VATICAN CITY, 14 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 5.15 p.m. today, the Pope met with French bishops at the Hemicycle of St. Bernadette in Lourdes.
"This is the first time since the beginning of my pontificate that I have had the joy of meeting all of you together", said the Pope to the prelates as he opened his remarks to them.
"I express my deep appreciation for this gift of yourselves", he told them, "despite the magnitude of the task, ... you carry out with fidelity and humility the triple task towards the flock entrusted to you of teaching, governing, sanctifying".
"You are rightly convinced that, if every baptised person is to grow in desire for God and in understanding of life's meaning, catechesis is of fundamental importance", he said, noting how "the two principal instruments at your disposal - the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Catechism of the Bishops of France - are like precious jewels. They offer a harmonious synthesis of the Catholic faith and they ensure that the preaching of the Gospel is truly faithful to the riches that it contains. Catechesis is not first and foremost a question of method, but of content".
"Diligent preparation of catechists", he continued, "will allow integral transmission of the faith, after the example of St. Paul, the greatest catechist of all time, whom we regard with particular admiration in this bi-millennium of his birth".
In order to accomplish the task of evangelisation effectively, "you need co-workers. For this reason, priestly and religious vocations deserve to be encouraged more than ever. ... I would like to offer warm thanks and encouragement to all families, parishes, Christian communities and ecclesial movements, which provide the fertile soil that bears the good fruit of vocations".
"It can never be said often enough that the priesthood is indispensable to the Church, for it is at the service of the laity. Priests are a gift from God for the Church. Where their specific missions are concerned, priests cannot delegate their functions to the faithful. ... Their spiritual life is the foundation of their apostolic life. You will gently exhort them to daily prayer and to the worthy celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation".
Benedict XVI highlighted how "every priest should be able to feel happiness in serving the Church. In the school of the Cure d'Ars, a son of your land and patron of pastors throughout the world, constantly reiterate that the greatest thing a man can do is to give the Body and Blood of Christ to the faithful and to forgive their sins. Seek to be attentive to their human, intellectual and spiritual formation, and to their means of subsistence".
Referring then to liturgical worship, the Pope affirmed that it "is the supreme expression of priestly and episcopal life, just as it is of catechetical teaching". And he went on to indicate that "in the Motu Proprio 'Summorum Pontificum', I was led to set out the conditions in which this duty is to be exercised, with regard to the possibility of using the missal of Blessed John XXIII (1962) in addition to that of Pope Paul VI (1970). Some fruits of these new arrangements have already been seen, and I hope that, thanks be to God, the necessary pacification of spirits is already taking place. I am aware of your difficulties, but I do not doubt that, within a reasonable time, you can find solutions satisfactory for all, lest the seamless tunic of Christ be further torn. Everyone has a place in the Church. Every person, without exception, should be able to feel at home, and never rejected".
The Pope also remarked upon another problem "which arises with particular urgency everywhere: the situation of the family". In this context he affirmed that "marriage and the family are today experiencing real turbulence. ... For several decades, laws in different countries have been relativising its nature as the primordial cell of society. Often they are seeking more to adapt to the mores and demands of particular individuals or groups, than to promote the common good of society.
"The stable union of a man and a women, ordered to building earthly happiness through the birth of children given by God, is no longer, in the minds of certain people, the reference point for conjugal commitment", he added. "However, experience shows that the family is the foundation on which the whole of society rests. Moreover, Christians know that the family is also the living cell of the Church. The more the family is steeped in the spirit and values of the Gospel, the more the Church herself will be enriched by them and the better she will fulfil her vocation".
The Holy Father then identified a "particularly painful situation" concerning people "who are divorced and remarried. The Church, which cannot oppose the will of Christ, firmly maintains the principle of the indissolubility of marriage, while surrounding with the greatest affection those men and women who, for a variety of reasons, fail to respect it. Hence initiatives aimed at blessing irregular unions cannot be admitted".
Referring then to the young, he recalled how John Paul II, on his first trip to France, had "delivered an address to the young people of your country which has lost none of its relevance, and which was received at the time with unforgettable fervour: 'Moral permissiveness does not make people happy'. ... I ask the Holy Spirit to speak to the hearts of all the faithful and, more generally, of all your compatriots, so as to give them - or to restore to them - the desire for a life lived in accordance with the criteria of true happiness".
The Holy Father continued his address by referring to "France's Christian roots". Drawing attention to them, he said, "will permit each inhabitant of the country to come to a better understanding of his or her origin and destiny. Consequently, within the current institutional framework and with the utmost respect for the laws that are in force, it is necessary to find a new path, in order to interpret and live from day to day the fundamental values on which the nation's identity is built. Your president has intimated that this is possible".
"The Church", he said in this context, "does not claim the prerogative of the State. She does not wish to take its place. She is a community built on certain convictions; she is aware of her responsibility for the whole and cannot remain closed within herself. She speaks freely, and enters into dialogue with equal freedom, in her desire to build up a shared freedom. ... Thanks to a healthy collaboration between the political community and the Church, made possible through an acknowledgement and respect for the independence and autonomy of each within their particular spheres, a service is rendered to mankind which aims at his full personal and social development".
"The goal of ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue ... is to seek and deepen a knowledge of the Truth. ... The building of bridges between the great ecclesial Christian traditions, and dialogue with other religious traditions, demand a real striving for mutual understanding, because ignorance destroys more than it builds. ... To be sure, one must follow closely the various initiatives that are undertaken, so as to discern which ones favour reciprocal knowledge and respect, as well as the promotion of dialogue, and so as to avoid those which lead to impasses. Good will is not enough. I believe it is good to begin by listening, then moving on to theological discussion, so as to arrive finally at witness and proclamation of the faith itself".
The Pope concluded his address to the assembled prelates by highlighting the importance of working "towards a genuine spiritual liberation. Man", he said", is always in need of liberation from his fears and his sins. Man must ceaselessly learn or relearn that God is not his enemy, but his infinitely good Creator. Man needs to know that his life has a meaning, and that he is awaited, at the conclusion of his earthly sojourn, so as to share for ever in Christ's glory in heaven. Your mission is to bring the portion of the People of God entrusted to your care to recognise this glorious destiny".
PV-FRANCE/BISHOPS/LOURDES VIS 20080915 (1390)
"This is the first time since the beginning of my pontificate that I have had the joy of meeting all of you together", said the Pope to the prelates as he opened his remarks to them.
"I express my deep appreciation for this gift of yourselves", he told them, "despite the magnitude of the task, ... you carry out with fidelity and humility the triple task towards the flock entrusted to you of teaching, governing, sanctifying".
"You are rightly convinced that, if every baptised person is to grow in desire for God and in understanding of life's meaning, catechesis is of fundamental importance", he said, noting how "the two principal instruments at your disposal - the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Catechism of the Bishops of France - are like precious jewels. They offer a harmonious synthesis of the Catholic faith and they ensure that the preaching of the Gospel is truly faithful to the riches that it contains. Catechesis is not first and foremost a question of method, but of content".
"Diligent preparation of catechists", he continued, "will allow integral transmission of the faith, after the example of St. Paul, the greatest catechist of all time, whom we regard with particular admiration in this bi-millennium of his birth".
In order to accomplish the task of evangelisation effectively, "you need co-workers. For this reason, priestly and religious vocations deserve to be encouraged more than ever. ... I would like to offer warm thanks and encouragement to all families, parishes, Christian communities and ecclesial movements, which provide the fertile soil that bears the good fruit of vocations".
"It can never be said often enough that the priesthood is indispensable to the Church, for it is at the service of the laity. Priests are a gift from God for the Church. Where their specific missions are concerned, priests cannot delegate their functions to the faithful. ... Their spiritual life is the foundation of their apostolic life. You will gently exhort them to daily prayer and to the worthy celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation".
Benedict XVI highlighted how "every priest should be able to feel happiness in serving the Church. In the school of the Cure d'Ars, a son of your land and patron of pastors throughout the world, constantly reiterate that the greatest thing a man can do is to give the Body and Blood of Christ to the faithful and to forgive their sins. Seek to be attentive to their human, intellectual and spiritual formation, and to their means of subsistence".
Referring then to liturgical worship, the Pope affirmed that it "is the supreme expression of priestly and episcopal life, just as it is of catechetical teaching". And he went on to indicate that "in the Motu Proprio 'Summorum Pontificum', I was led to set out the conditions in which this duty is to be exercised, with regard to the possibility of using the missal of Blessed John XXIII (1962) in addition to that of Pope Paul VI (1970). Some fruits of these new arrangements have already been seen, and I hope that, thanks be to God, the necessary pacification of spirits is already taking place. I am aware of your difficulties, but I do not doubt that, within a reasonable time, you can find solutions satisfactory for all, lest the seamless tunic of Christ be further torn. Everyone has a place in the Church. Every person, without exception, should be able to feel at home, and never rejected".
The Pope also remarked upon another problem "which arises with particular urgency everywhere: the situation of the family". In this context he affirmed that "marriage and the family are today experiencing real turbulence. ... For several decades, laws in different countries have been relativising its nature as the primordial cell of society. Often they are seeking more to adapt to the mores and demands of particular individuals or groups, than to promote the common good of society.
"The stable union of a man and a women, ordered to building earthly happiness through the birth of children given by God, is no longer, in the minds of certain people, the reference point for conjugal commitment", he added. "However, experience shows that the family is the foundation on which the whole of society rests. Moreover, Christians know that the family is also the living cell of the Church. The more the family is steeped in the spirit and values of the Gospel, the more the Church herself will be enriched by them and the better she will fulfil her vocation".
The Holy Father then identified a "particularly painful situation" concerning people "who are divorced and remarried. The Church, which cannot oppose the will of Christ, firmly maintains the principle of the indissolubility of marriage, while surrounding with the greatest affection those men and women who, for a variety of reasons, fail to respect it. Hence initiatives aimed at blessing irregular unions cannot be admitted".
Referring then to the young, he recalled how John Paul II, on his first trip to France, had "delivered an address to the young people of your country which has lost none of its relevance, and which was received at the time with unforgettable fervour: 'Moral permissiveness does not make people happy'. ... I ask the Holy Spirit to speak to the hearts of all the faithful and, more generally, of all your compatriots, so as to give them - or to restore to them - the desire for a life lived in accordance with the criteria of true happiness".
The Holy Father continued his address by referring to "France's Christian roots". Drawing attention to them, he said, "will permit each inhabitant of the country to come to a better understanding of his or her origin and destiny. Consequently, within the current institutional framework and with the utmost respect for the laws that are in force, it is necessary to find a new path, in order to interpret and live from day to day the fundamental values on which the nation's identity is built. Your president has intimated that this is possible".
"The Church", he said in this context, "does not claim the prerogative of the State. She does not wish to take its place. She is a community built on certain convictions; she is aware of her responsibility for the whole and cannot remain closed within herself. She speaks freely, and enters into dialogue with equal freedom, in her desire to build up a shared freedom. ... Thanks to a healthy collaboration between the political community and the Church, made possible through an acknowledgement and respect for the independence and autonomy of each within their particular spheres, a service is rendered to mankind which aims at his full personal and social development".
"The goal of ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue ... is to seek and deepen a knowledge of the Truth. ... The building of bridges between the great ecclesial Christian traditions, and dialogue with other religious traditions, demand a real striving for mutual understanding, because ignorance destroys more than it builds. ... To be sure, one must follow closely the various initiatives that are undertaken, so as to discern which ones favour reciprocal knowledge and respect, as well as the promotion of dialogue, and so as to avoid those which lead to impasses. Good will is not enough. I believe it is good to begin by listening, then moving on to theological discussion, so as to arrive finally at witness and proclamation of the faith itself".
The Pope concluded his address to the assembled prelates by highlighting the importance of working "towards a genuine spiritual liberation. Man", he said", is always in need of liberation from his fears and his sins. Man must ceaselessly learn or relearn that God is not his enemy, but his infinitely good Creator. Man needs to know that his life has a meaning, and that he is awaited, at the conclusion of his earthly sojourn, so as to share for ever in Christ's glory in heaven. Your mission is to bring the portion of the People of God entrusted to your care to recognise this glorious destiny".
PV-FRANCE/BISHOPS/LOURDES VIS 20080915 (1390)
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