Vatican
City, 18 May 2012
(VIS) - Today the Holy Father received the final group from the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, whose prelates have
been travelling to Rome over the past six months on their
quinquennial "ad limina Apostolorum" visits.
In
previous meetings, different groups of bishops emphasized the
importance of preserving and fostering the gift of Catholic unity as
an essential condition for the fulfilment of the Church’s mission
in their country. Responding to this concern, Benedict XVI focused
his address this morning on the need to incorporate the rich
patrimony of faith and culture contributed by the many Catholic
immigrants into the Church in America.
The
Pope began by praising the work carried out by the Church in America,
to respond to the phenomenon of immigration: "The Catholic
community in the United States continues, with great generosity, to
welcome waves of new immigrants, to provide them with pastoral care
and charitable assistance, and to support ways of regularizing their
situation, especially with regard to the unification of families. A
particular sign of this is the long-standing commitment of the
American Bishops to immigration reform. ... It is ... of profound
concern to the Church, since it involves ensuring the just treatment
and the defence of the human dignity of immigrants".
The
Church in America, the Pope said to the bishops, "is called to
embrace, incorporate and cultivate the rich patrimony of faith and
culture present in America's many immigrant groups, including ... the
swelling numbers of Hispanic, Asian and African Catholics. The
demanding pastoral task of fostering a communion of cultures within
your local churches must be considered of particular importance in
the exercise of your ministry at the service of unity. This diaconia
of communion entails more than simply respecting linguistic
diversity, promoting sound traditions, and providing much-needed
social programs and services. It also calls for a commitment to
ongoing preaching, catechesis and pastoral activity aimed at
inspiring in all the faithful a deeper sense of their communion in
the apostolic faith and their responsibility for the Church's mission
in the United States. ... the immense promise and the vibrant
energies of a new generation of Catholics are waiting to be tapped
for the renewal of the Church’s life and the rebuilding of the
fabric of American society".
In
this context, Benedict XVI emphasized the role of the consecrated
life: "The urgent need in our own time for credible and
attractive witnesses to the redemptive and transformative power of
the Gospel makes it essential to recapture a sense of the sublime
dignity and beauty of the consecrated life". We must, therefore,
"pray for religious vocations and promote them actively, while
strengthening existing channels for communication and cooperation"
present in each diocese.
In
conclusion, the Pope expressed his hope that the Year of Faith, which
will begin in October, "will awaken a desire on the part of the
entire Catholic community in America to reappropriate with joy and
gratitude the priceless treasure of our faith. With the progressive
weakening of traditional Christian values, and the threat of a season
in which our fidelity to the Gospel may cost us dearly, the truth of
Christ needs not only to be understood, articulated, and defended,
but to be proposed joyfully and confidently as the key to authentic
human fulfilment and to the welfare of society as a whole".
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