Subject: VISnews 110126
Organization: VIS - Ufficio Stampa della Santa Sede
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
TWENTY FIRST YEAR - N. 17
ENGLISH
WEDNESDAY, 26 JANUARY 2011
SUMMARY:
- Overcoming Pessimism on the Path to Full Christian Unity
- Joan of Arc: Bringing the Light of the Gospel into History
- Other Pontifical Acts
___________________________________________________________
OVERCOMING PESSIMISM ON THE PATH TO FULL CHRISTIAN UNITY
VATICAN CITY, 26 JAN 2011 (VIS) - Yesterday evening in the Roman basilica of
St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, the Pope presided at the celebration of
Vespers to mark the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
In his homily the Holy Father recalled how this year "the theme suggested
for our meditations came from the Christian communities of Jerusalem. ...
The Christians of the Holy City invite us to renew and strengthen our
commitment to rebuild full unity by meditating on the model of life followed
by the first disciples of Christ gathered in Jerusalem. 'They devoted
themselves', we read in the Acts of the Apostles, 'to the Apostles' teaching
and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers'".
"The Apostles' teaching, fraternal communion, breaking bread and prayer
were the tangible elements of the life of the first Christian community in
Jerusalem, united by the action of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, these
are the essential traits of all Christian communities in all times and
places. We could, in other words, say that they represent the fundamental
aspects of the unity of the visible Body of the Church".
Benedict XVI highlighted how "over the course of the last few decades, the
ecumenical movement, 'fostered by the grace of the Holy Spirit', has made
important progress. ... Nonetheless, we are well aware that we are still far
from the unity for which Christ prayed", he said. "The unity to which
Christ, through His Spirit, calls the Church, cannot be realised only at the
level of organisational structures but is forged at a more profound level,
in 'confessing the one faith, celebrating divine worship in common, and
keeping the fraternal harmony of the family of God'.
"Efforts to re-establish unity among divided Christians cannot", the Pope
added, "be reduced only to recognising our reciprocal differences and to
achieving peaceful coexistence. What we long for is that unity for which
Christ Himself prayed, and which by its nature becomes manifest in the
communion of faith, of the Sacraments and of the ministry. The journey to
this unity must be perceived as a moral imperative, a response to a specific
call from the Lord. For this reason it is important to overcome the
temptation to despondency and pessimism, which is a lack of faith in the
power of the Holy Spirit".
The Holy Father continued: "We must passionately continue the journey
towards this goal, through serious and rigorous dialogue to develop our
shared theological, liturgical and spiritual heritage; through reciprocal
knowledge; through the ecumenical formation of new generations and, above
all, through conversion of heart and prayer".
Referring then to today's Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, he recalled
how "in his long missionary journeys Paul, as he roamed through various
cities and regions, never forgot his bond of communion with the Church of
Jerusalem. Collections to support the Christians of that community ...
occupied an important place in Paul's concerns. He considered it not only as
a work of charity but as a sign and guarantee of unity and communion between
the Churches he founded and that original community in the Holy City, a sign
of the unity of the one Church of Christ".
Finally, Benedict XVI addressed a special greeting to "our brothers and
sisters from other Churches and ecclesial communities", including "members
of the Joint International Commission for Dialogue between the Catholic
Church and the Ancient Churches of the East, who are meeting in Rome during
these days. We entrust the success of your meeting to the Lord, that it may
be another step forward towards our longed-for unity". He also addressed a
special greeting to representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Germany, "who have come to Rome, with the bishop of the Church of Bavaria".
HML/ VIS
20110126 (640)
JOAN OF ARC: BRINGING THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL INTO HISTORY
VATICAN CITY, 26 JAN 2011 (VIS) - During this morning's general audience,
celebrated in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of 3,000 people, Holy Father
dedicated his catechesis to St. Joan of Arc (1412-1431), whom he described
as "one of the 'strong women' who, at the end of the Middle Ages, fearlessly
brought the splendid light of the Gospel into the complex events of
history".
The life of Joan of Arc, who was born into a prosperous peasant family,
took place in the context of the conflict between France and England known
as the Hundred Years War. At the age of thirteen, "through the 'voice' of
St. Michael the Archangel, Joan felt herself called by the Lord to intensify
her Christian life and to act personally to free her people".
She made a vow of virginity and redoubled her prayers, participating in
sacramental life with renewed energy. "This young French peasant girl's
compassion and commitment in the face of her people's suffering were made
even more intense through her mystical relationship with God. One of the
most original aspects of her sanctity was this bond between mystical
experience and political mission". said Benedict XVI.
Joan's activities began in early 1429 when, overcoming all obstacles, she
managed to meet with the French Dauphin, the future King Charles VII. He had
her examined by theologians of the University of Poitiers who "delivered a
positive judgment, they discovered nothing bad in her, and found her to be a
good Christian".
On 22 March of that year Joan dictated a letter to the King of England and
his men, who were laying siege to the city of Orleans. "Hers was a proposal
of authentic and just peace between two Christian peoples, in the light of
the names of Jesus and Mary", said the Holy Father. But the offer was
rejected and Joan had to fight for the liberation of the city. Another
culminating moment of her endeavours came on 17 July 1429 when King Charles
was crowned in Reims.
Joan's passion began on 23 May 1430 when she fell into the hands of her
enemies at Compiegne and was taken to the city of Rouen. There a long and
dramatic trial was held which concluded with her being condemned to death on
30 May 1431.
The trial was presided by two ecclesiastical judges, Bishop Pierre Cauchon
and the inquisitor Jean le Maistre, but in fact it was conducted by a group
of theologians from the University of Paris. These "French ecclesiastics,
having made political choices opposed to those of Joan, were predisposed to
hold negative views of her person and mission. The trial was a dark page in
the history of sanctity, but also a shining page in the mystery of the
Church which is, ... 'at the same time holy and always in need of being
purified'".
"Unlike the saintly theologians who illuminated the University of Paris,
such as St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas and Blessed Duns Scotus, ... the
judges were theologians who lacked the charity and humility to see the work
of God in this young girl. Jesus' words come to mind, according to which the
mysteries of God are revealed to those who have the hearts of children, but
hidden from the wise and intelligent. Thus Joan's judges were radically
incapable of understanding her, of seeing the beauty of her soul", the Pope
said.
Joan died at the stake on 30 May 1431, holding a crucifix in her hands and
invoking the name of Jesus. Twenty-five years later a trial of
nullification, instituted by Pope Callixtus III, "concluded with a solemn
sentence nullifying the condemnation and ... highlighting Joan of Arc's
innocence and perfect faithfulness to the Church. Much later, in 1920, she
was canonised by Pope Benedict XV".
"The Name of Jesus invoked by this saint in the last instants of her
earthly life was as the continual breath of her soul, ... the centre of her
entire life", the Holy Father explained. "This saint understood that Love
embraces all things of God and man, of heaven and earth, of the Church and
the world. ... Liberating her people was an act of human justice, which Joan
performed in charity, for love of Jesus, hers is a beautiful example of
sanctity for lay people involved in political life, especially in the most
difficult situations".
"Joan saw in Jesus all the reality of the Church, the 'Church triumphant'
in heaven and the 'Church militant' on earth. In her own words, 'Our Lord
and the Church are one'. This affirmation ... takes on a truly heroic aspect
in the context of the trial, in the face of her judges, men of the Church
who persecuted and condemned her".
"With her shining witness St. Joan of Arc invites us to the highest degree
of Christian life, making prayer the motif of our days, having complete
trust in achieving the will of God whatever it may be, living in charity
without favouritisms or limitations, and finding in the Love of Jesus, as
she did, a profound love for His Church".
AG/ VIS
20110126 (860)
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 26 JAN 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation
from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Sao Sebastiao do Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, presented by Bishop Assis Lopes, upon having reached the
age limit.
RE/ VIS
20110126 (50)
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