VATICAN CITY, NOV 5, 2005 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received prelates from the Austrian Bishop's Conference who have just concluded their "ad limina" visit. In his address to them in German, the Pope recalled how such five-yearly visits serve "to consolidate the bonds with Peter's Successor," and express "the communion of the Universal Church."
"Over the last few months," the Holy Father went on, "we have had the opportunity to experience the vitality of the Church in all its freshness and its missionary vitality, especially during 20th World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany. ... Even when such energy is not visible, we know that the Lord is with us as He promised, and that He dominates all time 'for ever and ever'." The Pope also made reference to the recently-concluded synodal assembly on the Eucharist "source of the life and mission of the Church."
Benedict XVI then turned his attention to the specific situation of Austrian dioceses, identifying certain points that call for the bishops' attention and highlighting how, "thanks to the presence of the Risen Lord, we can face reality fearlessly and optimistically, yet without losing our capacity to call things by their name, objectively and without seeking to obscure their real nature."
"Secularization," said Pope Benedict, "is a painful fact that is becoming ever more present in Europe and that has not failed to penetrate Catholic Austria. People no longer identify themselves with the teachings of the Church, and this is accompanied by a decline in the certainty of the faith and in reverence for the law of God. ... I know this situation worries you, and I share your disquiet. With you, I ask myself what can we do? Has God given us a solution to solve the problems of the Church in our time, that we may face the challenges of this third millennium with courage?"
"There can be no doubt that what is needed is clear, courageous and enthusiastic witness to faith in Jesus Christ, Who is alive and present in His Church, and in Whom alone human beings find their true happiness. At the same time, we must adopt 'missionary measures,' both great and small, in order to invert the current negative tendency."
"Remember that it is the bishop's primary duty to bear witness to the faith. 'I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God,' said the Apostle Paul in Ephesus. It is true that we must act delicately, but this must not prevent us from presenting the divine message clearly, even on those subjects that do not enjoy widespread approval, or that give rise to protest or even derision, especially in the field of the truth of faith and moral teaching."
"At times, those who direct this mission fear that people may move away if they are spoken to clearly. However, experience has generally shown that the opposite happens. ... Catholic teaching presented incompletely is self-contradictory and cannot be fruitful in the long term."
Benedict XVI invited Austrian prelates to intensify their pastoral care of youth and, in their catechesis, to use both the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the recently published Compendium thereto which, he recommended, should be explained and illustrated in "in all parishes, associations and movements," and become "habitual reading" in families.
The Pope also mentioned the positive factors that characterize the Church in Austria, such as: "the Central European Catholic Day, which is a magnificent expression of Catholic faith on the continent;" the return to the practice of Eucharistic adoration; the groups that meet to recite the Rosary; and the "good collaboration between civil authorities and the Church." And he concluded: "There are many areas where the flame of Christian zeal can be re-ignited."
AL/AUSTRIA/... VIS 20051107 (640)
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