[ZE120118] The World Seen From Rome
ZENIT
The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - January 18, 2012
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VATICAN DOSSIER
- Pope: Christian Unity Will Take More Than Kindness
- Benedict XVI to Youth: Be Generous in Your Witness to Christ
WORLD FEATURES
NEWS BRIEFS
Life Watch
Wednesday's Audience
FORUM
VATICAN DOSSIER
Pope: Christian Unity Will Take More Than Kindness
Calls for Conversion at Personal and Community Level
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 18, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The path to Christian unity requires more than being nice to each other and cooperating, says Benedict XVI. Full and visible unity will require transformation and being conformed to the image of Christ.
The Pope said this today as he dedicated his weekly general audience to the theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which begins today.
The annual celebration is held in the Northern hemisphere in the week leading up to the feast of the conversion of St. Paul (Jan. 25), while in the Southern hemisphere, it is generally marked around the feast of Pentecost.
"The full and visible unity of Christians for which we long demands that we allow ourselves to be ever more perfectly transformed and conformed to the image of Christ," the Holy Father stated. "The unity for which we pray requires interior conversion, both communal and personal. It is not simply a matter of kindness and cooperation; above all, we must strengthen our faith in God, in the God of Jesus Christ, who has spoken to us and who made himself one of us; we must enter into new life in Christ, which is our true and definitive victory; we must open ourselves to one another, cultivating all the elements of that unity that God has preserved for us and gives to us ever anew; we must feel the urgency of bearing witness before the men of our times to the living God, who made himself known in Christ.'
The theme for this year's Week of Prayer is "We Will All Be Changed By the Victory of Our Lord Jesus Christ," and the texts for reflection and meditation were prepared by ecumenical groups in Poland.
Essential
The Holy Father reflected on the Church's commitment to ecumenism, "The Second Vatican Council put the ecumenical pursuit at the center of the Church's life and work," he said.
He cited John Paul II, who referred to unity, not as "something added on, but [which] stands at the very heart of Christ's mission. ... [I]t belongs to the very essence of this community."
Benedict XVI affirmed, "The ecumenical task is therefore a responsibility of the whole Church and of all the baptized, who must make the partial, already existing communion between Christians grow into full communion in truth and charity. Therefore, prayer for unity is not limited to this Week of Prayer but rather must become an integral part of our prayer, of the life of prayer of all Christians, in every place and in every time, especially when people of different traditions meet and work together for the victory, in Christ, over all that is sin, evil, injustice, and that violates human dignity."
The Pontiff noted the "clear recognition" that the lack of unity jeopardizes Christians' credibility and "prevents the Gospel from being proclaimed more effectively."
"How can we give a convincing witness if we are divided?" he asked. "Certainly, as regards the fundamental truths of the faith, much more unites us than divides us. But divisions remain, and they concern even various practical and ethical questions -- causing confusion and distrust, and weakening our ability to hand on Christ's saving Word."
The Bishop of Rome stressed, however, that only Christ is "capable of transforming us and changing us -- from being weak and hesitant -- to being strong and courageous in working for good. Only he can save us from the negative consequences of our divisions."
Thus, the Pope invited the faithful to "be more intensely united in prayer during this Week for Unity, so that common witness, solidarity and collaboration may grow among Christians, as we await the glorious day when together we may profess the faith handed down by the Apostles, and together celebrate the Sacraments of our transformation in Christ."
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On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-34139?l=english
On the Net:
Materials for prayer week: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/weeks-prayer-doc/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20110414_week-prayer-2012_en.html
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Benedict XVI to Youth: Be Generous in Your Witness to Christ
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 18, 2012 (Zenit.org).- In his traditional greetings to close the weekly general audience, Benedict XVI today exhorted youth to "witness generously to your faith in Christ, who illumines the journey of life."
As is customary, the Pope also had a special message for the sick and for newlyweds.
"May faith be a constant comfort in suffering," he said to the sick.
And to the brides and grooms, he said, "May the light of Christ be for you, dear newlyweds, an effective guide in your family life."
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WORLD FEATURES
Vatican Official Speaks Out on Imprisoned Chinese Clergy
Rome-based News Agency Launches Freedom Campaign
ROME, JAN. 18, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The Rome-based AsiaNews agency has launched a campaign to appeal for the release of three bishops and six priests who are detained by the Chinese government.
The agency has written a letter to President Hu Jintao and the Chinese ambassador in Italy, Ding Wei.
"Their release could be a gesture of friendship and hope for Catholics and human rights activists, as well as a sign of true hope for the upcoming Chinese New Year," said the AsiaNews appeal, published Monday.
According to the agency, the bishops and priests have not been charged with any crime. Moreover, they have never been given a trial or been convicted by a court. In spite of this, they have been placed in forced labor camps, or have simply disappeared after being seized by the police
A day after the announcement of the campaign AsiaNews published an interview with the highest-ranking Chinese prelate, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
The Hong Kong native explained that requests by the Vatican for information on the whereabouts of the missing bishops and priests have been unsuccessful. The reply by Chinese authorities has simply been: "We do not know."
Clearly, he said, this indicates that the motive behind the disappearances is religious.
Prayer
In terms of what can be done to resolve this situation, Archbishop Hon Tai-Fai said that first of all we should pray for them. Then what is needed is to appeal to the Chinese government for their release, or at least the chance for a trial if they have done something wrong.
The witness of these bishops and priests makes me proud, the Vatican official declared. Their sufferings "have a great mystical value of salvation," he reflected, adding that not only are they models of heroism, but they will also make the work of evangelization fruitful.
The Vatican will continue to do all it can to help these prisoners, Archbishop Hon affirmed, saying that it is important to keep up the pressure on the Chinese government. He also called upon the underground Catholic community to forgive their persecutors, following the example of the martyr, St. Stephen.
Study sessions
The AsiaNews appeal comes amid continuing evidence that clergy in China face the constant threat of persecution. It was reported on Jan. 11 by the UCANews agency that Bishop John Wang Ruowang of Tianshui and some of his priests have been forced to attend "study sessions."
The bishop, who belongs to the underground Catholic Church, was secretly ordained with the Pope's approval last year. He was taken Dec. 30 from Taijing church by officials to a guesthouse in Tianshui city in northern Gansu province.
According to the report, people have been in contact with Bishop Wang and he has reported that he is undergoing "education and conversion classes." Since Jan. 4, seven diocesan priests have been taken away for this type of "study."
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On the Net:
Details of the bishops and priests detained: www.asianews.it/news-en/Appeal:-Bishops-and-priests-disappeared-or-in-prison,-home-for-the-Chinese-New-Year-23704.html
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A Chaplain's Role on a Sinking Ship
Italy's Maritime Ministry Director Comments on Costa Concordia Tragedy
ROME, JAN. 18, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Search and rescue efforts are still under way as 21 passengers from the Costa Concordia cruise ship remain unaccounted for, after the giant vessel hit rock and began sinking Friday off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy.
As friends and family of the missing still await news of their loved ones -- including a Catholic couple from Minnesota who were excited about the chance to visit Rome during their two-week vacation -- public eye is turned on the tragedy and particularly the national soul-searching related to the captain's response to the wreck.
Among those intimately involved in the disaster are the personnel from the Church's ministry to seafarers. Father Raffaele Malena was the chaplain on board and lived the wreck firsthand.
Another priest, Father Lorenzo Pasquotti, parish priest on the island of Giglio, provided assistance to the survivors as they landed on the island.
And Father Giacomo Martino, the director of maritime ministry for the Church in Italy, has been coordinating assistance to the survivors.
The onboard chaplain called the headquarters of the Apostleship of the Sea when the wreck happened, reporting his intention to "stay close to the crew and the passengers to comfort them at this moment of great confusion."
Speaking with Vatican Radio, the chaplain has in fact given a different account of the crew's reaction than that which has circulated in some press reports.
"The problem of the evacuation was the panic; the crew behaved well," he said.
The priest shared his impression of the first moments. "There were so many children," he said. "I took a little girl in my arms. I asked that she be sent first with her mother and her evacuation took precedence."
Father Malena also praised the residents of Giglio, saying "all wanted to give a hand, they opened the inns, they gave us something to eat, blankets and everything they had."
Shock recovery
ZENIT spoke with the director of the maritime ministry, Father Martino, about the tragedy.
"The crew has probably not yet assimilated the blow entirely, and the accusations flying in the media against them make them feel shipwrecked once again," he commented.
He stressed that "speaking with many people, I see that what has been said by some of the media about incompetence is not true. Simulations of shipwrecks are made, but it is quite different when there is a real shipwreck and panic spreads."
Father Martino also spoke about the role of chaplains on cruise ships.
"He acts as a man of God, without making distinctions between the passengers and crew, even if his main task is in the sector of the crew," the director said. These "workers count on the presence of a chaplain, even if they are of other religious confessions."
"Even in Ramadan, for example, though not automatically, I am sometimes asked to say the final prayer," he commented.
[Reporting by H. Sergio Mora]
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NEWS BRIEFS
Beatification Causes Advance for 2 London-Born Nuns
Mother Riccarda Saved Jews From Nazis
LONDON, JAN. 18, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The causes of beatification for two London-born nuns have finished their diocesan stage and are headed to Rome.
The dossier on Mother Riccarda Beauchamp Hambrough (1887-1966), and on Sister Katherine Flanagan (1892-1941) have been sent to the Congregation for Saints' Causes, the Catholic Herald reported Tuesday.
Both nuns were Bridgettine Sisters.
Mother Riccarda served as the director of the order for a time; while at the motherhouse in Rome in 1943, she helped to save the lives of some 60 Jews by hiding them in the convent.
Sister Katherine, meanwhile, was dedicated to opening Bridgettine convents around the world. She was the first prioress of new convents in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire; Lugano, Switzerland; and Vadstena, Sweden.
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Life Watch
Emergency 'Contraceptives' More Available Than Ever: Now What?
How Science Should be Used to Stem the Tide
By Arland K. Nichols
WASHINGTON, D.C., JAN. 18, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Recent controversies in the United States surrounding the “morning after pill” point to international trends making such potentially abortifacient drugs increasingly accessible to men and women of all ages. While the Catholic Church’s consistent teaching about the intrinsic evil of contraception (cf. Humanae vitae) seems to be increasingly validated by the sciences as a destructive social and physical phenomenon in society, many still have the mistaken impression that it is to be avoided only for "religious" reasons. In fact, what we are seeing is widespread acceptance of drugs that not only prevent pregnancy, but actually cause abortions, making their labeling as "contraceptives" somewhat misleading.
In the late 1990s the Rockefeller Foundation formed the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception (ICEC), whose charter was to spread the use of “emergency contraception” throughout the world.[1] Among the original member organizations are International Planned Parenthood Federation, Population Council, and Population Services International, and their initial campaign targeted nations long in the crosshairs of “population control” organizations: Sri Lanka, Kenya, Mexico and Indonesia.
The campaign has been "successful" as emergency contraception is now available in over 140 countries today.[2] It is available from a pharmacist (which allows for consultation with the patient) without a prescription in 58 nations and enjoys full “over the counter” status in six nations -- India, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, most provinces in Canada, and for women as young as 17 in the United States. The widespread and growing acceptance of emergency contraception is a troubling trend for Catholics that deserves our attention, so in order that our concern may be properly informed, let’s briefly make some distinctions among the drugs in question.
The primary emergency contraception promoted all these years by the ICEC is the synthetic hormone levonorgestrel, which is marketed under numerous names: in English-speaking countries these include Plan B, Next Choice, Levonelle and Pregnon. Levonorgestrel is approved for use up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse, but is commonly used up to five days later to prevent pregnancy. Studies indicate that levonorgestrel does not kill an embryonic human being who has already implanted in the uterus; nonetheless, it may still act as an abortifacient.
Levonorgestrel is often confused with what is popularly known as "the abortion pill" or "RU-486." RU-486 is the synthetic steroid, Mifepristone. Mifepristone (marketed as Mifeprex in the United States) is FDA approved to chemically abort a child who has reached seven weeks of age in the womb. Mifepristone terminates established pregnancies.
Another "emergency contraceptive" was added to the market when the European Medicines Agency approved ulipristal acetate in 2009, while the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved its use for the United States in 2010. It is marketed as Ellaone and Ella, respectively, and is available in 30 countries. Its method of action is summarized well by the European Medicines Agency: "Ulipristal acetate prevents progesterone from occupying its receptor ... progesterone is blocked, and the proteins necessary to begin and maintain pregnancy are not synthesized."[3] That is, it can prevent a newly conceived child from implanting, and can disrupt the child that has already implanted, killing him.
Because levonorgestrel is the most common emergency contraceptive, here we will focus on two common and flawed claims that have led to its acceptance in the international community. The first claim is that science has proven that levonorgestrel never causes an early abortion, so a woman may take it without fear of ending the life of her child.
Levonorgestrel primarily functions so as to prevent a woman from ovulating. As has been noted, it does not kill a child that has already implanted. Many studies indicate that Plan B may also have a secondary method of action if a woman ovulates even though she took levonorgestrel.[4] If fertilization occurs (bringing a new human being into existence) following a "breakthrough ovulation" the drug may prevent this embryonic human being from implanting on his mother's uterus. Patrick Yeung Jr. and his coauthors explain that levonorgestrel "interferes with the normal development and function of the corpus luteum; a dysfunctional corpus luteum then leads to an impaired endometrium [wall of the uterus] that interferes with embryonic implantation."[5] They argue that "no evidence exists to contradict this interceptive effect" and suggest that "levonorgestrel is estimated to act as an abortifacient 3%-13% of the time" when taken immediately prior to ovulation. This abortion-inducing effect is acknowledged by the FDA, which states that levonorgestrel "is believed to act as an emergency contraceptive principally by preventing ovulation or fertilization. ... In addition, it may inhibit implantation (by altering the endometrium)."[6]
The Catholic Church, noting that levonorgestrel may at times act as an abortifacient by preventing the child conceived from implanting in his mother's womb, says in Dignitas personae that use of such a drug when it prevents implantation "fall[s] within the sin of abortion and [is] gravely immoral" (n. 23).
The second claim that is often used to gain public acceptance of Plan B is that easy access to it will reduce unintended pregnancies and, thus, abortions. For example, Doctor Andre Lalonde of Canada’s Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has stated "[b]etter access and greater knowledge and use of emergency contraception could significantly reduce the incidence of unintended pregnancy in Canada."[7] This claim was echoed by the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) recent recommendation that led the United States Department of Health and Human Services to require all insurance plans to cover levonorgestrel free of charge. The IOM stated "that greater use of contraception within the population produces lower unintended pregnancy and abortion rates nationally.”[8] Such assertions are specious, as numerous studies show that greater access to emergency contraception reduces neither unintended pregnancies nor abortion.
A 2010 study of eleven randomized control trials by Chelsea Polis of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health concluded: "Our review suggests that strategies for advance provision of emergency contraception which have been tested to date do not appear to reduce unintended pregnancy at the population level.”[9] Further, a 2007 study published in Obstetrics and Gynecology arrived at the same conclusion: “increased access to emergency contraceptive pills enhances use but has not been shown to reduce unintended pregnancy rates.”[10] And a November 2006 study in the same journal concluded that increased access to emergency contraception “did not show benefit in decreasing pregnancy rates.”[11] Similarly, levonorgestrel does not reduce rates of abortion, as indicated in a 2004 study published in Contraception.[12] In spite of free provision of emergency contraception to 18,000 women, “no impact on abortion rates was measurable. While advanced provision of EC probably prevents some pregnancies for some women some of the time, the strategy did not produce the public health breakthrough hoped for.”
All told, the studies reveal that, contrary to the many “professional and editorial opinions and projections” that emergency contraception reduces unintended pregnancies and abortion, I am unaware of a single population-based study indicating that it is actually effective in doing so.
Yet the international trend toward greater and easier access to levonorgestrel continues, and over time, drugs that are more likely to cause the death of the embryonic human beings (such as “Ella” and “EllaOne”) are likely to replace levonorgestrel. While this article has not focused on the immoral use of contraception within marriage, it has identified the pervasive and life-threatening results of the contraceptive mentality in society. We cannot ignore these troubling trends which are clear manifestations of the culture of death. Our knowledge and principle-based action can stem the tide as seen in Honduras which, in 2009, banned the sale of emergency contraception.
Massive and influential organizations with deep pockets are actively promoting abortion-inducing contraceptives throughout the international community, misleading many who would oppose their use if they were aware of their potential abortifacient effects and non-effectiveness in reducing abortion rates. To date, such organizations have faced little effective opposition. One way for the Catholic pro-life community to stem the tide is to shed light upon the false claims made about emergency contraception. Against those who claim that "science" requires the adoption of ever more life-changing and life-ending medications, we must be ready to reply with the scientific facts that show their claims for what they really are -- anti-life.
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Arland K. Nichols is the National Director of HLI America, an educational initiative of Human Life International. His articles may be found at www.hliamerica.org.
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[1] http://www.cecinfo.org/
[2] http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/dedicated.html
[3] http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/001027/WC500023670.pdf
[4] The author notes that there are some, including within the Catholic scholarly community, who suggest that an abortifacient effect is extremely unlikely. Perhaps most notable is Rev. Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco, O.P. See “Is Plan B an Abortifacient?,” National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, (V7 N4), 703-707.
[5] Yeung et al., “Argument Against the Use of Levonorgestrel in Cases of Sexual Assault,” Catholic Health Care Ethics: A Manual for Practitioners, Ed. Edward J.Furton, (Philadelphia: 2009), 144.
[6] http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2009/021998lbl.pdf
[7] http://www.cwhn.ca/resources/cwhn/ec.html
[8] http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Clinical-Preventive-Services-for-Women-Closing-the-Gaps.aspx
[9] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/182584.php
[10] http://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Abstract/2007/01000/Population_Effect_of_Increased_Access_to_Emergency.25.aspx
[11] http://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Fulltext/2006/11000/Impact_of_Increased_Access_to_Emergency.9.aspx
[12] http://www.cwfa.org/images/content/scotland0905.pdf
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Wednesday's Audience
On the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
"The Unity for Which We Pray Requires Interior Conversion, Both Communal and Personal"
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 18, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language catechesis Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience held in Paul VI Hall. The Pope reflected on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which begins today.
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Dear brothers and sisters,
Today marks the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which for more than a century has been celebrated by Christians of all Churches and ecclesial Communities, in order to invoke that extraordinary gift for which the Lord Jesus Himself prayed during the Last Supper, before His Passion: "that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:21). The practice of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was introduced in 1908 by Father Paul Wattson, founder of an Anglican religious community that subsequently entered the Catholic Church. The initiative received the blessing of Pope St. Pius X and was then promoted by Pope Benedict XV, who encouraged its celebration throughout the Church with the Brief, Romanorum Pontificum, promulgated Feb. 25, 1916.
The octave of prayer was developed and perfected in the 1930s by Abbé Paul Couturier of Lyon, who promoted prayer "for the unity of the Church as Christ wills, and in accordance with the instruments He wills." In his later writings, Abbé Couturier sees this Week as a way of allowing the prayer of Christ to "enter into and penetrate the entire Christian Body"; it must grow until it becomes "an immense, unanimous cry of the whole People of God" who ask God for this great gift. And it is precisely during the Week of Christian Unity that the impetus given by the Second Vatican Council toward seeking full communion among all of Christ’s disciples each year finds one of its most forceful expressions. This spiritual gathering, which unites Christians of all traditions, increases our awareness of the fact that the unity to which we tend will not be the result of our efforts alone, but will rather be a gift received from above, a gift for which we must constantly pray.
Each year, the booklets for the Week of Prayer are prepared by an ecumenical group from a different region of the world. I would like to pause to consider this point. This year, the texts were proposed by a mixed group comprised of representatives of the Catholic Church and of the Polish Ecumenical Council, which includes the country’s various Churches and ecclesial Communities. The documentation was then reviewed by a committee made up of members of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity and of the Faith and Order Commission of the Council of Churches. This work, carried out together in two stages, is also a sign of the desire for unity that animates Christians, and of the awareness that prayer is the primary way of attaining full communion, since it is in being united with the Lord that we move toward unity.
The theme of the Week this year -- as we heard -- is taken from the First Letter to the Corinthians: “We Will All Be Changed By the Victory of Our Lord Jesus Christ” -- His victory will transform us. And this theme was suggested by the large ecumenical Polish group I just mentioned, which -- in reflecting on their own experience as a nation -- wanted to underscore how strong a support the Christian faith is in the midst of trial and upheaval, like those that have characterized Poland’s history. After ample discussion, a theme was chosen that focuses on the transforming power of faith in Christ, particularly in light of the importance it has for our prayer for the visible unity of Christ’s Body, the Church. This reflection was inspired by the words of St. Paul who, addressing himself to the Church of Corinth, speaks about the perishable nature of what belongs to our present life -- which is also marked by the experience of the “defeat” that comes from sin and death -- compared to what brings us Christ’s victory over sin and death in His paschal mystery.
The particular history of the Polish nation, which knew times of democratic coexistence and of religious liberty -- as in the 16th century -- has been marked in recent centuries by invasions and defeat, but also by the constant struggle against oppression and by the thirst for freedom. All of this led the ecumenical group to reflect more deeply on the true meaning of "victory" -- what victory is -- and "defeat." Compared with "victory" understood in triumphalistic terms, Christ suggests to us a very different path that does not pass by way of force and power. In fact, He affirms: “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Christ speaks of a victory through suffering love, through mutual service, help, new hope and concrete comfort given to the least, to the forgotten, to those who are rejected. For all Christians, the highest expression of this humble service is Jesus Christ Himself -- the total gift He makes of Himself, the victory of His love over death on the Cross, which shines resplendent in the light of Easter morning.
We can take part in this transforming “victory” if we allow ourselves to be transformed by God -- but only if we work for the conversion of our lives, and if this transformation leads to conversion. This is the reason why the Polish ecumenical group considered particularly fitting for their own reflection the words of St. Paul: “We will all be changed by the victory of Christ, Our Lord” (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58).
The full and visible unity of Christians for which we long demands that we allow ourselves to be ever more perfectly transformed and conformed to the image of Christ. The unity for which we pray requires interior conversion, both communal and personal. It is not simply a matter of kindness and cooperation; above all, we must strengthen our faith in God, in the God of Jesus Christ, who has spoken to us and who made Himself one of us; we must enter into new life in Christ, which is our true and definitive victory; we must open ourselves to one another, cultivating all the elements of that unity that God has preserved for us and gives to us ever anew; we must feel the urgency of bearing witness before the men of our times to the living God, who made Himself known in Christ.
The Second Vatican Council put the ecumenical pursuit at the center of the Church’s life and work: “The Sacred Council exhorts all the Catholic faithful to recognize the signs of the times and to take an active and intelligent part in the work of ecumenism” (Unitatis redintegratio, 4). Blessed John Paul II stressed the essential nature of this commitment, saying: “This unity, which the Lord has bestowed on his Church and in which he wishes to embrace all people, is not something added on, but stands at the very heart of Christ’s mission. Nor is it some secondary attribute of the community of his disciples. Rather, it belongs to the very essence of this community (Ut unum sint, 9). The ecumenical task is therefore a responsibility of the whole Church and of all the baptized, who must make the partial, already existing communion between Christians grow into full communion in truth and charity. Therefore, prayer for unity is not limited to this Week of Prayer but rather must become an integral part of our prayer, of the life of prayer of all Christians, in every place and in every time, especially when people of different traditions meet and work together for the victory, in Christ, over all that is sin, evil, injustice, and that violates human dignity.
From the time the modern ecumenical movement was born over a century ago, there has always been a clear recognition of the fact that the lack of unity among Christians prevents the Gospel from being proclaimed more effectively, because it jeopardizes our credibility. How can we give a convincing witness if we are divided? Certainly, as regards the fundamental truths of the faith, much more unites us than divides us. But divisions remain, and they concern even various practical and ethical questions -- causing confusion and distrust, and weakening our ability to hand on Christ’s saving Word. In this regard, we do well to remember the words of Blessed John Paul II, who in the Encyclical Ut unum sint, speaks of the damage caused to Christian witness and to the proclamation of the Gospel by the lack of unity (cf. no. 98,99). This is a great challenge for the new evangelization, which can be more fruitful if all Christians together announce the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and give a common response to the spiritual thirst of our times.
The Church's journey, like that of all peoples, is in the hands of the Risen Christ, who is victorious over the death and injustice that He bore and suffered on behalf of all mankind. He makes us sharers in His victory. Only He is capable of transforming us and changing us -- from being weak and hesitant -- to being strong and courageous in working for good. Only He can save us from the negative consequences of our divisions. Dear brothers and sisters, I invite everyone to be more intensely united in prayer during this Week for Unity, so that common witness, solidarity and collaboration may grow among Christians, as we await the glorious day when together we may profess the faith handed down by the Apostles, and together celebrate the Sacraments of our transformation in Christ. Thank you.
[Translation by Diane Montagna]
[In English, he said:]
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which begins today invites all the Lord’s followers to implore the gift of unity. This year’s theme – We Will All Be Changed By The Victory Of Our Lord Jesus Christ – was chosen by representatives of the Catholic Church and the Polish Ecumenical Council. Poland’s experience of oppression and persecution prompts a deeper reflection on the meaning of Christ’s victory over sin and death, a victory in which we share through faith. By his teaching, his example and his paschal mystery, the Lord has shown us the way to a victory obtained not by power, but by love and concern for those in need. Faith in Christ and interior conversion, both individual and communal, must constantly accompany our prayer for Christian unity. During this Week of Prayer, let us ask the Lord in a particular way to strengthen the faith of all Christians, to change our hearts and to enable us to bear united witness to the Gospel. In this way we will contribute to the new evangelization and respond ever more fully to the spiritual hunger of the men and women of our time.
* * *
I offer a cordial welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience. My special greeting goes to the Lutheran pilgrims from Finland. I also greet the group of sailors and marines from the United States. Upon all of you and your families I cordially invoke God’s abundant blessings!
© Copyright 2012 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[In Italian, he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
I extend a cordial welcome to all Italian-speaking pilgrims. In particular, I greet priests belonging to the Focolare Movement, and I hope that these days of study help you to persevere in the generous following of Christ and in the joyous witness of the Gospel. I greet the students from the diocese of Caserta who are accompanied by their Bishop Pietro Farina: may this meeting strengthen the faith and commitment to Christian life in each one of you. I warmly greet the young patients of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment of Milan, and I assure you of my fervent prayers that the Lord may sustain each of you by His grace. I greet the large representation of the Bar of Rome and, while I thank them for their presence, I wish to encourage them to carry out their delicate profession by always remaining faithful to the truth, the fundamental prerequisite for the implementation of justice.
I also offer a cordial greeting to young people, to the sick and to newlyweds. I invite you, dear young people, always to witness generously to your faith in Christ, who illumines the journey of life. May faith be a constant comfort in suffering to you, dear sick. And may the light of Christ be for you, dear newlyweds, an effective guide in your family life.
[Translation by Diane Montagna]
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FORUM
It Should Be Called the 'Friend of Truth'
A Tribute to L'Osservatore Romano
By Antonio Gaspari
ROME, JAN. 18, 2012 (Zenit.org).- It should be called "the friend of truth." It opposed Nazism and Communism. In defense of the Pope and of the poor, it has challenged dictators worldwide. Its motto affirms "Non praevalebunt." Pope Paul VI pointed it out as "a light nourished by the See of Peter," it has just celebrated its 150th anniversary, and Benedict XVI speaks of its "long and great history."
We are talking about L'Osservatore Romano, commonly known in Rome as "the Pope's newspaper." Born in difficult times in 1861, when it seemed that the Holy See would be swept away, it has grown enormously and today comes out with editions in eight languages among which is also the Malaysian version published in India.
In Brazil there is a street dedicated to L'Osservatore Romano in the Carlos Lourenco Garden of Campinas.
The paper was founded by lawyer Nicola Zanchini together with journalist Giuseppe Bastia after Pope Pius IX gave his blessing to the publication.
Written in the founding constitution is that the objective of L'Osservatore Romano is to "unmask and confute the calumnies hurled against the Roman Pontificate," to "recall the principles of the Catholic religion and those of justice and law as the basis of ordinary civil living" and to "stimulate and promote the veneration of the Sovereign Pontiff."
In connection with the nascent Italian nation and the sciences, L'Osservatore Romano proposed "to instruct on the duties owed to the homeland" and to "bring together and illustrate all that through art, literature and sciences merits being pointed out to the public, especially the inventions and related applications."
In the course of its glorious history, L'Osservatore Romano has distinguished itself for opposing every form of totalitarianism and for defending the liberty and dignity of the person.
Speaking of the 30s, when Italy was under the Fascist dictatorship, Francis Charles Roux, ambassador of France to the Holy see, writes in his memoirs that L'Osservatore Romano is "the only newspaper in Italy that does not obey the governmental dispositions and those of the Fascist party."
"Its independence in confrontations with the government, made its circulation grow to a number that was very different from the usual," added the French diplomat. In that period the Pope's newspaper sold close to 60,000 copies, reaching even to 100,000, an enormous number at that time.
The diffusion of L'Osservatore Romano infuriated the Fascist militia, to the point that some customers were mistreated, entire packets of the newspaper were confiscated and burnt.
In this connection, in the Constituent Assembly of March 20, 1947, the well-known Italian journalist, jurist, writer and politician Piero Calamandrei said: "In the years of the greatest oppression, we must remember that the only newspaper in which one could still find some reference to liberty, to our liberty, to the liberty common to all free men was L'Osservatore Romano.
"And when the racial persecutions began, the Church lined up against the persecutors and in defense of the oppressed; because when the Germans sought our sons to torture and shoot them, they, no matter what their party, found refuge in the rectories and convents; because priests were found who were prepared to offer themselves as hostages to save the population of a municipality and to rescue the life of all with their sacrifice."
Among the thousands of acts of heroism carried out by Catholics, emerges that of the director of L'Osservatore Romano, Giuseppe Dalla Torre, who, to follow the indications of the Servant of God Pius XII, on Oct. 29, 1943, took care of and sent the Jew Giovanni Astrologo with his father and four aunts to the Lombard Seminary of Rome.
They were persecuted and sought by the Nazis. Dalla Torre entrusted them to Monsignor Francesco Bertoglio, rector of the seminary, who on June 29, 2010 was recognized by Yad Vashem as "Righteous Among the Nations."
On Sept. 24, 1936, intervening in the second international congress of Catholic journalists, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli said that L'Osservatore Romano "for fifteen lustrums was the austere herald of the voice and sentences of Peter and the champion of his most sacred rights."
And when Pacelli became Pope Pius XII he described it as "faithful and dear."
According to Blessed Pope John XXIII, L'Osservatore Romano is "the daily herald, the instrument, the surest voice by which the Pope's thought is ordinarily transmitted and guaranteed of its authenticity, from Rome to the extreme ends of the world."
In the introduction of the pamphlet marking the paper's 150th anniversary, Benedict XVI explained that L'Osservatore Romano knows how to express "the cordial friendship of the Holy See for humanity in our time, in defense of the human person created in the image and likeness of God and redeemed by Christ."
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