Subject: VISnews 110228
Organization: VIS - Ufficio Stampa della Santa Sede
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
TWENTY FIRST YEAR - N. 39
ENGLISH
MONDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2011
SUMMARY: 26 - 28 FEBRUARY
- Holy Father Receives the Pontifical Academy for Life
- Pope Accepts Resignation of Maronite Patriarch
- Trusting in God's Love in Our Daily Lives
- Benedict XVI Receives President of European Parliament
- Speaking, Understanding the Language of the New Media
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
___________________________________________________________
HOLY FATHER RECEIVES THE PONTIFICAL ACADEMY FOR LIFE
VATICAN CITY, 26 FEB 2011 (VIS) - At midday today Benedict XVI received
participants in the annual meeting of the Pontifical Academy for Life, led
by their new president, Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de Paula.
The question of post-abortion syndrome, which is being examined by the
assembly, reveals, said the Pope "the irrepressible voice of moral
conscience and the terrible wound it suffers each time a human action
betrays the human being's innate vocation to good".
"In your reflections it would also be helpful to focus attention on the
sometimes-clouded conscience of the children's fathers, who often abandon
pregnant women", he explained. "Moral conscience has the duty to discern
good from evil in the various situations of life so that, on the basis of
this judgement, human beings can freely orient themselves towards what is
good. To people who would deny the existence of moral conscience in man,
reducing its voice to the result of external conditioning or to a purely
emotive phenomenon, it is important to highlight that the moral nature of
human action is not an extrinsic or optional value, nor is a prerogative
only of Christians and believers; rather, it unites all mankind. Through
moral conscience God speaks to each of us, inviting us to defend human life
at all times, and in this personal bond with the Creator lies the profound
dignity of moral conscience and the reason for its inviolability".
"Doctors", the Holy Father went on, "must not fail in their serious duty
to ensure that women's consciences are not tricked into believing that
abortion will resolve family, economic and social difficulties, or the
health problems of their child. In this latter situation in particular,
women are often convinced, at times by the doctors themselves, that abortion
represents not only a morally acceptable choice but even a 'therapeutic' act
necessary to avoid suffering for the child and its family, and to remove an
'unjust' burden from society. In a cultural context characterised by an
eclipse of the meaning of life, in which the shared perception of the moral
gravity of abortion and others forms of attacks against human life has been
attenuated, doctors are called to show particular fortitude in continuing to
affirm that abortion resolves nothing; rather it kills the child, destroys
the woman and blinds the conscience of the child's father, often devastating
family life.
"However", the Pope added, "this duty concerns not only the medical
profession and healthcare workers; society as a whole must defend the
conceived child's right to life and the true good of the woman who can
never, in any circumstances, find fulfilment in the decision to abort. In
the same way it is important ... to ensure that the necessary help is not
lacking for women who, having unfortunately already chosen the path of
abortion, are now experiencing all its moral and existential consequences.
There are initiatives, at a diocesan level or by individual volunteer
organisations, which offer psychological and spiritual support for a full
recovery. The solidarity of the Christian community must not abandon this
kind of shared responsibility".
The Pope then turned his attention to the second question being examined
by the annual meeting of the Pontifical Academy for Life: the use of stem
cells from the umbilical cord.
"This has important clinical applications", he said, "and is a promising
form of scientific research; however its realisation depends to a large
extent on the generosity of donating cord blood at the moment of childbirth,
and on adapting structures in order to make the mothers' desire to donate
viable. I invite you, then, to promote genuine and well-informed human and
Christian solidarity", he said.
In closing Benedict XVI referred to the concern of many researchers
regarding the increasing number of private cord blood banks for autologous
use. "This option", he said, "apart from having no greater scientific merit
than the donation of cord blood, weakens that genuine spirit of solidarity
which must constantly animate the search for that common good, towards
which, in the final analysis, science and medical research are striving".
AC/ VIS
20110228 (690)
POPE ACCEPTS RESIGNATION OF MARONITE PATRIARCH
VATICAN CITY, 26 FEB 2011 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter from the
Pope addressed to His Beatitude Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir for the
occasion of his resignation from the office of patriarch of Antioch of the
Maronites, Lebanon.
The Holy Father notes how "the year consecrated to the 1600th anniversary
of the death of St. Maron is drawing to a close. The Maronite Church has
experienced a period of grace in this exceptional Jubilee Year, which has
also been the coronation of your own service for the greater glory of God
and for the good of all your faithful".
"For nearly twenty-five years", Benedict XVI writes, "you worked with your
two predecessors in the See of Antioch before being elected by the Synod to
succeed them on 19 April 1986. ... You began your noble ministry of
patriarch of the Maronites amidst the torment of the war which bloodied the
face of Lebanon for so many years. With the ardent desire for peace in your
country, you led the Church and travelled the world to console those obliged
to emigrate. Finally, peace returned, ever fragile but still extant".
The Holy Father recalls John Paul II's visit to Beirut in 1997 to sign the
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "A new hope for Lebanon" which, Pope
Benedict writes, "re-emphasised your Church's constant bond with Peter's
Successor". The Letter also mentions Cardinal Sfeir's participation in the
2010 Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, as
president delegate "ad honorem".
"You have chosen to resign from your office as patriarch of Antioch of the
Maronites in this special circumstance, and I accept your free and
magnanimous decision as an expression of great humility and profound
detachment", says the Pope. "I am sure", he concludes, "that you will always
accompany the journey of the Maronite Church with your prayers, your wise
counsel and your sacrifice".
BXVI-LETTER/ VIS 20110228
(330)
TRUSTING IN GOD'S LOVE IN OUR DAILY LIVES
VATICAN CITY, 27 FEB 2011 (VIS) - At midday today Benedict XVI appeared at
the window of his study to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered in St.
Peter's Square below.
He commented on today's reading from the Prophet Isaiah who, consoling
Jerusalem afflicted by calamities says: "Can a woman forget her nursing
child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may
forget, yet I will not forget you".
This phrase, said the Pope, is "a call to trust in the indefectible love
of God", as is the episode in the Gospel of St. Matthew in which Jesus
exhorts His disciples "to trust in the providence of the heavenly Father,
Who nourishes the birds of the air, clothes the lilies of the field and
knows our every need. Thus the Master says: 'Do not worry, saying: What will
we drink? or: What will we wear? For it is the Gentiles who strive for all
these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these
things?'
"Faced with the situation of so many people who, near and far, live in
dire poverty, these words of Jesus may seem unrealistic, even evasive", the
Holy Father added. "Yet in fact the Lord wants us to understand clearly that
we cannot serve two masters: God and money. Those who believe in God, the
Father full of love for His children, give priority to seeking His Kingdom
and His will. This is the exact opposite of fatalism. ... Faith in
Providence, does not, in fact, dispense us from the arduous struggle of
living a dignified life, but frees us from our attachment to things and our
fear of the morrow".
And he went on: "Clearly this teaching of Jesus, while it remains true and
valid for everyone, is practiced in different ways depending on our
different vocations: A Franciscan friar may follow it more radically, while
a family man will have to take account of his duties towards his wife and
children. Yet in all cases Christians stand out for their absolute faith in
the heavenly Father, just like Jesus" Who "showed us what it means to live
with our feet firmly planted on the ground, attentive to the real situation
of our neighbours and, at the same time, with our hearts in heaven, immersed
in God's mercy".
Finally the Pope called on the Virgin Mary to intercede "that we may all
learn to live a more simple and sober life, working hard every day and
respecting the creation which God entrusted to our care".
ANG/ VIS
20110228 (440)
BENEDICT XVI RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
VATICAN CITY, 28 FEB 2011 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the
following communique at midday today:
"Today, Monday 28 February, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in
audience Jerzey Buzek, president of the European Parliament. 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.
"The discussions, which took place in a cordial atmosphere, provided an
opportunity for a fruitful exchange of opinions concerning relations between
the Catholic Church, the European Parliament and other European
institutions, as well as the contribution the Church can make to the Union.
"In the course of the meeting attention also turned to questions of
current affairs, such as commitment to promoting religious freedom and the
protection of Christian minorities in the world".
OP/ VIS
20110228 (150)
SPEAKING, UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE OF THE NEW MEDIA
VATICAN CITY, 28 FEB 2011 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI received
participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social
Communications who are currently meeting to reflect on the question of
language and new technology.
The Pope noted how "ideas and relations are always part of the modality of
language, understood, naturally, in a broad and not only a verbal sense". In
this context he affirmed that "the new languages being developed in digital
communications lead, among other things, to capacities that are more
intuitive and emotional than analytical, tending towards a different logical
organisation of our ideas and our relationship with reality, often
privileging images and hypertextual links".
"The risks involved are, of course, visible to everyone: the loss of inner
depth, superficiality in relationships, the flight into emotionalism, the
prevalence of the most convincing opinion over the desire for truth. This is
the consequence of an incapacity to experience, fully and authentically, the
significance of the new innovations, and hence the vital importance of
reflecting on the languages developed by modern technology".
Going on then to refer to "digital culture" and the challenges the
ecclesial and civil communities have to face in this field, the Holy Father
highlighted how "it is not just a question of expressing the Gospel message
in modern language, but also of having the courage to give more profound
consideration, as happened in other ages, to the relationship between the
faith, the life of the Church and the transformations mankind is
experiencing". Whence arises "the importance of helping people in positions
of responsibility in the Church to understand, interpret and speak the 'new
language' of the mass media in their pastoral functions, interacting with
the modern world and asking themselves what challenges does so-called
'digital thought' place before faith and theology? What questions does it
raise, what requirements does it impose?"
After then highlighting how "digital culture challenges our capacity to
speak and listen to a symbolic language of transcendence", the Pope noted
that "today we are called to discover, also in digital culture, symbols and
significant metaphors which may be of help in speaking of the Kingdom of God
to modern man".
"The appeal to spiritual values", the Pope concluded, "will facilitate the
promotion of a truly human form of communication. Over and above any facile
enthusiasm or scepticism, we know that this is a response to the call
imprinted into our nature as beings created in the image and likeness of the
God of communion. ... The contribution made by believers can, then, be
useful to the world of the mass media, opening horizons of meaning and value
which digital culture alone is incapable of seeing or representing".
AC/ VIS
20110228 (460)
AUDIENCES
VATICAN CITY, 28 FEB 2011 (VIS) - Holy Father today received in separate
audiences three prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the
Philippines on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo O.M.I. of Cotabato, accompanied by
Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin M. Bagaforo.
- Archbishop Fernando R. Capalla of Davao.
On Saturday 26 February he received in separate audiences:
- Seven prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines
on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Emmanuel T. Cabajar C.SS.R. of Pagadian.
- Bishop Juan de Dios M. Pueblos of Butuan.
- Bishop Jose A. Cabantan of Malaybalay.
- Bishop Antonieto D. Cabajog of Surigao.
- Bishop Nereo P. Odchimar of Tandag.
- Bishop Romulo T. de la Cruz of Kidapawan.
- Bishop Dinualdo D. Gutierrez of Marbel.
- Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
AL:AP/ VIS 20110228
(150)
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 28 FEB 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of
Bishops, as a counsellor of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
- Appointed Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of San
Cristobal de La Habana, Cuba, as a member of the Pontifical Commission for
Latin America.
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of
Riobamba, Ecuador, presented by Bishop Victor Alejandro Corral Mantilla,
upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Stefano Di Pinto, official of the Office of Pension Funds, as
director of the same office.
- Appointed Stefano Loreti, bureau chief in the Ordinary Section of the
Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), as director for
a five-year period of APSA's "Area for Controlling Management and
Procedures".
- Appointed Francesco Anastasi, official of the Extraordinary Section of
APSA, as bureau chief of the Ordinary Section of APSA.
- Appointed Roberto Carulli and Stefano Lori, officials of the Ordinary
Section of APSA, as bureau chiefs in the Extraordinary Section of APSA.
On Saturday 26 February it was made public that the Holy Father accepted
the resignation from the office of patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites,
Lebanon, presented by Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, in accordance with
canon 126 para. 2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.
NA:RE/ VIS 20110228
(240)
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