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The World Seen From Rome
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VATICAN DOSSIER Official: 2 Currents Stirring Up Tensions in Church Pope Unites to UN Appeal for Children WORLD FEATURES Interfaith Leaders Pray for Plane Tragedy Victims 2 US Publishers Merge in Catechetical Partnership Notre Dame Alumni Report Feeling Disenfranchised INTERVIEW Cardinal Hummes on the Church's Love for Priests ROME NOTES Gingrich's Film Project; Brothers Helping Others DOCUMENTS Benedict XVI's Message to Rome Conference on Laity
VATICAN DOSSIER
Official: 2 Currents Stirring Up Tensions in Church
Are You Pro-Integration or Pro-Controversy?
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 4, 2009 (
Zenit.org).- The secretary of the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education contends there are two currents in the Western Church -- one seeking "integration" and one causing "controversy."
Archbishop Jean-Louis Bruguès affirmed this in the annual meeting of pontifical seminary rectors, L'Osservatore Romano reported Wednesday. His address was titled "Formation for the Priesthood: Between Secularism and the Ecclesial Model."
"There exists now in the European Church, and maybe also in the American Church, a line of division, maybe of fracture, which undoubtedly varies from one country to another, and proposes what I will call a 'current of integration' and a 'current of controversy," the archbishop said.
He explained that the first "observes that there are Christian values in secularization -- such as equality, liberty, solidarity and responsibility -- and [considers] that it should be possible to collaborate with this current and find areas of cooperation."
"Whereas the second current," Archbishop Bruguès continued, "invites keeping distance. It considers that the differences or conflicts, above all in the realm of ethics, will be ever more marked," and "proposes an alternative model to the dominant model."
The French prelate suggested that the first current "was predominant in the post-conciliar [era] and has provided the ideological mold for the interpretations that were promoted at the end of the 60s and the following decade."
"Things turned around beginning with the 80s, particularly -- though not exclusively -- under the influence of John Paul II," he added.
The 65-year-old archbishop commented that Catholics of the first current tend to be older, but still hold key posts in the Church, while the alternative model has been considerably strengthened but "is still not dominant."
"This explains the current tensions in many Churches on our continent," he contended.
Archbishop Bruguès proposed that these differences take shape in various contexts, such that universities and Catholic schools, and seminaries and centers for religious, for example, "are distributed today according to this dividing line."
"Some play the trick of adaptation and cooperation with a secularized society at the cost of finding themselves obliged to distance themselves with a critical sense from this or that aspect of doctrine or Catholic morals," he continued. "Others, of a more recent inspiration, highlight the confession of their faith and the active participation in evangelization."
The archbishop proposed that the majority of the Western Church has endured "a strong auto-secularization."
And to respond to this negative division, the Vatican official encouraged an authentic interpretation of the Second Vatican Council, which perhaps will mean, he said, moving "from one ecclesial model to the other."
Archbishop Bruguès urged formation for priests that offers a "synthetic, organic theological formation that indicates the essential."
He affirmed that a "generalized lack of culture" caused by secularization makes a year or more of initial formation focused on culture and catechetics something that is "indispensable."
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Pope Unites to UN Appeal for Children
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 4, 2009 (
Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is urging the international community to give its best to children on the day the United Nations is launching the World Appeal for Childhood.
The Pope sent a message to the official launch, held today in Geneva. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, sent the message on behalf of the Holy Father, which asked for "hope and dignity for each child," reported Vatican Radio.
The Pope assured the campaign organizers of his prayers and support for the world appeal, which was launched on the 20th anniversary of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The appeal affirms, "Children must be considered fully as human beings, true right-holders, entitled to enjoy human rights in an inalienable way and without discrimination."
Benedict XVI expressed his hope that the initiative would call attention "to this important [convention] and the urgent need to fully implement it."
The Pontiff made a particular message of the need to "respect the inviolable dignity of the rights of the child, of the recognition of the fundamental mission of the family in education, and of the necessity of a stable social environment that can favor the psychological, cultural and moral development of each child."
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On the Net:
For more information:
www.bice.org/ewb_pages/a/appel-pour-lenfance-geneve-juin-2009-traductions-disponibles.php
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WORLD FEATURES
Interfaith Leaders Pray for Plane Tragedy Victims
Benedict XVI Sends Condolences
PARIS, JUNE 4, 2009 (
Zenit.org).- A message from Benedict XVI was read at the opening of an interreligious gathering in Paris' Notre Dame cathedral, expressing sorrow for the victims of Monday's Air France plane accident.
The Pope affirmed his prayer that God will "give his support and consolation" to all those people affected by the tragedy that claimed 228 lives when a flight en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean.
Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris and president of the French bishops' conference, transmitted the condolences of the Pontiff at Wednesday's gathering.
The Holy Father entrusted the deceased to God's mercy, and expressed the hope that their families will "find the help that they need around them in these hours of anguish."
Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France, was present at the gathering along with other government representatives, Christians, Jews, Muslims, families and friends of the victims and Air France workers.
To symbolize the lives lost in the tragedy, 228 candles were placed on the altar.
Rabbi Haim Korsia, chaplain of the air personnel, invoked the "fraternity that unites us, believers and non-believers."
Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the French Council of Muslim Faith, directed some words of support and compassion to the families and friends of the victims, and he sang the first sura of the Koran.
Claude Bay, president of the Protestant Federation of France also expressed his sympathy, followed by the Metropolitan Emmanuel on behalf of the French Assembly of Orthodox bishops.
Pilots and crew members, dressed in uniform, recited verses from the Book of Lamentations and the Gospel of Luke, in French, Portuguese and English.
The archbishop of Paris concluded the ceremony with a message of encouragement and support for the families.
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2 US Publishers Merge in Catechetical Partnership
Our Sunday Visitor Acquires Harcourt Religion Publishers
HUNTINGTON, Indiana, JUNE 4, 2009 (
Zenit.org).- Two Catholic publishing groups, Our Sunday Visitor and Harcourt Religion Publishers, will be merged following an acquisition today.
A press release from Our Sunday Visitor announced the acquisition of the publishing division from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
The statement affirmed that the "strategic combination of the two companies' product lines, services, and innovations represents an unprecedented, one-source solution for lifelong faith development within Catholic parishes and schools."
Together, it added, the companies "provide a dynamic approach to systematic and intentional catechesis for all members of the faith community."
Greg Erlandson, president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor, stated, "The joining of our product lines not only reinforces both missions, but it leverages similar corporate cultures that value innovation, hybrid solutions, and sharing what the Church teaches and why to Catholics of all ages."
Diane Lampitt, president of Harcourt Religion Publishers, affirmed, "Together, we'll be able to respond to parish and school needs like never before -- with exceptional speed, creativity and new formats."
The statement noted that in the next months, "customers can expect to see expanded service support, expedited fulfillment services, and new hybrid products and services."
Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington stated that this acquisition "brings together two great traditions in catechesis and lifelong faith formation."
He continued: "Our Sunday Visitor has an exceptional history of bringing the Catholic faith to a wide-ranging audience.
"At a time when education in the faith and strong Catholic identity are of critical importance in our Church, I am confident that Our Sunday Visitor's acquisition of Harcourt Religion Publishers will contribute to a new day in catechesis."
Our Sunday Visitor produces early childhood curricula, sacramental preparation tools, adult education programs, vacation bible school, books, periodicals, pamphlets, websites, offering envelopes, and many other programs for parishes and individuals.
Harcourt Religion Publishers publishes the "Call to Faith K-8 Series," the "Call to Faith eConnect" Internet tool, liturgical and catechetical sacrament preparation programs and Catholic high school religion programs.
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Notre Dame Alumni Report Feeling Disenfranchised
Concerned Students Are Not Learning Catechesis
By Genevieve Pollock
DEARBORN, Michigan, JUNE 2, 2009 (
Zenit.org).- A Notre Dame alumni coalition is entering phase two in the program to replace the university's leadership, using their pocketbooks as leverage.
David DiFranco, '95 graduate and spokesman of ReplaceJenkins.com, told ZENIT that although the initiative materialized amid the public protest of the school's decision to honor President Barack Obama at the May 17 commencement ceremony, the work is far from being over.
The coalition launched the national outreach effort in April appealing to alumni and benefactors to hold back donations until the university's president, Father John Jenkins, is replaced.
"Our endeavor is entering a new phase," he said. "We did not establish ourselves to prevent Obama from speaking" at the university's commencement ceremony.
This event gave us a "rallying cry," DiFranco said, but "the culminating point in our endeavor is still a long way off."
The problem at Notre Dame, he explained, is that "something needs to change in the leadership."
The coalition is calling for a new university head "who is committed to the authentic identity of Notre Dame, grounded in the teachings of the Catholic Church."
The protest against Obama's invitation to give the commencement address and receive an honorary law doctorate served to "wake people up," the spokesman said, as many alumni did not realize the situation at the school.
The alumni are "feeling disenfranchised," he said. They are surprised at the bad leadership of administration and faculty.
"Obama's invitation to speak was not the worst part," DiFranco explained. The defense made by university president Father John Jenkins of the decision "angered alumni even more."
He added that there was also an outcry over the fact that during the commencement ceremony, many students showed support for Obama, shouting campaign slogans, which "shows that the students are not learning their catechesis."
Clear cut
Over 80 bishops and more than 367,000 Catholics voiced disagreement with Father Jenkins, saying he disregarded the 2004 guidelines from the U.S. bishops that state: "Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles" with "awards, honors, or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."
This is a very "clear cut case," DiFranco said. Obama is not just pro-choice, but is among a very small minority who actively defends abortion rights in every instance.
The spokesman asserted that the percentage of students standing against the decision should match the percentage that is Catholic.
The admissions office of the university estimates that 80%-85% of each incoming freshman class identifies themselves as Catholic.
DiFranco acknowledged that although most media attention focused on the fact that only 40 seniors out of some 2,900 boycotted the ceremony, there may have been many more who were against the university's decision.
Now, he said, although the press dropped the story after commencement day, we are just beginning the second phase of the campaign, to "connect with Notre Dame individuals who have power to induce change."
DiFranco affirmed that the project has been initially successful, with responses from every alumni era.
On graduation day, the coalition had confirmed over $15 million in donations withheld from the university.
Although the coalition has not released an updated number, the spokesman affirmed that the total number of donations "has swelled."
The group is carefully sorting through and confirming other pledges, and DiFranco stated that there are still tens of millions of dollars to be authenticated.
The coalition will formally deliver its campaign results to the Notre Dame administration at a moment it deems "appropriate," he said.
The alumnus concluded by affirming that there are glimmers of hope for Notre Dame, despite the need for some changes.
He reported that several faculty members contacted the coalition to express support, though requesting anonymity.
At Notre Dame, "there is a contingent with some strength," DiFranco said, and with the right environment and situation, "you may see something positive coming out."
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On the Net:
Coalition Web site:
http://www.replacejenkins.com/
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INTERVIEW
Cardinal Hummes on the Church's Love for Priests
Interview With Clergy Congregation Prefect on Jubilee Year
By Carmen Elena Villa
ROME, JUNE 4, 2009 (
Zenit.org).- Priests need to know that the Church loves them and is proud of them, which is why Benedict XVI has called for a Year for Priests, according to the prefect of the Vatican's clergy congregation.
This celebratory year begins in just over two weeks, with vespers on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 19. It will close in June of 2010.
ZENIT spoke with the prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, about what this year is all about and why the Pope decided to convoke it.
ZENIT: What is the principal objective of the Year for Priests?
Cardinal Hummes: In the first place, the circumstance: It will be a jubilee year for the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Maria Vianney, better known as the holy Cure of Ars. That is the opportunity, but the fundamental motive is that the Pope wants to give priests a special importance and to say how much he loves them, how much he wants to help them to live their vocation and mission with joy and fervor.
This initiative from the Pope takes place in a moment of a great expansion of a new culture: Today a postmodern, relativistic, urban, pluralistic, secularized, laicist culture dominates, in which priests must live their vocation and mission.
The challenge is to understand how to be a priest in this new time, not to condemn the world but to save the world, like Jesus, who did not come to condemn the world but to save it.
The priest should do this from his heart, with a lot of openness, without demonizing society. He should be integrated within it with the missionary joy of wanting to bring Jesus Christ to the people of this society.
It is necessary to have this opportunity so that everyone prays with and for priests, to convoke the priests to pray, to do this in the best possible way in the current society and, moreover, eventually to come up with initiatives so that priests can have better conditions to live their vocation and mission.
It is a positive and propositive year. It's not about, first of all, correcting priests. There are problems that should always be corrected and the Church cannot be blind to them, but we know that the vast majority of priests have a great dignity and adhere to their ministry and their vocation. They give their lives for this vocation that they have freely accepted.
Unfortunately the problems we've learned of in recent years arise, related to pedophilia and other grave sexual crimes, but at the most, this could maybe apply to some 4% of priests. The Church wants to say to the other 96% that we are proud of them, that they are men of God and we want to help them and recognize all they do as a testimony of life.
It is also an opportune moment to intensify and go deeper into the question of how to be priests in this world that is changing and that God has put us in front of to save [it].
ZENIT: Why has the Pope presented St. John Maria Vianney as a model for priests?
Cardinal Hummes: Because for a long time now he has been the patron of parish priests. He is part of the world of the presbyterate. We also want to encourage various nations and episcopal conferences or local Churches to choose some local exemplary priest and present him to the world and to the youth: Men and priests who would be true models, who could inspire and renew a conviction about the great value and importance of the priestly ministry.
ZENIT: For you as a priest, what is the most beautiful aspect of your vocation?
Cardinal Hummes: This question brings to mind something from St. Francis of Assisi. He once said, "If I were to meet on the road a priest and an angel, I would first greet the priest and then the angel. Why? Because the priest is the one who gives us Christ in the Eucharist." This is what is most fundamental and marvelous: The priest has the gift and the grace of God to be a minister of the this great mystery of the Eucharist.
The priesthood was instituted by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. When he said, "Do this in memory of me," he gave to the apostles this commend and also the power to do this, to do the same thing that Jesus did at the Last Supper. And those apostles have in turn transmitted this ministry and this divine power to the men who are bishops and priests.
This is what is most important and at the center. The Eucharist is the center of the Church. Pope John Paul II said that the Church lives off the Eucharist. The priest is the minister of this great sacrament, which is the memorial of the death of Jesus.
And then we also have the sacrament of reconciliation. Jesus said, "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained" (John 20:23). He came to reconcile the world with God and human beings among themselves. He gave the Holy Spirit to the apostles, breathing upon them.
He gave to the apostles in the name of God and his name that which he had acquired with his blood and with his life on the cross, transforming violence into an act of love for the forgiveness of sins. And he says to the apostles that they will be the ministers of this pardon. This is fundamental for everyone. Everyone wants to be forgiven of his sins, to be in peace with God and with others. The ministry of reconciliation is very important in the life of the priest.
There are many other activities, like evangelization, the proclamation of the person of Jesus Christ, dead and risen, and of his Kingdom. The world has a right to know and to learn about Jesus Christ and everything that his Kingdom means. This is also a specific ministry of the priest who shares it with the bishops and with the laity who proclaim the Word, and who should bring people to an intense and personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
ZENIT: What do you think are the biggest difficulties and the new challenges that today face youth who want to be priests?
Cardinal Hummes: I want to repeat that we shouldn't demonize the current culture that is spreading more and more and that is becoming a dominant culture in the whole world, despite the presence of other cultures.
This new culture no longer wants to be Christian or religious. It wants to be secular and reject and want to reject any religious interference. Adolescents and youth find themselves in a different situation than the one we lived, we who were born in a very religious culture and one that was recognized as Christian and Catholic. Now it is no longer that way.
I think that for adolescents and youth it is truly more difficult to have the courage to accept an invitation from God, which is born in their interior. To respond today is more complicated, because society no longer values the priesthood. Before, society valued it. Then again, a work of faith and evangelization will always be possible, because God always gives all the graces when he calls to this.
Parishes should offer youth and adolescents the opportunity to speak about that which they carry in their hearts, about this call, because if they do not have the opportunity to speak with someone they can trust, little by little this voice will disappear. Here vocational ministry comes into play, which we need so much.
A well organized parish is able to go out to meet youth and adolescents and give them the opportunity to speak about the call they feel. Also, prayer for vocations is more important now than it was in the past.
Another reason there might be fewer candidates is because families are smaller. They have few or no children. This makes it more difficult. The number of priests in some countries has gone down too much. We look at this situation with great concern.
ZENIT: How do you think a seminarian's formation should be in the personal, spiritual, intellectual and liturgical realms? What elements cannot be lacking?
Cardinal Hummes: The Church speaks of four dimensions that should be cultivated in the candidates.
In the first place, the human dimension, the affective -- the whole question of the person -- his nature, his dignity and a normal affective maturity. This is important because it is the base.
Then there is the spiritual dimension. Today we find ourselves before a culture that is no longer Christian or religious. Therefore it is even more necessary to develop well the spirituality of the candidates.
Then there is the intellectual dimension. It is necessary to study philosophy and theology so that the priests will be capable today of speaking and proclaiming Jesus Christ and his message, such that all of the richness of the dialogue between faith and human reason emerges. God is the Logos of all and Jesus Christ is his explanation.
Afterward, obviously, is the dimension of the apostolate, that is, these candidates must be prepared to be pastors in the world of today. In this pastoral field today, the missionary identity is very important. Priests should have not only a preparation but also a strong motivation to not limit themselves only to welcoming and offering a service to those who come to see them, but should also go out in search of people who don't go to Church, above all, of the baptized who have grown distant because they haven't been sufficiently evangelized, and who have the right to be evangelized, because we have promised to bring Christ, to educate in the faith.
This, many times, has not been done or has been done very little. The priest should go on mission and prepare his community so that it goes to proclaim Jesus Christ to the people, at least those who are in the territory of his parish, but also beyond that.
Today, this missionary dimension is very important. The disciple becomes missionary with his enthusiastic and joyful adherence to Christ, capable of unconditionally covering all of his life with him. We should be like the disciples: fervent, missionary, joyful. This is the key, the secret.
ZENIT: What special activities are planned this year, both for youth and for the priests themselves?
Cardinal Hummes: There will be initiatives at the level of the universal Church, but the Year for Priests should also be celebrated at the local level. That is, in the local Churches, the dioceses and the parishes, because priests are the ministers of the people, and should include the communities.
Dioceses should motivate initiatives both of going deeper and of celebration to bring to priests the message that the Church loves them, respects, them, admires them and feels proud of them.
The Pope will open the Year for Priests on June 19, on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, because it is the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests. There will be solemn vespers celebrated in the Vatican basilica, the relics of the Cure of Ars will be present. His heart will be in the basilica as a sign of the importance that the Pope wants to give to priests. We hope that many priests will be present.
The closing will take place a year later. There is still to be defined a date for a great encounter of the Pope with priests, to which all the dioceses will be invited. There will be many other initiatives. We are also thinking of doing an international theological conference during the days before the closing. There will also be spiritual exercises. We also hope to be able to involve Catholic universities so that they can go deeper in the meaning of the priesthood, the theology of the priesthood, and in all the themes that are important for priests.
ZENIT: Can you talk to us about the challenges that a priest faces in this society that is so anti-religious? How do you think a priest can stay faithful to his vocation?
Cardinal Hummes: In the first place, the Church, through its seminaries and formators, should make a very rigorous selection of the candidates. Later, a good formation is needed, fundamentally in the human, intellectual, spiritual, pastoral and missionary dimensions. It is fundamental to remember that the priest is a disciple of Jesus Christ and to be sure that he has had this intense personal and communitarian encounter with Jesus Christ, to whom he has given his loyalty. Every Mass can be a very powerful moment for this encounter. But also the reading of the Word of God.
As John Paul II said, there are many opportunities to give testimony to the encounter with Jesus Christ. It is fundamental to be a missionary capable of renewing this priestly zeal, of feeling joyful and convinced of his mission and convinced that it has a fundamental meaning for the Church and for the world.
I always say that the priest is not only important because of the religious aspect within the Church. He also carries out a very great task in society, because he promotes the great human values, is very close to the poor with solidarity, with attention to human rights. I believe that we should help them so that they live this vocation with joy, with a lot of clarity, and also with heart, so that they are happy, given that it's possible to be happy in sacrifice and in tiredness.
To be happy is not in contradiction with suffering. Jesus was not unhappy on the cross. He suffered tremendously, but he was happy, because he knew what he was doing for love and that this had a fundamental meaning for the salvation of the world. It was a gesture of fidelity to his Father.
ZENIT: What other saints do you think can be models for the priest of today?
Cardinal Hummes: Obviously the great ideal is always Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. In the case of the apostles, above all, St. Paul. We have celebrated the Pauline year. It's obvious that he was a truly impressive figure and can always be a great inspiration for priests, above all in a society that is no longer Christian. He crossed the borders of Israel to be an apostle to the Gentiles, to the pagans. In a world that is making itself so distant from any religious manifestation, his example is fundamental. St. Paul was very aware of this: Jesus has come to save, not to condemn. This is the same awareness that we should have faced to the world of today.
[Translation by Kathleen Naab]
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ROME NOTES
Gingrich's Film Project; Brothers Helping Others
Former Speaker Highlights John Paul II in Documentary
By Edward Pentin
ROME, JUNE 4, 2009 (
Zenit.org).- An event which took place 30 years ago this week would change the world forever.
Over just nine days, from June 2-10, 1979, John Paul II made what was probably his most historic apostolic trip, a pilgrimage back to his native Poland.
He landed in communist Warsaw on the eve of Pentecost, and went on to give 37 speeches and homilies that articulated what most Poles had felt for years: that Poland was a Catholic nation, cursed with a communist state. In doing so, he unleashed a spiritual and political revolution that would eventually free Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union from the shackles of Marxist rule.
In particular, it led to Poland's communist government agreeing to recognize the legality of "Solidarność" - the "Solidarity" trade union movement. Together with the help of international political leaders and the Church, it would become the leading force in the collapse of the communist regime.
Now, 30 years on, a group of filmmakers led by the American politician Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista, are making a 90-minute documentary on that momentous papal pilgrimage. Called "Nine Days that Changed the World," and set for release in the fall, the film aims to take the viewer through those pivotal events, but also to lay out the context of the visit. The program begins with John Paul's election and goes on to make brief references to Karol Wojtyla's life, first under Nazism, then Stalinism, and his vocation to the priesthood.
Last week, as the filmmakers visited Rome to shoot footage of St. Peter's basilica, I spoke with Kevin Knoblock, the program's writer, producer and director, to find out more. The idea for the documentary, he said, came after he and the Gingriches had made a recent film on Ronald Reagan. "When doing that film, we saw the three key players in the founding of the Solidarity movement," he explained. "Reagan had a huge influence, also Thatcher, but most importantly, John Paul II."
The crew had already filmed in various places on John Paul II's 1979 pilgrimage including Krakow, Auschwitz, Czestochowa and Victory Square in Warsaw -- the location of a huge papal Mass that attracted 250,000 people.
John Paul II's famous motto -- "Be Not Afraid" -- was, Knoblock explained, not just an exhortation to be unafraid of opening one's arms to Christ, "but also to be unafraid of the changes and challenges that will come ahead -- the challenges of the Soviet regime and totalitarianism."
He recalled how nine out of 10 Poles heard or saw the Pope speak during those nine short days, and how every effort the regime made to try to prevent the pilgrimage from taking place almost comically backfired.
In its promotional material, the filmmakers say the program will show how John Paul II "helped the Poles find their courage and reclaim their culture." Moreover, they say the documentary aims to express the Pope's message that contrary to the lies of Nazism and communism, "authentic human freedom is only possible through the truth of Jesus Christ."
Such a momentous time continues to be relevant today, Knoblock said. "There's always a need to remember what can happen under authoritarian regimes, always important to remember freedom and religious freedom, and John Paul II certainly brought that to the people of Poland."
The documentary will eventually be available on DVD in English, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. For more information, visit: http://ninedaysthatchangedtheworld.com/
* * *
Joy, Sorrow, Humanity
If "Nine Days" is a film about how John Paul changed the world for the better, then "The Human Experience" aims, above all, to change the hearts of its audience.
A compelling, real-life docudrama, the film -- which was shown in Rome last week -- centers around real-life brothers Jeff and Cliff Azize as they travel the world in search of the answers to the burning questions: Who am I? Who is Man? Why do we search for meaning?
The Azizes already know suffering. Their mother has passed away and their father has abandoned them. So the brothers, aged 20 and 27, live at St. Francis House, a Catholic refuge in New York City. There they meet volunteer Joseph Campo, the producer of “The Human Experience,” who invites the brothers to take part in this remarkable film. The siblings -- particularly Jeff, who becomes the star of the movie -- are game for anything, particularly if it means visiting new parts of the world, and so they happily agree.
Yet their first stop isn’t some exotic location, but rather the destitute homeless in the Big Apple. Together with a discreet film crew, they live in cardboard houses alongside the city’s poor, unafraid to ask them profound questions about what life means to them, and what keeps them going.
They then move on to Peru, where they help orphans and disabled children, and finish helping abandoned lepers and AIDS patients in the forests of Ghana. At each location, they speak to the suffering, and those caring for them, while helping them in their work or daily lives. And in the process, you witness how the brothers -- always eager to learn -- come to a better understanding of suffering, and how their own hardships are put into perspective when compared to those experienced by those they encounter.
The film, as its publicity material says, “relays their awakening to the beauty of the human person and the resilience of the human spirit.”
"We didn't make the film for us," said Joseph Campo, whose Grassroots Films company recently made the Catholic Vote pro-life advertisements. "The purpose was to change people's hearts and minds, but through the eyes of these young people who've seen both parts of life -- the negative and the positive." He pointed out that the film shows how suffering and wisdom go together, but also how God's grace is at work throughout.
The idea for the film, Campo said, simply derived from his and his colleagues’ wish to make a very pro-life film, but without advertising it as such. "We didn't want to mention the words abortion or pro-life, just to let it be what it is," said Campo. "We didn't want to take a political or even a religious view so it can appeal to everyone." They also had no real idea how it would begin or end, but just let the film take its course.
Alongside the brothers' journey, the movie features clips of interviews with, among others, the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, author Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete, human rights activist Dr. Alveda King, and the president and founder of the World Youth Alliance, Anna Halpine.
Reflecting on the film, which took a year to shoot, Jeff Azize said the most profound experience for him was when they stayed in Ghana. He remembered that despite facing death everyday, the people "were faith-filled," and had a motivation to keep on living despite their deep suffering and hardship. "You have to experience it," said Azize, now 22. "If anyone wants to experience this, do some missionary work -- it'll change your life."
The film, which ends with a very moving real-life scene, is most effective in stirring the audience to recognize the ultimate humanity of living the Christian life, made real through acts of love from helping the poor and acts of charity, to loving one’s brothers and forgiving those who have wronged you.
At the moment, there are no plans to make a sequel. For the program’s makers, any follow-up rests with the audience. "We pretty much hope people apply what they learn from this film to their own lives, that they make a change to their own lives," said Azize. "That's 'The Human Experience II.'"
The movie's Web site can be found at: http://www.grassrootsfilms.com/thehumanexperience/
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DOCUMENTS
Benedict XVI's Message to Rome Conference on Laity
"Co-responsible for the Church's Being and Action"
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 4, 2009 (
Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered May 26 at St. John Lateran to open the pastoral convention of the Diocese of Rome. The conference had as its theme "Church Membership and Pastoral Co-responsibility."
* * *
Your Eminence,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,
and in the Priesthood,
Dear Men and Women Religious,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Continuing what is by now a happy tradition, this year too I am glad to open the Diocesan Pastoral Convention. To each one of you who represent here the entire diocesan community, I address with affection my greeting and heartfelt thanks for the pastoral work you carry out. Through you, I extend to all the parishes my cordial greeting in the words of the Apostle Paul: "To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Rm 1: 7).
I cordially thank the Cardinal Vicar for the encouraging words interpreting your sentiments that he has addressed to me and for the help that he offers me, together with the Auxiliary Bishops, in the daily apostolic service to which the Lord has called me as Bishop of Rome.
It has just been recalled that in the past decade the Diocese initially focused its attention on the family; then for another three years, on teaching the faith to the new generations, seeking to respond to the "educational emergency", a challenge to all that is far from easy; and lastly, again with a reference to education, prompted by the Encyclical Letter Spe Salvi, you gave attention to the theme of teaching hope.
As I thank the Lord with you for all the good he has granted us to do I am thinking in particular of the parish priests and priests who spare no effort in guiding the communities entrusted to them I wish to express my appreciation of the pastoral decision to give time to reviewing the ground covered, with a view to focusing on certain fundamental contexts of ordinary pastoral work, in the light of past experience, to explain them better and to make them more broadly shared.
This commitment, which you have already been monitoring for several months in all the parishes and in the other ecclesial contexts, must be based on a renewed awareness of our being Church and of the pastoral co-responsibility which, in Christ's name, we are all called to exercise. And it is precisely on this aspect that I would like to reflect now.
The Second Vatican Council, desiring to pass on, pure and integral, the doctrine on the Church that had developed in the course of 2,000 years, gave the Church a "more deeply considered definition", illustrating first of all the enigmatic nature, that is, as a "reality imbued with the divine presence, hence always capable of new and deeper exploration" (Paul vi, Inaugural Address at the Second Session of the Second Vatican Council, 29 September 1963).
Well, the Church, which originates in the Trinitarian God, is a mystery of communion. As communion, the Church is not merely a spiritual reality but lives in history, so to speak, in flesh and blood. The Second Vatican Council describes her "in the nature of sacrament a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity among all men" (Lumen Gentium, n. 1).
And the very essence of sacrament is that the invisible is tangible in the visible and that the tangibly visible opens the door to God himself. The Church, we said, is a communion, a communion of people who, through the action of the Holy Spirit, form the People of God which is at the same time the Body of Christ.
Let us reflect a little on these two key words. The concept of "People of God" came into being and was developed in the Old Testament: to enter into the reality of human history, God chose a specific people, the People of Israel, to be his People. The intention of this particular choice is to reach, through a few, many people and through them to reach all. In other words the intention of God's specific choice is universality. Through this People, God enters into the reality of history.
And this openness to universality is achieved in the Cross and in Christ's Resurrection. In the Cross, St Paul says, Christ broke down the wall of separation. In giving us his Body, he reunites us in this Body of his to make us one. In the communion of the "Body of Christ" we all become one people, the People of God, in which to cite St Paul again all are one and there are no longer distinctions or differences between Greek and Jew, the circumcized and the uncircumcized, the barbarian, the Scythian, the slave, the Jew, but Christ is all in all. He has broken down the wall of distinction between peoples, races and cultures: we are all united in Christ.
Thus we see that the two concepts "People of God" and "Body of Christ" complete each other and together form the New Testament concept of Church.
And whereas "People of God" expresses the continuity of the Church's history, "Body of Christ" expresses the universality inaugurated in the Cross and in the Lord's Resurrection. For us Christians, therefore, "Body of Christ" is not only an image, but a true concept, because Christ makes us the gift of his real Body, not only an image of it.
Risen, Christ unites us all in the Sacrament to make us one Body. Thus the concept "People of God" and "Body of Christ complete one another: in Christ we really become the People of God. "People of God" therefore means "all", from the Pope to the most recently baptized child. The First Eucharistic Prayer, the so-called "Roman Canon" written in the fourth century, distinguishes between servants "we, your servants" and "plebs tua sancta"; therefore should one wish to make a distinction, one should speak of servants and plebs sancta, while the term "People of God" expresses the Church all together in their common being.
Subsequent to the Council this ecclesiological doctrine met with acceptance on a vast scale and thanks be to God an abundance of good fruit developed in the Christian community. However we must also remember that the integration of this doctrine in procedures and its consequent assimilation in the fabric of ecclesial awareness did not happen always and everywhere without difficulty and in accordance with a correct interpretation.
As I was able to explain in my Discourse to the Roman Curia on 22 December 2005, an interpretative current, claiming to refer to a presumed "spirit of the Council", sought to establish a discontinuity and even to distinguish between the Church before and the Church after the Council, at times even crossing the very boundaries that exist objectively between the hierarchical ministry and the responsibilities of the lay faithful in the Church.
The notion of "People of God", in particular was interpreted by some, in accordance with a purely sociological vision, with an almost exclusively horizontal bias that excluded the vertical reference to God. This position was in direct contrast with the word and spirit of the Council which did not desire a rupture, another Church, but rather a true and deep renewal in the continuity of the one subject Church which grows in time and develops but always remains identical, the one subject of the People of God on pilgrimage.
Secondly, it should be recognized that the reawakening of spiritual and pastoral energies that has been happening in recent years has not always produced the desired growth and development. In fact it must be noted that in certain ecclesial communities, the period of fervour and initiative has given way to a time of weakening commitment, a situation of weariness, at times almost a stalemate, and even resistence and contradiction between the conciliar doctrine and various concepts formulated in the name of the Council, but in fact opposed to its spirit and guidelines.
For this reason too, the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 1987 was dedicated to the theme of the vocation and mission of lay people in the Church and in the world. This fact tells us that the luminous pages which the Council dedicated to the laity were not yet sufficiently adapted to or impressed on the minds of Catholics or in pastoral procedures. On the one hand there is still a tendency to identify the Church unilaterally with the hierarchy, forgetting the common responsibility, the common mission of the People of God, which, in Christ we all share. On the other, the tendency still persists to identify the People of God unilaterally, as I have already said, in accordance with a merely sociological or political concept, forgetting the newness and specificity of that people, which becomes a people solely through communion with Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters, it is now time to ask ourselves what point our Diocese of Rome has reached. To what extent is the pastoral co-responsibility of all, and particularly of the laity, recognized and encouraged? In past centuries, thanks to the generous witness of all the baptized who spent their life educating the new generations in the faith, healing the sick and going to the aid of the poor, the Christian community proclaimed the Gospel to the inhabitants of Rome.
The self-same mission is entrusted to us today, in different situations, in a city in which many of the baptized have strayed from the path of the Church and those who are Christian are unacquainted with beauty of our faith.
The Diocesan Synod, convoked by my beloved Predecessor John Paul ii, was an effective receptio of the conciliar doctrine and the Book of the Synod involved the Diocese in becoming more and more a living and active Church in the heart of the City, through the coordinated and responsible action of all its inhabitants.
The City Mission that followed in preparation for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 enabled our ecclesial community to become aware that the mandate to evangelize does not only concern a few but rather all of the baptized.
It was a salutary experience that helped to develop in the parishes, religious communities, associations and movements a consciousness of belonging to the one People of God which, as the Apostle Peter said, God made his own: "that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him" (1 Pt 2: 9). And let us give thanks for that this evening.
There is still a long way to go. Too many of the baptized do not feel part of the ecclesial community and live on its margins, only coming to parishes in certain circumstances to receive religious services. Compared to the number of inhabitants in each parish, the lay people who are ready to work in the various apostolic fields, although they profess to be Catholic, are still few and far between.
Of course, social and cultural difficulties abound but faithful to the Lord's mandate, we cannot resign ourselves to preserving what exists. Trusting in the grace of the Spirit which the Risen Christ guaranteed to us, we must continue on our way with renewed energy. What paths can we take?
In the first place we must renew our efforts for a formation which is more attentive and focused on the vision of the Church, of which I spoke and this should be both on the part of priests as well as of religious and lay people to understand ever better what this Church is, this People of God in the Body of Christ.
At the same time, it is necessary to improve pastoral structures in such a way that the co-responsibility of all the members of the People of God in their entirety is gradually promoted, with respect for vocations and for the respective roles of the consecrated and of lay people.
This demands a change in mindset, particularly concerning lay people. They must no longer be viewed as "collaborators" of the clergy but truly recognized as "co-responsible", for the Church's being and action, thereby fostering the consolidation of a mature and committed laity.
This common awareness of being Church of all the baptized in no way diminishes the responsibility of parish priests. It is precisely your task, dear parish priests, to nurture the spiritual and apostolic growth of those who are already committed to working hard in the parishes. They form the core of the community that will act as a leaven for the others.
Although these communities are sometimes small, to prevent them from losing their identity and vigour they must be taught to listen prayerfully to the word of God through the practice of lectio divina, as the recent Synod of Bishops ardently hoped. Let us truly draw nourishment from listening, from meditating on the word of God. Our communities must not lack the knowledge that they are "Church", because Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, convokes them and makes them his People. Indeed, on the one hand faith is a profoundly personal relationship with God but on the other it possesses an essential community component and the two dimensions are inseparable.
Thus young people, who are more exposed to the growing individualism of contemporary culture, the consequences of which inevitably involves the weakening of interpersonal bonds and the enfeeblement of the sense of belonging, will also taste the beauty and joy of being and feeling Church.
Through faith in God we are united in the Body of Christ and all become united in the same Body. Thus, precisely by profoundly believing we may achieve communion among ourselves and emerge from the loneliness of individualism.
If it is the Word that gathers the community, it is the Eucharist that makes it one body: "because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Cor 10: 17). The Church, therefore, is not the result of an aggregation of individuals but of unity among those who are nourished by the one Word of God and the one Bread of Life.
Communion and the unity of the Church that are born of the Eucharist, are a reality of which we must be ever more aware, also in receiving Holy Communion, ever more aware that we are entering into unity with Christ and thus become one among ourselves.
We must learn ever anew to preserve and defend this unity from the rivalry, disputes, and jealousies that can be kindled in and among ecclesial communities. In particular, I would like to ask the movements and communities that came into being after the Second Vatican Council and that in our Diocese too are a precious gift for which we must always thank the Lord, I would like to ask these movements, which I repeat are a gift, always to ensure that their formation processes lead their members to develop a true sense of belonging to the parish community.
The Eucharist, as I have said, is the centre of parish life, and particularly of the Sunday celebration. Since the unity of the Church is born from the encounter with the Lord, the great care given to adoration and celebration of the Eucharist, enabling those who participate in it to experience the beauty of Christ's mystery is no secondary matter.
Given that the beauty of the liturgy "is no mere aestheticism, but the concrete way in which the truth of God's love in Christ encounters us, attracts us and delights us" (Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 35), it is important that the Eucharistic celebration manifest and communicate, through the sacramental signs, the divine life and reveal the true face of the Church to the men and women of this City.
The spiritual and apostolic growth of the community then leads to its extension through a convinced missionary action. Strive, therefore, in every parish as at the time of the City Mission, to restore life to the small groups or counselling centres for the faithful who proclaim Christ and his word, places where it is possible to experience faith, to put charity into practice and to organize hope.
This structuring of the large urban parishes by the multiplication of small communities allows the mission a larger breathing space, which takes into account the density of the population and its social and cultural features which are often very different.
If this pastoral method is also to be applied effectively in workplaces, it would be important to evangelize them with a well thought-out and adapted pastoral ministry since, because of the high social mobility, it is here that people spend a large part of their day.
Lastly, the witness of charity that unites hearts and opens them to ecclesial belonging should not be forgotten. Historians answer the question as to how the success of Christianity in the first centuries can be explained, the ascent of a presumed Jewish sect to the religion of the Empire, by saying that it was the experience of Christian charity in particular that convinced the world. Living charity is the primary form of missionary outreach. The word proclaimed and lived becomes credible if it is incarnate in behaviour that demonstrates solidarity and sharing, in deeds that show the Face of Christ as man's true Friend.
May the silent, daily witness of charity, promoted by parishes thanks to the commitment of numerous lay faithful continue to spread increasingly, so that those who live in suffering feel the Church's closeness and experience the love of the Father rich in mercy. Therefore be "Good Samaritans", ready to treat the material and spiritual wounds of your brethren. Deacons, conformed by ordination to Christ the Servant, will be able to carry out a useful service in promoting fresh attention to the old and new forms of poverty.
I am also thinking of the young people: dear friends, I invite you to put your enthusiasm and creativity at the service of Christ and the Gospel, making yourselves apostles of your peers, ready to respond generously to the Lord if he calls you to follow him more closely, in the priesthood or in consecrated life.
Dear brothers and sisters, the future of Christianity and of the Church in Rome also depends on the commitment and witness of each one of us. I invoke for this the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, venerated for centuries in the Basilica of St Mary Major as Salus populi romani. As she did with the Apostles in the Upper Room while awaiting Pentecost, may she also accompany us and encourage us to look with trust to the future.
With these sentiments, while I thank you for your daily work, I warmly impart to you all a special Apostolic Blessing.
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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