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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
ANNO XXII - N° 27
DATA 07-02-2012
Summary:
- PRESENTATION OF HOLY FATHER'S LENTEN MESSAGE FOR 2012
- POPE'S LENTEN MESSAGE: CHARITY AS A MEANS TO SALVATION
- PROMOTING A CHURCH CULTURE OF SUPPORT FOR ABUSE VICTIMS
___________________________________________________________
PRESENTATION OF HOLY FATHER'S LENTEN MESSAGE FOR 2012
VATICAN CITY, 7 FEB 2012 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office, a
press conference was held to present the Holy Father's 2012 Lenten Message.
Participating in the conference were Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the
Pontifical Council
"Cor Unum"; Msgr. Giampietro Dal Toso and Msgr. Segundo Tejado Munoz,
respectively secretary and under secretary of the same council.
"We know that the Lenten Message contributes to maintaining the faithful's
sense of concern for others, communion, compassion and fraternal sharing of
the sufferings of those in need", said Cardinal Sarah. "However, over and
above this important issue,
there is another aspect of Christian life which this year's text highlights:
fraternal correction".
"Charity teaches us that we are responsible not only for the material well
being of others, but also for their moral and spiritual good. ... We cannot
overlook the fact that a certain ideology which exalts the rights of the
individual can have the
consequence of creating isolation and solitude. ... When the call to communion
is denied in the name of individualism it is our humanity that suffers,
deceived by the impossible mirage of a happiness obtainable alone. Therefore
we can help one another
by discovering our reciprocal responsibility the one for the other".
"The Church's activity in the modern world must also be seen in the light of
fraternal correction in truth and charity", the cardinal went on. "Sometimes
it is thought that the Church's concerns, her tenacious resistance to certain
fashionable ideas,
are moved by thirst or nostalgia for power This is not the case. The Church is
moved by a sincere concern for mankind and for the world. Her activities are
not moved by a desire to condemn or recriminate, but by a justice and mercy
which must also have
the courage to call things by their name. Only in this way can we expose the
roots of evil, which continue to intrigue the mind of modern man. This task of
the Church is called prophetic mission".
In the Old Testament, Cardinal Sarah explained, "a prophet was a man called
and sent by God to announce His will to the people. ... Clearly the call for
greater social justice is part of mission of the Church", which "cannot remain
silent in the face of
the fact that too many people die because they lack basic necessities while
others grow rich exploiting their fellows. Yet the prophetic dimension of our
words and deeds cannot be limited to these external phenomena without going to
the moral roots of
these injustices. Corruption, accumulation of riches, violence, unduly living
at the expense of the commonwealth without contributing are all tumours that
consume a society from within. Nor can we remain silent ... about the fact
that the roots of the
current financial crisis lie in greed, unrestrained and unscrupulous thirst
for money without considering those who have less and who must bear the
consequences of the mistaken choices of others. Such attachment to money is a
sin, a
nd the
Church is prophetic in her condemnation of that sin, which harms both
individuals and society".
"Yet the Holy Father ... identifies an even more profound dimension. The
Church is a prophet in this world to denounce the absence of God. ... Our
secularised society lives and organises itself without reference to God
because it is affected by a
poverty more tragic even than material want; a poverty represented by the
rejection and complete exclusion of God from social and economic life, by the
revolt against divine and natural laws. ... The primary responsibility of the
Church is to remind
each generation that this spiritual dimension is vital. The prophet of today
must tell the world that God exists, that without this Father who stirs us to
solidarity and sharing life dies and fraternity dissolves into empty utopia,
that man has a
supernatural vocation, that we have a conscience in which the voice of God
speaks and to which we must one day respond".
"Today's message", the cardinal concluded, "aims to awaken people's
consciences with respect to the rights and duties of our fellows, but also
with respect to our duties towards the 'rights' of God. All this comes about
in the context of Christian
communion ruled by the principle of reciprocity and fraternal correction, with
a view to the temporal good of mankind and his eschatological salvation".
___________________________________________________________
POPE'S LENTEN MESSAGE: CHARITY AS A MEANS TO SALVATION
VATICAN CITY, 7 FEB 2012 (VIS) - Made public today was the 2012 Lenten Message
of the Holy Father Benedict XVI, the title of which is taken from the Letter
to the Hebrews: "Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in
love and good works".
Extracts from the English-language version of the document are given below:
"The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the
very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our
journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the
word of God and the
Sacraments".
"This year I would like to propose a few thoughts in the light of a brief
biblical passage drawn from the Letter to the Hebrews: 'Let us be concerned
for each other, to stir a response in love and good works'".
(1) Let us be concerned for each other: responsibility towards our brothers
and sisters.
"This first aspect is an invitation to be 'concerned'. ... The verb which
introduces our exhortation tells us to look at others, first of all at Jesus,
to be concerned for one another, and not to remain isolated and indifferent to
the fate of our
brothers and sisters. All too often, however, our attitude is just the
opposite: an indifference and disinterest born of selfishness and masked as a
respect for 'privacy'. ... Even today God asks us to be 'guardians' of our
brothers and sisters, to
establish relationships based on mutual consideration and attentiveness to the
well-being, the integral well-being of others. The great commandment of love
for one another demands that we acknowledge our responsibility towards those
who, like ourselves,
are creatures and children of God. Being brothers and sisters in humanity and,
in many cases, also in the faith, should help us to recognise in others a true
alter ego, infinitely loved by the Lord. If we cultivate this way of seeing
others
as
our brothers and sisters, solidarity, justice, mercy and compassion will
naturally well up in our hearts".
"Concern for others entails desiring what is good for them from every point of
view: physical, moral and spiritual. Contemporary culture seems to have lost
the sense of good and evil, yet there is a real need to reaffirm that good
does exist and will
prevail, because God is 'generous and acts generously'. The good is whatever
gives, protects and promotes life, brotherhood and communion. Responsibility
towards others thus means desiring and working for the good of others, in the
hope that they too
will become receptive to goodness and its demands. Concern for others means
being aware of their needs. Sacred Scripture warns us of the danger that our
hearts can become hardened by a sort of 'spiritual anaesthesia' which numbs us
to the suffering of
others. The Evangelist Luke relates two of Jesus' parables by way of example":
the parable of the Good Samaritan and the parable of Dives and Lazarus. Both
"show examples of the opposite of 'being concerned', of looking upon others
with
love
and compassion. What hinders this humane and loving gaze towards our brothers
and sisters? Often it is the possession of material riches and a sense of
sufficiency, but it can also be the tendency to put our own interests and
problems above all else. We
should never be incapable of 'showing mercy' towards those who suffer. Our
hearts should never be so wrapped up in our affairs and problems that they
fail to hear the cry of the poor. ... Reaching out to others and opening our
hearts to their needs can
become an opportunity for salvation and blessedness.
"'Being concerned for each other' also entails being concerned for their
spiritual well-being. Here I would like to mention an aspect of the Christian
life, which I believe has been quite forgotten: fraternal correction in view
of eternal salvation.
Today, in general, we are very sensitive to the idea of charity and caring
about the physical and material well-being of others, but almost completely
silent about our spiritual responsibility towards our brothers and sisters.
This was not the case in
the early Church. ... Christ Himself commands us to admonish a brother who is
committing a sin. ... The Church's tradition has included 'admonishing
sinners' among the spiritual works of mercy. It is important to recover this
dimension of Christian
charity. We must not remain silent before evil. I am thinking of all those
Christians who, out of human regard or purely personal convenience, adapt to
the prevailing mentality, rather than warning their brothers and sisters
against ways o
f
thinking and acting that are contrary to the truth and that do not follow the
path of goodness. Christian admonishment, for its part, is never motivated by
a spirit of accusation or recrimination. It is always moved by love and mercy,
and springs from
genuine concern for the good of the other. ... In a world pervaded by
individualism, it is essential to rediscover the importance of fraternal
correction, so that together we may journey towards holiness. ... It is a
great service, then, to help others
and allow them to help us, so that we can be open to the whole truth about
ourselves, improve our lives and walk more uprightly in the Lord's ways".
(2) Being concerned for each other: the gift of reciprocity.
"This 'custody' of others is in contrast to a mentality that, by reducing life
exclusively to its earthly dimension, fails to see it in an eschatological
perspective and accepts any moral choice in the name of personal freedom. A
society like ours can
become blind to physical sufferings and to the spiritual and moral demands of
life. This must not be the case in the Christian community!"
"The Lord's disciples, united with Him through the Eucharist, live in a
fellowship that binds them one to another as members of a single body. This
means that the other is part of me, and that his or her life, his or her
salvation, concern my own life
and salvation. Here we touch upon a profound aspect of communion: our
existence is related to that of others, for better or for worse. Both our sins
and our acts of love have a social dimension. This reciprocity is seen in the
Church, the mystical body
of Christ: the community constantly does penance and asks for the forgiveness
of the sins of its members, but also unfailingly rejoices in the examples of
virtue and charity present in her midst. ... Christians can also express their
membership in the
one body which is the Church through concrete concern for the poorest of the
poor. Concern for one another likewise means acknowledging the good that the
Lord is doing in others".
(3) To stir a response in love and good works: walking together in holiness.
"These words of the Letter to the Hebrews urge us to reflect on the universal
call to holiness. ... The time granted us in this life is precious for
discerning and performing good works in the love of God. In this way the
Church herself continuously
grows towards the full maturity of Christ. Our exhortation to encourage one
another to attain the fullness of love and good works is situated in this
dynamic prospect of growth.
"Sadly, there is always the temptation to become lukewarm, to quench the
Spirit, to refuse to invest the talents we have received, for our own good and
for the good of others. All of us have received spiritual or material riches
meant to be used for the
fulfilment of God's plan, for the good of the Church and for our personal
salvation. The spiritual masters remind us that in the life of faith those who
do not advance inevitably regress".
"In a world which demands of Christians a renewed witness of love and fidelity
to the Lord, may all of us feel the urgent need to anticipate one another in
charity, service and good works. This appeal is particularly pressing in this
holy season of
preparation for Easter".
___________________________________________________________
PROMOTING A CHURCH CULTURE OF SUPPORT FOR ABUSE VICTIMS
VATICAN CITY, 7 FEB 2012 (VIS) - An international symposium entitled "Towards
Healing and Renewal" began yesterday evening in Rome's Gregorian University.
The event, which will run until 9 February and brings together bishops and
religious superiors
from all over the world, aims to relaunch the Church's commitment to
protecting minors and vulnerable people from child abuse. During the opening
session a message was read out, sent in the Holy Father's name by Cardinal
Secretary of State Tarcisio
Bertone S.D.B. to Fr. Francois-Xavier Dumortier S.J., rector of the Gregorian.
In his English-language message, Cardinal Bertone notes that, "as His Holiness
has often observed, healing for victims must be of paramount concern in the
Christian community, and it must go hand in hand with a profound renewal of
the Church at every
level. ... The Holy Father therefore supports and encourages every effort to
respond with evangelical charity to the challenge of providing children and
vulnerable adults with an ecclesial environment conducive to their human and
spiritual growth. He
urges the participants in the symposium to continue drawing on a wide range of
expertise in order to promote throughout the Church a vigorous culture of
effective safeguarding and victim support".
The Pope also prays to the Lord that the symposium may help the Church "to
respond in a truly Christ-like manner to the tragedy of child abuse".
___________________________________________________________
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VISnews120207
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE ANNO XXII - N° 27DATA 07-02-2012
Summary: - PRESENTATION OF HOLY FATHER'S
LENTEN MESSAGE FOR 2012 -
POPE'S LENTEN MESSAGE: CHARITY AS A MEANS TO SALVATION - PROMOTING A
CHURCH CULTURE OF SUPPORT FOR ABUSE VICTIMS
PRESENTATION OF HOLY FATHER'S LENTEN MESSAGE FOR 2012
VATICAN CITY, 7 FEB 2012 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office,
a press conference was held to present the Holy Father's 2012 Lenten Message.
Participating in the conference were Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the
Pontifical Council
"Cor Unum"; Msgr. Giampietro Dal Toso and Msgr. Segundo Tejado Munoz,
respectively secretary and under secretary of the same council.
"We know that the Lenten Message contributes to maintaining the faithful's
sense of concern for others, communion, compassion and fraternal sharing of
the sufferings of those in need", said Cardinal Sarah. "However, over and
above this important
issue, there is another aspect of Christian life which this year's text
highlights: fraternal correction".
"Charity teaches us that we are responsible not only for the material well
being of others, but also for their moral and spiritual good. ... We cannot
overlook the fact that a certain ideology which exalts the rights of the
individual can have the
consequence of creating isolation and solitude. ... When the call to communion
is denied in the name of individualism it is our humanity that suffers,
deceived by the impossible mirage of a happiness obtainable alone. Therefore
we can help one another
by discovering our reciprocal responsibility the one for the other".
"The Church's activity in the modern world must also be seen in the light
of fraternal correction in truth and charity", the cardinal went on.
"Sometimes it is thought that the Church's concerns, her tenacious resistance
to certain fashionable ideas,
are moved by thirst or nostalgia for power This is not the case. The Church is
moved by a sincere concern for mankind and for the world. Her activities are
not moved by a desire to condemn or recriminate, but by a justice and mercy
which must also have
the courage to call things by their name. Only in this way can we expose the
roots of evil, which continue to intrigue the mind of modern man. This task of
the Church is called prophetic mission".
In the Old Testament, Cardinal Sarah explained, "a prophet was a man called
and sent by God to announce His will to the people. ... Clearly the call for
greater social justice is part of mission of the Church", which "cannot remain
silent in the face
of the fact that too many people die because they lack basic necessities while
others grow rich exploiting their fellows. Yet the prophetic dimension of our
words and deeds cannot be limited to these external phenomena without going to
the moral roots
of these injustices. Corruption, accumulation of riches, violence, unduly
living at the expense of the commonwealth without contributing are all tumours
that consume a society from within. Nor can we remain silent ... about the
fact that the roots of
the current financial crisis lie in greed, unrestrained and unscrupulous
thirst for money without considering those who have less and who must bear the
consequences of the mistaken choices of others. Such attachment to
money is a sin, and the Church is prophetic in her condemnation of that sin,
which harms both individuals and society".
"Yet the Holy Father ... identifies an even more profound dimension. The
Church is a prophet in this world to denounce the absence of God. ... Our
secularised society lives and organises itself without reference to God
because it is affected by a
poverty more tragic even than material want; a poverty represented by the
rejection and complete exclusion of God from social and economic life, by the
revolt against divine and natural laws. ... The primary responsibility of the
Church is to remind
each generation that this spiritual dimension is vital. The prophet of today
must tell the world that God exists, that without this Father who stirs us to
solidarity and sharing life dies and fraternity dissolves into empty utopia,
that man has a
supernatural vocation, that we have a conscience in which the voice of God
speaks and to which we must one day respond".
"Today's message", the cardinal concluded, "aims to awaken people's
consciences with respect to the rights and duties of our fellows, but also
with respect to our duties towards the 'rights' of God. All this comes about
in the context of Christian
communion ruled by the principle of reciprocity and fraternal correction, with
a view to the temporal good of mankind and his eschatological salvation".
POPE'S LENTEN MESSAGE: CHARITY AS A MEANS TO SALVATION
VATICAN CITY, 7 FEB 2012 (VIS) - Made public today was the 2012 Lenten
Message of the Holy Father Benedict XVI, the title of which is taken from the
Letter to the Hebrews: "Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response
in love and good
works". Extracts from the English-language version of the document are given
below:
"The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the
very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our
journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the
word of God and
the Sacraments".
"This year I would like to propose a few thoughts in the light of a brief
biblical passage drawn from the Letter to the Hebrews: 'Let us be concerned
for each other, to stir a response in love and good works'".
(1) Let us be concerned for each other: responsibility towards our brothers
and sisters.
"This first aspect is an invitation to be 'concerned'. ... The verb which
introduces our exhortation tells us to look at others, first of all at Jesus,
to be concerned for one another, and not to remain isolated and indifferent to
the fate of our
brothers and sisters. All too often, however, our attitude is just the
opposite: an indifference and disinterest born of selfishness and masked as a
respect for 'privacy'. ... Even today God asks us to be 'guardians' of our
brothers and sisters, to
establish relationships based on mutual consideration and attentiveness to the
well-being, the integral well-being of others. The great commandment of love
for one another demands that we acknowledge our responsibility towards those
who, like ourselves,
are creatures and children of God. Being brothers and sisters in humanity and,
in many cases, also in the faith, should help us to recognise in others a true
alter ego, infinitely loved by the Lord. If
we cultivate this way of seeing others as our brothers and sisters,
solidarity, justice, mercy and compassion will naturally well up in our
hearts".
"Concern for others entails desiring what is good for them from every point
of view: physical, moral and spiritual. Contemporary culture seems to have
lost the sense of good and evil, yet there is a real need to reaffirm that
good does exist and will
prevail, because God is 'generous and acts generously'. The good is whatever
gives, protects and promotes life, brotherhood and communion. Responsibility
towards others thus means desiring and working for the good of others, in the
hope that they too
will become receptive to goodness and its demands. Concern for others means
being aware of their needs. Sacred Scripture warns us of the danger that our
hearts can become hardened by a sort of 'spiritual anaesthesia' which numbs us
to the suffering of
others. The Evangelist Luke relates two of Jesus' parables by way of example":
the parable of the Good Samaritan and the parable of Dives and Lazarus. Both
"show examples of the opposite of
'being concerned', of looking upon others with love and compassion. What
hinders this humane and loving gaze towards our brothers and sisters? Often it
is the possession of material riches and a sense of sufficiency, but it can
also be the tendency to
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