VATICAN CITY, 8 FEB 2008 (VIS) - During a meeting held yesterday morning in the Vatican's Hall of Blessings with priests of the diocese of Rome, the Holy Father answered a number of queries put to him on such matters as youth, evangelisation and the challenge of education.
Replying to a question about young people, the Holy Father noted the difficulty they can encounter in trying to live a Christian life, in the face of prevailing lifestyles. For this reason, he said, it is important for priests to bear witness to the fact that we really can know God, that we can be His friends and walk with Him. In this context he also highlighted the importance of the presence of God in the field of education and, referring to a Letter he had recently written on this subject to the diocese of Rome, he indicated that professional formation must be accompanied by formation of the heart, by the presence of God. One aspect of cultural formation, he added, is to know the Gospel.
On the subject of Lent, the Pope indicated that "it should also be a time to abstain from words and images, because we have need of a little silence. We need to create a space free from the constant bombardment of images, ... a silent space for ourselves, without images, in order to open our hearts to the true image, the true Word".
In replying to a question posed by an Indian priest who has lived in Rome for a number of years, Benedict XVI turned his attention to the theme of evangelisation, recalling the Note on that subject recently approved by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Dialogue, he said, means respecting others. Yet, he explained, this dimension of dialogue does not exclude the announcement of the Gospel, which is a gift of Truth that we cannot keep for ourselves but must also offer to others.
Mission is not imposition, rather it means offering the gift of God and allowing His goodness to illuminate us. To do otherwise, said the Pope, would be to neglect a duty. We too would be unfaithful if we did not present our own faith while respecting the freedom of others, he added, highlighting the importance of missionary work. Dialogue and mission do not exclude one another, but need one another.
The Holy Father also dwelt on the importance of the Final Judgement, recognising that in the Church today there is perhaps too little reference to sin, Paradise and Hell. "Also for this reason", he said, "I chose to mention the Last Judgement in my Encyclical 'Spe Salvi'". Anyone who does not recognise the Final Judgement, he added, does not recognise the possibility of failure and the need for redemption. Anyone who does not labour for heaven does not work for the good of mankind on earth. In this context he noted that Nazism and Communism, which were concerned only with this world, ended up by destroying it.
Finally, the Pope turned to consider the increasingly important role of permanent deacons, of whom there are more than 100 in Rome. We must thank the Fathers of Vatican Council II, he said, for revitalising this ministry which, he concluded, is a link between the world of the laity and the priestly ministry.
OP/MEETING/ROMAN CLERGY VIS 20080208 (570)
Replying to a question about young people, the Holy Father noted the difficulty they can encounter in trying to live a Christian life, in the face of prevailing lifestyles. For this reason, he said, it is important for priests to bear witness to the fact that we really can know God, that we can be His friends and walk with Him. In this context he also highlighted the importance of the presence of God in the field of education and, referring to a Letter he had recently written on this subject to the diocese of Rome, he indicated that professional formation must be accompanied by formation of the heart, by the presence of God. One aspect of cultural formation, he added, is to know the Gospel.
On the subject of Lent, the Pope indicated that "it should also be a time to abstain from words and images, because we have need of a little silence. We need to create a space free from the constant bombardment of images, ... a silent space for ourselves, without images, in order to open our hearts to the true image, the true Word".
In replying to a question posed by an Indian priest who has lived in Rome for a number of years, Benedict XVI turned his attention to the theme of evangelisation, recalling the Note on that subject recently approved by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Dialogue, he said, means respecting others. Yet, he explained, this dimension of dialogue does not exclude the announcement of the Gospel, which is a gift of Truth that we cannot keep for ourselves but must also offer to others.
Mission is not imposition, rather it means offering the gift of God and allowing His goodness to illuminate us. To do otherwise, said the Pope, would be to neglect a duty. We too would be unfaithful if we did not present our own faith while respecting the freedom of others, he added, highlighting the importance of missionary work. Dialogue and mission do not exclude one another, but need one another.
The Holy Father also dwelt on the importance of the Final Judgement, recognising that in the Church today there is perhaps too little reference to sin, Paradise and Hell. "Also for this reason", he said, "I chose to mention the Last Judgement in my Encyclical 'Spe Salvi'". Anyone who does not recognise the Final Judgement, he added, does not recognise the possibility of failure and the need for redemption. Anyone who does not labour for heaven does not work for the good of mankind on earth. In this context he noted that Nazism and Communism, which were concerned only with this world, ended up by destroying it.
Finally, the Pope turned to consider the increasingly important role of permanent deacons, of whom there are more than 100 in Rome. We must thank the Fathers of Vatican Council II, he said, for revitalising this ministry which, he concluded, is a link between the world of the laity and the priestly ministry.
OP/MEETING/ROMAN CLERGY VIS 20080208 (570)
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