and duties. Emigrants bring with them a sense of trust and hope which has
inspired and sustained their search for better opportunities in
life. Yet they do not seek simply to improve their financial, social and
political condition. It is true that the experience of migration often begins
in fear, especially when persecutions and violence are its cause, and in the
trauma of having to leave
behind family and possessions which had in some way ensured survival. But
suffering, great losses and at times a sense of disorientation before an
uncertain future do not destroy the dream of being able to build, with hope and
courage, a new life in a new country. Indeed, migrants trust that they will
encounter acceptance, solidarity and help, that they will meet people who
sympathise with the distress and tragedy experienced by others, recognise the
values and resources the
latter have to offer, and are open to sharing humanly and materially with the
needy and disadvantaged. It is important to realise that 'the reality of human
solidarity, which is a benefit for us, also imposes a duty'. Migrants and
refugees can
experience, along with difficulties, new, welcoming relationships which enable
them to enrich their new countries with their professional skills, their
social and cultural heritage and, not infrequently, their witness of faith,
which can bring new
energy and life to communities of ancient Christian tradition, and invite
others to encounter Christ and to come to know the Church.
"Certainly every state has the right to regulate migration and to enact
policies dictated by the general requirements of the common good, albeit
always in safeguarding respect for the dignity of each human person. The right
of persons to migrate - as
the Council’s Constitution 'Gaudium et Spes', No. 65, recalled - is
numbered among the fundamental human rights, allowing persons to settle
wherever they consider best for the realisation of their abilities,
aspirations and plans. In the current
social and political context, however, even before the right to migrate, there
is need to reaffirm the right not to emigrate, that is, to remain in
one’s homeland; as Blessed John Paul II stated: 'It is a basic human
right to live in one’s
own country. However this rights become effective only if the factors that
urge people to emigrate are constantly kept under control'. Today in fact we
can see that many migrations are the result of economic
instability, the lack of essential goods, natural disasters, wars and social
unrest. Instead of a pilgrimage filled with trust, faith and hope, migration
then becomes an ordeal undertaken for the sake of survival, where men and
women appear more as
victims than as agents responsible for the decision to migrate. As a result,
while some migrants attain a satisfactory social status and a dignified level
of life through proper integration into their new social setting, many others
are living at the
margins, frequently exploited and deprived of their fundamental rights, or
engaged in forms of behaviour harmful to their host society. The process of
integration entails rights and duties, attention and concern for the dignified
existence of migrants;
it also calls for attention on the part of migrants to the values offered by
the society to which they now belong.
"In this regard, we must not overlook the question of irregular migration,
an issue all the more pressing when it takes the form of human trafficking and
exploitation, particularly of women and children. These crimes must be clearly
condemned and
prosecuted, while an orderly migration policy which does not end up in a
hermetic sealing of borders, more severe sanctions against irregular migrants
and the adoption of measures meant to discourage new entries, could at least
limit for many migrants
the danger of falling prey to such forms of human trafficking. There is an
urgent need for structured multilateral interventions for the development of
the countries of departure, effective countermeasures aimed at eliminating
human trafficking,
comprehensive programmes regulating legal entry, and a greater openness to
considering individual cases calling for humanitarian protection more than
political asylum. In addition to suitable legislation, there is a need for a
patient
and persevering effort to form minds and consciences. In all this, it is
important to strengthen and develop understanding and cooperation between
ecclesial and other institutions devoted to promoting the integral development
of the human person. In the
Christian vision, social and humanitarian commitment draws its strength from
fidelity to the Gospel, in the knowledge that 'to follow Christ, the perfect
man, is to become more human oneself'.
"Dear brothers and sisters who yourselves are migrants, may this World Day
help you renew your trust and hope in the Lord who is always at our side! Take
every opportunity to encounter him and to see his face in the acts of kindness
you receive
during your pilgrimage of migration. Rejoice, for the Lord is near, and with
him you will be able to overcome obstacles and difficulties, treasuring the
experiences of openness and acceptance that many people offer you. For 'life
is like a voyage on the
sea of history, often dark and stormy, a voyage in which we watch for the
stars that indicate the route. The true stars of our life are the people who
have lived good lives. They are lights of hope. Certainly, Jesus Christ is the
true light, the sun
that has risen above all the shadows of history. But to reach him we also need
lights close by – people who shine with his light and so guide us along
our way'.
"I entrust each of you to the Blessed Virgin Mary, sign of sure hope and
consolation, our 'guiding star', who with her maternal presence is close to us
at every moment of our life. To all I affectionately impart my Apostolic
Blessing".
___________________________________________________________
NEW EVANGELISATION APPLIES TO THE WHOLE OF CHURCH LIFE
Vatican City, 28 October 2012 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican Basilica,
Benedict XVI presided at a celebration of the Eucharist with Synod Fathers for
the closure of the thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of
Bishops, which began on
7 October and has been examining the theme: "The New Evangelisation for the
Transmission of the Christian Faith". Extracts from the Holy Father's homily
are given below.
"The whole of Mark’s Gospel is a journey of faith, which develops
gradually under Jesus’ tutelage. The disciples are the first actors on
this journey of discovery, but there are also other characters who play an
important role, and
Bartimaeus is one of them. His is the last miraculous healing that Jesus
performs before His passion, and it is no accident that it should be that of a
blind person, someone whose eyes have lost the light. We know from other texts
too that the state of
blindness has great significance in the Gospels. It represents man who needs
God’s light, the light of faith, if he is to know reality truly and to
walk the path of life. It is essential to acknowledge one’s blindness,
one’s need for
this light, otherwise one could remain blind for ever.
"Bartimaeus, then, at that strategic point of Mark’s account, is
presented as a model. He was not blind from birth, but lost his sight. He
represents man who has lost the light and knows it, but has not lost hope: he
knows how to seize the
opportunity to encounter Jesus and he entrusts himself to Him for healing. ...
And when Jesus calls him and asks what he wants from Him, he replies: 'Master,
let me receive my sight!' ... In the encounter with Christ, lived with faith,
Bartimaeus
regains the light he had lost, and with it the fullness of his dignity: he
gets back onto his feet and resumes the journey, which from that moment has a
guide, Jesus, and a path, the same that Jesus is travelling".
"St. Augustine, in one of his writings, makes a striking comment. ...
'Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, had fallen from some position of great
prosperity, and was now regarded as an object of the most notorious and the
most remarkable wretchedness,
because, in addition to being blind, he had also to sit begging'. ... This
interpretation ... invites us to reflect on the fact that our lives contain
precious riches that we can lose, and I am not speaking of material riches.
From this perspective,
Bartimaeus could represent those who live in regions that were evangelised
long ago, where the light of faith has grown dim and people have drifted away
from God, no longer considering Him relevant for their lives. These people
have therefore lost a
precious treasure, they have “fallen” from a lofty dignity - not
financially or in terms of earthly power, but in a Christian sense - their
lives have lost a secure and sound direction and they have become, often
unconsciously, beggars for the meaning of existence. They are the many in need
of a new evangelisation, that is, a new encounter with Jesus, the Christ, the
Son of God, Who can open their eyes afresh and teach them the path".
"The new evangelisation applies to the whole of Church life. ... I would
like here to highlight three pastoral themes that have emerged from the Synod.
The first concerns the Sacraments of Christian initiation. It has been
reaffirmed that appropriate
catechesis must accompany preparation for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.
The importance of Confession, the Sacrament of God’s mercy, has also
been emphasised. ... In fact it has often been said that the real protagonists
of the new
evangelisation are the saints: they speak a language intelligible to all
through the example of their lives and their works of charity.
"Secondly, the new evangelisation is essentially linked to the 'Missio ad
Gentes'. The Church’s task is to evangelise, to proclaim the message of
salvation to those who do not yet know Jesus Christ. During the Synod, it was
emphasised that
there are still many regions in Africa, Asia and Oceania whose inhabitants
await with lively expectation, sometimes without being fully aware of it, the
first proclamation of the Gospel. So we must ask the Holy Spirit to arouse in
the Church a new
missionary dynamism, whose protagonists are, in particular, pastoral workers
and the lay faithful".
"A third aspect concerns the baptised whose lives do not reflect the
demands of Baptism. ... Such people are found in all continents, especially in
the most secularised countries. The Church is particularly concerned that they
should encounter Jesus
Christ anew, rediscover the joy of faith and return to religious practice in
the community of the faithful. Besides traditional and perennially valid
pastoral methods, the Church seeks to adopt new ones, developing new language
attuned to the different
world cultures, proposing the truth of Christ with an attitude of dialogue and
friendship rooted in God Who is Love".
"Bartimaeus, on regaining his sight from Jesus, joined the crowd of
disciples, which must certainly have included others like him, who had been
healed by the Master. New evangelisers are like that: people who have had the
experience of being healed
by God, through Jesus Christ. ... Let us put away, then, all blindness to the
truth, all ignorance and, removing the darkness that obscures our vision like
fog before the eyes, let us contemplate the true God".
___________________________________________________________
THE SYNOD IS A REDISCOVERY OF THE BEAUTY OF BEING CHURCH
Vatican City, 28 October 2012 (VIS) - At midday today, after presiding at
Mass for the closure of the thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod
of Bishops, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the
Angelus with faithful
gathered below in St. Peter's Square.
The Pope began by mentioning the Synod. "For three weeks", he said, "we
have discussed the realities of new evangelisation for the transmission of
Christian faith. The entire Church was represented and, therefore, involved in
this activity which,
with God's grace, will not fail to bring forth fruit. First and foremost,
however, a Synod is always a time of strong ecclesial communion and for this
reason, together with you, I wish to thank God Who has once again allowed us
to experience the beauty
of being Church, and of being Church today in this world, as it is, in the
midst of this humanity with all its weariness and its hopes".
The Holy Father then went on to refer to the "significant fact" that the
Synod coincided with the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican
Council II, and with the beginning of the Year of Faith. "Turning our minds
back to Blessed John XXIII,
to Servant of God Paul VI, and to the period of the Council ... helped us to
recognise that new evangelisation is not an invention of our own, but a
dynamic that began to develop in the Church in the 1950s, when it became clear
that even countries of
ancient Christian tradition had become, so to speak, 'mission lands'. Thus
emerged the need for a renewed announcement of the Gospel in secularised
societies, in the dual certainty that, on the one hand, only He, Jesus Christ,
is the true novelty that
responds to the needs of man at all times and, on the other that His message
needs to be suitably transmitted in changing social and cultural
environments".
The intense efforts of the Synod Fathers led to "a commitment to the
spiritual renewal of the Church in order to spiritually renew the secularised
world. Such renewal will come about with the rediscovery of Jesus Christ, of
His truth and His grace,
of His 'face', at once human and divine, upon which shines the transcendent
mystery of God".
After praying the Angelus, the Pope launched an appeal for Cuba, Haiti,
Jamaica and the Bahamas, devastated by a hurricane which recently struck the
Caribbean region leaving numerous dead and forcing many people to flee their
homes. "I wish to give
assurances of my closeness, and of my concern for those who have been struck
by this natural disaster", he said. "At the same time, I invite everyone to
pray and show solidarity in order to alleviate the suffering of the victims'
families, and to help
the many thousands who have suffered damage".
The Holy Father concluded by mentioning the inhabitants of the Italian
regions of Basilicata and Calabria, which have been affected by a series of
earthquakes in recent days.
___________________________________________________________
THE CHURCH IS NOT JUST OF ONE CONTINENT BUT UNIVERSAL
Vatican City, 27 October 2012 (VIS) - During the twenty-second and final
General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops, during which the participants
voted on the final list of propositions, Benedict XVI addressed some brief
remarks to the Synod
Fathers.
"In the context of the discussion of the Synod of Bishops on 'The New
Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith', and as the
conclusion of a period of reflection on the themes of seminaries and
catechesis, ... I have decided to
transfer jurisdiction for seminaries from the Congregation for Catholic
Education to the Congregation for the Clergy, and jurisdiction for catechesis
from the Congregation for the Clergy to the Pontifical Council for Promoting
New Evangelisation", the
Pope announced.
"The relative documents - in the form of an Apostolic Letter 'Motu Proprio'
defining the respective fields of competence - will follow", he said. "We pray
to the Lord that He may accompany these three dicasteries of the Roman Curia
in their important
mission, with the collaboration of the entire Church.
"Since I am already speaking", the Holy Father added, "I would also like to
express my cordial best wishes to the new cardinals. I chose to call this
little consistory in order to complete the consistory of February, within the
context of new
evangelisation. It is a gesture towards the universality of the Church,
showing that the Church is the Church of all peoples, that she speaks all
languages, that she is always the Church of Pentecost; not the Church of one
continent, but the universal
Church. My intention was to express this universality of the Church. It will
also be a fine expression of this Synod. I have found it truly edifying
consoling and encouraging to see here the mirror of the universal Church, with
her suffering, threats,
dangers and joys, her experiences of the Lord's presence, even in difficult
situations.
"We have seen how even today the Church lives and grows. ... And even if
she faces headwinds yet does she feel above all the breath of the Holy Spirit,
which helps us and shows us the right way. Thus, with renewed enthusiasm, I
believe, we are on our
journey and can thank God for having given us this truly catholic meeting",
the Pope concluded.
___________________________________________________________
DECLARATION OF THE PONTIFICAL COMMISSION "ECCLESIA DEI"
VATICAN CITY, 27 October 2012 (VIS) - The following English-language
declaration was issued this morning by the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia
Dei".
"The Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei' takes this occasion to announce
that, in its most recent official communication (6 September 2012), the
Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X has indicated that additional time for
reflection and study is needed
on their part as they prepare their response to the Holy See’s latest
initiatives.
"The current stage in the ongoing discussions between the Holy See and the
Priestly Fraternity follows three years of doctrinal and theological dialogues
during which a joint commission met eight times to study and discuss, among
other matters, some
disputed issues in the interpretation of certain documents of Vatican Council
II. Once these doctrinal dialogues were concluded, it became possible to
proceed to a phase of discussion more directly focused on the greatly desired
reconciliation of the
Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X with the See of Peter.
"Other critical steps in this positive process of gradual reintegration had
already been taken by the Holy See in 2007 with the extension of the
Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite to the Universal Church by the Motu
Proprio 'Summorum Pontificum'
and in 2009 with the lifting of the excommunications. Just a few months ago, a
culminating point along this difficult path was reached when, on 13 June 2012,
the Pontifical Commission presented to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X a
doctrinal
declaration together with a proposal for the canonical normalisation of its
status within the Catholic Church.
"At the present time, the Holy See is awaiting the official response of the
superiors of the Priestly Fraternity to these two documents. After thirty
years of separation, it is understandable that time is needed to absorb the
significance of these
recent developments. As Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI seeks to foster and
preserve the unity of the Church by realising the long hoped-for
reconciliation of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X with the See of Peter
- a dramatic manifestation of
the 'munus Petrinum' in action - patience, serenity, perseverance and trust
are needed".
___________________________________________________________
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 29 October 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in
audience Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops.
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 27 October 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Archbishop Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil as a member of the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
- Appointed as members of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious
Dialogue: Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the
Evangelisation of Peoples; Archbishop Peter Takeo Okada of Tokyo, Japan;
Archbishop Jean Benjamin Sleiman
O.C.D. of Baghdad of the Latins, Iraq; Archbishop Daniel J. Bohan of Regina,
Canada; Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council
for Promoting New Evangelisation; Bishop Michel Dubost C.I.M. of
Evry-Corbeil-Essonnes, France;
Bishop Angelito R. Lampon O.M.I., apostolic vicar of Jolo, Philippines; Bishop
Francesco Biasin of Barra do Pirai-Volta Redonda, Brazil; Bishop Joseph Chusak
Sirisut of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand; Bishop Sebastian Francis Shah O.F.M.,
auxiliary of
Lahore, Pakistan; Bishop Michael Didi Adgum Mangoria, coadjutor of El-Obeid,
Sudan; Bishop Tomo Vuksic, military ordinary of Bosnia Herzegovina, and Bishop
Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto, Nigeria.
- Appointed as members of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum": Cardinal Oscar
Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga S.D.B., archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and
president of Caritas Internationalis; Archbishop Alberto Taveira Correa of
Belem do Para, Brazil;
Archbishop Paolo Pezzi F.S.C.B. of the archdiocese of the Mother of God in
Moscow; Bishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi S.V.D. of Niigata, Japan, and vice
president for Asia of Caritas Internationalis; Msgr. Peter Neher, president of
"Deutscher Caritasverband"
(Germany); Fr. Francesco Antonio Soddu, national director of Caritas Italy;
Baron Johannes Nepomuk Heereman Von Zuydtwyck, executive director of Aid to
the Church in Need; Carolyn Y. Woo, president of Catholic Relief Services -
U.S.C.C.(U.S.A), Maritza
Sanchez Abiyud, director of Caritas Cuba.
- Appointed Michel Roy, secretary of Caritas Internationalis, as consultor
of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum".
- Appointed Fr. Pasquale Cascio of the clergy of the diocese of Teggiano -
Policastro, Italy, pastor and professor of Sacred Scripture, as archbishop of
Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi - Conza - Nusco - Bisaccia (area 1,290, population
84,000, Catholics
83,400, priests 65, permanent deacons 5, religious 101), Italy. The
archbishop-elect was born in Castelcivita, Italy in 1957 and ordained a priest
in 1983. He has worked in pastoral care and in teaching.
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of
Brindisi - Ostuni, Italy, presented by Archbishop Rocco Talucci, upon having
reached the age limit.
- Appointed Fr. Ramon Alberto Rolon Guespa of the clergy of the archdiocese
of Nueva Pamplona, Colombia, rector of the the major archdiocesan seminary of
"Santo Tomas de Aquino", as bishop of Monteria (area 14,500, population
1,647,000, Catholics
1,565,000, priests 107, religious 185), Colombia. The bishop-elect was born in
Arboledas, Colombia in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1984. He has served as
pastor in a number of parishes.
- Appointed Bishop Ryszard Kasyna, auxiliary of Gdansk, Poland, as bishop
of Pelplin (area 12,890, population 780,800, Catholics 731,000, priests 588,
permanent deacons 1, religious 298), Poland.
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Pemba,
Mozambique, presented by Bishop Ernesto Maguengue, in accordance with canon
401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law, appointing Fr. Fernando Domingos Costa
C.P. as apostolic
administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the same diocese.
___________________________________________________________
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