VATICAN CITY, FEB 20, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning received French bishops from the province of Paris and from the military ordinariate as they end their quinquennial "ad limina" visit. In his talk to them he echoed their concern for the secularization of French society and highlighted the need not only for a renewed evangelization in many areas but, in some cases, a "first proclamation of the Gospel."
He remarked that secularization "is often understood as a refusal, in social life, of the anthropological, religious and moral values which have profoundly marked it." Thus, he said, the need for both a first time proclamation of the Gospel, and an ongoing announcement. Noting that catechesis among children was decreasing, but was on the increase among young people, he said "it is important to offer both children and youth a quality education, giving them clear and solid elements of the faith which lead to an intense spiritual life."
The Pope added that "catechetical formation must be accompanied by regular religious practice. How can proposals made to children truly take root in them and how can Christ transform their inner being and actions if they do not encounter Him regularly?" Religious formation must be both personal and in the community of believers, "remembering that this dimension of life has a positive influence on social bonds and on the lives of people."
Faith, he said, must be profound, transmitted in solid teachings, faithful to the Magisterium and above all, it must be lived daily, especially in our relationships with others. "Pastors and catechists," said the Holy Father, "must remember that children and young people are especially sensitive to coherence between a person's word and their concrete life. Indeed, how can young people become aware of the need for participation in the Sunday Eucharist or the practice of the sacrament of penance if their parents or teachers do not themselves live such a religious and ecclesial life?
In forming young people, John Paul II exhorted the bishops to seek "forms of teaching that, bearing in mind their desire for a warm, human experience, and propose that they get to know Christ and to encounter Him on a path of strong and structured personal and community prayer."
Teaching the faith also involves enabling the faithful "to harmonize their religious knowledge with their human knowledge, so that they may realize an ever more solid synthesis between their scientific and technical learning, and the religious experience." He congratulated the Cathedral School of Paris whose work "invites each person to tirelessly deepen the mystery of faith, transmitting it in a suitable language, without however transforming its substance."
The Holy Father dedicated concluding remarks to "the catechetical and evangelizing nature of liturgy, which must be understood as a path to holiness, the inner strength of the apostolic dynamism and missionary nature of the Church. . Pastors must take ever greater care, with the collaboration of the laity, in the preparation of Sunday liturgy, paying special attention to the rite and beauty of the celebration. . In their homilies, priests must take care to teach the faithful about the doctrinal and scriptural foundations of the faith. I again strongly ask all the faithful to base their spiritual experience and their mission in the Eucharist, around the bishop, minister and guarantor of communion in the diocesan Church, for 'where the bishop is, there is the Church'."
AL/CATECHESIS/FRANCE VIS 20040220 (570)
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