ZENIT
The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - October 09, 2008
VATICAN DOSSIER Pius XII Walked Path of True Hope, Says Pope Pontiff Highlights Other Aspects of Pius XII Pope Calls St. Paul a "Migrant by Vocation" WORLD FEATURES Holy See Urges UN to Look to the Causes SYNOD DIARY Pius XII and His Bible Revolution ROME NOTES Scripture Mania; Modern-Day Knights DOCUMENTS AT ZENIT WEB PAGE Synod Interventions for Oct. 8-9 DOCUMENTS Pope's Homily on Pius XII Message for World Refugee and Migrant Day Holy See Address to 63rd UN General Assembly
VATICAN DOSSIER
Pius XII Walked Path of True Hope, Says Pope
Notes That Word of God Was His Light
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 9, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- During the difficult and dark years of the Second World War, Pius XII continued to follow a path that lead to Christ, "the true hope of man," says Benedict XVI.
The Pope said this today during the homily he gave at a Mass said in St. Peter's to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Pius XII.
The German Pontiff reflected on the source of Pius XII's "courage and patience in his pontifical ministry during the troubled years of World War II and the following ones, no less complex, of reconstruction and difficult international relationship of history called 'the Cold War.'"
Benedict XVI said the Italian Pontiff's attitude was always to "abandon oneself in the hands of the merciful God."
He noted that Archbishop Eugenio Pacelli was the apostolic nuncio to Germany until 1929, where he "realized from the beginning the danger of the monstrous Nazi-Socialist ideology with its pernicious anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic root."
He was then created a cardinal and worked as Pius XI's secretary of state for nine years during "a time marked by totalitarianism: Fascist, Nazi and Soviet Communism."
The German Pontiff reflected that during the hardest moments of Pius XII's pontificate, he made the effort "to belong to Christ, the only certainty that never sets."
The word of God, then, became "the light of his path," said the Pope: "A path in which Pope Pacelli had to comfort the homeless and persecuted persons, dry the tears of suffering and the crying of so many victims of the war.
"Only Christ is the true hope of man; only entrusting the human heart to him can it open up to love that overcomes hate."
Cardinal Pacelli was elected to the Pontificate in 1939, "a ministry that began when the menacing clouds of a new world conflict grew over Europe and the rest of the world, which he tried to avoid in all ways," Benedict XVI noted. "He called out in his message on the radio on Aug. 24, 1939: The danger is imminent, but there is still time. Nothing is lost with peace. Everything can be lost with war."
Nazi occupation
"The war highlighted the love he felt for his 'beloved Rome,'" said the present Pope, "a love demonstrated by the intense charitable work he undertook in defense of the persecuted, without any distinction of religion, ethnicity, nationality or political leanings."
Benedict XVI noted that when Rome was occupied by the German Nazis, Pius XII refused to leave: "I will not leave Rome and my place, even at the cost of my life."
"His relatives and other witnesses refer furthermore to privations regarding food, heating, clothes and comfort," continued the German Pope, "to which he subjected himself voluntarily in order to share in the extremely trying conditions suffered by the people due to the bombardments and consequences of war."
The Holy Father also remembered Pius XII's 1942 Christmas radio message of December 1942: "In a voice breaking with emotion he deplored the situation of 'the hundreds of thousands of persons who, without any fault on their part, sometimes only because of their nationality or race, have been consigned to death or to a slow decline,' a clear reference to the deportation and extermination of the Jews."
"Pius XII often acted secretly and silently," added the Pontiff, "because, in the light of the concrete realities of that complex historical moment, he saw that this was the only way to avoid the worst and save the largest possible number of Jews."
Benedict XVI noted the "expressions of gratitude from the highest authorities of the Jewish world" that Pius XII received.
The current Pontiff highlighted the words of Israeli Foreign Minister Golda Meir, who wrote upon Pius XII's death: "During the 10 years of Nazi terror, when our people went through the horrors of martyrdom, the Pope raised his voice to condemn the persecutors and commiserate with their victims."
She added, "We mourn a great servant of peace."
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Pontiff Highlights Other Aspects of Pius XII
Says His Many Writings Are Weighty and Relevant
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 9, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- The debates raging around Pius XII, and whether he did or said enough during World War II, overshadow the multifaceted aspects of his pontificate, says Benedict XVI.
The Pope said this today during the homily he gave at a Mass said in St. Peter's to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Pius XII.
"The historical debate on the figure of the Servant of God Pius XII, which has not always been the calmest, has prevented us shining a light on all the aspects of his multifaceted Pontificate," the Pope said.
"There was a great multitude of speeches, addresses and messages delivered to scientists, doctors, and representatives of the most varied categories of workers, some of which even today still possess an extraordinary relevance and continue to be a concrete point of reference," he added.
Benedict XVI noted that Paul VI described his predecessor as an "erudite man, an attentive scholar, open to modern means of research and culture, with an ever-strong and coherent fidelity both to the principles of human reasoning, as well as to the intangible depository of the truth of faith. He considered him a precursor of Vatican Council II."
The current Pontiff said many of Pius XII's writings deserved to be remembered, but only mentioned a few, beginning with the encyclical "Mystici Corporis," published in 1943.
"While war still raged," the Pope said, "he described the spiritual and visible relationships that unite men to the Word Incarnate, and he proposed integrating into this point of view all the principle themes of ecclesiology, offering for the first time a dogmatic and theological synthesis that would provide the basis for the Conciliar dogmatic constitution 'Lumen Gentium.'"
Scripture
The Holy Father said in his encyclical "Divino Afflante Spiritu," published also in 1943, Pius XII "laid down the doctrinal norms for the study of sacred Scripture, highlighting its importance and role in Christian life."
The Pope said that encyclical, which "bears witness to a great opening to scientific research on the biblical texts," is fitting to remember as the world Synod of Bishops on the Word of God is taking place.
He explained: "It is to the prophetic intuition of Pius XII that we owe the launch of a serious study of the characteristics of ancient historiography, in order to better understand the nature of the sacred books, without weakening or negating their historical value.
"The deeper study of the 'literary genres,' whose intention is to better understand what the sacred author meant, was viewed with a certain suspicion prior to 1943, in part thanks to the abuse that had been made of it.
"The encyclical recognized that it could be applied correctly, declaring its use legitimate not only for the study of the Old Testament, but also the New. "
Benedict XVI also mentioned the encyclical dedicated to liturgy, "Mediator Dei," published in 1947: "With this document, the Servant of God provided an impulse to the liturgical movement."
The Pope acknowledged "the notable impulse this Pontiff gave to the Church's missionary activity with the Encyclicals 'Evangelii Praecones' (1951) and 'Fidei Donum' (1957), that highlighted the duty of every community to announce the Gospel to the peoples, as Vatican II would go on to do with courageous strength."
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Pope Calls St. Paul a "Migrant by Vocation"
Notes Apostle's Preaching to Many Cultures
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 9, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- The example of St. Paul, a "migrant by vocation," is one Benedict XVI hopes the Church will follow to build solidarity and promote peaceful coexistence among all races, cultures and creeds.
The Pope said this in the message released for the 95th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, to be held Jan. 18. The message, titled "St. Paul Migrant, 'Apostle of the Peoples,'" was published Wednesday.
The Holy Father said the theme coincides with the Jubilee Year of St. Paul, which concludes June 29.
He said the "preaching and mediation between the different cultures and the Gospel which Paul, 'a migrant by vocation,' carried out, are also an important reference point for those who find themselves involved in the migratory movement today."
The Pontiff explained: "Born into a family of Jewish immigrants in Tarsus, Cilicia, Saul was educated in the Hebrew and Hellenistic cultures and languages, making the most of the Roman cultural context.
"After his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, although he did not deny his own 'traditions' and felt both esteem and gratitude to Judaism and the Law, he devoted himself without hesitation or second thoughts to his new mission, with courage and enthusiasm and docile to the Lord's command: 'I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"
"His life changed radically," said Benedict XVI. "Jesus became for him his 'raison d’être' and the motive that inspired his apostolic dedication to the service of the Gospel. He changed from being a persecutor of Christians to being an Apostle of Christ.
"Guided by the Holy Spirit, he spared no effort to see that the Gospel [...] was proclaimed to all, making no distinction of nationality or culture."
"This is the mission of the Church and of every baptized person in our time too, even in the era of globalization; a mission that with attentive pastoral solicitude is also directed to the variegated universe of migrants -- students far from home, immigrants, refugees, displaced people, evacuees -- including for example, the victims of modern forms of slavery, and of human trafficking," the Pope said.
The Pontiff affirmed that the "message of salvation must be presented with the same approach as that of the Apostle to the Gentiles, taking into account the different social and cultural situations and special difficulties of each one as a consequence of his or her condition as a migrant or itinerant person."
"May his example," the Holy Father added, "also be an incentive for us to show solidarity to these brothers and sisters of ours and to promote, in every part of the world and by every means, peaceful coexistence among different races, cultures and religions."
--- --- ---
On the Net:
Full text of Benedict XVI's message:
www.zenit.org/article-23866?l=english
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WORLD FEATURES
Holy See Urges UN to Look to the Causes
Says Symptoms of World's Ills Not Whole Picture
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 9, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- Instead of listing the many symptoms of the world's problems, a Holy See representative told the United Nations that it would do well to look more carefully at the underlying causes.
Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said this Monday to a meeting of the 63rd U.N. General Assembly, in which he acknowledged the "intractable conflicts in many regions of the world."
He said these conflicts, "whether under the guise of civil turmoil, terrorist activity or international conflicts, [...] perpetuate the flawed belief that violence and war can replace cooperation and dialogue for the common good."
He also cited other "enduring obstacles," such as the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, and the "growing strain" on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which he said "severely hinder the promotion of the common good and mutual cooperation."
"However," the Holy See representative stated, "rather than addressing the symptoms of humanity’s failings we would do well to focus on the underlying causes."
Archbishop Migliore noted the words of Paul VI, who said 40 years ago in a visit to the United Nations that “development is the new name for peace.”
"The wisdom of these words should guide us in crafting adequate solutions," the archbishop added.
New direction
He continued: "Sixty years ago this December, this body produced the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with which the world leaders agreed that human rights are not bestowed by governments at their whim but rather are inherent in all individuals regardless of race, nationality or religious belief.
"It is humbling to recall the war that preceded the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also empowering to know that if the world could come together to ensure the rights of all after such a devastating conflict, then surely today we can find the political will to guarantee the full enjoyment of all human rights."
Archbishop Migliore affirmed that the rights to life and freedom of thought, conscience and religion "remain the core of the human rights system."
"Too often these rights are neglected in favor of more politically expedient issues, and only when the voices of the disenfranchised and discriminated become too loud to be ignored do we give them their proper attention," he said.
The archbishop reiterated, "Only by respecting the right to life, from the moment of conception until natural death, and the consciences of all believers, will we promote a world cognizant and respectful of a deeper sense of meaning and purpose."
"Time and again we have seen an increase in the use of rhetoric which, instead of bringing nations together, chastises and divides them," Archbishop Migliore lamented. "In all corners of the globe this rhetoric has been used to foment mistrust between states.
"However, it is my delegation’s wish that this session will reverse this crescendo of suspect and mistrust and will give way to confidence in our common leadership and shared values."
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Synod Diary
Pius XII and His Bible Revolution
Marking 50 Years Since Death of "Papa Pacelli"
By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 9, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- For decades, the figure of Eugenio Pacelli, Pope Pius XII, has been at the center of some volatile polemics.
The controversy has raged since the end of the Holocaust over whether the Pope did and said enough in defense of the Jews and other victims of the Nazis. The Roman Pontiff, who guided the Church through the terrible years of the Second World War and the Cold War, is the victim of a "black legend," which has proven difficult to combat and is so widespread that many consider it to be more true than the actual historical facts.
One of the unpleasant secondary consequences of this black legend, which falsely portrays Pius XII as indulgent toward Nazism and indifferent to the fate of the victims of persecution, has been to sideline or even obliterate the extraordinary teaching and contribution of this Pope who was a precursor of the Second Vatican Council.
Pius XII must be remembered for his encyclical “Mediator Dei,” the great preparatory work that would flow into the conciliar liturgical reform. It is the same Pope who, in the encyclical "Humani Generis," takes evolutionary theory into consideration. Pius XII also gave notable impetus to missionary activity with the encyclicals "Evangelii Praecones" in 1951, and "Fidei Donum" in 1957, highlighting the Church's duty to proclaim the Gospel to the nations, as Vatican II would amply reaffirm.
One of the most frequent questions among the many foreign journalists covering the “Synod on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church” deals with this morning's commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the death of Pius XII in the context of the synod.
At 11:30 today, just after the synod's morning session, Benedict XVI presided at a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, attended by, among others, all participants at the synod and a host of other people to mark this anniversary. I have been asked numerous times in the Vatican press center, “Why did this commemoration take place today in the midst of a Synod on the Bible?” Or, “What does Pope Pius XII have to do with the Scriptures?”
My answer to the first question has been: “Because Oct. 9 marks the date of his death in 1958, and today happens to be Oct. 9. When would you like the Pope to commemorate this anniversary? On Christmas Day?”
To the second question, my answer has been: “Everything. Pius XII has everything to do with what is taking place in the synod hall and in the small groups and among anyone around the Catholic world who wishes to take Scripture studies seriously.” Alas, like the rich young man in the New Testament, several went away sad because of my answers to their questions.
Biblical criticism
A synod on the Bible cannot ignore nor forget the landscape of Catholic biblical studies in the last century. Physical, historical, and linguistic methods, known to us only in approximately the last 125 years, have produced a scientifically critical study of the Bible, a study that has revolutionized views held in the past about the authorship, origin, and dating of the biblical books, about how they were composed, and about what their authors meant.
In the first 40 years of the last century (1900-1940), the Roman Catholic Church clearly and officially took a stance against such biblical criticism. The modernist heretics at the beginning of the last century employed biblical criticism, and the official Vatican condemnations of modernism made little distinction between the possible intrinsic validity of biblical criticism and the theological misuse of it by the modernists.
Between 1905 and 1915 the Pontifical Biblical Commission issued a series of conservative decisions on the composition and authorship of the Bible. Although phrased with nuance, these decisions ran against the trends of contemporary Old and New Testament investigations. Catholic scholars were obliged to assent to these decisions and to teach them.
After 40 years of strident opposition, the Catholic Church in the 1940’s, under the pontificate of Pius XII, made an undeniable about-face toward biblical criticism. That Pontiff's 1943 encyclical “Divino Afflante Spiritu” instructed Catholic scholars to use the methods of scientific approach to the Bible that had hitherto been forbidden to them. It was now safe for Catholic scholars to take up the methods that were previously forbidden. A particular aspect of the encyclical definitively steered Catholics away from fundamentalism: namely, the recognition that the Bible includes many different literary forms or genres, not just history.
Within 10 years teachers trained in biblical criticism began to move in large numbers into Catholic classrooms in seminaries and colleges, so that the mid-1950’s really marked the watershed. By that time the pursuit of the scientific method had led Catholic exegetes to abandon almost all the positions on biblical authorship and composition taken by the Vatican at the beginning of the century.
Historical-Critical
“Divino Afflante Spiritu” sparked an enormous growth in Catholic biblical scholarship. New teachers were trained, and the results of the changed approach to Scripture were gradually communicated to the people -- the very steps that Pius XII had urged. “Papa Pacelli” opened up the application of the historical-critical method to the Bible, and established the doctrinal norms for the study of sacred Scripture, emphasizing the importance of its role in Christian life. After sacred Scripture, the Second Vatican Council's documents cite no single author as frequently as Pius XII.
Let us remember some other key facts about the Pope's story and about history. Pius XII led the Catholic Church from 1939 to 1958. Immediately before his election, then Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was the Vatican secretary of state. He, more than anyone else in the Vatican, knew what was happening in the world. Pius XII was not only the Pope of the Second World War, but a pastor who, from March 2, 1939, to Oct. 9, 1958, had before him a world at war during very troubled times.
Those who attack Pius XII often do so for ideological reasons. The campaign against him was started in the Soviet Union and was then sustained in various Catholic environments. He took sides against the Communist world in a severe, strong and determined way.
As Benedict XVI pointed out this morning in his moving homily and tribute to his predecessor, Pius XII, Hitler and his closest followers were motivated by a pathological hatred for the Catholic Church, which they appraised correctly as the most dangerous opponent to what they hoped to do in Germany. There was radical divergence between the Nazis and the Catholic Church. Papa Pacelli cannot be the person who is blamed for something that belongs in a complex way to the world community.
Popes do not speak with the idea of pre-constituting a favorable image for future ages. They know that the fate of millions of Christians can at times depend on their every word; they have at heart the fate of men and women of flesh and blood, not the applause or fleeting approval of historians.
Prudence
Pius XII was not concerned for his reputation, but with saving Jewish lives and this was the only just decision, which clearly required wisdom and a great amount of courage. The Pope protested vehemently the persecution of Jews, but he explained in 1943 that he could not speak in more dramatic or public terms without the risk of making things much worse than they were. His was a prophecy in action, which saved the lives of countless victims of the neo-pagan Nazi reign of terror, rather than potentially counter-productive public statements.
Since Pius XII's death 50 years ago today, the Church has taken great strides in forging closer relations with the Jewish faith. Pope John Paul II made Jewish-Christian relations a priority of his pontificate. Benedict XVI has continued on that path. Both Popes have strongly defended the actions of Pius XII, while speaking as well of the silence and inaction of some other Catholics during the Holocaust.
In my other life in Toronto, when I am not serving as the “Deputati Notitiis Vulgandi” for Vatican synods on the Word of God, I am the “Director Exsecutivus Retis Televisifici Catholici 'Salt and Light.'" This week we are premiering our latest documentary “A Hand of Peace: Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust."
Through a generous grant from the Knights of Columbus, each synod father, expert, auditor and staff person received a copy of the documentary this morning during the synod. Benedict XVI received his copy yesterday.
It is our hope that this documentary will shed light and truth on this Pius XII’s life, prophetic actions, courageous words and his significant contributions to Scripture scholarship and to humanity. We can learn much from Eugenio Pacelli's wisdom, heroism, courage and prophetic gestures during a very dark period of world history.
Pius XII has been called many names. He is a significant patron and intercessor for the synod now under way at the Vatican. We owe much to him and remain every grateful for his foresight, vision and love of God’s word. May this Servant of God, on the path to beatification and canonization, continue to intercede for all us as we discover new ways to make God’s word alive, known, loved and available to the world.
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Basilian Father Thomas Rosica is the Vatican's English-language press attache for the 2008 world Synod of Bishops. A Scripture scholar and university lecturer, he is the chief executive officer of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and Television Network in Canada, and a member of the General Council of the Congregation of St. Basil.
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ROME NOTES
Scripture Mania; Modern-Day Knights
Bible-Reading Marathon the Talk of Rome
By Elizabeth Lev
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 9, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Those who find fall in Rome disappointing due to its dearth of foliage would be heartened by the swathes of scarlet and fuchsia that brighten the streets these days. These brilliant hues however, are not produced by the first chills of autumn, but by the arrival of hundreds of bishops and cardinals for the world Synod of Bishops on the Word of God
But as the Bible is not reserved only to the prelature, so the festivities for the synod have not been confined within the walls of the Vatican; Rome itself has found a way to celebrate the word through a 24-hour-a-day Bible reading at the Church of Santa Croce.
This reading, which, in a remarkable collaboration between Church and state is broadcast day and night on Italian television, began Sunday as Benedict XVI voiced the opening words of Genesis. Over 1,200 people will read in a myriad of languages before the Pope's secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, concludes the series Saturday.
Fittingly, this initiative takes place in the church built by St. Helen, the mother of Constantine, which contains the relics of Christ’s Passion. As the readers reach the narrative of Jesus’ suffering and death, they will be in the very presence of the cross upon which he died and the thorns which crowned his head.
The Italian media, irrespective of political alliances, splashed the news across the national newspapers, reporting the presence of movie stars, authors and musicians.
Roberto Benigni, the Oscar-winning director of “Life is Beautiful,” already well-known for his intense love of Dante, riveted the attention of young and old on the event by reading a passage from Genesis.
Within days of the opening of the synod, it is already bearing its first fruits by bringing Italy back in contact with the word of God.
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Lay Faith-Defenders
Perhaps it has something to do with the King Arthur stories I read as a child, but I have always been fascinated with knights. The ideal of a noble and virtuous warrior, protective of the weak but deadly to enemies, seemed to be the perfect balance of manly qualities.
Through the years, I learned how faith inspired and upheld such men, whether the Knights of Malta -- hospitalers by day and Mediterranean SWAT team by night -- or the Templars, who had fought and died to protect the Christian faith.
But this week I had the pleasure of meeting modern knights, not armed with swords and shields, but employing the same bravery and virtue as they battle new threats in contemporary arenas. Like their predecessors of old they wear their deep love of the Gospel and their fervent commitment to the magisterium more proudly than any medal-of-honor or badge of distinction.
Last week, the administrative board of the Knights of Columbus came to Rome for a pilgrimage. This turned into a wonderful opportunity to learn more about them and the remarkable work they do.
The Knights of Columbus were founded in 1882 in Connecticut as a fraternal benefit society, intended to provide assistance, as well as life or injury insurance to its members.
In the late 19th century, the immigration boom brought many Catholics to the United States, but while they were readily employed, their jobs were often dangerous and without benefits.
Prejudice against Catholics excluded them from many workmen’s associations, leaving families in a precarious position in the New World. It was a small group of laymen, led by a young priest Father Michael J. McGivney, who formed the fraternal organization in the basement of their parish church.
Today the Knights of Columbus still run one of the most highly-rated insurance companies in the world, highly esteemed for both economic success as well as ethical practice. The story of the Knights of Columbus provides an example of the American dream, the combination of enterprising spirit, hard work and success.
The Knights took Christopher Columbus to be their patron. One-hundred years ago, before Hollywood and revisionist historians began hacking away at his reputation, Columbus, a devout Catholic and an Italian immigrant to Spain, was revered as a hero for his brave and determined search for the New World.
In choosing Columbus, the Knights emphasized how much Catholics had contributed to the creation of this great nation. These men were from working class backgrounds, and their fine example shows how the Christian virtue of charity ennobles men more than any knighthood based on bloodline.
A century later, the Knights are just as chivalrous as ever, helping the weakest and most vulnerable from the poor to the disabled to the unborn.
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, a professor, author and member of several Pontifical councils, besides heading this international organization of 1.7 million members, showed the same courage of a warrior taking the battlefield, by publishing an open letter to Senator Joseph Biden, the Democratic vice presidential candidate in the upcoming elections.
Senator Biden, who claims to be a practicing Catholic, defended his pro-abortion position on American television, citing St. Thomas Aquinas as his theological warrant. Anderson not only exposed Biden’s faulty theology, but also firmly returned the focus of the argument back to the life of the unborn child.
Supreme Knight Anderson’s championing of the unborn also demonstrated another great chivalric quality: leading by example. Like the greatest of generals, Anderson charged into the thickest fray of the battle heedless of the consequences to himself.
This witness was meant to galvanize the laity, reminding them that we should not be hiding behind the skirts of our bishops but out defending the teaching of the Church in every one of our lives.
Benedict XVI exhorted the Knights during their audience Oct. 3 "to discover, according to the spirit of their founder, the Venerable Michael McGivney, new forms of serving as leaven of the Gospel in the world and a force of renewal for the Church in holiness and pastoral zeal."
Now that’s what I call Camelot.
* * *
Elizabeth Lev teaches Christian art and architecture at Duquesne University’s Italian campus. She can be reached at lizlev@zenit.org.
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DOCUMENTS at ZENIT Web Page
Synod Interventions for Oct. 8-9
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 9, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- The summaries of the interventions given Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning at the fifth and sixth general congregations of the world Synod of Bishops, are available on ZENIT's Web page.
The synod on "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church" is under way in the Vatican through Oct. 26.
* * *
On the Net:
5th General Congregation:
www.zenit.org/article-23861?l=english6th General Congregation:
www.zenit.org/article-23862?l=english
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DOCUMENTS
Pope's Homily on Pius XII
"Sanctity Was His Ideal"
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 9, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the homily given by Benedict XVI at a Mass said in St. Peter's today in memory of the death of Pius XII on the 50th anniversary of his death.
* * *
Cardinals,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The passage from the Book of Syracide and the prologue from the First Letter of Saint Peter, proclaimed as the first and second reading, offer significant points for reflection in this Eucharistic celebration, during which we remember my venerable predecessor, the Servant of God Pius XII. Exactly fifty years have passed since the time of his death, which occurred in the first hours of October 9 1958. The Syracide, as we heard, reminded those who wish to follow the Lord that they must prepare themselves to face new trials, difficulties and suffering. To not be overcome by these -- he admonishes -- one needs a righteous and constant heart, faithfulness to God and patience united to an inflexible determination in continuing on the path of good. Suffering sharpens the heart of the Lord's disciple, just as gold is purified in the furnace. The sacred author writes: "Whatever happens to you, accept it, and in the uncertainties of your humble state, be patient, since gold is tested in the fire, and the chosen in the furnace of humiliation" (2:4).
On his part, Saint Peter in the pericope that was proposed to us, turning to the Christians of the communities of Asia Minor who "bear all sorts of trials", goes beyond this: he asks them to feel, despite all this, "great joy" (1 Pet 1:6). Proof is in fact necessary, he observes, "so that the worth of your faith, more valuable than gold, which is perishable even if it has been tested by fire, may be proved -- to your praise and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Pet 1:7). And then, for the second time, he exhorts them to be joyous, rather exult "with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described" (see 1:8). The profound reason of this spiritual joy is the love for Jesus and the certainty of His invisible presence. He makes the believers' faith and hope unshakeable, even when faced with the most complicated and harsh events of existence.
In the light of these Biblical texts we can read about the earthly life of Pope Pacelli and his lengthy service to the Church, which began in 1901 under Leo XIII and continued with Saint Pius X, Benedict XV and Pius XI. These Biblical texts help us, above all, to understand which was the source he drew from for his courage and patience in his pontifical ministry, during the troubled years of World War II and the following ones, no less complex, of reconstruction and difficult international relationship of history called "the Cold War."
"Miserere mei Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam": with this invocation from Psalm 50(51), Pius XII began his testament. And he continued: "These words, conscious of being unworthy and unequal, which I pronounced the moment I gave, trembling, my acceptance of the election as Supreme Pontiff, with greater conviction I repeat now." This was two years before his death. To abandon oneself in the hands of the merciful God: This was the attitude my venerable Predecessor constantly cultivated, the last of the Popes born in Rome and belonging to a family tied to the Holy See for many years.
In Germany, where he was the Apostolic Nuncio, first in Munich of Bavaria and then in Berlin until 1929, he left behind grateful memories, especially for having collaborated with Benedict XV in the attempt to stop the "useless slaughter" of the Great War, and for having realized from the beginning the danger of the monstrous Nazi-Socialist ideology with its pernicious anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic root. He was created a Cardinal in December 1929, and shortly after became the Secretary of State. For nine years he was a faithful collaborator of Pius XI, in a time marked by totalitarianism: Fascist, Nazi and Soviet Communism, all condemned by the encyclicals "Non Abbiamo Bisogno," "Mit Brennenbder Sorge" and "Divini Redemptoris."
"Whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life" (Jn 5:24). This assurance made by Jesus, which we have heard in the Gospel, makes us think back to the hardest moments of the Pontificate of Pius XII when, realizing the loss of any human security, he felt the need, even through constant ascetic effort, to belong to Christ, the only certainty that never sets. The Word of God thus becomes the light of his path, a path in which Pope Pacelli had to comfort the homeless and persecuted persons, dry the tears of suffering and the crying of so many victims of the war. Only Christ is the true hope of man; only entrusting the human heart to Him can it open up to love that overcomes hate. This knowledge followed Pius XII in his ministry as the Successor of Peter, a ministry that began when the menacing clouds of a new world conflict grew over Europe and the rest of the world, which he tried to avoid in all ways: He called out in his message on the radio on August 24 1939: The danger is imminent, but there is still time. Nothing is lost with peace. Everything can be lost with war" (AAS, XXXI, 1939, p. 334).
The war highlighted the love he felt for his "beloved Rome," a love demonstrated by the intense charitable work he undertook in defense of the persecuted, without any distinction of religion, ethnicity, nationality or political leanings. When, once the city was occupied, he was repeatedly advised to leave the Vatican to safeguard himself, his answer was always the same and decisive: "I will not leave Rome and my place, even at the cost of my life" (cf Summarium, p. 186). His relatives and other witnesses refer furthermore to privations regarding food, heating, clothes and comfort, to which he subjected himself voluntarily in order to share in the extremely trying conditions suffered by the people due to the bombardments and consequences of war (cf A. Tornielli, "Pio XII, Un uomo sul trono di Pietro"). And how can we forget his Christmas radio message of December 1942? In a voice breaking with emotion he deplored the situation of "the hundreds of thousands of persons who, without any fault on their part, sometimes only because of their nationality or race, have been consigned to death or to a slow decline" (AAS, XXXV, 1943, p. 23), a clear reference to the deportation and extermination of the Jews. He often acted secretly and silently because, in the light of the concrete realities of that complex historical moment, he saw that this was the only way to avoid the worst and save the largest possible number of Jews. His interventions, at the end of the war and at the time of his death, received numerous and unanimous expressions of gratitude from the highest authorities of the Jewish world, such as, for example, the Israeli Foreign Minister Golda Meir, who wrote: "During the ten years of Nazi terror, when our people went through the horrors of martyrdom, the Pope raised his voice to condemn the persecutors and commiserate with their victims"; ending emotionally: "We mourn a great servant of peace."
Unfortunately, the historical debate on the figure of the Servant of God Pius XII, which has not always been the calmest, has prevented us shining a light on all the aspects of his multifaceted Pontificate. There was a great multitude of speeches, addresses and messages delivered to scientists, doctors, and representatives of the most varied categories of workers, some of which even today still possess an extraordinary relevance and continue to be a concrete point of reference. Paul VI, who was his faithful collaborator for many years, described him as an erudite man, an attentive scholar, open to modern means of research and culture, with an ever-strong and coherent fidelity both to the principles of human reasoning, as well as to the intangible depository of the truth of faith. He considered him a precursor of Vatican Council II (cf Angelus of 10 March, 1974). From this point of view, many of his writings deserve to be remembered, but I will limit myself to quoting from only a few. With the Encyclical "Mystici Corporis," published on 29 June 1943, while war still raged, he described the spiritual and visible relationships that unite men to the Word Incarnate, and he proposed integrating into this point of view all the principle themes of ecclesiology, offering for the first time a dogmatic and theological synthesis that would provide the basis for the Conciliar Dogmatic Constitution "Lumen Gentium."
A few months later, on 20 September 1943, with the Encyclical "Divino Afflante Spiritu" he laid down the doctrinal norms for the study of Sacred Scripture, highlighting its importance and role in Christian life. This is a document that bears witness to a great opening to scientific research on the Biblical texts. How can we not remember this Encyclical, during the course of the work of this Synod that has as its own theme "The Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church"? It is to the prophetic intuition of Pius XII that we owe the launch of a serious study of the characteristics of ancient historiography, in order to better understand the nature of the sacred books, without weakening or negating their historical value. The deeper study of the "literary genres," whose intention is to better understand what the sacred author meant, was viewed with a certain suspicion prior to 1943, in part thanks to the abuse that had been made of it.
The Encyclical recognized that it could be applied correctly, declaring its use legitimate not only for the study of the Old Testament, but also the New. "In the present day indeed this art -- explained the Pope -- which is called textual criticism and which is used with great and praiseworthy results in the editions of profane writings, is also quite rightly employed in the case of the Sacred Books, because of that very reverence which is due to the Divine Oracles." And he added: "For its very purpose is to insure that the sacred text be restored, as perfectly as possible, be purified from the corruptions due to the carelessness of the copyists and be freed, as far as may be done, from glosses and omissions, from the interchange and repetition of words and from all other kinds of mistakes, which are wont to make their way gradually into writings handed down through many centuries" (AAS, XXXV, 1943, p 336).
The third Encyclical I would like to mention is the "Mediator Dei," dedicated to the liturgy, published 20 November 1947. With this document, the Servant of God provided an impulse to the liturgical movement, insisting that "the chief element of divine worship must be interior. For -- he writes -- we must always live in Christ and give ourselves to Him completely, so that in Him, with Him and through Him the heavenly Father may be duly glorified. The sacred liturgy requires, however, that both of these elements be intimately linked with each another. ... Otherwise religion clearly amounts to mere formalism, without meaning and without content."
We cannot do other then than acknowledge the notable impulse this Pontiff gave to the Church's missionary activity with the Encyclicals "Evangelii Praecones" (1951) and "Fidei Donum" (1957), that highlighted the duty of every community to announce the Gospel to the peoples, as Vatican II would go on to do with courageous strength. Pope Pacelli had already shown this love for the missions from the outset of his Pontificate when in October 1939 he had wanted to consecrate personally twelve bishops from mission countries, including an Indian, a Chinese and a Japanese, the first African bishop and the first bishop of Madagascar. One of his constant pastoral concerns, finally, was the promotion of the role of lay people so that the ecclesial community could make use of all its possible energy and resources. For this too the Church and the world are grateful to him.
Dear brothers and sisters, while we pray that the cause of beatification of the Servant of God Pius XII may continue smoothly, it is good to remember that sanctity was his ideal, an ideal he never failed to propose to everyone. This is why he promoted the causes of beatification and canonization for persons from different peoples, representatives of all states of life, roles and professions, and granted substantial space to women. And it was Mary, the Woman of salvation, whom he offered to humanity as a sign of certain hope, proclaiming the dogma of the Assumption, during the Holy Year of 1950. In this world of ours, which, like then, is assailed by worries and anguish about its future; in this world where, perhaps more than then, the distancing of many from truth and virtue allows us to glimpse scenarios without hope, Pius XII invites us to look to Mary assumed into the glory of Heaven. He invites us to invoke her faithfully, so that she will allow us to appreciate ever more the value of life on earth and help us to look to the true aim that is the destiny of all of us: that eternal life that, as Jesus assures us, already belongs to those who hear and follow his word. Amen!
[Translation issued by the secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops]
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Message for World Refugee and Migrant Day
"St. Paul Migrant, 'Apostle of the Peoples'"
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 9, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- Here is the message Benedict XVI wrote for the 95th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, to be held Jan. 18, 2009. The Vatican released the message Wednesday.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This year the theme of the Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees is: "St Paul migrant, ‘Apostle of the peoples’". It is inspired by its felicitous coincidence with the Jubilee Year I established in the Apostle's honour on the occasion of the 2,000th anniversary of his birth. Indeed, the preaching and mediation between the different cultures and the Gospel which Paul, "a migrant by vocation" carried out, are also an important reference point for those who find themselves involved in the migratory movement today.
Born into a family of Jewish immigrants in Tarsus, Cilicia, Saul was educated in the Hebrew and Hellenistic cultures and languages, making the most of the Roman cultural context. After his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus (cf. Gal 1:13-16), although he did not deny his own "traditions" and felt both esteem and gratitude to Judaism and the Law (cf. Rm 9:1-5; 10:1; 2 Cor 11:22; Gal 1:13-14; Phil 3:3-6), he devoted himself without hesitation or second thoughts to his new mission, with courage and enthusiasm and docile to the Lord's command: "I will send you far away to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21). His life changed radically (cf. Phil 3:7-11): Jesus became for him his raison d’être and the motive that inspired his apostolic dedication to the service of the Gospel. He changed from being a persecutor of Christians to being an Apostle of Christ.
Guided by the Holy Spirit, he spared no effort to see that the Gospel which is "the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rm 1:16) was proclaimed to all, making no distinction of nationality or culture. On his apostolic journeys, in spite of meeting with constant opposition, he first proclaimed the Gospel in the synagogues, giving prior attention to his compatriots in the diaspora (cf. Acts 18:4-6). If they rejected him he would address the Gentiles, making himself - an authentic "missionary to migrants" - as a migrant and an ambassador of Jesus Christ "at large" in order to invite every person to become a "new creation" in the Son of God (2 Cor 5:17).
The proclamation of the kerygma caused him to cross the seas of the Near East and to travel the roads of Europe until he reached Rome. He set out from Antioch, where he proclaimed the Gospel to people who did not belong to Judaism and where the disciples of Jesus were called "Christians" for the first time (cf. Acts 11:20, 26). His life and his preaching were wholly directed to making Jesus known and loved by all, for all persons are called to become a single people in him.
This is the mission of the Church and of every baptized person in our time too, even in the era of globalization; a mission that with attentive pastoral solicitude is also directed to the variegated universe of migrants - students far from home, immigrants, refugees, displaced people, evacuees - including for example, the victims of modern forms of slavery, and of human trafficking. Today too the message of salvation must be presented with the same approach as that of the Apostle to the Gentiles, taking into account the different social and cultural situations and special difficulties of each one as a consequence of his or her condition as a migrant or itinerant person. I express the wish that every Christian community may feel the same apostolic zeal as St Paul who, although he was proclaiming to all the saving love of the Father (Rm 8:15-16; Gal 4:6) to "win more" (1 Cor 9:22) for Christ, made himself weak "to the weak... all things to all men so that [he] might by all means save some" (1 Cor 9:22). May his example also be an incentive for us to show solidarity to these brothers and sisters of ours and to promote, in every part of the world and by every means, peaceful coexistence among different races, cultures and religions.
Yet what was the secret of the Apostle to the Gentiles? The missionary zeal and passion of the wrestler that distinguished him stemmed from the fact that since "Christ [had] made him his own", (Phil 3:12), he remained so closely united to him that he felt he shared in his same life, through sharing in "his sufferings" (Phil 3:10; cf. also Rm 8:17; 2 Cor 4:8-12; Col 1:24). This is the source of the apostolic ardour of St Paul who recounts: "He who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles" (Gal 1:15-16; cf. also Rm 15:15-16). He felt "crucified with" Christ, so that he could say: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20), and no difficulty hindered him from persevering in his courageous evangelizing action in cosmopolitan cities such as Rome and Corinth, which were populated at that time by a mosaic of races and cultures.
In reading the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters that Paul addressed to various recipients, we perceive a model of a Church that was not exclusive but on the contrary open to all, formed by believers without distinction of culture or race: every baptized person is, in fact, a living member of the one Body of Christ. In this perspective, fraternal solidarity expressed in daily gestures of sharing, joint participation and joyful concern for others, acquires a unique prominence. However, it is impossible to achieve this dimension of brotherly mutual acceptance, St Paul always teaches, without the readiness to listen to and welcome the Word preached and practised (cf. 1 Thes 1:6), a Word that urges all to be imitators of Christ (cf. Eph 5:1-2), to be imitators of the Apostle (cf. 1 Cor 11:1). And therefore, the more closely the community is united to Christ, the more it cares for its neighbour, eschewing judgment, scorn and scandal, and opening itself to reciprocal acceptance (cf. Rm 14:1-3; 15:7). Conformed to Christ, believers feel they are "brothers" in him, sons of the same Father (Rm 8:14-16; Gal 3:26; 4:6). This treasure of brotherhood makes them "practise hospitality" (Rm 12:13), which is the firstborn daughter of agape (cf. 1 Tm 3:2, 5:10; Ti 1:8; Phlm 17).
In this manner the Lord's promise: comes true: "then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters" (2 Cor 6:17-18). If we are aware of this, how can we fail to take charge of all those, particularly refugees and displaced people, who are in conditions of difficulty or hardship? How can we fail to meet the needs of those who are de facto the weakest and most defenceless, marked by precariousness and insecurity, marginalized and often excluded by society? We should give our priority attention to them because, paraphrasing a well known Pauline text, "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God" (1 Cor 1:27).
Dear brothers and sisters, may the World Day for Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated on 18 January 2009, be for all an incentive to live brotherly love to the full without making any kind of distinction and without discrimination, in the conviction that any one who needs us and whom we can help is our neighbour (cf. Deus Caritas Est, n. 15). May the teaching and example of St Paul, a great and humble Apostle and a migrant, an evangelizer of peoples and cultures, spur us to understand that the exercise of charity is the culmination and synthesis of the whole of Christian life.
The commandment of love - as we well know - is nourished when disciples of Christ, united, share in the banquet of the Eucharist which is, par excellence, the sacrament of brotherhood and love. And just as Jesus at the Last Supper combined the new commandment of fraternal love with the gift of the Eucharist, so his "friends", following in the footsteps of Christ who made himself a "servant" of humanity, and sustained by his Grace cannot but dedicate themselves to mutual service, taking charge of one another, complying with St Paul's recommendation: "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Gal 6:2). Only in this way does love increase among believers and for all people (cf. 1 Thes 3:12).
Dear brothers and sisters, let us not tire of proclaiming and witnessing to this "Good News" with enthusiasm, without fear and sparing no energy! The entire Gospel message is condensed in love, and authentic disciples of Christ are recognized by the mutual love their bear one another and by their acceptance of all.
May the Apostle Paul and especially Mary, the Mother of acceptance and love, obtain this gift for us. As I invoke the divine protection upon all those who are dedicated to helping migrants, and more generally, in the vast world of migration, I assure each one of my constant remembrance in prayer and, with affection, I impart my apostolic Blessing to all.
From Castel Gandolfo, 24 August 2008
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
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Holy See Address to 63rd UN General Assembly
"Promote Renewed Cooperation and Harmony Among All Peoples"
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 9, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- Here is the statement Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, gave Monday to the 63rd U.N. General Assembly.
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Mr President,
My delegation thanks the Secretary-General for his Report on the Work of the Organization and looks forward to working with him to help ensure that this institution builds upon its successes and bridges its shortcomings.
We are witnessing intractable conflicts in many regions of the world. Whether under the guise of civil turmoil, terrorist activity or international conflicts, they perpetuate the flawed belief that violence and war can replace cooperation and dialogue for the common good. In this context, the impasse in the Conference on Disarmament, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, along with the growing strain upon the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, are enduring obstacles and severely hinder the promotion of the common good and mutual cooperation.
However, rather than addressing the symptoms of humanity’s failings we would do well to focus on the underlying causes. Some forty years ago Pope Paul VI stated in this Hall that “development is the new name for peace” and the wisdom of these words should guide us in crafting adequate solutions.
At this point in time we cannot but admit a number of setbacks in our work to globalize solidarity toward the poor. With the failed trade talks in the Doha Round, the increasing international economic slowdown and the missed development assistance targets, we have seen the need for effective consensus and delivery. The upcoming conference on Financing for Development in Doha presents an opportunity for the international community to consolidate promises and renew cooperation between developed and developing countries. My delegation looks forward to working with the participants in order to put the ingenuity of global economic activity at the service of people rather than put people at its mercy.
Mr President,
The Sixty-third Session of the General Assembly stands at a poignant moment in United Nations history. Sixty years ago this December, this body produced the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with which the world leaders agreed that human rights are not bestowed by governments at their whim but rather are inherent in all individuals regardless of race, nationality or religious belief. It is humbling to recall the war that preceded the adoption of the UDHR but also empowering to know that if the world could come together to ensure the rights of all after such a devastating conflict, then surely today we can find the political will to guarantee the full enjoyment of all human rights.
The rights to life and freedom of thought, conscience and religion remain the core of the human rights system. The discourse over these two fundamental rights is on the rise. However, too often these rights are neglected in favor of more politically expedient issues, and only when the voices of the disenfranchised and discriminated become too loud to be ignored do we give them their proper attention. Only by respecting the right to life, from the moment of conception until natural death, and the consciences of all believers, will we promote a world cognizant and respectful of a deeper sense of meaning and purpose.
A year ago the General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We encourage the membership to build upon this common commitment in order to foster greater understanding between governments and indigenous communities.
Finally, Mr President, it is my delegation’s hope that this Session of the General Assembly can serve to promote renewed cooperation and harmony among all peoples. Time and again we have seen an increase in the use of rhetoric which, instead of bringing nations together, chastises and divides them. In all corners of the globe this rhetoric has been used to foment mistrust between States. However, it is my delegation’s wish that this Session will reverse this crescendo of suspect and mistrust and will give way to confidence in our common leadership and shared values. To this end, the fully operational Mediation Support Unit serves as a valuable tool for restoring lost trust and we look forward to following its further developments.
Mr President,
The Secretary-General’s Report recognizes the need for addressing an ever growing number of issues. Whether it is humanitarian assistance, mediation or the ability to bring parties together, this Organization must continue to be shaped in a way that is more responsive to the needs of the twenty-first century.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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