent years many Haitians have left their country to seek the means to support their families elsewhere. It is therefore desirable that, despite the sometimes problematic administrative situations, rapid solutions be found to enable these families to live united.
Your country's vulnerability to bad and sometimes violent weather to which it is regularly subject has thus led to a better awareness of the need to take care of Creation. Indeed there is a sort of kinship of mankind with Creation which must lead him to respect each situation. The protection of the environment is a challenge to all, for it is a question of defending and making the most of a collective good, destined for all, a responsibility which must therefore encourage the present generations to be concerned about the generations to come. The thoughtless exploitation of the resources of Creation and its consequences, which all too often seriously affect the life of the poorest people, can only be effectively tackled by political and financial decisions in conformity with human dignity and by effective international cooperation.
However, your country is not without signs of hope. They are mainly based on the human and Christian values that exist in Haitian society, such as respect for life, attachment to the family, the sense of responsibility and above all faith in God who does not abandon those who trust in him. Attachment to these values makes it possible to avoid many of the evils that threaten social and family life. I therefore warmly encourage the efforts of all those in your country who contribute to promoting the protection of life and to restoring to the family institution its full importance, rediscovering in particular the value of marriage in social life. In fact, "every social model that intends to serve the good of man must not overlook the centrality and social responsibility of the family" (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, n. 214). In this perspective, it is indispensable to provide families who are in need with real support, and to guarantee women and children who are sometimes the victims of violence, neglect or injustice with effective protection.
The education of youth is also a priority for the future of the nation. This task is important and urgent in order to develop the quality of human life, at both the individual and social levels. In fact, at the root of poverty there are often various forms of cultural deprivation. In this domain, the Catholic Church makes a considerable contribution, through her numerous educational institutions, through her presence in rural and distant regions and also through the quality of the education and training provided by the Catholic schools. I am glad to know that these institutions are appreciated by the authorities as well as by the population.
On this happy occasion, Mr Ambassador, I would also like to offer a warm greeting to the Catholic community in your country which, guided by its Bishops, bears a generous witness to the Gospel. I encourage it to pursue its service to Haitian society, ever attentive to the needs of the poorest people and seeking the nation's unity with all, in brotherhood and solidarity. Indeed, it is an authentic sign of hope for all Haitians.
Mr Ambassador, when your noble mission of representing your country to the Holy See is beginning, I address my most cordial wishes to you for its success, and I assure you that you will always find with my collaborators the understanding and support that you need! I wholeheartedly invoke an abundance of divine Blessings upon you yourself, your family, your collaborators, and upon the entire people of Haiti and its leaders.
Friday, 10 July 2009
Mr Ambassador,
I am pleased to receive you, Your Excellency, at this solemn ceremony at which you are presenting to me the Letters which accredit you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Mexican States to the Holy See. I warmly thank you for your respectful words. At the same time I ask you kindly to convey to your President, Mr Felipe de Jesús Caldéron Hinojosa, to your Government and to all the noble people of your Country my best wishes, which I accompany with my fervent prayers that the beloved Mexican People, facing the vicissitudes of the present time with courage, determination and unity, may advance on the paths of freedom, solidarity and social progress.
You have come, Your Excellency, as the Representative of a great nation whose identity has been forged over the centuries in a fruitful relationship with the message of salvation that the Catholic Church proclaims. This is evident in many of its popular traditions and festivals. Faith in Jesus Christ has engendered in Mexico a culture that offers a specific and complete meaning of life and a vision of existence that is full of hope. At the same time, it illustrates a series of essential principles for the harmonious development of the whole of society, such as the promotion of justice, work for peace and reconciliation, the fostering of honour and transparency, the fight against violence, corruption and crime, the constant protection of human life and the safeguard of the dignity of the person.
The celebration of the World Meeting of Families in Mexico City several months ago has further highlighted the importance of this institution, so highly esteemed by the Mexican People. In fact, the family, a community of life and love founded on indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman, is the fundamental nucleus of the entire social fabric. Accordingly, it is of supreme importance that it be given satisfactory assistance so that homes do not cease to be schools of respect and mutual understanding, seedbeds of human virtues and a cause of hope for the rest of society. In this context, I would like to repeat to you how pleased I am with the fruits of this important ecclesial meeting, as once again I thank the Authorities of your country and all Mexicans for the visible hardwork they devoted to its organization.
I am pleased to note the good relations that exist between the Holy See and Mexico. They are part of the important progress achieved in recent years in a healthy atmosphere of reciprocal autonomy and collaboration. This must motivate and strengthen us to make them even closer in the future, bearing in mind the important place of religion in the specific character and history of your country. Precisely on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between your country and the Holy See, a series of commemorative events were organized in Mexico City in which various topics of common interest were examined, such as the correct way of understanding an authentic democratic state and its duty to safeguard and encourage religious freedom in all the dimensions of the nation's public and social life. Indeed, religious freedom is not merely one right among the many, nor is it a privilege demanded by the Catholic Church. It is the rock on which human rights are firmly founded, since this freedom reveals in a particular way the transcendent dimension of the human person and the absolute inviolability of his dignity. Religious freedom therefore belongs to the essence of every person, of every people and nation. The central meaning of religious freedom does not allow it to be limited to the mere coexistence of citizens who practise their religion in private. Nor may it be restricted to the free exercise of worship; on the contrary, believers must be offered the full guarantee that they may publicly express their own religion and make their own contribution to building the common good and to a correct social order in every walk of life, without any kind of restriction or coercion. In this regard the Catholic Church supports and encourages this positive view of the role of religion in society and has no wish to interfere in the proper autonomy of civil institutions. Faithful to the mandate received from her divine Founder, she seeks to encourage initiatives that benefit the human person, that fully promote his dignity and that recognize his spiritual dimension, in the knowledge that the best service Christians can offer society is the proclamation of the Gospel, which illuminates a genuine democratic culture and guides them in the search for the common good. It is thus obvious that the Church and the political community are and must feel, though in their different capacities, at the service of the personal and social vocation of human beings themselves (cf. Gaudium et spes GS 76).
Many steps are being taken by the various institutions of your nation to encourage a more just and supportive social order and to get the better of the contradictions that continue to hold the country in their grip. In this regard, it is worth emphasizing the attention and commitment with which the Authorities of your country are confronting such serious matters as violence, the drug trade, inequalities and poverty, which are a breeding ground for crime. It is well known that for an effective and lasting solution to these problems, technical or security measures do not suffice. What this requires is a broad vision and an effective joining of forces, in addition to encouraging the necessary moral renewal, educating consciences and creating a true culture of life. In this task, the Authorities and the various forces of Mexican society will always encounter the solidarity of the Catholic Church.
One can never sufficiently insist that the right to life must be recognized in its full breadth. In fact every person deserves respect and solidarity from the moment of his conception to his natural death. This noble cause, in which many men and women are courageously involved, must also be supported by the civil authorities in the promotion of just laws and effective public policies that take into account the very great value that every human being possesses at every moment of his life. In this regard, I would like to acknowledge joyfully the initiative of Mexico which, in 2005, eliminated capital punishment from its legislation, as well as the recent measures that some of its States have adopted to protect human life from its origins. These measures regarding such a fundamental issue must be an emblem of your country, of which you must feel justifiably proud since upon the recognition of right to life "every human community and the political community itself are founded" (John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae EV 2).
Mr Ambassador, before concluding this meeting, I want to congratulate you, Your Excellency, your family and the other members of this diplomatic Mission and also to remind you that in my collaborators you will always find the cooperation you may need in the lofty office of representing your beloved nation to the Apostolic See.
I implore God, through the intercession of Mary Most Holy, Our Lady of Guadalupe, to bless, protect and accompany all Mexicans, so close to the Pope's heart, so that in your country harmony, brotherhood and justice may ceaselessly shine.
Hall of Blessing
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Your Eminence,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I warmly thank you for your visit that is taking place on the day of the Feast of St Benedict, Patron of Europe, on the occasion of the first European Meeting of University Students, organized by the Catechesis-School-University Commission of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE). I extend my most cordial welcome to each one of you present here. I greet first of all Bishop Marek Jedraszewski, Vice-President of the Commission, and I thank him for the words he addressed to me in your name. I greet in a special way the Cardinal Vicar Agostino Vallini, and express to him all my gratitude for the precious service that the university ministry of Rome renders to the Church in Europe. Also I cannot but praise Mons. Lorenzo Leuzzi, the tireless animator of the Diocesan Office, and I greet with deep gratitude Prof. Renato Lauro, Rector Magnificent of the University of Rome Tor Vergata. I address my thoughts especially to you, dear young people: welcome to Peter's house! You belong to some 31 nations and are preparing to take on important roles and tasks in the Europe of the third millennium. May you always be aware of your potential and, at the same time, of your responsibilities.
What does the Church expect of you? It is the very theme on which you are reflecting that suggests the appropriate response: "New Disciples of Emmaus: Being Christians in the University". After the meeting of European professors that took place two years ago, now you students are also coming together to offer the Bishops' Conferences of Europe your willingness to continue on the path of cultural elaboration that St Benedict intuited would be necessary for the human and Christian maturation of the European peoples. This can happen if, like the disciples of Emmaus, you encounter the Risen Lord in a practical experience of Church and, in particular, in the Eucharistic celebration. As I reminded your peers a year ago during the World Youth Day held in Sydney, "At each Mass, in fact, the Holy Spirit descends anew, invoked by the solemn prayer of the Church, not only to transform our gifts of bread and wine into the Lord's body and blood but also to transform our lives, to make us, in his power, "one body, one spirit in Christ' (World Youth Day Mass, Randwick Race Course, Sydney, Australia). Your missionary commitment in the university context therefore consists in witnessing to the personal encounter you have had with Jesus Christ, the Truth that illuminates the path of every person. That "newness of heart" capable of giving a new sense of direction to personal existence originates from the encounter with him; and it is only in this way that one becomes a ferment and leaven of a society enlivened by evangelical love.
Therefore it is easy to understand why pastoral ministry within the university must be expressed with its full theological and spiritual value, helping young people to ensure that communion with Christ leads them to perceive the deepest mystery of mankind and of history. And, precisely because of their specific evangelizing action, the ecclesial communities involved in this missionary action such as for example the university chaplaincies can be the place for the formation of mature believers, men and women aware of being loved by God and called, in Christ, to become animators of university ministry. The Christian presence within universities becomes increasingly demanding and at the same time fascinating, because faith, as in past centuries, is called to offer its irreplaceable service to knowledge, which in contemporary society is the true driving force behind development. It is on knowledge, enriched with the contribution of faith, that a people's ability to know how to look to the future with hope overcoming the temptations of a purely materialistic vision of our essence and of history depends.
Dear young people, you are the future of Europe. Immersed in these years of study in the world of knowledge you are called to make use of your best resources not only intellectual in order to build your characters and to contribute to the common good. Working for the development of knowledge is the specific vocation of universities and, in the face of the vastness and complexity of knowledge available to humanity, it requires a higher and higher moral and spiritual quality. The new cultural synthesis being formed in our time in Europe and the globalized world needs the contribution of intellectuals who can present the subject of God anew in academic lecture halls, or rather regenerate that human desire to seek God "quaerere Deum" which I have mentioned on other occasions.
As I thank all those who work in the field of university ministry, under the guidance of the institutions of the CCEE, I hope that the fruitful journey begun several years ago may continue, and I express my deepest encouragement and appreciation of it. I am sure that your meeting in Rome in these days will propose further stages on the journey toward more integral planning, which will foster involvement and communion among the different practices already operative in many countries. Dear young people, together with your teachers you help to create laboratories of faith and culture, sharing the efforts of study and research with all the friends whom you meet at university. Love your universities, which are training grounds for virtue and service. The Church in Europe places deep trust in all of your generous apostolic commitment, aware of the challenges and difficulties but also of the great potential of pastoral action in the university sphere. As for me, I assure you of my support in prayer and I know that in turn I can count on your enthusiasm, on your testimony, above all on your friendship which you have expressed to me today and for which I thank you wholeheartedly. May St Benedict, Patron of Europe and my personal Patron in the Pontificate, and above all the Virgin Mary, whom you call upon as Sedes Sapientae, accompany you and guide your steps. My Blessing to you all.
Courtyard of the Papal Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo
Saturday, 1st August 2009
Dear Friends,
I accepted with deep pleasure the invitation to meet you on the occasion of the World Swimming Championships. Thank you for your appreciated visit; I gladly offer my cordial welcome to each and every one of you! I address a respectful thought first of all to Mr Julio Maglione, President of the International Swimming Federation (FINA), and to the Hon. Mr Paolo Barelli, President of the Italian Swimming Federation (FIN), while I also thank them for their kind words on behalf of all.
I greet the Authorities present, the directors and those in charge, the technicians, delegates, journalists and mass media operators, the volunteers, the organizers and all who have contributed to putting on this world sports event. I extend my most affectionate greeting specially to you, dear athletes of various nationalities who are competing in these World Swimming Championships. With your competitions you offer the world a fascinating spectacle of discipline and humanity, of artistic beauty and tenacious determination. You show what goals the vitality of youth can achieve when young people submit to the effort of a demanding training and are willing to accept numerous sacrifices and deprivations. All this is also an important lesson for life for your peers.
As has just been recalled, sports, practised with enthusiasm and an acute ethical sense, especially for youth become a training ground of healthy competition and physical improvement, a school of formation in the human and spiritual values, a privileged means for personal growth and contact with society. Watching these swimming championships and admiring the results achieved make it easy to understand the great potential with which God has endowed the human body and the interesting objectives of perfection it is able to achieve. One then thinks of the Psalmist's wonder who in contemplating the universe, praises the glory of God and the greatness of man: "when I behold your heavens", we read in Psalm 8, "the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have set in place what is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him?" (vv. 3-4). Then, how can one fail to thank the Lord for having endowed the human body with such perfection; for having enriched it with a beauty and harmony that can be expressed in so many ways?
The sports disciplines, each in a different way, help us to appreciate this gift which God has made to us. The Church follows and encourages sport, practised not as an end in itself, but as a means, as a precious instrument for the perfection and balance of the whole person. In the Bible we also find interesting references to sport as an image of life. For example, the Apostle Paul, considered sports an authentic human value and used them not only as a metaphor to illustrate lofty ethical and ascent ideals but also as a means for human formation and as an element of human culture and civilization.
Dear athletes, you are models for your peers, and your example can be crucial to them in building their future positively. So be champions in sports and in life! John Paul II who was mentioned earlier, met representatives of the world of sports in October of the Jubilee Year 2000. He stressed the great importance of practising sport, precisely since "it can encourage young people to develop important values such as loyalty, perseverance, friendship, sharing and solidarity". Furthermore, sports events like yours, thanks to the modern means of social communication, have a considerable impact on public opinion, given that the language of sports is universal and reaches out in particular to the young generations. Therefore, the use of sport as a vehicle for positive messages contributes to building a more fraternal world with greater solidarity.
Dear French-speaking athlete friends, I am happy to receive you and to offer you a cordial greeting on the occasion of the World Swimming Championships. The sport you practise is a school of generosity, loyalty and respect for others. May it encourage the development of the values of friendship and sharing between people and among peoples. May God bless you!
I am pleased to greet the English-speaking athletes taking part in the International Swimming Federation World Championships, together with the many officials, support staff, volunteers and friends who have joined you here in Rome during these days. May your pursuit of excellence be accompanied by gratitude for your God-given gifts and a desire to help others to use their own gifts in building a better and more united world. Upon you and your families I invoke God's Blessings of joy and peace.
I warmly greet the German-speaking participants in the World Swimming Championships here in Rome. Dear friends, as sports competitors you offer performances of a very high-standard and are an example for many young people. Be committed to all that is good and lasting in the world in which you live, so that sport may serve to develop the gifts that God has made to humankind. May the Lord bless you as you journey onwards.
I cordially greet all the Spanish-speaking people present here: athletes, directors and all who have taken part in various ways in the World Swimming Championships. I ask you to continue to practice your sport in harmony with the highest human values, so that it may encourage the healthy physical development of those who practise it and thereby set an example to children and young people for their integral formation. Thank you.
Dear Portuguese-speaking friends who are taking part in these World Swimming Championships. I warmly greet you all and take this opportunity to thank you for the lesson of life that you offer to the world, consisting of discipline and humanity, of artistic beauty and of a strong determination to win and, especially, to get the better of yourselves. I invoke God's help upon you and upon your families, as I impart to you the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear friends, and especially you, dear athletes, as I thank you once again for this cordial meeting, I express the hope that you will "swim" towards ever more incomparable ideals.
I assure you of my remembrance in prayer and, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I invoke God's Blessing upon you, upon your families and upon all your loved ones.
Courtyard of the Papal Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo
Sunday, 2 August 2009
Dear Deacon Kemmer,
Dear Musicians,
Dear Friends,
Today, after such a beautiful concert, for the first time I was unable to clap vigorously! I am therefore especially pleased to be able to express to Mr Albrecht Mayer and the musicians of the "Bayerischen Kammerorchester Bad Brückenau" the thanks and the admiration of everyone present. I likewise thank Deacon Cilian Kemmer for his words of greeting and all those who organized this concert at Castel Gandolfo and made it possible.
For us, of course, the great fascination this evening was the sound of the oboe that you, dear Mr Mayer, masterfully offered to us.
It was moving to observe that from a piece of wood, from this instrument, an entire universe of music flows: the unfathomable and the joyful, the serious and the humorous, the grandiose and the humble, an inner dialogue of melodies.
I thought how magnificent it is that such promise is hidden in a small creative piece which the conductor can liberate, and this means that the whole creation is full of promises and that the human being receives the gift of leafing through this book of promises, at least for a while. I think that this evening we are not only invited to cherish the natural forces that help us to express our physical energy that is a promise of creation, but also to cherish the deepest, greatest promises that this music has pointed out to us, in the vigilance of our hearts which also enables us to understand this piece of creation.
The programme with the description of the concert has as it were introduced us to the works of the composers. I believe that it is moving for all of us that these maestros acted like the good father of a family in the Gospel of which the Lord speaks. They not only draw the old and the new from their riches. With the incentive of their tasks, not only can they always create new things, but they can also take old things into consideration and therefore new potentials, which were present in the earlier work, become visible. This concert with the oboe solos has fulfilled the task of expressing new potentials in which the music continues, lives on and is reborn at every performance, just as it is now.
It springs to my mind that today, in the Church, is the Day of the Porziuncola Indulgence, which commemorates St Francis' miraculous vision. In the little church of the Porziuncola at Assisi, he saw the Lord and his mother surrounded by Angels. The Lord granted him to express a desire and St Francis asked to be able to take a pardon home. The request was accepted, the Saint went home and announced joyfully to his brethren: "friends, the Lord wants to have us all in Heaven". Today I think we should spend this moment as an hour of paradise, observing and listening to paradise, and the incorrupt beauty and goodness of the creation. It is not an escape from the miseries of this world and of daily life, because we can continue to counter evil and darkness only if we ourselves believe in goodness and we can believe in goodness only if we experience and live it as reality. Here, our hearts have brushed against the beautiful.
Dear friends, I have spoken in German because the musicians and the majority of the participants are German. Unfortunately after the events of the Tower of Babel languages separate us, they create barriers. But we have just seen and felt that a part of the world exists that was not destroyed, even after the Tower and the pride of Babel, and it is music: the language we can all understand, because it moves all our hearts. This is not only a guarantee to us that goodness and beauty of God's creation have not been destroyed but that we are called and are capable of working for the good and the beautiful, and they are also a promise that the future world will see that God wins, that the beautiful and the good win.
For this consolation, for this comfort in our daily work we are grateful to you musicians. Our thanks to you all, and I wish you a good evening and a good week.
September 2009
Benedict XVI Speechs 2009