BENEDICT XVI: JOHN XXIII WAS A MAN AND PASTOR OF PEACE

VATICAN CITY, 29 OCT 2008 (VIS) - To mark the 50th anniversary of the election to the pontifical throne of Blessed John XXIII, Benedict XVI spoke of the "Papa buono" in remarks he made at the end of a Mass celebrated yesterday afternoon in St. Peter's Basilica. The Mass, presided by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., was attended by around 3,000 pilgrims from the late Pope's home diocese of Bergamo, Italy.

  Benedict XVI recalled how at the time John XXIII was elected "the grace of God was preparing a period of commitment and promise for the Church and for society, and it found in the docility to the Holy Spirit which marked the entire life of John XXIII a fertile soil in which to sow harmony, hope, unity and peace, for the good of all humanity.

  "Pope John", the Holy Father added, "identified faith in Christ and membership of the Church ... as a guarantee of fruitful Christian witness in the world. And thus, amid the sharp contrasts of his time, the Pope remained a man and pastor of peace, who opened unexpected horizons of fraternity among Christians and of dialogue with everyone, in both East and West".

  Pope Benedict highlighted how Vatican Council II, "called, prepared and begun" by John XXIII, was "a truly special gift for the Church. ... We are all committed to accepting that gift in appropriate ways, continuing to reflect upon its teachings and to translate its practical guidelines into everyday life".

  Going on, then, to refer to Bergamo's recent diocesan synod which focused on the theme of the parish, the Pope affirmed: "It is in the parish that we learn to live our own faith solidly. This enables us to keep the rich tradition of the past alive and to re-propose its values in a secularised social environment which is often hostile and indifferent".

  Benedict XVI also dwelt on the importance John XXIII gave to the family, "where we learn to apply the fundamental Christian precept of love in daily life", he said. "The late Pope trustingly gave the parish - a family of families - the task of nourishing the sentiments of communion and fraternity among the faithful.

  "Moulded by the Eucharist", Benedict XVI concluded, quoting the words of his predecessor, "the parish will become a beneficial ferment amidst the widespread consumerism and individualism of our time, reawakening solidarity and opening, in faith, the eye of the heart to recognise the Father, Who is gratuitous love and Who wishes to share his own joy with His children".
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THE CROSS HAD A CENTRAL PLACE IN THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL

VATICAN CITY, 29 OCT 2008 (VIS) - In today's general audience, held in St. Peter's Square in the presence of 20,000 faithful, the Pope spoke of St. Paul's theology of the Cross.

  The Holy Father recalled how the Apostle of the Gentiles, following his experience on the road to Damascus, changed his life completely. Paul remained deeply marked by "the central significance of the Cross: he understood that Jesus died and rose for everyone. The Cross, then, demonstrated the gratuitous and merciful love of God", he said.

  "For St. Paul the Cross had a fundamental primacy in the history of humanity. It is the focal point of his theology because 'Cross' means salvation as grace for all creatures. The theme of the Cross became an essential and principal element of the Apostle's preaching".

  Benedict XVI then went on to highlight how "the 'stumbling block' and 'foolishness' of the Cross", of which St. Paul, speaks are to be found "in the fact that where there seemed to be only failure, suffering and defeat, there, in reality, is all the power of God's limitless Love".

  "If for the Jews the reason for rejecting the Cross was in the Revelation, in other words in the God of the Fathers, for the Greeks - that is, the pagans - the criterion for opposing the Cross lay in reason. For them, in fact, the Cross was death, foolishness. ... It was clearly inconceivable to imagine that a God could end up on a Cross! And we see how this Greek logic has also become the common logic of our own time".

  "Why", the Pope asked, "did St. Paul make the word Cross such a fundamental part of his preaching? The answer", he said, "is not difficult: the Cross reveals 'the power of God' which is different from human power; it reveals, in fact, His love".

  For the Apostle "the crucified Christ is wisdom because He truly shows Who God is: the power of love which goes even unto the Cross to save man. God uses means and instruments that to human beings seem to be mere weakness. The crucified Christ reveals, on the one hand, the weakness of man and, on the other, the true power of God, in other words the gratuitousness of love; and precisely this complete gratuitousness of love is true wisdom".

  The Holy Father explained how St. Paul, in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, makes "two fundamental affirmations: the one, that Christ, Whom God made to be sin for our sake, died for everyone; and the other, that God reconciled us to Him not counting our trespasses against us. It is from this 'ministry of reconciliation' that all slaves are ransomed".

  "St. Paul renounced his own life and committed himself totally to the ministry of reconciliation, of the Cross which is salvation for us all. This is something we must also do. We can find our strength in the humility of love and our wisdom in the weakness to renounce, thus to enter into the strength of God. ... We have to mould our lives on this true wisdom, not living for ourselves, but living in faith in the God of Whom we can all say: 'He loved me and gave Himself for me'".
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 29 OCT 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the office of apostolic vicar of Alexandria, Egypt, presented by Bishop Giuseppe Bausardo S.D.B. in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He appointed Msgr. Gennaro De Martino, vicar delegate of the same apostolic vicariate, as apostolic administrator "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" thereof.

 - Gave his assent to the canonical election, by the Synod of Bishops of the Maronite Church, of Fr. Joseph Soueif, "sincellus" for pastoral care and the implementation of synodal acts of the archieparchy of Tripoli, Lebanon, as archbishop of Cyprus of the Maronites (area 9,351, population 785,000, Catholics 10,000, priests 7, religious 8), Cyprus. The archbishop-elect was born in Chekka, Lebanon in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1987.
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VATICAN II DOCUMENTS STILL RETAIN ALL THEIR RELEVANCE

VATICAN CITY, 28 OCT 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Pope to Fr. Marco Tasca, minister general of the Friars Minor Conventual and chancellor of the St. Bonaventure Pontifical Theological Faculty ("Seraphicum"), for the occasion of an international congress which opened today in Rome. The congress has as its theme: "Vatican Council II in the Pontificate of John Paul II".

  The event has been organised by the St. Bonaventure Theological Faculty and the Institute for Documentation and Study of the Pontificate of John Paul II.

  After recalling how Vatican Council II (1962-1965) was convened by John XXIII, the 50th anniversary of whose election to the Cathedra of Peter falls today, Benedict XVI writes that "the conciliar documents have not lost their relevance with the passing of time; their teachings have shown themselves to be especially pertinent to the new exigencies of the Church and the present globalised society".

  Referring to his predecessor, the Holy Father highlights how John Paul II, "in almost every document he produced, and even more so in his decisions and acts as Pontiff, welcomed the fundamental tenets of Vatican II, thus becoming a qualified interpreter and coherent witness of the Council. His constant concern was to make everyone aware of the advantages that would ensue from welcoming the conciliar vision, not only for the good of the Church, but also for that of civil society and of the people in it".

  "We are all debtors of that extraordinary ecclesial event", writes Benedict XVI. "The vast doctrinal patrimony, which we rediscover in its Dogmatic Constitutions in its Declarations and Decrees, still stimulates us to a deep appraisal of the Word of the Lord in order to apply it to the Church today, bearing in mind the many requirements of the men and women of the modern world, who have an urgent need to know and experience the light of Christian hope".

  The Pope assures participants in the congress that the "Doctor Seraphicus" (St. Bonaventure), "in the richness of his thought, can still offer you valid guidelines with which to approach the conciliar documents in order to seek satisfying answers to the many questions of our time".
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CHRISTIANS AND HINDUS: TOGETHER IN FAVOUR OF NON-VIOLENCE

VATICAN CITY, 28 OCT 2008 (VIS) - Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, has written a message to Hindus for the celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights, which this year falls on 28 October. The message is entitled, " Christians and Hindus: Together in Favour of Non-violence".

  In the English-language Message, the cardinal proposes "considering together how we can live harmoniously in today's society, witnessing to the truth, light and hope that Diwali celebrates. While religions are often blamed for society's ills, we know that it is rather the manipulation of religion, contrary to its fundamental beliefs, that is used to carry out so many forms of violence".

  "In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus called on His disciples to love their enemies, to pray for those who hated them. ... In the Hindu tradition, non-violence is one of the more important teachings. Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Indian nation, is respected and held in high regard by people of different generations around the world for his complete dedication to the service of humanity. During the course of his struggle for freedom, he realised that 'an eye for an eye, and soon the whole world is blind'. Throughout his life, he developed among others, the concept of 'Ahimsa' (non-violence).

  "He is a model for non-violence and he led by example to the point of laying down his life because of his refusal to engage in violence.

  "Non-violence is not merely a tactical manoeuvre but is the attitude of one who, as the Pope affirmed, 'is so convinced of God's love and power' that he is not afraid to tackle evil with the weapons of love and truth alone. Love of one's enemy is the revolution of love, a love that does not rely ultimately on human resources but is a gift of God.

  "Non-violence is encouraged by many other religions. Non-violence is central to our beliefs as the way to promote truth, light, mutual respect, freedom and harmony. As religious leaders called to uphold the truth found in our respective religions, let us help to foster non-violence among our followers and support it in their actions.

  "Let us do all we can to promote the sacredness of human life, the good of the poor and lowly in our midst and collaborate, through dialogue, to foster the dignity of the human person regardless of race or caste, creed or class. As Hindus and Christians, especially in the present situation, let us be won over by love without reserve, with the conviction that non-violence is the only way to build a global society that is more compassionate, more just and more caring".
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