POPE: ADVANCE IN WAYS OF ECUMENISM AND COOPERATE IN SERVICE OF MORE JUST AND FRATERNAL SOCIETY

Vatican City, 17 January 2013 (VIS) – Today the Pope received in audience an ecumenical delegation from the Lutheran Church of Finland during their annual pilgrimage to Rome on the occasion of the feast of Saint Henry of Uppsala, patron saint of Finland.

The Holy Father once again showed his pleasure in receiving the delegates on this traditional visit, observing that it was also fitting that the meeting took place on the eve of the celebrations to take place during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The theme for this year's ecumenical Week of Prayer, "What does God require of us?", is taken from a passage in the book of the prophet Micah.

"The Prophet," said the Pope, "makes clear, of course, what the Lord requires of us. It is 'to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God'. The Christmas season that we have just celebrated reminds us that it is God who from the beginning has walked with us and who, in the fullness of time, took flesh in order to save us from our sins and to guide our steps in the way of holiness, justice and peace."

"Walking humbly in the presence of the Lord, in obedience to his saving word and with trust in his gracious plan, serves as an eloquent image not only of the life of faith, but also of our ecumenical journey on the path towards the full and visible unity of all Christians. On this path of discipleship, we are called to advance together along the narrow road of fidelity to God’s sovereign will in facing whatever difficulties or obstacles we may eventually encounter."

Therefore, "to advance in the ways of ecumenical communion," the pontiff emphasized, "demands that we become ever more united in prayer, ever more committed to the pursuit of holiness, and ever more engaged in the areas of theological research and cooperation in the service of a just and fraternal society. Along this way of spiritual ecumenism, we truly walk with God and with one another in justice and love, for, as the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification affirms: 'We are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works'."

The Pope concluded his address expressing the desire that the Finnish delegation's visit to Rome "will help to strengthen ecumenical relations between all Christians in Finland. Let us thank God for all that has been achieved so far and let us pray that the Spirit of truth will guide Christ’s followers in your country towards ever greater love and unity as they strive to live in the light of the Gospel and to bring that light to the great moral issues facing our societies today. By walking together in humility along the path of justice, mercy and righteousness which the Lord has pointed out to us, Christians will not only dwell in the truth, but also be beacons of joy and hope to all those who are looking for a sure point of reference in our rapidly changing world."

AUDIENCES

Vatican City, 17 January 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience six prelates from the Abruzzo-Molise region of the Italian Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

- Archbishop Giuseppe Molinari of L’Aquila, with the diocese's auxiliary:

- Bishop Giovanni D’Ercole, F.D.P., titular of Dusa, and

- Archbishop Tommaso Valentinetti of Pescara-Penne,

- Bishop Michele Seccia of Teramo-Atri,

- Bishop Angelo Spina of Sulmona-Valva, and

- Bishop Pietro Santoro of Avezzano.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 17 January 2013 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father appointed Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo as apostolic nuncio to Kenya as well as permanent observer to the United Nations Environment and Human Settlements Programs (UNEP and UN-Habitat). Archbishop Balvo, titular of Castello, was previously apostolic nuncio to New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Tonga, Vanuatu, and apostolic delegate to the Pacific Ocean region.

SEEKING THE FACE OF GOD

Vatican City, 16 January 2013 (VIS) -Salvation history, that is, the account of God's saving interaction with humanity, was the theme of the Holy Father's catechesis during this Wednesday's general audience.

The Old Testament narrates how, after creation, God, in spite of original sin, again offers human beings the possibility of His friendship "through the covenant with Abraham and the path of a small people, of Israel, whom He chooses not according to the criteria of earthly power but simply out of love. … For this task He used mediators, like Moses and the prophets and judges, to communicate His will to the people. They recalled the necessity of faithfulness to the covenant and kept alive the hope of the full and definitive realization of His divine promises."

God's revelation reaches its fullness in Jesus of Nazareth. In Him, "God visits His people, He visits humanity in a way that goes beyond all expectations. He sends His Only Begotten Son; God himself becomes man. Jesus does not tell us something about God's nearness, doesn't simply speak of the Father: ... He reveals the face of God to us." Within Jesus' statement, "'Whoever has seen me has seen the Father' ... the newness of the New Testament is contained. … God could be seen, God has revealed His face, He is visible in Jesus Christ."

Benedict XVI recalled the importance of the search for the face of God throughout the Old Testament, that is, for "a 'You' who can enter into relationship, who is not locked away in His heaven, looking down on humanity from on high. Certainly, God is above all things, but He turns toward us and listens to us: He sees us, speaks, extends covenants, and is capable of loving. Salvation history is the story of God with humanity. It is the story of this relationship of God who progressively reveals Himself to mankind."

"Something completely new occurs, however, with the Incarnation. The search for the face of God is unimaginably changed because this face can now be seen. It is that of Jesus, of the Son of God who is made man. In Him God's path of revelation, which began with the call of Abraham, is fulfilled. He is the fullness of this revelation because He is the Son of God as well as 'the mediator and the fullness of all revelation'. In Him coincide the content of Revelation and the One who reveals … Jesus, true God and true man, is not simply one of the mediators between God and humankind, but is 'the mediator' of the new and eternal covenant. … In Him we see and encounter the Father. In Him we can call God by the name of 'Abba, Father'. In Him we are given salvation."

"The desire to truly know God, that is, to see the face of God, is inherent to every human being, including atheists. Perhaps we also, unconsciously, have this desire to simply see who He is. … But this desire is fulfilled in following Christ thus … we finally see God as a friend. What is important is that we follow Christ not only when we need Him or when we find a minute of time among our thousands of daily tasks. … Our entire existence must be directed toward meeting Jesus Christ, toward love for Him. In such an existence, love for our neighbour must take a central position; that love that, in light of the Crucifix, allows us to recognize the face of Jesus in the poor, the weak, and in those who are suffering."

THAT CHRISTIANS MIGHT PROFESS TOGETHER THAT JESUS IS SAVIOUR

Vatican City, 16 January 2013 (VIS) – After his Wednesday catechesis, Benedict XVI noted that the day after tomorrow, Friday 18 January, will begin the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year its theme is "What does God require of us?", inspired by a passage from the prophet Micah. The Pope invited all "to pray, asking insistently of God, for the great gift of unity between all of the Lord's disciples. May the Holy Spirit's limitless strength arouse us to the sincere commitment to seek unity, so that we might all profess together that Jesus is the saviour of the world."