ZE090220
ZENIT
The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - February 20, 2009
VATICAN DOSSIER
Benedict XVI Stresses Importance of Seminaries
Pontiff Lauds Aid for Agriculture
Vietnam, Holy See Take Steps Toward Relations
WORLD FEATURES
India Bishops Praise "Heroism" of Orissa Christians
Group Gives New Proof of Pius XII's Help for Jews
Spain's Court Curbs "Moral Indoctrination"
NEWS BRIEFS
Aid Group Invites Prayer for Pope on Sunday
INTERVIEW
Christ Died for Our Sins, Including Fumbles
DOCUMENTS
Papal Address to Agricultural Development Fund
Pope to Latin America Commission
Benedict XVI Stresses Importance of Seminaries
Says Formation Is Key for Exemplary PriestsVATICAN CITY, FEB. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Years spent in seminary are decisive for discernment and preparation, says Benedict XVI, and the need for priests cannot lead to foregoing a painstaking discernment of the candidates.
The Pope affirmed this today when he addressed the Pontifical Commission for Latin America during their plenary assembly.
The Holy Father noted that last year, he met with many of the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean during their five-yearly visit. "With them I spoke about the reality of the local Churches that have been entrusted to them, thus being able to know more closely the hopes and difficulties of their apostolic ministry," he said.
The Pontiff encouraged the continental mission under way in the region, the main fruit of the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean, which he inaugurated in Brazil in 2007.
Church as home
Drawing from the theme of the plenary assembly, Benedict XVI emphasized the importance of the education future priests receive in the seminary.
"For all of us, the seminary was a decisive time of discernment and preparation," he said. "There, in profound dialogue with Christ, our desire to be deeply rooted in him was strengthened. In those years, we learned to see the Church as our own home, accompanied by Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our most loving Mother, always obedient to the will of God. [...]
"To have priests according to the heart of Christ, confidence must be placed in the action of the Holy Spirit, more than in human strategies and calculations. [...] On the other hand, the need for priests to address the challenges of today's world must not lead to the abandonment of a painstaking discernment of the candidates, or the neglect of necessary -- even rigorous -- demands, so that their formative process helps to make them exemplary priests."
The Pope contended that "today more than ever, it is necessary that seminarians, with the right intention and beyond any other interest, aspire to the priesthood moved solely by the will to be genuine disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ who, in communion with his bishops, make him present with their ministry and witness of life."
He said that the students' "human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation," is key for this, as well as the "adequate choice of their formators and professors, who must be outstanding in their academic capacity, their priestly spirit and their fidelity to the Church, so that they can instill in the young men what the People of God need and expect from their pastors."
The Bishop of Rome concluded by entrusting the initiatives of the assembly to the Virgin Mary, "praying that she will accompany those who are preparing for the priestly ministry following in the footsteps of her Divine Son, Jesus Christ, our redeemer."
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On the Net:
Full text of address: http://www.zenit.org/article-25149?l=english
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Pontiff Lauds Aid for Agriculture
Notes Key Role Rural Population Plays in SocietyVATICAN CITY, FEB. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Assistance given to rural communities contributes to food security for the whole planet, says Benedict XVI.
The Pope affirmed this today in an address to members of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, who were marking the 30th anniversary of the fund's establishment.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. The conference was organized in response to the food crises of the early 1970s that primarily affected Africa.
The Holy Father affirmed that since its earliest days, the fund "has achieved an exemplary form of cooperation and coresponsibility between nations at different stages of development."
"When wealthy countries and developing nations come together to make joint decisions and to determine specific criteria for each country's budgetary contribution to the fund, it can truly be said that the various member states come together as equals, expressing their solidarity with one another and their shared commitment to eradicate poverty and hunger," he said. "In an increasingly interdependent world, joint decision-making processes of this kind are essential if international affairs are to be conducted with equity and foresight."
The Bishop of Rome lauded IFAD's emphasis on "promoting employment opportunities within rural communities, with a view to enabling them, in the long term, to become independent of outside aid."
He continued: "Assistance given to local producers serves to build up the economy and contributes to the overall development of the nation concerned. In this sense the 'rural credit' projects, designed to assist smallholder farmers and agricultural workers with no land of their own, can boost the wider economy and provide greater food security for all.
"These projects also help indigenous communities to flourish on their own soil, and to live in harmony with their traditional culture, instead of being forced to uproot themselves in order to seek employment in overcrowded cities, teeming with social problems, where they often have to endure squalid living conditions."
Church's help
Benedict XVI also noted the contribution made by nongovernmental organizations, "some of which have close links with the Catholic Church and are committed to the application of her social teaching."
"The principle of subsidiarity requires that each group within society be free to make its proper contribution to the good of the whole," he said. "All too often, agricultural workers in developing nations are denied that opportunity, when their labor is greedily exploited, and their produce is diverted to distant markets, with little or no resulting benefit for the local community itself."
The Pope contended that "a truly humane society will always know how to appreciate and reward appropriately the contribution made by the agricultural sector. If properly supported and equipped, it has the potential to lift a nation out of poverty and to lay the foundations for increasing prosperity."
Since 1978, IFAD's member countries have together invested almost US$10 billion in loans and grants, helping more than 300 million poor rural people.
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On the Net:
Full text of address: http://www.zenit.org/article-25151?l=english
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Vietnam, Holy See Take Steps Toward Relations
1st Meeting of Working Group Held in HanoiVATICAN CITY, FEB. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Vietnam and the Holy See are showing their mutual commitment to paving the way for the establishment of bilateral relations.
A first meeting of the Vietnam-Holy See Joint Working Group was held this week in Hanoi, as previously planned when a Holy See delegation visited the Asian nation last June.
The meeting was co-chaired by Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Vietnam's vice minister of foreign affairs, and Monsignor Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's undersecretary for relations with states.
According to a Vatican statement today, Quoc Cuong "expressed his wish for the Holy See's active contribution to the life of the Catholic community in Vietnam, the strengthening of solidarity between religions and of the entire Vietnamese population, and the strong cohesion of the Catholic Church in Vietnam with the nation through practical contributions to national construction."
For his part, Monsignor Parolin recognized "that positive progress has been made in the religious life in Vietnam and wished that the remaining unsolved matters in bilateral relations between Vietnam and the Holy See could be settled with goodwill through sincere dialogue."
The Holy See representative emphasized the Church's policy to "respect [the] independence and sovereignty of Vietnam, by which the Church's religious activities would not be conducted for political purposes. He also stressed that the Church in its teachings invites the faithful to be good citizens, working for the common good of the country."
Vietnam is about 7% Catholic. In January 2007, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made a historic visit to Benedict XVI. The Vatican press office then described the visit as making "a new and important step toward the normalization of bilateral relations."
However, tensions in Vietnam hit an obstacle at the end of 2007 and last year, when Catholics launched prayer vigils to protest the seizure of Church property by the government.
After the Holy See's June visit, the Vietnamese official news agency, VNA, stated: "The two sides agreed to a timetable for enhancing bilateral relations and also agreed such discussions should be held in the spirit of mutual trust and respect."
The Holy See has diplomatic relations with 177 nations.
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India Bishops Praise "Heroism" of Orissa Christians
Assembly Focuses on Word of GodMYSORE, India, FEB. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Indian bishops' conference paid tribute to the persecuted Christians of their country as "heroes of faith and patriotism."
In the conference's weeklong plenary assembly that ended Tuesday, the 120 bishops dedicated moments of prayer for the communities in many parts of India, especially in Orissa and Karnataka, that have faced persecution over recent months at the hands of Hindu extremists.
The Pope and the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples sent a message to express their support to the assembly.
Last Saturday the conference published a report from John Dayal, president of the United Christian Forum for Human Rights, which states that the Orissa situation is far from resolved, and thousands of Christians have not been able to return home.
It says that the Orissa government "is still not able to ensure the safety and security of thousands of Christians who cannot still return to their village homes"
AsiaNews reported that the violent attacks against Christians are continuing in Orissa. The most recent took place on Feb. 11 when a mob assaulted the home of a Christian woman and tortured her son for refusing to convert to Hinduism.
L'Osservatore Romano reported Wednesday that the Christian community in Madhya Pradesh is also falling under persecution by Hindu groups.
The prelates expressed solidarity with the suffering communities, and honored those who gave their lives for the faith in their country's recent terrorist attacks.
Bible masters
The Indian bishops' meeting focused on the theme "Word of God in the Life and the Ministry of the Church."
In the homily of the opening Mass, the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Pedro Quintana, urged the bishops to be "masters of the Word."
A statement from the conference affirmed that in the assembly, the bishops expressed the desire for every Catholic to "own a Bible, handle [it] with reverence and read it regularly."
An initiative of the conference proposed a ceremonial handing of a Bible to children at the age of reason, in the framework of their baptism and first Communion celebrations.
They also encouraged the faithful "to understand the message of the Bible and all sacred texts, which speak of love, justice and peace," and to reject "Biblical fundamentalism" as a literal reading of each verse.
The prelates appealed to priests, nuns, and all people of the country, especially Catholics, to "live in unity and fellowship, according to the sacred writings."
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Group Gives New Proof of Pius XII's Help for Jews
Says Pope Worked to Save Lives Before, During, After WarNEW YORK, FEB. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Recently uncovered documents show gestures of friendship and protection that Pius XII showed to Jews before, during and after World War II.
The Pave the Way Foundation, which works to promote dialogue between religions, publicized this Thursday.
The discoveries were made by the German historian and advisor of the foundation Michael Hesemann, author of the books "The Pope Who Defied Hitler" and "The Truth About Pius XII." Hesemann found a number of documents in the Vatican Secret Archives that certified Pope Pacelli's numerous interventions in favor of Jews.
He noted that Archbishop Pacelli intervened in 1917 while papal nuncio in Bavaria, going through the German government to demand that Palestine Jews be protected from the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
Hesemann also shows that in 1917, the future Pius XII used his personal influence to enable the World Zionist Organization representative, Nachum Sokolov, to meet personally with Benedict XV to talk about a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
In 1926, Archbishop Pacelli urged German Catholics to support the Committee for Palestine, which supported Jewish settlements in the Holy Land.
The foundation's president, Gary Krupp, added these findings to the evidence he already had complied for a Pius XII symposium last September in Rome. Since this event, 300 new pages of original documents have been uncovered.
These documents, available for downloading from the foundation's Web site, include a nun's manuscript from 1943, detailing the Pope's order to hide Jews in Rome and a list of protected Jews.
Another document is a 1939 report on the "new Pope" by the U.S. Foreign Service, from the American consul in Cologne. The diplomat reported surprise at the "extreme dislike" of Pacelli toward Hitler and the Nazi regime, and his support to the German bishops in their opposition to Nazism, even at the cost of losing German Catholic youth.
The foundation also provides a 1938 document, signed by then Secretary of State Eugenio Pacelli, in which he opposes the Polish bill outlawing kosher slaughter because he understood that this law would be a "grave persecution" against the Jewish people.
During the war, Pius XII saved 80,000 lives by persuading the Hungarian regent to prevent the deportation of the Jews. He also requested the Brazilian government to receive 3,000 "non-Aryans."
Another document provided by the foundation is an interview with Monsignor Giovanni Ferrofino, secretary of the nuncio in Haiti. The priest said 11,000 Jews were saved by Pius XII's continual requests for visas from General Trujillo, president of the Dominican Republic.
There is also evidence that the Vatican secretly issued baptismal papers to allow Jews to emigrate to many countries as "Catholics."
Personal discovery
The commitment of the Pave the Way foundation reflects that of its president, a Jewish American, who acknowledges that he grew up "despising Pius XII." This changed when he read Dan Kurzman's book, "A Special Mission: Hitler's Secret Plot to Seize the Vatican and Kidnap Pope Pius the XII."
The foundation acknowledged that there were spies in the Vatican and German snipers less than 200 yards from the papal windows.
The foundation stated that the lack of public statements by the Pope, which has been a source of criticism against him, is explained by the increased punishment in concentration camps, witnessed by former prisoners, when Church leaders spoke openly against the Nazi regime.
Krupp also discovered a secret plot of the Communist KGB, revealed by Lieutenant General Ion Mihai Pacepa, to manipulate Vatican documents and discredit the Holy See in international public opinion.
Krupp said: "I was surprised when I personally researched archived news stories from the New York Times and the Palestine Post from 1939-1958. I could not find one negative article about Pius XII."
The foundation undertakes the correction of Pius XII's image in order to "eliminate an obstacle" to understanding between Jews and Catholics, "which impacts over one billion people."
Krupp added: "In the interest of Jewish justice we must acknowledge the efforts of one man during a period when as a people we were abandoned by the rest of the world."
"It's time," he said, "to recognize Pope Pius XII for what he really did rather then what he didn't say."
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Spain's Court Curbs "Moral Indoctrination"
Decision Encourages 51,000 Parent ObjectorsMADRID, Spain, FEB. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A Spanish Supreme Court decision encouraged a group of 51,000 parents and teachers to continue the battle against the state's mandatory citizenship course for children, which objectors describe as moral indoctrination.
The course, "Education for Citizenship," was introduced in schools last September as a four-year program beginning with children at age 11.
The Spanish bishops' conference denounced the course for aspects "contrary to Catholic teaching and to authentic humanism, such as moral relativism and gender ideology."
The former archbishop of Toledo, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, stated in a letter that the course must be revised in accordance with Church teaching before being allowed in Catholic schools, as it imposes a "moral and human formation" that is "not compatible with the Christian vision of man."
A group of parents and teachers formed, reaching the ranks of 51,000, to claim conscientious objection, and to appeal to the courts for the right to refuse this course for their children.
Some claim that the course is created by the Socialist government to indoctrinate students with secular values. The course prompts teachers to "revise the students' attitude toward homosexuality," and teaches that children can choose one of seven genders according to their desires.
Supreme Court decision
Tuesday, the Spanish Supreme Court publicized its Feb. 11 decision on the subject of the citizenship course. It rejects the parents' right to conscientious objection, saying that no one can opt out of the course due to creed or conscience.
However, the court also decided to allow parents to request the withdrawal of specific course content that, according to their ethical and religious convictions, they regard as implying an indoctrination of their children.
This decision has encouraged objectors to continue the battle to decide what their children will be taught by challenging specific schools and professors on course content. Judges went on strike Wednesday to protest the lack of means to respond to all these demands for justice.
The courts affirmed the "state's duty of ideological neutrality," and that it must not use obligatory courses to "attempt to persuade students about ideas and doctrines that [...] reflect the taking of positions on problems on which there is no generalized moral consensus in Spanish society."
The court statement adds that in a democratic society, it is not the role of the schools, teachers or educational administration to make themselves "arbiters of controversial moral questions."
Citing the highest value of pluralism in society, the statement read that these moral questions belong to "the realm of free debate in civil society -- where the vertical professor-student relationship does not exist -- and of course to individual consciences."
One Supreme Court judge, Juan José González Rivas, explained that in this controversy "lies a question of limits of state intervention" and analyzes "the line that separates teaching from indoctrination."
In a communiqué from the Tomas Moro Juridical Center it was pointed out that this decision moved a sociological division over the citizenship course to a legal level.
Parent observatory
The platform that supports objectors, which includes organizations such as the National Catholic Confederation of Parents of Students, the Spanish Confederation of Teaching Centers, and the Spanish Forum of the Family and Professionals for Ethics, issued a communiqué Tuesday stating that the court ratifies "the success of the families that have defended their right to educate."
Objectors plan to create an observatory for ideological and religious liberty in order to be vigilant for signs of "indoctrination," especially through the education for citizenship course.
The observatory, composed of parents, will inspect the textbooks of this subject and will be familiar with the teaching imparted in the Education for Citizenship classes. The subject will be supervised both in public as well as private centers.
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Aid Group Invites Prayer for Pope on Sunday
Says He "Incarnates Rationality" in Midst of AttacksKOENIGSTEIN, Germany, FEB. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Noting that this Sunday is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, the charity group Aid to the Church in Need is inviting believers to a day of prayer for the Pope.
In a statement today signed by the president of Aid to the Church in Need, Father Joaquín Alliende, the international charity pointed to attacks against Benedict XVI. It noted a "resurgence of the unsavory and aggressive attitudes that many thought belonged to the past."
Though the statement makes no mention of specific issues, it alludes to the turmoil surrounding Lefebvrite Bishop Richard Williamson and an interview in which the prelate denied the gassing of the Jews during the Holocaust.
That interview aired at about the same time as the bishop, along with three other Society of St. Pius X prelates, had their 20-year excommunication lifted, in the framework of Benedict XVI's continuing efforts to heal the schism with the society. Despite repeated reiteration of the Vatican's respect for the Jews and the Pontiff's motives in lifting the excommunication to seek Church unity, the issue was still seen by some as an affront to Jewish-Catholic relations.
Aid to the Church in Need contended that the "dignity of the papacy and the person of Benedict XVI himself have been crudely insulted." They noted manipulation of facts and an "unworthy dealing with the truth."
This, they said, "does grave damage to the dialogue between civil society and the great religions."
However, the statement continued: "In the midst of these strident attacks, the historical personality of Benedict XVI emerges untouched, as a figure who incarnates rationality, lucid wisdom and courteous kindness. That is why many young people find in him a living image of the Good Shepherd."
"For next Sunday we are inviting all those who believe in a God of truth and love to join us in a day of special prayer," the statement concluded. "Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may enlighten and strengthen Pope Benedict XVI as a prophetic witness of the Gospel of Jesus and a guide for a humanity that longs for peace."
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Christ Died for Our Sins, Including Fumbles
Interview With Co-Owner of National Football TeamBy Genevieve Yep Pollock
CHICAGO, FEB. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- God's plan can be found in football, and he can be given glory by a game well played, says Chicago Bears co-owner Patrick McCaskey.
In addition to his work with the professional football team, McCaskey is the chairman of Sports Faith International, and he speaks and writes on topics of religion and athletics.
In this interview with ZENIT, he spoke about his experiences as a Catholic owner of a professional team, his observations as the grandson of the Bears' founder, and the faith-based initiatives he works with.
Q: What is it like to combine being a co-owner of a professional football team and a Catholic?
McCaskey: It implies a lot of dependence on God.
I've had the good fortune to be associated with the Bears all my life. The business of football is an emotional rollercoaster, but God is constant.
With God's faith, I try to be obedient to his plan for my life. With God's hope, I try to be a voice of encouragement. With God's love, I try to exemplify Jesus.
We want to win championships with sportsmanship. We do good works quietly, for God's glory. We fear God and we respect our opponents. We work diligently and we trust God for the results.
We are grateful for at least the following: God created a wonderful world in six days; Jesus died for our sins, including fumbles; when we need the Holy Spirit, he is there -- he is even there when we think that we don't need him.
Mass is offered at the team hotel four and a half hours before every game, home and away, and I go to that. I serve as a lector at the team Masses. I find it very helpful in working for the Bears.
I also read the Bible. I am of the opinion that we need to read the Bible in order to know the truth. There are 1,328 chapters in the Bible. I try to read 26 chapters a week. That way I can get through the Bible in 51 weeks and have a week off for spring break. It's a great book.
Q: Is there a particular part of the Bible that you have found helpful in your work in the sports arena?
McCaskey: My favorite part is the Sermon on the Mount. My favorite part of that is the Beatitudes.
Of the Old Testament, I think the most valuable part is the Ten Commandments.
Q: Are there any other ways in which you relate your faith with sports?
McCaskey: St. Paul is a great example in the sports arena, his virtues and all the ways he speaks about faith in relation to athletics.
The Catholic faith also helps to understand good teamwork. On a team, you can't always be the center of attention.
You have to learn to work with other people. It is the same way in a family. It is the same way in the Body of Christ. Everyone is important in the Body, and they can all make a contribution.
Q: Have you noticed, with the new office for sports in the Vatican, more support for values-based sports programs?
McCaskey: I think that the Vatican sports office is a result of the emphasis that Pope John Paul II put on the sports world.
He wanted to evangelize the sports world, and I think he did very well with that. First of all, because he was an athlete. He was also a very good writer, and a very good speaker.
I do think it's very helpful for the Vatican to have a sports office, particularly during the year of St. Paul, who wrote on sports.
Q: Have you had contact with the Vatican office?
McCaskey: Yes, Father Kevin Lixey [head of Vatican's Church and sport office] sent us a letter recognizing the contributions of Sports Faith International and expressing the support of the Vatican.
Q: Can you explain more about Sports Faith International and the Sports Faith Hall of Fame?
McCaskey: We started Sports Faith International last year to showcase the connection between athletics and faith, using media to explore the virtues and life lessons that can be learned from sports.
The hall of fame was created to recognize world class athletes who are known for outstanding dedication to sports and their faith. We look for athletes who exemplify the virtues of St. Paul.
Last year, we inducted my late grandfather, George Halas, along with Danny Abramowicz and Chris Godfrey.
Saturday, we will induct Wellington Mara, Dave Casper and Father John Smyth, who turned down a career in the National Basketball Association to become a priest.
This year we are also including awards for outstanding high school athletes, and letting them be a part of the ceremony.
Q: You've opened the doors of the Chicago Bears training facility, Halas Hall, to bring in an audience of high school coaches for a SportsLeader program this Sunday. How did this program catch your attention?
McCaskey: It was really the enthusiasm of [a young Legionary brother], who also happens to be a lifelong Bears fan, that caught my attention.
It's an opportunity to bring coaches together to help them be aware of the role they play in young people's lives as moral guides and role models. To help train them in excellence on and off the field.
The project itself fits in with the responsibility we have as a national pro-football team to give positive programs to the community, to share our legacy.
Q: What is the legacy of your grandpa, George Halas, and how did you see him combine sports and faith?
McCaskey: My grandfather started the Chicago Bears in 1920, then played on the team for 10 years and coached it for 40.
He was a man of great dedication to the Bears and the national football league, and very accomplished as a player and as a coach and as an owner. He left the team to his family; we are trying to extend his legacy.
As a child, when my grandfather coached, my brothers and I sat on an army blanket next to the Bears bench. It was tremendous.
Once in a speech I heard him say: "Sixty years ago I offered my heart and my helmet to the Lord. My heart is still beating and my helmet still fits. I pray the Divine Coach finds me worthy to be on his first team."
He didn't always talk about his faith, but he lived it very strongly. He always went to confession, coming back to his desk to say his penance, and communion. He encouraged his family to do the same.
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On the Net:
Sports Faith International: http://sportsfaithinternational.com/
SportsLeader: www.sportsleader.org
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Papal Address to Agricultural Development Fund
"Theirs Is a Work Which Carries With It a Dignity All Its Own"VATICAN CITY, FEB. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the address Benedict XVI gave today to the members of the U.N. International Fund for Agricultural Development on the occasion of celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of its establishment.
* * *
Mr President of the Governing Council,
Governors, Permanent Representatives of the Member States,
Officials of the IFAD,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to have this opportunity to meet all of you at the conclusion of the celebrations marking the Thirtieth Anniversary of the establishment of the International Fund for Agricultural Development. I thank the outgoing President, Mr Lennart Båge, for his kind words and I offer congratulations and good wishes to Mr Kanayo Nwanze on his election to this high office. I thank all of you for coming here today and I assure you of my prayers for the important work that you do to promote rural development. Your work is particularly crucial at the present time in view of the damaging effect on food security of the current instability in the prices of agricultural products. This requires new and far-sighted strategies for the fight against rural poverty and the promotion of rural development. As you know, the Holy See fully shares your commitment to overcome poverty and hunger, and to come to the aid of the world's poorest peoples. I pray that IFAD's anniversary celebration will provide you with an incentive to pursue these worthy goals with renewed energy and determination in the years ahead.
Since its earliest days, the International Fund has achieved an exemplary form of cooperation and coresponsibility between nations at different stages of development. When wealthy countries and developing nations come together to make joint decisions and to determine specific criteria for each country's budgetary contribution to the Fund, it can truly be said that the various Member States come together as equals, expressing their solidarity with one another and their shared commitment to eradicate poverty and hunger. In an increasingly interdependent world, joint decision-making processes of this kind are essential if international affairs are to be conducted with equity and foresight.
Equally commendable is the emphasis placed by IFAD on promoting employment opportunities within rural communities, with a view to enabling them, in the long term, to become independent of outside aid. Assistance given to local producers serves to build up the economy and contributes to the overall development of the nation concerned. In this sense the "rural credit" projects, designed to assist smallholder farmers and agricultural workers with no land of their own, can boost the wider economy and provide greater food security for all. These projects also help indigenous communities to flourish on their own soil, and to live in harmony with their traditional culture, instead of being forced to uproot themselves in order to seek employment in overcrowded cities, teeming with social problems, where they often have to endure squalid living conditions.
This approach has the particular merit of restoring the agricultural sector to its rightful place within the economy and the social fabric of developing nations. Here a valuable contribution can be made by Non-Governmental Organizations, some of which have close links with the Catholic Church and are committed to the application of her social teaching. The principle of subsidiarity requires that each group within society be free to make its proper contribution to the good of the whole. All too often, agricultural workers in developing nations are denied that opportunity, when their labour is greedily exploited, and their produce is diverted to distant markets, with little or no resulting benefit for the local community itself.
Almost fifty years ago, my predecessor Blessed Pope John XXIII had this to say about the task of tilling the soil: "Those who live on the land can hardly fail to appreciate the nobility of the work they are called upon to do. They are living in close harmony with Nature - the majestic temple of Creation ... Theirs is a work which carries with it a dignity all its own" (Mater et Magistra, 130-131). All human labour is a participation in the creative providence of Almighty God, but agricultural labour is so in a pre-eminent way. A truly humane society will always know how to appreciate and reward appropriately the contribution made by the agricultural sector. If properly supported and equipped, it has the potential to lift a nation out of poverty and to lay the foundations for increasing prosperity.
Ladies and Gentlemen, as we give thanks for the achievements of the past thirty years, there is a need for renewed determination to act in harmony and solidarity with all the different elements of the human family in order to ensure equitable access to the earth's resources now and in the future. The motivation to do this comes from love: love for the poor, love that cannot tolerate injustice or deprivation, love that refuses to rest until poverty and hunger are banished from our midst. The goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, as well as promoting food security and rural development, far from being over-ambitious or unrealistic, become, in this context, imperatives binding upon the whole international community. It is my fervent prayer that the activities of such organizations as yours will continue to make a significant contribution to the attainment of these goals. In thanking you and encouraging you to persevere in the good work that you do, I commend you to the constant care of our loving Father, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and all that is therein. May God bless all of you!
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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Pope to Latin America Commission
"Seminary Was a Decisive Time of Discernment and Preparation"VATICAN CITY, FEB. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today to the members of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, on the occasion of their plenary assembly.
* * *
Lord Cardinals,
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
I cordially greet the consultants and members of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, who in their plenary assembly have reflected on "the present situation of priestly formation in the seminaries" of that region. I am grateful for the words that, on behalf of all, were addressed to me by the president of the commission, Lord Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, giving me the central lines of the pastoral works and recommendations that have arisen in this meeting.
I thank God for the ecclesial fruits of this pontifical commission since its creation in 1958, when Pope Pius XII saw the need to create an organization of the Holy See to intensify and coordinate more closely the work carried out in favor of the Church in Latin America, given its scarcity of priests and missionaries. My venerated predecessor, John Paul II, corroborated and promoted this initiative, in order to highlight the special pastoral solicitude of the Successor of Peter for the pilgrim Churches in those beloved lands. In this new stage of the commission, I cannot but mention with keen gratitude the work carried out during long years by its vice president, Bishop Cipriano Calderón Polo, recently deceased, whom the Lord must have rewarded for his abnegated and faithful service to the Church.
Last year I received many bishops from Latin America and the Caribbean during their "ad limina" visits. With them I spoke about the reality of the local Churches that have been entrusted to them, thus being able to know more closely the hopes and difficulties of their apostolic ministry. I accompany all with my prayer, so that they will continue to exercise their service to the People of God with fidelity and joy, stimulating in this present hour the "continental mission" that is under way as a fruit of the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean (cf. Conclusive Document, No. 362).
I cherish a happy memory of my stay in Aparecida, when we lived an intense experience of ecclesial communion, with the sole desire to receive the Gospel with humility and sow it generously. The theme chosen -- Disciples and Missionaries of Jesus Christ, So That Our Peoples May Have Life in Him -- continues to orient the efforts of the members of the Church in those beloved nations.
When I presented an evaluation of my apostolic journey to Brazil to the members of the Roman Curia, I wondered: "Was Aparecida right to give priority to the discipleship of Jesus Christ and to evangelization in the quest for the life of the world? Might it have been an erroneous withdrawal into interiority?" To this I answered with certainty: "No! Aparecida decided correctly because it is precisely through the new encounter with Jesus Christ and his Gospel -- and only in this way -- that forces are inspired which enable us to give the right response to the challenges of the time. (Address to the Roman Curia, December 21, 2007).
That personal encounter with the Lord continues to be essential, nourished by listening to his Word and participating in the Eucharist, as well as the need to transmit our own experience of Christ with great enthusiasm.
We bishops, successors of the Apostles, are the first who must always maintain alive the Lord's free and loving call, as he did to the first disciples (cf. Mark 1:16-20). Like them, we have also been chosen to "be with him" (Mark 3:14), to receive his Word and his strength, and thus live like him, proclaiming to all peoples the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
For all of us, the seminary was a decisive time of discernment and preparation. There, in profound dialogue with Christ, our desire to be deeply rooted in him was strengthened. In those years, we learned to see the Church as our own home, accompanied by Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our most loving Mother, always obedient to the will of God. That is why I am pleased that this plenary assembly has dedicated its attention to the current situation in the seminaries of Latin America.
To have priests according to the heart of Christ, confidence must be placed in the action of the Holy Spirit, more than in human strategies and calculations, asking the Lord with great faith, "Lord of the harvest," to send numerous and holy vocations to the priesthood (cf. Luke 10:2), always joining to this supplication affection and closeness to those who are in the seminary in preparation for sacred orders. On the other hand, the need for priests to address the challenges of today's world must not lead to the abandonment of a painstaking discernment of the candidates, or the neglect of necessary -- even rigorous -- demands, so that their formative process helps to make them exemplary priests.
Therefore, the pastoral recommendations of this assembly must be an indispensable point of reference to enlighten the task of the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean in this delicate area of priestly formation. Today more than ever, it is necessary that seminarians, with the right intention and beyond any other interest, aspire to the priesthood moved solely by the will to be genuine disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ who, in communion with his bishops, make him present with their ministry and witness of life. Of great importance for this is being very attentive to their human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation, as well as the adequate choice of their formators and professors, who must be outstanding in their academic capacity, their priestly spirit and their fidelity to the Church, so that they can instill in the young men what the People of God need and expect from their pastors.
I entrust to the maternal care of the Most Holy Virgin Mary the initiatives of this plenary assembly, praying that she will accompany those who are preparing for the priestly ministry following in the footsteps of her Divine Son, Jesus Christ, our redeemer. With these sentiments, I impart to you with affection the apostolic blessing.
[Translation by ZENIT]
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