LECTURES ON THE POPE'S BOOK ABOUT JESUS OF NAZARETH

VATICAN CITY, 29 NOV 2011 (VIS) - The Vatican Publishing House is organising a series of lectures to promote Benedict XVI's book: "Jesus of Nazareth. From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection". One of these took place yesterday in the Italian University of Messina where the main address was given by Bishop Enrico Dal Covolo S.D.B., rector of the Pontifical Lateran University.

  Bishop Dal Covolo explained that, while the Pope's first book on Jesus of Nazareth covered His public life beginning with His Baptism in the Jordan, the second is dedicated to the last few days of His earthly existence, until the resurrection.

  "This disproportion", said the Bishop, "helps us to understand immediately that the passion, death and resurrection are not simply the epilogue of Jesus' life. They are what gives meaning to all the rest. It is from the crucified and risen Christ that the entire narrative of His life is illuminated". Likewise "the accounts of His passion and death, though they come last in the Gospels, are the oldest and most detailed of the oral and written traditions".

  The book starts from the premise that "if scholarly exegesis is not to exhaust itself in constantly new hypotheses, becoming theologically irrelevant, it must take a methodological step forward and see itself once again as a theological discipline, without abandoning its historical character".

  "The road along which the Pope takes us", said Bishop Dal Covolo, "leads us to meditate upon the 'hour' of Jesus, His 'lifting up'; in other words, upon the inseparable moment of death-resurrection".

  The book "is the work of a lifetime, in which both the method used and the contents ... draw nourishment from a deep-rooted and mature love for Christ. In the final analysis, the leitmotif of the work is intimate friendship with Jesus, a theme which the Pope himself personifies as both witness and theologian. Indeed, true knowledge of Jesus - for Pope Benedict just as for the Beloved Disciple - comes from resting on His heart".
.../                                    VIS 20111129 (350)

HUMANITAS MAGAZINE TO HAVE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE EDITION

VATICAN CITY, 29 NOV 2011 (VIS) - At 6.30 p.m. today in the offices of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, a conference will be held to present the English edition of Humanitas, a magazine of Christian anthropology and culture produced by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

  Participating in this evening's event will be Guzman Carriquiry, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America; Ignacio Sanchez, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and Jaime Antunez, editor in chief of Humanitas.

  The magazine was founded in Santiago de Chile in 1995 and comprises a council of some of the most outstanding intellectual figures of the Catholic world. Since its inception, the magazine has described its mission as that of "being a vehicle for thought and study which seeks to reflect the concerns and teachings of pontifical Magisterium", as a premise for fruitful dialogue with modern society and culture.

  The first English edition of the magazine has 252 pages and incorporates a large number of articles from the sixty-third Spanish edition (July-September 2011), which was dedicated to "Blessed John Paul II, gift of Divine Mercy" and focused entirely on the person and work of the late Pontiff. The English edition also includes essays written by Cardinals Angelo Scola, Angelo Amato S.D.B., Avery Robert Dulles S.J. (who died in 2008), Stanislaw Dziwisz and Mauro Piacenza, and by a number of academics including Livio Melina, Stanislav Grygiel, Pedro Morande and Carl Anderson.

  The English edition of Humanitas will appear twice a year, both on paper and in a digital version which may be consulted at the website: www.humanitas.cl.
.../                                    VIS 20111129 (280)

HOLY FATHER MEETS LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER

VATICAN CITY, 28 NOV 2011 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today:

  "This morning the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Najib Mikati, prime minister of Lebanon. The prime minister subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

  "The cordial discussions served to highlight the role Lebanon plays in the region and in the entire world, and its vocation to offer a message of freedom and respectful coexistence among the various Christian and Muslim communities who live there.

  "The parties expressed a hope for greater political stability and more fruitful collaboration and dialogue between the various leaders of social and institutional life, also in order to meet the challenges the country faces, both internally and internationally.

  "Attention then turned to the Middle East, also with reference to the delicate situation in Syria. On this subject, emphasis was given to the vital need for all parties to commit themselves to peaceful coexistence founded on justice, reconciliation, and respect for the dignity of human beings and their inalienable rights. Finally, mention was made of the fundamental contribution that can be made in this field by Christians, who are called to be builders of harmony and peace, and whose presence is essential for the good of the region".
OP/                                    VIS 20111128 (240)

HUMANITY HAS NO FUTURE UNLESS IT CARES FOR THE CREATION

VATICAN CITY, 28 NOV 2011 (VIS) - This morning in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father received 7,000 students who are participating in a meeting promoted by the Italian Association "Sorella natura". Extracts from his address to them are given below.

  "Dear young people, it is for your sake that I wished this meeting to take place, and I want to tell you how much I appreciate your decision to become 'guardians of the creation'".

  "We must first remember that your Foundation, indeed this meeting itself, have a deep Franciscan inspiration. Even the date has been chosen to recall the proclamation of St. Francis of Assisi as patron of the environment by my beloved predecessor John Paul II in 1979".

  "St. Francis, faithful to Holy Scripture, invites us to recognise that nature is like a marvellous book speaking to us of God, of His beauty and goodness. Francis used to ask the friar who tended the convent garden ... to leave space for a rich flowerbed so that passers-by would raise their thoughts to God, Creator of such beauty".

  "Dear friends the Church, while appreciating the most important scientific research and discoveries, has never ceased to remind people that by respecting the mark of the Creator in all creation, we achieve a better understanding of our true and profound human identity. ... If, in fact, human activity forgets to collaborate with God, it can do violence to the creation and cause damage which always has negative consequences, also for mankind. ... Today more than ever it is clear that respect for the environment cannot overlook recognition for the importance and inviolability of human beings, at every stage of life and in every condition. Respect for the human being and respect for nature are the same thing, they grow and find their just measure if we respect the Creator and His creation, both in the human creature and in nature".

  "I would now like to address teachers and representatives from the public authorities, ... highlighting the great importance education has in environmental questions. ... It is now clear that humankind has no productive future on earth if we do not educate everyone to be responsible for the creation, This is first learnt in the family and in school, and for this reason I encourage parents and teachers to continue educating people to that end. Furthermore it is indispensable that the efforts made by families and schools find support in the relevant institutions".

  "May St. Francis teach us to sing, with all creation, a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to our heavenly Father, giver of all gifts".
AC/                                    VIS 20111128 (450)

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 28 NOV 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience:

 - Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

 - Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali, archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia, U.S.A.
AP/                                    VIS 20111128 (40)