Subject: VISnews120524
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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - N° 101
DATE 24-05-2012
Summary:
- RETURNING TO THE ESSENTIAL ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE IN ORDER TO RELAUNCH
EVANGELISATION
- PRESIDENT OF BULGARIA AND PRIME MINISTER OF MACEDONIA RECEIVED BY THE POPE
- THE CHURCH IS COMMITTED TO UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE COVERAGE
___________________________________________________________
RETURNING TO THE ESSENTIAL ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE IN ORDER TO RELAUNCH
EVANGELISATION
Vatican City, 24 May 2012 (VIS) - At midday today the Holy Father received
participants in the sixty-fourth general assembly of the Italian Episcopal
Conference, to whom he delivered an address focusing on the challenges of the
new evangelisation in a
society increasingly distanced from God. "Our situation requires renewed
drive, aimed at the essential aspects of Christian faith and life", he said.
"At a time in which God has, for many people, become the great Unknown and
Jesus is simply an important
figure of the past, we cannot relaunch missionary activity without renewing
the quality of our own faith and prayer. ... We will not be able to win
mankind to the Gospel unless we ourselves first return to a profound
experience of God".
The Pope began his remarks by recalling that this autumn marks the fiftieth
anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II, and he exhorted the prelates
to implement its teachings in order to meet the social and cultural
transformations of our time
which, he said, "also have visible consequences in the religious sphere".
Societies of ancient Christian tradition are today characterised by
secularism. Thus the spiritual and moral heritage which lies at the roots of
the West "is no longer understood
in its profound significance, ... and a rich soil risks becoming an
inhospitable desert".
The Pope identified a number of worrying trends, including a drop in religious
practice and diminishing participation in the Sacraments. "Many baptised have
lost their identity. They do not know the essential contents of the faith, or
believe they can
cultivate that faith without ecclesial mediation. And while many look
doubtfully at Church teaching, others reduce the Kingdom of God to certain
broad values, which are certainly related to the Gospel but which do not touch
the central nucleus of
Christian faith".
"Unfortunately it is God Himself Who remains excluded from many people's
horizon and, when not met with indifference, closure or rejection, discourse
about God is relegated to the subjective sphere, reduced to an intimate and
private affair which is
marginalised from the public conscience. The heart of the crisis affecting
Europe also arises from this abandonment, this lack of openness to the
Transcendent".
In this context, Benedict XVI highlighted the fact that "new methods of
announcing the Gospel or of pastoral activity are not enough to ensure that
the Christian message finds greater acceptance". As the Council Fathers said,
"we must begin again from
God, celebrated, professed and witnessed. ... Our primary task, our true and
only task, remains that of dedicating our lives to the one thing that ... is
truly dependable, necessary and ultimate. Men live from God, from He Whom,
often tentatively and
unawares, they seek in order to give full meaning to lives. We have the task
of announcing Him, revealing Him and leading others to meet Him".
The Holy Father continued: "The fundamental condition in order to be able to
speak about God is to speak with God, increasingly to become men of God,
nourished by an intense life of prayer and moulded by His Grace. ... We must
allow ourselves to be
found and seized by God so as to help the people we meet be touched by the
Truth. ... The old and new mission facing us is that of introducing the men
and women of our time to a relationship with God, to help them to open their
minds and hearts to the
God Who seeks them and wants to come close to them, leading them to understand
that doing His will does not curb freedom; rather, it means being truly free,
it means achieving true goodness in life.
"God is the guarantor not the competitor of our freedom", the Pope added in
conclusion. "Where space is given to the Gospel, and therefore to friendship
with Christ, man realises he is the object of a love which purifies, warms,
renews, and makes us
capable of serving mankind with divine love".
___________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT OF BULGARIA AND PRIME MINISTER OF MACEDONIA RECEIVED BY THE POPE
Vatican City, 24 May 2012 (VIS) - In a traditional annual meeting coinciding
with the commemoration of the Feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the Holy
Father this morning received in separate audiences Rosen Plevneliev, president
of the Republic of
Bulgaria, and Nikola Gruevski, prime minister of the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia, each accompanied by a delegation. The delegations subsequently
went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who
was accompanied by
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
___________________________________________________________
THE CHURCH IS COMMITTED TO UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE COVERAGE
Vatican City, 24 May 2012 (VIS) - Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, head of the
Holy See delegation to the sixty-fifth World Health Assembly, yesterday
delivered an address before that gathering, which is being held in Geneva,
Switzerland, from 21 to 26 May.
Speaking English, the archbishop reaffirmed the Holy See's support for
Resolution WHA64.9 on "sustainable health financing structures and universal
coverage", which urges member States to aim for affordable universal coverage
and access for all citizens
on the basis of equity and solidarity.
He also recalled how Benedict XVI has emphasised the importance of
establishing "real distributive justice which, on the basis of objective
needs, guarantees adequate care to all. Consequently, if it is not to become
inhuman, the world of healthcare
cannot disregard the moral rules that must govern it".
Archbishop Zimowski noted that "more countries, especially those with emerging
economies, are moving towards universal coverage", thanks also to "good
policies that promote equity. ... Therefore my delegation strongly believes
that in the endeavour to
promote universal coverage, fundamental values such as equity, human rights
and social justice need to become explicit policy objectives", he said.
The archbishop made an appeal for high-income countries to show greater
solidarity towards poorer nations in order to overcome funding shortfalls in
health. In this context he quoted the Encyclical "Caritas in veritate" in
which Benedict XVI writes:
"More economically developed nations should do all they can to allocate larger
portions of their gross domestic product to development aid, thus respecting
the obligations that the international community has undertaken in this
regard".
In conclusion the head of the Holy See delegation affirmed that "progress
towards universal coverage cannot be the effort of State machinery alone. It
requires support from civil society. ... With over 120,000 social and
healthcare institutions
worldwide, the Catholic Church is in many developing countries one of the key
partners of the State in healthcare delivery, providing services in remote
areas to rural low-income populations, enabling them to access services that
would otherwise be out
of their reach. The efforts and contribution of such organisations and
institutions towards universal access, merit the recognition and support of
both the State and the international community, without obliging them to
participate in activities they
find morally abhorrent".
___________________________________________________________
Per ulteriori informazioni e per la ricerca di documenti consultare il
sito: www.wisnews.org e www.vatican.va
Il servizio del VIS viene inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta
elettronica che ne hanno fatto richiesta. Se per qualunque motivo
non si desidera continuare a riceverlo, si prega di visitare nostra pagina
dinizio:
http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vis/italinde.php
Copyright (VIS): Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican
Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente
citando la fonte: V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service.
--Boundary_(ID_NsBpTfRiCbQdKwCUB0pYAQ)
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VISnews120524
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXII - N° 101DATE 24-05-2012
Summary: - RETURNING TO THE ESSENTIAL
ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE IN ORDER
TO RELAUNCH EVANGELISATION - PRESIDENT OF BULGARIA AND PRIME MINISTER OF
MACEDONIA RECEIVED BY THE POPE - THE CHURCH IS COMMITTED TO UNIVERSAL
HEALTHCARE COVERAGE
RETURNING TO THE ESSENTIAL ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE IN ORDER TO RELAUNCH
EVANGELISATION
Vatican City, 24 May 2012 (VIS) - At midday today the Holy Father received
participants in the sixty-fourth general assembly of the Italian Episcopal
Conference, to whom he delivered an address focusing on the challenges of the
new evangelisation in
a society increasingly distanced from God. "Our situation requires renewed
drive, aimed at the essential aspects of Christian faith and life", he said.
"At a time in which God has, for many people, become the great Unknown and
Jesus is simply an
important figure of the past, we cannot relaunch missionary activity without
renewing the quality of our own faith and prayer. ... We will not be able to
win mankind to the Gospel unless we ourselves first return to a profound
experience of God".
The Pope began his remarks by recalling that this autumn marks the fiftieth
anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II, and he exhorted the prelates
to implement its teachings in order to meet the social and cultural
transformations of our time
which, he said, "also have visible consequences in the religious sphere".
Societies of ancient Christian tradition are today characterised by
secularism. Thus the spiritual and moral heritage which lies at the roots of
the West "is no longer understood
in its profound significance, ... and a rich soil risks becoming an
inhospitable desert".
The Pope identified a number of worrying trends, including a drop in
religious practice and diminishing participation in the Sacraments. "Many
baptised have lost their identity. They do not know the essential contents of
the faith, or believe they
can cultivate that faith without ecclesial mediation. And while many look
doubtfully at Church teaching, others reduce the Kingdom of God to certain
broad values, which are certainly related to the Gospel but which do not touch
the central nucleus of
Christian faith".
"Unfortunately it is God Himself Who remains excluded from many people's
horizon and, when not met with indifference, closure or rejection, discourse
about God is relegated to the subjective sphere, reduced to an intimate and
private affair which is
marginalised from the public conscience. The heart of the crisis affecting
Europe also arises from this abandonment, this lack of openness to the
Transcendent".
In this context, Benedict XVI highlighted the fact that "new methods of
announcing the Gospel or of pastoral activity are not enough to ensure that
the Christian message finds greater acceptance". As the Council Fathers said,
"we must begin again
from God, celebrated, professed and witnessed. ... Our primary task, our true
and only task, remains that of dedicating our lives to the one thing that ...
is truly dependable, necessary and ultimate. Men live from God, from He Whom,
often tentatively
and unawares, they seek in order to give full meaning to lives. We have the
task of announcing Him, revealing Him and leading others to meet Him".
The Holy Father continued: "The fundamental condition in order to be able
to speak about God is to speak with God, increasingly to become men of God,
nourished by an intense life of prayer and moulded by His Grace. ... We must
allow ourselves to be
found and seized by God so as to help the people we meet be touched by the
Truth. ... The old and new mission facing us is that of introducing the men
and women of our time to a relationship with God, to help them to open their
minds and hearts to the
God Who seeks them and wants to come close to them, leading them to understand
that doing His will does not curb freedom; rather, it means being truly free,
it means achieving true goodness in life.
"God is the guarantor not the competitor of our freedom", the Pope added in
conclusion. "Where space is given to the Gospel, and therefore to friendship
with Christ, man realises he is the object of a love which purifies, warms,
renews, and makes us
capable of serving mankind with divine love".
PRESIDENT OF BULGARIA AND PRIME MINISTER OF MACEDONIA RECEIVED BY THE
POPE
Vatican City, 24 May 2012 (VIS) - In a traditional annual meeting
coinciding with the commemoration of the Feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius,
the Holy Father this morning received in separate audiences Rosen Plevneliev,
president of the Republic of
Bulgaria, and Nikola Gruevski, prime minister of the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia, each accompanied by a delegation. The delegations subsequently
went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who
was accompanied by
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
THE CHURCH IS COMMITTED TO UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE COVERAGE
Vatican City, 24 May 2012 (VIS) - Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, head of the
Holy See delegation to the sixty-fifth World Health Assembly, yesterday
delivered an address before that gathering, which is being held in Geneva,
Switzerland, from 21 to 26
May. Speaking English, the archbishop reaffirmed the Holy See's support for
Resolution WHA64.9 on "sustainable health financing structures and universal
coverage", which urges member States to aim for affordable universal coverage
and access for all
citizens on the basis of equity and solidarity.
He also recalled how Benedict XVI has emphasised the importance of
establishing "real distributive justice which, on the basis of objective
needs, guarantees adequate care to all. Consequently, if it is not to become
inhuman, the world of healthcare
cannot disregard the moral rules that must govern it".
Archbishop Zimowski noted that "more countries, especially those with
emerging economies, are moving towards universal coverage", thanks also to
"good policies that promote equity. ... Therefore my delegation strongly
believes that in the endeavour
to promote universal coverage, fundamental values such as equity, human rights
and social justice need to become explicit policy objectives", he said.
The archbishop made an appeal for high-income countries to show greater
solidarity towards poorer nations in order to overcome funding shortfalls in
health. In this context he quoted the Encyclical "Caritas in veritate" in
which Benedict XVI writes:
"More economically developed nations should do all they can to allocate larger
portions of their gross domestic product to development aid, thus respecting
the obligations that the international community has undertaken in this
regard".
In conclusion the head of the Holy See delegation affirmed that "progress
towards universal coverage cannot be the effort of State machinery alone. It
requires support from civil society. ... With over 120,000 social and
healthcare institutions
worldwide, the Catholic Church is in many developing countries one of the key
partners of the State in healthcare delivery, providing services in remote
areas to rural low-income populations, enabling them to access services that
would otherwise be out
of their reach. The efforts and contribution of such organisations and
institutions towards universal access, merit the recognition and support of
both the State and the international community, without obliging them to
participate in activities they
find morally abhorrent".
Per ulteriori informazioni e per la ricerca di documenti consultare il
sito: www.wisnews.org e www.vatican.va Il servizio del
VIS viene inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta elettronica che ne
hanno
fatto richiesta. Se per qualunque motivo non si desidera continuare a
riceverlo, si prega di visitare nostra pagina dinizio: http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vi
/italinde.php
Copyright (VIS): Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican
Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente
citando la fonte: V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service.
--Boundary_(ID_NsBpTfRiCbQdKwCUB0pYAQ)--
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