SUMMARY:
-
THE CHURCH IS COMMITTED TO THE COMMON GOOD IN SRI LANKA
-
EUCHARISTIC COMMUNION AND CONTEMPLATION ARE INSEPARABLE
-
THE CHURCH IS NOT INDIFFERENT TO SPORT
-
AUDIENCES
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
THE
CHURCH IS COMMITTED TO THE COMMON GOOD IN SRI LANKA
Vatican
City, 8 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the
following communique at midday today:
"This
morning the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Mahinda
Rajapaksa, president of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri
Lanka. The president subsequently went on to meet with Archbishop
Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
"During
the cordial discussions the parties illustrated the steps taken to
favour socio-economic development, and reconciliation among the
communities hit by the long internal conflict which has affected the
country. The hope was expressed that a global joint solution may soon
be found corresponding to the legitimate expectations of all the
parties involved.
"Finally,
emphasis was given to to how the Catholic Church - which makes an
important contribution to the life of the country with her religious
witness and educational, healthcare and social assistance activities
- will continue to commit herself to the common good, reciprocal
understanding and the integral development of all citizens".
EUCHARISTIC
COMMUNION AND CONTEMPLATION ARE INSEPARABLE
Vatican
City, 8 June 2012 (VIS) - At 7 p.m. today, Solemnity of Corpus
Christi, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass in the basilica of St. John
Lateran, then led a Eucharistic procession along Via Merulana to the
basilica of St. Mary Major.
During
the liturgical celebration, the Pope pronounced a homily in which he
focused on the sacredness of the Eucharist, and in particular on the
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
"A
unilateral interpretation of Vatican Council II has penalised this
dimension", the Holy Father explained, "effectively
limiting the Eucharist to the moment of celebrating Mass. It is, of
course, very important to recognise the importance of celebration, in
which the Lord calls His people, bringing them together around the
table of the Word and Bread of life, nourishing them and uniting them
to Himself in the sacrificial offering. This interpretation of the
liturgical gathering, in which the Lord works and achieves His
mystery of communion, naturally retains all its validity, but a
rightful balance must be restored. ... By concentrating our
relationship with the Eucharistic Christ only on Mass we run the risk
that the rest of time and space is emptied of His presence. Thus our
perception of Jesus' constant, real and close presence among us and
with us is diminished".
"It
is a mistake to establish a contrast between celebration and
adoration, as if they were in competition with one another. The
opposite is true. The cult of the Blessed Sacrament represents the
spiritual 'environment' within which the community can celebrate the
Eucharist correctly and truthfully. Only if preceded, accompanied and
followed by this interior attitude of faith and adoration, can
liturgical activity express its full meaning and value", the
Pope said.
He then
went on to explain that, at the moment of adoration, we are all at
the same level, "on our knees before the Sacrament of Love. The
common and ministerial priesthood come together in the cult of the
Eucharist. ... By remaining together in silence before the Lord,
present in His Sacrament, we have one of the most authentic
experiences of being Church, one that is complementary to our
celebration of the Eucharist. ... Communion and contemplation cannot
be separated, they go together", and if contemplation is lacking
"even sacramental communion can become a superficial gesture on
our part".
Turning
then to consider the sacredness of the Eucharist, Benedict XVI noted
that here too, in the recent past, there has been "some
misunderstanding of the authentic message of Holy Scripture. The
Christian novelty of worship has been influenced by a certain
secularist mentality of the 1960s and 1970s. It is true, and it
remains valid, that the centre of worship is no longer in the ancient
rites and sacrifices, but in Christ Himself, His person, His life,
His Paschal Mystery. Yet this fundamental novelty must not lead us to
conclude that the sacred no longer exists".
Christ
"did not abolish the sacred but brought it to fulfilment,
inaugurating a new worship which is entirely spiritual but which
nonetheless, as long as our journey in time continues, still uses
signs and rites. These will only fall into disuse at the end, in the
celestial Jerusalem where there will be no temple".
Moreover,
the Holy Father went on, "the sacred has an educational
function. Its disappearance inevitably impoverishes culture, and
especially the formation of the new generations. ... Our Father God
... sent His Son into the world, not to abolish the sacred but to
bring it to fulfilment. At the culmination of this mission, at the
Last Supper, Jesus established the Sacrament of His Body and His
Blood, the Memorial of His Paschal Sacrifice. By doing so he put
Himself in the place of the ancient sacrifices, but He did so in the
context of a rite, which he ordered the Apostles to perpetuate as a
supreme sign of the true sacrifice, which is Him. With this faith,
... day after day we celebrate the Eucharistic Mystery, and adore it
as the centre of our lives and the heart of the world".
THE
CHURCH IS NOT INDIFFERENT TO SPORT
Vatican
City, 8 June 2012 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has sent a message to
Archbishop Jozef Michalik, president of the Polish Episcopal
Conference, for the European Football Championships, which will be
held over coming weeks in Poland and Ukraine.
"This
sporting event involves not only the organisers, the athletes and the
fans but, in various ways, the whole of society", the Pope
writes. "The Church cannot remain indifferent to such an event,
and in particular to the spiritual needs of the participants".
Benedict
XVI quoted words of Blessed John Paul II, who said that "the
potentialities of sport make it an important instrument for the
overall development of the person, and a useful factor for the
construction of a more human society".This is because "the
sense of brotherhood, magnanimity, honesty and respect for the body -
virtues which are undoubtedly indispensable for every good athlete -
contribute to building a civil society where competition replaces
antagonism, where agreement replaces conflict and loyal confrontation
replaces rancorous opposition".
Pope
Benedict goes on: "Team sports such as football are an important
way to educate people to respect one another including their
adversaries, to show a spirit of personal sacrifice for the good of
the entire group, and to respect the gifts of each member of the
team; in a word, to overcome the logic of individualism and
selfishness which often characterise human dealings, and so leave
space for the logic of fraternity and love, the only thing capable of
authentically promoting the common good, at all levels".
The Pope
concludes his message by encouraging participants in the
championships "to work to ensure that this event is experienced
as an expression of the most noble human virtues and actions, in a
spirit of joy and peace".
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 8 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience:
- Eleven
prelates of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Papua New Guinea and
Solomon Islands, on their "ad limina" visit
-
Archbishop John Ribat M.S.C. of Port Moresby.
- Bishop
Rolando Santos C.M. of Alotau-Sideia.
- Bishop
Gilles Cote S.M.M. of Daru-Kiunga.
- Bishop
Patrick Taval M.S.C. of Kerema.
-
Archbishop Francesco Panfilo S.D.B. of Rabaul.
- Bishop
Bernard Unabali of Bougainville.
- Bishop
William Fey O.F.M. Cap. of Kimbe.
-
Archbishop Adrian Thomas Smith S.M. of Honiara, accompanied by
Auxiliary Bishop John Doaninoel S.M.
- Bishop
Christopher Cardone O.P. of Auki.
- Bishop
Luciano Capelli S.D.B. of Gizo.
-
Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 8 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:
- Fr.
Antonio Manuel Moiteiro Ramos of the clergy of Guarda, Portugal,
pastor of the diocesan cathedral, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of
Braga (area 2,857, population 963,900, Catholics 885,900, priests
507, permanent deacons 8, religious 784), Portugal. The bishop-elect
was born in Aldea de Joao Pires, Portugal in 1956 and ordained a
priest in 1981. He has been a member of the diocesan secretariat for
Christian education, and professor and spiritual director in the
local major seminary.
- Msgr.
Nelson J. Perez of the clergy of the archdiocese of Philadelphia,
U.S.A., pastor of the parish of St. Agnes in West Chester, and Msgr.
Robert J. Brennan of the clergy of the diocese of Rockville Centre,
U.S.A., vicar general, moderator of the Curia and pastor of the
parish of St. Mary of the Isle, as auxiliaries of Rockville Centre
(area 3,164, population 3,527,942, Catholics 1,737,498, priests 485,
permanent deacons 270, religious 1,241). Bishop-elect Perez was born
in Miami, U.S.A. in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1989. He has served
in a number of parishes and, among other roles, has worked as
director of the Catholic Institute for Evangelisation. Bishop-elect
Brennan was born in New York, U.S.A. in 1962 and ordained a priest in
1989. He has worked as a pastor in various parishes and served as
private secretary to bishops of Rockville Centre.
On
Thursday 7 June it was made pubic that the Holy Father:
-
Appointed Bishop Cesar Daniel Fernandez, auxiliary of Parana,
Argentina, as bishop of Jujuy (area 20,082, population 580,000,
Catholics 524,000, priests 68, permanent deacons 7, religious 152),
Argentina.
-
Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the
archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, Australia, presented by Bishop
Patrick Percival Power, in accordance with canons 411 and 401 para. 2
of the Code of Canon Law.
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