JOHN OF THE CROSS: PURIFY THE HEART IN ORDER TO MEET CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, 16 FEB 2011 (VIS) - In his general audience today, held in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope focused his attention on St. John of the Cross, "spiritual friend to St. Teresa and, with her, reformer of the Carmelite religious family. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pius XI in 1926, he is traditionally known as the 'Doctor mysticus', the Mystical Doctor", the Holy Father said.

  John was born to a poor family at Fontiveros near the Spanish town of Avila in 1542 and entered the Carmelite order at Medina del Campo. Ordained a priest in 1567, it was on the occasion of his first Mass that he met Teresa, "who explained to him her plan for the reform of the Carmelites". In his renewal of his religious profession John took the name "of the Cross" and collaborated enthusiastically in the process of reform, something "which brought him great suffering", and even led to his imprisonment following an unjust accusation. While preparing a journey to Mexico he fell seriously ill and died in December 1591. He was beatified by Clement X in 1675 and canonised by Benedict XIII in 1726.

  St. John of the Cross, said Benedict XVI, "is considered one of most important lyric poets of Spanish literature. He wrote four major works: 'Ascent of Mount Carmel', 'Dark Night of the Soul', 'Spiritual Canticle' and 'Living Flame of Love'.

  "In his 'Spiritual Canticle' St. John outlines the soul's journey of purification", the Holy Father added. "The 'Living Flame of Love' continues in the same line, describing in greater detail the condition of union with God. ... 'Ascent of Mount Carmel' outlines the spiritual itinerary from the point of view of a progressive purification of the soul, which is necessary in order to scale the heights of Christian perfection, symbolised by the summit of Mount Carmel".

  The Pope continued his catechesis by explaining how "the 'Dark Night of the Soul' describes the 'passive' aspect; in other words, God's contribution to the process of purifying the soul. Human effort alone, in fact, is incapable of reaching the deepest roots of a person's bad inclinations and habits. It can halt them but not eradicate them completely. To do this, we need a special action by God which radically purifies the spirit and disposes it to the union of love with Him".

  "The rate of increase of faith, hope and charity goes hand in hand with the work of purification and with progressive union with God, until attaining transformation into Him. When this goal is reached, the soul is immersed in Trinitarian life itself. ... This is why the Mystical Doctor held that there is no true union of love with God that does not culminate in Trinitarian union".

  The Pope completed his remarks by asking whether the life of St. John of the Cross has anything to say to everyday Christians, or whether it is an example only for the few select souls who can follow the path of purification and mystical ascesis. "The journey with Christ, travelling with Christ ... is not an additional weight to the already sufficiently-heavy burden of our lives", he said. "It is something totally different. ... It is a light, a power which helps us carry our everyday burden. ... Allowing ourselves to be loved by Christ is the light which helps us to carry the daily burden, and sanctity is not a task we must accomplish on our own, a very difficult task. ... Let us ask God to help us become saints, to allow ourselves to be loved by God, which is the vocation and true redemption of us all".
AG/                                    VIS 20110216 (630)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 16 FEB 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop Emanuel Messias de Oliveira of Guanhaes, Brazil, as bishop of Caratinga (area 14,927, population 678,000, Catholics 569,000, priests 76, religious 150), Brazil. He succeeds Bishop Helio Goncalves Heleno, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. Teodoro Mendes Tavares C.S.Sp., vicar general of the prelature of Tefe, Brazil, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Belem do Para (area 2,082, population 2,090,000, Catholics 1,527,000, priests 152, permanent deacons 49, religious 687), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Sao Miguel Arcanjo - Ilha de Santiago, Cape Verde in 1964 and ordained a priest in 1993.

 - Appointed Fr. Jose Francisco Falcao de Barros of the clergy of the diocese of Palmeira dos Indios, Brazil, pastor of San Vincenzo de Paoli and chaplain of the military police in the State of Alagoas, as auxiliary of the military ordinariate of Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Paulo Jacinto, Brazil in 1965 and ordained a priest in 1991.
NER:RE:NEA/                            VIS 20110216 (190)

PROGRAMME OF POPE'S PASTORAL VISIT TO AQUILEIA AND VENICE

VATICAN CITY, 15 FEB 2011 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today published the programme of Benedict XVI's forthcoming apostolic visit to the Italian cities of Aquileia and Venice, due to take place on 7 and 8 May.

  The Holy Father will depart from Rome by plane in the early afternoon of 7 May. On reaching Aquileia he will meet with local citizens in Piazza Capitolo then move on to the basilica where he will attend a preparatory assembly for the Congress of Aquileia, which is due to be held at Pentecost 2012. In the late afternoon the Pope will move on to Venice where he will venerate the relics of St. Mark in the homonymous basilica.

  On Sunday 8 May, Benedict XVI will preside at the celebration of the Eucharist in the park of San Giuliano at Mestre, followed by the praying of the Regina Coeli. During the afternoon, at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, he will preside at an ecclesial assembly to mark the end of the pastoral diocesan visit. Subsequently, in the city's Basilica della Salute, he will meet with representatives from the worlds of culture and the economy. Finally, he will bless the basilica's recently-restored Chapel of the Blessed Trinity and inaugurate the "Studium Generale Marcianum" Library.

  The Holy Father's return flight will leave from Venice's Marco Polo airport and is scheduled to arrive in Rome at 8.30 p.m.
PV-AQUILEIA:VENICE/                        VIS 20110215 (250)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 15 FEB 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Evans Chinyama Chinyemba O.M.I., superior of the delegation of Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Zambia, as bishop of Mongu (area 88,000, population 696,000, Catholics 70,400, priests 31, religious 90), Zambia. The bishop-elect was born in Lukulu, Zambia in 1967 and ordained a priest in 2000. He succeeds Bishop Paul Duffy O.M.I., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
NER:RE/                                VIS 20110215 (90)

FRATERNITY OF ST. CHARLES BORROMEO CELEBRATES 25 YEARS

VATICAN CITY, 12 FEB 2011 (VIS) - At midday today the Holy Father received priests and seminarians of the Fraternity of St. Charles Borromeo, which is currently celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary. The group was accompanied Msgr. Massimo Camisaca, founder and president of the fraternity, and by Fr. Julian Carron, president of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation.

  "This moment brings to mind my long friendship with Msgr. Luigi Giussani", said the Pope, "and stands as testimony to the fecundity of his charism. On this occasion I would like to respond to two questions which our meeting today raises in my mind: What is the place of the ordained priesthood in the life of the Church? What is the place of fraternal life in the experience of priests?

  "The Christian priesthood is not an end unto itself. It was established by Jesus for the birth and life of the Church. ... The glory and joy of the priesthood is to serve Christ and His mystical Body. ... The presence of priestly vocations is a sure sign of the authenticity and vitality of a Christian community. God calls at all times, also to the priesthood. There is no true and fruitful growth in the Church without an authentic priestly presence to support and nourish it".

  In this context the Pope expressed his gratitude "to everyone who dedicates their energy to the formation of priests and to the reform of priestly life. Like the rest of the Church, in fact, the priesthood also needs continual renewal, rediscovering the most essential traits of its being in the life of Jesus". Such renewal requires "profound education in meditation and prayer", as well as "a study of theology which enables Christian truths to be discovered in a way that associates them to the life of the individual and the community".

  Going on then to refer to the importance of the shared life, the Holy Father explained that it is not simply "a strategy to respond to the lack of priests. Nor is it, per se, merely a stay against man's solitude and weakness. All this can also exist, of course, but only if the fraternal life is understood and experienced as a journey in which to immerse oneself in the reality of communion. ... No priest administers things which belong to him; rather, with his brethren he participates in a sacramental gift which comes directly from Jesus".

  "Living with other people means accepting the need for one's own continual conversion. Above all it means discovering the beauty of such a journey, the joy of humility, of penance, but also of conversation, of mutual forgiveness, of reciprocal support".

  Benedict XVI concluded by highlighting the importance "of abiding with Jesus in order to be able to abide with other people. This is the heart of the mission. In the company of Christ and of his brothers each priest can find the energy necessary to take care of mankind, to shoulder the spiritual and material needs he encounters, to teach - with ever-new words dictated by love - the eternal truths of the faith for which our contemporaries also thirst".
AC/                                    VIS 20110214 (530)