SUMMARY:
- GOODNESS COMES FROM GOD BUT IS REALISED THANKS TO THE FAITHFUL
- THE CATHOLIC IDENTITY OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
- POPE RECEIVES THE PRESIDENT OF ALBANIA
- CARDINAL SCHONBORN, SPECIAL PAPAL ENVOY TO PRAGUE CELEBRATIONS
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
POPE
TO SWISS GUARDS: THE SECRET OF YOUR WORK IN THE VATICAN IS CONSTANT
REFERENCE TO CHRIST
Vatican
City, 7 May 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience
new Swiss Guard recruits who yesterday took the oath at their
swearing-in ceremony.
After
greeting the recruits and their families, as well as representatives
of the Swiss authorities accompanying the group, Benedict XVI dwelt
on the fact that the Swiss Guards undertake "a direct service to
the Supreme Pontiff and the Apostolic See. It is heartening to see
that young men choose to consecrate a number of years of their lives
to helping Peter's Successor and his collaborators", he said.
"Your
work", he told the recruits, "is part of a tradition of
unquestioned fidelity to the Pope, which became heroic sacrifice
during the 'Sack of Rome' in 1527 when, on 6 May, your predecessors
lost their lives. The special service of the Swiss Guards could not
then, and cannot now be carried out without the characteristics which
distinguish each member of the corps: firm Catholic faith;
faithfulness and love for the Church of Jesus Christ; diligence and
perseverance in everyday tasks, the great and the small; courage and
humility; altruism and willingness. Your hearts must be replete with
these virtues when you discharge your service of honour and security
in the Vatican.
"Help
and support one other in your daily work", the Pope added.
"Maintain an approach of evangelical charity towards the people
you meet every day. In Sacred Scripture the call to love others is
linked to the commandment to love God with all our heart, all our
soul and all our strength. In order to give love to others we must
draw it from the furnace of divine charity, through long periods of
prayer, constant listening to the word of God and a life focused on
the mystery of the Eucharist".
The
Holy Father went on: "The secret of being effective, in your
work here in the Vatican and in any other projects you have, is
constant reference to Christ. This was the experience of many of your
predecessors, who were outstanding not only in their work but also in
their commitment to Christian life. Some of them were called follow
the Lord in the priesthood or consecrated life, and responded readily
and enthusiastically; others fulfilled their vocation to marriage
through the Sacrament of Matrimony. I thank God, the source of all
goodness, for the various gifts and missions He gives you, and I pray
that you too, as you begin your service, may respond to the call of
Christ, following Him with faithful generosity.
"Dear
friends", the Pope added in conclusion, "take advantage of
the time you spend in Rome to develop your friendship with Christ, to
increase your love for His Church and to advance towards the goal of
each true Christian life: sanctity".
GOODNESS
COMES FROM GOD BUT IS REALISED THANKS TO THE FAITHFUL
Vatican
City, 6 May 2012 (VIS) - Today, the fifth Sunday of Easter, Benedict
XVI appeared at the window of his private study overlooking St.
Peter's Square, to pray the Regina Coeli with faithful gathered
below.
Commenting
on today's Gospel in which Jesus tells His disciples "I am the
true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower", the Holy Father
explained that "the true vineyard is God and the true vine is
Jesus, Who with His sacrifice of love gave us salvation and opened
the way for us to become part of that vineyard. And just as Christ
abides in the love of God the Father, so the disciples, pruned by the
Master's word, united themselves profoundly to Him, becoming fruitful
branches which produced abundant fruit".
"The
day of our Baptism, the Church grafts us as branches onto Jesus'
Paschal Mystery, onto His very Person. From that root we receive the
precious lymph that enables us to participate in divine life. As
disciples we too, with the help of the pastors of the Church, grow in
the Lord's vineyard bound together by His love. ... It is important
to remain united to Jesus, to depend upon Him, because without Him we
can do nothing".
The
Holy Father went on to explain this latter concept by quoting a
question put to the fifth-century monk John the Prophet who lived in
the desert of Gaza: "How is it possible to reconcile man's
freedom with the fact that we can do nothing without God?" The
hermit’s response was: "If man inclines his heart to goodness
and asks help of God, he receives the strength necessary to achieve
his task. Therefore, man's freedom and God's power go hand in hand.
This is possible because goodness comes from God but it is realised
thanks to His faithful".
"Each
of us", Pope Benedict continued, "is like a branch which
lives only if it grows every day through prayer and participation in
the Sacraments, through charity and union with the Lord. Those who
love Christ, the true vine, produce fruits of faith for an abundant
spiritual harvest".
Following
the Regina Coeli, the Pope reminded those present of his forthcoming
trip to Milan, Italy, in early June for the Seventh World Meeting of
Families. Addressing Spanish-speaking pilgrims he also recalled the
fact that today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the canonisation of
St. Martin de Porres "whom we ask to intervene in favour of the
new evangelisation, that sanctity may blossom in the Church".
Finally,
the Holy Father addressed twenty-six new recruits of the Swiss Guard
who took their oath today. "I greet the new Swiss Guards and
their families, on the feast day of that historic corps", he
said.
The
oath of new recruits to the Swiss Guards takes place every year on 6
May, usually in the San Damaso Courtyard of the Apostolic Palace but
this year, due to rain, in the Vatican's Sala Nervi. The ceremony
commemorates the 147 members of the corps who lost their lives
protecting Pope Clement VII from the onslaught of the troops of
Emperor Charles V during the Sack of Rome on 6 May 1527.
THE
CATHOLIC IDENTITY OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Vatican
City, 5 May 2012 (VIS) - The question of religious education and the
formation in the faith of the next generation of Catholics in the
United States was the theme of the Holy Father's remarks to prelates
from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (Regions
X-XIII), who have just completed their five-yearly "ad limina"
visit:
Speaking
to the group in English, the Pope began by acknowledging "the
great progress that has been made in recent years in improving
catechesis, reviewing texts and bringing them into conformity with
the Catechism of the Catholic Church". He also praised efforts
underway "to preserve the great patrimony of America’s
Catholic elementary and high schools, which have been deeply affected
by changing demographics and increased costs, while at the same time
ensuring that the education they provide remains within the reach of
all families, whatever their financial status".
"On
the level of higher education, many of you have pointed to a growing
recognition on the part of Catholic colleges and universities of the
need to reaffirm their distinctive identity in fidelity to their
founding ideals and the Church’s mission in service of the Gospel.
Yet much remains to be done, especially in such basic areas as
compliance with the mandate laid down in Canon 812 for those who
teach theological disciplines. The importance of this canonical norm
as a tangible expression of ecclesial communion and solidarity in the
Church’s educational apostolate becomes all the more evident when
we consider the confusion created by instances of apparent dissidence
between some representatives of Catholic institutions and the
Church’s pastoral leadership: such discord harms the Church’s
witness and, as experience has shown, can easily be exploited to
compromise her authority and her freedom.
"It
is no exaggeration", the Pope added, "to say that providing
young people with a sound education in the faith represents the most
urgent internal challenge facing the Catholic community in your
country".
"First,
as we know, the essential task of authentic education ... is not
simply that of passing on knowledge, essential as this is, but also
of shaping hearts. There is a constant need to balance intellectual
rigour in communicating ... the richness of the Church’s faith with
forming the young in the love of God, the praxis of the Christian
moral and sacramental life and, not least, the cultivation of
personal and liturgical prayer".
The
Holy Father went on to explain that "the question of Catholic
identity, not least at the university level, entails much more than
the teaching of religion or the mere presence of a chaplaincy on
campus. All too often, it seems, Catholic schools and colleges have
failed to challenge students to reappropriate their faith as part of
the exciting intellectual discoveries which mark the experience of
higher education. The fact that so many new students find themselves
dissociated from the family, school and community support systems
that previously facilitated the transmission of the faith should
continually spur Catholic institutions of learning to create new and
effective networks of support.
"In
every aspect of their education, students need to be encouraged to
articulate a vision of the harmony of faith and reason capable of
guiding a life-long pursuit of knowledge and virtue. ... In effect,
faith by its very nature demands a constant and all-embracing
conversion to the fullness of truth revealed in Christ. ... The
Christian commitment to learning, which gave birth to the medieval
universities, was based upon this conviction that the one God, as the
source of all truth and goodness, is likewise the source of the
intellect’s passionate desire to know and the will’s yearning for
fulfilment in love.
"Only
in this light can we appreciate the distinctive contribution of
Catholic education, which engages in a “diakonia of truth”
inspired by an intellectual charity which knows that leading others
to the truth is ultimately an act of love. Faith’s recognition of
the essential unity of all knowledge provides a bulwark against the
alienation and fragmentation which occurs when the use of reason is
detached from the pursuit of truth and virtue; in this sense,
Catholic institutions have a specific role to play in helping to
overcome the crisis of universities today".
POPE
RECEIVES THE PRESIDENT OF ALBANIA
Vatican
City, 5 May 2012 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received in
audience Bamir Topi, president of the Republic of Albania. The
president subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of
State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who was accompanied by Archbishop
Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
A
communique released by the Holy See Press Office states that, "during
their cordial discussions the parties highlighted the good relations
that exist between the Holy See and the Republic of Albania, and
turned their attention to questions of mutual interest regarding
relations between the ecclesial and civil communities, including
inter-religious dialogue and the Church's contribution in the fields
of education and social care. Consideration was also given to
Albania's journey towards full integration into the European Union.
Finally, the parties exchanged opinions on the current international
and regional situation, with particular focus on the economic
crisis".
CARDINAL
SCHONBORN, SPECIAL PAPAL ENVOY TO PRAGUE CELEBRATIONS
Vatican
City, 5 May 2012 (VIS) - Made public today was the letter by which
the Holy Father appoints Cardinal Christoph Schonborn O.P.,
archbishop of Vienna, Austria, as his special envoy to celebrations
marking the 450th anniversary of the formal renewal of the
archbishopric of Prague, due to take place on 12 May.
In
the text, written in Latin and dated 30 March, the Pope mentions the
long centuries of Church activity in that region of Europe,
evangelised by the brothers Cyril and Methodius and homeland to
Blessed Ludmilla and St. Wenceslaus.
The
cardinal will be accompanied on his mission by Fr. Benedikt Mohelnik
O.P., provincial of the Dominican Province of Bohemia, and by Fr.
Vojtech Novak, pastor and dean of Rakovnik, and director of the
Pontifical Missionary Works for the archdiocese of Prague.
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 7 May 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience:
-
Eight prelates of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
on their "ad limina" visit:
-
Archbishop Wilton Daniel Gregory of Atlanta, accompanied by Auxiliary
Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama.
-
Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of Charleston, accompanied by Bishop
emeritus David Bernard Thompson.
-
Bishop Peter Joseph Jugis of Charlotte.
-
Bishop Michael Francis Burbidge of Raleigh.
-
Bishop Gregory John Hartmayer O.F.M. Conv. of Savannah, accompanied
by Bishop emeritus John Kevin Boland.
-
Ali Akbar Naseri, ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on his
farewell visit.
On
Saturday 5 May he received in audience:
-
Archbishop Santo Gangemi, apostolic nuncio to Papua New Guinea and
the Solomon Islands, accompanied by members of his family.
-
Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 7 May 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation
from the pastoral care of the diocese of Ecatepec, Mexico, presented
by Bishop Onesimo Cepeda Silva, upon having reached the age limit.
On
Saturday 5 May it was made public that the Holy Father appointed
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun S.D.B., bishop emeritus of Hong Kong,
China, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the centenary of
the birth of Blessed Peter To Rot, catechist and martyr of Papua New
Guinea, due to take place in Rabaul on 7 July.
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