Speeches 1980
Venerable and dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
1. In the name of Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd, you and I share, in different ways, a common pastoral responsibility for the people of God in Indonesia. This common pastoral responsibility is willed by Christ and is incumbent on us inasmuch as we are Bishops of the Catholic Church, successor of the Apostles, and members of the Episcopal College.
It is this common pastoral responsibility that gathers us together today in the service of the Church, for we are eager to see the light of Christ shine on the face of the Church. We are eager to see the Church as the sacrament of salvation penetrate ever more deeply into the fabric of Indonesian society and play a part in the different aspects of the life of your people. I know with what laudable patriotism you have supported the Pancasila or Five Principles of Indonesia’s State philosophy, and how you have endeavoured to show the love of Christ to all your brethren without any distinction whatsoever. Like my predecessor Paul VI, who went personally to Indonesia to confirm the faith of the pastors and people, and to encourage all of you in hope and perseverance, I too declare my ecclesial solidarity with you in your ministry, as you build up the community of faith and consolidate your people in their Christian vocation.
2. As we assemble here today we draw strength from our Catholic unity, of which our pastoral role is one aspect in the mystery of Christ’s Church. It is this Catholic unity that clarifies our pastoral role in its various dimensions; it gives us insights into the deepest truths of our apostolic activities.
Your local Churches are individual expressions of the one redeemed people of God, delivered from the dominion of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins[1]. The people of whom you are the pastors are called to live the new life of Christ, giving expression to it in their customs and culture, and faithfully manifesting its original character in their daily existence. In this way they are able to enrich the whole Body of Christ by their unique contribution.
In effect, it is the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church that subsists in your individual Churches. And it is the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic faith that is the great inheritance of your people, and that all of us Bishops are charged to proclaim "in season and out of season"[2]. As Successor of Peter, I shall be called to give a special accounting "in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is the judge of the living and the dead"[3] for the manner in which I respond to the charge, laid upon me by Christ, to be the guarantor of the purity of the faith of the whole Church and to fulfil worthily the role of the Roman Pontiff as "the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity of the Bishops and of the multitude of the faithful"[4].
3. The ecclesial communion that we share and foster brings us immense consolation and joy in our ministry as Bishops of the Catholic Church. We are aware of being, together with our faithful, the one Church of Jesus Christ, united in him and living by his Holy Spirit.
Our communion is first of all a communion of faith. It is the apostolic faith that unites us, an apostolic faith that the Spirit of truth assists the Magisterium in transmitting intact and pure from one generation to the next. In this regard, as Bishops, we must constantly commit ourselves anew to the full profession of the Catholic faith, which transcends by far the insights of our human wisdom and theological reasoning. Only the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of Jesus can sufficiently guarantee our faith, and this he does through the Magisterium which we are called to accept and in turn to proclaim to others.
Ours in also a communion of love - a love that has its origin and pattern in the Most Holy Trinity. We have been the object of God’s love, and this love unites us all together in the community of the Church. Among the tasks of a Bishop, how important it is for him to reflect the love of Jesus the Good Shepherd on a personal basis. At every moment of our lives as pastors, there is someone who needs our love, someone who deserves our love. Our priests, in particular, have a special title to this love. They are our friends, our brothers and our sons in Jesus Christ. For the entire flock our love is manifested in understanding and in generous, persevering service of their needs - especially their need for the word of God in all its purity and power.
Our communion is a communion of prayer, in which we all draw strength from the whole praying Body of Christ. The activity of prayer is very much a part of the life of the Church, uniting us with the living and the dead in the Communion of Saints. The saints of God are our intercessors. In particular, the Mother of Jesus, who is the Mother of the whole Body, intercedes for all who have received life in her Son. Legions of faithful Christians fulfil an ecclesial role of inestimable value by praying for the Church and her mission. We count on all these prayers, and are especially grateful for the contribution of the sick and the suffering.
Our communion insolves the solidarity of the universal Church. The local Churches are all concerned for each other, since it is the one Catholic Church that subsists in all of them. Our hierarchical communion is an expression of the bonds of a single Episcopal College that unites us in proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. By collegiality the pastors of the Church in Indonesia bring their solidarity to the whole Church and all the other pastors of the Church bring their solidarity to the local Churches in Indonesia. In all of this, the Holy See endeavours to exercise a role of service in coordinating activities and services beneficial to all. Above all, the Holy See in committed to the service of unity and truth, in charity. In accordance with the will of the Lord, the Successor of Peter strives to remain the servant of all.
In living this communion of faith and love, of prayer and solidarity, let us do everything, beloved Brethren, to point the awareness of the local Churches to the great mystery of Catholic unity. From this Catholic unity your people have received so much; to it they bring their own distinctive contribution, which is the incarnation of the Gospel in their lives and culture.
4. Venerable Brothers, let us always hold up to our people a supernatural message of hope, founded on salvation in Jesus Christ the Son of God, and communicated through his Church. It is Jesus Christ who beckons us to come to him in his Church, and through him to the Father, in the Holy Spirit. It is Christ who urges us to lead our people forward along the path of faith. It is Christ who invites us to open ourselves with all our limitations and our sins to his immense mercy. In the hope of mercy we present ourselves before "Christ Jesus our hope”[5]. In hope we consecrate to him our being and all our ministry. To him we must direct our local Churches; we must speak about him to our priests, religious and laity; we must proclaim his person and his promises, his Kingdom and his Coming. This hope gives great encouragement to our ministry and to our lives; it sustains us and urges us on. In the words of Saint Paul: "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those who believed".
Dear Brethren: in the love of Christ, in the communion of his Church, in the shared responsibility of our pastoral mission I embrace all the faithful of your local Churches. I also send my greetings to the civil authorities and to all your fellow-citizens, to all who make up the one family of your vast country. May God bless Indonesia and your own ministry at the service of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[1] Cfr. Col. 1, 13-14.
[2] 2 Tim. 4, 2.
[3] Ibid. 4, 1.
[4] Lumen Gentium, 23.
[5] 1 Tim. 1, 1.
June 1980
Dear friends in America,
My heart is still full of joy as I recall the warmth of your affection, and the cordiality with which you received me during my visit to your great country.
I am happy to have this brief moment to speak to you about Catholic Relief Services and about those irreplaceable works of mercy that are so close to my heart. I am mindful of how Americans in this century have repeatedly shown deep sensitivity and compassion whenever the sufferings of mankind have called out to them. And that is why I do not hesitate to address you once again.
Catholic Relief Services stirs up renewed faith in humanity. It brings healing comfort to our afflicted brothers and sisters from one end of the world to the other - to the once-rejected boat people from Vietnam; to the suffering masses of refugees from Cambodia; to the drought-stricken population of East Timor; to the victims of revolution, war, hatred, inhumanity and underdevelopment. These are our brothers and sisters who make up the CRS parish. The devoted corps of CRS workers in distant lands uplifts them in their grief, and ministers to their needs.
Through this CRS telethon telecast I direct my words today to all Americans, to all men and women of good will and full heart.
The works of faith, hope and charity is a bond that unites all peoples. You can help strengthen this bond and forge new ones throughout the world - with your interest, your understanding and your love.
Thank you and God bless you.
Your Holiness and Beatitude,
Dear Brothers in the Lord,
Today is indeed a joyful day in the long history of our Churches, for it is the first time that a Catholicos Patriarch of the Ancient Apostolic Church of Georgia has visited this Apostolic See of Rome to exchange the kiss of peace with its Bishop. In recent years there has been a steady growth in the good relations between our Churches as each has shared in the sorrows and the joys of the other, in accord with the words of the Apostle: "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another"[1]. Bishop Nikolosi of Sukhumi and Abkhasia, whom I am glad to greet once again, represented Your Holiness at the funeral of my predecessor John Paul I and also at the Mass which inaugurated my own pontificate; it was indeed a joy for me to be assured of your Church’s solidarity in prayer for God’s blessing as I began my ministry.
Three years ago Paul VI was represented at the funeral of your own predecessor, Catholicos Patriarch David V; and fast year Cardinal Willebrands, President of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, led a delegation to bring you my own brotherly greetings. We have, then, greeted each other, but from afar. Now God has enabled us to meet and to speak "face to face, so that our joy may be complete"[2].
We meet as brothers. The Church of Georgia treasures the preaching of St Andrew; the Church of Rome is founded on the preaching of St Peter. Andrew and Peter were brothers by blood, but they became brothers in spirit through their response to the call of Jesus Christ, true Son of God and "the first-born among many brethren"[3], who, in taking to himself the nature of all men, "was not ashamed to call them brethren"[4].
As heirs of Andrew and of Peter we meet today as brothers in Christ.
It is with brotherly love and concern that the Church of Rome has taken a keen interest in the joys and sorrows of the Church of Georgia. In time of peace and in times of persecution alike your Church has born a faithful and exemplary witness to the Christian faith and the Christian sacraments, a witness borne by many holy men and martyrs from the days of St Nina onwards.
Your Holiness’s concern for the renewal of the Church, a renewal firmly rooted in the apostolic tradition and in the particular traditions of the Church of Georgia, is a cause of special joy. You are well aware that the renewal of the Christian life is likewise the concern of the Church of Rome. It is this concern for renewal that has made us so keenly aware of the need and obligation to restore full communion between our Churches. The long course of our history has led to sad, and sometimes bitter, divisions which have led us to lose sight of our brotherhood in Christi and our concern for renewal is one of the factors that has led us to see more clearly the need there is for unity among all who believe in Christ. The Second Vatican Council said: "Every renewal of the Church essentially consists in an increase of fidelity to her own calling. Undoubtedly this explains the dynamism of the movement towards unity"[5]. It went on to remind all the faithful that "the closer their union with the Father, the Word and the Spirit, the more deeply and easily will they be able to grow in mutual brotherly love”[6].
Today this task of restoring full communion between divided Christians is a priority for all who believe in Christ. It is our duty to Christ, whose seamless robe is rent by division. It is our duty to our fellowmen, for only with one voice can we effectively proclaim one faith in the Good News of salvation and thus obey our Lord’s command to bring his Gospel to all mankind. And it is our duty to each other, for we are brothers and must express our brotherhood.
For this reason the Catholic Church has been praying earnestly in these fast weeks for God’s blessing on the first meeting of the Joint Commission for theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and all the Orthodox Churches. How fitting it was that the Commission first gathered on the Island of Patmos, where John was privileged to receive the revelation which enabled to bid us "hear what the Spirit says to the Churches"[7]. I am glad to learn that two members of your delegation, Bishop Nikolosi and Bishop David, took part in that meeting as representatives of the Church of Georgia, and I look forward to talking with you about it.
We join together in prayer that this dialogue will indeed bring us to that full unity of faith which we both so ardently desire. But our progress towards unity in faith must be matched by constant growth in knowledge and understanding of each other and by an ever-deepening love. When I returned from my own visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch fast year, I said: "Union can be only the fruit of the knowledge of the truth in love. They must both operate together; one apart from the order is still not enough, because truth without love is not yet the full truth, just as love does not exist without truth"[8].
Your Holiness, it is indeed timely that your welcome visit to Rome should occur so soon after this beginning of our theological dialogue, for it enables us to witness to the need for this to be rooted in a dialogue of brotherly love which must characterize relationships between the Churches of which we are the Pastors. As I renew my cordial greeting to you, I recall the words of Saint Peter, the brother of Saint Andrew: "All of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love of the brethren, a tender heart and a humble mind"[9]. May the Three Divine Persons, whose unity is the highest exemplar and source of the mystery of the unity of the Church[10] grant us this grace, and so bless our meeting today that it will contribute to the attainment of that goal for which Christ prayed and for which we so ardently long.
[1] Rom. 12, 15-16.
[2] 2 Io. 12.
[3] Rom. 8, 29.
[4] Hebr. 2, 11.
[5] Unitatis Redintegratio, 6.
[6] Ibid. 7.
[7] Apoc. 2, 7.
[8] Ioannis Pauli PP. II Allocutio in Audentia Generali habita: die 5 dec. 1979: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, II, 2 (1979) 1321.
[9] 1 Petr. 3, 8.
[10] Cfr. Unitatis Redintegratio, 2.
Venerable and dear Brothers in our Lord Jesus Christ,
1. I am very grateful for your visit today - grateful for the greetings you bring me from your local Churches, grateful for your own fraternal love in Christ Jesus, grateful for the ecclesial communion we celebrate together in Catholic unity. This ecclesial communion - this Catholic unity - was the theme of my address to your brother Bishops from Indonesia who were here less than two weeks ago. It is likewise the basis for this ad limina visit and for every ad limina visit to Rome.
2. Precisely because of this ecclesial communion, I personally, as Successor of Peter, experience deeply the need to make every effort to understand as fully as possible the problems of your local Churches and to assist in solving these problems in accordance with the will of Christ for his Church. The issues you have presented to me affect the well-being of your people. Some of them raise questions that touch the Catholic faith and Catholic life in general. All of them represent pastoral concerns that in differing ways are the object your responsibility and mine, matters to be examined with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, in the light of the perennial value of God’s word upheld by the Magisterium of the Church, and in the context of ecclesial communion.
3. Some of these issues, and other questions too, necessitate a thorough examination, which in turn requires time and a confident exchange of viewpoints between the Bishops of Indonesia and the Apostolic See. In every discussion of pastoral needs, primacy must be given to the word of God as the basis for truly effective solutions. The authentic interpretation of the word of God and its applications to life have been made by the Church over the centuries, and this interpretation and these applications form part of the patrimony of Catholic life today.
In this generation, the Second Vatican Council - an eminently pastoral Ecumenical Council - has reiterated teaching and established norms that will continue to direct all our pastoral efforts and all our ecclesial activities.
4. On my part, I shall do everything in my power to promote the good of your people and of the universal Church. With God’s help I hope to fulfil my role, which is to confirm you in your ministry of preaching " the unsearchable riches of Christ "[1], of proclaiming salvation in Jesus Christ as the great gift of God’s love, and of building up the Church day after day, year after year. In particular, my role as Successor of Peter is directed to the strengthening of my brother Bishops in the Catholic faith which they profess and teach, and which is the foundation of all pastoral endeavours and of all Christian living.
5. It was in the perspective of faith and the word of God that John XXIII interpreted "the signs of the times". Before the Second Vatican Council would enter into a consideration of the many issues facing it, Pope John wanted to insist on the pastoral nature of the event. But he knew that a pastoral Council - in order to be genuinely effective, in order to reflect truly the pastoral love of the Good Shepherd - would have a strong doctrinal basis. For this reason, in his address at the opening of the Council he stated: "The greatest concern of the Ecumenical Council is this: that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be more effectively guarded and taught"[2].
This ever more effective guarding and teaching of the word of God would take into account the manner of presentation of doctrine, and indeed the whole question of the incarnation of the word of God in local cultures, but it would also mean the transmission of the pure and entire doctrine which, throughout the centuries, had become, in its perennial validity, the common patrimony of everyone.
6. In this spirit, the Council itself laser on would emphasize the Bishop’s role of announcing the full truth of the Gospel and proclaiming "the whole mystery of Christ"[3]. Hence, as we deal with the many pastoral problems that face our Christian people - some of which are linked to their Baptismal election, others to the particular circumstances of their lives - we are constantly challenged to bear witness to the fullness of the Catholic faith. The Holy Spirit who assists us to read the signs of the times is the same Holy Spirit who came upon the Apostles, the same Holy Spirit who has assisted the Magisterium throughout the ages and has provided for the needs of the Church in every century, and who has produced fruits of justice and holiness in abundance in the hearts of the faithful.
In moral questions as in doctrinal issues we must continue to proclaim the Church’s teaching " in season and out of season "[4]. Hence we urge our people to admit only one measure of Christian love: to love one another as Christ has loved us[5]; we charge them to bear constant witness to Christ’s justice and his truth.
7. In our ministry at the service of life we are ca]led to testify to the fullness of the truth we hold, so that all may know the stand of the Catholic Church on the utter inviolability of human life from the moment of conception. Hence we proclaim with deep conviction that any wilful destruction of human life by procured abortion, for any reason whatsoever, is not in accord with God’s commandment, that it is entirely outside the competence of any individual or group, and that it cannot redound to true human progress.
8. In the question of the Church’s teaching on the regulation of birth, we are called to profess in union with the whole Church the exigent but uplifting teaching recorded in the Encyclical "Humanae Vitae", which my predecessor Paul VI put forth " by virtue of the mandate entrusted to us by Christ"[6].
Particularly in this regard we must be conscious of the fact that God’s wisdom supersedes human calculations and his grace is powerful in people’s lives. It is important for us to realize the direct influence of Christ on the members of his Body in all realms of moral challenges.
On the occasion of the ad limina visit of another group of Bishops I made reference to this principle, which has many applications, saying: "tot us never fear that the challenge is too great for our people: they were redeemed by the precious blood of Christi they are his people. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ vindicates to himself the final responsibility for the acceptance of his word and for the growth of his Church. It is he, Jesus Christ, who will continue to give the grace to his people to meet the requirements of his word, despite all difficulties, despite all weaknesses. And it is up to us to continue to proclaim the message of salvation in its entirety and purity, with patience, compassion and the conviction that what is impossible with man is possible with God.
We ourselves are only part of one generation in salvation history, but ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever’[7]. He is indeed able to sustain us as we recognize the strength of his grace, the power of his word and the efficacy of his merits"[8].
9. Christ’s grace does not eliminate the need for compassionate understanding and increased pastoral effort on our part, but it does point to the fact that, in the fast analysis, everything depends on Christ. It is Christ’s word we preach; it is his Church we construct day after day, according to his criterion. Jesus Christ has built his Church on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets[9], and in a special way on Peter[10]. But it remains his Church, the Church of Christ: "... and on this rock I will build my Church". Our people are ours, only because they are, above all, his. Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, the author of our faith, the hope of the world.
It is important for us to reflect on the mystery of the headship of Christ over his Church. Through his Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ gives grace and strength his people and he invites all of them to follow him. At times, beginning with Peter, Christ calls his people to be led, as he himself explains, where they do not wish to go[11].
10. Venerable Brothers: my recent pastoral visits confirm something that we have all experienced.
Our people are constantly turning to us with the expectation and the plea: proclaim to us the word of God; speak to us about Christ. Their request is an echo of the request spoken of by Saint John and made to the Apostle Philip: "We wish to see Jesus"[12]. Truly the world entreats us to speak about Christ. It is he who will shape the new heavens and the new earth. It is he who by his word of truth fashions and controls the destinies of our people.
With renewed pastoral love and zeal, let us proclaim his saving word to the world. Relying on the assistance of Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word, let us together commend our people and our ministry to him who alone has " the words of eternal life"[13].
With these sentiments I send my greetings back to all the members of your local Churches, and especially to all the Christian families. I offer my encouragement and gratitude to the priest and religious and to all who collaborate with you in the cause of the Gospel. To the sick and suffering goes my special blessing, and to everyone the expression of my love in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
[1] Eph. 3, 8.
[2] Ioannis XXIII Allocutio in solemni SS. Concilii inauguratione, die 11 oct. 1962.
[3] Christus Dominus, 12.
[4] 2 Tim. 4, 2.
[5] Cfr. Io. 13, 34.
[6] Pauli VI Humanae Vitae: AAS 60 (1968) 485.
[7] Hebr. 13, 8.
[8] Ioannis Pauli PP. II Allocutio ad sacros Praesules Papuae Novae Guineae atque Insularum Salomoniarum, occasione oblata eorum ipsorum visitationis «ad limina», die 23 oct. 1979: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, II, 2 (1979) 835.
[9] Cfr. Eph. 2, 20.
[10] Cfr. Matth. 16, 18.
[11] Cfr. Io. 21, 18.
[12] Ibid. 12, 21.
[13] Ibid. 6, 68.
Mr Ambassador,
I cordially welcome Your Excellency as Ambassador of Ireland and I assure you of my appreciation of the kind good wishes that you have brought me from His Excellency President Hillery. I recall with great pleasure the many courtesies that he showed me during my pastoral visit to your country and I renew my prayers for his welfare.
The three days that I spent in Ireland are among my happiest memories. I visited centres connected with both a glorious past and a thriving present. I had contact with your civil authorities and with people from all parts of your country, including leaders of other Christian Churches as well as the Catholic bishops, clergy, religious, missionaries, seminarians and young people.
These contacts gave me the opportunity to know the Irish better. They are a nation that is at the same time ancient and young. They possess a heritage of splendid traditions, in the shaping of which the Christian faith played a great part. It is a heritage that includes openness to other countries and awareness of belonging to a wide community that is not restricted within the boundaries of a single nation.
I am happy to see Ireland making her important contribution to the religious advancement of peoples and to ensuring economic, cultural and social progress through her active membership of continental and global organizations and through the response of her government and people to the call of those in spiritual and material need. As I said to President Hillery in Dublin, "Ireland has inherited a noble Christian and human mission and her contribution to the well-being of the world and to the shaping of a new Europe can be as great today as it was in the greatest days of Ireland’s history".
Since true happiness and progress depend on moral and spiritual values, I confidently hope that Ireland will continue to safeguard and advance these values both at home and, to the extent that she can, throughout the world. The world needs awareness of and respect for human rights, the surpassing dignity of each individual person, freedom to seek and adhere to the truth, and the duty to cooperate with others for the good of all in understanding, brotherhood and peace. These are some of the values that have been fostered by the work of Irish men and women, including the zealous missionaries who, today as well as in the past, have been heralds of the spiritual dimension of man and of the relationship with God without which human dignity can not be fully comprehended.
Your Excellency has spoken of your Government’s opposition to violence and its commitment to the pursuit of just and lasting solutions by peaceful means. I too pray for reconciliatio1 and peace, which cannot be established by violence, or in a climate of terror. but only through justice, forgiveness and love.
On this occasion I renew my prayerful good wishes for the Irish everywhere. On Your Excellency and on all your fellow countrymen I invoke God’s richest blessings.
Mr President,
1. It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you today. I am very happy to be able to reciprocate the warm welcome I received from you in Washington. The memories of my visit to the White House and of all my other contacts with the people of the United States are stored in my heart; they are recalled with joy and are frequently expressed in my prayers for America.
2. Your visit today to the Vatican as President of the United States is greatly appreciated. I am pleased to see in it an indication of your country’s profound respect and esteem for ethical and religious values - a respect and esteem which are so characteristic of millions of Americans of different faiths.
During my visit fast October, I was a personal witness to the way these spiritual values find expression in the lives of your people, how they form the moral fabric of your nation, how they constitute the strength of the civil State, which does not forget that it was founded on sound moral principles, and which wishes to preserve its heritage as "one nation under God".
3. All fields of human endeavour are enriched by true ethical values. During my pastoral journey I had occasion to speak of these values and to profess my own profound esteem for all who embrace them in national life. There is no sphere of activity that does not benefit when religious values are actively pursued. The political, social and economic domains are authenticated and reinforced by the application of those moral standards that must be irrevocably incorporated into the tradition of every State.
4. The same principles that guide the internal destinies of a people should direct their relationships with other nations. I desire to express my esteem for all those who, at the national and international level, have exemplified the values of compassion and justice, of personal concern for others and fraternal sharing, in an effort to promote ever greater freedom, ever more authentic equality, and an ever more stable peace for a world craving for truth, unity and love.
5. At the centre of all sublime spiritual values, is the worth of every human person, worthy of respect from the first moment of existence, endowed with dignity and rights, and called to share responsibility for every brother and sister in need.
6. In the cause of dignity and human rights, the Church is intent on offering to the world the contribution of the Gospel of Christ, proclaiming that man is created in the image and likeness of God and destined for life everlasting. Although, as the Second Vatican Council emphasizes, the Church is not a political entity, she still serves, together with the political community but by a separate title, the personal and social vocation of the same human beings[1]. And, while distinct from the socio-economic realm, the Church is called to serve it by proclaiming that man is "the source and center and purpose of all socio-economic life"[2].
In this area as in so many others, the Church is happy to speak out in favour of the human person and for everything that is advantageous to humanity. Moreover, she gives the assurance of her support for all that is done for the good of mankind, according to the distinctive contribution of each one. In this sense, Church and State are called to collaborate in the cause of man, and in the promotion of sacred human dignity. This collaboration is eminently useful, and it corresponds to the truth about man. Through the ethical formation of true citizens, who work side by side with their fellow citizens, the Church fulfils another aspect of her collaboration with the political community.
7. And today in this context, Mr President, I wish to assure you of my deep interest in every effort aimed at the betterment of humanity and devoted to world peace. In a particular way the Middle East and the neighbouring regions occupy our common attention because of the immense importance they hold for international well-being. I offer my prayers that all worthy endeavours at reconciliation and cooperation may be crowned with success.
The question of Jerusalem, which during these very days attracts the attention of the world in a special way, is pivotal to a just peace in those parts of the world, since this Holy City embodies interests and aspirations that are shared by different peoples in different ways. It is my hope that a common monotheistic tradition of faith will help to promote harmony among all those who call upon God. I would renew my earnest plea that just attention be given to the issues affecting Lebanon and to the whole Palestinian problem.
8. The Holy See is aware of a worldwide aspect of the responsibility that falls to the United States; it is likewise conscious of the risks involved in facing this responsibility. But despite all inconveniences and problems, despite human limitations, governments of good will must continue to work for peace and for international understanding in the control and reduction of armaments, in the promotion of the North-South dialogue, and in furthering the advancement of developing nations.
Just recently, on my visit to Africa, I was able to perceive personally the importance of that continent and the contribution it is called to make to the good of the world. But all this in turn requires the interest, support and fraternal assistance of other peoples, so that African stability, independence and rightful autonomy will be safeguarded and reinforced.
9. The question of human dignity is particularly linked with efforts on behalf of justice. Any violation of justice anywhere is an affront to human dignity, and all effective contributions to justice are truly worthy of the greatest praise. The purification of structures in the political, social and economic fields cannot help but yield salutary results.
I know of the interest of the United States in the situation in Central America, especially at this time.
Persevering efforts are required and must be sustained until every brother and sister in that part of the world, and elsewhere, is secure in his or her dignity and free from manipulation by any power, overt or subtle, anywhere on earth. I hope that the United States will lend its powerful support to efforts which effectively uplift the human level of peoples in need.
10. As I mentioned, my contacts with the people of the United States are vivid in my memory.
Enthusiasm and generosity, the will not to fall into enslaving materialism in the pursuit of the common good at home and in the international field - and, for Christians, the need to communicate the justice and the peace of Christ - these are the forces that the Holy See encourages for the benefit of humanity.
Mr President, my words today are meant to be an expression of appreciation for what has been done, an echo of the persistent needs of the world, a challenge of hope and confidence to the American people, whom I have known and loved so much. May God sustain you and bless the nation which you represent.
L’incontro con la comunità americana in Roma
Dopo lo scambio dei doni il Santo Padre accompagna il Presidente Carter fino alla Sala Clementina dove si trovano in attesa i Cardinali Baum, Prefetto della Sacra Congregazione per 1’Educazione Cattolica, Krol, Arcivescovo di Philadelphia, e Cooke, Arcivescovo di New York, con alcuni Vescovi americani gli alunni del Pontificio Collegio Americano del Nord e una rappresentanza della comunità statunitense residente in Roma ai quali il Presidente rivolge un saluto. Quindi prende la parola il Santo Padre che rivolge agli astanti il seguente discorso.
To the American community of Rome
Your Eminences,
Dear friends from the United States,
1. Your visit today takes me back in spirit to America. I have already met this morning with the President of your country, and now your presence evokes the different categories of people that I met fast October. A number of these groups are represented in the American community in Rome.
My particular greetings go to Cardinal Krol and Cardinal Cooke and to the Bishops who have come specially for this occasion, and also to Cardinal Baum and Bishop Marcinkus, who assist me day after day in Rome, and to the large number of American seminarians.
Every gathering of Americans elicits some reference to your homeland and to the bountiful gifts that God has bestowed on your people: gifts of nature, as well as spiritual and religious blessings. A few years ago, on the occasion of your Bicentennial celebration - at which I was present in Philadelphia - you made a special effort to emphasize your heritage and to preserve the gifts you had received.
2. Every gift that comes from God creates a responsibility in the recipient. This is very true of America, where God’s gifts have been abundant. One of the eminent gifts that constitute the special heritage of all your people - people of different backgrounds, ethnic origins and creeds - is the gift of freedom: a gift to be guarded and perfected, and a gift to be used not as an absolute end in itself, but as a means of ensuring the pursuit of all the truly human values.
And so, as a people you have a shared responsibility for preserving freedom and for purifying it.Like so many other things of great value, freedom is fragile. Saint Peter recognized this when he told the Christians never to use their freedom "as a pretext for evil"[3]. Any distortion of truth or dissemination of non-truth is an offence against freedom; any manipulation of public opinion, any abuse of authority or power, or, on the other hand, just the omission of vigilance, endangers the heritage of a free people. But even more important, every contribution to promoting truth in charity consolidates freedom and builds up peace. When shared responsibility for freedom is truly accepted by all, a great new force is set at work for the service of humanity.
3. The same need for shared responsibility exists for Christians in regard to the Gospel of Christ.
The Gospel is a sacred deposit to be guarded and taught ever more effectively, a dynamic message to be lived and to be proclaimed by word and example. It is a gift that is given for the benefit of all; it requires effort from all. In varying degrees, everyone shares responsibility for the word of God, the word of divine truth, life-giving truth, liberating truth.
It is my hope and prayer today that the concerted contribution to freedom of the American community in Rome, and the worthy fulfilment of Christian responsibility for the Gospel, will become ever more effective for the good of humanity and the glory of God. And may God bless you in your daily activities and give you joy and peace in his holy name. God bless America!
[1] Cfr. Gaudium et Spes, 76.
[2] Ibid. 63.
[3] 1 Petr. 2, 16.
Speeches 1980