THREE WAYS TO KNOW GOD: THE WORLD, MAN AND FAITH

Vatican City,  (VIS) - Three ways to knowing God (the world, the human being and the faith) provided the theme for Benedict XVI's catechesis during his general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall.

The Holy Father began by explaining that "God's initiative always precedes any initiative on the part of man, and, even on our journey towards Him, it is He Who first illuminates and guides us, while always respecting our freedom. ... God never tires of seeking us, He is faithful to the man He created and redeemed, and He remains close to us because He loves us. This is a certainty which must accompany us every day".

"We know that today the faith faces no lack of difficulties and trials, and its often poorly understood, contested and rejected. ... In the past, in the West, in a society held to be Christian, the faith was the environment in which people moved. Reference and adherence to God were, for most people, part of their daily lives, and it was those who did not believe who felt the need to justify their incredulity. In our world the situation had changed, and believers have to be increasingly able to give reasons for their faith. ... Our own times have seen the emergence of a phenomenon which is particularly dangerous for the faith. There exists, in fact, a form of atheism, which we define as 'practical', in which the truths of faith and religious ritual are not denied but are simply held to be irrelevant to daily existence, detached from life, useless. Often, then, people believe in God superficially but live as if He did not exist. In the final analysis, however, such a lifestyle turns out to be even more destructive, because it leads to indifference towards the faith and towards the question of God.

"The fact is", the Holy Father added, "that separation from God reduces man to a single horizontal dimension. This reduction was one of the fundamental causes of the totalitarian systems which had such tragic consequences last century, and of the crisis of values we are currently witnessing. Obscuring the reference to God has also obscured the ethical horizon".

Faced with this situation the Church, "faithful to Christ's mandate, never ceases to affirm the truth about man and his destiny", said the Pope. Yet, he asked, "what responses is the faith called to give - with 'mildness and respect' - to atheism, scepticism and indifference to the vertical dimension, so that the men and women of our time may continue to question themselves about the existence of God, and follow the paths that lead to Him? I would", he said, "like to mention some of these paths, which derive both from a natural process of reflection and from the power of the faith itself. They are: the world, man, and faith".

Referring to the first of these paths - the world - the Pope expressed the view that "we must recover and restore to modern man the chance to contemplate the creation, its beauty and structure. The world is not some shapeless mass; rather, the more we know it, the more we discover its wonderful mechanisms, the more we see a design, a creative intelligence. Albert Einstein said that the laws of nature reveal 'an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection'".

To explain the second path - the human being - Benedict XVI quoted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, saying: 'With his openness to truth and beauty, his sense of moral goodness, his freedom and the voice of his conscience, with his longings for the infinite and for happiness, man questions himself about God's existence'".

Turning finally to consider the faith, the Pope noted how "believers are united to God, open to His grace and to the force of charity. ... Their faith is not afraid to show itself in daily life, it is open to a dialogue which expresses profound friendship for all men and women, and is able to bring the light of hope to our need for redemption, happiness and future life. Faith means meeting God Who speaks and works in history. ... A single Christian or a community who are diligent and faithful to the project of the God Who first loved us, are a great help to people experiencing indifference or doubt about His existence and action".

Nowadays, "many people have a limited concept of Christian faith, which they identify as a mere system of beliefs and values, and not as the truth of God revealed throughout history in order to communicate directly with mankind. … In reality, at the basis of all doctrine and values is the encounter between man and God in Jesus Christ. Christianity, rather than a moral or ethical code, is first and foremost the experience of love in welcoming Christ", Benedict XVI concluded.

COMMEMORATION OF BLESSED JOHN PAUL II'S ITALIAN PARLIAMENT VISIT

Vatican City,  (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. has sent a message in the name of the Holy Father to the presidents of the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies, Renato Schifani and Gianfranco Fini, to commemorate ten years since Blessed John Paul II's visit to the parliament.

"The public session of 14 November 2002 in the Hall of Montecitorio constitutes a memorable page in the history of relations between Italy and the Holy See, an event enriched by the authoritative presence of the venerable figure of the Blessed Pontiff, who greatly desired the meeting in spite of his precarious health".

"Ten years on, in a social context rendered more difficult by the consequences of the economic crisis already predicted at the time, it is necessary to recall his invitation to seek nourishment in the vital lymph of Christianity which inspires the social and cultural identity of Italy, and its mission in Europe and the world. Even in the most difficult times, this spiritual and ethical heritage continues to provide sufficient resources to renew people's consciences and lead them towards the common good, especially those called to sit in parliament.

"The Supreme Pontiff therefore hopes that constant collaboration between Italy and the Holy See, and between the State and the Church, will continue to support the progress of Italy, in particular families in their their primary educational and social role, and all citizens, especially in matters of civil responsibility".

BENEDICT XVI'S “THE INFANCY NARRATIVES” TO BE PRESENTED ON 20 NOVEMBER

Vatican City,  (VIS) - The Vatican Publishing House and Rizzoli Publications today announced that the book "L'Infanzia di Gesu", the third volume of Joseph Ratzinger - Benedict XVI's trilogy on Jesus of Nazareth, will be presented to the press on 20 November. The book is due to appear in English with the title "Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives".

The book will be presented at 11 a.m. in the Pius X Room (Via dell'Ospedale 1, Rome), and the speakers will include Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Maria Clara Bingemer, professor of theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Fr. Giuseppe Costa S.D.B., director of the Vatican Publishing House, and Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, who will act as moderator.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City,  (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Fr. Darci Jose Nicioli, C.SS.R., rector of the National Sanctuary of Aparecida, Brazil, as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Aparecida (area 1,300, population 198,000, Catholics 167,800, priests 102, permanent deacons 2, religious 363). The bishop-elect was born in Jacutinga, Brazil in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1986. He studied in Campinas, Sao Paulo and Rome, and has held a number of academic and pastoral posts.

- Msgr. Jose Avelino Bettencourt, nunciature councillor, as chief of protocol of the Secretariat of State. He was born in the Azores, Portugal, in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1993. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1999, and has served in the apostolic nunciature of the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State.

SUFFERING AND HEALTHCARE: TESTIMONY TO EVANGELISATION AND HOPE

Vatican City,  (VIS) - "The Hospital, Setting for Evangelisation: a Human and Spiritual Mission" is the theme of the twenty-seventh international conference of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care which will be held from 15 to 17 November in the Vatican's New Synod Hall. At the end of the conference, participants are due to be received in audience by Benedict XVI.

Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the dicastery, and Fr. Augusto Chendi M.I., under secretary, presented the aims of the conference at the Holy See Press Office this morning.

"Go, teach and heal the sick, is Jesus' mandate", said Archbishop Zimowski, "upon which are based two of the most fundamental activities of His Church: the proclamation of the Word and the care of the sick. … In the light of the current Year of Faith and the recent thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, hospitals, as important places for evangelisation, ... today constitute a crossroads of cultures and religions, areas where the apostolate of mercy, as defined by Blessed Pope John Paul II, finds exalted expression".

He observed, "In industrialised countries, aside from the grave economic and financial crises which have struck a number of nations and led to a drastic review of health services, serious challenges exist, beginning with the preservation of the identity of Catholic hospitals and other health centres, and the maintenance of their specific role of 'subsidiarity'. This must be achieved without in any way diminishing the importance of fundamental issues such as full respect for life from conception to natural end; the humanisation of healthcare (which means showing full respect for patients, their identity and life experiences); palliative care, etc.".

With regard to those countries facing greater economic hardships, the archbishop spoke of grave difficulties in accessing basic healthcare, and recalled that "people often die on account of a lack of basic medicines costing just a few dollars, as in the case of anti-malarial treatments". He also emphasised the scarcity of basic diagnostic instruments and specialised training for healthcare personnel, due primarily to "the lack of opportunities" for further study, usually for economic reasons. He also noted that "the few resources available to hospitals in the poorest regions must be used for the benefit of the population without discrimination on the basis of faith or ethnic origin, in accordance with the Word, the teachings of the Church and the spirit and history of missions".

He concluded, "What unites large urban hospitals and the small rural clinics … is the relationship between patients and healthcare workers, … the fact that they belong to the Universal Catholic Church, and necessarily adhere to her principles and teachings".

In his address, Fr. Chendi announced that the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Workers, on the occasion of the next World Day of the Sick (11 February 2013) will publish a manual, translated into various languages and valid for the whole of the Liturgical Year. The new volume will offer patients and all those involved in their physical and spiritual care a point of reference for theological reflection, pastoral care and prayer.

"Our intention in entrusting this manual to the Church, and to the world of healthcare, parishes and voluntary work, is to create a communion of grace, prayer and mutual charity", he said. "This, we hope will help us see in the mystery of suffering ... the concrete and daily testimony of those who bring good to the sick, and who bring good through their own sickness. In this way such people bear a valid witness to the faith which, from the sickbed and close to those who suffer, is an important source of evangelisation and hope".