Speeches 1986 - Delhi (India)
Saturday, 1st February 1986
Dear Archbishop Fernandes,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In the solemn joy of this moment, as I begin my pastoral visit to India and as I consecrate the Archdiocese of Delhi to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let our first action be to praise and bless our God. Let us glorify him for his love for the world which is shown to us in the heart of his Son. In the human heart of the Son of Mary the eternal love of God came to abide; and through Christ’s human life, and especially through his death on the Cross, the tender mercy of God was revealed.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" .This is the Good News of our Redemption. This is the saving message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is the Gospel which t have come here today to proclaim to you.
During these days I wish also with you to show my respect and esteem – beyond the limits of the Church – to every person in India. In this too we are impelled by the love of Christ.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Burning Fire of Love, have mercy on us and make our hearts like your own.
“Grazie per ciò che sei
e per ciò che fai”
Lord Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the human race, to your most Sacred Heart we turn with humility and trust, with reverence and hope, with a deep desire to give to you glory and honour and praise.
Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, we thank you for all that you are and all that you do for the little flock and all the twelve million people living in this Archdiocese of Delhi, which includes those entrusted with the stewardship of this nation.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, we praise you for the love that you have revealed through your Sacred Heart, which was pierced for us and which has become the fountain of our joy, the source of our eternal life.
Gathered together in your Name, which is above all other names, we consecrate ourselves to your most Sacred Heart, in which dwells the fullness of truth and charity.
In consecrating themselves to you, the faithful of the Archdiocese of Delhi renew their desire to respond in love to the rich outpouring of your merciful love.
Lord Jesus Christ, King of love and Prince of peace, reign in our hearts and in our homes. Conquer all the powers of evil and bring us to share in the victory of your Sacred Heart. May all we say and do give glory and praise to you and to the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God living and reigning for ever and ever. Amen.
Saturday, 1st February 1986
Dear Friends,
1. My visit to India is a pilgrimage of good will and peace, and the fulfilment of a desire to experience personally the very soul of your country.
It is entirely fitting that this pilgrimage should begin here, at Raj Ghat, dedicated to the memory of the illustrious Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation and "apostle of non-violence".
The figure of Mahatma Gandhi and the meaning of his life’s work have penetrated the consciousness of humanity. In his famous words, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru has expressed the conviction of the whole world: "The light that shone in this country was no ordinary light" .
Two days ago marked the thirty-eighth anniversary of his death. He who lived by non-violence appeared to be defeated by violence.
For a brief moment the light seemed to have gone out. Yet his teachings and the example of his life live on in the minds and hearts of millions of men and women. And so it was said: "The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere and I do not quite know what to tell you and how to say it... The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light. The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many more years..." . Yes, the light is still shining, and the heritage of Mahatma Gandhi speaks to us still. And today as a pilgrim of peace I have come here to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi, hero of humanity.
2. From this place, which is forever bound to the memory of this extraordinary man, I wish to express to the people of India and of the world my profound conviction that the peace and justice of which contemporary society has such great need will be achieved only along the path which was at the core of his teaching: the supremacy of the spirit and Satyagraha, the "truthforce", which conquers without violence by the dynamism intrinsic to just action. .
The power of truth leads us to recognize with Mahatma Gandhi the dignity, equality and fraternal solidarity of all human beings, and it prompts us to reject every form of discrimination. It shows us once again the need for mutual understanding acceptance and collaboration between religious groups in the pluralist society of modern India and throughout the world.
3. The traditional problems of poverty, hunger and disease have not yet been eradicated from our world. Indeed, in some ways they are more virulent than ever. In addition, new sources
of tension and anxiety have emerged as well The existence of immense arsenals of weapons of mass destruction causes a grave and justified uneasiness in our minds. The inequality of development favours some and plunges others into inextricable dependence. In these conditions peace is fragile and injustice abounds.
From this place, which belongs in a sense to the history of the entire human family, I wish, however, to reaffirm the conviction that with the help of God the construction of a better world, in peace and justice, lies within the reach of human beings.
But the leaders of peoples, and all men and women of good will, must believe and act of the belief that the solution lies within the human heart: "from a new heart, peace is born"... Mahatma Gandhi reveals to us his own heart as he repeats today to those who listen: "The law of love governs the world... Truth triumphs over untruth. Love conquers hate..." .
4. In this place, as we meditate on the figure of this man so marked by his noble devotion to God and his respect for every living being, I wish also to recall those words of Jesus recorded in the Christian Scriptures – with which the Mahatma was very familiar and in which he found the confirmation of the deep thoughts of his heart:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" .
May these words, and other expressions in the sacred books of the great religious traditions present on the fruitful soil of India be a source of inspiration to all peoples, and to their leaders, ín the search for justice among people and peace between all the nations of the world.
Mahatma Gandhi taught that if all men and women, whatever the differences between them, cling to the truth, with respect for the unique dignity of every human being, a new world order – a civilization of love – can be achieved. And today we hear him still pleading with the world: "Conquer hate by love, untruth by truth, violence by suffering" .
May God guide us and bless us as we strive to walk together, hand in hand, and build together a world of peace!
Saturday, 1st February 1986
O Lord and God of all, you have willed that all your children, united by the Spirit, should live and grow together in mutual acceptance, harmony and peace. We grieve in our hearts that our human selfishness and greed have prevented your plan from being realised in our times.
We recognise that Peace is a gift from you. We also know that our collaboration as your instruments requires a wise stewardship of the earth’s resources for the true progress of all peoples. It calls for a deep respect and reverence for life and a keen appreciation of the human dignity and sacredness of conscience of every person, and a constant struggle against all forms of discrimination in law or in fact.
We commit ourselves, together with all our brothers and sisters, to cultivating a deeper awareness of your presence and action in history, to a more effective practice of truthfulness and responsibility, the ceaseless pursuit of freedom from all oppressive structures, fellowship across all barriers and justice and fullness of life for all.
Gathered in India’s Capital at this Memorial to the Father of the Nation – an outstanding and courageous witness to truth, love and non-violence – we invoke your blessings on the leaders of this country and of all nations, on the followers of all religious traditions and of all people of good will. Enable us, Lord, to live and grow as active partners with you and with one another in the common task of building a culture without violence, a world community that places its security not in the manufacture of ever more deadly weapons but in mutual trust and practical concern for a better future for all your children within a worldwide civilisation of truth, love and peace.
Saturday, 1st February 1986
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
" Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ " .
1. With great joy I greet you, my brother bishops, on this first day of my visit to India. I have come as a pilgrim to the shrine of the People of God in this great land. As an apostle of Jesus Christ I have come in order to speak about love, to bear witness to the Gospel of love, the Gospel of him who characterised himself as a loving shepherd, "the Good Shepherd". My message is the message of God’s love: " In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him" . And on the basis of this love, I have come here in order to proclaim for the Church in India the unity which Christ wills for all his followers – a unity modelled on the unity of life and love that exists in the Most Holy Trinity.
I have come from Rome in order to be able to spend these days in unity and love with you, the bishops of India – with all of you who together with me have the pastoral charge of the flock of Christ. This is therefore an hour of ecclesial communion – communion in the love of Christ, in the unity of his Church and in the oneness of our pastoral mission.
As Pastor of the universal Church I must perform my own duty in the service of the Church’s unity. For this reason I wish to support you in your responsibility as pastors of the local Churches.
Moreover, our joint task is to enact the mystery of collegiality in its universal dimensions. As Successor of Peter I have come in order to confirm you and your local Churches in the faith. I am here to confirm you in all the aspects of your arduous apostolic ministry. Dear brother bishops: I have come to benefit from your spiritual contribution to the life of the Church, in order to carry it back to the universal Church.
2. Your episcopal ministry as it is exercised today in India involves a great privilege and a great duty. For you are called to the apostolic task of bearing witness to the Gospel of Christ among your people. You are called to proclaim salvation, mercy and compassion in the name of God who "so loved the world that he gave his only Son" .
You have a direct sharing with Christ in bringing the Good News to the poor. You are servants of mankind, messengers of God’s love. And all of this is centred around that mystery whereby Jesus Christ " though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich" . You bear witness to the reality of the Incarnation, in which God identifies himself with the poverty of humanity in order to lift humanity up to himself.
Day after day your ministry is exercised by proclaiming God’s revelation: God’s love for man, God’s solicitude for the well-being of man, God’s care for the whole man made up of body and soul. Everything you do is done in the name of Jesus Christ – true God and true man. Everything you do is done for God – for his glory; and everything you do is done for man – for man’s wellbeing and salvation. Your preaching necessarily means bearing witness to " the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God" . At the same time it means presenting to the world the tender love of Christ for man – man created in the image and likeness of God, man elevated in the mystery of the Incarnation and brought into greater union with God, man destined for eternal life.
3. Your proclamation of God’s love for man takes into account also man’s temporal needs. As the Church proclaims the transient character of this world, she likewise proclaims the will of God to transform the world in every respect, so that it may be a worthy foreshadowing of the next. The Church teaches that " earthly progress is of vital concern to the Kingdom of God to the extent that it can contribute to the better ordering of human society" .
Day after day in your ministry of service you are aware of the profound reality which Paul VI described when he wrote: " Between evangelization and human advancement – development and liberation – there are in fact profound links" . He spoke of the needs of peoples "engaged with all their energy in the effort and struggle to overcome everything which condemns them to remain on the margin of life: famine, chronic disease, illiteracy, poverty, injustices in international relations and especially in commercial exchanges" . In all these efforts, in the name of bearing witness to the Gospel, the Church endeavours to ensure the true development and liberation of millions of human beings. Over and over again the Church proclaims her conviction that the core of the Gospel is fraternal love springing from the love of God. The proclamation of the new commandment of love can never be separated from efforts to promote the integral advancement of man in justice and peace. As your brother in Christ I wish to assure you of my closeness to you in ail the efforts that you are making in this important aspect of your ministry.
4. Another matter that occupies your zeal is interreligious dialogue. This too is a serious part of your apostolic ministry. The Lord calls you, especially in the particular circumstances in which you are placed, to do everything possible to promote this dialogue according to the commitment of the Church. I t was Paul VI who dedicated a great part of his first Encyclical to the subject of dialogue.
He spelled out the need for dialogue, its conditions, its content, its characteristics and its spirit. In describing dialogue, Paul VI stated: "Before speaking, it is necessary to listen not only to a man’s voice, but to his heart... The spirit of dialogue is friendship and, even more, is service" .
As Bishops, you personify the loving Church of Christ that wishes to be open to the whole world, in order to listen and to offer friendship and service. The dialogue that you are called to is one of courteous respect, meekness and trust, from which all rivalry and polemics are excluded. It is a dialogue that springs from faith and is conducted in humble love. At the same time "the Church has something to say; the Church has a message to deliver; the Church has a communication to offer".
She truly wishes to speak about the transcendent destiny of man, about truth, justice, freedom, progress, harmony, peace and civilisation. And this dialogue is of its nature directed towards collaboration on behalf of man and his spiritual and material well-being.
As bishops, you personify the India, you have the task of expressing the Church’s respect and esteem for all your brethren and for the spiritual, moral and cultural values enshrined in their different religious traditions. In doing so you have to bear witness to your own convictions of faith, and offer the Gospel of Christ’s love and peace and its spirit of service to the consideration of all those who freely wish to reflect on it, just as you yourselves freely reflect on the values of other religious traditions. In this interreligious dialogue, which of its nature involves collaboration, the supreme criterion is charity and truth. You yourselves will always bear in mind the exhortation of Saint Paul: "Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ"
5. Your pastoral efforts to bear witness to the Gospel of Christ must include "a clear proclamation that in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all people as a gift of God’s grace and mercy" . This must be done with due regard for the great challenge of "inculturation". God’s Revelation took place in a specific culture, but from the very beginning it was destined for all cultures. It is the Church’s task to bring the Good News of salvation to ail cultures and to present it in a way that corresponds to the genius of each people. The task at hand is the task of translating the treasure of the faith, in the originality of its content, into the legitimate variety of expressions of all the peoples of the world. The core of the challenge was expressed in the Synod of Bishops of 1974 and it was subsequently formulated in this way: "The individual Churches, intimately built up not only of people but also of aspirations, of riches and limitations, of ways of praying, of loving, of looking at life and the world... have the task of assimilating the essence of the Gospel message and of translating it, without the slightest betrayal of its essential truth" .
In the task of ensuring genuine and faithful adaptation, the bishops of the local Churches have a specific responsibility. This is exercised in close collaboration with the Holy See and in communion with the whole Church. It involves discernment, which in turn requires prayer, study and consultation – a discernment supported by a pastoral charism.
The bishops have a particular responsibility with regard to liturgical inculturation, which aims at bringing "the unsearchable riches of Christ" ever more effectively into the Church’s life of worship.
Here further reflection and study is necessary. Here also it is important that doctrinal verification and pastoral preparation of the faithful should always precede the implementation of liturgical norms. This implementation must show due respect for the different religious sensitivities of people within the ecclesial community, while the preference of individuals and groups must be subordinated to the requirements of ecclesial unity in worship. Moreover, all liturgical inculturation must be effected with pastoral charity and understanding.
6. The above-mentioned topics – the proclamation of the Gospel, interreligious dialogue and inculturation – are truly matters that concern the well-being of the whole Church and therefore require the collaboration of all sectors of the ecclesial community. Nevertheless, it is important to emphasise the specific contribution of the clergy to these areas of life, under the leadership of the bishops. The priestly ministry is at the direct service of the word of God. The priest is a herald and servant of the Gospel, called ill to the dialogue of salvation with his brethren.
The effectiveness of the ministry of priests will depend to a large extent on their preparation. This generation, both in its spiritual and intellectual dimensions, is linked to the word of God – to the understanding and acceptance and application of the word of God. Priests are called to communicate to the faithful the word of God in all its purity and integrity. The Church in order to be able to transmit the word of God faithfully and live it fully, enjoys a special apostolic and pastoral charism which benefits the entire community of the faithful. This charism is the Magisterium of the Church – a gift of the Holy Spirit and one that is totally at the service of God’s word. Complete fidelity to this Magisterium is an essential mark of all effective seminary training and of all programmes for the permanent formation of the clergy. This fidelity is a guarantee of the supernatural effectiveness of the clergy’s life and ministry. It is cultivated through humility of heart and in prayer.
7. At the very centre of all your pastoral solicitude, dear brothers, is the Church’s unity In her unity we recognise the greatest of blessings, the desire of the Hearth of Jesus, the expression of fidelity to the Lord, the sign of the credibility of his Church and the sign of the credibility of the very mission of Christ. In the unity of the Church we see the reason why Jesus died: "To gather into one the scattered children of God".
The Second Vatican Council emphasised not only the Church’s unity but also her vocation to be a sign of the unity of mankind, so often divided by ethnic, political, cultural and linguistic rivalries and oppressed by all sorts of tension. Called to fulfil her mission in the modern world, the Church knows that she must live the mystery of unity in herself. This vocation of hers brings with it a need for reconciliation where unity has been impaired, damaged or broken.
We know that unity is the will of God. The Church is called upon to live by grace in the unity of the Most Holy Trinity. Christ’s prayer for unity applies to every situation in the Church: "that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you" . The local Churches are called upon to reflect this unity in all their internal relationships – between the bishop, the clergy, the religious and the laity. In each local Church there subsists the unity of the Catholic Church. The communion between the local Churches is also an expression of the mystery of the unity which the universal Church receives from the Holy Spirit. Communion with the Bishop of Rome ensures the Catholicity of the individual Churches and enables the bishops to share in the mystery of episcopal collegiality.
The individual bishop is the visible principle and foundation of unity in his particular Church, just as the Successor of Peter is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of unity for the bishops and all the faithful .
As we meditate on the mystery of ecclesial unity and of communion between the Churches, we come to understand the immense importance that the whole Patristic tradition attached to this element of the Church’s life. We come to understand how important it is to solve any problems that arise within the Church, as well as problems with separated Churches and Ecclesial Communions.
In this regard it is also necessary to encourage close communion and collaboration between the different rites of the Church, so that in their relationship the Churches may live unity according to the will of Christ.
I know that sincere efforts are being made here in India to do this. As far as the still unresolved interritual issues are concerned, the Holy See is striving to be of assistance. A study of the question has been going on for a long time. The various viewpoints have been presented with sincerity and deep conviction. The final stage of this study will be carried out as soon as possible. Be assured that I shall do everything possible to ensure a just and fair settlement of the issue that will take into account all the pastoral exigencies of unity and truth. I have great confidence that the decision of the Holy See will be given the full support of all the bishops.
8. Dear brother bishops: there are many aspects of your sacred ministry that I would like to reflect on with you, but it is impossible to include all of them. I would however like to emphasise once again the extreme importance of the Sacrament of Penance in accomplishing the renewal of the Church that was willed by the Second Vatican Council. The Church has always proclaimed the need for penance and repentance for a full partaking in the redeeming effectiveness of the Eucharist, which is the very centre and summit of all sacramental life. From the beginning of my Pontificate I have emphasised the need to stress the importance of individual Confession. In my first Encyclical I stated: "In faithfully observing the centuries-old practice of the Sacrament of Penance – the practice of individual confession with a personal act of sorrow and the intention to amend and make satisfaction – the Church is therefore defending the human soul’s individual right: man’s right to a more personal encounter with the crucified forgiving Christ" . I am happy to note the great fidelity of the Church in India in this regard, and I am sure that, with your continued encouragement the clergy, religious and laity will avail themselves ever more of the great treasure of love, forgiveness and reconciliation that Christ has left to his Church in the Sacrament of Penance.
9. In a particular way the laity are called to collaborate in the aspects of the Church’s life that concern the temporal order. Their fields of activity include politics, social issues, economics, culture, the sciences, the arts, international life and the mass media . The Church, in her service to the world, must count ever more on the contribution of the laity. The laity, in matters of assisting the poor, eradicating hunger and promoting human development, social reforms and peace, are in a special position to assume roles of service and leadership. The full implementation of the Second Vatican Council calls for an ever greater awareness of the laity’s role in renewing the temporal order in justice and charity. "Wherever there are people in need of food and drink, clothing, housing medicine, employment, education; wherever people lack the facilities necessary of living a truly human life or tormented by hardships or poor health, or suffer exile or imprisonment, there Christian charity should seek them out and find them, console them with eager care and relieve them with the gift of help" . It goes without saying that "the demands of justice should first be satisfied, lest the giving of what is due in justice be represented as the offering of a charitable gift" . In pursuing this course of charity and justice at every level, the Church seeks simply to be faithful to her vocation of rendering loving service to the world in the name of Jesus.
10. On the occasion of this my pilgrimage to India, I wish to express the Church’s profound admiration for all who have borne witness to the Gospel in this land, for all who have gone before you "marked with the sign of faith". With sentiments of deep gratitude the Church pays homage to the generations of missionaries who have made heroic sacrifices to come to this land of yours. They have generously given their lives for the Gospel and in dedicated service to the poor and needy. The Church offers praise and adoration to the Most Holy Trinity for the marvels accomplished by God’s revealed word in the hearts of millions of your fellow countrymen.
My last word of gratitude is to you, the shepherds of the flock. In the name of Jesus, "the Chief Shepherd" and "Bishop of your souls" , I thank you for your proclamation of God’s saving love. I also thank all your collaborators in the partnership of the Gospel: those who with you are heralds of the Good News of salvation, servants of the poor, messengers of peace, witnesses of love, builders of unity and disciples of Jesus Christ the Son of God and Saviour of the world.
I commend you and your ministry to the loving care of Mary the Mother of the Church, and I pray that she will sustain you all in joy until the day of Christ Jesus.
Sunday, 2 February 1986
Dear Friends,
1. I am pleased that my pilgrimage to India has brought me to Delhi, and once again to this Indira Gandhi Stadium. Here we are experiencing together, in a religious and cultural setting, the reality that is man in this your vast and fascinating land. You are representatives and leaders in various fields of human life and endeavour. To all of you I offer my greetings of friendship, respect and fraternal love.
I wish to thank all who have made this meeting possible, and I am especially pleased that so many young people are able to be here. I am very grateful to those of different religions who have welcomed me so cordially and have presented their deep reflections, together with their earnest hopes for India and for the world.
For all of us this experience is conducive to a deep reflection on this reality of man which we perceive and are immersed in. In India, without doubt, this reality offers us a spiritual vision of man. I believe that this spiritual vision is of supreme relevance for the people of India and for their future; it says much about their values, their hopes and aspirations and their human dignity. I believe that a spiritual vision of man is of immense importance for the whole of humanity With an emphasis on spiritual values the world is capable of formulating a new attitude towards itself – new, but based to a great extent on ethical values preserved for centuries, many of them in this ancient land. These include a spirit of fraternal charity and dedicated service, forgiveness, sacrifice and renunciation, remorse and penance for moral failings and patience and forbearance.
2. With the passing of time, it becomes evident that it is necessary to return over and again to the central issue of the world, which is man: man as a creature and child of God; man bearing within his heart and soul the image to fulfil his calling to live for ever.
The one who speaks to you today is convinced that man is the way that the Catholic Church must take in order to be faithful to herself In my first Encyclical I stated: " Man is the full truth of his existence, of his personal being and also of his community and social being – in the sphere of his own family, in the sphere of society and very diverse contexts, in the sphere of his own nation or people... and in the sphere of the whole of mankind – this man is the primary route that the Church must travel in fulfilling her mission" . And with equal conviction I would state that man is the primary route that all humanity must follow – but always man in the "full truth of his existence".
3. India has so much to offer to the world in the task of understanding man and the truth of his existence. And what she offers specifically is a noble spiritual vision of man – man, a pilgrim of the Absolute, travelling towards a goal, seeking the face of God. Did not Mahatma Gandhi put it this way: "What I want to achieve – what I have been striving and pining to achieve... is self-realization – to see God face to face. I live and move and have my being in pursuit of this goal" .
On the rectitude of this spiritual vision is built the defence of man in his daily life. With this spiritual vision of man we are e quipped to face the concrete problems that affect man, torment his soul and afflict his body.
From this vision comes the incentive to undertake the struggle to remedy and improve man’s condition, and to pursue relentlessly his integral human development. From it comes the strength to persevere in the cause, as well as the clarity of thought needed to find concrete solutions to man’s problems. From a spiritual vision of man is derived the inspiration to seek help and to offer collaboration in promoting the true good of humanity at every level. Yes, from this spiritual vision comes an indomitable spirit to win for man – for each man – his rightful place in this world.
Despite all the powerful forces of poverty and oppression, of evil and sin in all their forms, the power of truth, will prevail – the truth about God, the truth about man. It will prevail because it is invincible. The power of truth is invincible! "Satyam èva jayatè – Truth alone triumphs", as the motto of India proclaims.
4. The full truth about man constitutes a whole programme for world-wide commitment and collaboration. My predecessor Paul VI returned over and over again to the concept of integral human development, because it is based on the truth about man. He proposed it as the only way to bring about man’s true progress at any time, but especially at this juncture of history.
In particular Paul VI looked upon integral human development as a condition for arriving at that great and all pervasive good which is peace. Indeed, he stated that this development is " the new name for peace" .
To pursue integral human development it is necessary to take a stand on what is greatest and most noble in man: to reflect on his nature, his life and his destiny. In a word, integral human development requires a spiritual vision of man.
If we are to further the advancement of man we must identify whatever obstructs and contradicts his total well-being and affects his life; we must identify whatever wounds, weakens or destroys life, whatever attacks human dignity and hinders man from attaining the truth or from living according to the truth.
The pursuit of integral human development invites the world to reflect on culture and to view it in its relationship to the final end of man. Culture is not only an expression of man’s temporal life but an aid in reaching his eternal life.
India’s mission in all of this is crucial, because of her intuition of the spiritual nature of man. Indeed India’s greatest contribution to the world can be to offer it a spiritual vision of man. And the world does well to attend willingly to this ancient wisdom and in it to find enrichment for human laving.
5. The attainment of integral human development for mankind makes demands on each individual. It requires a radical openness to others, and people are more readily open to each other when they understand their own spiritual nature and that of their neighbour.
The Second Vatican Council perceived in our world "the birth of a new humanism in which man is defined above all by his responsibility towards his brothers and sisters and towards history" . It is indeed evident that there is no place in this world for "man’s inhumanity to man". Selfishness is a contradiction. By his nature man is called to open his heart, in love, to his neighbours, because he has been loved by God. In Christian tradition as expressed by Saint John’s Letter we read: " Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another... If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us" .
The building of a new world requires something deeply personal from each human being. The renewal of the world in all its social relations begins in the heart of every individual. It calls for a change of heart and for repentance. It calls for a purification of heart and a real turning to God. And what is deeply personal is supremely social, because "man is defined above all in his responsibilities to his brothers and sisters...". Christians cherish the fact that, in teaching his followers how to pray, Jesus told them to approach God by calling him "Our Father ".
While speaking of my own convictions, I know that many of them are in accord with what is expressed in the ancient wisdom of this land. And in this wisdom we find today an ever old and ever new basis for fraternal solidarity in the cause of man and therefore ultimately in the service of God.
The spiritual vision of man that India shares with the world is the vision of man seeking the face of God. The very words used by Mahatma Gandhi about his own spiritual quest echo the words quoted by Saint Paul when he explained that God is not far from each of us: " In him we live and move and have our being " .
6. Religion directs our lives totally to God, and at the same time our lives must be totally permeated by our relationship to God – to the point that our religion becomes our life. Religion is concerned with humanity and everything that belongs to humanity, and at the same time it directs to God all that is human within us. I would repeat what I wrote at the beginning of my Pontificate: "Inspired by eschatological faith, the Church considers an essential, unbreakably united element of her mission this solicitude for man, for his humanity, for the future of men on earth and therefore also for the course set for the whole of development and progress" . As religion works to promote the reign of God in this world, it tries to help the whole of society to promote man’s transcendent destiny. At the same time it teaches its members a deep personal concern for neighbour and civic responsibility for the community. The Apostle John issued a challenge to the early Christian community which remains valid for all religious people everywhere: " I ask you, how can God’s love survive in a man who has enough of this world’s goods yet closes his heart to his brother when he sees him in need?" .
7. In the world today, there is a need for all religions to collaborate in the cause of humanity, and to do this from the viewpoint of the spiritual nature of man. Today, as Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsees and Christians, we gather in fraternal love to assert this by our very presence. As we proclaim the truth about man, we insist that man’s search for temporal and social well-being and full human dignity corresponds to the deep longings of his spiritual nature. To work for the attainment and preservation of all human rights, including the basic right to worship God according to the dictates of an upright conscience and to profess that faith externally, must become ever more a subject of interreligious collaboration at all levels. This interreligious collaboration must also be concerned with the struggle to eliminate hunger, poverty, ignorance, persecution, discrimination and every form of enslavement of the human spirit. Religion is the mainspring of society’s commitment to justice, and interreligious collaboration must reaffirm this in practice.
8. All efforts in the cause of man are linked to a particular vision of man, and all effective and complete efforts require a spiritual vision of man. With Paul VI I repeat the conviction that " there is no true humanism but that which is open to the Absolute and is conscious of a vocation which gives human life its true meaning... Man can only realise himself by reaching beyond himself" .
The late President of India, Dr Radhakrishnan, was right when he said: " Only a moral and spiritual revolution in the name of human dignity can place man above the idols of economic production technological organisation, racial discrimination and national egotism" . And again "The new world of peace, freedom and safety for all can be achieved only by those who are moved by great spiritual ideals" .
The wisdom of India will contribute incalculably to the world by its witness to the fact that increased possession is not the ultimate goal of life. The true liberation of man will be brought about, as also the elimination of all that militates against human dignity, only when the spiritual vision of man is held in honour and pursued. Only within this framework can the world adequately face the many problems of justice, peace and integral human development that call for urgent solutions. And within this framework of the truth of man, the holiness of God will be made manifest by the rectitude and uprightness of human relations in the social, political, cultural and economic spheres of life.
9. This is the humanism that unites us today and invites us to fraternal collaboration. This is the humanism that we offer to all the young people present here today and to all the young people of the world. This is the humanism to which India can make an imperishable contribution. What is at stake is the well-being of all human society – the building up of an earthly city that will already prefigure the eternal one and contain in initial form the elements that will for ever be part of man’s eternal destiny.
The Prophet Isaiah offers us his vision of this reality:
"I will appoint peace your governor,
and justice your ruler.
No longer shall violence be heard of in your land,
or plunder and ruin within your boundaries.
You shall call your walls ‘ Salvation’
and your gates ‘Praise’.
No longer shall the sun
be your light by day,
Nor the brightness of the moon shine upon you at night;
The Lord shall be your light forever,
your God shall be your glory" .
However we describe our spiritual vision of man, we know that man is central to God’s plan. And it is for man that we are all called to work – to labour and toil for his betterment, for his advancement, for his integral human development. A creature and child of God, man is, today and always, the path of humanity – man in the full truth of his existence!
Speeches 1986 - Delhi (India)