Speechs 2008
Clementine Hall
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Mr Ambassador,
I am happy to greet you, Your Excellency, on this solemn occasion of the presentation of the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to the Holy See. I thank you, Mr Ambassador, for your cordial words. I would be grateful if you would kindly express to His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri my cordial good wishes for himself and for the Grand Ducal family, as well as for the happiness and success of the people of Luxembourg. I pray God to accompany the efforts and initiatives of all those who are concerned for the common good.
The festivities in honour of the 1,350th anniversary of the birth of St Willibrord, the second patron of your nation, are coming to an end with the end of this year. It is thanks to him, a tireless missionary amid great political turmoil, that the seed of the Gospel was scattered in your land, thrived, bore fruit and made a deep imprint on your country's history. Still today, the Catholic community takes an active part in the social and political life of your nation, seeking to make a useful contribution to the well-being of the entire population and to participate effectively in the resolution of the problems that effect the lives of men and women.
It is, in particular, a pressing common duty of all to protect human dignity from the assaults it undergoes as a result of conditions of poverty which exist even in the heart of the most developed nations like your own. This attention must be shown at various levels: in local action but also on a national scale and without forgetting international cooperation. However, may the current financial crisis that has given rise to so many worries not divert your country from the efforts it is making for solidarity and for development aid. I hope that your country may likewise be able to reassert to the other developed nations with which it has close relations that the rich countries cannot forget their responsibilities, in the first place, for the destiny of the poorest peoples. May the prosperity which your nation fortunately enjoys impose upon it the duty of exemplification.
Paradoxically, the financial context is an invitation to seek the true treasure of existence and to be attentive to the balances that make harmonious social life possible. Respect for Sunday is certainly one of the elements that contribute to this. Over and above this day's religious significance, its uniqueness reminds each citizen that he possesses a lofty dignity and that his work is not servile. Sunday is offered to all so that the human being is not reduced to being merely the member of a work force or a consumer but rather that he may rest and devote some time to the most important of human realities: family life, free encounters with others, spiritual activities and the worship of God. It is important not to lose, in a vain and dangerous race for profit, that which is not only a social acquisition but also and especially a mark of profound humanist wisdom.
Mr Ambassador,
I would also like to take the opportunity of our meeting to express to you my very deep concern about the text of the law on euthanasia and assisted suicide that is currently being discussed in Parliament. In practice, this text accompanied moreover and in a contradictory manner by another bill which contains felicitous legal measures for developing palliative care to make suffering more bearable in the final stages of illness and to encourage the appropriate humane care for the patient legitimizes the possibility of putting an end to life. Political leaders, who have the grave duty of serving the good of the human being, and likewise doctors and families, must remember that "the deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of his life is always morally evil and can never be licit" (Encyclical Evangelium vitae EV 57). In truth, love and true compassion take a different path. The request that rises from the human heart, especially when a person is tempted to cede to discouragement and has reached the point of wishing to disappear, is above all a request for company and an appeal for greater solidarity and support in trial. This appeal may seem demanding but it is the only one worthy of the human being and gives access to new and deeper forms of solidarity which, ultimately, enrich and strengthen family and social ties. On this path of humanization all people of good will are asked to cooperate and the Church, for her part, is determined to commit to it all her resources of attention and service. Faithful to their Christian and human roots and to the constant concern to further the common good, may every member of the population of Luxembourg always have at heart to reaffirm the greatness and inviolable character of human life!
To conclude, Mr Ambassador, I am pleased to greet, through you, Archbishop Fernand Franck of Luxembourg, the priests, deacons and all the faithful who form the Catholic community of the Grand Duchy.
As I have emphasized, I know that they are concerned with building, together with other citizens, a social life in which each one may find the ways to personal and collective fulfilment. May God strengthen these good intentions!
Your Excellency, at the time when you are officially inaugurating your duties at the Holy See, I express my best wishes to you for the successful accomplishment of your task. You may be sure, Mr Ambassador, that you will always find cordial attention and understanding with my collaborators. As I invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary and St Willibrord, I pray the Lord to bestow generous Blessings upon you, your family and your collaborators, as well as upon the authorities and the people of Luxembourg.
Clementine Hall
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Mr Ambassador,
I receive you with pleasure today and welcome you at the presentation of the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Madagascar to the Holy See. Please thank H.E. Mr Marc Ravalomanana, President of the Republic, for his cordial wishes. To reciprocate I ask you kindly to convey to him my respectful wishes for himself and for his lofty mission at the service of his citizens. I would also like to greet through you all the beloved Malagasy people.
I am touched, Mr Ambassador, by the courteous words you have addressed to me and I thank you for them. This year the "Great Island" has not been spared by natural disasters. Cyclones have destroyed numerous homes, bridges and roads, and the paddy fields and flocks have been seriously damaged.
Some people have died, others have been injured and yet others have lost their possessions. I would like to assure the entire Malagasy people of my closeness in concern and prayer. May God, in his goodness, take pity on his people and hear the voices of those who call him (cf. Ps Ps 5,3) and implore his aid! And with the Psalmist I say: "Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted" (Ps 9b[10]: 12). In this context it is fortunate that the Solidarity and Development 2008 Prize of the St Matthew Foundation in memory of Cardinal Francis Xavier Van Thuan was awarded last 13 November, on the occasion of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to the AKAMASOA project for small houses for the homeless in Antananarivo.
Two years ago, the President of the Republic presented and began to implement the "Madagascar Action Plan" (MAP) and "Fihavanana" (Fraternity in Solidarity), destined to develop the country, especially the rural zones, to build roads and to protect nature, as well as to encourage social harmony and peace. Scholarization, measures to diminish infant mortality and the fight against pandemics were also promoted. I hope for Madagascar that these projects and achievements will meet with the renewed favour of the international community so that it may continue to show great generosity and avoid exploiting the financial crisis that is rocking world and national economies as a pretext to reduce or suppress aid.
In July next year, Your Excellency, your country will be hosting the Summit of the African Union and the following year, the Summit of the French-speaking communities. These two events will direct international attention to Madagascar and enable it to work for harmony and peace among peoples, especially in the African continent, tortured by countless conflicts civil conflicts or wars between States and by the human tragedies that afflict a defenceless population that is all too often obliged to fight for its human and material survival. These international meetings, which must be encouraged, not only foster dialogue between different partners but also and above all open doors to various kinds of cooperation that permit reciprocal exchange, in dignity, goods and values that will enrich the respective populations and attenuate the social and economic imbalances that exist between the north and south of the planet. When these goods and values are fully used in conformity with the Lord's design, the whole of humanity will be greater. Lastly, as my venerable Predecessor said to the previous Ambassador, these international meetings tell the world that Madagascar desires to be increasingly committed "to the path of good government and respect for human rights" (Address to H.E. Mr Jean-Pierre Razafy-Andriamihaingo, Ambassador of Madagascar, 13 December 2002).
As you know, Mr Ambassador, the Catholic Church desires to make her own contribution. She has been present in Madagascar for centuries and is predominantly Malagasy. Malagasy Catholics, lay people and members of the ecclesiastical hierarchy share the sufferings and hopes of the people. They work, in accordance with their means, for the common good and the development of the Malagasy people. They desire to contribute to building a society founded on justice and peace. Their intention is to do their utmost to serve the Church and the people whose children they are, in this their nation.
They are therefore concerned with the whole of national life and the laws that regulate it, as well as the bills of law that must perfect the citizens' daily life. The long, rich tradition of the Church makes a positive contribution to the gradual construction of the nation. The Church does not seek to interfere in a domain that is not her own and is strictly political; quite simply, by virtue of her own nature, she desires to participate in the building and consolidation of national life.
Mr Ambassador, I would like for you also to kindly convey my greetings to the Catholic community in your country. It participates in the development and growth of the entire nation and you know the role it plays in the areas of education and health care, especially for the least privileged people whose plight it endeavours to relieve. The Church has contributed some important figures, as their charity and love for Madagascar has demonstrated. I am thinking in particular of Bl. Victoria Rasoamanarivo and of Venerable Bro. Raphael-Louis Rafiringa, whose Cause is progressing. I am sure that the young generations will find in them ever relevant models to follow and to imitate.
At the time when your mission of representation to the Holy See is officially beginning, I offer you, Mr Ambassador, my cordial good wishes for the success of your noble task and I would like to assure you that you will always meet with a warm welcome and attentive understanding from my collaborators, so that the harmonious relations that exist between the Republic of Madagascar and the Holy See may continue and be deepened.
I wholeheartedly invoke upon you, Your Excellency, upon your family and upon your collaborators, as well as upon the Nation's leaders and the entire Malagasy people, an abundance of God's Blessings.
Clementine Hall
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Your Excellency,
I am pleased to welcome you to the Vatican and to receive the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador and Minister Plenipotentiary of Belize. I am grateful for the greetings which you have brought from the Governor-General and the Prime Minister, and I ask you to convey to them my own cordial greetings and good wishes, together with the assurance of my prayers for you and your fellow-citizens.
I very much appreciate your kind reference to the contribution made by the Church to the development of your nation, especially through her well-established educational and social apostolates. A history of fruitful cooperation with the civil authorities and respectful relations with other religious groups has, in fact, enabled the Church freely to carry out her proper religious and cultural mission in Belize. The support traditionally given by the state to Catholic schools, and to the religious education of the young, has not only benefited the Church, but has also helped to strengthen the fabric of society as a whole.
Young people everywhere are entitled to a sound education which can allow them to integrate the intellectual, human and religious dimensions of life within a coherent synthesis (cf. Gravissimum Educationis GE 1). Belizeans are rightly proud of their rich history, the diversity of their cultural and religious traditions, and the spirit of mutual respect and cooperation which has long characterized relations between various groups within society. That impressive legacy cannot be taken for granted, but needs to be constantly reappropriated and consciously handed down to the younger generation at every level of education and community life.
This task is particularly urgent today, when the values which have traditionally shaped Belize’s national life and identity are being challenged by the importation of certain cultural models which, tragically, sap the very energies and gifts which young people bring to society: their idealism, generosity, joy, hope and enthusiasm. By fostering a climate of cynicism and alienation, they facilitate the spread of a counter-culture of violence and escapism, and the search for false utopias through alcohol and drug abuse. The latter phenomenon, which has proved destructive of so many lives and hopes, is a source of particular concern for all those committed to the welfare, not only of the young, but of society as a whole. The Church, for her part, wishes to help meet these challenges by assisting young people to discern, in the light of the Gospel, the lasting truths which are the foundation of an authentic and truly fulfilling life, and the basis of a peaceful and humane social community.
Essential to the future of any society are its families. In my Message for the 2008 World Day of Peace, I emphasized the unique role of the family as “the foundation of society and the first and indispensable teacher of peace” (No. 3). Strong families have long been a hallmark of your national life, and the Catholic community in Belize is committed to work with all people of good will in meeting responsibly the growing threats to the institutions of marriage and the family, especially by upholding the nature of marriage based on the life-long union of a man and woman, protecting the specific rights of the family, and respecting the inviolable dignity of all human life, from the moment of conception to natural death. This witness, aimed at informing public opinion and fostering wise, far-sighted family policies, is meant to contribute to the common good by defending an institution which has been, and continues to be, “an essential resource in the service of peace” and social progress (cf. ibid., 5).
Within the global community your nation has sought to consolidate its ties with other countries and to engage in programmes of international cooperation. On the basis of its past history, its relatively recent experience of independence, and the stability of its political life, Belize can serve as an encouragement and a point of reference not only within the Caribbean and Central America, but to young democracies in other parts of the world. Through such solidarity, people of good will can unite their efforts to create a social order embodying the values of freedom, respectful dialogue and cooperation in the service of the common good, the safeguarding of human dignity, and the fostering of effective concern for the poor and the disadvantaged.
With these sentiments, Mr Ambassador, I now offer you my prayerful good wishes for the mission which you have undertaken in the service of your country, and I assure you of the readiness of the various offices of the Holy See to assist you in the fulfilment of your responsibilities. I am confident that your representation will help to strengthen the good relations existing between the Holy See and Belize. Upon you and your family, and upon all the beloved people of your nation, I cordially invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace.
Clementine Hall
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Madam Ambassador,
I welcome you with pleasure at the presentation of the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Tunisia to the Holy See. I thank you for your kind words and for the greetings from H.E. Mr Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Republic. I would be grateful if you would kindly convey to him my gratitude, as well as my cordial wishes for himself and for the whole of the Tunisian people.
To enable each person and likewise each family to enjoy the well-being necessary for their full development, economic and social progress are essential. I am therefore delighted to learn that in recent years your country has experienced tangible progress in these areas. In the difficult financial situation that the world is undergoing today authentic solidarity must be established, both within each country and between nations, so that the poorest people will not be even further penalized. In fact, economic growth achieved at the expense of human beings, entire populations or social groups, condemning them to indigence, is unacceptable (cf. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, n. 332).
Economic progress must also go hand in hand with the development of the person's human and spiritual formation. Indeed, human life cannot be reduced to a material dimension. I acknowledge the efforts that Tunisia has made for the education of youth.
In the face of the difficulties and uncertainties of life and sometimes too a certain erosion of reference points that give it meaning, the younger generations need to receive a sound education to help them confront the rapid transformations of society. Special attention to cultural and religious differences will enable them to be better integrated in a world increasingly marked by the intermingling of cultures and religions, as well as to help in building a more fraternal world with greater solidarity.
Intercultural and interreligious dialogue is indeed an unavoidable necessity in our day if we are to be able to act together for peace and stability in the world and to further authentic respect for the person and for fundamental human rights. Moreover, recognition of the central place of the person and the dignity of each human being, as well as respect for life that is a gift of God, hence sacred, are a common foundation on which to build a more harmonious world that better accepts legitimate differences. The construction of a society in which the dignity of each person is recognized also implies respect for freedom of conscience and freedom of religion for each one, for the expression of authentic religious beliefs is the truest manifestation of human freedom.
Tunisia's location in the Maghreb invites it to play an important international role, particularly in the Mediterranean and in Africa. The establishment of good neighbourly relations between nations cannot fail to contribute to a clearer awareness of our common membership in one human family. International cooperation and exchanges are therefore to be encouraged, not only to guarantee the right to development to all but also to establish an authentic community of brothers and sisters, called to form one large family.
For this reason, beyond the narrow logic of market relations, social life must be based on the solid foundation of common spiritual and ethical values in order to respond to the needs of the common good and to preserve the rights of the weakest.
Madam Ambassador, the Catholic Church expresses her presence in Tunisian society mainly through her educational institutions and also in the health care sector as well as attention to the disabled. It is through her commitments to serving the people, regardless of their origin or religion, that she intends to contribute in her own way to the common good. The respect and kindness shown to these institutions of the Church are a sign of the trust they enjoy on the part of the Authorities and of the population. I can only rejoice in this.
In fact, as you know, the Catholic community in Tunisia which I would be grateful if you would greet warmly on my behalf is linked to an ancient tradition that has marked the cultural and spiritual life of your country. Saints such as Cyprian, Perpetua and Felicity and many others bore witness there to the one God to the point of giving their lives. I therefore ask Catholics, in profound communion with their Bishop, to manifest enthusiastically to those around them, in the image of their Fathers in the faith, the love of God which motivates them to be radiant witnesses of the hope they bear within them.
At the time when you are inaugurating your mission to the Holy See, Madam Ambassador, I offer you my cordial good wishes for its success so that the harmonious relations between the Holy See and Tunisia may continue to develop, and I assure you that you will always find an attentive welcome with my collaborators.
Upon you, Your Excellency, your family and your collaborators, as well as upon the Authorities and all the inhabitants of Tunisia, I wholeheartedly invoke an abundance of the Almighty's Blessings.
Clementine Hall
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Mr Ambassador,
I am pleased to receive Your Excellency at the Vatican for the presentation of the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Holy See and I warmly thank you for conveying to me the courteous message from H.E. Mr Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic.
I would be grateful if you would kindly convey to him in return my best wishes for him, as well as for the civil and religious authorities and for the whole Kazakh people.
Kazakhstan occupies a geographical position that puts it in contact with important geopolitical entities: Europe, Russia, China and the countries with a Muslim majority. Its diversified population includes people with very different languages and cultural traditions. These two elements, combined with the natural riches that your country possesses, are a gift of God which it is necessary to manage well. This gift offers great possibilities and unfolds prospects that can concern the future of the human being and contribute to the affirmation of his dignity. Your President has wished to make your land a place for meeting and dialogue, a sort of laboratory in which one seeks to live a respectful coexistence of cultural and religious diversity, a space that can show other peoples and nations that it is possible for men to live in dignity, peace and respect for the belief and particular nature of each one. I could not sufficiently encourage all the initiatives taken both within your frontiers and outside them for interpersonal, intercultural and interreligious dialogue. The world is thirsting for peace and God desires it to grow and develop in harmony. In this regard, I acknowledge the courageous and open approaches of dialogue your country has taken that will bear fruit within your own nation and consolidate stability in the region.
You know, Mr Ambassador, the positive role that religions can play in society, with respect for one another and collaborating to achieve common aims. It is certainly the State's role to guarantee full religious freedom but also to learn to respect the religious dimension and not to interfere in matters of faith or in the citizen's conscience. There is a great temptation for every State to leave the definition of the political and religious areas vague thus risking to fail to recognize what is outside its authority. Every State is consequently required to be watchful in order to avoid the negative effects of interference in the area of religion and its abuse as well as to respect the individual religious dimension which only asks to be simply and freely expressed without hindrance. Many are attentively observing Kazakhstan and its new approach in managing relations between religion and the State in order to learn from it. It is a unique opportunity offered to your country which should not be missed but willingly accepted. The Holy See supports all initiatives and activities to further peace and friendship among nations because they encourage mutual respect and human fulfilment.
Human nature, desired by God to be holy and noble, is not immune to defiance and the human heart is undermined by selfishness and falsity, as well as by his lack of inclination to solidarity and compassion. The various religious traditions that coexist in your nation will be able to suggest positive approaches in order to contribute successfully to its construction and development. They will not fail to help their faithful to conform to God's will and to work for the common good. Solidarity is essential in both interpersonal and interstate relations. Your country, on which the Most High has lavished human and natural riches, will be able to find the means to enable its own citizens and those nations which, less well endowed, still need various forms of assistance to benefit. The fair sharing of goods is becoming an imperative not only because it encourages political, national and international stability but because it responds to the divine will to create humankind as brothers and sisters to one another.
The Catholic community, which I ask you kindly to greet on my behalf, Mr Ambassador, has long been present in your country and has lived through many turbulent events in history. It has remained faithful, thanks to the self-denial of its priests, its men and women religious and thanks to the flame of faith that is still burning in believers' hearts (cf. Ad limina visit of the Bishops of Central Asia, 2 October 2008). These Catholic Kazakhs want to live their faith sincerely and to be able to continue to practise it serenely for their own personal perfection, of course, but also for the spiritual enrichment of your country through their own religious contribution. By its presence, its prayers and its actions the Catholic community participates in the stability and religious harmony of the noble Kazakhi society as a whole. The Agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of Kazakhstan, that was signed and came into being 10 years ago, guarantees the rights and duties of Catholics in your country and the rights and obligations of your State to them. As an epilogue to your address, Your Excellency, you described our bilateral relations as exemplary because, you said, they are based on "full reciprocal understanding and trust". You were right to emphasize this and I gladly congratulate you. May God bless this mutual trust and strengthen it increasingly!
At the time when you are beginning your noble mission, Mr Ambassador, certain that you will always find an attentive welcome from my collaborators, I offer you my best wishes for its success and for the continuation and development of harmonious relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Kazakhstan. I invoke an abundance of divine Blessings upon you, Your Excellency, upon your family and upon all the Embassy staff, as well as upon the President of the Republic, upon the other leaders and upon all the inhabitants of your nation.
Clementine Hall
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Mr Ambassador,
It is with great joy that I welcome you to the Vatican for the presentation of the Letters accrediting you as the first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Holy See. I thank you for the kind words you have addressed to me and for the greetings and the invitation you have conveyed to me from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifah. In return, please assure him of my best wishes for him and for the inhabitants of the Kingdom that they may all live in peace and prosperity.
The visit His Majesty paid to me at Castel Gandolfo last July, as well as your appointment, Your Excellency, as the first Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain, are signs of the good relations that your country wishes to pursue with the Holy See. I am truly delighted and hope that they will become even deeper.
The developments in the Kingdom in recent years express its constant anxiety to advance towards establishing a society open to the world and for increasingly fraternal relations with other nations, while remaining faithful to its legitimate traditional values. The participation of the greatest possible number in the guidance and management of the country's life can only help to maintain unity and solidarity among the various members of society, as well as encourage the common good.
I would like to acknowledge your country's commitment, which you emphasized, Mr Ambassador, to promoting a policy of peace and dialogue. Indeed, the Kingdom of Bahrain has a long tradition of tolerance and hospitality. In particular, it accepts numerous foreign workers who take part in the country's development. When they are far from their countries of origin and their families, which can only render their lives more difficult, may they feel at home in your country, thanks to the welcome they are given!
Among these foreign workers, a large number are Catholic. I would like here to thank the Authorities of the Kingdom for the welcome offered to them and for the possibility they are given to practise their religion. I am, moreover, glad to recall that the church built in 1939, on a piece of land donated by the Emir of that time, was the first church to be built in the Gulf States. Nevertheless, all are aware that today, with the increase in the number of Catholics, it would be desirable for them to have other places of worship at their disposal.
Respect for religious freedom which is one of the rights guaranteed by your country's Constitution is of the utmost importance because it affects the most profound and sacred dimension of man: his relationship with God. Religion provides the response to the question of the true meaning of life in the personal and social domains. Religious freedom that enables each one to live his belief alone or with others, in private or in public, also requires the possibility for the person to change his religion should his conscience so require. Moreover, at the time of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church solemnly stressed the obligation that man has to follow his conscience in all circumstances and that no one be forced to act contrary to his conscience (cf. Declaration on Religious Liberty, Dignitatis humanae DH 3).
Your country is also concerned to contribute to establishing an authentic dialogue between cultures and between the members of the different religions. Indeed, it is indispensable that an increasingly sincere understanding between people and among civil and religious groups develop, in order to establish increasingly fraternal relations. This begins with listening to one another respectfully on the basis of reciprocal esteem. While recognizing the divergences that separate us, Christians and Muslims, as well as our different approaches on many points, it is important that we collaborate in the world today to defend and promote the essential values of life and the family that enable man to live in fidelity to the one God and enable society to establish itself in peace and solidarity.
Through you, Mr Ambassador, I would also like to greet the Catholic community in your country very warmly, as well as its Vicar Apostolic. I ask God to support them in their faith and to help them to be authentic witnesses of the hope that enlivens them. In the Kingdom of Bahrain, as in all countries, Catholics seek to contribute to the good of society. Thus, the Sacred Heart School run by Carmelite women religious who provide high quality teaching for the young, regardless of their origin or religion, has for many years been an eloquent sign of this commitment.
In this perspective I hope that the local Church and her institutions may always make their own contribution to the good of all society, in trusting dialogue and in effective collaboration with the country's Authorities.
Mr Ambassador, at the time when you are beginning your mission to the Holy See, I address my cordial good wishes to you for its success and I assure you of the availability of my collaborators among whom you will always find understanding and support so that it may develop smoothly.
Upon you, your family and your collaborators, as well as on all the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Bahrain and their leaders, I wholeheartedly invoke an abundance of Blessings from the Most High.
Speechs 2008