meaning of evangelisation should look to both the ecumenical and
inter-religious dimensions. With regard to ecclesial movements and
communities, the Pope encourages them to act in union with the bishop of the
place and according to his pastoral
directives, with due regard for the local history, liturgy, spirituality and
culture, without confusion and proselytism. The Catholic Churches of the
Middle East are therefore invited to renew their missionary spirit, a
challenge more urgent t
han
ever in a multicultural and pluri-religious context. A strong stimulus for
this may be given by the Year of Faith. With regard to charity, the
Exhortation recalls that the Church must follow
Subject: VISnews120915
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
the example of Christ Who drew close to those most in need:
orphans, the poor, the disabled, the sick, etc. Finally, the Pope praises and
and encourages all those who carry out impressive work in the educational
centres, schools, higher institutes and Catholic universities of the Middle
East. These tools for
cultural formation, that should be supported by political authorities,
demonstrate that it is possible to live in a spirit of respect and
collaboration in the Middle East, through education in tolerance.
Catechesis and Christian formation: The papal document encourages the reading
and teaching of the catechism of the Catholic Church and a solid initiation in
the social doctrine of the Church. At the same time, the Pope invites the
Synods and other
episcopal organisms to enable the faithful to have access to the spiritual
wealth of the Fathers of the Church, and to focus on patristic teaching, as a
complement to scriptural formation.
CONCLUSION
Benedict XVI solemnly asks, in the name of God, that political and religious
authorities not only alleviate the suffering of all those who live in the
Middle East, but also eliminate the causes of this suffering, and do all in
their power to enable
peace to prevail. At the same time, the Catholic faithful are exhorted to
consolidate and live together in communion, giving life to pastoral dynamism.
"A lukewarm spirit is displeasing to God", and therefore the Christians of the
Middle East, Catholics
and others, are encouraged bear witness to Christ, courageously and as one - a
difficult witness, but exhilarating.
___________________________________________________________
NEW FRATERNITY BASED ON A SHARED SENSE OF THE GREATNESS OF EACH PERSON
Vatican City, 15 September 2012 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI began the
second day of his apostolic trip to Lebanon by paying a courtesy visit to
Michel Sleiman, president of the Lebanese Republic, at the presidential palace
in Baabda. There he also
met with Nabih Berri, speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, and Naguib Miqati,
prime minister of Lebanon, before going on to encounter the heads of the
Sunni, Shia, Druze and Alawite religious communities.
Accompanied by the President, the Holy Father then planted a cedar of Lebanon
in the palace gardens. Having completed this symbolic act, he moved on to the
palace's 25 May Hall where he pronounced an address before the authorities,
the diplomatic corps,
religious leaders and representative from the world of culture. Extensive
excerpts from the Holy Father's words are given below.
"I have asked God to bless you, to bless Lebanon and all who dwell in these
lands which saw the birth of great religions and noble cultures. Why did God
choose these lands? Why is their life so turbulent? God chose these lands, I
think, to be an
example, to bear witness before the world that every man and woman has the
possibility of concretely realising his or her longing for peace and
reconciliation!".
"The energy needed to build and consolidate peace also demands that we
constantly return to the wellsprings of our humanity. Our human dignity is
inseparable from the sacredness of life as the gift of the Creator. ... To
build peace, we need to look to
the family, supporting it and facilitating its task, and in this way promoting
an overall culture of life. The effectiveness of our commitment to peace
depends on our understanding of human life. If we want peace, let us defend
life! This approach leads
us to reject not only war and terrorism, but every assault on innocent human
life, on men and women as creatures willed by God. Wherever the truth of human
nature is ignored or denied, it becomes impossible to respect that grammar
which is the natural
law inscribed in the human heart. ... We must combine our efforts, then, to
develop a sound vision of man, respectful of the unity and integrity of the
human person. Without this, it is impossible to build true peace.
"While more evident in countries which are experiencing armed conflict, there
are assaults on the integrity and the lives of individuals taking place in
other countries too. Unemployment, poverty, corruption, a variety of
addictions, exploitation,
different forms of trafficking, and terrorism not only cause unacceptable
suffering to their victims but also a great impoverishment of human potential.
We run the risk of being enslaved by an economic and financial mindset which
would subordinate
“being” to “having”! The destruction of a single human
life is a loss for humanity as a whole. ... By questioning, directly or
indirectly, or even before the law, the inalienable value of each person and
the natural foundation of
the family, some ideologies undermine the foundations of society. ... Only
effective solidarity can act as an antidote, solidarity that rejects whatever
obstructs respect for each human being, solidarity that supports policies and
initiativ
es
aimed at bringing peoples together in an honest and just manner. ... A better
quality of life and integral development are only possible when wealth and
competences are shared in a spirit of respect for the identity of each
individual. ... Nowadays, our
cultural, social and religious differences should lead us to a new kind of
fraternity wherein what rightly unites us is a shared sense of the greatness
of each person and the gift which others are to themselves, to those around
them and to all humanity.
This is the path to peace! ... This is the approach which ought to guide
political and economic decisions at every level and on a global scale!
"In order to make possible a future of peace for coming generations, our first
task is to educate for peace in order to build a culture of peace. Education,
whether it takes place in the family or at school, must be primarily an
education in those
spiritual values which give the wisdom and traditions of each culture their
ultimate meaning and power. ... The goal of education is to guide and support
the development of the freedom to make right decisions, which may run counter
to widespread
opinions, the fashions of the moment, or forms of political and religious
ideology. This is the price of building a culture of peace! Evidently, verbal
and physical violence must be rejected, for these are always an assault on
human dignity, both of the
perpetrator and the victim. Emphasising peacemaking and its positive effect
for the common good also creates interest in peace. ... Thoughts of peace,
words of peace and acts of peace create an atmosphere of respect, honesty and
cordiality, w
here
faults and offences can be truthfully acknowledged as a means of advancing
together on the path of reconciliation. May political and religious leaders
reflect on this!
"We need to be very conscious that evil is not some nameless, impersonal and
deterministic force at work in the world. Evil, the devil, works in and
through human freedom. ... It seeks an ally in man. Evil needs man in order to
act. Having broken the
first commandment, love of God, it then goes on to distort the second, love of
neighbour. Love of neighbour disappears, yielding to falsehood, envy, hatred
and death. But it is possible for us not to be overcome by evil but to
overcome evil with good.
... A profound transformation of mind and heart is needed to recover a degree
of clarity of vision and impartiality, and the profound meaning of the
concepts of justice and the common good. A new and freer way of looking at
these realities will enable
us to evaluate and challenge those human systems which lead to impasses, and
to move forward with due care not to repeat past mistakes with their
devastating consequences. The conversion demanded of us can also be
exhilarating, ... (bu
t) it
is quite demanding: it involves rejecting revenge, acknowledging one’s
faults, accepting apologies without demanding them, and, not least,
forgiveness. Only forgiveness, given and received, can lay lasting foundations
for reconciliation and
universal peace.
"Only in this way can there be growth in understanding and harmony between
cultures and religions, and in genuine mutual esteem and respect for the
rights of all. In Lebanon, Christianity and Islam have lived side by side for
centuries. It is not
uncommon to see the two religions within the same family. If this is possible
within the same family, why should it not be possible at the level of the
whole of society? The particular character of the Middle East consists in the
centuries-old mix of
diverse elements. Admittedly, they have fought one another, sadly that is also
true. A pluralistic society can only exist on the basis of mutual respect, the
desire to know the other, and continuous dialogue. Such dialogue is only
possible when the
parties are conscious of the existence of values which are common to all great
cultures because they are rooted in the nature of the human person. ... These
values are inseparable from the rights of each and every human being. By
upholding the
ir
existence, the different religions make a decisive contribution. It cannot be
forgotten that religious freedom is the basic right on which many other rights
depend. The freedom to profess and practise one’s religion without
danger to life and
liberty must be possible to everyone. The loss or attenuation of this freedom
deprives the person of his or her sacred right to a spiritually integrated
life. ... Religious freedom has a social and political dimension which is
indispensable for peace!
It promotes a harmonious life for individuals and communities by a shared
commitment to noble causes and by the pursuit of truth, which does not impose
itself by violence but rather “by the force of its own truth”: the
Truth which is in God.
... Authentic faith does not lead to death. The peacemaker is humble and just.
Thus believers today have an essential role, that of bearing witness to the
peace which comes from God and is a gift bestowed on all of us in our personal,
family, social, political and economic life. The failure of upright men and
women to act must not permit evil to triumph. It is worse still to do nothing.
"These few reflections on peace, society, the dignity of the person, the
values of family life, dialogue and solidarity, must not remain a simple
statement of ideals. They can and must be lived out. We are in Lebanon, and it
is here that they must be
lived out. Lebanon is called, now more than ever, to be an example. And so I
invite you, politicians, diplomats, religious leaders, men and women of the
world of culture, to testify with courage, in season and out of season,
wherever you find
yourselves, that God wants peace, that God entrusts peace to us".
Following the meeting at the presidential palace, the Pope travelled to the
headquarters of the Catholic Patriarchate of Cilicia of the Armenians where he
was welcomed by the Patriarch, His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni. There
Benedict XVI
blessed a statue of the monk Hagop who compiled the first book to be printed
in Armenian, the "Book of Friday" published in Venice in 1512. Pope Benedict
then had lunch in the community's refectory with patriarchs and bishops of
Lebanon.
___________________________________________________________
THE ESSENTIAL MESSAGE OF RELIGION IS AGAINST VIOLENCE
Vatican City, 15 September 2012 (VIS) - As is traditional during the course of
his apostolic trips, Benedict XVI granted a brief interview to the journalists
accompanying him on his flight to Lebanon, in which he turned his attention to
various issues
associated with the situation in the Middle East.
Question: "Your Holiness, many terrible anniversaries are occurring at this
time, for example that of the 11 September attacks, and the massacre at the
Sabra and Chatila refugee camps. On the borders of Lebanon a civil war is
being fought, amid much
bloodshed, and in other countries too we see an ever-present risk of violence.
Holy Father, ... have you been tempted to cancel your trip for security
reasons, or has anyone suggested that you should cancel it?"
Holy Father: "Dear friends, ... I can tell you that no one advised me to
cancel this journey, and for my part I never considered doing so, because I
know that as the situation becomes more complex, it is all the more necessary
to offer this sign of
fraternal encouragement and solidarity. That is the aim of my visit: to issue
an invitation to dialogue, to peace and against violence, to go forward
together to find solutions to the problems".
Q: "Many Catholics are expressing concern about increasing forms of
fundamentalism in various parts of the world and about attacks that claim
large numbers of Christians as victims. In this difficult and often violent
context, how can the Church respond
to the imperative of dialogue with Islam, on which you have often insisted?"
Holy Father: "Fundamentalism is always a falsification of religion. It goes
against the essence of religion, which seeks to reconcile and to create
God’s peace throughout the world. ... The essential message of religion
must be against violence -
which is a falsification of that message, like fundamentalism - and it must
educate, illuminate and purify consciences so as to make them capable of
dialogue, reconciliation and peace".
Q: "In the context of the surging clamour for democracy that has begun to
spread in many countries of the Middle East through the so-called 'Arab
Spring', and in view of the social conditions in most of these countries,
where Christians are a minority,
is there not a risk of an inevitable tension between the dominant majority and
the survival of Christianity?"
Holy Father: "I would say that in itself, the Arab spring is a positive thing:
it is a desire for greater democracy, greater freedom, greater cooperation and
a revived Arab identity. This cry for freedom, which comes from a young
generation with more
cultural and professional formation, who seek greater participation in
political and social life, is a mark of progress, a truly positive development
that has been hailed by Christians too. Of course, bearing in mind the history
of revolutions, we know
that this important and positive cry for freedom is always in danger of
overlooking one aspect - one fundamental dimension of freedom - namely
tolerance of the other, the fact that human freedom is always a shared
freedom, which can only grow through
sharing, solidarity and living side by side according to certain rules. ... We
must do all we can to ensure that the concept of freedom, the desire for
freedom, goes in the right direction and does not overlook tolerance, the
overall s
ocial
fabric, and reconciliation, which are essential elements of freedom. Hence the
renewed Arab identity seems to me to imply also a renewal of the
centuries-old, millennia-old, coexistence of Christians and Arabs, who side by
side, in mutual tolerance of
majority and minority, built these lands and cannot do other than live side by
side. I therefore think it important to recognise the positive elements in
these movements and to do all we can to ensure that freedom is correctly
conceived and corresponds
to growth in dialogue rather than domination of one group over others".
Q: "In Syria today, as in Iraq a while ago, many Christians have felt obliged,
reluctantly, to leave their homeland. What does the Catholic Church intend to
do or say in order to help in this situation and to stem the flow of
Christians from Syria and
other Middle Eastern countries?"
Holy Father: "First of all I must say that it is not only Christians who are
leaving, but also Muslims. Naturally, there is a great danger of Christians
leaving these lands and their presence there being lost, and we must do all we
can to help them to
stay. The essential way to help would be to put an end to the war and violence
which is causing this exodus. Therefore the first priority is to do all we can
to halt the violence and to open up a real possibility of staying together for
the future. What
can we do against war? Of course we can always spread the message of peace, we
can make it clear that violence never solves problems and we can build up the
forces of peace. ... Christian gestures may also be of help: days of prayer
for the Middle East,
for Christians and Muslims, to demonstrate the possibilities for dialogue and
for solutions. I also believe that there must be an end to the importation of
arms: without which, war could not continue. Instead of importing weapons,
which
is a grave sin, we should import ideas of peace and creativity, we should find
ways of accepting each person in his otherness, we should therefore make
visible before the world the respect that religions have for one another,
respect for man as
God’s creation and love of neighbour as fundamental to all religions. In
this way, using all possible means, including material assistance, we must
help to bring an end to war and violence so that all can help rebuild the
country".
Q: "Besides prayer and sentiments of solidarity, do you see concrete steps
that the Churches and the Catholics of the West, especially in Europe and
America, can take in order to support their brethren in the Middle East?"
Holy Father: "I would say that we need to influence public opinion and
politicians to make a real commitment, using all their resources, all their
opportunities, with real creativity, in favour of peace and against violence.
No one should hope to gain
from violence, all must contribute positively. ... Moreover, our charitable
organisations should offer material help and do everything they can. We have
organisations like the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, specifically for the
Holy Land, but other
similar organisations could also provide material, political and human
assistance in these lands. I would like to say once again that visible signs
of solidarity, days of public prayer, and other such gestures can catch the
attention of public opinion
and produce concrete results".
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 15 September 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the diocese of
Gniezno, Poland, presented by Bishop Bogdan Wojtus, upon having reached the
age limit.
- Appointed as members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Cardinal
Ennio Antonelli, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Family,
and Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M. Conv., regent emeritus of the Apostolic
Penitentiary.
___________________________________________________________
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VISnews120915
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXII - N° 163DATE 15-09-2012
Summary: - CHRISTIANS OF THE MIDDLE EAST!
HOW CAN WE FAIL TO PRAISE GOD
FOR YOUR COURAGE AND FAITH? - SUMMARY OF THE POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC
EXHORTATION "ECCLESIA IN MEDIO ORIENTE" - NEW FRATERNITY BASED ON A
SHARED SENSE OF THE GREATNESS OF EACH PERSON - THE ESSENTIAL MESSAGE OF
RELIGION IS AGAINST
VIOLENCE - OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
CHRISTIANS OF THE MIDDLE EAST! HOW CAN WE FAIL TO PRAISE GOD FOR YOUR
COURAGE AND FAITH?
Vatican City, 15 September 2012 (VIS) - Yesterday evening in the
Greek-Melkite Basilica of St. Paul in Harissa, Lebanon, Benedict XVI signed
the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of the Special Assembly for the Middle
East of the Synod of Bishops,
"Ecclesia in Medio Oriente". The basilica forms part of a complex which
includes a major seminary and a "house for writers" who study the sacred texts
and translate documents of the Magisterium into Arabic. Since 1909 it has also
been the headquarters
of the Missionaries of St. Paul.
The Holy Father was received by His Beatitude Gregorios III Laham,
Patriarch of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites. Following the entrance chant in
the Byzantine rite, the Pope paused to venerate the icons conserved inside the
basilica. Archbishop Nikola
Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, then pronounced some
words after which the ceremony continued with the initial chants in the
Maronite rite.
Following the readings Benedict XVI delivered greetings to the patriarchs
and a group of Oriental and Latin bishops, to Orthodox, Muslim and Druze
delegations, as well as to representatives of the world of culture and civil
society, and the
Greek-Melkite community.
"The happy coexistence of Islam and Christianity, two religions that have
helped to shape great cultures", he said, "is what makes for the originality
of social, political and religious life in Lebanon. One can only rejoice in
this circumstance,
which must absolutely be encouraged. I entrust this wish to the religious
leaders of your country".
"Providentially, this event takes place on the Feast of the Exaltation of
the Holy Cross, a celebration originating in the East in 335, following the
dedication of the Basilica of the Resurrection built over Golgotha and our
Lord’s tomb by the
Emperor Constantine the Great, whom you venerate as saint. A month from now we
will celebrate the seventeen-hundredth anniversary of the appearance to
Constantine of the 'Chi-Rho', radiant in the symbolic night of his unbelief
and accompanied by the
words: 'In this sign you will conquer!'"
"There is an inseparable bond between the cross and the resurrection which
Christians must never forget. Without this bond, to exalt the cross would mean
to justify suffering and death, seeing them merely as our inevitable fate. For
Christians, to
exalt the cross means to be united to the totality of God’s
unconditional love for mankind. It means making an act of faith! To exalt the
cross, against the backdrop of the resurrection, means to desire to experience
and to show the totality of
this love. It means making an act of love! To exalt the cross means to be a
committed herald of fraternal and ecclesial communion, the source of authentic
Christian witness. It means making an act of hope!
"In examining the present situation of the Church in the Middle East, the
Synod Fathers reflected on the joys and struggles, the fears and hopes of
Christ’s disciples in these lands. In this way, the entire Church was
able to hear the troubled
--- NetMgr/2 1.0y+
* Origin: NetMgr+ @ Sursum Corda! BBS Meridian MS USA (1:396/45)
