SUMMARY:
-
THE STATE MUST RECOGNISE THE SPECIFIC IDENTITY OF THE FAMILY FOUNDED
UPON MARRIAGE
-
DIVORCED PEOPLE ARE NOT "OUTSIDE" THE CHURCH
-
LOVE IS THE ONLY FORCE THAT CAN TRULY TRANSFORM THE WORLD
-
PHILADELPHIA 2015, THE NEXT WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES
______________________________________
THE
STATE MUST RECOGNISE THE SPECIFIC IDENTITY OF THE FAMILY FOUNDED UPON
MARRIAGE
Vatican
City, 3 June 2012 (VIS) - In the archbishopric of Milan yesterday
afternoon, the Holy Father met with representatives from the civil
and military authorities, industrialists and workers, and exponents
of the world of culture in the Italian region of Lombardy.
Benedict
XVI focused his remarks on the principles of good government as laid
down by St. Ambrose who, based in Milan, governed the Roman provinces
of Liguria and Aemilia in the fourth century. These principles "are
still important" for leaders today, the Pope said. The first
quality of people in power must be justice, "the public virtue
par excellence because it concerns the good of the entire community".
Justice has to be accompanied by love of freedom, something which
distinguishes good governors from bad ones. "Freedom is ... a
precious right which must be guaranteed by the civil authorities.
However, freedom does not mean the will of the individual but the
responsibility of everyone. One of the principle elements of the
secular State is to ensure freedom so that everyone can present their
own vision of social life, but always while respecting others and in
the context of laws which seek the good of all".
In order
to guarantee the common good the laws of State "must draw
justification and strength from natural law, which is the foundation
for a social order adapted to the dignity of the human person".
An exclusively positivist view of law cannot provide ethical
guidance. The State must serve and protect the individual in all
aspects, "beginning with the right to life, which must never be
deliberately suppressed". It is also called "to recognise
the specific identity of the family, founded on marriage and open to
life, and the right of parents freely to choose the education and
formation of their children. ... The State fails to do justice to
families if it does not support freedom of education for the good of
all society", the Pope said.
The
Church offers her collaboration to the State, each with their own
role and their own goals, through her doctrine, traditions,
institutions and activities, by virtue of which she places herself at
the service of people. "Suffice it to think of the many shining
figures of saints of charity, of schools and of culture, saints who
cared for the sick and the marginalised with the same service and
love with which we would serve and love the Lord. ... Christian
communities promote these actions ... as a gratuitous superabundance
of Christ's charity and of the all-embracing experience of their
faith. Apart from courageous technical and political decisions, the
crisis we are going through also has need of gratuitousness".
Finally
Benedict XVI recalled the fact that St. Ambrose advised people in
positions of power to ensure they were loved. "That which love
does can never be done by fear", he said, quoting the saint. The
reasons that move people to enter into public life "cannot but
be", he told his audience, "the desire to dedicate
yourselves to the good of citizens, and therefore a clear expression
and evident sign of love. In this way politics is ennobled and
becomes an exalted form of charity".
DIVORCED
PEOPLE ARE NOT "OUTSIDE" THE CHURCH
Vatican
City, 3 June 2012 (VIS) - Yesterday evening, almost half a million
people attended the "Celebration of Witnesses" at Bresso
Park in Milan, Italy, one of events of the seventh World Meeting of
Families. The Holy Father arrived at 8.30 p.m. to participate in the
celebration during which he answered questions put to him by various
families on subjects which included the economic crisis, the position
of divorced people in the Church and the indissolubility of Marriage.
Benedict XVI also recalled his own infancy and family life.
An
engaged couple from Madagascar who are studying at university in
Italy spoke of the anxiety they felt when faced with the "forever"
of Marriage. The Pope explained that falling in love, being an
emotion, is not eternal. "The emotion of love must be purified",
he said, "it must undertake a journey of discernment in which
the mind and the will also come into play. ... In the rite of
Marriage the Church does not ask whether you are in love but whether
you want, whether you are resolved. In other words, falling in love
must become true love; it must involve the will and the mind in a
journey (which is the period of engagement) of purification, of
greater profundity so that it is truly all of man, with all his
capacities, with the discernment of reason and the force of will, who
says: 'Yes, this is my life'". The Holy Father also mentioned
other important factors such as communion of life with others, with
friends, the Church, the faith and God Himself.
A
Brazilian family raised the issue of divorced couples who have
remarried and cannot avail themselves of the Sacraments. Benedict XVI
affirmed that "this is one of the the great causes of suffering
for the Church today, and we do not have simple solutions. ...
Naturally, one very important factor is prevention. This means
ensuring that, from the beginning, the act of falling love is
transformed in a more profound and mature decision. Another factor is
that of accompanying people during marriage, to ensure that families
are never alone but find authentic company on their journey. We must
tell people in this situation that the Church loves them, but they
must see and feel this love". Parishes and other Catholic
communities "must do everything possible so that such people
feel loved and accepted, that they are not 'outsiders' even if they
cannot receive absolution and the Eucharist. They must see that they
too live fully within the Church. ... The Eucharist is real and
shared if people truly enter into communion with the Body of Christ.
Even without the 'corporeal' assumption of the Sacrament, we can be
spiritually united to Christ". It is important for divorced
couples "to have the chance to live a life of faith, ... to see
that their suffering is a gift for the Church, because they also help
others to defend the stability of love, of Marriage; ... theirs is a
suffering in the community of the Church for the great values of our
faith".
A Greek
family asked the Pope what families affected by the economic crisis
can do not to lose hope. "Words are insufficient", the Holy
Father replied. "We should do something tangible and we all
suffer because we are unable to do so. First let us speak of
politics. I believe that all parties should show an increased sense
of responsibility, that they should not make promises they cannot
keep, that they should not seek votes only for themselves but show
responsibility for the common good of everyone, in the awareness that
politics is also a human and moral responsibility before God and
man". Moreover, each of must do everything we can "with a
great sense of responsibility and in the knowledge that sacrifices
are necessary if we are to prevail". The Holy Father also
suggested that families help one another, and that parishes and
cities do likewise, supporting one another with material assistance
and never forgetting to pray.
A seven
year old girl from Vietnam asked the Pope to say something about his
own family and infancy. Benedict XVI recalled the essential
importance Sunday had had for his family. "Sunday began on
Saturday afternoon when my father would tell us the Sunday readings.
... Thus we entered into the liturgy in an atmosphere of joy. The
next day we would go to Mass. I lived near Salzburg so there was
always music - Mozart, Schubert, Haydn - and when the 'Kyrie' began
it was as if the sky itself had opened. ... We were of one heart and
soul, with many shared experiences even through difficult times
because there was the war and before that the dictatorship, then
poverty. But the reciprocal love that existed between us, the joy in
simple things was so strong that we could bear and overcome these
things. ...Thus we grew up in the certainty that it is good to be
human, because we could see the goodness of God reflected in parents
and siblings. ... In this context of trust, joy and love we were
happy and I think that heaven must be similar to my youth. In this
sense I hope 'to go home' when I go 'to the other part of the
world'".
LOVE
IS THE ONLY FORCE THAT CAN TRULY TRANSFORM THE WORLD
Vatican
City, 3 June 2012 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. today, Benedict XVI presided at
an open-air Mass at Bresso Park in Milan, Italy, for the closure of
the seventh World Meeting of Families. The meeting began on 30 May
and has had as its theme: "The Family: Work and Celebration".
Extracts of the homily delivered by the Pope to the one million
faithful present are given below.
"The
liturgical Solemnity of the Holy Trinity that we are celebrating
today ... urges us to commit ourselves to live our communion with God
and with one another according to the model of Trinitarian communion.
... It is not only the Church that is called to be the image of One
God in Three Persons, but also the family, based on marriage between
man and woman. ... God created us male and female, equal in dignity,
but also with respective and complementary characteristics, so that
the two might be a gift for each other, might value each other and
might bring into being a community of love and life. It is love that
makes the human person the authentic image of God. Dear married
couples, in living out your marriage you are not giving each other
any particular thing or activity, but your whole lives. And your love
is fruitful first and foremost for yourselves, because you desire and
accomplish one another’s good, you experience the joy of receiving
and giving. It is also fruitful in your generous and responsible
procreation of children, in your attentive care for them, and in
their vigilant and wise education. And lastly, it is fruitful for
society, because family life is the first and irreplaceable school of
social virtues, such as respect for persons, gratuitousness, trust,
responsibility, solidarity, cooperation. Dear married couples, watch
over your children and, in a world dominated by technology, transmit
to them, with serenity and trust, reasons for living, the strength of
faith, pointing them towards high goals and supporting them in their
fragility".
"Your
vocation is not easy to live, especially today, but the vocation to
love is a wonderful thing, it is the only force that can truly
transform the world. You have before you the witness of so many
families who point out the paths for growing in love: by maintaining
a constant relationship with God and participating in the life of the
Church, by cultivating dialogue, respecting the other’s point of
view, by being ready for service and patient with the failings of
others, by being able to forgive and to seek forgiveness, by
overcoming with intelligence and humility any conflicts that may
arise, by agreeing on principles of upbringing, and by being open to
other families, attentive towards the poor, and responsible within
civil society. These are all elements that build up the family. Live
them with courage, and be sure that, insofar as you live your love
for each other and for all with the help of God’s grace, you become
a living Gospel, a true domestic Church.
"I
should also like to address a word to the faithful who, even though
they agree with the Church’s teachings on the family, have had
painful experiences of breakdown and separation. I want you to know
that the Pope and the Church support you in your struggle. I
encourage you to remain united to your communities, and I earnestly
hope that your dioceses are developing suitable initiatives to
welcome and accompany you".
"We
may recognise the task of man and woman to collaborate with God in
the process of transforming the world through work, science and
technology. ... In modern economic theories, there is often a
utilitarian concept of work, production and the market. Yet God’s
plan, as well as experience, show that the one-sided logic of sheer
utility and maximum profit are not conducive to harmonious
development, to the good of the family or to building a more just
society, because it brings in its wake ferocious competition, strong
inequalities, degradation of the environment, the race for consumer
goods, family tensions. Indeed, the utilitarian mentality tends to
take its toll on personal and family relationships, reducing them to
a fragile convergence of individual interests and undermining the
solidity of the social fabric.
"One
final point: man, as the image of God, is also called to rest and to
celebrate. The account of creation concludes with these words: “And
on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he
rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. So God
blessed the seventh day and hallowed it”. For us Christians, the
feast day is Sunday, the Lord’s day, the weekly Easter. It is the
day of the Church, the assembly convened by the Lord around the table
of the Word and of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. ... It is the day of
man and his values: conviviality, friendship, solidarity, culture,
closeness to nature, play, sport. It is the day of the family, on
which to experience together a sense of celebration, encounter,
sharing, not least through taking part in Mass. Dear families,
despite the relentless rhythms of the modern world, do not lose a
sense of the Lord’s Day!"
"Family,
work, celebration: three of God’s gifts, three dimensions of our
lives that must be brought into a harmonious balance. ... In this
regard, always give priority to the logic of being over that of
having: the first builds up, the second ends up destroying. We must
learn to believe first of all in the family, in authentic love, the
kind that comes from God and unites us to Him".
PHILADELPHIA
2015, THE NEXT WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES
Vatican
City, 3 June 2012 (VIS) - At midday today, after having celebrated
Mass in the presence of almost one million faithful at Bresso Park in
Milan and before praying the Angelus, the Holy Father announced that
the eighth World Meeting of Families will be held in Philadelphia,
U.S.A. in the year 2015. "I send my warm greetings to Archbishop
Charles Chaput", he said, "and to the Catholics of that
great city, and look forward to meeting them there along with
numerous families from all around the world".
Before
bidding farewell to the participants in the seventh World Meeting of
Families, Benedict XVI expressed his thanks to Cardinal Ennio
Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, and to
Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, as well as to all the
organisers and volunteers.
The Pope
then went on the greet pilgrims in various languages. Speaking
French, he spoke of his joy at today's beatification in the French
diocese of Besancon of Fr. Jean-Joseph Lataste of the Order of Friars
Preachers, whom he described as an "apostle of mercy" and
"apostle of prisons".
"Dear
families of Milan, Lombardy, Italy and the whole world, I greet you
all with affection and thank you for your participation", the
Holy Father concluded. "I encourage you to show solidarity
towards families experiencing the greatest difficulties. I am
thinking of the economic and social crisis, I am thinking of the
recent earthquake in Emilia. May the Virgin Mary always accompany and
support you".
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