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The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - May 09, 2009
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POPE IN THE HOLY LAND
Benedict XVI Reiterates Church's Link to Jews
Pontiff Promotes Clear Thinking in Holy Land
Pope Protests Shooing Religion From Public Sphere
Holy Father Speaks Up For Iraqi Christians
Pope Voices Esteem for Churches in the East
WORLD FEATURES
Papal Visit Boosts "We Who've Been Here 2,000 Years"
Pope Follows Moses' Footsteps, Shares His Mission
DOCUMENTS
Papal Homily at Vespers in Jordan
Pope's Address Upon Visiting Mosque
Papal Speech After Blessing University Cornerstone
Papal Address at Mount Nebo
Benedict XVI Reiterates Church's Link to Jews
Papal Pilgrimage Begins Overlooking the Promised LandAMMAN, Jordan, MAY 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is affirming the continued unity of Christians and Jews in the ancient practice of pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
The Pope visited the Basilica of the Moses Memorial at Mount Nebo today, commencing his weeklong Holy Land pilgrimage. Tradition holds that it was here that God showed Moses the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering in the desert.
"It is appropriate that my pilgrimage should begin on this mountain, where Moses contemplated the Promised Land from afar," the Pontiff said. "Moses gazed upon the Promised Land from afar, at the end of his earthly pilgrimage. His example reminds us that we too are part of the ageless pilgrimage of God's people through history."
"From the earliest times," the Holy Father continued, "Christians have come on pilgrimage to the sites linked to the history of the Chosen People, the events of Christ's life and the nascent Church."
"This great tradition," he added, "which my present pilgrimage is meant to continue and confirm, is grounded in the desire to see, to touch, and to savor in prayer and contemplation the places blessed by the physical presence of our Savior, his Blessed Mother, the apostles and the first disciples who saw him risen from the dead."
"The ancient tradition of pilgrimage to the holy places also reminds us of the inseparable bond between the Church and the Jewish people," the Pontiff explained. "From the beginning, the Church in these lands has commemorated in her liturgy the great figures of the Patriarchs and Prophets, as a sign of her profound appreciation of the unity of the two Testaments."
"May our encounter today," the Pope concluded, "inspire in us a renewed love for the canon of sacred Scripture and a desire to overcome all obstacles to the reconciliation of Christians and Jews in mutual respect and cooperation in the service of that peace to which the word of God calls us!"
New Moses
Father José Rodrígez Carballo, General Minister of the Franciscans living in the Holy Land, who welcomed the Holy Father, said, "You are not alone on this journey. We want to accompany you, or rather follow you, just as once the people of Israel followed Moses and were led by him."
"Today," he continued, "we still feel as though we are in the desert and we need someone who leads us to the Lord, someone who helps us get to know him as a provident and compassionate Father, as Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed him to us."
"Your Holiness, we entrust ourselves to you on this pilgrimage," the Franciscan priest declared. "Take our pleas to the Lord and address us again with that Word, which is the only one that can give us salvation."
In his remarks, the Holy Father thanked in particular Father Carballo and the Franciscan friars who minister to the Holy Land pilgrims for "their age-old presence in these lands, their joyful fidelity to the charism of St. Francis, and their generous concern for the spiritual and material welfare of the local Christian communities and the countless pilgrims who visit the Holy Land each year."
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On ZENIT's Web page:
Text of Pontiff's address: www.zenit.org/article-25836?l=english
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Pontiff Promotes Clear Thinking in Holy Land
Says Muslims, Christians Should Cultivate "Potential of Human Reason"AMMAN, Jordan, MAY 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- After just one full day in the Holy Land, Benedict XVI has already repeatedly promoted a good use of human reason, saying today that this is a common challenge for Christians and Muslims.
The Pope arrived in Jordan on Friday for what he has called a weeklong "pilgrimage of peace." His first stop at a holy site brought him this morning to Mount Nebo, where Moses saw the Promised Land. He took advantage of the occasion to reiterate the Church's link with the Jewish people.
After leaving the Basilica of the Moses Memorial, the Holy Father traveled to nearby Madaba, where he blessed the cornerstone of a university being built by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. From there, he was off to the King Hussein bin Talal Mosque and the adjacent Hashemite Museum. He subsequently met with and addressed Muslim religious leaders.
In his discourse, he pointed to the use of human reason as common ground for collaboration between Muslims and Christians.
"Distinguished friends, today I wish to refer to a task which I have addressed on a number of occasions and which I firmly believe Christians and Muslims can embrace, particularly through our respective contributions to learning and scholarship, and public service. That task is the challenge to cultivate for the good, in the context of faith and truth, the vast potential of human reason," Benedict XVI said.
He explained further: "Christians in fact describe God, among other ways, as creative Reason, which orders and guides the world. And God endows us with the capacity to participate in his reason and thus to act in accordance with what is good.
"Muslims worship God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, who has spoken to humanity. And as believers in the one God we know that human reason is itself God's gift and that it soars to its highest plane when suffused with the light of God's truth.
"In fact, when human reason humbly allows itself to be purified by faith, it is far from weakened; rather, it is strengthened to resist presumption and to reach beyond its own limitations."
The Pope said that in this way, human reason can thus pursue the service of mankind, "giving expression to our deepest common aspirations and extending, rather than manipulating or confining, public debate."
Religion's contribution
Benedict XVI stated that following a religion in this vein, "far from narrowing our minds -- widens the horizon of human understanding."
And, he contended, "it protects civil society from the excesses of the unbridled ego which tend to absolutize the finite and eclipse the infinite; it ensures that freedom is exercised hand in hand with truth, and it adorns culture with insights concerning all that is true, good and beautiful."
This understanding of reason poses a challenge for Christians and Muslims, he said, urging them to leave aside particular interests "in order to embrace the profound satisfaction of serving the common good, even at personal cost."
"And we are reminded that because it is our common human dignity which gives rise to universal human rights, they hold equally for every man and woman, irrespective of his or her religious, social or ethnic group," he added. "In this regard, we must note that the right of religious freedom extends beyond the question of worship and includes the right -- especially of minorities -- to fair access to the employment market and other spheres of civic life."
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On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text of Pope's address: www.zenit.org/article-25838?l=english
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Pope Protests Shooing Religion From Public Sphere
Urges Muslims, Christians to Fidelity as Believers Face Being SilencedAMMAN, Jordan, MAY 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Religion can be corrupted, says Benedict XVI, but it is actually a manipulation of religion, sometimes for political reasons, that leads to tension and division.
The Pope spoke of true religiosity today, the first full day of his weeklong pilgrimage to the Holy Land, during his stops at both the University of Madaba and the King Hussein bin Talal Mosque.
The Holy Father arrived in the Middle East on Friday and will visit not only Jordan, but also Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
This morning he blessed the cornerstone of the University of Madaba, being constructed by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. There, he acknowledged, "Religion, of course, like science and technology, philosophy and all expressions of our search for truth, can be corrupted. Religion is disfigured when pressed into the service of ignorance or prejudice, contempt, violence and abuse."
He said that when his happens, it is not only a perversion of religion, but a perversion of human freedom itself, a "narrowing and blindness of the mind."
But, the Pontiff affirmed, "such an outcome is not inevitable. Indeed, when we promote education, we proclaim our confidence in the gift of freedom. The human heart can be hardened by the limits of its environment, by interests and passions. But every person is also called to wisdom and integrity, to the basic and all-important choice of good over evil, truth over dishonesty, and can be assisted in this task."
Faithful worshippers
Later, at Jordan's state mosque -- the second mosque he's visited as Pope -- Benedict XVI again defended true religion.
He said that it is a cause for concern that there is growing insistence that religion fails to be a "builder of unity and harmony, an expression of communion between persons and with God."
"Indeed," the Pope lamented, "some assert that religion is necessarily a cause of division in our world; and so they argue that the less attention given to religion in the public sphere the better."
But, while acknowledging "the contradiction of tensions and divisions between the followers of different religious traditions," the Pontiff affirmed: "is it not also the case that often it is the ideological manipulation of religion, sometimes for political ends, that is the real catalyst for tension and division, and at times even violence in society?"
"In the face of this situation, where the opponents of religion seek not simply to silence its voice but to replace it with their own, the need for believers to be true to their principles and beliefs is felt all the more keenly," he said. "Muslims and Christians, precisely because of the burden of our common history so often marked by misunderstanding, must today strive to be known and recognized as worshippers of God faithful to prayer, eager to uphold and live by the Almighty's decrees, merciful and compassionate, consistent in bearing witness to all that is true and good, and ever mindful of the common origin and dignity of all human persons, who remain at the apex of God's creative design for the world and for history."
Muslim thanks
Prince Ghazi Bin Talal thanked the Holy Father for stopping at the mosque: "This gesture is all the more remarkable, given the fact that this visit to Jordan by Your Holiness is primarily a spiritual pilgrimage to the Christian Holy Land, and in particular to the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ. [...] And yet Your Holiness has made time, in your intense and tiring schedule, tiring for a man of any age, for this visit to the King Hussein mosque, in order to honor Muslims."
The prince was the organizer of the "Common Word" message, sent by 138 Muslim scholars in response to turmoil over a misunderstanding of a 2006 speech the Holy Father gave in Regensburg.
In the face of misunderstandings, the Jordanian official asserted that Muslims have the task of explaining Mohammed's example, "above all, with deeds of virtue, charity, and piety and goodwill."
And he offered Jordan as an example of a place where people of different religions coexist in peace. He particularly highlighted the role of Christians in Jordan, saying they "have always not only defended Jordan but have also tirelessly and patriotically helped to build Jordan, playing leading roles in the fields of education, health, commerce, tourism, agriculture, science, culture, and many other fields. All this is to say, then, that whilst Your Holiness may believe them to be your fellow Christians, we know them to be our fellow Jordanians. And they are as much a part of this country as the land itself."
"We hope that this unique Jordanian spirit of interfaith harmony, benevolence and mutual respect, will serve as an example to the whole world," the prince added, lamenting places where "Muslim minorities are hard-pressed by Christian majorities, as well as [...] where the opposite is the case."
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On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text of Pope's address at university: www.zenit.org/article-25837?l=english
Full text of Pope's address at mosque: www.zenit.org/article-25838?l=english
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Holy Father Speaks Up For Iraqi Christians
AMMAN, Jordan, MAY 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Before concluding a visit to Jordan's state mosque today, Benedict XVI spoke up in defense of Christians in neighboring Iraq.The Pope went to the King Hussein bin Talal Mosque today, on his first full day of a weeklong pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He subsequently addressed Muslim religious leaders and other religious and civil dignitaries.
At the end of his discourse, the Holy Father offered a special greeting to His Beatitude Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch of Baghdad.
"His presence brings to mind the people of neighboring Iraq, many of whom have found welcome refuge here in Jordan," the Pontiff said. "The international community's efforts to promote peace and reconciliation, together with those of the local leaders, must continue in order to bear fruit in the lives of Iraqis."
Benedict XVI expressed gratitude for those who are helping to "deepen trust" and rebuild the war-torn nation.
"And once again," he continued, "I urge diplomats and the international community they represent together with local political and religious leaders to do everything possible to ensure the ancient Christian community of that noble land its fundamental right to peaceful coexistence with their fellow citizens."
It is estimated that some 20,000 Iraqi Christians are finding refuge in Jordan.
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Pope Voices Esteem for Churches in the East
Affirms Traditions Are to Be TreasuredAMMAN, Jordan, MAY 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Eastern Churches offer a treasure of avenues to bring others to Christ through their ancient living traditions, says Benedict XVI.
In a homily delivered today at the celebration of Vespers in the Greek-Melkite Cathedral of St. George, the Pope addressed leaders of Catholic Churches in the Near East.
Among those present were Gregorios III Laham, the Greek Melkite Patriarch from Damascus, Emeritus Archbishop Georges El-Murr and Archbishop Yasser Ayyach of Petra and Philadelphia, and leaders from the Maronite, Syrian, Armenian, Chaldean and Latin Churches. Archbishop Benediktos Tsikoras of the Greek Orthodox Church was also in attendance.
The Holy Father expressed his sincere thanks for the "opportunity to pray with you and to experience something of the richness of our liturgical traditions."
"The Church herself is a pilgrim people and thus, through the centuries, has been marked by determinant historical events and pervading cultural epochs," the Pope remarked. "Sadly, some of these have included times of theological dispute or periods of repression."
"Others, however, have been moments of reconciliation -- marvelously strengthening the communion of the Church -- and times of rich cultural revival, to which Eastern Christians have contributed so greatly," he continued.
"Particular Churches," the Pope explained, "within the universal Church attest to the dynamism of her earthly journey and manifest to all members of the faithful a treasure of spiritual, liturgical, and ecclesiastical traditions which point to God's universal goodness and his will, seen throughout history, to draw all into his divine life."
"The ancient living treasure of the traditions of the Eastern Churches enriches the universal Church and could never be understood simply as objects to be passively preserved," added the Pontiff. "All Christians are called to respond actively to the Lord's mandate -- as St. George did in dramatic ways according to popular record -- to bring others to know and love him."
The Holy Father closed the event by expressing "sentiments of great respect for all of you gathered with me this evening in worship," and his gratitude for their prayers and the assurance of his own prayers for those entrusted to their pastoral care.
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On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text of Pope's address: www.zenit.org/article-25839?l=english
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Papal Visit Boosts "We Who've Been Here 2,000 Years"
Jordanian Christian Tour Guide Welcomes Pilgrim PopeBy Mercedes de la Torre
AMMAN, Jordan, MAY 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's visit to Jordan is enabling Catholics in the country to relish in their identity as "Arabs, Jordanians and Christians," says Nader Twal, a Christian tour guide.
Twal spoke with ZENIT today -- in fluent Italian gained from seven years studying in Rome -- about the presence of Jordan's high-profile pilgrim. The Pope arrived to the Holy Land on Friday for a weeklong pilgrimage that will also bring him to Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
Twal was born in Madaba, where the Pontiff went today to bless the cornerstone of a university being constructed by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. In fact, he's from the same parish as His Beatitude Fouad Twal, patriarch of Jerusalem, with whom he also shares a last name.
The tour guide called the papal trip a decisive support for the Christians of the nation.
"The Christians who work in public administration can go to the Mass with the Pope this Sunday, though for them it is a workday," he explained. "This is a government decision to promote Christians getting together to share.
"This decision from the government reinforces what we say about living together [in Jordan]: Here there truly is respect among Christians and Muslims."
The Holy Father will celebrate Mass on Sunday at the Amman International Stadium.
Twal reflected on the importance of the Pope's visit for Christians, a tiny minority in the majority Sunni Muslim nation.
"I, as a Christian, always say that I am Arabic, Jordanian and Christian," he explained. "We Christians make up 3% [of the population of Jordan], Catholic are 1.5%. We see in this visit a support for the presence of Christians, we who've been here 2,000 years.
"The visit is also important because it has brought about the meeting of the Pope with the king and queen, with the leaders of the Muslims, and this is decisive to speak about existing together, about human elements, not dogmatic ones: themes that affect this region of the Middle East, which is always in conflict."
According to Twal, who is accustomed to presenting the biblical richness of Jordan, when the Pope goes Sunday to the banks of the River Jordan where Christ was baptized, it will be one of the most symbolic moments for the future of Christianity in Jordan. The Holy Father will be blessing the cornerstones for two churches to be built there, one for Latin-rite Catholics and the other for Greek-Melkites.
"Unfortunately, this site that is found at the origin of the Christian faith is still forgotten, even by the Church," Twal lamented. "The [Pope's] blessing is a gesture that calls attention, as it will be followed by the 1,300 journalists covering this trip: a call to the Church of all the world. A visit to Jordan should be an important part of pilgrimages to the Holy Land."
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Pope Follows Moses' Footsteps, Shares His Mission
Father Atuire Reflects on 1st Stop of Papal Holy Land PilgrimageBy Mercedes de la Torre
AMMAN, Jordan, MAY 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Popes share the same mission that Moses had: to lead people toward God, reflected a Vatican aide today as he commented on Benedict XVI's first full day in the Holy Land.
Father Caesar Atuire, the delegate administrator of Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, spoke with ZENIT about the Pope's trip, under way in Jordan. The Holy Father made his first stop at a biblical site this morning, visiting the Basilica of the Moses Memorial on Mount Nebo. Tradition holds that at this spot, God showed Moses the Promised Land.
Father Atuire, who is accompanying the Pontiff during his weeklong pilgrimage to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, reflected on why Benedict XVI chose to start his pilgrimage on this mountain, which rises some 800 meters (2,625 feet) above sea level and offers a view of the Jordan Valley, Jericho, and on days clearer than today, Jerusalem.
"Each pope is like a Moses who goes leading the people toward the encounter with God," he said, recalling that the ultimate goal of every pilgrimage is to meet God. In the case of the Bishop of Rome, he added, the entire Christian people journeys beside him, as do the members of the press following him from stop to stop.
The place where Moses died is the privileged gate to the Holy Land, Father Atuire contended. "Every pilgrim that sets off toward Jerusalem, following the footsteps of the people of Israel who walked in the desert for 40 years, in beginning with Mount Nebo, completes the same itinerary in search of the city of God and the land that God has promised."
Mosque visit
In the light of the visit to Mount Nebo, Father Atuire reflected on another of Benedict XVI's stops today: the King Hussein bin Talal Mosque. This is the second mosque the Pope has visited in his four plus years as Pontiff. The first was during his 2006 trip to Turkey.
With this gesture, the priest suggested, the Pope "highlights a reality that is common to every religion. We as believers in some way have a challenge facing each one of us: We live in a world that is ever more secularized."
The Holy Father's visit to the mosque, Father Atuire added, also manifests again his openness to followers of other religions.
"The Pope," he said, "is a man who is open to an encounter with others, without fears, without prejudices, so that together we can do something to improve this world."
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Papal Homily at Vespers in Jordan
"The Church Herself Is a Pilgrim People"AMMAN, Jordan, MAY 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the homily Benedict XVI delivered today at the celebration of Vespers in the Greek-Melkite Cathedral of St. George in Amman.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It is a great joy for me to celebrate Vespers with you this evening in the Greek-Melkite Cathedral of Saint George. I warmly greet His Beatitude Gregorios III Laham, the Greek Melkite Patriarch, who has joined us from Damascus, Emeritus Archbishop Georges El-Murr and His Excellency Yaser Ayyach, Archbishop of Petra and Philadelphia, whom I thank for his kind words of welcome which I gladly reciprocate with sentiments of respect. I also greet the leaders of the other Catholic Churches present in the East - Maronite, Syrian, Armenian, Chaldean and Latin - as well as Archbishop Benediktos Tsikoras of the Greek Orthodox Church. To all of you and to the priests, Sisters and Brothers, seminarians and lay faithful gathered here this evening I express my sincere thanks for giving me this opportunity to pray with you and to experience something of the richness of our liturgical traditions.
The Church herself is a pilgrim people and thus, through the centuries, has been marked by determinant historical events and pervading cultural epochs. Sadly, some of these have included times of theological dispute or periods of repression. Others, however, have been moments of reconciliation - marvellously strengthening the communion of the Church - and times of rich cultural revival, to which Eastern Christians have contributed so greatly. Particular Churches within the universal Church attest to the dynamism of her earthly journey and manifest to all members of the faithful a treasure of spiritual, liturgical, and ecclesiastical traditions which point to God's universal goodness and his will, seen throughout history, to draw all into his divine life.
The ancient living treasure of the traditions of the Eastern Churches enriches the universal Church and could never be understood simply as objects to be passively preserved. All Christians are called to respond actively to the Lord's mandate - as Saint George did in dramatic ways according to popular record - to bring others to know and love him. In fact the vicissitudes of history have strengthened the members of particular Churches to embrace this task with vigor and to engage resolutely with the pastoral realities of today. Most of you trace ancient links to the Patriarchate of Antioch, and your communities are thus rooted here in the Near East. And, just as two thousand years ago it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians, so also today, as small minorities in scattered communities across these lands, you too are recognized as followers of the Lord. The public face of your Christian faith is certainly not restricted to the spiritual solicitude you bear for one another and your people, essential though that is. Rather, your many works of universal charity extend to all Jordanians - Muslims and those of other religions - and also to the large numbers of refugees whom this Kingdom so generously welcomes.
Dear brothers and sisters, the first Psalm (103) we prayed this evening presents us with glorious images of God the bountiful Creator, actively present in his creation, providing life with abundant goodness and wise order, ever ready to renew the face of the earth! The Epistle reading we have just heard, however, paints a different picture. It warns us, not in a threatening way, but realistically, of the need to stay alert, to be aware of the forces of evil at work creating darkness in our world (cf. Eph 6:10-20). Some might be tempted to think this a contradiction; yet reflecting on our ordinary human experience we recognize spiritual struggle, we acknowledge the daily need to move into Christ's light, to choose life, to seek truth. Indeed, this rhythm - turning away from evil and girding ourselves with the Lord's strength - is what we celebrate at every Baptism, the gateway to Christian life, the first step along the way of the Lord's disciples. Recalling Christ's baptism by John in the waters of the Jordan, the assembled pray that the one to be baptized will be rescued from the kingdom of darkness and brought into the splendour of God's kingdom of light, and so receive the gift of new life.
This dynamic movement from death to newness of life, from darkness to light, from despair to hope, that we experience so dramatically during the Triduum, and is celebrated with great joy in the season of Easter, ensures that the Church herself remains young. She is alive because Christ is alive, truly risen. Vivified by the presence of the Spirit, she reaches out every day, drawing men and women to the living Lord. Dear Bishops, priests, Brothers and Sisters, dear lay faithful, our respective roles of service and mission within the Church are the tireless response of a pilgrim people. Your liturgies, ecclesiastical discipline and spiritual heritage are a living witness to your unfolding tradition. You amplify the echo of the first Gospel proclamation, you render fresh the ancient memories of the works of the Lord, you make present his saving graces and you diffuse anew the first glimmers of the Easter light and the flickering flames of Pentecost.
In this way, imitating Christ and the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets, we set out to lead people from the desert towards the place of life, towards the Lord who gives us life in abundance. This marks all your apostolic works, the variety and calibre of which are greatly appreciated. From kindergartens to places of higher education, from orphanages to homes for the elderly, from work with refugees to a music academy, medical clinics and hospitals, interreligious dialogue and cultural initiatives, your presence in this society is a marvellous sign of the hope that defines us as Christian.
That hope reaches far beyond the confines of our own Christian communities. So often you find that the families of other religions, with whom you work and offer your service of universal charity, hold concerns and worries that cross religious and cultural boundaries. This is especially noticeable in regard to the hopes and aspirations of parents for their children. What parent or person of good will could not be troubled by the negative influences so pervasive in our globalized world, including the destructive elements within the entertainment industry which so callously exploit the innocence and sensibility of the vulnerable and the young? Yet, with your eyes firmly fixed on Christ, the light who dispels all evil, restores lost innocence, and humbles earthly pride, you will sustain a magnificent vision of hope for all those you meet and serve.
May I conclude with a special word of encouragement to those present who are in formation for the priesthood and religious life. Guided by the light of the Risen Lord, inflamed with his hope, and vested with his truth and love, your witness will bring abundant blessings to those whom you meet along the way. Indeed the same holds for all young Christian Jordanians: do not be afraid to make your own wise, measured and respectful contribution to the public life of the Kingdom. The authentic voice of faith will always bring integrity, justice, compassion and peace!
Dear friends, with sentiments of great respect for all of you gathered with me this evening in worship, I again thank you for your prayers for my ministry as the Successor of Peter and I assure you and all those entrusted to your pastoral care of a remembrance in my own daily prayer.
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Pope's Address Upon Visiting Mosque
"Ideological Manipulation of Religion ... Is the Real Catalyst for Tension and Division"AMMAN, Jordan, MAY 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the discourse Benedict XVI gave today after he visited the King Hussein bin Talal Mosque and the adjacent Hashemite Museum and subsequently met with Muslim religious leaders.
* * *
Your Royal Highness,
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a source of great joy for me to meet with you this morning in this magnificent setting. I wish to thank Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammed Bin Talal for his kind words of welcome. Your Royal Highness's numerous initiatives to promote inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue and exchanges are appreciated by the people of the Hashemite Kingdom and they are widely respected by the international community. I know that these efforts receive the active support of other members of the Royal Family as well as the nation's government, and find ample resonance in the many initiatives of collaboration among Jordanians. For all this, I wish to express my own heartfelt admiration.
Places of worship, like this splendid Al-Hussein Bin Talal mosque named after the revered late King, stand out like jewels across the earth's surface. From the ancient to the modern, the magnificent to the humble, they all point to the divine, to the Transcendent One, to the Almighty. And through the centuries these sanctuaries have drawn men and women into their sacred space to pause, to pray, to acknowledge the presence of the Almighty, and to recognize that we are all his creatures.
For this reason we cannot fail to be concerned that today, with increasing insistency, some maintain that religion fails in its claim to be, by nature, a builder of unity and harmony, an expression of communion between persons and with God. Indeed some assert that religion is necessarily a cause of division in our world; and so they argue that the less attention given to religion in the public sphere the better. Certainly, the contradiction of tensions and divisions between the followers of different religious traditions, sadly, cannot be denied. However, is it not also the case that often it is the ideological manipulation of religion, sometimes for political ends, that is the real catalyst for tension and division, and at times even violence in society? In the face of this situation, where the opponents of religion seek not simply to silence its voice but to replace it with their own, the need for believers to be true to their principles and beliefs is felt all the more keenly. Muslims and Christians, precisely because of the burden of our common history so often marked by misunderstanding, must today strive to be known and recognized as worshippers of God faithful to prayer, eager to uphold and live by the Almighty's decrees, merciful and compassionate, consistent in bearing witness to all that is true and good, and ever mindful of the common origin and dignity of all human persons, who remain at the apex of God's creative design for the world and for history.
The resolve of Jordanian educators and religious and civic leaders to ensure that the public face of religion reflects its true nature is praiseworthy. The example of individuals and communities, together with the provision of courses and programmes, manifest the constructive contribution of religion to the educational, cultural, social and other charitable sectors of your civic society. Some of this spirit I have been able to sample at first hand. Yesterday, I experienced the renowned educational and rehabilitation work of the Our Lady of Peace Centre where Christians and Muslims are transforming the lives of entire families, by assisting them to ensure that their disabled children take up their rightful place in society. Earlier this morning, I blessed the foundation stone of Madaba University where young Muslim and Christian adults will side by side receive the benefits of a tertiary education, enabling them to contribute justly to the social and economic development of their nation. Of great merit too are the numerous initiatives of inter-religious dialogue supported by the Royal Family and the diplomatic community and sometimes undertaken in conjunction with the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. These include the ongoing work of the Royal Institutes for Inter-faith studies and for Islamic Thought, theAmman Message of 2004, the Amman Interfaith Message of 2005, and the more recent Common Word letter which echoed a theme consonant with my first encyclical: the unbreakable bond between love of God and love of neighbour, and the fundamental contradiction of resorting to violence or exclusion in the name of God (cf. Deus Caritas Est, 16).
Such initiatives clearly lead to greater reciprocal knowledge, and they foster a growing respect both for what we hold in common and for what we understand differently. Thus, they should prompt Christians and Muslims to probe even more deeply the essential relationship between God and his world so that together we may strive to ensure that society resonates in harmony with the divine order. In this regard, the co-operation found here in Jordan sets an encouraging and persuasive example for the region, and indeed the world, of the positive, creative contribution which religion can and must make to civic society.
Distinguished friends, today I wish to refer to a task which I have addressed on a number of occasions and which I firmly believe Christians and Muslims can embrace, particularly through our respective contributions to learning and scholarship, and public service. That task is the challenge to cultivate for the good, in the context of faith and truth, the vast potential of human reason. Christians in fact describe God, among other ways, as creative Reason, which orders and guides the world. And God endows us with the capacity to participate in his reason and thus to act in accordance with what is good. Muslims worship God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, who has spoken to humanity. And as believers in the one God we know that human reason is itself God's gift and that it soars to its highest plane when suffused with the light of God's truth. In fact, when human reason humbly allows itself to be purified by faith, it is far from weakened; rather, it is strengthened to resist presumption and to reach beyond its own limitations. In this way, human reason is emboldened to pursue its noble purpose of serving mankind, giving expression to our deepest common aspirations and extending, rather than manipulating or confining, public debate. Thus, genuine adherence to religion - far from narrowing our minds - widens the horizon of human understanding. It protects civil society from the excesses of the unbridled ego which tend to absolutize the finite and eclipse the infinite; it ensures that freedom is exercised hand in hand with truth, and it adorns culture with insights concerning all that is true, good and beautiful.
This understanding of reason, which continually draws the human mind beyond itself in the quest for the Absolute, poses a challenge; it contains a sense of both hope and caution. Together, Christians and Muslims are impelled to seek all that is just and right. We are bound to step beyond our particular interests and to encourage others, civil servants and leaders in particular, to do likewise in order to embrace the profound satisfaction of serving the common good, even at personal cost. And we are reminded that because it is our common human dignity which gives rise to universal human rights, they hold equally for every man and woman, irrespective of his or her religious, social or ethnic group. In this regard, we must note that the right of religious freedom extends beyond the question of worship and includes the right - especially of minorities - to fair access to the employment market and other spheres of civic life.
Before I leave you this morning I would like to acknowledge in a special way the presence among us of His Beatitude Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of Baghdad, whom I greet most warmly. His presence brings to mind the people of neighbouring Iraq many of whom have found welcome refuge here in Jordan. The international community's efforts to promote peace and reconciliation, together with those of the local leaders, must continue in order to bear fruit in the lives of Iraqis. I wish to express my appreciation for all those who are assisting in the endeavors to deepen trust and to rebuild the institutions and infrastructure essential to the well-being of that society. And once again, I urge diplomats and the international community they represent together with local political and religious leaders to do everything possible to ensure the ancient Christian community of that noble land its fundamental right to peaceful coexistence with their fellow citizens.
Distinguished friends, I trust that the sentiments I have expressed today will leave us with renewed hope for the future. Our love and duty before the Almighty is expressed not only in our worship but also in our love and concern for children and young people - your families - and for all Jordanians. It is for them that you labor and it is they who motivate you to place the good of every human person at the heart of institutions, laws and the workings of society. May reason, ennobled and humbled by the grandeur of God's truth, continue to shape the life and institutions of this nation, in order that families may flourish and that all may live in peace, contributing to and drawing upon the culture that unifies this great Kingdom!
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Papal Speech After Blessing University Cornerstone
"Belief in God Does Not Suppress the Search for Truth"MADABA, Jordan, MAY 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the discourse Benedict XVI gave today when he blessed the cornerstone of the University of Madaba of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
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Dear Brother Bishops,
Dear friends,
It is for me a great joy to bless this foundation stone of the University of Madaba. I thank His Beatitude Archbishop Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, for his kind words of welcome. I wish to extend a special greeting of recognition to His Beatitude, Emeritus Patriarch Michel Sabbah, to whose initiative and efforts, together with those of Bishop Salim Sayegh, this new institution owes so much. I also greet the civil authorities, the Bishops, priests, religious and faithful and all who accompany us for this important ceremony.
The Kingdom of Jordan has rightly given priority to the task of extending and improving education. I am aware that in this noble mission Her Majesty Queen Rania is especially active and her commitment is an inspiration to many. As I pay tribute to the efforts of so many people of good will committed to education, I note with satisfaction the competent and expert participation of Christian institutions, especially Catholic and Orthodox, in this overall effort. It is against this background that the Catholic Church, with the support of the Jordanian authorities, has sought to further university education in this country and elsewhere. This present initiative also responds to the request of many families who, pleased with the formation received in schools run by religious authorities, are demanding an analogous option at the university level.
I commend the promoters of this new institution for their courageous confidence in good education as a stepping-stone for personal development and for peace and progress in the region. In this context the University of Madaba will surely keep in mind three important objectives. By developing the talents and noble attitudes of successive generations of students, it will prepare them to serve the wider community and raise its living standards. By transmitting knowledge and instilling in students a love of truth, it will greatly enhance their adherence to sound values and their personal freedom. Finally, this same intellectual formation will sharpen their critical skills, dispel ignorance and prejudice, and assist in breaking the spell cast by ideologies old and new. The result of this process will be a university that is not only a platform for consolidating adherence to truth and to the values of a given culture, but a place of understanding and dialogue. While assimilating their own heritage, young Jordanians and other students from the region will be led to a deeper knowledge of human cultural achievements, will be enriched by other viewpoints, and formed in comprehension, tolerance and peace.
This "broader" education is what one expects from institutions of higher learning and from their cultural milieu, be it secular or religious. In fact, belief in God does not suppress the search for truth; on the contrary it encourages it. Saint Paul exhorted the early Christians to open their minds to "all that is true, all that is noble, all that is good and pure, all that we love and honor, all that is considered excellent or worthy of praise" (Phil 4:8). Religion, of course, like science and technology, philosophy and all expressions of our search for truth, can be corrupted. Religion is disfigured when pressed into the service of ignorance or prejudice, contempt, violence and abuse. In this case we see not only a perversion of religion but also a corruption of human freedom, a narrowing and blindness of the mind. Clearly, such an outcome is not inevitable. Indeed, when we promote education, we proclaim our confidence in the gift of freedom. The human heart can be hardened by the limits of its environment, by interests and passions. But every person is also called to wisdom and integrity, to the basic and all-important choice of good over evil, truth over dishonesty, and can be assisted in this task.
The call to moral integrity is perceived by the genuinely religious person, since the God of truth and love and beauty cannot be served in any other way. Mature belief in God serves greatly to guide the acquisition and proper application of knowledge. Science and technology offer extraordinary benefits to society and have greatly improved the quality of life of many human beings. Undoubtedly this is one of the hopes of those who are promoting this University, whose motto is Sapientia et Scientia. At the same time the sciences have their limitations. They cannot answer all the questions about man and his existence. Indeed the human person, his place and purpose in the universe cannot be contained within the confines of science. "Humanity's intellectual nature finds its perfection ultimately in wisdom, which gently draws the human mind to seek and to love what is true and good" (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 15). The use of scientific knowledge needs the guiding light of ethical wisdom. Such is the wisdom that inspired the Hippocratic Oath, the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Convention and other laudable international codes of conduct. Hence religious and ethical wisdom, by answering questions of meaning and value, play a central role in professional formation. And consequently, those universities where the quest for truth goes hand in hand with the search for what is good and noble, offer an indispensable service to society.
With these thoughts in mind, I encourage in a special way the Christian students of Jordan and the neighboring regions, to dedicate themselves responsibly to a proper professional and moral formation. You are called to be builders of a just and peaceful society composed of peoples of various religious and ethnic backgrounds. These realities - I wish to stress once more - must lead, not to division, but to mutual enrichment. The mission and the vocation of the University of Madaba is precisely to help you participate more fully in this noble task.
Dear friends, I wish to renew my congratulations to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and my encouragement to all who have taken this project to heart, together with those who are already engaged in the educational apostolate in this nation. May the Lord bless you and sustain you. I pray that your dreams may soon come true, that you may see generations of qualified men and women Christian, Muslim and of other religions, taking their place in society, equipped with professional skills, knowledgeable in their field, and educated in the values of wisdom, integrity, tolerance and peace. Upon you and upon all the future students and staff of this University and their families, I invoke Almighty God's abundant blessings!
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"Like Moses, We Too Have Been Called by Name"
AMMAN, Jordan, MAY 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the discourse Benedict XVI gave today when he visited the Basilica of the Moses Memorial at Mount Nebo. Tradition holds that at this spot, God showed Moses the Promised Land.
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Father Minister General,
Father Custos,
Dear Friends,
In this holy place, consecrated by the memory of Moses, I greet all of you with affection in our Lord Jesus Christ. I thank Father José Rodríguez Carballo for his warm words of welcome. I also take this occasion to renew my gratitude, and that of the whole Church, to the Friars Minor of the Custody for their age-old presence in these lands, their joyful fidelity to the charism of Saint Francis, and their generous concern for the spiritual and material welfare of the local Christian communities and the countless pilgrims who visit the Holy Land each year. Here I wish to remember also, with particular gratitude, the late Father Michele Piccirillo, who devoted his life to the study of Christian antiquity and is buried in this shrine which was so dear to him.
It is appropriate that my pilgrimage should begin on this mountain, where Moses contemplated the Promised Land from afar. The magnificent prospect which opens up from the esplanade of this shrine invites us to ponder how that prophetic vision mysteriously embraced the great plan of salvation which God had prepared for his People. For it was in the valley of the Jordan which stretches out below us that, in the fullness of time, John the Baptist would come to prepare the way of the Lord. It was in the waters of the River Jordan that Jesus, after his baptism by John, would be revealed as the beloved Son of the Father and, anointed by the Holy Spirit, would inaugurate his public ministry. And it was from the Jordan that the Gospel would first go forth in Christ's own preaching and miracles, and then, after his resurrection and the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost, be brought by his disciples to the very ends of the earth.
Here, on the heights of Mount Nebo, the memory of Moses invites us to "lift up our eyes" to embrace with gratitude not only God's mighty works in the past, but also to look with faith and hope to the future which he holds out to us and to our world. Like Moses, we too have been called by name, invited to undertake a daily exodus from sin and slavery towards life and freedom, and given an unshakeable promise to guide our journey. In the waters of Baptism, we have passed from the slavery of sin to new life and hope. In the communion of the Church, Christ's Body, we look forward to the vision of the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, where God will be all in all. From this holy mountain Moses directs our gaze on high, to the fulfilment of all God's promises in Christ.
Moses gazed upon the Promised Land from afar, at the end of his earthly pilgrimage. His example reminds us that we too are part of the ageless pilgrimage of God's people through history. In the footsteps of the prophets, the apostles and the saints, we are called to walk with the Lord, to carry on his mission, to bear witness to the Gospel of God's universal love and mercy. We are called to welcome the coming of Christ's Kingdom by our charity, our service to the poor, and our efforts to be a leaven of reconciliation, forgiveness and peace in the world around us. We know that, like Moses, we may not see the complete fulfilment of God's plan in our lifetime. Yet we trust that, by doing our small part, in fidelity to the vocation each of us has received, we will help to make straight the paths of the Lord and welcome the dawn of his Kingdom. And we know that the God who revealed his name to Moses as a pledge that he would always be at our side (cf. Ex 3:14) will give us the strength to persevere in joyful hope even amid suffering, trial and tribulation.
From the earliest times, Christians have come on pilgrimage to the sites linked to the history of the Chosen People, the events of Christ's life and the nascent Church. This great tradition, which my present pilgrimage is meant to continue and confirm, is grounded in the desire to see, to touch, and to savor in prayer and contemplation the places blessed by the physical presence of our Savior, his Blessed Mother, the apostles and the first disciples who saw him risen from the dead. Here, in the footsteps of the countless pilgrims who have preceded us in every century, we are challenged to appreciate more fully the gift of our faith and to grow in that communion which transcends every limit of language, race and culture.
The ancient tradition of pilgrimage to the holy places also reminds us of the inseparable bond between the Church and the Jewish people. From the beginning, the Church in these lands has commemorated in her liturgy the great figures of the Patriarchs and Prophets, as a sign of her profound appreciation of the unity of the two Testaments. May our encounter today inspire in us a renewed love for the canon of Sacred Scripture and a desire to overcome all obstacles to the reconciliation of Christians and Jews in mutual respect and cooperation in the service of that peace to which the word of God calls us!
Dear friends, gathered in this holy place, let us now raise our eyes and our hearts to the Father. As we prepare to pray the prayer which Jesus taught us, let us beg him to hasten the coming of his Kingdom so that we may see the fulfilment of his saving plan, and experience, with Saint Francis and all those pilgrims who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, the gift of untold peace - pax et bonum - which awaits us in the heavenly Jerusalem.
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