Subject: VISnews 111019
Organization: VIS - Ufficio Stampa della Santa Sede
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
SUMMARY:
- Man Forgets but God Remains Faithful
- Migrations and New Evangelisation
- Other Pontifical Acts
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MAN FORGETS BUT GOD REMAINS FAITHFUL
VATICAN CITY, 19 OCT 2011 (VIS) - Some 20,000 pilgrims attended Benedict
XVI's general audience, which was held this morning in St. Peter's Square.
Continuing a series of catecheses dedicated to the Psalms, the Holy Father
focused his attention on Psalm 136, "a great hymn of praise which celebrates
the Lord in the many and repeated manifestations of His goodness down human
history".
The Pope explained how, in Jewish tradition, this Psalm is sung at the end
of the Passover supper, and therefore it was probably also pronounced by
Jesus at the last Passover He celebrated with His disciples. The text
enumerates God's many interventions in favour of His people "and each
proclamation of a salvific action by the Lord is answered by an antiphon
reiterating the main cause for praise: God's eternal love, a love which,
according to the Hebrew term used, implies faithfulness, mercy, goodness,
grace and tenderness".
God is first presented as "He Who 'does great wonders', first among them
that of the creation: heaven, earth and stars. ... With the creation the
Lord shows Himself in all His goodness and beauty. He commits Himself to
life, revealing a desire for good whence all other salvific actions arise".
The Psalm goes on to consider God's manifestations in history, evoking the
great moment when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. The forty
years of wandering in the desert were "a decisive period for Israel which,
allowing itself to be guided by the Lord, learned to live on faith, obedient
and docile to the laws of God. Those were difficult years, marked by the
harshness of life in the desert, but also a happy time of confidence and
filial trust in the Lord".
"The history of Israel has known exhilarating moments of joy, of fullness
of life, of awareness of the presence of God and His salvation", said the
Pope. "But it has also been marked by episodes of sin, painful periods of
darkness and profound affliction. Many were the adversaries from whom the
Lord liberated His people". The Psalm speaks of these events, in particular
the Babylonian exile and the destruction of Jerusalem, "when it seemed that
Israel had lost everything, even its own identity, even its trust in the
Lord. However, God remembers, and frees. The salvation of Israel and of all
mankind is bound to the Lord's faithfulness, to His memory. While man
forgets easily, God remains faithful: His memory is a precious casket
containing that 'love which endures forever' about which our Psalm speaks".
The Psalm concludes by reminding us that God feeds His creatures, "caring
for life and giving bread. ... In the fullness of time the Son of God became
man to give life, for the salvation of each one of us; and He continues to
gives Himself as bread in the mystery of the Eucharist, so as to draw us
into His covenant, which makes us children. So great is God's merciful
goodness, the sublimity of His 'love which endures forever'". In conclusion
the Pope read a quote from the First Letter of St. John, advising the
faithful to bear it in mind in their prayers: "See what love the Father has
given us, that that we should be called children of God; and that is what we
are".
AG/ VIS
20111019 (560)
MIGRATIONS AND NEW EVANGELISATION
VATICAN CITY, 19 OCT 2011 (VIS) - "Migrations and New Evangelisation" is the
theme chosen by Benedict XVI for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees
2012, which will be celebrated on 15 January 2012. Extracts from the
English-language edition of the text are given below:
"Proclaiming Jesus Christ the one Saviour of the world 'constitutes the
essential mission of the Church. It is a task and mission which the vast and
profound changes of present-day society make all the more urgent'. Indeed,
today we feel the urgent need to give a fresh impetus and new approaches to
the work of evangelisation in a world in which the breaking down of
frontiers and the new processes of globalisation are bringing people and
peoples even closer. This is both because of the development of the means of
social communication and because of the frequency and ease with which
individuals and groups can move about today".
"'Migrations and New Evangelisation' is the theme I have chosen this year
for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. It originates from the aforesaid
situation. The present time, in fact, calls upon the Church to embark on a
new evangelisation also in the vast and complex phenomenon of human
mobility. This calls for an intensification of her missionary activity both
in the regions where the Gospel is proclaimed for the first time and in
countries with a Christian tradition".
"Internal or international migration, in fact, as an opening in search of
better living conditions or to flee from the threat of persecution, war,
violence, hunger or natural disasters, has led to an unprecedented mingling
of persons and peoples, with new problems not only from the human standpoint
but also from the ethical, religious and spiritual viewpoints. The current
and obvious consequences of secularisation, the emergence of new sectarian
movements, widespread insensitivity to the Christian faith and a marked
tendency to fragmentation are obstacles to focusing on a unifying reference
that would encourage the formation of 'one family of brothers and sisters in
societies that are becoming ever more multiethnic and intercultural, where
also people of various religions are urged to take part in dialogue, so that
a serene and fruitful coexistence with respect for legitimate differences
may be found'. ... Our time is marked by endeavours to efface God and the
Church's teaching from the horizon of life, while doubt, scepticism and
indifference are creeping in, seeking to eliminate all the social and
symbolic visibility of the Christian faith.
"In this context migrants who have known and welcomed Christ are not
infrequently constrained to consider Him no longer relevant to their lives,
to lose the meaning of their faith, no longer to recognise themselves as
members of the Church, and often lead a life no longer marked by Christ and
His Gospel. Having grown up among peoples characterised by their Christian
faith they often emigrate to countries in which Christians are a minority or
where the ancient tradition of faith, no longer a personal conviction or a
community religion, has been reduced to a cultural fact. Here the Church is
faced with the challenge of helping migrants keep their faith firm even when
they are deprived of the cultural support that existed in their country of
origin, and of identifying new pastoral approaches, as well as methods and
expressions, for an ever vital reception of the Word of God".
"Today's migration phenomenon is also a providential opportunity for the
proclamation of the Gospel in the contemporary world. Men and women from
various regions of the earth who have not yet encountered Jesus Christ or
know Him only partially, ask to be received in countries with an ancient
Christian tradition. It is necessary to find adequate ways for them to meet
and to become acquainted with Jesus Christ and to experience the invaluable
gift of salvation which, for everyone, is a source of 'life in abundance'".
"Pastoral workers - priests, religious and lay people - play a crucial
role in the demanding itinerary of the new evangelisation in the context of
migration. They work increasingly in a pluralist context: in communion with
their ordinaries, drawing on the Church's Magisterium. I invite them to seek
ways of fraternal sharing and respectful proclamation, overcoming opposition
and nationalism. For their part, the Churches of origin, of transit and
those that welcome the migration flows should find ways to increase their
cooperation for the benefit both of those who depart and those who arrive,
and, in any case, of those who, on their journey, stand in need of
encountering the merciful face of Christ in the welcome given to the
neighbour".
"Asylum seekers, who fled from persecution, violence and situations that
put their life at risk, stand in need of our understanding and welcome, of
respect for their human dignity and rights, as well as awareness of their
duties. Their suffering pleads with individual States and the international
community to adopt attitudes of reciprocal acceptance, overcoming fears and
avoiding forms of discrimination, and to make provisions for concrete
solidarity also through appropriate structures for hospitality and
resettlement programmes. All this entails mutual help between the suffering
regions and those which, already for years, have accepted a large number of
fleeing people, as well as a greater sharing of responsibilities among
States.
"The press and the other media have an important role in making known,
correctly, objectively and honestly, the situation of those who have been
forced to leave their homeland and their loved ones and want to start
building a new life.
"Christian communities are to pay special attention to migrant workers and
their families by accompanying them with prayer, solidarity and Christian
charity, by enhancing what is reciprocally enriching, as well as by
fostering new political, economic and social planning that promotes respect
for the dignity of every human person, the safeguard of the family, access
to dignified housing, to work and to welfare".
"Lastly, I would like to call to mind the situation of numerous
international students who are facing problems of integration, bureaucratic
difficulties, hardship in the search for housing and welcome structures.
Christian communities are to be especially sensitive to the many young men
and women who, precisely because of their youth, need reference points in
addition to cultural growth, and have in their hearts a profound thirst for
truth and the desire to encounter God. Universities of Christian inspiration
are to be, in a special way, places of witness and of diffusion of the new
evangelisation, seriously committed to contributing to social, cultural and
human progress in the academic milieu. They are also to promote
inter-cultural dialogue and enhance the contribution that international
students can give".
MESS/ VIS
20111019 (1120)
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 19 OCT 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, secretary general of the
Governorate of Vatican City State, as apostolic nuncio to the United States
of America.
- Appointed Msgr. David D. Kagan of the clergy of the diocese of Rockford,
U.S.A., vicar general and moderator of the diocesan Curia, as bishop of
Bismarck (area 88,720, population 270,000, Catholics 65,284, priests 98,
permanent deacons 77, religious 147), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in
Spring Grove, U.S.A. in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1975. He has served as
parish administrator and pastor in several parishes, and has worked as a
teacher of religion, an official of the diocesan tribunal and editor of the
diocesan newspaper. He succeeds Bishop Paul A. Zipfel, whose resignation
from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon
having reached the age limit.
NN:NER:RE/ VIS
20111019 (160)
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