BRAZILIAN BISHOPS: ADHERE TO THE TRUTH, RESPECT CONSCIENCES

VATICAN CITY, SEP 28, 2002 - This morning the Pope received prelates from the Brazilian cities of Olinda-Recife, Paraiba, Maceio and Natal, and from diocesan suffrages at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

John Paul II expressed his gratitude to the bishops for the dedication with which they carry out their mission, "frequently in difficult circumstances."

"The Successor of Peter," he said, "counts on you so that your
preparation is always bolstered in that spirituality of communion and fidelity to the seat of Peter. ... The integrity of faith, together with eclessial discipline, is and will be a topic that will require attention by all, especially when it comes to knowing how to discern that 'only one faith and one baptism' exist'."

Speaking about the "importance of promoting vocations to the priesthood," the Holy Father said that "there is a need for well-formed priests in order to assume the serious task of representing the Person of Christ in local communities. In addition," he added, "a complete formation of the pastoral agents is very necessary as an aid to evangelization promoted by bishops and priests in order to foster community and witness to faith in more difficult environments."

The Pope drew attention to the bishops' efforts "to strengthen the foundations of a healthy ecumenicism" and he cited the Directory for Ecumenicism, published by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, when it affirms that "diversity is one dimension of Catholicism. This," he said, "must not carry a certain indifference which balances all opinions because of false irenicism. I hope that the effort of Christian communities to reach unity, so long-awaited, may always be based upon truth."

"There should not be incompatibility," he stated, "between the
affirmation of an unconditional adherence to the truth of Jesus Christ and respect for consciences. If religion is not only a question of conscience, but also of free adherence to the truth, that can or cannot be accepted, its content cannot be compromised. For this reason, it is necessary to illustrate it, without leaving out salient elements. In this way, the importance of your commitment is understood so that there may be instructors capable of guaranteeing the greatest fidelity to theological teaching."

John Paul II concluded by referring to catechesis. "You offer the best service to the cause of ecumenicism when you provide a profound education in freedom in catechesis for adults and young people. When a Christian lives his faith completely, people are attracted to him, he inspires confidence and respect; he never imposes his religious beliefs, but he knows how to convey the truth to those who trust him without deception. He tolerates people without ever tolerating a falsehood."

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