Pope Benedict XVI

Thursday, December 15, 2011

News Vatican Information Service 12/15/2011

SUMMARY:

-Solidarity Is the Driving Force for Integral Development

-Audiences

-Other Pontifical Acts

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SOLIDARITY IS THE DRIVING FORCE FOR INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT

VATICAN CITY, 15 DEC 2011 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of eleven new non-resident ambassadors to the Holy See: Margaret Allison King-Rousseau of Trinidad and Tobago, Hilia Garez Gomes Lima Barber of Guinea Bissau, Paul Widmer of Switzerland, Anatole Bacanamwo of Burundi, Arbhorn Manasvanich of Thailand, Muhammad Saleem of Pakistan, Amadeu Paulo Samuel da Conceicao of Mozambique, Tolendy Makeyev of Kyrgyzstan, Jaume Serra Serra of Andorra, Tamara Kunanayakam of Sri Lanka and Joseph Pare of Burkina Faso.

The Holy Father addressed the diplomats as a group, focusing his remarks on the theme of solidarity as a mainstay for the integral development of peoples.

"In our time the unity of the human family is an undeniable fact", the Holy Father explained. "Thanks to the communications media which bring all regions of the planet together, transport which facilitates human contacts, commercial ties which make economies interdependent, and problems of global importance such as environmental protection and mass migration, human beings have become more aware of their shared destiny. ... Mankind must see this interdependency not as a threat but as an opportunity. We are all responsible for one another, therefore it is important to maintain a positive vision of solidarity because it is the driving force of integral human development".

In this context, Benedict XVI highlighted "intergenerational solidarity" which has its roots in the family. Concern for education and for the destiny of future generations is "a significant contribution to the perception of the unity of the human race", he said.

"Shared responsibility" for the good of humankind is not opposed to cultural and religious diversity, the Holy Father went on. "The pluralism of cultures and religions does not contradict the joint search for truth, goodness and beauty. ... The Church, illuminated and upheld by the light of the Revelation, encourages men and women to entrust themselves to a reason which, purified by faith, ... becomes capable of seeing beyond partisan interests in order to discern the universal good necessary to all human beings: social and religious harmony and peace. These are goals for which everyone strives and which require not just an appropriate legislative framework, but also the high moral stature of all citizens, because solidarity has two complementary aspects: social principle and moral virtue".

Solidarity fulfils its role of "social virtue" when it is founded on "structures of subsidiarity and on each individual's firm and unrelenting determination to work for the common good. ... The new challenges your countries are facing require a mobilisation of human intellect and creativity, in order to fight against poverty and to make a more effective and rational use of available resources and energy. ... Increasing people's sense of responsibility also involves protecting human dignity against any attempt to circumscribe it".

"Justice and solidarity", the Pope concluded, "cannot be separated from the concept of the integral development of the person. In this sense, highlighting the primacy of the spirit is not only the responsibility of religions, but also of States which must implement cultural policies that promote universal access to the things of the spirit, emphasise the importance of social relationships and never hinder human beings in their free search for spirituality".

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 15 DEC 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience:

- Archbishop James Patrick Green, apostolic nuncio to Peru.

- Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris and president of the Conference of Bishops of France, accompanied by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Lille and Archbishop Hippolyte Simon of Clermont, vice presidents, and by Msgr. Antoine Herouard, secretary general.

- Yves Gazzo, head of the delegation to the Holy See of the Commission of the European Communities, on his farewell visit.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 15 DEC 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Archbishop Andre Dupuy, apostolic nuncio to the European Union and the Principality of Andorra, as apostolic nuncio to the Netherlands.

- Archbishop Marek Solczynski, apostolic nuncio to Georgia, also as apostolic nuncio to Armenia.

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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

News Vatican Information Service 12/14/2011

SUMMARY:

-Praying to the Father in Order to Help Those Who Suffer

-Other Pontifical Acts

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PRAYING TO THE FATHER IN ORDER TO HELP THOSE WHO SUFFER

VATICAN CITY, 14 DEC 2011 (VIS) - In his general audience this morning, the Holy Father dedicated his catechesis to Jesus' prayer in the context of His healing miracles, focusing particularly on the healing of the deaf man as narrated in the Gospel of St. Mark, and the raising of Lazarus.

The healing of the deaf man "demonstrates that the cures worked by Jesus were connected with the intensity of His relationships, both with others and with the Father", the Pope said. "With a gesture the Lord touches the sick man's ears and tongue; that is, the sites of his infirmity. ... But the central point of the episode lies in the fact that Jesus, at the very moment He works the cure, directly seeks His relationship with the Father", by looking up to heaven. "The narrative shows, then, that human involvement with the sick man led Jesus into prayer. His unique relationship with the Father emerges once again, His identity as Only-begotten Son. In Him, through His person, the healing and beneficial action of God is made present among us".

The raising of Lazarus also highlights this aspect of Jesus' dual relationships, His concern for a suffering friend and His filial bond with the Father. "His sincere affection for His friend ... is expressed by the fact that Jesus was deeply moved at the sight of the suffering of Martha and Mary, and of all Lazarus' friends, and in His profoundly human tears as he approaches the grave", the Pope explained. At the same time, Christ interprets His friend's death "in relation to His own identity and mission, and the glorification awaiting Him. When He hears news of Lazarus sickness, He says: 'this illness does not lead to death: rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it'".

"The moment when Jesus prays directly to the Father before the tomb is the natural climax of the entire episode". According to John the Evangelist "Jesus looked upward and said, Father I thank you for having heard me". This phrase, Benedict XVI explained, "shows us that Jesus had not for a moment ceased His prayer for Lazarus' life. That prayer was continuous, indeed it strengthened Jesus' bond with His friend and, at the same time, confirmed His decision to remain in communion with the will of the Father, with His plan of love in which the sickness and death of Lazarus is the place in which the glory of God is made manifest".

Trusting in God's will

These episodes, said the Holy Father, help us to understand "that when we ask the Lord for something in prayer, we must not expect an immediate fulfilment of our requests, of our will; rather, we should entrust outsides to the will of the Father, reading events in the perspective of His glory, of His plan of love which is often a mystery to our eyes. Thus in our prayer, request, praise and thanksgiving should fuse together, even when it seems to us that God does not respond to our expectations. Abandoning ourselves to the love of God, which always precedes and accompanies us, is a fundamental principle in our dialogue with Him. ... Beyond anything that God may give us when we invoke Him, the greatest gift He can give us is His friendship, His presence, His love". The giver is more precious than the gift.

"The concern Jesus, true God and true man, feels for others, especially the needy and suffering, ... causes Him to turn to the Father. ... But the opposite is also true: communion with the Father, constant dialogue with Him, causes Jesus to be attentive to the real-life situations of man, to which He brings the consolation and love of God".

This profound bond between love for God and love for others must, the Pope concluded, also be part of our own prayers, which "open the door to God, teaching us how to abandon our own selves in order to come close to others, especially in moments of trial, bringing them consolation, hope and light".

At the end of his catechesis the Holy Father spoke in various languages to greet the more than 7,000 pilgrims gathered in the Paul VI Hall. He expressed his particular appreciation to the people who had contributed to the restoration of the sculpture of "The Resurrection" by Pericle Fazzini, which adorns the Hall. "Following a period of painstaking efforts", he said, "today we have the joy of being able to admire this work of art and faith in all its original splendour".

Speaking then in Spanish, Benedict XVI addressed a delegation from the Mexican state of Puebla, expressing the hope that, "with God's help, I will soon be able to visit you in your country".

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 14 DEC 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Joao Santos Cardoso, coordinator of pastoral care and pastor of the parish of "Nossa Senhora das Gracias" in the archdiocese of Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil, as bishop of Sao Raimundo Nonato (area 39,316, population 193,000, Catholics 174,000, priests 23, religious 42), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Dario Meira, Brazil in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1986. He has worked in pastoral care in parishes in Brazil and Italy and, from 1992 to 1994, was rector of the major seminary of philosophy in the archdiocese of Vitoria da Conquista. He is regional vicar and coordinator of pastoral care for that archdiocese, and teaches philosophy in a number of universities.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, presented by Bishop John Martin Darko, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law, appointing Archbishop Mathias Nketsiah of Cape Coast, Ghana, as apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of that diocese.

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