CHRISTIANS AND BUDDHISTS: CARING FOR THE PLANET EARTH

VATICAN CITY, 29 APR 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was the annual Message to Buddhists for the Feast of Vesakh, issued by the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and signed by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, respectively president and secretary of the council.

  Vesakh, the main Buddhist festivity, marks three fundamental moments in the life of Gautama Buddha. It is held during the full moon of the month of May because, according to tradition, Buddha was born, achieved enlightenment and passed away in that period.

  This year's message - published in English, French and Italian - is entitled "Christians and Buddhists: Caring for the Planet Earth". It indicates that "preservation of the environment, promotion of sustainable development and particular attention to climate change are matters of grave concern for everyone. Many governments, NGOs, multi-national companies, and research and tertiary institutes, in recognising the ethical implications present in all economic and social development, are investing financial resources as well as sharing expertise on bio-diversity, climate change, environmental protection and conservation.

  "Religious leaders too", the message adds, "are contributing to the public debate. This contribution is of course not just a reaction to the more recent pressing threats associated with global warming. Christianity and Buddhism have always upheld a great respect for nature and taught that we should be grateful stewards of the earth. Indeed it is only through a profound reflection on the relationship between the divine Creator, creation and creatures that attempts to address environmental concerns will not be marred by individual greed or hampered by the interests of particular groups.

  "On a practical level can we Christians and Buddhists not do more to collaborate in projects which confirm the responsibility that falls to each and everyone of us? Recycling, energy conservation, the prevention of indiscriminate destruction of plant and animal life, and the protection of waterways all speak of careful stewardship and indeed foster goodwill and promote cordial relations among peoples. In this way Christians and Buddhists together can be harbingers of hope for a clean, safe and harmonious world".

  The message concludes by expressing the hope that such ideas may be promoted "within our respective communities through public education and our good example in respecting nature and acting responsibly towards our one common planet Earth".
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 28 APR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Seven prelates from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of San Cristobal de la Habana, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Alfredo Victor Petit Vergel and Juan de Dios Hernandez Ruiz S.J.

    - Archbishop Juan Garcia Rodriguez of Camaguey.

    - Bishop Mario Eusebio Mestril Vega of Ciego de Avila.

    - Bishop Domingo Oropesa Lorente of Cienfuegos.

    - Bishop Marcelo Arturo Gonzalez Amador of Santa Clara.

 - Archbishop Joseph Marino, apostolic nuncio to Bangladesh, accompanied by members of his family.
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RESULTS OF A SURVEY INTO THE READING OF SCRIPTURE

VATICAN CITY, 28 APR 2008 (VIS) - A press conference held this morning in the Holy See Press Office presented the results of a survey into "the reading of the Scriptures in a number of countries (U.S.A., UK, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Poland and Russia". The research was promoted by the Catholic Biblical Federation and by GFK-Eurisko.

  Participating in the press conference were Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Bishop Vincenzo Paglia of Terni, Italy, who is also president of the Catholic Biblical Federation; and Luca Diotallevi, co-ordintaor of the research group and professor of sociology at the University of "Roma Tre".

  Presenting the results of the survey, Archbishop Ravasi dwelt on the need to underline the importance of the Bible, commenting that the philosopher Blaise Pascal was right to affirm that Scripture contains passages that console people of all conditions and other passages that disquiet them.

  Bishop Paglia explained that with a view to the forthcoming Synod on "The Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church", due to be held in October, the Catholic Biblical Federation "had felt it would be useful to undertake research in a number of countries in the world - while bearing in mind the various Christian traditions - in order to acquire concrete information on Christians' relationship with Scripture".

  The survey, he said, "confirmed in full Vatican Council II's pastoral intuition to exhort the faithful to rediscover Scripture as the primary source of spiritual life". It also reaffirmed "the bond that exists between the Bible and the Eucharist", because "the majority of those interviewed indicated the Sunday celebration as the place in which they habitually listen to the Word of God".

  In examining "the role of the Bible in ecumenical dialogue", the survey highlighted how "Scripture remains the most effective 'place' Christians have to progress together along the path of unity. ... The answers also showed that there no longer exists that diversity among the various Christian traditions - a diversity evident in the past - concerning their relationship with Scripture".

  Another factor to emerge was "the considerable expectations that the men and women of our time have towards Holy Scripture" which "is considered with great respect by everyone". Among Christians "it is widely held that the Bible contains the Word of God, that it is an inspired work capable of giving meaning to life, and that it has far greater authority than other ecclesial manifestations", although the values it contains "are difficult to put into practice".

  For this reason, said Bishop Paglia, one of the great challenges is "the responsibility of preaching, which on the basis of the Scripture must constitute an authoritative appeal to believers and to all those who seek".

  "Listening to the Scriptures favours the cohesion of listeners", he said. "Indeed, listening to the Word of God truly 'makes' the Church". Hence "reading Scripture in the company of the Church" makes it possible to avoid "the two most dangerous obstacles: a fundamentalist reading, ... and an individualist pseudo-psychological reading which leads readers to reflect themselves in the pages".

  The prelate concluded his remarks by highlighting the need "to find space for the 'schools of the word', the 'schools of the Gospel', and the 'schools of reading and listening to the Bible'. ... It is in this perspective", he said, "that we must see 'lectio divina', the oldest and riches method of listening to Scripture" which must be given "new spaces and new forms until it becomes the habitual way of approaching the Word of God in our Christian communities".

  For his part Professor Diotallevi explained that some 13,000 interviews had been completed during the course of the survey, which he described as "the most systematic scientific undertaking yet attempted to compare, on an international scale, levels and forms of familiarity with the Scriptures of Christian tradition among the adult population".

  "The Bible in the areas we examined", he said, "is not the text of a minority but an important point of reference present - in different degrees and ways - in the life and culture of broad majorities of the population. ... It may be affirmed that between a third and a quarter of adults in the countries examined have read a Bible passage at least once in the last 12 months".

  Professor Diotallevi noted the existence of "a gap dividing the Anglo-Saxon world from central and eastern Europe". In the former, "the sensation of the closeness of God is anything but extinct and the practice of prayer is anything but marginal. A very large majority of people look to the Bible as a source of truth, as the source of a message that has to do with life".

  It also emerged from the survey that "the practice of reading the Bible depends statistically, more than on shared religious beliefs, on participation in events and groups which already adopt this practice. ... Reading the Bible in no way echoes political polarisation between 'right' and 'left'", said Professor Diotallevi noting in conclusion the prevalence among the populations examined "of a position favourable to studying the Bible in schools. In particular those in favour exceed 50 percent in Russia, Poland, Italy, UK and Germany".
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APPEALS FOR SOMALIA, DARFUR AND BURUNDI

VATICAN CITY, 27 APR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square to pray the Regina Coeli with pilgrims gathered below.

  In his remarks, the Pope mentioned the recently-concluded ordination of 29 new priests in St. Peter's Basilica. "Fresh lymph is infused into the tissues of the ecclesial and civic communities", he said, recalling how he had invited the ordinands "to spread the joy of the Gospel through the world. Where Christ is preached with the power of the Holy Spirit and is accepted with an open heart, society, though full of so many problems, becomes a 'city of joy' - to quote the title of a famous book on the work of Mother Teresa in Calcutta".

  The Holy Father referred to his apostolic visit to the United States, where he encountered "great vitality and a resolute desire to live and bear witness to faith in Jesus". He then went on to greet the Oriental Churches which are celebrating Easter today, asking God to help them "in the difficult situations in which they often have to live and bear witness to the Gospel".

  Following the Regina Coeli, the Pope launched appeals for three African regions, where news "continues to cause profound suffering and intense concern". Somalia, Darfur and Burundi.

  In Somalia, and especially in Mogadishu, he said, "armed conflicts render the humanitarian situation ever more dramatic for that dear people, who for too many years have been oppressed by the burden of brutality and poverty".

  "In Darfur, despite a few momentary glimmers of hope, the tragedy continues for hundreds of thousands of defenceless and abandoned people".

  Finally, the Pope turned his attention to Burundi, calling on all sides involved in recent conflict "to return without delay to the path of dialogue and reconciliation", especially "following the bombardments of recent days which terrorised the inhabitants of the capital Bujumbura".

  He concluded: "I trust that local political authorities, the leaders of the international community and all people of good will make every effort to put an end to the violence and to honour the commitments they have taken on, so as to lay solid foundations for peace and development".
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NEW PRIESTS: ANNOUNCING AND BEARING WITNESS TO HOPE

VATICAN CITY, 27 APR 2008 (VIS) - At 9.30 a.m. today, the sixth Sunday of Easter, Benedict XVI presided at a Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica during which he ordained 28 deacons from the diocese of Rome and one from the Pontifical Urban College.

  Thirteen of the new priests from the diocese of Rome come from the city's major seminary, nine from the "Redemptoris Mater" College, and the other six from the "Almo Collegio Capranica", the Priestly Society of the Sons of the Cross and the Seminary of the Virgin of Divine Love.

  In his homily Holy Father noted how his ordination of new priests usually takes place on the fourth Sunday of Easter, "Good Shepherd" Sunday and the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, but that this year it had had to be postponed because of preparations for his apostolic trip to the United States.

  "The icon of the Good Shepherd, more than any other, seems to highlight the role and ministry of the priest in the Christian community", observed the Holy Father before turning his attention to today's biblical readings which, he said, "throw light from a different angle on the mission of priests".

  Benedict XVI examined the first reading, the passage in the Acts of the Apostles narrating the persecution in Jerusalem against the first Christian converts, the scattering of the disciples including Philip's flight to Samaria, and his preaching being welcomed there "with great joy".

  "Bringing the Gospel to everyone, that everyone may experience the joy of Christ and that there may be great joy in every city; what could be more beautiful than this? What could be greater? What could create greater enthusiasm than helping to spread the Word of Life throughout the world, than communicating the living water of the Holy Spirit? Announcing and bearing witness to this joy: this is the very heart of your mission", said the Pope to the ordinands.

  "These are elemental words for all priests", he told them. "To collaborate in other people's joy - in an often sad and negative world - the fire of the Gospel must burn within each of you, the joy of the Lord must live in you. Only then will you be able to convey and multiply this joy, bringing it to everyone, especially those who are sad and disillusioned".

  The Holy Father then went on to consider the rite of laying on of hands, which also figures in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, highlighting how "such a sign is inseparable from prayer, of which it is a silent continuation. Without saying a word the consecrating bishop - and after him the other priests - places his hands on the heads of the ordinands, thus expressing an invocation to God to effuse His Spirit upon them, to transform them and to make them participants in the priesthood of Christ".

  "A meeting of two freedoms comes about in that silent prayer: the freedom of God, working though the Holy Spirit, and the freedom of man, ... a mysterious Trinitarian 'movement' which brings the Holy Spirit and the Son to dwell in the disciples. ... Without love for Christ, which is put into effect by observing His commandments, people exclude themselves from the Trinitarian movement and begin to turn in on themselves, losing the capacity to receive or communicate God".

  Benedict XVI encouraged the new priests "to adore Christ the Lord in your hearts: that is, carve our a personal relationship of love with Him" in which "to live, purify, illuminate and sanctify all other relationships".

  "Our hope, your hope, is God in Jesus and in the Spirit", the Pope concluded. "From today, that hope becomes in you a 'priestly hope', the hope of Jesus the Good Shepherd Who dwells within you and shapes your desires in accordance with His divine Heart: a hope of life and forgiveness for the people who will be entrusted to your pastoral care; ... a hope of openness to faith and to the meeting with God for those who will come to you in their search for peace; a hope for peace and comfort for the suffering and the injured of life".
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