SUMMARY:
- ART AND
FAITH HAVE ACCOMPANIED THE CHURCH FOR MILLENNIA
- FINAL
MESSAGE OF THE SYNOD ON NEW EVANGELISATION
______________________________________
ART
AND FAITH HAVE ACCOMPANIED THE CHURCH FOR MILLENNIA
Vatican
City, 26 October 2012 (VIS) - The Vatican Museums in collaboration
with the Polish television station TBA have produced a documentary
film entitled "Art and Faith. 'Via Pulchtitudinis'",
marking the 500th anniversary of the conclusion of the Sistine Chapel
ceiling.
Yesterday
evening Benedict XVI attended a screening of the film in the Synod
Hall and, at the end of the showing, pronounced some brief remarks in
which he noted that, although this was not the first time the Vatican
Museums had sought to highlight the bond between art and faith using
the artistic heritage of the pontifical galleries, this documentary
was special because it coincided with the Year of Faith.
"For
many people", he said, "a visit to the Vatican Museums
during their stay in Rome represents their deepest and sometimes only
contact with the Holy See. Therefore, is it a good opportunity to
learn about the Christian message. We could say that the artistic
heritage of Vatican City constitutes a kind of great 'parable'
through which the Pope speaks to men and women from all over the
world - and therefore from many cultural and religious backgrounds -
people who perchance never read a papal address or homily. ... The
language of art is a language of parables, possessing a special kind
of universal openness. The 'Via Pulchtitudinis' can open people’s
minds and hearts to the eternal, raising them to the heights of God.
"I
greatly appreciated the fact that the film makes repeated reference
to the efforts of Roman Pontiffs to conserve and cherish artistic
heritage, and to their efforts in modern times to renew the Church’s
dialogue with artists", the Holy Father added. "The
collection of modern religious art in the Vatican Museums is living
proof of the fruitfulness of that dialogue. Indeed, ... the entire
great structure of the Vatican Museums ... possesses a dimension
which we could define as 'evangelising'".
On this
subject the Holy Father recalled "the great sensibility to the
dialogue between art and faith" shown by Blessed John Paul II.
"Art and faith are two words which have accompanied the Church
and the Holy See for 2000 years, two words which, today too, we must
adopt in our efforts to announce the Gospel of God, Who is infinite
Beauty and Love, to the men and women of our time".
Finally,
the Pope expressed the hope that the documentary film would "arouse
in many people the desire for a better understanding of that faith
which is capable of inspiring so many works of art".
FINAL
MESSAGE OF THE SYNOD ON NEW EVANGELISATION
Vatican
City, 26 October 2012 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press
Office, the final Message of the thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly
of the Synod of Bishops was presented. The synodal assembly is taking
place from 7 to 28 October and is examining the theme: "The New
Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith".
Participating
in today’s press conference were Cardinal Giuseppe Betori,
archbishop of Florence, Italy and president of the Commission for the
Message; Archbishop Pierre-Marie Carre of Montpellier, France,
special secretary, and Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle of Manila,
Philippines, secretary of the Commission for the Message.
An
English-language summary of the text, issued by the Synod, is given
below.
"At
the beginning of the document, the bishops recalled the evangelical
passage from John which tells about the encounter of Jesus with the
Samaritan woman at the well: this is the image of contemporary man
with an empty vessel, who is thirsting and is nostalgic for God, and
to whom the Church must turn to make the Lord present to him. And
just like the Samaritan woman, who encounters Jesus, he can but
become a witness of the proclamation of salvation and hope of the
Gospel.
"Looking
specifically at the context of new evangelisation, the Synod
therefore reminds of the necessity to revive faith, which risks being
made obscure in the context of today's cultures, also faced with the
weakening of the faith by many baptised persons. The encounter with
the Lord, which reveals God as love, can only come about in the
Church, as the form of receptive community and experience of
communion; from this, then, Christians become its witnesses also in
other places. However, the Church reasserts that to evangelise one
must be evangelised first of all, and sends out a plea - starting
with herself - for conversion, because the weaknesses of Jesus'
disciples weigh upon the credibility of the mission. Conscious of the
fact that the Lord is the guide of history, and therefore that evil
will not have the last word, the bishops invite Christians to
overcome fear with faith and to look at the world with serene courage
because, while full of contradictions and challenges, this is still
the world God loves. Therefore no pessimism: globalisation,
secularisation and the new scenarios of society, migration, even with
the difficulties and suffering they entail, must be seen as
opportunities for evangelisation, Because this is not a question of
finding new strategies as if the Gospel was to be spread like a
market product, but rediscovering the ways in which individuals come
close to Jesus.
"The
Message looks at the family as the natural place for evangelisation
and reasserts that it should be supported by the Church, by politics
and by society. Within the family, the special role of women is
underlined and there is a reminder about the painful situation of
divorced and remarried persons: while reconfirming the discipline
which regards access to the Sacraments, it is reasserted that they
are in no way abandoned by the Lord, and that the Church is the
welcoming house for all. The Message also mentions consecrated life,
witness of the ultra-earthly sense of human existence, and parishes
as centres for evangelisation; it recalls the importance of permanent
formation for priests and religious men and women and invites the
laity (movements and new ecclesial realities) to evangelise,
remaining in communion with the Church. New evangelisation finds
welcome cooperation with other Churches and ecclesial communities,
they too moved by the same spirit of proclamation of the Gospel.
Special attention is focused on young persons in a perspective of
listening and dialogue, to redeem and not mortify their enthusiasm.
"The
Message then looks at dialogue, seen in many ways: with culture,
which needs a new alliance between faith and reason; with education;
with science which, when it does not close man in materialism,
becomes an ally for the humanisation of life; with art; with the word
of economy and work; with the ill and suffering; with politics, where
an uninterested and transparent involvement towards the common good
is asked for; with other religions. In particular, the Synod
emphasises that inter-religious dialogue contributes to peace,
refutes fundamentalism and denounces any violence against believers.
The Message recalls the possibilities offered by the Year of Faith,
by the memory of Vatican Council II and by the Catechism of the
Catholic Church. Finally, it indicates two expressions of a life of
faith, which are especially meaningful for new evangelisation:
contemplation, where silence allows for the better reception of the
Word of God, and service to the poor, in the view of recognising
Christ in their faces.
"In
the last part, the Message looks at the Church in the various regions
of the world and addresses a word of encouragement for the
proclamation of the Gospel to each of them: to the Eastern Churches
wishing to be able to practise faith in conditions of peace and
religious freedom; to the African Church asking to develop
evangelisation in the encounter of ancient and new cultures, calling
then upon governments to cease conflicts and violence. The Christians
of North America, who live in a culture with many expressions distant
from the Gospel, must look towards conversion, to being open to
welcoming immigrants and refugees. Latin America is invited to live
the permanent mission to face today's challenges such as poverty,
violence, even the new conditions of religious pluralism. The Church
in Asia, even while being a small minority, often placed at the edges
of society and persecuted, is encouraged and exhorted to the
steadfastness of faith. Europe, marked by an even aggressive
secularisation and wounded by past regimes, has nevertheless created
a humanistic culture capable of giving a face to the dignity of man
and to the building of the common good; today's difficulties
therefore must not dishearten European Christians, but must be
perceived as a challenge. Oceania is asked to feel once again the
involvement of preaching the Gospel. Finally, the Message closes with
trust in Mary, the Star of New Evangelisation".
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