SUMMARY:
- THE
POPE TO FRENCH BISHOPS: RELIGIOUS IGNORANCE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST
PROBLEMS OF OUR TIMES
-
CATHOLICS AND ORTHODOX MUST NOT LOSE THEIR RICH HARVEST THROUGH
WEAKNESS AND DIVISION
- HOLY
SEE'S SATISFACTION AT THE UN RESOLUTION ON PALESTINE
- MEETING
OF THE SECRETARIAT GENERAL OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS
-
BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR DECEMBER
-
AUDIENCES
- OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
THE
POPE TO FRENCH BISHOPS: RELIGIOUS IGNORANCE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST
PROBLEMS OF OUR TIMES
Vatican
City, 30 November 2012 (VIS) - "The Church in France has a long
heritage of saints, doctors, martyrs and confessors of the faith. You
are the heirs to a history of great human experience and immense
spiritual richness. … These origins and this glorious past, always
present in our thought and dear to our spirit, nurture great hope in
solid and bold faith, allowing us to rise to the challenges of the
third millennium and to listen to the hopes of contemporary humanity,
to which only God can give a satisfactory answer".
With
these words, Benedict XVI received the third group of bishops from
the Episcopal Conference of France at the end of their "ad
limina" visit. The Pope observed that "the Good News we
must announce to mankind in all times and in all languages and
cultures, may be summarised in these words: God, creator of mankind,
in His son Jesus, has shown us His love for humanity. 'God is love'
and pursues the happiness of His creation, of all His children. The
pastoral constitution 'Gaudium et spes' asks key questions on human
existence, the meaning of life and death, evil, disease and
suffering, all present in our world. It recalls that, in His paternal
goodness, God brings answers to all these questions and that Christ
founded His Church in order to bring those answers to all mankind.
This is the reason why one of the gravest problems of our time is the
ignorance of religion on the part of many men and women, also among
the Catholic faithful".
"This
is why the new evangelisation, in which the Church is resolutely
engaged, … assumes such importance", the Pope continued. "One
of the most formidable obstacles to our pastoral mission is ignorance
of the content of faith. Indeed, this is a dual form of ignorance:
the ignorance of Jesus Christ as a person and ignorance of the
sublime nature of His teachings, of their universal and permanent
value in the search for the meaning of life and happiness. In the new
generations this ignorance produces an inability to understand
history or to recognise themselves as heirs to this tradition, which
has shaped European life, society, art and culture".
"The
new evangelisation will be effective if it engages deeply with
communities and parishes. The signs of vitality and involvement of
the laity in French society are already encouraging. … The laity
are the face of the world within the Church, and at the same time the
face the Church presents to the world". Benedict XVI emphasised,
however, that the Church in Europe and in France can no longer remain
indifferent to the diminution of vocations and priestly ordinations.
... All available energy must be urgently mobilised so as to bring
the voice of the Lord to the young. God calls when and to whom He
wishes. Without doubt, Christian families and communities offer
particularly fertile ground".
"The
young are the hope and future of the Church and the world",
continued the Holy Father, emphasising "the importance of
Catholic education". "Catholic institutes clearly play a
primary role in the great dialogue between faith and culture. The
love of truth that shines in them is in itself a great evangeliser.
Places of learning and dialogue, as well as centres of research, must
be further developed and more ambitious in scope". The Pope
praised the initiatives of some French dioceses to encourage greater
knowledge of theology among young people who study other disciplines.
"Theology is a source of wisdom, joy and wonder that should not
be reserved only to seminarians, priests and consecrated persons",
he added.
Benedict
XVI concluded by mentioning Catholic schools, which "have shaped
the Christian and cultural life" of France, and which bear
'historical responsibility'. "A way must be found to place faith
at the centre of their educational mission … Education in Christian
values provides the key to the culture of your nation. By opening
young people to hope and true freedom, such education will continue
to be a source of dynamism and creativity. The ardour of the new
evangelisation will be our greatest contribution to the flowering of
human society and the best answer to the varied challenges we face at
the beginning of the third millennium".
CATHOLICS
AND ORTHODOX MUST NOT LOSE THEIR RICH HARVEST THROUGH WEAKNESS AND
DIVISION
Vatican
City, 30 November 2012 (VIS) - Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, is leading a
delegation sent by the Holy See to Istanbul to participate in
celebrations marking the Feast of St. Andrew, patron of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Holy See and the
Patriarchate exchange regular annual visits for the feast days of
their respective patrons.
The Holy
See delegation to this year's celebration is made up of Cardinal
Koch; Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity; Fr. Andrea Palmieri, an official of the
same dicastery, and Archbishop Antonio Lucibello, apostolic nuncio to
Turkey. The group attended a divine liturgy celebrated by Bartholomew
I in the patriarchal church of Fanar, then met with the Patriarch and
the synodal commission which oversees relations with the Catholic
Church.
Cardinal
Koch gave Bartholomew I a gift and a message from the Holy Father
which was read out at the end of the divine liturgy. He then met with
representatives of the local Catholic community and the ecumenical
council of the apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church in
Istanbul.
In his
message, the Pope explains that this annual exchange of delegations
"is testimony to the fraternal bonds which join us together. It
is a profound and genuine communion, if still imperfect, which is
based not on human motives of courtesy or convenience but rather on
our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. … This solid foundation
allows us to proceed together confidently on the path to the
re-establishment of full communion".
"In
our times, the most urgent challenge, about which we have always been
in perfect agreement, … is how we must connect the proclamation of
God's merciful love for contemporary man, so often distracted and
incapable of reflection on the meaning of his own existence, and as
such often misled by plans and utopias that can lead only to
disillusionment. The Church has only one message, 'God's Gospel', and
no method other than its apostolic proclamation, supported and
guaranteed by the testimony and sanctity of the life of priests and
the people of God. The Lord Jesus told us that 'the harvest is rich',
and we must not accept that it may be lost as a result of our
weaknesses and divisions", concluded the Holy Father.
HOLY
SEE'S SATISFACTION AT THE UN RESOLUTION ON PALESTINE
Vatican
City, 30 November 2012 (VIS) - Given below is the Holy See's
declaration on the majority approval by the General Assembly of the
United Nations to the Resolution by which Palestine has become a
Non-member Observer State of the UN Organisation.
"The
Holy See has followed actively the steps which have led to this
important decision, while striving to remain neutral between the
Parties, and to act in accordance with its particular religious
nature and universal mission, and in consideration also of its
specific attention to the ethical dimension of international
problems.
"The
Holy See considers, moreover, that today’s vote should be placed
within the context of the efforts of giving a definitive solution,
with the support of the international community, to the question
already dealt with by Resolution 181 of the General Assembly of the
United Nations of 29 November 1947. That document is the juridical
basis for the existence of two States, one of which has not been
constituted in the successive sixty-five years, while the other has
already seen the light.
"On
15 May 2009, while departing from 'Ben Gurion' International Airport,
Tel Aviv, at the conclusion of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Pope
Benedict XVI expressed the following: No more bloodshed! No more
fighting! No more terrorism! No more war! Instead let us break the
vicious circle of violence. Let there be lasting peace based on
justice, let there be genuine reconciliation and healing. Let it be
universally recognized that the State of Israel has the right to
exist, and to enjoy peace and security within internationally agreed
borders. Let it be likewise acknowledged that the Palestinian people
have a right to a sovereign independent homeland, to live with
dignity and to travel freely. Let the two-state solution become a
reality, not remain a dream.
"In
the wake of that appeal, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations
with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, speaking before the
General Assembly of the United Nations in 2011, expressed the hope
that the competent Bodies of the United Nations would adopt a
decision which would help give concrete implementation to that goal.
"Today’s
vote manifests the sentiment of the majority of the international
community and recognises a more significant presence to Palestinians
within the United Nations. At the same time, it is the conviction of
the Holy See that this result does not constitute, per se, a
sufficient solution to the existing problems in the Region: which, in
fact, can only find an adequate response through the effective
commitment to building peace and stability, in justice and in the
respect for legitimate aspirations, both of the Israelis and of the
Palestinians.
"Therefore,
the Holy See, at various times, has invited the leaders of the two
Peoples to restart the negotiations in good faith and to avoid
actions, or the placing of conditions, which would contradict the
declarations of goodwill and the sincere search for solutions which
could become secure foundations for a lasting peace. Moreover, the
Holy See has made a pressing appeal to the International Community to
increase its commitment and to encourage its creativity, through the
adoption of suitable initiatives which may help to achieve a lasting
peace, that respects the rights of Israelis and of Palestinians.
Peace needs courageous decisions!
"Considering
the outcome of today’s vote of the General Assembly of the United
Nations, and to encourage the International Community, and in
particular the Parties directly concerned, towards concrete action in
view of the aforementioned objectives – the Holy See welcomes with
favour the decision of the General Assembly by which Palestine has
become a non-member Observer State of the United Nations. It is a
propitious occasion to recall also the common position that the Holy
See and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation expressed in the
Basic Agreement of 15 February 2000, intended to support the
recognition of a internationally guaranteed special statute for the
City of Jerusalem, and aimed, in particular, to safeguarding the
freedom of religion and of conscience, the identity and sacred
character of Jerusalem as a Holy City, respect for and freedom of
access to its Holy Places".
MEETING
OF THE SECRETARIAT GENERAL OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS
Vatican
City, (VIS) - The twenty-third Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod
of Bishops on the theme of "The New Evangelisation for the
Transmission of the Christian Faith" was held from 7 to 28
October. Continuing the theme of the Synod, the topic of new
evangelisation for the transmission of Christian faith inspired the
work of the second meeting of the twenty-third Ordinary Council of
the Secretariat General of the Synod of Bishops, which took place on
26 November 2012.
At the
beginning of the session, the general secretary of the Synod of
Bishops, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, spoke about Jesus' missionary
mandate: "Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Gospel to all
creation". This, he said, was "the origin of the
proclamation of the Gospel, and retains its validity for the
evangelising work of the Church in all times".
"Following
the day's agenda, the general secretary gave a full and detailed
analysis of the themes which emerged from the Propositions of the
recent twenty-third Synodal Assembly. This analysis was followed by a
discussion which gave rise to suggestions to present to the Pope in
view of the Post-Synodal Exhortation".
"The
missionary mandate which the Lord entrusted to the Apostles is now
that of the Church in the new evangelisation, which she addresses to
the entire human race, involved in a constant process of
transformation which takes place in a context of globalisation and a
cultural and moral climate of secularisation and agnosticism. This
situation presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the
proclamation of the Gospel.
"The
Church carries out this work of proclaiming anew the Gospel through
priests and lay faithful. And the Gospel she proclaims involves all
humankind and is destined for every person: the baptised, believers
who have drifted away from the faith of the Church, non-believers,
the indifferent, believers of other Christian confessions, and
believers of other religions, in accordance with the mandate of the
Risen Lord".
The next
meeting will take place on 23 and 24 January 2013.
BENEDICT
XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR DECEMBER
Vatican
City, 30 November 2012 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer
intention for December is: "That migrants throughout the world
may be welcomed with generosity and authentic love, especially by
Christian communities".
His
mission intention is: "That Christ may reveal Himself to all
humanity with the light that shines forth from Bethlehem and is
reflected in the face of His Church".
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 30 November 2012 (VIS) - This evening the Holy Father is
scheduled to receive in audience Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller,
prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 30 November 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
-
Appointed Bishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto of Jullundur, India, as
archbishop of Delhi (area 15,420, population 19,633,000, Catholics
110,300, priests 262, religious 1,154), India. He succeeds Archbishop
Vincent Michael Concessao, whose resignation from the pastoral care
of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached
the age limit.
-
Appointed Bishop Binay Kandulna, auxiliary of Ranchi and apostolic
administrator of the diocese of Khunti, as bishop of Khunti (area
3,765, population 911,000, Catholics 90,672, priests 75, religious
196).
-
Appointed Fr. Angel Francisco Caraballo Fermin of the clergy of the
diocese of Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela, pastor of the Parish of
"Santisimos Pedro y Pablo" at Puerto Ordaz, as auxiliary of
the archdiocese of Maracaibo (area 11,365, population 2,259,000,
Catholics 2,096,000, priests 135, permanent deacons 16, religious
303), Venezuela. The bishop-elect was born in Puerto Ordaz in 1965
and ordained a priest in 1991. He studied in Spain and in Rome and,
among other things, has served as professor of Canon Law at the major
seminary of "El Buen Pastor" in Ciudad Bolivar, and as
vicar general and judicial vicar of his diocese.
You
can find more information at: www.visnews.org
The
news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used,
in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S.
-Vatican Information Service.
Copyright
© Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City
![Jesus of Nazareth [Hardcover]](http://static.trinityroad.com/prod/150/1111034.jpg)
