PETER AND PAUL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO ACCOMPLISH GOD'S WILL

VATICAN CITY, 29 JUN 2010 (VIS) - Following this morning's Mass in the Vatican Basilica, at midday the Pope appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus.

  Speaking of the patrons of Rome, the Pope noted that St. Peter was "a humble fisherman from Galilee ... who was so close to the Lord as to become a rock of faith and love upon which Jesus built His Church. ... St. Paul - the two-thousandth anniversary of whose birth we have just celebrated - spread the Gospel with the help of divine Grace, sowing the Word of truth and salvation among pagan peoples. The two patron saints of Rome, though having received different charisms and different missions from God, are both the foundation of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church".

  Benedict XVI then recalled how he had just imposed the pallium on thirty-eight new metropolitan archbishops "symbolising both communion with the Bishop of Rome, and the mission to feed the one flock of Christ".

  "May the example of the Apostles Peter and Paul illuminate believer's minds and enflame their hearts with the holy desire to accomplish the will of God, that the pilgrim Church in the world may remain ever faithful to her Lord", he concluded.

  After the Marian prayer, the Holy Father addressed a special greeting to the new metropolitan archbishops, who have come from various parts of the world, and to the pilgrims accompanying them.

ANG/                                    VIS 20100630 (250)

UNITY OF THE CHURCH IS ROOTED IN UNION WITH CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, 29 JUN 2010 (VIS) - Today, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, Benedict XVI celebrated the Eucharist in the Vatican Basilica. Concelebrating with the Holy Father were thirty-eight new metropolitan archbishops, upon whom he imposed the pallium.

  Commenting on the biblical readings from today's Mass, the Pope explained how "they highlight a topic which we could summarise thus: God remains close to His faithful servants freeing them from all evil, and He frees the Church from negative powers. This is the theme of freedom in the Church, which has a historical aspect and another more profoundly spiritual side".

  "Jesus' promise that 'the powers of darkness will not prevail' over the Church embraces the historical experience of persecution suffered by Peter and Paul, and by other witnesses to the Gospel; but it also goes further, ensuring protection above all from threats of a spiritual nature".

  "If we consider the two millennia of Church history we can see that - as the Lord Jesus foresaw - Christians have never lacked for trials, which in some times and places have taken the form of authentic persecutions. Yet nonetheless, despite the suffering they bring, these do not represent the most serious danger for the Church. In fact, she suffers her greatest damage from that which pollutes the faith and the Christian life of her members and her communities, damaging the integrity of her mystical Body, weakening her capacity for prophecy and witness, obscuring the beauty of her countenance".

  The Pope noted that St. Paul, in his Second Letter to Timothy, says that "men who work evil 'will not make much progress, because their folly will become plain to everyone'. There is, then", he explained, "a guarantee of freedom that God gives the Church: freedom from material ties which seek to impede or inhibit her mission, and from spiritual and moral evils which can damage her authenticity and credibility.

  "The question of the Church's freedom, which Christ guaranteed to Peter, also has a specific bearing on the rite of the imposition of the pallium which we today renew for thirty-eight metropolitan archbishops", the Holy Father added. "Communion with Peter and his successors is, in fact, a guarantee of freedom for the pastors of the Church and for the communities entrusted to their care".

  "At the historical level, union with the Apostolic See ensures that particular Churches and episcopal conferences remain free from local, national or trans-national powers, which can in certain cases hinder the mission of the Church. Also, and more importantly, the Petrine ministry is a guarantee of freedom in terms of full adherence to truth and authentic tradition, that the People of God may be protected from errors of faith and morality".

  The Holy Father continued his homily: "The fact, then, that every year the new metropolitan archbishops come to Rome to receive the pallium from the hands of the Pope must be understood in its proper sense, as a gesture of communion; and the theme of the freedom of the Church offers us a particularly important key with which to interpret it. This is evident in the case of Churches suffering persecutions, or those undergoing political interference or other harsh trials. But it is no less relevant in the case of communities suffering the influence of misleading doctrines, or of ideological tendencies and practices that run counter to the Gospel. In this sense, the pallium becomes a sign of freedom, like the 'yoke' which Christ invites each of us to take on our shoulders ... which rather than weighing down the person who carries it, raises him up. In the same way the bond with the Apostolic See, though demanding, supports the pastor and that part of the Church entrusted to his care, making them freer and stronger".

  Benedict XVI stressed the ecumenical importance of the words "the powers of darkness will not prevail over the Church" because, he said, "one of the typical effects of the Evil One is precisely division within the ecclesial community. Divisions are, in fact, a symptom of the power of sin, which continues to act in the members of the Church even after redemption".

  "The unity of the Church is rooted in her union with Christ, and the complete unity of Christians - a cause which must be sought and renewed generation after generation - is also sustained by His prayer and by His promise".

  In this context the Pope greeted the delegation from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which was present at the Eucharistic celebration. "Together", he said, "let us give thanks to God for the progress made in ecumenical relations between Catholics and Orthodox, and renew our commitment to respond generously to God's grace, which leads us to full communion".

  At the end of the Mass, the Pope and Orthodox Metropolitan Gennadios descended to the "Confessio" of St. Peter for a brief moment of prayer.

HML/                                    VIS 20100630 (830)

NOTE ON CONGREGATION FOR THE EVANGELISATION OF PEOPLES

VATICAN CITY, 30 JUN 2010 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique on 28 June:

  "In the face of news reports which have been circulating with regard to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples (formerly known as 'De Propaganda Fide'), it has been deemed necessary to recall some objective facts to protect the reputation of this important body of the Holy See and the Catholic Church.

  "The Congregation is the body responsible for directing and co-ordinating the work of evangelisation and missionary co-operation throughout the world.

  "Its first and fundamental aim is therefore to guide and support young Churches, located in areas of recent or scant evangelisation, territories which, according to long tradition, are subject to the jurisdiction of the congregation for all aspects of Church life.

  "Thus it co-ordinates the presence and action of missionaries in the world, submits candidates for the episcopate to the Holy Father and is responsible for the formation of local clergy, catechists, and pastoral workers.

  "This function is exercised by members of the congregation of the highest level, mostly cardinals, many of whom come from the mission countries themselves, and who meet regularly. In ordinary management the congregation is directed by the cardinal prefect and other superiors, in accordance with their duties.

  "In order to fulfil its duties, the congregation administers and maintains a large number of educational structures in Rome, among them the Pontifical Urban University (about 1400 students in the current academic year) and several colleges, where an estimated 150 seminarians, 360 priests, 150 religious and lay people from the five continents are currently studying.

  "This vast work, which requires a considerable amount of financial resources, is only part of the congregation's commitments for, as is well-known, it annually bestows to the churches of the territories under its jurisdiction (1080 districts) an ordinary financial subsidy which in many cases is the main or a major source of revenue for dioceses, apostolic vicariates, prefectures, 'sui iuris' missions, etc. Besides this, the congregation sends annual subsidies for the formation of local clergy. For the Holy See, this is an indispensable instrument for the growth and maturation of these Churches, which are among the most vital and promising for the future of the Catholic Church. Thanks to the congregation and to other countless activities in support of missions by Catholics around the world, a significant number of priests, seminarians and other pastoral workers can study in Rome, close to Peter's Successor".

  "Moreover, every year funding is given to aid projects for the construction of new churches and pastoral institutions, for literacy projects, healthcare and hospitals, particularly for children and education, often in regions that are among the world's poorest. This series of initiatives, and numerous others, are promoted and co-ordinated by the Pontifical Mission Societies, which is part of the dicastery. If we consider the relationship between the quantity of personnel and resources deployed, it is evident that operating costs are far lower than any international organisation engaged in the field of co-operation".

  "The Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples derives its resources mainly from the collections of World Mission Sunday, all distributed through the national Pontifical Mission Societies and, secondly, the income of its financial assets and real estate. This patrimony has been formed over decades through numerous donations from benefactors from all walks of life, who intended that part of their property be bequeathed to serve the cause of evangelisation.

  "The administration of this patrimony is of course a complex and challenging task, one which requires the advice of experts from different professional backgrounds and which, like all financial transactions, may also be exposed to errors of judgement and to fluctuations in the international market.

  "Nevertheless, as a result of sound administration and the growing generosity of Catholics, this legacy has continued to increase. At the same time, in recent years the awareness has gradually emerged of the need to improve profitability and to this end structures and procedures have been established to ensure a professional management that is in line with the highest standards.

  "This note aims to recall the identity, value and great significance of an institution vital to the Holy See and the entire Catholic Church, responding to Jesus' command: 'Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation'. It has earned and deserves the support of all Catholics and those who care about the good of man and his integral development".

OP/                                    VIS 20100630 (750)

POPE CREATES A DICASTERY FOR NEW EVANGELISATION

VATICAN CITY, 28 JUN 2010 (VIS) - This evening in the Roman basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, the Holy Father presided at first Vespers for the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul Apostles.

  The ceremony was attended by a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, sent by His Holiness Bartholomew I and composed of His Eminence Gennadios (Limouris), metropolitan of Sassima; His Eminence Bartholomaios (Ioannis Kessidis), bishop of Arianzos and assistant to the metropolitan of Germany, and Deacon Theodoros Meimaris of the patriarchal see of Fanar.

  In his homily the Pope reflected on the Church's missionary vocation. He began by recalling how Servant of God Giovanni Battista Montini, when elected as Peter's Successor, "chose the name of the Apostle of the Gentiles". In the year 1974 "he called an assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme of evangelisation in the modern world, and about a year later published the Apostolic Exhortation 'Evangelii nuntiandi'".

  Turning then to consider the figure of the Venerable John Paul II, Benedict XVI highlighted how, "with his apostolic trips and the insistence of his Magisterium on the urgent need for a 'new evangelisation', he was the living embodiment of the missionary nature of the Church. ... It is obvious to everyone that my predecessor gave extraordinary impulse to the mission of the Church, not only because of the distances he covered, but above all because of the genuine missionary spirit that moved him and that he left us as inheritance at the dawn of the third millennium.

  "Taking up this inheritance", the Pope added, "at the beginning of my Petrine ministry I affirmed that the Church is young, she is open to the future. And I repeat as much today at the tomb of St. Paul: the Church is an immense force for renewal in the world, not by her own power but by the power of the Gospel".

  "The challenges of the present are certainly beyond human capacities", said the Holy Father. "Not only is there physical hunger, there is also a more profound hunger which only God can satisfy. Man in the third millennium also seeks an authentic and full life; he needs truth, profound freedom and gratuitous love. Even in the deserts of the secularised world man's soul thirsts for God, for the living God".

  Benedict XVI pointed out that "there are regions of the world that still await their first evangelisation while others have already received it but need more profound attention. In others again, the Gospel has long standing roots and has given rise to an authentic Christian tradition but - over recent centuries and following complex dynamics - the process of secularisation has led to a serious crisis of meaning in Christian faith and in membership of the Church".

  And he went on: "It is in this perspective that I have decided to create a new organisation, in the form of a Pontifical Council, with the fundamental task of promoting renewed evangelisation in countries where the first announcement of the faith has already been heard and where there are Churches of ancient foundation, but where a progressive secularisation of society is being experienced, a kind of 'eclipse of the meaning of God'". These countries, he said, "are a challenge to us to find the adequate means to re-present the perennial truth of the Gospel of Christ".

  The Holy Father concluded by affirming that "the challenge of the new evangelisation calls to the universal Church, it asks us to remain committed to the search for full unity among Christians. In this context, one eloquent sign of hope are the reciprocal visits between the Churches of Rome and of Constantinople on the feasts of their respective patrons. For this reason we today welcome, with renewed joy and recognition, the delegation sent by Patriarch Bartholomew I".

HML/                                    VIS 20100630 (650)

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 30 JUN 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard of Mechelen-Brussels and president of the Belgian Episcopal Conference.
AP/                                    VIS 20100630 (30)