VATICAN CITY, 12 JUN 2008 (VIS) - "Personal integrity and holiness of life are essential components of a bishop's witness", Benedict XVI told prelates from the Catholic Bishop's Conference of Bangladesh, whom he received this morning in the Vatican at the end of their "ad limina" visit.
"Bishops are called to be patient, mild and gentle in the spirit of the beatitudes", he said in his English-language address. "In this way they lead others to see all human realities in the light of the Kingdom of Heaven. ... Many of your people suffer from poverty, isolation or discrimination, and they look to you for spiritual guidance that will lead them to recognise in faith, and to experience in anticipation, that they are truly blessed by God".
The Pope then went on to examine "the effective transmission of the deposit of faith", highlighting the importance of ensuring that "lay catechists are sufficient in number, well prepared and given due recognition by the faithful. ... As you know from your own pastoral experience, catechists play an integral role in preparing lay people to receive the Sacraments. This is especially true in the increasingly important work of preparing young men and women to recognise the Sacrament of Matrimony as a life-long covenant of faithful love and as a path to holiness.
"I have often mentioned", he added, "my concern regarding the difficulty modern men and women have in making a lifelong commitment. There is an urgent need on the part of all Christians to reassert the joy of total self-giving in response to the radical call of the Gospel. One clear sign of this radical commitment is seen in the many vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life the Church in your country is currently experiencing".
"The Church is Catholic: a community embracing peoples of all races and languages, and not limited to any one culture or particular social, economic or political system. ... This gives her a connatural ability to foster unity and peace.
"My dear brothers", he told the Bangladeshi prelates, "you have much to offer the nation. In your love for your country you inspire tolerance, moderation and understanding. By encouraging people who share important values to co-operate for the common good, you help to consolidate your country's stability and to maintain it for the future. These efforts, however subtle, give effective support to the majority of your fellow citizens who uphold the country's noble tradition of mutual respect, tolerance and social harmony".
Pope Benedict then turned his attention to inter-religious dialogue, which he described as an "essential component of the Church's mission 'ad gentes'". Such dialogue, "based on mutual respect and truth, cannot fail to have a positive influence on the social climate of your country. The delicacy of this task requires thorough preparation of clergy and lay people, first of all by offering them a deeper knowledge of their own faith and then by helping them to grow in their understanding of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and the other religions present in your region".
Finally, the Holy Father mentioned the forthcoming Pauline year, "which will be for the whole Church a renewed invitation to announce with unfailing courage the Good News of Christ Jesus. ... I am aware of the difficulties of this mission entrusted to you. Like the first Christians, you live as a small community among a large non-Christian population. Your presence is a sign that the preaching of the Gospel, which began in Jerusalem and Judea, continues to spread to the ends of the earth in accordance with the universal destination the Lord willed for it".
AL/.../BANGLADESH VIS 20080612 (610)
"Bishops are called to be patient, mild and gentle in the spirit of the beatitudes", he said in his English-language address. "In this way they lead others to see all human realities in the light of the Kingdom of Heaven. ... Many of your people suffer from poverty, isolation or discrimination, and they look to you for spiritual guidance that will lead them to recognise in faith, and to experience in anticipation, that they are truly blessed by God".
The Pope then went on to examine "the effective transmission of the deposit of faith", highlighting the importance of ensuring that "lay catechists are sufficient in number, well prepared and given due recognition by the faithful. ... As you know from your own pastoral experience, catechists play an integral role in preparing lay people to receive the Sacraments. This is especially true in the increasingly important work of preparing young men and women to recognise the Sacrament of Matrimony as a life-long covenant of faithful love and as a path to holiness.
"I have often mentioned", he added, "my concern regarding the difficulty modern men and women have in making a lifelong commitment. There is an urgent need on the part of all Christians to reassert the joy of total self-giving in response to the radical call of the Gospel. One clear sign of this radical commitment is seen in the many vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life the Church in your country is currently experiencing".
"The Church is Catholic: a community embracing peoples of all races and languages, and not limited to any one culture or particular social, economic or political system. ... This gives her a connatural ability to foster unity and peace.
"My dear brothers", he told the Bangladeshi prelates, "you have much to offer the nation. In your love for your country you inspire tolerance, moderation and understanding. By encouraging people who share important values to co-operate for the common good, you help to consolidate your country's stability and to maintain it for the future. These efforts, however subtle, give effective support to the majority of your fellow citizens who uphold the country's noble tradition of mutual respect, tolerance and social harmony".
Pope Benedict then turned his attention to inter-religious dialogue, which he described as an "essential component of the Church's mission 'ad gentes'". Such dialogue, "based on mutual respect and truth, cannot fail to have a positive influence on the social climate of your country. The delicacy of this task requires thorough preparation of clergy and lay people, first of all by offering them a deeper knowledge of their own faith and then by helping them to grow in their understanding of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and the other religions present in your region".
Finally, the Holy Father mentioned the forthcoming Pauline year, "which will be for the whole Church a renewed invitation to announce with unfailing courage the Good News of Christ Jesus. ... I am aware of the difficulties of this mission entrusted to you. Like the first Christians, you live as a small community among a large non-Christian population. Your presence is a sign that the preaching of the Gospel, which began in Jerusalem and Judea, continues to spread to the ends of the earth in accordance with the universal destination the Lord willed for it".
AL/.../BANGLADESH VIS 20080612 (610)
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