AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 9, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in audience Ferenc Madl, president of the Republic of Hungary, accompanied by his wife and entourage.

He also received the following members of the Synod of Bishops:

- His Beatitude Cardinal Stephanos II Ghattas, C.M., Patriarch of Alexandria of the Coptics, Egypt.
- His Beatitude Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon.
- Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, C.SS.R., major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, India.
- Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, M.S.U., major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukraines, Ukraine.
- His Beatitude Ignace Pierre VIII Abdel-Ahad, Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians, Lebanon.
- His Beatitude Gregoire III Laham, B.S., Patriarch of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites, Syria.
- His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins, Jerusalem.
- His Beatitude Raphael I Bidawid, Patriarch of Babylonia of the Chaldeans, Iraq.
- His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, Lebanon.
- Archbishop Cyril Baselios Malancharuvil, O.I.C., metropolitan of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars, India.
- Archbishop Stefan Soroka of Philadephia of the Ukraines, U.S.A.
- Bishop Joseph Khoury of Saint-Maron of Montreal of the Maronites, Canada.

AP;...;...;...;VIS;20011009;Word: 200;

THIRTEENTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 9, 2001 (VIS) - The Thirteenth General Congregation of the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops began today at 9 a.m. in the presence of the Holy Father and 229 synod fathers. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Bernard Agre, archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Following are extracts from several of this morning's speeches:

ARCHBISHOP NORBERT WENDELIN MTEGA OF SONGEA, TANZANIA. "The pressing cry from developing countries today is an appeal to 'alleviate poverty'. Let the cry of these poor people be heard today by the international community and by the Churches. They cry for a sign and gesture of hope because they are in a hopeless and helpless situation. Poverty is the root cause of much misery. ... It is the cause of many injustices. Poverty can exist in different types and levels. For us in the third world, the worst type of poverty is ignorance. ... The poor will become poorer and the rich will become richer. ... As bishops we must bring hope to the world of the poor and ignorant. Let us invest in education and, where possible, let us coordinate our efforts with those of our governments."

CARDINAL ANTONIO MARIA ROUCO VARELA, ARCHBISHOP OF MADRID, PRESIDENT OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE, SPAIN. "The true reform of the Church and the authentically Catholic reform of the episcopate have always been together in the history of the Church. It is the same in our time, since Vatican II. ... Thirty-six years later, there have been many fruits of theoretical and practical development of collegiality within the structural realities. One has to ask whether the same has happened with the principle of sacramentality within living realities: growth in sanctity of all the members of the Church, of greater vigour and apostolic and missionary dedication, and also growth in the evangelization and sanctification of temporal realities. Answering this issue is the main challenge of this Synod. The answer cannot neglect an essential element: the widely spread crisis of faith in the old countries of Christian tradition, which also does not stop at the door of Christian communities which 'are also globalized'. The answer should pass through the service of the bishop to the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ for the hope of the world, proclaiming it, teaching it, and showing it as an 'authentic witness' to all: priests, consecrated people, lay faithful, theologians and to public opinion."

CARDINAL MILOSLAV VLK, ARCHBISHOP OF PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. "The reality of the bishop-servant cannot be understood in an individualistic way, as if the bishop was a kind of 'private contractor'. In carrying out his duty, he is connected to those he serves, and, even before this, to the Pope and the other bishops by their collegiality. ... In the life of the bishop there are therefore two closely related realities: his ministry and the spirituality of communion. The personal attitude of being a servant, and the primary duty to build communion through ministry, walk hand in hand. ... This priority of communion is a sign of the times recognized by the Popes and ecclesial teaching, and confirmed by the Spirit through the flowering of new movements. With their radically evangelical life, these movements are committed to spreading a spirit of communion on all levels in the Church and the society."

CARDINAL WALTER KASPER, PREFECT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY. "The ecumenical question is not accessory; it is at the center of the bishop's pastoral activity. The ecumenical commitment is one of the great challenges of the beginning of the new millennium. The most important fruit of the ecumenical dialogue of the last 35 years is the re-found fraternity of all Christians. But today we find ourselves facing new challenges. We recognize that the ecumenical journey will presumably still be long and difficult. We must reflect upon the way in which we can structure the current intermediate period. We cannot yet unite around the one table of the Lord, but we can already do much more together than previously: 1. Ecumenism of life. Not in the sense of something that is added to ecumenical activity, but rather an ecumenism of daily life. 2. Reception and formation. It would already be a great deal if the valid results of ecumenical dialogue were received everywhere. This requires an ecumenical formation for the laity, for priests and for bishops. 3. Ecumenism ad intra. We must practice spirituality of communion first of all in ourselves and make our Church welcoming to the other Churches and ecclesial communities. We must therefore create a better balance in the communion between the particular Churches and the universal Church. 4. Ecumenism as spiritual commitment."

ARCHBISHOP FRANCISCO VITI OF HUAMBO, ANGOLA. "Peace is the communion of united hearts in the awareness of a sole origin. ... I speak of complete peace, that of the sons of God. ... And what could be more contrary to peace than to make war to end wars? War is death, it is separation; it will never build a building-together and less still an acting-together. Peace is dialogue, it is reciprocal listening and patient renewal, as John Paul II tells us in his Messages for the World Day of Peace. ... Dialogue is a part of the wisdom of the nations and reveals the meaning of history. ... For those who would like to make war perpetual, there will always be a pretext against the adversary. Nevertheless, entire countries will be condemned to depopulation and fundamental freedoms will be placed in the hands of the strongest, leaving great multitudes in the wake of history."
BISHOP VICTOR ADIBE CHIKWE OF AHIARA, NIGERIA. "Bishops in those areas that lack vocations should feel free to approach their brother bishops with plenty of vocations for help, while assisting them to train these priests. This will truly be an application of communion and mission cooperation. ... One should not be deterred by the fact that some cases exist of priests who refuse to come back to their home dioceses after their studies in Europe and North America, nor of some priests that get into trouble. One should not lose sight of many priests from the mission countries who are missionaries to other third world countries of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean Islands under difficult conditions. The media seems to have a tendency of blowing problems involving priests of the mission territories out of proportion and context, and often generalizing about them. This does not do any good to the image of the Church, rather it is a calculated attempt to ridicule the Church and her discipline of celibacy. While not condoning the bad behavior of some priests in Africa and elsewhere, it must be strongly noted that there are very many priests who are living out the evangelical councils and bearing witness to the faith."

ARCHBISHOP PAUL K. BAKYENGA OF MBARARA, UGANDA. "Investment in youth, investment in young people, investment in young Churches could be one the priorities of the whole Church as Family of God, in the third millennium. There is however a new phenomenon affecting the populations of these young Churches and their young population. This is the menace of the disease AIDS that has yet no medical cure. The young populations of these young Churches are particularly hit by this disease. There is a generation of orphans who are losing hope in life after losing their parents to the AIDS pandemic. Like sheep without a shepherd, a number of orphans, lacking parental support, turn to millenarian sects which exploit their credulity leading to terrible consequences, such as at Kanungu, in South Western Uganda, in March of 2000. In the current situation, the bishop, mindful of his title as Father and Defender of the Poor, must be close to these orphans so that they may at least acquire life skills for their future."

ARCHBISHOP JOHN OLORUNFEMI ONAIYEKAN OF ABUJA, PRESIDENT OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE, NIGERIA. "On the level of the world Church, there has been appreciable attention given to the world of Islam. The Holy Father, especially during his pastoral visits to many parts of the world, supported by the Roman dicastery for Inter-religious Dialogue, has been doing marvelous work in the promotion of Christian-Muslim dialogue. However, these actions at the top level need to be complimented, balanced and confirmed by appropriate action at the local levels. In most countries, there is an Islamic presence to some degree. In some nations it is dominant and dominating. Countries which seem to have made religious intolerance and fanaticism the basis of state policy should not be allowed to continue to get away with gross violation of human rights in the name of religion. Our country, Nigeria presents a privileged situation of Christian-Muslim dialogue and collaboration. ... There are however occasions every now and again when friction and conflict flare up, at times violent and bloody. These difficulties arise from two main reasons: the utterances and activities of fanatics, sometimes on both sides, and the manipulation of politicians who misuse religion for selfish purposes. The attempt to impose the Sharia as state law is a case in point. Our response to all these challenges includes deepening the faith, patient dialogue and commitment to the pursuit of the common good."

SE;THIRTEENTH CONGREGATION;...;...;VIS;20011009;Word: 1540;

NINTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 2001 (VIS) - The Ninth General Congregation of the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops began at 5 p.m. today, in the presence of the Pope and 247 synod fathers. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Bernard Agre, archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Following are extracts from several of the speeches given:

ARCHBISHOP VINCENT MICHAEL CONCESSAO OF DELHI, INDIA. "With the present trend of globalization the situation of the poor is getting worse. Small industries are closed down depriving thousands of people of gainful employment; the state-spending on the basic requirements of the poor is reduced as part of the structural adjustment program; the poor are getting further marginalized and driven to despair. They become easy victims to politicians and fundamentalists. Do we have a message of hope for them, not just in words but in concrete action programs? ... There is a frightening sentence in the Second Vatican Council from the Decree of Gratian: 'Feed the man dying of hunger because if you are not feeding him, you are killing him. It is a case of murder by omission'. ... Should we not take a clear stand with and for the poor and against the system in which they do not count? It will be part of our commitment to a culture of life and a civilization of love. Our reasons for hope must be reflected in our celebration of the Word and the sacraments and also in our day-to-day interaction with people. Matthew was a tax collector, a social outcast. Jesus calls him: 'Come, follow me'. Matthew follows him and is transformed. Another example is Zaccheus. Overwhelmed by the gesture of Jesus he is changed. Our ministry is to pass on hope to all."

FR. PETER-HANS KOLVENBACH, S.J., SUPERIOR GENERAL OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS. "Some considerations on interreligious dialogue: ... The Instrumentum Laboris underlines the responsibility of the bishop in teaching by words and example the real meaning of dialogue. Through pastoral letters and public statements taking into account interreligious dialogue, the bishop teaches the faithful of his diocese the meaning and the practice of dialogue, its motivations, its possibilities and its conditions. The bishop teaches by willingness to meet persons of other religions and to discuss with them; by the desire to make joint statements on major topics; by the desire to work together for peace and reconciliation, always ready - according to the Spirit of the Lord - to take the first step. The bishop also teaches by setting up in the diocese an efficient commission for dialogue, by welcoming the festivities of the other religions and willingly receiving their visits during Christian celebrations, and finally by ensuring an adequate preparation so that the members of different religions may live together in seminaries, faculties and houses for the formation of the consecrated life. The Holy Father has now opened so many doors in this way that have been closed for centuries. Our Lord's way of acting is a model for dialogue. His dialogue with the Samaritan and the discovery of the faith by a Roman soldier are just two examples of the Word of God which proposes rather than impose the good news. ... The bishop is called upon to teach this love, humble and often humiliating, which nurtures dialogue, repeating - especially in circumstances of violence and polarization - the truth of the Gospel, proclaiming that the Lord loves everyone without exception; that we cannot resort to violence in the name of a Christ who loves, and that it is the sincere love for others in the Spirit that must characterize Christians in participating in dialogue which bears witness to Christian love."

CARDINAL FRIEDRICH WETTER, ARCHBISHOP OF MUNICH AND FREISING, GERMANY. "The Christological and pneumatic dimensions of this episcopal office must be emphasized today in particular. In fact, currents exist today that try to diminish the spiritual office of the Church to a merely organizational function. To combat this ecclesiological relativism, we must be firmly anchored to the sacramental aspect of the episcopal office, which is also valid for the priesthood and the diaconate. To more effectively correspond to this magisterium of collegiality, I would like to reflect on the following: 1. During the first centuries for the ordination of a bishop, the vote of the bishops of the ecclesiastic province was decisive, as an expression of episcopal collegiality. Unfortunately, according to the practice today, these are no longer taken into consideration. ... For this reason I wish to propose: before the apostolic nuncio sends the terna to Rome, the council of bishops of the ecclesial province should meet and send its decisions to the Apostolic See together with its vote. Thus, the free choice of the Holy Father will remain unaffected. 2. The synod's work should be more concise. Therefore, I propose that a concrete number of problems be dealt with, which are important for the entire Church and which are still waiting to be clarified. 3. As pertains to collegiality, even in the local Churches the intimate unity of the apostolic office must be theologically studied more deeply in an analogous way which also has an effect on the spirituality of priests and deacons. In this way, a dangerous individualistic reduction of the understanding of the spiritual mandate may be avoided."
CARDINAL FRANCOIS XAVIER NGUYEN VAN THUAN, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE. "The new world scene requires from us bishops an increased spiritual and pastoral discernment on how and what the Church can do in terms of proclamation and presence. I think it is urgent for everyone to agree with the precious spiritual and pastoral orientations of the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, one of the most stimulating fruits of the experience of the Great Jubilee. I refer above all to the precious indication of a greater holiness of life which also involves a growth in the commitment and witness of works of charity and solidarity. Above all in these areas in which there is a strong tendency to take ways that have no outlet, the Church must increasingly emphasize how, without a return to the Gospel, there can be no solution to the dramatic problems connected with the defense and promotion of human rights, the resolution of the numerous and bloody conflicts and the urgent need to give concrete answers to the poverty of billions of human beings. Socially oriented evangelization, which has its basic instrument in the social doctrine of the Church, needs a more timely consideration which takes into due account the developments in cultural, economic and political matters, on the national and international level, upon which the Catholic Church must increasingly reflect in order to effectively update its message of justice and peace. In this regard it is more opportune than ever to intensify the reference and connection of the social magisterium of the bishops with the universal magisterium of the Holy Father, in order to achieve a coherent teaching, unified in its foundations and inspiring principles."

CARDINAL FREDERIC ETSOU-NZABI-BAMUNGWABI, C.I.C.M., ARCHBISHOP OF KINSHASA, PRESIDENT OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. "Living in the midst of his people, the African bishop shares their joys and sufferings, hopes and anguish. He plays an important role in the construction of a civilization of love and the kingdom of God in Africa. ... Called to be the promoter of inculturation of faith, the bishop must encourage the theologians who, with their reflections and research, elaborate an authentic African theology. As for the remainder, one hopes that the various offices of the Roman dicasteries manifest greater attention to the distribution of subsidies, since we often lack the material means for creating the basic infrastructures for the deeper evangelization of the African individual. ... We hope that relations between the apostolic nunciatures and the Roman dicasteries and the diocesan bishops may be characterized by a more fraternal collaboration and by a true pastoral solicitude, maintaining the respect of competencies. ... We also hope that the different national and regional episcopal conferences may draw up and submit to the secretary of state the 'profile of the apostolic nuncio', to be accredited in this new millennium in any geographical and cultural site. This is a necessity of communion and collegiality between the particular churches and the various dicasteries of the Holy See."

ARCHBISHOP ORLANDO B. QUEVEDO, O.M.I., ARCHBISHOP OF COTABATO, PRESIDENT OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE, PHILIPPINES. "To image the poor Jesus today, we bishops must also be with the poor to present Jesus as their hope. We have to become their moral voice, defending their rights and denouncing social injustices. We need to share their anguish, reflect, pray, and act with them. We must not allow class distinctions in the sacraments. Above all we need to be poor. This requires profound conversion of heart so that we may have the mind set and the values of the poor Christ, his simplicity and austerity, his total freedom from riches, his love of preference for the poor, his lack of ambition for honors; his complete trust in God his Father. These are basic elements of a spirituality of poverty."

SE;NINTH CONGREGATION;...;...;VIS;20011008;Word: 1530;

ELEVENTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 8, 2001 (VIS) - The Eleventh General Chapter of the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops began at 9 a.m. in the presence of the Holy Father and 231 synod fathers. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Following are excerpts from several of the speeches given this morning:

CARDINAL CRESCENZIO SEPE, PREFECT OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE EVANGELIZATION OF PEOPLES. "The 'mission' of the bishop, specifically today, is not one of many duties, but rather the priority is pastoral action. ... Conscious of the missionary nature of their own pastoral ministry, the bishops need to act in such a way that the missionary spirit vivifies all the ecclesiastical activity of their dioceses in an effective missionary way, especially with the invitation in certain missions of their priests, fidei donum duly prepared spiritually and intellectually. The Moto Proprio 'Ecclesiae Sanctae', furthermore, reaffirms the inter-ecclesial collaboration from an economic point of view as well, to be considered not just as a charitable act, but as a duty to be carried out for the neediest dioceses."

CARDINAL GODFRIED DANNEELS, ARCHBISHOP OF MECHELEN-BRUSSELS, PRESIDENT OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE, BELGIUM. "At a time when so many moral and religious certainties are shaken, we need a strong Pope as well as a strong episcopal college. We have nothing to gain from the promotion of one to the detriment of another. The bishop is a member of the episcopal college, a college cum Petro et sub Petro. This implies the grace and duty of collegiality. The most important instrument of this collegiality is the synod of bishops. Its functioning is certainly to be improved: everything is to be made more perfect. The concrete 'iter' of this reform is no doubt to be entrusted to the Council of the elected secretariat at the end of the synod or to the ad hoc group. However, any reforms must let all bishops have the possibility to speak freely and be sheltered from external pressures, to develop all the issues which they deem important for the good of the Church. Even if ordinary synods remain precious instruments of affective collegiality, effective collegiality would be no doubt better served by convening more frequently - with a more restricted number of participants - more targeted synods consecrated to one or more particular themes. These types of special synods have already been envisaged. ... The bishop is responsible for proclaiming the truth. He also has to make pass it on and communicate it. ... In this sense and taking into account almost unavoidable distortions practiced voluntarily or not by the large media, the Roman dicasteries could communicate their texts earlier, especially at the episcopal conferences who live in 'volcanic territory' where media eruptions are frequent and where the anti-authoritarian allergies take from time to time an epidemic trend."

ARCHBISHOP JULIAN HERRANZ, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE LEGISLATIVE TEXTS. "I would like to refer to an aspect of justice in ecclesial society, concretely, to the duty of the bishops to guarantee and to promote the rights of the lay faithful in the life and mission of the Church. ... 'The Christian faithful have the right to receive assistance from the sacred pastors out of the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the Word of God and the sacraments'(can. 213). Many faithful, however, express complaint in this regard: they are unable often or always unable to find confessors, even though priests are not lacking in the parish; they note that the Sunday Eucharistic celebration - center of the community of the faithful - is not properly taken care of - contrary to the canonical norms concerning public worship - the churches are always closed on weekdays, and they cannot receive Communion of pray before the Blessed Sacrament, etc. ... 'The Christian faithful can legitimately vindicate and defend the rights which they enjoy in the Church before a competent ecclesiastical court in accord with the norm of law'(can. 221, para.1)."

ARCHBISHOP HENRYK MUSZYNSKI OF GNIEZNO, POLAND. "The various episcopal conferences, following the example of the synod of bishops, must seek to resolve the most important pastoral and moral problems in communion among themselves. The communal witness of the Churches, exercised in the spirit of collegial unity and ecclesial communion, is a concrete and credible sign of the Gospel of hope. An example of the concrete realization of the Gospel of hope is the joint pastoral letter of the episcopal conferences of Poland and Germany, published in 1995, for the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The principle of subsidiarity can help many on a practical level as a social concept, but cannot define the relation between collegiality and the hierarchical structure of the Church because both are of divine institution. Speaking of the Church one most adopt instead the theological principle of auxiliarity, in which each member carries out a function entrusted directly by God Himself: God has fashioned the members of the body in the distinct way which He has desired, in order to form one single body which is the Church."

CARDINAL DARIO CASTRILLON HOYOS, PREFECT OF THE CONGREGATION FOR CLERGY. "Perhaps the aspect which requires the most sacrifice from the bishop is, in governing, the exercise of the 'potestas iurisdictionis' to preserve evangelical coherence and order. It is not easy to unite prudence to timeliness, strength to meekness, justice, the defence of the individual and common good, to mercy. The bishop dominated by fear will be neither a man of the Gospel nor a man of hope. Fearful in the face of public opinion, he will not preserve the faith with the appropriate correction. ... Perhaps we could present to the Holy Father, among other respectful propositions, one which permits the request, in the choice of candidates to the episcopate, those gifts which assure the Church, placed in confrontation with secularism, practical apostasy and the degradation of customs, bishops who guide them with courage, part of the spiritual make-up of Ignatius, Iraneaus, Athanasius, Eusebius of Vercelli, Borromeo, Faulhaber, and those who, beyond the iron curtain defended and maintained the faith."

BISHOP JAVIER ECHEVARRIA RODRIGUEZ, PRELATE OF THE PERSONAL PRELATURE OF OPUS DEI, ITALY. "The Instrumentum Laboris refers to the relation between bishops when they are present in a territory of various 'sui iuris' Churches or a personal prelature or a military ordinariate. Their relations with these local Churches must necessarily express the unity of the Church, which is a 'unity of communion'. Personal prelatures are a part of this context of communio and cannot be considered as 'alternative' structures to the particular Churches although at their service, insofar as they carry out the particular pastoral works for which they exist, which per se converge harmoniously with the ordinary pastoral work of the local Churches in which they are present and are therefore directed to the building up of the one and same Church of Christ. Such convergence is a reality intrinsic to the ecclesiological nature of these institutions, also because the faithful of a personal prelature - such as those of a military ordinariate - are at the same time the faithful of the local Church in which they live. The complexity of the contemporary world generates many situations of a trans-regional character, which require particular pastoral responses. When such situations present fitting characteristics, an episcopal conference could propose to the Holy See, in conformity with the hopes of Vatican Council II, the erection of a personal prelature on a national level with the goal of integrating the pastoral action of the dioceses concerned, as also noted in the Apostolic Exhortation 'Ecclesia in America'."

CARDINAL DIONIGI TETTAMANZI, ARCHBISHOP OF GENOA, ITALY. "In the context of a culture inebriated by current and earthly values, the bishops are called to question the place which the truth/reality of eternal life has in their ministry, with the knowledge that it is not something secondary or optional, but essential and irrefutable, because it touches all of the constitutive and specific elements of the faith and the Christian experiences. In their ministry of teaching, the bishops are called to urge priests to announce eternal life, using in a delicate and courageous way the event of death and the pastoral occasion of Christian funerals. They are called, furthermore, in their ministry of sanctification to ensure a celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments which emphasizes the value of awaiting and anticipating eternal life, restoring in this way as well the sense of the sacred and of mystery. ... It is necessary, however, to remember that true Christian hope does not dissuade us from our responsibilities in the face of the countless miseries and injustices of history."

ARCHBISHOP SEAN B. BRADY OF ARMAGH, IRELAND. "One of the great signs of hope today is the hunger for God and the desire for prayer which so many people experience. ... The willingness of the Church to promote justice and peace is a tremendous sign of hope, especially for the poor and oppressed. The consistent and courageous defence of the dignity of every human person irrespective of health or wealth, race or religion, is an example of how the Bishop offer reasons for hope. When the Bishop clearly sets forth the teaching of the Church in favor of life in opposition to the culture of death, in favor of marriage and of the family, in favor of peace as opposed to violence, he becomes a beacon of hope to those who suffer in the darkness of despair and discouragement."

At the interval of this congregation, Cardinal Jan P. Schotte, secretary general of the Synod, communicated the following:
"Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Pakistan, has had to leave our Assembly due to the situation of recent events which occurred in his dioceses in order to be close to his faithful. He takes with him the blessing of the Holy Father for the local Church in Pakistan and for the whole of that region. Our prayers and fraternal concern also accompany him in pastoral charity and collegial affection."

SE;ELEVENTH CONGREGATION;...;...;VIS;20011008;Word: 1700;

TENTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 7, 2001 (VIS) - The Tenth General Congregation of the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops began 9 a.m. today in the presence of the Holy Father and 228 synod fathers. The resident delegate on duty was Cardinal Ivan Dias, archbishop of Bombay, India.

Following are excerpts from the speeches of three auditors and four synod fathers:

THERESA EE-CHOI, O.C.D.S., MEMBER OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE LAITY. "We need bishops who have clearly imbibed the very message they are trying to disseminate to the laity by concretely living that message. We also need bishops who are ready to listen to those they are called to serve. Authority in the Church is not in order to have power but rather to empower. True authority consists in activating the potential of those to whose service one is given responsibility. In our Church today, we find in our laity a huge reservoir of talent and expertise just waiting to be called on in the service of the Kingdom. Lay people need to be invited and challenged, not just because in many places there is a decreasing number of priests and religious, but because the lay vocation is a true following of the Gospel message."

ANNE-MARIE PELLETIER, PROFESSOR AT THE "INSTITUT CATHOLIQUE" AND THE "ECOLE-CATHEDRAL", PARIS, FRANCE. "A growing number of Christians today open the Scriptures without having the means of an authentic Christian reading. Some approach the text exclusively as a critical problem, and never know it as the Word of God. Others approach it from an emotional point of view which dangerously impoverishes the biblical message. In these conditions, it becomes necessary more than ever for the episcopal ministry to be concerned about opening for the baptized the ways of a fuller reading of the Word of God, favoring the formation of solid exegetes, carrying out in the dioceses a teaching of the lectio divina, since they are, according to the example of the Fathers of the Church, the ones who break the bread of the Word of God."

MARIA CHRISTINA NORONHA DE SA', DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL PASTORAL CARE, ARCHDIOCESE OF SAO SEBASTIAO DO RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL. "I speak from my experience of the Church as the director, for the past 30 years, of the social pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro, for homeless children and youth in difficulty. These young people lose the richest part of humanity and lack compassion and solidarity. Christ, however, is there. The most divine humanity is protected in the hearts of these children. Here is where the Church accomplishes her prophetic task, beside the many who are born in the 'mangers' of the streets of the world. It is important to transcend the dichotomy between assistance and social change, it is necessary to convert the world. ... We ask the bishops to help us to discover and live the meaning of the Church, visible presence of Christ, who has conquered sin and death. ... The bishops know they are not alone. They can count on their faithful in the complementarity of communion."

BISHOP CHARLES MAUNG BO, S.D.B., OF PATHEIN, MYANMAR. "We are grateful to the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences for their profound commitment in helping the bishops to become effective guides offering a formation of guidance to the newly ordained bishops. In our opinion, this initiative must be advanced and supported. On the same track, we think that it would be a benefit for the bishops-elect and their future dioceses if the Holy See could gather them together in Rome or another location to offer them some months of formation and direction in the period between election and ordination. With all of this, and, ensuring at the same time that the plans of the preceding bishops and of their pastoral councils continue to be implemented, it would perhaps be possible to establish precise terms for the office of bishop. A term of ten or fifteen years, renewable only once, would give the new bishop a clear idea of what his position is at the outset of his ministry and would enable him to develop his plans accordingly. He can decide to do his best during those years to truly succeed in realizing something during the period in which he is in charge. Knowing he must leave the post to another, he can also be more prudent in his lifestyle and work habits. ... The transferral of a bishop from one diocese to another, certainly also creates great difficulties: a bishop is not a lone guide in the pastoral realm, but is the head of educational programs and development."

CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER, PREFECT OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH. "The munus docendi entrusted to the bishop is a service for the Gospel and for hope. Hope has a face and a name: Jesus Christ, God-with-us. A world without God is a world without hope. Being at the service of hope means to proclaim God with His human face, with the face of Christ. The world thirsts for knowledge, not for our ecclesial problems, but the fire that Jesus brought to the earth. Only if we have become contemporary with Christ and the fire is kindled in us, the proclaimed Gospel will touch upon the hearts of our contemporaries. This proclamation requires the courage of truth and the disposition to suffer for the truth. To enter the apostolic succession also implies entering this battle for the Gospel. In our agnostic and atheistic culture, the bishop, teacher of the faith, is called to discernment of the spirits and of the signs of the time. The problem central to our time is the emptying of the historical figure of Jesus Christ. An impoverished Jesus cannot be the sole Savior and mediator, the God-with-us: thus, Jesus is substituted with the idea of the 'values of the kingdom' and becomes a vain hope. We must clearly turn back to the Jesus in the Gospel, since He alone is also the true historical Jesus. If the bishops have the courage to judge and to decide with authority about this battle for the Gospel, the so hoped for decentralization is automatically achieved. This does not mean making decisions on theological questions by the specialists, but the recognition of the baptismal faith, the foundation of every theology. Faith is the true treasure of the Church."

ARCHBISHOP PAUL JOSEF CORDES, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL "COR UNUM". "The great spreading of assistance agencies, active in many nations and often competing among themselves, has effected the objective nature of their work. The charitable institutions hire specialists, create programs, and plan projects. Sources of non-ecclesial funding exclude pastoral and spiritual goals and limit the programs to the social dimension of assistance. Fiscal legislation and the control of the media urge the use of all persons and means offered by the market. This tendency is not completely regrettable per se; in fact, it certainly reinforces the efficacy of assistance given by the Catholic Church and gives it a positive public resonance. However, without a doubt it also contributes to its secularization. Thus, de facto, today many programs for Christian charity are often interchangeable with those of the 'Red Cross' or of the 'United Nations'; Christian management does not influence their goals. Consequently, some ecclesial institutions only see themselves as humanitarian and philanthropic agencies."

CARDINAL GIOVANNI BATTISTA RE, PREFECT OF THE CONGREGATION FOR BISHOPS. "Today, much is asked of the bishop:
1. A bishop must, first of all, be conscious of the challenges that today's de-Christianized society bears with it and have the courage to face them with fidelity and coherence, in order to be a witness of hope. A bishop must be a guide, a spiritual leader, who indicates the path to be trodden with words and with witness.
2. To be a true sower of hope, the bishop must dedicate special attention to his clergy, establishing a cordial, direct, simple relation of faith and trust. The bishop must be close to his priests, he must be a father that educates, encourages, guides and corrects them, but he must also be an older brother and a friend.
3. To be an effective witness of hope, the bishop must inspire collaboration. Dialogue is important; it is important that the bishop be accompanied in carrying out decisions and he must know how to listen, but he must be the one to decide, and must decide according to his conscience, in full truth and liberty before God and not based on the numeric weight of his councilors.
4. In these days we have spoken about the various aspects of collegiality. I would like to point out one aspect on the local level: it might prove pastorally efficacious for the metropolitan to exercise a more incisive role, promoting greater collegiality at the local level among the voting bishops, with intense pastoral coordination. Often, the dispositions of the Code about metropolitans are not followed and his role has become insignificant."

SE;TENTH CONGREGATION;...;...;VIS;20011008;Word: 1510;