Speeches 2005-13 25085
Mr Ambassador,
I am pleased to welcome you at this ceremony for the presentation of the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Paraguay to the Holy See.
I am grateful for your kind words and for the cordial greeting you have brought me from H.E. Mr Nicanor Duarte Frutos, President of the Republic. I ask you at the same time to convey to him my very best wishes for his peace and well-being and for the prosperity and development of the beloved Paraguayan Nation.
I also ask you to express my deepest gratitude for the heartfelt gesture of respect and closeness that he showed to my venerable Predecessor by sending high Representatives of State institutions to his funeral; and also to me, by his presence as Supreme Mandatary at the solemn liturgical celebration inaugurating my Pontificate as Successor of Peter.
A few years after the celebration of the bicentenary of Paraguay's Independence and its creation as a sovereign Nation, today - as you have clearly pointed out - the Nation has a great opportunity to advance in dialogue and serene coexistence among its own citizens and with other countries, in order to overcome any form of conflict or tension. What better moment could there be than the present, when the legitimacy of the Supreme Magistrature of the State has been re-established, as happened at the last general elections, and when foundations have been laid that promise hopes of greater institutional stability?
I therefore encourage the citizens to practise true democracy, in other words, that of a Nation inspired by the supreme and immutable values, which enables the cultural wealth of people and the gradual development of society to respond to the needs of human dignity. In this regard, it is right to reassert that peace "is the first and supreme good of a society; it implies justice, freedom and order and makes every other good of human life possible" (Paul VI, Christmas Message, 23 December 1965).
On this topic, John Paul II stated in his Encyclical Centesimus Annus: "A democracy without values easily turns into open or thinly-disguised totalitarianism" (n. 46), for without an ultimate truth to guide and direct political action, "ideas and convictions can easily be manipulated for reasons of power" (ibid.).
As I said to the Diplomatic Corps on 12 May, the Church ceaselessly proclaims and defends her fundamental rights, which unfortunately are violated in various parts of the world, and strives for recognition of the rights of every human person to life from conception, to food, a home, employment, health-care assistance, the protection of the family and the promotion of social development with full respect for the dignity of men and women, created in God's image.
Government leaders who have received the responsibility to protect and defend these same rights must not falter, however great the difficulties may be, in their commitment to put them into practice. It is necessary for every member of their nation.
Through my Brother Bishops, the Church in Paraguay is aware of the need to respond faithfully to Christ's call so that everyone may live in an atmosphere of hope and peace, with the experience of God's love as the badge of every believing community.
To this end, a national consultation is being promoted whose theme is: Speak Lord, that your Church may listen. Its intention is to establish some common lines for pastoral action as well as to spread awareness that the construction of the Homeland is the duty of every citizen. All must feel involved in this marvellous project of building their Homeland and turning it into a people of brothers and sisters.
The Church, therefore, with the experience she has gained from humanity and without in any way wishing to interfere in the politics of States, "is interested in one thing only - to carry on the work of Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for he came into the world to bear witness to the truth, to save and not to judge, to serve and not to be served" (Gaudium et Spes GS 3).
At the end of this agreeable meeting, Mr Ambassador, may I congratulate you. I also offer you my very best wishes that you will have a pleasant stay in Rome and that your diplomatic mission will produce abundant fruits of mutual understanding and close collaboration, strengthening the good relations that already exist between your Country and the Holy See.
With these hopes, which I extend to your distinguished family and collaborators, I ask you kindly to convey my cordial greeting to the Government of Paraguay and especially to the President.
Please express my closeness and affection to the Paraguayan People, for whom I implore the motherly protection of Our Lady of Caacupé as I invoke upon everyone an abundance of divine Blessings.
Mr Ambassador,
I am pleased to receive from your hands the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ecuador to the Holy See. While I sincerely thank you for the kind words you have deigned to address to me, I offer you my most cordial welcome at this solemn ceremony which marks the beginning of the mission entrusted to you by your Government, and which you formerly exercised with significant success from 1984 to 1988.
I particularly appreciate the trust placed in you by H.E. Mr Alfredo Palacio González, President of the Republic. I kindly ask you to convey to him my best wishes for peace, well-being and prosperity for the integral development of this beloved Nation.
In receiving you, I cannot omit to recall the pleasant visit I paid to your Country in 1978, when I was Archbishop of Munich and Freising, as Extraordinary Envoy to preside at the Third National Marian Congress in Guayaquil. On that occasion, I was also able to visit the Ecclesiastical Circumscriptions of Cuenca, Ambato and, briefly, Quito. It was a very positive experience; and it enabled me to value the wealth of faith and attachment to the Catholic Church that are characteristic of the Ecuadoran People, who received me as the Pope's representative with great demonstrations of fervour and respect.
Ecuador, like many other countries, is troubled by financial, social and political problems. The search for the means with which to solve them is an arduous task that always requires the good will and collaboration of all citizens of the different social classes, and especially of the leaders of the various political and socio-economic institutions.
Moreover, this union of intentions and wishes is urgently needed. It will enable the continuous action of Government leaders in the face of the challenges presented by a globalized world, which must be confronted with authentic solidarity.
This virtue, as my Predecessor John Paul II of venerable memory used to say, must inspire the action of individuals, governments and international organizations and institutions, as well as that of all members of civil society. It must involve them in working for a just growth of peoples and nations, whose objective is the good of one and all (cf. Sollicitudo Rei Socialis SRS 40).
In your address, Mr Ambassador, you referred to your Government's desire to fight corruption in all its forms, to reduce the inequality between those who possess everything and those who lack such basic goods as education, health care and housing. With these, you mentioned projects for continuing to build a better Nation.
Actually, transparency and honesty in a government foster an atmosphere of credibility and the citizens' confidence in their authorities. They are also the basis of an appropriate and equitable development.
I also know of the initiatives being taken, starting with the teaching of the Church's social doctrine, that call on the administrative bodies to put the principle of subsidiarity into practice as an effective means of dealing with so many concrete needs.
In these tasks, those in charge of the official institutions will find in the Church in Ecuador, poor in her resources yet strong in her firm convictions, a satisfactory collaborator in the quest for just solutions. They will recognize her endeavours to increase the citizens' awareness and responsibility and will foster the participation of all.
The effort to meet the needs of the most destitute must be considered a fundamental priority. Among those who suffer great hardship are the indigenous peoples, the majority of whom are immersed in poverty and marginalization.
Mr Ambassador, you know well that the Catholic Church offers her assiduous collaboration without reserve in the deplorable problem of emigration. The recognition and respect that the Government offers in this area deserves gratitude.
Moreover, the distance of emigrants from their Homeland, due to their legitimate desire to find better living conditions, brings with it a whole series of uncertainties, difficulties and suffering for families, especially when they leave behind children of a tender age.
For this reason, in addition to helping improve the financial situation of emigrants, it is necessary to preserve and increase the rich cultural and religious values that form part of the baggage they will one day bring.
Among these values, devotion to the Mother of God is very deeply rooted in the hearts of Ecuadoran faithful. Precisely as you recalled, the centenary of the "miracle" of the image of the Dolorosa del Colegio in Quito will be celebrated next year. Throughout the years, various figures from the worlds of politics, culture and art have publicly expressed their devotion to the Virgin under this title.
I would also like to mention here the love of your fellow citizens for Mariana de Jesús, the first Ecuadoran saint. A marble statue of her is soon to be set up in St Peter's Basilica, in a place that has already been chosen, as an expression of Ecuador's steadfast loyalty to this Apostolic See.
Mr Ambassador, at the end of this ceremony, I would like to offer you my very best wishes for the success of your mission. Please convey my greeting to the President of the Republic and the assurance of my prayers to the Ecuadoran People for their calm and peaceful progress.
I ask the Most High to assist you always in your mission which is beginning today, as I invoke an abundance of Blessings upon you, upon your distinguished family and collaborators, and upon the leaders and citizens of Ecuador.
September 2005
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
I express to you my deep joy at receiving you during your ad limina visit, in order to venerate the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul and to strengthen your bonds of communion with the Successor of Peter. I am grateful for the words of Archbishop José Fernández Arteaga of Chihuahua on behalf of you all, Pastors of the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Chihuahua, Durango, Guadalajara and Hermosillo. I would now like to consider certain points of special interest for the pilgrim Church in Mexico.
The times when Bishops meet are a precious opportunity to live and deepen their unity. In this regard, the Mexican Bishops' Conference is also called to be a living sign of ecclesial communion, directed to facilitating the Bishops' ministry and strengthening their collegiality.
Today, it is more necessary than ever to join forces and exchange experiences, because, as the Second Vatican Council emphasized, "it is often impossible, nowadays especially, for Bishops to exercise their office suitably and fruitfully unless they establish closer understanding and cooperation with other Bishops" (Christus Dominus CD 37).
I therefore encourage you to continue on this path of communion with a view to an increasingly effective and fruitful action.
The Mexican Nation has emerged as an encounter of peoples and cultures whose features have been marked by the living presence of Jesus Christ and the mediation of Mary, "Mother of the True God through whom we live" (Nican Mopohua). The riches of the Acontecimiento Guadalupano (event of Guadalupe) brought together different people, histories and cultures in a new situation, through which Mexico has continued to develop its identity and mission.
Today, Mexico is living through a process of transition, characterized by the appearance of groups which are seeking, in a more or less orderly way, new areas for participation and representation. Many of them in particular are forcefully advocating the option for the poor and for those excluded from development, especially the indigenous peoples. The deep longing to consolidate a culture and the democratic, economic and social institutions that recognize the human rights and cultural values of the people must find an echo and an enlightening response in the Church's pastoral action.
The preparation for the Great Jubilee has helped Mexican Catholics to know, accept and love their history as a people and a community of believers. Here, I would like to recall my Predecessor's exhortation: "Individuals and peoples need a sort of "healing of memories', so that past evils will not come back again. This does not mean forgetting past events; it means re-examining them with a new attitude and learning precisely from the experience of suffering that only love can build up, whereas hatred produces devastation and ruin" (John Paul II, Message for the World Day of Peace on 1 January 1997, n. 3; L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 18/25 December 1996, p. 3).
This challenge requires an integral formation in all Church contexts that will help the faithful, each and every one, to live the Gospel in life's different dimensions. Only in this way will they be able to account for the hope that is in them (cf. 1P 3,15). The traditional ways of living the faith, passed on sincerely and naturally through family customs and teaching, must mature in personal and community choices.
This formation is particularly necessary for young people; when they cease to participate in the Ecclesial Community through the sacraments of initiation, they find themselves facing a society marked by growing cultural and religious pluralism. Furthermore, sometimes very lonely and bewildered, they come up against currents of thought which hold that men and women, without the need for God and even opposed to God, achieve fulfilment through technological, political and economic power.
It is thus necessary to accompany the young, engaging them with enthusiasm, so that on returning to the Ecclesial Community, they will take on the commitment to transform society as a priority for following Christ.
Likewise, families require proper guidance if they are to discover and live their dimension as a "domestic church".
Parents need to receive a formation that will help them to be the "first evangelizers" of their children; only in this way will parents manage to become their first school of life and faith.
Knowledge of the content of faith alone, however, is never a substitute for the experience of a personal encounter with the Lord.
Catechesis in the parishes and the teaching of religion and morals in schools with a Christian ethic, as well as the living witness of those who have encountered Christ and transmit the faith so as to arouse peoples' aspiration to serve and follow him totally, heart and soul, must favour this experience of recognizing and meeting Christ.
One expression of the Church's wealth is the existence of more than 400 Institutes of Consecrated Life, especially female. Many of these, founded in Mexico, evangelize throughout the Country and in the different cultural milieus and localities.
A large number of them are dedicated to all levels of education, especially in some universities; others work with the poorest of the poor, combining evangelization and human promotion; in hospitals; in the media; in the field of art and the humanities; guiding those who work in the world of economics and business in their spiritual and professional formation.
In addition to all this must be added the wider participation of the lay faithful through various initiatives that reveal their vocation and mission in society. There is also a growing number of national and international lay movements which promote the renewal of married and family life as well as a greater community experience.
The Church in Mexico reflects the pluralism of society itself which has been shaped by many different realities, some good and very promising, others more complex. In the face of this pluralism, Bishops must encourage some systematic pastoral processes that give fuller meaning to manifestations that derived casually from tradition or custom. These processes must aim first of all to integrate the directives of the Council with the pastoral challenges presented by the different concrete situations.
Contemporary society is questioning and observing the Church, demanding consistency and daring in the faith. Visible signs of credibility will be the witness of life, the unity of believers, service to the poor and the tireless promotion of their dignity.
The task of evangelization requires us to be creative but ever faithful to the Tradition of the Church and her Magisterium. Because we live in a new culture marked by the social communications media, the Church in Mexico must make the most, in this respect, of the collaboration of her faithful, the training of many cultured people and the opportunities that the public institutions concede in this area (cf. John Paul II, Ecclesia in America ).
Revealing the face of Christ in the context of the media demands a serious formative and apostolic effort that cannot be postponed and moreover, needs the contribution of all.
Dear Brothers, today we are celebrating the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. United in one heart and one mind, I entrust you to her motherly care, together with the priests, Religious communities and faithful of your Dioceses. Take back to all of them the Pope's greeting and love, while I impart my Apostolic Blessing with affection to you all.
Dear Members of the 31st Squadron of the Italian Air Force,
Our meeting today is my first opportunity to meet your whole group. I am truly delighted and thank you for your visit as well as for your service. I also cordially greet your relatives who have accompanied you.
I am grateful to the outgoing Commander, Colonel Giuseppe Coco, for his courteous words, and I would like to express to him my warm gratitude for the appreciated work he has done.
I greet Colonel Giuseppe Gimondo, who is preparing to take over the command of the Squadron, and offer him my very best wishes for his new assignment. I am also grateful for the courteous tribute of an interesting picture.
Since the Lord called me to carry out my ministry as Bishop of Rome, I have already been able to benefit from many of your services and have become aware of the professionalism with which you work, and at the same time, of the Christian spirit that motivates you.
As believers, you are given the possibility of sharing in the same Gospel ideals that are at the root of the Pope's mission. In carrying out your work, you put your competence, experience and acquired skills at the service of the Church, thereby cooperating in your own way with the ministry of the Successor of Peter.
I would like to express my gratitude and also that of my collaborators by awarding to you certain signs of distinction that I have the joy of investing you with on this occasion.
Above all, however, I would like to assure you that I am close to you with prayer, and I entrust to God all your intentions and projects.
My meeting today with you and your loved ones prompts me to remember the families of each one of you to the Lord, so that he will illumine with his grace both favourable and difficult moments and enrich them all with supernatural value.
From this moment, I entrust this intention and all the special intentions you carry in your hearts to the Virgin Mary. I hope your work will be peaceful.
I cordially impart my Blessing to all of you who are present here, and gladly extend it to those who are dear to you and were unable to be with you on this occasion.
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
I am filled with deep joy to receive you on the occasion of your ad limina visit with which you express your communion and love for the Successor of Peter.
I thank Archbishop Alberto Suárez Inda of Morelia for his cordial greeting on your behalf, Pastors of the Ecclesiastical Circumscriptions of Monterrey, Morelia and San Luis Potosí.
Mexico is facing the challenge of transforming its social structures to make them conform better to the dignity of the person and to his or her fundamental rights. Catholics, who still represent the majority of the population, are called to collaborate in this task as they discover their commitment of faith and the unifying significance of their presence in the world.
The opposite would be "one of the gravest errors of our time... the dichotomy between the faith which many profess and the practice of their daily lives" (Gaudium et Spes GS 43).
It is a cause of serious concern that in certain circles, greed for power has led to the deterioration of healthy forms of coexistence and of government as well as to phenomena of corruption, impunity, the infiltration of the drug trade and organized crime. All this paves the way to various forms of violence, to indifference and to contempt for the inviolable value of life.
In this regard, the "social sins" of our epoch are clearly denounced in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America. These sins express "a deep crisis caused by the loss of a sense of God and the absence of those moral principles which should guide the life of every human person. In the absence of moral points of reference, an unbridled greed for wealth and power takes over, obscuring any Gospel-based vision of social reality" (n. 56).
In Mexico too, many people live in a situation of poverty. However, the faith in God and the religious sense of many of the faithful go hand in hand with a wealth of humanity, hospitality, brotherliness and solidarity.
These values are threatened by emigration abroad, where many work in precarious conditions, in a vulnerable state, and thus have difficulty in coming to grips with a cultural context different from their own social and religious identity.
Wherever immigrants meet with a warm welcome from an Ecclesial Community that helps them to settle into the new reality, this phenomenon is in a certain way positive and encourages the evangelization of other cultures.
With its in-depth examination of migration, the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for America contributed to the discovery that, over and above social and financial factors, an appreciable unity stems from a common faith and fosters fraternal communion and solidarity. It is the result of the presence of the living Jesus Christ and the encounter with him in various forms that were and are present in America's history.
Human mobility, therefore, is a pastoral priority in relations of cooperation with the Churches of North America.
Many of the baptized, influenced by countless trends in thought and behaviour, become indifferent to the Gospel values. Moreover, they are even induced to behave in ways opposed to the Christian vision of life which makes membership in an Ecclesial Community difficult.
Although they claim to be Catholic, they in fact live far from the faith; they are giving up religious practices and little by little are losing their own identity as believers, with moral and spiritual consequences of a different kind.
This pastoral challenge has impelled you, dear Brothers, not only to seek solutions in order to point out the errors in these trends and to defend the content of the faith, but also and above all to point out the transcendental richness of the Christian event as an event that gives life true meaning and makes it possible to talk to, listen to and cooperate with everyone.
Far from leaving you indifferent, all this, combined with the activity of the sects and new religious groups in America, must be an incentive to your particular Churches to offer the faithful more personalized religious attention, to consolidate structures of communion and to propose a purified popular religiosity so as to give new life to every Catholic's faith (cf. ibid., n. 73).
The responsible formation of Catholics in the faith is an urgent obligation in order to help them live in the world with joy and courage. "All pastoral initiatives must be set in relation to holiness" (Novo Millennio Ineunte NM 30). This is a priority task in the ongoing evangelization of the baptized.
Catechesis together with the teaching of religion and morals must therefore be founded increasingly on the experience and knowledge of Jesus Christ through the living witness of those who have encountered him, in order to awaken the desire to follow him and serve him with all one's heart and mind.
"It is important, however, that what we propose, with the help of God, should be profoundly rooted in contemplation and prayer. Ours is a time of continual movement which often leads to restlessness, with the risk of "doing for the sake of doing'" (ibid., n. 15).
In pastoral practice, all this implies the need to revise our mindset, our attitudes and our conduct, as well as to broaden our horizons, striving to share and to work with enthusiasm to respond to the great questions of men and women today.
As a missionary Church, we are all called to understand the challenges that our postmodern culture poses to the new evangelization of the Continent. The Church's dialogue with the culture of our time is vital, to the Church herself and to the world.
Before concluding, I pray the Lord that this meeting of ours will strengthen your unity as Pastors of the Church in Mexico.
At the same time, I ask you to convey my affectionate greeting to the priests, the religious communities, the pastoral agents and all the diocesan faithful, and to encourage them always to bear an authentic witness of Christian life in contemporary society.
I entrust your pastoral work to Our Lady, Mother of Guadalupe, and at the same time I joyfully impart my Apostolic Blessing to you all.
Distinguished Gentlemen,
With an open heart I welcome you here today, and express my appreciation of the fact that your visit intends to emphasize the positive results that have come from the Second Vatican Council's declaration Nostra Aetate, the fortieth anniversary of which we are commemorating this year. I see your visit as a further step forward in the process of building deeper religious relations between Catholics and Jews, a course which has received new impulse and energy from Nostra Aetate and from the many forms of contact, dialogue and co-operation that have their origin in the principles and spirit of that document. The Church continues to make every effort to implement the Council's vision of a new era of better mutual understanding, respect and solidarity between us.
Nostra Aetate has proven to be a milestone on the road towards reconciliation of Christians with the Jewish people. It makes clear that "God holds the Jews most dear for the sake of their Fathers; he does not repent of the gifts he makes or of the calls he issues” (N° 4).
Today, we must continue to seek ways to fulfil that responsibility of which I spoke during my recent visit to the Synagogue in Cologne: "of handing down to young people the torch of hope that God has given to Jews and to Christians, so that never again will the forces of evil come to power, and that future generations, with God's help, may be able to build a more just and peaceful world, in which all people have equal rights and are equally at home".
The eyes of the world constantly turn to the Holy Land, the Land that is considered holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Unfortunately our attention is too often drawn by acts of violence and terror, a cause of immense sorrow to everyone living there. We must continue to insist that religion and peace go together.
On this occasion my thoughts turn also to the Christian communities in the Holy Land, a living presence and witness there since the dawn of Christianity through all the vicissitudes of history. Today these brothers and sisters in the faith face new and increasing challenges. While we are pleased that diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel have led to more solid and stable forms of co-operation, we eagerly await the fulfilment of the Fundamental Agreement on issues still outstanding.
Dear Chief Rabbis, as religious leaders we stand before God with a serious responsibility for the teaching we give and the decisions we make. May the Lord sustain us in serving the great cause of promoting the sacredness of human life and defending the human dignity of every person, so that justice and peace may flourish in the world.
Your Eminences,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I offer my most cordial greeting to all of you who are taking part in the Congress on Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church, an event organized by the Catholic Biblical Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation. I congratulate you on this initiative, connected with one of the most important Documents of the Second Vatican Council.
I greet the Cardinals and Bishops, who are the first witnesses of the Word of God, the theologians who investigate, explain and translate it into today's language, the Pastors who seek in it appropriate solutions for the problems of our time.
I warmly thank all who work in the service of the translation and circulation of the Bible, providing the means for explaining, teaching and interpreting its message. In this regard, my special thanks go to the Catholic Biblical Federation for its activity, the biblical ministry it promotes and its faithful support of the directives of the Magisterium as well as to its spirit of openness to ecumenical collaboration in the biblical context.
I express my deepest joy at the presence at this Congress of "Fraternal Delegates" of the Churches and Ecclesial Communities of East and West, and I greet with cordial respect the representatives who have spoken on behalf of the great world Religions.
The Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, whose drafting I personally witnessed as a young theologian, taking part in the lively discussions that went with it, begins with a deeply meaningful sentence: "Dei Verbum religiose audiens et fidenter proclamans, Sacrosancta Synodus..." ["Hearing the Word of God with reverence, and proclaiming it with faith, the Sacred Synod..."] (n. 1).
With these words the Council points out a descriptive aspect of the Church: she is a community that listens to and proclaims the Word of God.
The Church does not live on herself but on the Gospel, and in the Gospel always and ever anew finds the directions for her journey. This is a point that every Christian must understand and apply to himself or herself: only those who first listen to the Word can become preachers of it.
Indeed, they must not teach their own wisdom but the wisdom of God, which often appears to be foolishness in the eyes of the world (cf. 1Co 1,23).
The Church knows well that Christ lives in the Sacred Scriptures. For this very reason - as the Constitution stresses - she has always venerated the divine Scriptures in the same way as she venerates the Body of the Lord (cf. Dei Verbum DV 21).
In view of this, St Jerome, cited by the conciliar Document, said that ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ (cf. Dei Verbum DV 25).
The Church and the Word of God are inseparably linked. The Church lives on the Word of God and the Word of God echoes through the Church, in her teaching and throughout her life (cf. Dei Verbum DV 8). The Apostle Peter, therefore, reminds us that no prophecy contained in Scripture can be subjected to a personal interpretation. "Prophecy has never been put forward by man's willing it. It is rather that men impelled by the Holy Spirit have spoken under God's influence" (II PT 1,20).
We are grateful to God that in recent times, and thanks to the impact made by the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, the fundamental importance of the Word of God has been deeply re-evaluated. From this has derived a renewal of the Church's life, especially in her preaching, catechesis, theology and spirituality, and even in the ecumenical process. The Church must be constantly renewed and rejuvenated and the Word of God, which never ages and is never depleted, is a privileged means to achieve this goal. Indeed, it is the Word of God, through the Holy Spirit, which always guides us to the whole truth (cf. Jn 16: 13).
In this context, I would like in particular to recall and recommend the ancient tradition of Lectio divina: the diligent reading of Sacred Scripture accompanied by prayer brings about that intimate dialogue in which the person reading hears God who is speaking, and in praying, responds to him with trusting openness of heart (cf. Dei Verbum DV 25). If it is effectively promoted, this practice will bring to the Church - I am convinced of it - a new spiritual springtime.
As a strong point of biblical ministry, Lectio divina should therefore be increasingly encouraged, also through the use of new methods, carefully thought through and in step with the times. It should never be forgotten that the Word of God is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (cf. Ps 119[118]: 105).
In invoking God's Blessing upon your work, your projects and the Congress in which you are taking part, I join in the hope that enlivens you: May the Word of the Lord make progress (cf. II Thes 3: 1) to the very ends of the earth, so that through the proclamation of salvation the whole world through hearing it may believe, through belief it may hope, and through hope it may come to love (cf. Dei Verbum DV 1). I thank you with all my heart!
Speeches 2005-13 25085