Subject: VISnews 110620
Organization: VIS - Ufficio Stampa della Santa Sede
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
TWENTY FIRST YEAR - N. 115
ENGLISH
MONDAY, 20 JUNE 2011
SUMMARY OF PASTORAL VISIT TO SAN MARINO-MONTEFELTRO: 19 JUNE
- Developing the Legacy of Faith Left by Our Ancestors
- The Pope Calls for Refugees to Be Welcomed
- Overcoming the Crisis with Courage and Responsibility
- Only Christ has the Fundamental Responses to Life
OTHER NEWS: 18 - 20 JUNE
- Special Envoy to Sixth Centenary of Wloclawek Cathedral
- Other Pontifical Acts
- In Memoriam
___________________________________________________________
DEVELOPING THE LEGACY OF FAITH LEFT BY OUR ANCESTORS
VATICAN CITY, 19 JUN 2011 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI travelled by
helicopter from the Vatican to the Republic of San Marino where, at 10 a.m.,
he presided at Mass in the Serravalle Stadium.
Beginning his homily, the Holy Father affirmed that today's feast of the
Blessed Trinity is "the feast of God, of the very centre of our faith. ...
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one, because God is love and
love is the ultimate life-giving power. The unity created by love is greater
than purely physical unity", he said.
Commenting on today's reading from the Gospel of St. John - "God so loved
the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
may not perish but may have eternal life" - the Pope explained that "the
world is full of evil, selfishness and wickedness, and God could come to
judge this world, to destroy evil and punish the wicked. However, in fact,
He shows that He loves the world, that He loves man despite his sins; and He
sent what was most precious to Him, His only-begotten Son. Indeed, not only
did He send Him, but made of Him a gift to the world".
"Faith in this Trinitarian God has also characterised the Church of San
Marino-Montefeltro through the course of her long and glorious history",
Pope Benedict went on. "The evangelisation of this land is attributed to
Sts. Marinus and Leo who, in the middle of the third century, are said to
have come to Rimini from Dalmatia. ... With their faith in the God Who
revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, they brought new perspectives and new
values to this locality, leading to the birth of a culture and civilisation
founded on the human person, made in God's image and hence possessor of
rights that have precedence over any human legislation".
Benedict XVI highlighted how, "apart from the faith, we must also recall
the absolute faithfulness to the Bishop of Rome, to whom this Church has
always shown devotion and affection". In the same context he also mentioned
the attention shown by the Church in San Marino "towards the great tradition
of the Oriental Church, and her profound devotion for the Virgin Mary".
Turning to address the faithful, the Pope said: "You are called to carry
this precious legacy forward at one of the most decisive moments of
history", in the face of "profound and rapid cultural, social, economic and
political transformations which have opened new horizons and altered
mentalities, customs and sensibilities".
"An insidious temptation has led to the belief that man's richness lies
not in faith but in his personal and social power, his intelligence, his
culture and his ability to manipulate reality scientifically,
technologically and socially. Thus, even in these lands, faith and Christian
values are beginning to be substituted with a supposed wealth which, in the
final analysis, shows itself to be inconsistent and incapable of bearing the
weight of that great promise of truth, goodness and beauty which for
centuries your forebears identified with the experience of the faith".
The Holy Father also referred to "the crisis many families have to face",
a crisis "aggravated by the widespread psychological and spiritual frailty
of spouses, and the fatigue experienced by many educators as they seek
continuity for young people who are conditioned by many forms insecurity,
first and foremost as regards their social role and employment
possibilities".
"I exhort all the faithful to be a leaven in the world", the Pope
concluded. "In both San Marino and Montefeltro, show yourselves to be
Christians, present, active and coherent. May priests and religious always
live in cordial and effective ecclesial communion, helping and listening to
their diocesan pastor. I appeal to families and young people to open their
hearts and respond readily to the Lord's call. We will never repent of
having been generous with God! I ask you lay men and women to commit
yourselves actively in the community so that, alongside your specific civic,
political, social and cultural tasks, you may find time for the life of
faith, the pastoral life".
PV-SAN MARINO/ VIS 20110620
(700)
THE POPE CALLS FOR REFUGEES TO BE WELCOMED
VATICAN CITY, 19 JUN 2011 (VIS) - Following this morning's Mass and before
praying the Angelus, the Pope thanked everyone who had helped prepare and
organise his visit to San Marino.
After the Marian prayer he mentioned the beatification today in the French
town of Dax of Sr. Marguerite Rutan, a professed sister of the Congregation
of the Daughters of Charity. The blessed lived in the second half of the
eighteenth century and had worked in the hospital of Dax. During the
persecutions that followed the French Revolution "she was condemned to death
for her Catholic faith and her faithfulness to the Church", said Benedict
XVI, highlighting also how Sr. Marguerite had been "a shining witness of
Christ's love for the poor".
Finally the Holy Father recalled the fact that tomorrow marks World
Refugee Day, which this year coincides with the sixtieth anniversary of the
adoption of the international convention safeguarding people who suffer
persecution and are forced to flee their country. "I invite the civil
authorities and all people of good will to ensure refugees are welcomed and
given dignified living conditions as they await the chance to return freely
and safely to their own countries", he concluded.
PV-SAN MARINO/ VIS 20110620
(210)
OVERCOMING THE CRISIS WITH COURAGE AND RESPONSIBILITY
VATICAN CITY, 19 JUN 2011 (VIS) - Today at 4.15 p.m. Benedict XVI travelled
to Piazza della Liberta in San Marino where he was greeted by the Captains
Regent of the republic, Maria Luisa Berti and Filippo Tamagnini.
After the playing of the pontifical hymn and the national anthem of San
Marino, the Pope, accompanied by the Captains Regent, entered the Palazzo
Pubblico where he was greeted by the ministers of the republic. He then held
a private meeting with the Captains Regent. Subsequently, in the Hall of the
Grand and General Council, the Holy Father delivered an address before
members of the government, the congress and the diplomatic corps.
Benedict XVI began by reflecting on the origins of the community which
came into being seventeen centuries ago around the deacon Marinus, a great
preacher of the Gospel. He highlighted how, throughout their history, the
inhabitants of the republic that bears the saint's name "have always
remained faithful to the values of the Christian faith, which has been a
firm foundation for their peaceful coexistence in keeping with criteria of
democracy and solidarity".
The Pope praised the Sammarineses' adherence to this "legacy of values"
and encouraged them "to conserve and take advantage of it, so that it
becomes the foundation of your deepest identity. ... Thanks to this identity
you can build a society attentive to the true good of human beings, to their
dignity and freedom, a society capable of safeguarding the rights of all
people to live in peace. These are the advantages of healthy secularism,
within which the institutions of civil society must act in their constant
commitment to defend the common good.
"The Church", he added, "respectful of the legitimate autonomy of the
civil authorities, collaborates with them in the service of man, defending
his fundamental rights and the ethical norms which are inscribed in his very
nature. For this reason the Church is committed to ensuring that legislative
authorities always promote and protect human life, from conception to
natural end. She also asks that families receive due recognition and
effective support".
The Holy Father went on: "We well know how the institution of the family
is currently being called into question, almost in an attempt to deny its
irreplaceable value. The consequences of this fall on the weakest sectors of
society, especially the young who are more vulnerable and therefore more
easily exposed to disorientation, to situations of self-marginalisation and
to the slavery of dependency. Educational institutions sometimes struggle to
find adequate responses for the young who, as the support of the family
falls away, often find that a normal insertion into the fabric of society is
denied them".
The Pope then turned his attention to the economic crisis, which is also
affecting San Marino following years in which trade and tourism had brought
some degree of prosperity. He also mentioned the issue of people who live on
one side of the border and work on the other, expressing the hope that it
could be resolved "while bearing in mind the right to work and the
protection of families". The current situation "is a stimulus to reconsider
our progress and an occasion for discernment", he said. "It puts the whole
of society before the pressing need to face problems with courage and a
sense of responsibility, with generosity and dedication, drawing on that
love of freedom which characterises your people".
"You", Benedict XVI told the authorities present, "have the task of
constituting the earthly city, with due autonomy and with respect for those
human and spiritual principles to which individual citizens are called to
adhere in their own consciences. At the same time, you have the duty to
continue to work actively to build a community founded on shared values".
Having completed his address, the Holy Father, accompanied by the Captains
Regent, visited the basilica of San Marino where he was welcomed by the
rector, Msgr. Lino Tosi. After pausing in adoration before the Blessed
Sacrament and venerating the relics of St. Marinus, the Pope left the
building and travelled to the heliport of Torraccia where he bid farewell to
the State authorities. He then travelled by helicopter to the sports ground
of Pennabilli, Italy, where he was due to meet with young people from the
diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro.
PV-SAN MARINO/ VIS 20110620
(730)
ONLY CHRIST HAS THE FUNDAMENTAL RESPONSES TO LIFE
VATICAN CITY, 19 JUN 2011 (VIS) - At 6.45 p.m. today the Pope arrived by
helicopter at the sports ground in the Italian town of Pennabilli. Having
been welcomed by the civil authorities, he travelled to the cathedral where
he prayed before the Blessed Sacrament. The Holy Father then moved on to
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele where he met with young people from the diocese of
San Marino-Montefeltro.
Following some words of greeting pronounced by Bishop Luigi Negri of San
Marino-Montefeltro, and by one of the young people present, Benedict XVI
delivered his address.
Referring to the Gospel episode in which a rich young man asks "Good
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?", the Pope said: "Perhaps
we would not speak like this today, but the precise meaning of the question
is this: what must I do, how must I live in order to live truly, in order to
find life?"
"It is precisely by looking into ourselves with truth, sincerity and
courage that we gain some intuition of the beauty of life, but also of its
precariousness, and we feel a sense of dissatisfaction and disquiet which
nothing tangible can fill", he said.
Benedict XVI invited his youthful audience not to be afraid to "ask
yourselves the fundamental questions about the meaning and value of life. Do
not be content with partial and immediate responses, which are certainly
easier and more comfortable in the short term, which can give a moment or
two of happiness and exaltation but which cannot bring you to the true joy
of living, the joy that comes to those who build - as Jesus says - not upon
sand but upon solid rock. Learn, then, to reflect upon and to read your
human experience, not superficially but in depth. With wonder and joy you
will discover that your heart is a window open to infinity!"
"Even in the era of scientific and technological progress (which has given
us so much) man still desires more, he desires more than just comfort and
wellbeing. He remains open to the entire truth of his existence, which
cannot be limited to material things but is open to a much broader horizon".
The Holy Father warned young people against the risk "of becoming
imprisoned in the material world, in the immediate, the relative, the
useful; of losing sensibility towards things that concern our spiritual
dimension. This does not mean despising the use of reason or rejecting
scientific progress; quite the contrary, it means understanding that each of
us has not only a 'horizontal' but also a 'vertical' dimension. Science and
technology cannot replace the world of life, our horizons of meaning and
freedom, the richness of relationships of friendship and of love".
"In Christ you can find the answers to the questions that accompany your
journey, not in a superficial or facile way but walking and living with
Jesus. The meeting with Christ is not limited to embracing a doctrine or a
philosophy; what He proposes is sharing His very life and thus learning to
live, learning who man is, who I am".
The Pope encouraged the young people "not to be afraid to face difficult
situations, moments of crisis or the trials of life, because the Lord
accompanies you, He is with you. I encourage you to grow in friendship with
Him through frequent reading of the Gospel and of all Sacred Scripture,
faithful participation in the Eucharist as a personal meeting with Christ,
committed efforts within the ecclesial community, and following a good
spiritual guide".
"Allow the mystery of Christ to illuminate your entire being! Then will
you be able to bring others to this novelty which can change relations,
institutions and structures, and so build a more just and united world
animated by the search for the common good".
At the end of his meeting with young people, the Pope travelled back the
Pennabilli sports ground where he boarded his helicopter to return to the
Vatican.
PV-SAN MARINO/ VIS 20110620
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SPECIAL ENVOY TO SIXTH CENTENARY OF WLOCLAWEK CATHEDRAL
VATICAN CITY, 18 JUN 2011 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter, written in
Latin and dated 11 May, in which the Pope appoints Cardinal Zenon
Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education as his
special envoy to the celebration of the sixth centenary of the dedication of
the cathedral of Wloclawek, Poland, due to take place on 26 June.
Cardinal Grocholewski will be accompanied on his mission by Msgr. Grzegorz
Karolak, pastor of the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chiechocienk, member
of the presbyteral council and honorary canon of the cathedral chapter of
Wloclawek, and by Msgr. Artur Niemira, chancellor of the diocesan curia,
professor at the major seminary, member of the presbyteral council and of
the college of consultors and president of the organising committee for the
Jubilee of the cathedral of Wloclawek.
BXVI/ VIS
20110620 (150)
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 18 JUN 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, apostolic nuncio to Singapore and East
Timor, apostolic delegate to Malaysia and to Brunei, and non-residential
pontifical representative for Vietnam, also as apostolic nuncio to the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
- Msgr. Miguel Delgado Galindo, bureau chief at the Pontifical Council for
the Laity, as under secretary of the same dicastery.
- Fr. Wolfgang Ipolt of the clergy of the diocese of Erfurt, Germany, canon
of the cathedral chapter and rector of the major regional seminary, as
bishop of Gorlitz (area 9,700, population 715,500, Catholics 28,816, priests
54, permanent deacons 5, religious 76), Germany. The bishop-elect was born
in Gotha, Germany in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1979.
NN:NA:NER/ VIS
20110620 (130)
IN MEMORIAM
VATICAN CITY, 18 JUN 2011 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent
weeks:
- Bishop Rene Audet, emeritus of Joliette, Canada, on 12 June at the age of
91.
- Bishop Robert de Chevigny C.S.Sp., emeritus of Nouakchott, Mauritania, on
11 June at the age of 90.
- Bishop Michael Ambrose Griffiths O.S.B., emeritus of Hexham and
Newcastle, England, on 14 June at the age of 82.
- Bishop Joseph Nguyen Tich Duc, emeritus of Ban Me Thuot, Vietnam, on 23
May at the age of 73.
- Bishop Raul Marcelo Pacifico Scozzina, emeritus of Formosa, Argentina, on
11 June at the age of 89.
.../ VIS
20110620 (110)
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