BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR OCTOBER

VATICAN CITY, 1 OCT 2008 (VIS) - Pope Benedict XVI's general prayer intention for October is: "That the Synod of Bishops may help the pastors and theologians, the catechists and promoters who are engaged in the service of the Word of God to courageously transmit the truth of faith in communion with the entire Church".

  His mission intention is: "That in this month dedicated to the missions, through the promotional activities of the Pontifical Missionary Works and other organisms, every Christian community may feel the need to participate in the Church's universal mission with prayer, sacrifice and concrete help".
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ACT ALWAYS ACCORDING TO THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL

VATICAN CITY, 1 OCT 2008 (VIS) - In his general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square in the presence of 20,000 people, the Pope continued his series of catecheses on St. Paul.

  The Holy Father concentrated his attention on two episodes described in the Letter to the Galatians, episodes "that show the veneration and, at the same time, the freedom with which Paul treated Peter and the other Apostles: the Council of Jerusalem, and the incident at Antioch in Syria".

  "Each Council and Synod of the Church is 'an event of the Spirit'", the Pope explained. "The Spirit, Who works in the entire Church, led the Apostles by the hand down new roads to achieve His plans. He is the main architect of the edification of the Church".

  The Pope recalled how the Council of Jerusalem was called to determine "whether it was necessary to impose circumcision on the pagans who were following Jesus Christ the Lord, or if they could legally be freed from the restraints of Mosaic Law, in other words from the observation of norms established to make a men just, ... especially those relating to ritual purity, clean and unclean foods, and norms concerning the Sabbath".

  "If", he went on, "for Luke the Council of Jerusalem expressed the action of the Spirit, for Paul it represented the decisive recognition of the freedom that all the participants shared: freedom from the obligations arising from circumcision and from the Law".

  "Nonetheless", the Holy Father continued, "Christian liberty is never to be identified with libertinism or with the freedom to do as one pleases; it is enacted in conformity with Christ and, hence, in true service to our bothers and sisters, especially those most in need".

  In this context he mentioned the collection organised by St. Paul for the poor of Jerusalem, explaining how it "was an expression of his communities' debt towards the Mother Church of Palestine, from which they had received the priceless gift of the Gospel".

  The incident between Peter and Paul in Antioch was caused by Peter's decision to abstain from eating with the Gentiles "so as not to scandalise those who continued to observe the laws of food purity", said the Pope.

  "In reality the concerns troubling Paul on the one hand, and Peter and Barnabas on the other, were different", he explained. For Peter and Barnabas "the separation from pagans was a way to protect and to avoid scandalising believers from Jewish backgrounds, while for Paul it risked causing a misunderstanding of the universal salvation in Christ offered to both pagans and Jews".

  Benedict XVI pointed out the fact that around the mid 50s Paul himself "had to face a similar situation, and he called on the strong not to eat unclean food so as not to alienate or scandalise the weak. ... The incident of Antioch, then, was a lesson both for Peter and for Paul. Only sincere dialogue, open to the truth of the Gospel, could guide the path of the Church".

  "This is a lesson we too must learn", he concluded. "With the different charisms entrusted to Peter and to Paul, let us all allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit, seeking to live in the freedom that has its guide in our faith in Christ and its concrete form in service to others. It is vital to conform ourselves ever more closely to Christ. In this way we truly become free and find within ourselves the real centre and profound essence of the Law: love of God and of neighbour".
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PROTECTION MUST NOT BE A PRETEXT FOR AGGRESSION

VATICAN CITY, 30 SEP 2008 (VIS) - Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer at the United Nations in New York, yesterday participated in the general debate of the 63rd session of the U.N. General Assembly.

  "By its nature and structure, the United Nations normally creates neither the events nor the trends, but rather, serves as a sounding board where events and trends are submitted for debate and a coherent, consensual and timely response", said the archbishop in his English-language remarks.

  "This year has been dominated by a number of challenges and crises: natural and man-made calamities, staggering economies, financial turmoil and fuel prices, the impact of climate change, local wars and tensions. ... One of the clear facts recognised by all is that every crisis presents a mixture of natural factors and elements of human responsibility. However, these are all too often compounded by tardy response, failures or reluctance of leaders to exercise their responsibility to protect their populations.

  "When speaking within these walls of the responsibility to protect", the prelate added, "the common understanding of the term is found in the 2005 Outcome Document, which refers to the responsibility of the international community to intervene in situations where individual governments are not able or willing to assure the protection of their own citizens.

  "In the past, the language of 'protection' was too often a pretext for expansion and aggression. In spite of the many advancements in international law, this same understanding and practice tragically continues today.

  "However, during the past year", the archbishop continued, "there has been growing consensus and greater inclusion of this expression as a vital component of responsible leadership. The responsibility to protect has been invoked by some as an essential aspect of the exercise of sovereignty at the national and international levels, while others have re-launched the concept of the exercise of responsible sovereignty".

  "The 'we the peoples' who formed the United Nations conceived the responsibility to protect to serve as the core basis for the United Nations", the archbishop concluded. "The founding leaders believed that the responsibility to protect would consist not primarily in the use of force to restore peace and human rights, but above all, in States coming together to detect and denounce the early symptoms of every kind of crises and mobilise the attention of governments, civil society and public opinion to find the causes and offer solutions".
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THEME FOR WORLD DAY OF SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS

VATICAN CITY, 30 SEP 2008 (VIS) - "New Technologies, New Relationships. Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship" is the theme chosen by the Pope for his Message for the 43rd World Day of Social Communications, due to be published on 24 January 2009, Feast of St. Francis of Sales, patron of journalists.

  The announcement was made yesterday 29 September, Feast of the Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel, by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

  In Archbishop Celli's words, with his message for the Day of Social Communications the Holy Father "is presenting us with a true work plan, ... a compendium of commitments and responsibilities that ... those involved in the field of communications are personally called to shoulder, at a time so deeply marked by the development of new media technologies which, in effect, are creating a new environment, a new culture.

  "It is clear that the Pope has a certain confidence in the possibilities the communications media can offer; the media can be of great help in favouring a climate of dialogue and trust".

  The president of the pontifical council went on to point out that "highlighting the fact that new technologies must be accompanied by new relationships represents a profound appraisal of the interaction upon which communication exists and develops. The modernisation of instruments does not simply mean a step forwards in technical terms, but creates new conditions and possibilities for mankind to use and apply this resource for the common good, placing it at the foundation of a widespread cultural growth".

  Archbishop Celli also announced that in March 2009 bishops with responsibility for communication are due to attend a seminar organised in collaboration with experts in media and communication "in order to devise a more precise and up-to-date form of pastoral care for the social communications media".

  The World Day of Social Communications will be celebrated in almost all countries on Sunday 31 May 2009.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 29 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences five prelates from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Kazakhstan, on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Archbishop Tomash Peta of Maria Santissima in Astana.

    - Archbishop-Bishop Jan Pawel Lenga M.I.C. of Karaganda, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider O.R.C.

    - Bishop Henry Theophilus Howaniec O.F.M. of Santissima Trinita in Almaty.

    - Bishop Janusz Kaleta, apostolic administrator of Atyrau.

  On Saturday 27 September, he received in audience Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
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