Speeches 2001
The celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as the religion of Armenia has brought us together — John Paul II, Bishop of Rome and Pastor of the Catholic Church, and Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians — and we thank God for giving us this joyous opportunity to join again in common prayer, in praise of his all-holy Name. Blessed be the Holy Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — now and for ever.
As we commemorate this wondrous event, we remember with reverence, gratitude and love the great confessor of our Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Gregory the Illuminator, as well as his collaborators and successors. They enlightened not only the people of Armenia but also others in the neighbouring countries of the Caucasus. Thanks to their witness, dedication and example, the Armenian people in A. D. 301 were bathed in the divine light and earnestly turned to Christ as the Truth, the Life, and the Way to salvation.
They worshipped God as their Father, professed Christ as their Lord and invoked the Holy Spirit as their Sanctifier; they loved the apostolic universal Church as their Mother. Christ’s supreme commandment, to love God above all and our neighbour as ourselves, became a way of life for the Armenians of old. Endowed with great faith, they chose to bear witness to the Truth and accept death when necessary, in order to share eternal life. Martyrdom for the love of Christ thus became a great legacy of many generations of Armenians. The most valuable treasure that one generation could bequeath to the next was fidelity to the Gospel, so that, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, the young would become as resolute as their ancestors in bearing witness to the Truth. The extermination of a million and a half Armenian Christians, in what is generally referred to as the first genocide of the twentieth century, and the subsequent annihilation of thousands under the former totalitarian regime are tragedies that still live in the memory of the present-day generation. These innocents who were butchered in vain are not canonized, but many among them were certainly confessors and martyrs for the name of Christ. We pray for the repose of their souls, and urge the faithful never to lose sight of the meaning of their sacrifice. We thank God for the fact that Christianity in Armenia has survived the adversities of the past seventeen centuries, and that the Armenian Church is now free to carry out her mission of proclaiming the Good News in the modern Republic of Armenia and in many areas near and far where Armenian communities are present.
Armenia is again a free country, as in the early days of King Tiridates and Saint Gregory the Illuminator. Over the past ten years, the right of citizens in the burgeoning Republic to worship and practise their religion in freedom has been recognized. In Armenia and in the diaspora, new Armenian institutions have been established, churches have been built, associations and schools have been founded. In all of this we acknowledge the loving hand of God. For he has made his miracles visible in the continuing history of a small nation, which has preserved its particular identity thanks to its Christian faith. Because of their faith and their Church, the Armenian people have developed a unique Christian culture, which is indeed a most valuable contribution to the treasury of Christianity as a whole.
The example of Christian Armenia testifies that faith in Christ brings hope to every human situation, no matter how difficult. We pray that the saving light of Christian faith may shine on both the weak and the strong, on both the developed and developing nations of this world. Particularly today, the complexities and challenges of the international situation require a choice between good and evil, darkness and light, humanity and inhumanity, truth and falsehood. Present issues of law, politics, science, and family life touch upon the very meaning of humanity and its vocation. They call today’s Christians – no less than the martyrs of other times – to bear witness to the Truth even at the risk of paying a high price.
This witness will be all the more convincing if all of Christ’s disciples could profess together the one faith and heal the wounds of division among themselves. May the Holy Spirit guide Christians, and indeed all people of good will, on the path of reconciliation and brotherhood. Here at Holy Etchmiadzin we renew our solemn commitment to pray and work to hasten the day of communion among all the members of Christ’s faithful flock, with true regard for our respective sacred traditions.
With God’s help, we shall do nothing against love, but "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, we shall lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and shall run with perseverance the race that is set before us" (cf. Heb He 12,1)
We urge our faithful to pray without ceasing that the Holy Spirit will fill us all, as he did the holy martyrs of every time and place, with the wisdom and courage to follow Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Holy Etchmiadzin, 27 September 2001
His Holiness John Paul II His Holiness Karekin II
Zvartnotz International Airport
Yerevan, 27 September 2001
Your Excellency President Kocharian,
Your Holiness,
Dear Armenian Friends,
1. The time has come to say farewell and to thank you, Mr President, and the members of the Government for the wonderful hospitality I have found in Armenia. I am grateful to everyone, authorities and collaborators, civil and military, the men and women of the media, to all who have given their time and skills to make this visit a success.
With deep emotion I express my thanks to you, Your Holiness, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos, and to the hierarchy and faithful of the Armenian Apostolic Church for the spirit of brotherly love and communion which we have shared in these days.
2. Farewell to you, dear Archbishop Nerses, Archbishop Vartan, Bishop Giuseppe, and to the priests, men and women religious, and laity of the Catholic Church. With intense joy we have celebrated together the mystery of our faith, and I have experienced at first hand your desire to work with all your fellow citizens for greater justice and a better life for all Armenians. The Pope keeps you in his heart, and God himself will give you strength to meet the challenges before you.
I express once more my esteem for the representatives of all the Churches and Ecclesial Communities who have taken part in the events of my visit. May all the followers of Christ grow in trust and ecumenical friendship as we move into the Third Millennium and travel the path of ever closer union and cooperation!
3. Thank you, people of Armenia, for the warmth of your friendship, for the prayer we have shared, for your yearning for Christian unity. Thank you most of all for the witness of your faith, a faith you have not abandoned in dark times, a faith which remains deeply rooted in your families and in your national life.
Throughout history, Mount Ararat has been a symbol of stability and a source of confidence for the Armenian people. Yet time and again that stability and confidence were sorely tested by violence and persecution. The Armenian people have paid dearly for their frontier existence, so much so that the words "holiness" and "martyrdom" have become almost identical in your vocabulary. The terrible events at the beginning of the last century which brought your people "to the brink of annihilation", the long years of totalitarian oppression, the devastation of a disastrous earthquake: none of these has been able to prevent the Armenian soul from regaining courage and recovering its great dignity.
4. It is true, these are difficult years, and your heart is sometimes weary and unsure. Many of your young people have left the land of their birth; there is not enough work and poverty persists; it is hard to keep striving for the common good. But, dear Armenian Friends, hold on to hope! Remember that you have put your trust in Christ and said yes to him for ever.
Supported by your Armenian brothers and sisters throughout the world you are committed to the task of rebuilding in freedom your country and your society.
The time is ripe for your nation to gather its cultural resources and spiritual energies in a great concerted effort to develop and prosper on the basis of the fundamental truths of your Christian heritage: the dignity of every human being, the centrality of the person in every relationship and situation, the moral imperative of equal justice for all, and solidarity with the weak and the less fortunate. I pray to the Lord that the leaders of Armenia and of the other peoples of the region will have the wisdom and perseverance to move forward courageously on the path of peace, for without peace there can be no genuine development and prosperity.
5. In saying farewell, I am filled with confidence, for I have seen your resilience and the nobility of your aspirations. May Armenian hearts ever repeat the words of your great poet Hovhannčs Tumaniŕn about the homeland:
"But still you live, standing erect in spite of all your wounds
on the mysterious journey of time, past and present,
still standing, wise and pensive, and sad, with your God . . .
And the dawn of life’s happiness will come,
its light at last in thousands upon thousands of souls;
and on the sacred slopes of your Mount Ararat
will shine forth at last the flame of the time to come.
Then, with the dawn, new songs and new poems
will be on the lips of the poets".
May Saint Gregory the Illuminator and the great host of Armenian Martyrs and Saints watch over you now and in the future! And may the Mother of Christ, Ark of the New Covenant, guide Armenia to the peace which lies beyond the great flood, the peace of God who has set his bow in the clouds as a sign of his everlasting love (cf. Gen Gn 9,13).
Thank you, Mr President! Thank you, dear Brother Karekin! Thank you all!
Zvartnotz International Airport
Yerevan, 27 September 2001
Your Excellency President Kocharian,
Your Holiness,
Dear Armenian Friends,
1. The time has come to say farewell and to thank you, Mr President, and the members of the Government for the wonderful hospitality I have found in Armenia. I am grateful to everyone, authorities and collaborators, civil and military, the men and women of the media, to all who have given their time and skills to make this visit a success.
With deep emotion I express my thanks to you, Your Holiness, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos, and to the hierarchy and faithful of the Armenian Apostolic Church for the spirit of brotherly love and communion which we have shared in these days.
2. Farewell to you, dear Archbishop Nerses, Archbishop Vartan, Bishop Giuseppe, and to the priests, men and women religious, and laity of the Catholic Church. With intense joy we have celebrated together the mystery of our faith, and I have experienced at first hand your desire to work with all your fellow citizens for greater justice and a better life for all Armenians. The Pope keeps you in his heart, and God himself will give you strength to meet the challenges before you.
I express once more my esteem for the representatives of all the Churches and Ecclesial Communities who have taken part in the events of my visit. May all the followers of Christ grow in trust and ecumenical friendship as we move into the Third Millennium and travel the path of ever closer union and cooperation!
3. Thank you, people of Armenia, for the warmth of your friendship, for the prayer we have shared, for your yearning for Christian unity. Thank you most of all for the witness of your faith, a faith you have not abandoned in dark times, a faith which remains deeply rooted in your families and in your national life.
Throughout history, Mount Ararat has been a symbol of stability and a source of confidence for the Armenian people. Yet time and again that stability and confidence were sorely tested by violence and persecution. The Armenian people have paid dearly for their frontier existence, so much so that the words "holiness" and "martyrdom" have become almost identical in your vocabulary. The terrible events at the beginning of the last century which brought your people "to the brink of annihilation", the long years of totalitarian oppression, the devastation of a disastrous earthquake: none of these has been able to prevent the Armenian soul from regaining courage and recovering its great dignity.
4. It is true, these are difficult years, and your heart is sometimes weary and unsure. Many of your young people have left the land of their birth; there is not enough work and poverty persists; it is hard to keep striving for the common good. But, dear Armenian Friends, hold on to hope! Remember that you have put your trust in Christ and said yes to him for ever.
Supported by your Armenian brothers and sisters throughout the world you are committed to the task of rebuilding in freedom your country and your society.
The time is ripe for your nation to gather its cultural resources and spiritual energies in a great concerted effort to develop and prosper on the basis of the fundamental truths of your Christian heritage: the dignity of every human being, the centrality of the person in every relationship and situation, the moral imperative of equal justice for all, and solidarity with the weak and the less fortunate. I pray to the Lord that the leaders of Armenia and of the other peoples of the region will have the wisdom and perseverance to move forward courageously on the path of peace, for without peace there can be no genuine development and prosperity.
5. In saying farewell, I am filled with confidence, for I have seen your resilience and the nobility of your aspirations. May Armenian hearts ever repeat the words of your great poet Hovhannčs Tumaniŕn about the homeland:
"But still you live, standing erect in spite of all your wounds
on the mysterious journey of time, past and present,
still standing, wise and pensive, and sad, with your God . . .
And the dawn of life’s happiness will come,
its light at last in thousands upon thousands of souls;
and on the sacred slopes of your Mount Ararat
will shine forth at last the flame of the time to come.
Then, with the dawn, new songs and new poems
will be on the lips of the poets".
May Saint Gregory the Illuminator and the great host of Armenian Martyrs and Saints watch over you now and in the future! And may the Mother of Christ, Ark of the New Covenant, guide Armenia to the peace which lies beyond the great flood, the peace of God who has set his bow in the clouds as a sign of his everlasting love (cf. Gen Gn 9,13).
Thank you, Mr President! Thank you, dear Brother Karekin! Thank you all!
October 2001
Distinguished University Teachers,
1. More than a year has passed since the meeting we had for the Jubilee, but the enthusiasm of those unique and valuable days has not faded.
It was first and foremost the opportunity for a personal encounter with Him, with Jesus the Lord, our only Master. He is our living source, our centre for outreach, the nourishment that in the Word and in the Eucharist becomes an inner experience.
Our meeting was also the opportunity to acquire an ever deeper awareness of the Church, in the reciprocity of communion and in brotherly support of all who recognize themselves in Christ as members of one great family. This is the source of a renewed and enthusiastic witness that is aimed at imbuing daily university work with the dynamism of a meaningful, generous and genuine presence.
You have gathered once again for this meeting, accepting the invitation to "put out into the deep" which I presented as a horizon of hope and action for the whole Church, hence also to you, so that you may reflect on the practical implications that the outlook of new humanism entails for your university.
2. These are times of great change, and even ancient and venerable institutions, such as many of the Italian universities, are called to renew themselves. Multiple noble and worthy factors are interwoven in this process; at other times, on the contrary, they tend rather to exploit it at the risk of reducing knowledge to a means of self-affirmation, labelling the professionalism of teaching as an apprenticeship of a utilitarian and pragmatic sort.
The teacher is a master. He does not pass on knowledge like an object to be used and disposed of; he first establishes a sapiential relationship. Even when a personal meeting is impossible due to the large number of students and even before notions can be imparted, this becomes a word of life. The teacher provides instruction in the original sense of the term, that is, he makes a substantial contribution to building the personality; he educates, in the sense of the ancient Socratic image, helping his students to discover and to make use of the skills and gifts of each one. He forms them in accordance with this word's humanistic meaning, which is not to be reduced to the acquisition of professional skills, although these are necessary, but incorporates them in a solid construction and a transparent co-relation of life's meanings.
3. You have been called to teach. This is a vocation, a Christian vocation. At times it is perceived as one's own project from the earliest years; at others, it is revealed through what seem to be chance events but in fact are providential and mark each person's personal history. There, at your teacher's chair and desk, God has called you by name to an indispensable service to the truth about man.
This is the heart of the new humanism. It is born of the capacity to show that the word of faith really is a power that enlightens consciences, frees them from all servitude and renders them capable of good. The young generations expect of you new syntheses, not of an encyclopaedic type but of a humanistic form of knowledge. It is necessary to overcome the fragmentation that confuses and to write up open programmes that can motivate the commitment to research and to the communication of knowledge and, at the same time, form people who do not end by turning against the human person the tremendous potential achieved by scientific and technological progress in our time. Just as at the beginning of humanity, today also, when man wishes to act alone as an arbiter of the fruits of the tree of knowledge, he ends by finding himself the sad perpetrator of fear, conflict and death.
4. The reform involving schools and universities that is underway in Italy challenges the Church's pastoral activity, both in order to overcome forms of stagnation in cultural dialogue and to acquire a fresh approach to fostering the meeting of human minds, giving greater incentives to the quest for truth, scientific advances and the transmission of culture. Today too, we should rediscover a renewed trend toward the unity of knowledge - that of the uni-versitas - with innovative courage in planning a curriculum of studies for a high-profile cultural and formative plan that serves the whole man.
The Church - which looks to universities with great attention, because she has received much from them and expects much - has something to contribute to this task. First of all, continuously mindful that "the heart of every culture is its approach to the greatest of all mysteries: the mystery of God" (Address to the United Nations for its 50th anniversary, n. 9; L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 11 October 1995). Furthermore, recalling that only in this absolute verticality - of one who believes and therefore always pursues a deeper knowledge of the truth he has encountered, but also of the one who is searching and is thus on the path of faith - are culture and knowledge illumined by truth and offered to the human being as a gift of life.
5. Christian humanism is not abstract. The freedom in research that is so precious cannot imply neutral indifference to the truth. Universities are increasingly called to become workshops in which a universal humanism open to the spiritual dimension of the truth is encouraged and developed.
The service of the truth is the epoch-making mission of universities. It recalls the contemplative dimension of knowledge which heightens the humanistic feature of every discipline in the areas addressed by your convention. The ability to interpret the meaning of events and to appreciate the most daring discoveries stems from this interior attitude. The service of truth is the mark of free and open intelligence. Only by embodying these convictions in his daily activity can the university teacher become a bearer of hope in his personal and social life. Christians are called to bear witness to the dignity of human reason, to its requirements and its capacity for seeking out and knowing reality, thereby overcoming epistemological scepticism, the ideological reductions of rationalism and the nihilistic dead ends of weak thought.
Faith is capable of generating culture; it does not fear an open and frank cultural confrontation; its certitude has nothing in common with the rigidity of ideological preconception; it is the bright light of the truth that does not oppose the riches of the intelligence, but only the darkness of error. Christian faith enlightens and explains human existence in every context. Urged on by this inner richness, Christians spread it courageously and witness to it consistently.
6. Culture cannot be reduced to the level of instrumental use: its focus is and must remain the human person, with his dignity and his openness to the Absolute. The delicate and complex work of the "evangelization of culture" and the "inculturation of faith" is not content with simple adjustments, but calls for a faithful rethinking and a creative, innovative expression of the methodological tool that the Church in Italy recently wished to adopt: "the cultural project with a Christian orientation". This is born of an awareness that "the synthesis between culture and faith is not just a demand of culture, but also of faith.... A faith which does not become culture is a faith which has not been fully received, nor thoroughly thought through, nor faithfully lived out" (John Paul II, Letter establishing the Pontifical Council for Culture, 20 May 1982; L'Osservatore Romano English edition , 28 June 1982, p. 7).
Intellectual charity works to respond to such huge challenges. This is the specific task that Catholic university teachers are called to fulfil, in the conviction that the power of the Gospel is capable of profound renewal. May the "Logos" of God encounter the human "logos" and become "dia-logos": here is what the Church expects and hopes from universities and the world of culture.
May the new humanism be for you an outlook, a plan, a commitment. It will then become a vocation to holiness for all those who work in universities. At the beginning of this new millennium, you are all called to this "high standard".
As a pledge of my best wishes for your meeting on which I invoke an abundance of heavenly light, I impart a special Apostolic Blessing to each one of you and your respective families.
From the Vatican, 4 October 2001.
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Men and Women Religious,
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
1. We are reliving in our hearts yesterday's solemn liturgical celebration which saw seven new Blesseds raised to the glory of the altars. I address warm greetings to all of you, dear pilgrims gathered in Rome for this happy event.
Above all, I would like to share with you and to entrust to the Lord the anxiety and concern that has been stirred up within us by this sensitive moment in international relations.
The family atmosphere of today's meeting gives us an opportunity to thank the Lord together for the new Blesseds and to reflect once again on their Gospel witness and the rich spiritual inheritance they have bequeathed to us.
2. Welcome, dear pilgrims who have come to Rome to take part in the beatification of Archbishop Ignatius Maloyan. I greet all the Bishops of the Armenian Catholic Church who have come here as well as the representatives of the civil authorities of Armenia. In particular, I extend a greeting to the young people, asking the Lord to make them courageous Gospel witnesses. During my recent visit to Armenia, I could gauge the attachment to the Christian faith testified by so many episodes of its history! This is borne out by the beautiful testimony left by Bl. Ignatius. A brave man with a staunch faith, he focused his life and his ministry on the love of Christ. When the threat to the Armenian people became more menacing and he saw persecution looming on the horizon, after St Ignatius of Antioch's example he chose to follow Jesus to the very end and shed his blood for his brethren. His example invites all the baptized to remember that they have been immersed in Christ's death and Resurrection and must follow him every day.
I greet Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte and those who have come from Canada for the beatification of Emilie Gamelin, especially the Sisters of Providence. The new Blessed is a model for the men and women of today. One is always astonished by the fruitfulness of a life abandoned in the hands of God and that finds in contemplation the strength and daring for daily life and for the mission, receiving Jesus, in the image of Mary at the foot of the Cross, to live through him and for him alone.
Bl. Emilie's spiritual life gave her strength for her charitable mission; she emptied herself of all things and found the energy to comfort everyone. Taking her as your model, I encourage you to put yourselves at the service of the poor and of society's most underprivileged who are God's beloved, to alleviate their sufferings and thus make their dignity shine out.
3. I greet the German pilgrims with affection, especially the faithful from the Dioceses of Essen and Münster with their Pastors, Bishops Hubert Luthe and Reinhard Lettmann. Dear sisters, dear brothers, in the martyr Nikolaus Gross and in the Clemens-Sister Euthymia, your local Churches have received the gift of two new Blesseds. For your Dioceses, these exemplary Christians are a living advertisement. For this reason you must be proud of them. In these festive days spent in Rome, you have not merely achieved a goal; the beatification is actually also a beginning, for the new Blesseds invite people to follow in their footsteps in their homeland.
Blessed Nikolaus Gross teaches us to obey God rather than men. Our time urgently needs convinced Christians, who listen to the voice of their conscience and have the courage to speak out when it is a question of the transcendence of the human person. Sister Euthymia also has a timely message for us. Her life shows us that seemingly small things can be very important in God's eyes.
From the human viewpoint this sister was not a "star" in the limelight, but her silent work was a ray of light to many people that is still shining today.
May the example of both the new Blesseds be an incentive to you, and may their intercession accompany you all your life. I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing to you.
4. In this atmosphere of deep joy I am delighted to express my most cordial congratulations to the diocesan community of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno, which has seen two of its priest sons raised to the honours of the altar at the same time: Alfonso Maria Fusco and Tommaso Maria Fusco. They were not related but were brothers in the priesthood. Providence has now also linked them in the glory of the Blesseds in Heaven. I greet the pastor, Bishop Gioachino Illiano, and all of you, who have come in large numbers from the Diocese. I address the spiritual daughters of the two new Blesseds with special affection: the Sisters of St John the Baptist, and the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood. Dear sisters, your joy is also mine and that of the whole Church. I thank you for the prayerful and concrete fidelity which you have shown to the memory of your founders, whose example has now been solemnly recognized by the Church.
In his city of Angri, Canon Alfonso Maria Fusco was revered for his humble, simple spirit, which won for him affection and confidence. With the characteristic inner calm of saints that stems from absolute faith in God and his Providence, he managed to make the "dream" of his life come true: to found a women's congregation which would assist poor young people and provide them with an education. Today, the Sisters of St John the Baptist take his message to many parts of the world.
Bl. Tommaso Maria Fusco was also an apostle of charity. He responded to the Father's infinite love, made visible in the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, poured out as an effect of "his most tender love", with unconditional dedication of himself in the priestly ministry and in service to the little ones and the poor. Today his programme of life continues, thanks to you, dear Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood, who make him present here and now in your daily activity.
5. I now address you, brothers and sisters who are rejoicing in the beatification of Eugenia Picco, who came from the Ambrosian Church and became the adopted daughter of the Church of Parma.
I affectionately greet the Pastors of your ecclesial communities, together with the Little Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and with all of you, dear pilgrims who have come to pay homage to the new Blessed. In the congregation founded by Venerable Agostino Chieppi, she was a wise and prudent leader of her sisters, complying with the directions she received from the founder. Fully involved in the local Church, she made herself a mother to all, especially to the poor in whose tragedies, struggles and hopes she knew how to share. The experience of illness, especially in the last years of her life purified her soul. She can now teach everyone how to face difficult situations with the help of grace, how to serve the Church with the power of contemplation and how to approach brothers and sisters with the eagerness of charity.
6. Dear brothers and sisters, while we thank the Lord for the shining examples of holiness offered by the new Blesseds, let us renew to him our prayer for peace: "Da pacem Domine in diebus nostris! - Grant us peace, O Lord, in our days!".
May the Virgin Mary, whom the new Blesseds loved so tenderly, always guide and sustain us. I entrust all of you to her motherly protection, while I cordially bless you, together with your ecclesial and religious communities and your relatives and friends.
OF THE TERRORIST ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11th 2001
At the beginning of the Hora Tertia for the one month memorial of the terrorist attack on September 11th 2001, the Holy Father John Paul II pronounced the following Monition:
Brothers and Sisters,
Dear Synodal Fathers,
one month since the inhumane terrorist attacks
Speeches 2001