TO JAPANESE PRELATES: FAITH IS A TREASURE TO BE SHARED

VATICAN CITY, DEC 15, 2007 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

  Addressing them in English, the Pope began by recalling the recently-deceased Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, who "in his person ... exemplified the bonds of communion between the Church in Japan and the Holy See."

  The Holy Father then mentioned last year's 500th anniversary of the birth of St. Francis Xavier, the apostle of Japan, inviting the prelates to follow the saint's footsteps. "Your task today," he said, "is to seek new ways of bringing alive the message of Christ in the cultural setting of modern Japan. Even though Christians form only a small percentage of the population, the faith is a treasure that needs to be shared with the whole of Japanese society."

  "The world is hungry for the message of hope that the Gospel brings. Even in countries as highly developed as yours, many are discovering that economic success and advanced technology are not sufficient in themselves to bring fulfilment to the human heart. ... Remind people that there is more to life than professional success and profit."

  Going on to quote from his Encyclical "Deus caritas est," the Holy Father encouraged the prelates to lead their faithful "towards 'that encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others.' This is the great hope that Christians in Japan can offer their compatriots; it is not foreign to Japanese culture, but rather it reinforces and gives new impetus to all that is good and noble in the heritage of your beloved nation.

  "The well-merited respect which the citizens of your country show towards the Church, on account of her fine contribution in education, healthcare and many other fields, gives you an opportunity to engage with them in dialogue and to speak joyfully to them of Christ," he added.

  Young people, the Pope warned, "are at risk of being deceived by the glamour of modern secular culture" and its "false hopes." The resulting disillusion "not infrequently leads to depression and despair, even to suicide." In this context, he expressed the hope that "youthful energy and enthusiasm can be directed towards the things of God, which alone are sufficient to satisfy their deepest longings."

  Noting that over half of Japan's Catholic population is formed of immigrants, the Holy Father observed that this "provides an opportunity ... to experience the true catholicity of God's people. By taking steps to ensure that all are made to feel welcome in the Church," he told the bishops, "you can draw on the many gifts that the immigrants bring. At the same time, you need to remain vigilant in ensuring that the liturgical and disciplinary norms of the universal Church are carefully observed."

  In closing, the Pope had words of praise for "the accumulated wisdom of the ancient culture," of Japan and "her stance on the world political stage in the last 60 years." He told the prelates: "you have made the voice of the Church heard on the enduring importance of this witness, all the greater in a world where armed conflicts bring so much suffering to the innocent."

  In conclusion, the Pope recalled the forthcoming beatification of 188 Japanese martyrs, saying it "offers a clear sign of the strength and vitality of Christian witness in your country's history."
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