AFRICA CAN TEACH AUTHENTIC VALUES TO THE WHOLE WORLD

VATICAN CITY, 20 NOV 2011 (VIS) - At 4 p.m. today, the Pope arrived by car at the Cardinal Bernardin Gantin airport of Cotonou for the departure ceremony at the end of his apostolic trip to Benin. The event was attended by representatives from the civil authorities, the bishops of the country and numerous faithful.

  Following an address from Thomas Yayi Boni, president of Benin, the Holy Father spoke to thank the authorities, bishops, volunteers and all the people of Benin "for their warm and enthusiastic welcome", and for the efforts they had made to ensure the success of his visit.

  "I wanted to visit Africa once more; it is a continent for which I have a special regard and affection, for I am deeply convinced that it is a land of hope", Benedict XVI said. "Here are found authentic values which have much to teach our world; they need only to spread and blossom with God's help and the determination of Africans themselves. The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation 'Africae munus' can greatly assist in this, for it opens up pastoral horizons and will lead to creative initiatives. I entrust it to the faithful of Africa as a whole, to study carefully and to translate into concrete actions in daily life. Cardinal Gantin, that eminent son of Benin whose greatness was so widely acknowledged that this airport bears his name, took part with me in a number of Synods. He made a vital and much-appreciated contribution to them. May he accompany the implementation of this document!

  "During my visit I was able to meet various components of Benin's society and many members of the Church", the Pope added. "These numerous meetings, very different in nature, testify to the possibility of a harmonious coexistence within the nation, and between Church and State. Good will and mutual respect not only aid dialogue, but are essential for building unity between individuals, ethnic groups and peoples. The word 'fraternity' is the first of the three words found on your national emblem. Living in unity as brethren, while respecting legitimate differences, is not something utopian. Why should an African country not show the rest of the world the path to be taken towards living an authentic fraternity in justice, based on the greatness of the family and of labour? May Africans be able to experience reconciliation in peace and justice! These are the prayerful good wishes which I express to you, with confidence and hope, before I leave Benin". In his final act before departing, the Holy Father entrusted the entire continent to the intercession of Our Lady of Africa.

  The papal plane landed at Rome's Ciampino airport at 10 p.m., whence the Holy Father returned to the Vatican.
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PLENARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL THEOLOGICAL COMMISSION

VATICAN CITY, 21 NOV 2011 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique today.

  "The International Theological Commission, presided by Cardinal William Joseph Levada, is due to hold its plenary session from 28 November to 2 December. The meeting will be held at the 'Domus Sanctae Marthae' in the Vatican under the chairmanship of Msgr. Charles Morerod O.P., secretary general of the commission whom the Pope recently appointed as bishop of Lausanne, Geneve et Fribourg, Switzerland.

  "During the plenary, the commission will continue its examination of three important themes. The first is the question of methodology in modern theology, its perspectives, principles and criteria. A significant contribution to this subject has already been made in the earlier five-year period 2004-2008. The second theme concerns monotheism, and the third the significance of the Church's Social Doctrine in the broader context of Christian doctrine".
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 21 NOV 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop Filippo Santoro of Petropolis, Brazil, as metropolitan archbishop of Taranto (area 1,056, population 408,481, Catholics 405,542, priests 236, permanent deacons 16, religious 384), Italy. He succeeds Archbishop Benigno Luigi Papa O.F.M. Cap., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Gave his assent to the canonical election by the Synod of Bishops of the Greek-Catholic Romanian Church of Fr. Claudiu-Lucian Pop, rector of the "Pio Romeno" Pontifical College in Rome, as a bishop of the major archiepiscopal curia. The bishop-elect was born in Piscolt, Romania in 1972 and ordained a priest in 1995. Before coming to Rome he worked in pastoral ministry in the Greek-Catholic Romanian mission in Paris, France.

 - Appointed Archbishop Santos Abril y Castello, vice chamberlain of Holy Roman Church, as archpriest of the papal basilica of St. Mary Major.

 - Appointed Msgr. Cesare Burgazzi, official of the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, as bureau chief of the same section.
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TO CHILDREN: ASK YOUR PARENTS TO PRAY WITH YOU

VATICAN CITY, 19 NOV 2011 (VIS) - Shortly before 5 p.m. today, Benedict XVI visited the Home of Peace and Happiness in Cotonou, where six sisters of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity look after dozens of abandoned and sick children, and feed may others from the local area who suffer malnutrition.

  The Pope was welcomed by the children with songs and dances. Having prayed with them he visited the centre then, accompanied by the infants, went on to the nearby parish church of St. Rita where a further 800 children from the city were awaiting his arrival. The celebration began with the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, after which Bishop Rene-Marie Ehuzu C.I.M. of Porto Novo arose to pronounce a greeting in the name of all those present. The Holy Father then delivered his address.

  "It is with much joy that I greet you", he said. "Thank you for coming out in such great numbers! God our Father has gathered us around His Son and our Brother, Jesus Christ, ... Who loves us very much, is truly present in the tabernacles of all the churches around the world, in the tabernacles of the churches in your neighbourhoods and in your parishes. I ask you to visit Him often to tell Him of your love for Him.

  "Some of you have already made your First Holy Communion, and others are preparing for it", the Pope added. "When I receive Communion, Jesus comes to live in me. I should welcome Him with love and listen closely to Him. In the depths of my heart, I can tell Him, for example: 'Jesus, I know that you love me. Give me your love so that I can love you in return and love others with your love. I give you all my joys, my troubles and my future.' Do not hesitate, dear children, to speak of Jesus to others. He is a treasure Whom you should share generously".

  "Prayer", the Pope went on, "is a cry of love directed to God our Father, with the will to imitate Jesus our Brother. ... Like Jesus, I too can find a calm place to pray where I can quietly stand before a Cross or a holy picture in order to speak to Jesus and to listen to Him. I can also use the Gospels. That way, I keep within my heart a passage which has touched me and which will guide me throughout the day. To stay with Jesus like this for a little while lets Him fill me with His love, light and life! This love, which I receive in prayer, calls me in turn to give it to my parents, to my friends, to everyone with whom I live, even with those who do not like me, and those whom I do not appreciate enough. ... Ask your parents to pray with you!"

  "Look! I have this rosary in my pocket", the Holy Father explained. "The rosary is like a tool that we can use to pray. It is easy to pray the rosary. Maybe you know how already; if not, ask your parents to help you to learn how. At the end of this meeting, each one of you will receive a rosary. When you hold it in your hands, you can pray ... for every important intention. And now, before I bless you all with great affection, let us pray together a Hail Mary for children throughout the world, especially for those who are sick, who are hungry and in places of war".

  Having imparted his blessing, the Pope travelled by popemobile to the apostolic nunciature in Cotonou where he was due to meet with bishops of Benin.
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SCRIPTURE IS A SOURCE OF CONSTANT RENEWAL

VATICAN CITY, 19 NOV 2011 (VIS) - This evening in the chapel of the apostolic nunciature in Cotonou, the bishops of Benin - a country with ten dioceses - met with the Pope. In his remarks he reminded them that the nation is currently celebrating the 150th anniversary of its evangelisation, which was begun by the Society of African Missions.

  "To all the missionaries, bishops, priests, men and women religious, and lay people who have come from their own homeland or whose origins are in this country, who have laboured since that time and up to our own day, the Church is particularly grateful", the Pope said. "They have generously given their lives, at times in a heroic manner, so that the love of God may be proclaimed to all.

  "The celebration of this Jubilee must be for your communities and for each of their members, an occasion of profound spiritual renewal", he added. "It falls to you, as pastors of the People of God, to discern its dimensions in the light of the Word of God. The Year of Faith, which I announced to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II, will certainly be a propitious occasion for enabling the faithful to rediscover and to deepen their faith in the Person of the Saviour of Man. It is because they chose to place Christ at the centre of their lives that, in the past 150 years, men and women have had the courage to place everything at the service of the Gospel. Today, this same approach must be at the heart of the whole Church. ... This attitude requires a constant conversion in order to give new strength to the prophetic dimension of our proclamation. ... This meeting with Christ must be solidly rooted in openness to and meditation on the Word of God. The Scriptures must have a central place in the life of the Church and of each Christian. Hence, I encourage you to help them to rediscover Scripture as a source of constant renewal, so that it may unify the daily lives of the faithful and be ever more at the heart of every ecclesial activity".

  Pope Benedict went on: "The Church cannot keep this Word of God to herself; hers is the vocation to announce it to the world. This Jubilee Year should be a privileged occasion for the Church in Benin to give renewed vigour to her missionary consciousness. Apostolic zeal, which should animate all the faithful, is a direct result of their Baptism, and they cannot shirk their responsibility to profess their faith in Christ and His Gospel wherever they find themselves, and in their daily lives. ... On the other hand, as I emphasised in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation 'Verbum Domini', 'In no way can the Church restrict her pastoral work to the ordinary maintenance of those who already know the Gospel of Christ. Missionary outreach is a clear sign of the maturity of an ecclesial community'. The Church, therefore, must reach out to everyone".

  "So that the world may believe this Word which the Church proclaims, it is indispensable that Christ's disciples be united among themselves. As leaders and pastors of your people, you are called to have a lively consciousness of the sacramental fraternity which unites you, and of the unique mission which has been entrusted to you, so that you may be effective signs and promoters of unity within your dioceses. ... The difficulties which are met along the way and which can at times be serious, must never lead to discouragement, but on the contrary become incentives to the awakening among priests and bishops of a deep spiritual life".

  "The formation of the future priests of your dioceses is a reality to which you must pay particular attention", the Holy Father told the prelates, encouraging them "to make it one of your pastoral priorities. It is absolutely necessary that a solid human, intellectual and spiritual formation allow young people to attain a personal, psychological and affective maturity, which prepares them to assume to duties of the priesthood, especially in the area of interpersonal relations".

  "The episcopal ministry to which the Lord has called you has its share of joys and sorrows. To each of you present here this evening, I would like to leave a word of hope. In the course of the last 150 years, the Lord has done great things in the midst of the people of Benin. Be assured that He will continue to accompany you from day to day in your commitment to the work of evangelisation. Always be pastors after the heart of God, authentic servants of the Gospel. It is precisely this that men and women of our times expect from you".

  Following the meeting, the Pope dined with the Beninese bishops in the apostolic nunciature.
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