Subject: VISnews 111007
Organization: VIS - Ufficio Stampa della Santa Sede
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
TWENTY FIRST YEAR - N. 172
ENGLISH
FRIDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2011
SUMMARY:
- To Indonesian Bishops: Patiently Uphold Religious Freedom
- Church's Response to Emergency in the Horn of Africa
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
___________________________________________________________
TO INDONESIAN BISHOPS: PATIENTLY UPHOLD RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
VATICAN CITY, 7 OCT 2011 (VIS) - "Christ's message of salvation, forgiveness
and love has been preached in your country for centuries. Indeed, the
missionary impulse remains essential to the Church's life, and finds
expression not only in the preaching of the Gospel, but also in the witness
of Christian charity", said the Pope today to prelates from the Indonesian
Episcopal Conference at the end of their "ad limina" visit.
Continuing his English-language remarks, the Holy Father said: "This is
the hallmark of every movement, action and expression of the Church, in all
of her sacramental, charitable, educational and social endeavours, so that
in everything her members may strive to make the Triune God known and loved
through Jesus Christ.
"This", he added, "will not only contribute to the spiritual vitality of
the Church as she grows in confidence through humble yet courageous witness;
it will also strengthen Indonesian society by promoting those values that
your fellow citizens hold dear: tolerance, unity and justice for all.
Appropriately, Indonesia's Constitution guarantees the fundamental human
right of freedom to practice one's religion. The freedom to live and preach
the Gospel can never be taken for granted and must always be justly and
patiently upheld. Nor is religious freedom merely a right to be free from
outside constraints. It is also a right to be authentically and fully
Catholic, to practice the faith, to build up the Church and to contribute to
the common good, proclaiming the Gospel as Good News for all, and inviting
everyone to intimacy with the God of mercy and compassion made manifest in
Jesus Christ".
Pope Benedict encouraged the bishops to promote and support
inter-religious dialogue in Indonesia. "Your country, so rich in its
cultural diversity and possessed of a large population, is home to
significant numbers of followers of various religious traditions", he told
them. Thus, Indonesians "are well-placed to make important contributions to
the quest for peace and understanding among the peoples of the world. Your
participation in this great enterprise is decisive, and so I urge you .. to
ensure that those whom you shepherd know that they, as Christians, are to be
agents of peace, perseverance and charity".
"Believers in Christ, rooted in charity, ought to be committed to dialogue
with other religions, respecting mutual differences. Common endeavours for
the building up of society will be of great value when they strengthen
friendships and overcome misunderstanding or distrust".
The Holy Father concluded: "I have confidence that you and the priests,
religious and laity of your dioceses will continue to bear witness to the
image and likeness of God in each man, woman and child, regardless of their
faith, by encouraging everyone to be open to dialogue in the service of
peace and harmony. By doing everything possible to ensure that the rights of
minorities in your country are respected, you further the cause of tolerance
and mutual harmony in your country and beyond".
AL/ VIS
20111007 (500)
CHURCH'S RESPONSE TO EMERGENCY IN THE HORN OF AFRICA
VATICAN CITY, 7 OCT 2011 (VIS) - "The Catholic Church will continue to do
her part and to seek collaboration with other Christian communities in order
to play an active role in resolving the current humanitarian emergency in
the Horn of Africa". These words were pronounced by Cardinal Robert Sarah,
president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", during the course of a press
conference held this morning in the Holy See Press Office. The cardinal went
on to explain that today's meeting "is a response to the Pope's desire to
bear witness to the charity of Christ and of the Church towards those who
suffer. Wherever man suffers, God is close by", he said.
The press conference served to present a number of initiatives being
implemented by the Catholic Church to alleviate the catastrophic
consequences of drought, hunger and armed conflict in the Horn of Africa.
Cardinal Sarah recalled how the situation is one of the main concerns of
Benedict XVI who has made various appeals to the international community to
help suffering people, most recently during his general audience on
Wednesday. Moreover, the Holy Father is supporting efforts made by local
Churches in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, donating 400,000 dollars
for preliminary assistance to victims, while special collections have been
made at parishes in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France and Ireland.
The Catholic Church is also collaborating with the Anglican Church to face
the emergency. This, said the president of "Cor Unum", is "significant
testimony of the charity which unites us. ... Our efforts speak of the
vitality which the faith can produce and which finds expression in these
fruits of sharing, love, compassion, concern for others, and help and
promotion of human beings of whatever race or religion. These actions are a
consequence of our faith which becomes operative in love".
Cardinal Sarah reiterated the Holy Father's appeal to the international
community. "Unfortunately", he said, "it is often clear that the mechanisms
governing international activities are dictated by pursuit of the interests
of individual nations. Selfish considerations prevail even in international
politics. We must allow ourselves to be inspired, implementing policies
which are truly aimed at the common good. Only the search for the common
good can ensure that there are no winners or losers, murderers or victims,
exploiters or exploited. What must prevail is a vision of man and society in
which economic value is granted the recognition it deserves, but not given
the final word on good and evil".
A school in each village
Cardinal Sarah explained that in the current crisis "the millions of
displaced persons who are currently wandering in an attempt to survive, will
become tomorrow's refugees, illegal migrants, stateless persons, people
without a home, job or community. An entire generation risks being lost".
For this reason, he said, "once this emergency has passed we must seek to
provide formation" because education is the motor of development. "Where
there is a school, where there is education, there is the possibility of a
future where tomorrow there will be work, and families can be created. ... I
would like to make an appeal for a school in each village".
Sharing the podium with Cardinal Sarah at today's press conference were
Bishop Giorgio Bertin O.F.M., apostolic administrator "ad nutum Sanctae
Sedis" of Mogadishu, Somalia; Michel Roy, secretary general of Caritas
Internationalis; Kenneth Hackett, executive director of Catholic Relief
Services; David Pain, director of Christian Aid's Africa Division, and
representatives of Catholic Charity organisations.
David Pain, as envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, read out a message
from the primate of the Anglican Communion. "In the face of those who hunger
and thirst we discover the face of Christ", the text reads. "It must be with
renewed passion and commitment that we seek effective and enduring responses
to end the intolerable scandal of recurring famine in our world". The
Archbishop of Canterbury likewise expresses the hope that the meeting will
serve to create new opportunities for ecumenical collaboration.
OP/ VIS
20111007 (680)
AUDIENCES
VATICAN CITY, 7 OCT 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate
audiences:
- Archbishop Alberto Bottari de Castello, apostolic nuncio to Hungary.
- Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Tlalnepantla, Mexico, president of the
Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), accompanied by Archbishop Ruben
Salazar Gomez of Bogota, Colombia, first vice president; Archbishop Dimas
Lara Barbosa of Campo Grande Brazil, second vice president; Bishop Santiago
Jaime Silva Retamales, auxiliary of Valparaiso, Chile, secretary general;
Bishop Carlos Maria Collazzi Irazabal S.D.B. of Mercedes, Uruguay, president
of the economic council, and Fr. Leonidas Ortiz Losada, adjunct secretary
general.
- Walter Jurgen Schmid, ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany,
accompanied by his wife, on a farewell visit.
This evening he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal William
Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
AP/ VIS
20111007 (140)
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 7 OCT 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation
from the office of auxiliary of the diocese of Porto, Portugal, presented by
Bishop Joao Miranda Teixeira, upon having reached the age limit.
RE/ VIS
20111007 (40)
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