SUMMARY:
-
EVANGELISATION IS NOT THE WORK OF SPECIALISTS BUT OF THE ENTIRE
PEOPLE OF GOD
- POPE
SENDS GREETINGS TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ROME
- HOLY
FATHER TO MAKE A PASTORAL VISIT TO THE SHRINE OF LORETO
- GLOBAL
SECURITY MUST NOT RELY ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS
-
AUDIENCES
______________________________________
EVANGELISATION
IS NOT THE WORK OF SPECIALISTS BUT OF THE ENTIRE PEOPLE OF GOD
Vatican
City, 20 September 2012 (VIS) - "As members of the college of
bishops, you must always have particular care for the universal
Church, especially by promoting and defending the unity of the faith.
... This is a particularly important in our own times, which call on
you courageously to invite mankind of all degrees to meet Christ and
to strengthen the faith". These words were addressed by the Pope
to bishops participating in a congress currently being promoted by
the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Oriental
Churches.
The
bishops' pilgrimage to the Tomb of St. Peter is or particular
importance this year, the Holy Father noted, in light of the
forthcoming Year of Faith marking the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican
Council II and the Thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod
of Bishops on the theme: "The New Evangelisation for the
Transmission of the Christian Faith".
The
bishops' first concern, then, must be "to promote and support
'stronger ecclesial commitment to new evangelisation in order to
rediscover the joy of believing and the enthusiasm for communicating
the faith'. You are called", the Pope told his audience, "to
support and nourish communion and collaboration between all parts of
you dioceses. Evangelisation is not the work of a small number of
specialists but of the entire People of God under the guidance of
their pastors. Each member of the faithful, with and within ecclesial
communion, must feel the responsibility to announce and bear witness
to the Gospel".
Benedict
XVI then went on to recall how, during the opening of Vatican Council
II, Blessed John XXIII had affirmed the need for "'this certain
and unchanging doctrine, which must be faithfully respected, to be
developed and presented in a way that responds to the necessities of
our time'. We could say that new evangelisation began with the
Council, which Blessed John XXIII saw as a new Pentecost that would
make the Church flourish in her interior richness and here maternal
outreach towards all areas of human activity. The effects of that new
Pentecost, despite the difficulties, have extended to every
expression of Church life: from the institutional to the spiritual,
from the participation of the lay faithful, to the growth of charisms
and sanctity".
This
heritage has been entrusted to the pastoral care of bishops, the Pope
explained, and he encouraged his hearers "to draw from this
patrimony of doctrine, spirituality and sanctity in order to educate
your flock in the faith, that their witness may become increasingly
credible. At the same time your episcopal office requires you 'to
give reasons for the hope that is in you' to everyone seeking the
faith or the ultimate meaning of life. In them too 'grace works in an
unseen way, for Christ died for all men, and the ultimate vocation of
man is one, and divine'. I encourage you, then, to work to ensure
that everyone, in keeping with their age and condition, be presented
with the central contents of the faith, systematically and
completely, in order to respond to the questions raised by our
technological and globalised world. ... The Catechism of the Catholic
Church is vital to this end, a sure norm for teaching faith and
communion in the one Creed. The world in which we live requires
Christians to have a solid formation".
The faith
calls for "credible witnesses, people who trust in the Lord and
entrust themselves to Him 'to become a living sign of the presence of
the Risen Lord in the world'. The bishop, who is the first witness to
the faith, accompanies believers on their journey offering them the
example of a life lived in faithful abandonment to God. ... It is
not, in fact, possible to serve mankind without first being servants
of God", the Holy Father said.
He
concluded by reminding the prelates that "your personal
commitment to sanctity must involve daily assimilation of the Word of
God in Prayer and in the Eucharist. ... Charity must impel you to
remain close to your priests. ... They are your first and most
important collaborators in bringing God to mankind and mankind to
God. The charity of the Good Shepherd will also make you attentive to
the poor and suffering, bringing them consolation and support, and
guiding those who have lost touch with the meaning of life. Remain
particularly close to families, ... that they may build their lives
on the solid rock of friendship with Christ. And have particular care
for seminarians, ... so the community may continue to have mature and
joyful pastors, sure guides in the faith".
POPE
SENDS GREETINGS TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ROME
Vatican
City, 20 September 2012 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a telegram
sent by the Holy Father to Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi of Rome,
for the Jewish festivities of Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur
(Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), which all fall
in this period.
The Pope
expresses his best wishes for "peace and goodness to you and to
the entire Jewish community of Rome, asking the Almighty for copious
blessings for the New Year and hoping that Jews and Christians, as
they grow in mutual respect and friendship, many bear witness in the
world to the values that arise from adoration of the One God".
HOLY
FATHER TO MAKE A PASTORAL VISIT TO THE SHRINE OF LORETO
Vatican
City, 20 September 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father is to make a pastoral
visit to Loreto, Italy, on 4 October, marking the fiftieth
anniversary of Blessed Pope John XXIII's visit to that Marian shrine.
Benedict
XVI will depart from the Vatican by helicopter at 9 a.m., arriving at
the John Paul II Centre at Montorso an hour later. At 10.20 a.m. he
is due to visit the Holy House contained inside the shrine, where he
will adore the Blessed Sacrament and pray to Our Lady of Loreto. At
10.30 a.m. he will celebrate Mass and pronounce a homily on the
Piazza della Madonna di Loreto. Having had lunch at the John Paul II
Centre, we is due to depart at 5 p.m. and to arrive back in the
Vatican at 6 p.m.
GLOBAL
SECURITY MUST NOT RELY ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Vatican
City, 20 September 2012 (VIS) - Archbishop Dominique Mamberti,
secretary for Relations with States and head of the Holy See
delegation to the fifty-sixth General Conference of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), yesterday addressed that gathering,
which is meeting in the Austrian capital Vienna from 17 to 21
September.
"Global
security must not rely on nuclear weapons", the archbishop said
in his English-language remarks. "The Holy See considers the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) an important tool to
achieve this aim, without mentioning its potential civil and
scientific application through its International Monitoring System.
... The Holy See is convinced that, in working together, the
signature, ratification and entry into force of the Treaty will
represent a great leap forward for the future of humanity, as well as
for the protection of the earth and environment entrusted to our care
by the Creator.
"Also
in this regard", he added, "the ratification on the part of
all States, in particular nuclear-weapon States, of the respective
Protocols to the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones Treaties is of paramount
importance. The Holy See restates its strong support for the efforts
to establish such a zone in the Middle East and remains hopeful for
the discussions that will take place on this topic in Finland.
Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones are the best example of trust, confidence
and affirmation that peace and security are possible without
possessing nuclear weapons".
"An
important issue affecting not only the IAEA family, but the human
family at large, is the topic of nuclear safety. ... What transpired
at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station quickly revealed that
a local nuclear crisis is indeed a global problem. It also revealed
that the world is exposed to real and systemic risks, and not just
hypothetical ones, with incalculable costs, and the necessity of
developing international political coordination the likes of which
have never been seen, thus raising many questions".
"The
Technical Cooperation Programme of the Agency is one of the principal
instruments for transferring nuclear science and technology to member
States in order to promote social, economic and integral development.
Its initiatives, when tailored to the needs of the recipient States
and their partners in the context of national priorities, help to
combat poverty and can thus contribute to a more peaceful solution of
the serious problems facing humanity". In this context
Archbishop Mamberti mentioned the role of radiation therapy in cancer
treatment, at the same time noting that "in the developing
world, more than half of the number of patients suffering from cancer
will not have access to radiotherapy due to the lack of appropriate
equipment and sufficiently trained staff. ... The Holy See
appreciates the work and efforts of the IAEA and its partners in the
planning and furthering of cancer-control programmes and encourages
the IAEA to continue to pursue and strengthen these eminently
important activities".
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 20 September 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in
audience six prelates of the Conference of Bishops of France on their
"ad limina" visit:
-
Archbishop Jean-Charles Descubes of Rouen.
- Bishop
Jean-Claude Boulanger of Bayeux.
- Bishop
Stanislas Lalanne of Coutances.
- Bishop
Christian Nourrichard of Evreux.
- Bishop
Jean-Luc Brunin of Le Havre.
- Bishop
Jacques Habert of Sees.
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