Subject: VISnews 111207
Organization: VIS
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
TWENTY FIRST YEAR - N. 215
ENGLISH
WEDNESDAY, 7 DECEMBER 2011
SUMMARY:
- Divine Revelation Does Not Follow Earthly Logic
- Pope in French on YouTube
- Archbishop Mamberti Proposes World Day Against Persecution of
Christians
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
- Notice
___________________________________________________________
DIVINE REVELATION DOES NOT FOLLOW EARTHLY LOGIC
VATICAN CITY, 7 DEC 2911 (VIS) - Benedict XVI dedicated the catechesis
of
today's Wednesday audience, celebrated in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, to
the
Messianic Hymn of Jubilee, Jesus' prayer of praise recorded in the
Gospels
of Matthew and Luke, which constitutes the "apex of a path of prayer in
which Jesus' profound and intimate communion with the Father in the Holy
Spirit and His divine filiation clearly emerges ".
Already at the opening of the hymn, the Pope observed, Jesus addresses
God
by calling him Father, a term that expresses "Jesus' awareness and
certainty
of being 'the Son' in close and constant communion with Him. This is the
central point and the source of Jesus' every prayer. ... The name of
'Father' is followed by a second title: 'Lord of heaven and earth'",
which
"recalls the great biblical narration of the history of God's love for
human
beings that began with creation. Jesus ... is the pinnacle and the
fullness
of this history of love. ... Through the expression 'Lord of heaven and
earth' we also recognize how, in Jesus, the one who reveals the Father,
the
possibility of access to God is opened to humanity".
But, to whom does the Son want to reveal the mysteries of God? "Divine
revelation", the pontiff explained, "does not occur within earthly
logic,
according to which humans are the wise and powerful who posses important
knowledge and transmit it to those who are more simple. ... God's style
is
another: His communication is addressed precisely to the 'childlike'.
...
And what is this childlikeness that opens humans to a filial intimacy
with
God and to welcoming His will? ... It is the pureness of heart that
allows
us to recognize the face of God in Jesus Christ. It is keeping our
hearts as
simple as those of children, without the presumptions of those who are
locked in themselves, thinking they have no need of anyone, not even
God".
"In Matthew's Gospel, after the Hymn of Jubilee, we encounter one of
Jesus' most moving pleas: 'Come to me, all you who labor and are
burdened,
and I will give you rest.' Jesus asks that we go to Him, the true
wisdom, to
the one who is 'meek and humble of heart'; He proposes His 'yoke', the
path
of evangelical wisdom, which is neither a doctrine to learn nor an
ethical
proposal, but rather a Person to follow: He himself, the only-begotten
Son,
in perfect communion with the Father".
"We also can address God with the confidence of sons and daughters",
Benedict XVI concluded, "calling Him Father when we pray. But we have to
keep the heart of a child, the heart of those 'poor in spirit', in order
to
recognize that we are not self-sufficient ... that we need God, that we
have
to seek Him, listen to Him, speak to Him. Prayer opens us to receiving
the
gift of God, His wisdom who is Jesus himself, in order to accept the
will of
the Father in our lives and to find consolation in the weariness of our
journey".
At the end of the audience, Benedict XVI greeted the pilgrims present
in
the hall in their various languages and noted that the Solemnity of the
Immaculate Conception, which is celebrated tomorrow, "reminds us of
Mary's
singular acceptance of God's salvific plan. Preserved from any stain of
sin
in order to be the holy dwelling place of the Incarnate Word, she always
trusted fully in the Lord". The Pope especially urged the youth to make
the
effort to imitate the Virgin "with pure and clean hearts, letting
yourselves
be shaped by God who, in you as well, desires to bring about 'great
things'".
AG/ VIS
20111207 (620)
POPE IN FRENCH ON YOUTUBE
VATICAN CITY, 7 DEC 2011 (VIS) - Beginning today it is possible to
follow
the Pope and the happenings of the Holy See through videos in French
accessible at: www.youtube.co/vaticanfr.
Vatican Radio and Vatican Television are thus extending their
offerings on
YouTube, which previously were only available in Italian, English,
Spanish,
and German. Joining the Vatican radio and television centers is the
French
Catholic television channel KTO, which manages the French version of the
short daily video reports of the main public acts of Pope Benedict XVI.
The communique made public today reads that, with this initiative, the
Catholic Church "again shows its commitment to the use of new
technologies
that allow the faithful to draw ever nearer to the Pope's voice and
teachings".
RV:CTV/ VIS 20111207
(120)
ARCHBISHOP MAMBERTI PROPOSES WORLD DAY AGAINST PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS
VATICAN CITY, 7 DEC 2011 (VIS) - Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Holy
See's secretary for Relations with States, addressed the Eighteenth
Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) held this 6-7 December in Vilnius, Lithuania.
In his address, the archbishop discussed, among other themes, the
topic of
migration, which for the Holy See constitutes an argument of constant
interest, above all in the actual circumstances of economic and
financial
crisis. Msgr. Mamberti noted that there is a growing consensus in the
international community on the necessity of paying greater attention to
migrants. In this context he emphasized that it is necessary to support
migrants reunification with their families since "the family plays a
fundamental role in the integration process, in giving stability to the
presence of the immigrants in the new social environment ... Migrants,
aware
of their rights, can be more secure in offering their services and
talents
and the receiving community, well-informed and respectful of these
rights,
will feel freer in extending its solidarity in order to build together a
common future".
The Secretary for Relations with States also addressed the
Organization's
commitments in defence of fundamental freedoms and human rights, one of
which is the right to freedom of religion. "The right to religious
freedom,
despite being repeatedly proclaimed by the international community, as
well
as in the constitutions of most States, continues to be widely violated
today". Pope Benedict XVI himself recalled, in his message from this
year's
World Day of Peace, that Christians "are the religious group which
suffers
most from persecution on account of its faith". According to Archbishop
Mamberti, "there may be more than two hundred million Christians, of
different confessions, who are in difficulty because of legal and
cultural
structures that lead to their discrimination". For this reason, he
proposed
the institution of an International Day against persecution and
discrimination of Christians as "an important sign that governments are
willing to deal with this serious issue".
Against Trafficking in Human Beings
The archbishop also addressed the problem of trafficking in human
beings,
especially of women and minors, for sexual exploitation as well as for
labor
exploitation and domestic servitude, which has become a "powerful global
business involving many countries of origin, transit, and destination.
To
counteract the scourge of trafficking in human beings with greater
determination and more concrete results, a convergence of efforts is
necessary: a mentality that is centered on the unique dignity of every
person, a sure punishment of traffickers, the fight against corruption,
...
and the fairness of mass media in reporting the damages created by
trafficking".
DEL SS/ VIS 20111207
(430)
AUDIENCES
VATICAN CITY, 7 DEC 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father received in separate
audiences today:
- Dr. Carl Albert Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus,
and
- Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor
Unum"
AP/ VIS
20111207 (30)
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 7 DEC 2011 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father appointed:
- Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, formerly archbishop of Monterrey,
Mexico, as archbishop of Guadalajara (area 20,827, population
7,158,000,
Catholics 6,452,000, priests 1,432, permanent deacons 5, religious
4286),
Mexico. He succeeds Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez, whose resignation
from
the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon
having reached the age limit.
- Fr. Michael Robert Kennedy as bishop of Armidale (area 120,000,
population
176,621, Catholics 42,748, priests 34, permanent deacons 1, religious
45),
Australia. The bishop-elect was born in Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia in
1968
and was ordained a priest in 1999.
- as consultors for the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New
Evangelization:
- Msgr. Georg Austen, of the clergy of the Archdiocese of Paderborn,
Secretary General of the "Bonifatiuswerk der deutschen Katholiken", and
member of the Central Committee of German Catholics;
- Fr. Denis Biju-Duval, ordinary professor of theology at the
"Redemptor
Hominis" Pastoral Institute of the Pontifical Lateran University and
member
of the Emmanuel Community;
- Fr. Achim Buckenmaier, professor of dogmatic theology in the
"Akademie
fur die theologie des Volkes Gottes" Institute of the Pontifical Lateran
University;
- Fr. JosE9 Luis Del Palacio y Perez Medel, of the clergy of the
Archdiocese of Madrid, founder and member of the directive council of
the
"Redemptoris Mater" Faculty of Theology of Callao, and professor of
theology and canon law;
- Fr. Marian Krolikowski, of the clergy of the Diocese of Kielce,
founder
of the St. Paul School of New Evangelization, founder and prior of the
Koinonia St. Paul community of consecrated life in Kielce;
- Msgr. Sergio Lanza, of the clergy of the Diocese of Como,
ecclesiastic
assistant general of the Sacred Heart Catholic University of Milan,
ordinary
professor of pastoral theology in that same university's theology
faculty as
well as at the "Redemptor Hominis" Pastoral Institute of the Pontifical
Lateran University;
- Fr. Xavier Morlans i Molina of the clergy of the Archdiocese of
Barcelona, professor of fundamental theology at the "Facultat de
teologia de
Catalunya" in Barcelona;
- Msgr. Antonio Pitta, of the clergy of the Diocese of Lucera-Troia,
ordinary professor of New Testament exegesis in the faculty of theology
at
the Pontifical Lateran University;
- Msgr. Henryk Seweryniak, of the clergy of the Diocese of Plock,
professor of fundamental theology at the "Universytet Kardynala Stefana
Wyszynskiego" of Warsaw;
- Dr. Moyses Louro De Azevedo Filho, founder and general moderator of
the
Shalom Catholic Community, International Association of the Faithful;
- Dr. Curtis A. Martin, founder and president of the Fellowship of
Catholic University Students (FOCUS), professor at the Augustine
Institute
in Denver;
- Dr. Ralph Martin, director of the Graduate Theological Programs in
Evangelization of the Sacred Heart School of Theology in Detroit;
- Professor Thomas Soding, professor of the New Testament in the
"Katholisch-Theologische Fakultat" of the Ruhr Universitat of Bochum and
member of the International Theological Commission;
- Dr. Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement (Opera di
Maria);
and
- Dr. Petroc Willey, dean of graduate research at the Maryvale
Institute
of Birmingham.
NER:RE:NA/ VIS 20111207
(510)
NOTICE
VATICAN CITY, 7 DEC 2011 (VIS) - As previously advised, there will be no
VIS
bulletin tomorrow, Thursday 8 December, Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception, a holy day and a holiday in the Vatican. Service will resume
on
Friday 9 December.
.../ VIS
20111207 (50)
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