THEOLOGY MUST BE NOURISHED BY DIALOGUE WITH THE LOGOS

VATICAN CITY, 3 DEC 2010 (VIS) - At midday today Benedict XVI received members of the International Theological Commission, who have just completed their plenary assembly.

  "Your reflection on the Christian vision of God", the Pope told them, "can be a precious contribution to the life of the faithful, as well as to our dialogue with believers of other religions and with non-believers".

  In "theo-logy", the Holy Father explained, "we seek, through the 'logos', to communicate what 'we have seen and heard'. ... We can think about God and communicate what we think because He has gifted us with reason in harmony with His own nature. ... Indeed, knowing God in His true nature is also the sure way to ensure peace. A God Who was not perceived as a source of forgiveness could not be a light along the path of peace".

  "No theological system can subsist if it is not permeated by the love of its divine 'Subject', if it is not nourished by dialogue (that is, by acceptance in the theologian's mind and heart) with the divine 'Logos', Creator and Redeemer". In this context the Pope explained that theology "must remain faithful to the nature of ecclesial faith: centred on God, rooted in prayer, and in communion with the other disciples of the Lord as guaranteed by communion with Peter's Successor and the entire college of bishops".

  Benedict XVI then highlighted how "the theologian never starts from naught, rather he considers the Fathers and theologians of Christian tradition to be his masters. Rooted in Sacred Scripture, read with the Fathers and the Doctors, theology can be a school of sanctity, as shown by Blessed John Henry Newman. Discovering the permanent value of the wealth handed down from the past is an important contribution that theologians make to the field of the sciences".

  "The social commitment of Christians necessarily derives from the manifestation of divine love. Contemplating the revealed God and practicing charity towards others cannot be separated, though experienced under different charisms. In a world which often appreciates many of Christianity's gifts (such as the idea of democratic equality, which comes from evangelical monotheism) without understanding the roots of its ideals, it is particularly important to show that the fruit dies if the roots of the tree are cut. There is, in fact, no justice without truth, and justice cannot fully develop if is horizon is limited by the material world. For us as Christians, social solidarity always has an eternal perspective".

  Benedict XVI concluded by highlighting how "theologians cannot work in solitude; they need the ministry of the pastors of the Church, just as the Magisterium has need of theologians who carry out their service to the full, with all the asceticism this implies".
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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL GIORDANO

VATICAN CITY, 3 DEC 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a telegram of condolence to Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, archbishop of Naples, Italy, for the death yesterday at the age of 80 of Cardinal Michele Giordano, archbishop emeritus of that see.

  "Having learned with great sadness the news of the death of Cardinal Michele Giordano, archbishop emeritus of Naples, I wish to express to Your Eminence and to the entire diocesan community, as well as to the relatives of the late cardinal, my profound commiseration at your pain, while my thoughts turn affectionately to that dear brother who served the Gospel and the Church so generously. With gratitude to the Lord I recall his intense pastoral activity, first at Trursi-Lagonegro then at Matera-Irsina, and finally in the archdiocese of Naples, and raise fervent prayers to God to welcome him in His peace. At the same time, upon those weeping his demise, I impart the comfort of a heartfelt apostolic blessing".
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 3 DEC 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Bishop Agidius Zsifkovics of Eisenstadt, Austria.

 - Eight prelates of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Bishop Jose F. Oliveros of Malolos.

    - Bishop Antonio R. Tobias of Novaliches.

    - Bishop Jesse E. Mercado of Paranaque.

    - Bishop Francisco C. San Diego of Pasig.

    - Bishop Leo M. Drona S.D.B. of San Pablo.

    - Bishop Prudencio P. Andaya C.I.C.M., apostolic vicar of Tabuk.

    - Bishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle of Imus.

    - Bishop Deogracias S. Iniguez of Kalookan.

  This evening he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 3 DEC 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Fr. Alexander Pyone Cho, currently "fidei donum" priest in the diocese of Salina, U.S.A., as bishop of Pyay (area 80,937, population 9,000,000, Catholics 25,000, priests 37, religious 67), Myanmar. The bishop-elect was born in Oatshitpin, Myanmar in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1975. He succeeds Bishop Joseph Devellerez Thaung Shwe, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Toledo, Spain, presented by Bishop Joaquin Carmelo Borobia Isasa, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. Stefan Zekorn of the clergy of the diocese of Munster, Germany, rector-pastor of the Marian shrine of Kevelaer and canon of the cathedral chapter of Munster, as auxiliary of Munster (area 15,265, population 4,335,600, Catholics 2,007,335, priests 1,165, permanent deacons 270, religious 2,827). The bishop-elect was born in Datteln, Germany in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1984.

 - Appointed Msgr. Carmelo Pellegrino and Fr. Alfred Simon O.S.B., respectively official and consultor of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, as relators of the same congregation.
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HUNGARY: MEDIATOR BETWEEN EAST AND WEST

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC 2010 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received the Letters of Credence of Gabor Gyorivanyi, the new Hungarian ambassador to the Holy See.

  Speaking to the diplomat in German, the Pope observed that, following the resumption of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Hungary in 1990, "new confidence emerged in active and constructive dialogue with the Catholic Church". He also spoke of his hope "that the profound wounds inflicted by the materialistic vision of man which seized the hearts of your country's citizens for nearly forty-five years, may continue to heal in a climate of peace, freedom and respect for man's dignity.

  "Without doubt the Catholic faith is one of the fundamental pillars of Hungarian history", the Holy Father added. "When, long ago in the year 1000, the young Hungarian Prince Stephen received the regal crown sent to him by Pope Sylvester II, this gift included the mandate to give faith in Jesus Christ a space and a home in that land. ... Of course we do not expect the State to impose a particular religion; rather, it should guarantee the freedom to confess and practice the faith. Nonetheless, politics and Christian faith do meet. ... This does nor mean imposing norms or codes of behaviour upon people who do not share the faith. It means, quite simply, purifying reason with the aim of helping to ensure that what is good and just may be recognised and put into practice, here and now".

  The Pope then went on to refer to the important role played by Hungary following the fall of the Iron Curtain, to its entry into the European Union six years ago, and to its forthcoming presidency of the Council of Europe. "Hungary", he said, "is particularly called to act as mediator between East and West. The Holy Crown, the legacy of King Stephen, by uniting the circular 'corona graeca' with the arched 'corona latina', ... shows how East and West must support and enrich one another on the basis of their spiritual and cultural heritage, and on the living profession of faith".

  Speaking them of the project for a new Hungarian constitution, the Pope expressed the hope "that it will be inspired by Christian values, especially as concerns the position of marriage and the family within society, and the protection of life".

  He went on: "Marriage and the family constitute an essential foundation for the healthy development of civil society, of countries and of peoples. ... Europe would not be Europe if this basic social building block disappeared or was substantially transformed. ... The Church cannot approve legislative initiatives which involve the acceptance of alternative models of marriage and family life, as these would contribute to weakening the principles of natural law and thus to relativising legislation and society's understanding of values".

  Finally Benedict XVI highlighted how the Catholic Church, "like other religious communities, plays a significant role in Hungarian society ... through her institutions in the field of education, culture, and social assistance, in this way she makes a useful contribution to the moral edification of your country. ... May the collaboration between the State and the Catholic Church in this field grow in the future and bring benefit to everyone".
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