SUMMARY:
-
"AGGIORNAMENTO" DOES NOT BREAK WITH TRADITION BUT EXTENDS
ITS VITALITY
-
BENEDICT XVI REPEATS THE "UNFORGETTABLE WORDS" OF BLESSED
JOHN XXIII
-
AUDIENCES
- OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
"AGGIORNAMENTO"
DOES NOT BREAK WITH TRADITION BUT EXTENDS ITS VITALITY
Vatican
City, 12 October 2012 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall,
the Holy Father received a group of Council Fathers of Vatican II.
They were accompanied by presidents of episcopal conferences from
around the world who came to Rome for yesterday’s inauguration of
the Year of Faith.
The Pope,
who himself participated in Vatican Council II as an expert, noted
that "many memories come to mind, memories inscribed in each of
our hearts, of the period of the Council which was so lively, so rich
and so fruitful. However I do not wish to dwell upon this for too
long, ... I would merely like to recall how a word launched by
Blessed John XXIII, almost as if to establish a programme, resurfaced
continually during the course of the conciliar sessions: the word
'aggiornamento'.
"Fifty
years on from the opening of that solemn gathering of the Church",
Benedict XVI added, "some people may ask themselves whether that
term was perhaps, from the very beginning, not entirely appropriate.
Choice of words is something that can be discussed for hours without
reconciling contrasting opinions, for my part I am convinced that the
intuition which Blessed John XXIII summarised in that word was and
remains correct. Christianity must not be considered as 'something
that has passed', nor must we live with our gaze always turned back,
because Jesus Christ is yesterday today and forever. Christianity is
marked by the presence of the eternal God, Who entered into time and
is present in all times, because all times are brought forth of His
creative power, of His eternal 'today'.
"For
this reason", the Holy Father went on, "Christianity is
always new. We must never see it is a fully mature tree sprung from
the mustard seed of the Gospel; a tree which has grown, given its
fruits and one day grows old as the suns sets on its life energy.
Christianity is, so to speak, a tree ... that is ever young. This
constantly updated vitality, this 'aggiornamento', does not mean
breaking with tradition; rather, it is an expression of that
tradition's ongoing vitality. It does not mean reducing the faith,
debasing it to the fashion of the times using the yardstick of what
we like and what appeals to public opinion. Quite the contrary, just
as the Council Fathers did, we must mould the 'today' in which we
live to the measure of Christianity. We must bring the 'today' of our
times into line with the 'today' of God.
"The
Council was a time of grace in which the Holy Spirit taught us that
the Church, on her journey through history, must always speak to
contemporary man. But this can only come from the strength of people
who have deep roots in God, ... who live their faith with purity. It
cannot come from those who adapt themselves to the passing moment,
from those who chose the easiest path. The Council understood this
well when, in the Dogmatic Constitution 'Lumen Gentium' ... it noted
that everyone in the Church is called to sanctity. Sanctity reveals
the true face of the Church".
"The
memory of the past is precious", the Pope concluded, "but
it is never an end unto itself. The Year of Faith we began yesterday
shows us the best way to remember and commemorate the Council: by
concentrating on its core message which is, in fact, nothing other
than the message of faith in Christ, the one Saviour of the world,
proclaimed to mankind in our time. Today too, what is important and
essential is to take the ray of God's love into the heart and life of
each man and woman, and to bring the men and women of all places and
times to God".
At the
end of his audience, the Pope had lunch with Synod Fathers who are
currently participating in the synodal assembly on new
evangelisation, the Council Fathers of Vatican II and presidents of
the world's episcopal conferences. Also present at the meal were
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople and Anglican
Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, primate of the Anglican
Communion.
BENEDICT
XVI REPEATS THE "UNFORGETTABLE WORDS" OF BLESSED JOHN XXIII
Vatican
City, 12 October 2012 (VIS) - At 9 p.m. yesterday evening, Benedict
XVI appeared at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's
Square to greet participants in a torchlight procession organised by
Italian Catholic Action (ACI) and the diocese of Rome to mark the
opening of the Year of Faith and the fiftieth anniversary of the
beginning of Vatican Council II. The procession, which departed from
Castel Sant'Angelo at 7.30 p.m., is part of a broader initiative
entitled "The Beautiful Church of the Council" organised by
ACI and the diocese of Rome.
"Good
evening to you all and thank you for being here", the Holy
Father began. "On this day fifty years ago I was in the square
looking up at this window where the Good Pope, Blessed John XXIII,
appeared and addressed us with unforgettable words, words full of
poetry and goodness, words from the heart.
"We
were happy", he added, "full of enthusiasm. The great
Ecumenical Council had begun and we were certain that a new
springtime for the Church was in the offing; a new Pentecost with a
new and powerful presence of the liberating grace of the Gospel".
The Pope
continued: "Today too we are happy. We have joy in our hearts
but, I would say, it is perhaps a more sober and humble joy. Over
these fifty years we have learned and experienced how original sin
exists and is translated, ever and anew, into individual sins which
can also become structures of sin. We have seen how weeds are also
always present in the field of the Lord. We have seen how Peter's net
also beings in bad fish. We have seen how human fragility is also
present in the Church, how the ship of the Church is also sailing
against a counter wind and is threatened by storms; and at times we
have thought that the Lord is sleeping and has forgotten us.
"This
is part of the experience of these last fifty years. But we have also
had a new experience of the Lord's presence, of His goodness and
power. The fire of the Holy Spirit, the fire of Christ, does not
devour and destroy, it is a silent fire, a small flame of goodness
and truth which transforms, giving light and heat. We have seen how
the Lord does not forget us. Even today, in His humble way, the Lord
is present and brings warmth to hearts, He shows us life, He creates
charisms of goodness and charity which illuminate the world and give
us a guarantee of God's goodness. Yes, Christ is alive and is with us
today. And today too we can be happy because His goodness does not
die, it remains strong even today!
"In
closing I make bold to echo the unforgettable words of Pope John: 'Go
to your homes, give your children a kiss and say it is from the
Pope'.
"In
this Year, from the bottom of my heart I impart my blessing upon you:
'Blessed be the name of the Lord'".
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 12 October 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in
audience Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, accompanied by an
entourage.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 12 October 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Renato
Pino Mayugba, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan,
Philippines, as bishop of Laoag (area 3,386, population 654,000,
Catholics 426,000, priests 54, religious 102), Philippines.
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