POPE THANKS AGENTS OF THE PUBLIC SECURITY INSPECTORATE

VATICAN CITY, 8 JAN 2010 (VIS) - In a traditional meeting that takes place every year in January, Benedict XVI today received members of the General Inspectorate for Public Security in the Vatican.

  In his remarks the Pope thanked the agents for the work they do to maintain public order in St. Peter's Square and the area around the Vatican, highlighting how their task "is particularly important for the mission of the Roman Pontiff".

  "Your efforts", he went on, "favour a climate of serenity and tranquillity which gives those who come to the centre of Christianity the chance to enjoy an authentic religious experience, in contact with the fundamental monuments of the Christian faith such as the tomb of the Apostle Peter, the relics of many saints and the tombs of numerous Pontiffs, loved and venerated by Christian people".

  Recalling then the "commitment and great responsibility" required of the agents in the performance of their duties, the Pope told them that their work should be "a special way to serve the Lord, almost as if to 'prepare the way for Him', so that each pilgrim's and each visitor's experience at the centre of Christianity may represent a special occasion to encounter the Lord Who changes lives".

  The Holy Father concluded by expressing the hope that the work undertaken by the agents of the General Inspectorate for Public Security "may make you ever stronger and more coherent in your faith", and he encouraged them "not to be afraid or ashamed to express that faith in your own families, in the workplace and wherever you may find yourselves".
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 8 JAN 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Cardinal Camillo Ruini, His Holiness' vicar general emeritus for the diocese of Rome.

 - Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer S.J., secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 8 JAN 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 - Bishop Anthony C. Fisher O.P., auxiliary of Sydney, Australia, as bishop of Parramatta (area 4,289, population 973,341, Catholics 319,278, priests 150, permanent deacons 6, religious 376), Australia.

 - Antonio Paolucci, director of the Vatican Museums, and Maria Cristina Carlo-Stella, bureau chief at the Fabric of St. Peter's, respectively, as president and secretary of the Permanent Commission for the Custody of Historical and Artistic Monuments of the Holy See.

 - Msgr. Nicolas Henry Marie Denis Thevenin, nunciature counsellor, to the College of Apostolic Protonotaries "de numero participantium".
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BECOME HUMBLE IN ORDER TO RECOGNISE THE GREATNESS OF GOD

VATICAN CITY, 6 JAN 2010 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica at 10 a.m. today, the Pope presided at Mass for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.

  In his homily Benedict XVI commented on the readings from the Book of Isaiah and from the Gospel of St. Matthew, explaining that the Magi "were not the last but the first of the great procession of people who, through all ages of history, were able to recognise the message of the star, to follow the paths indicated by Sacred Scripture, and thus to find Him Who is apparently weak and fragile but Who, in fact, has the power to bring the greatest and most profound joy to the human heart".

  "In Him", the Pope continued, "is the expression of the stupendous truth that God knows us and is close to us, that His greatness and power are not expressed in the logic of the world, but in the logic of a defenceless child Whose strength is only that of the love He gives us. In the course of history there are always people who are illuminated by the light of the star, who find the path and manage to encounter Him. All of them live, each in their own way, the same experience as the Magi".

  "If, then, we read the promise of the prophet Isaiah and its fulfilment in the Gospel of Matthew within the great context of all history, it is evident that what we are told - and what we seek to reproduce in the nativity scene - is not a dream or a vain interplay of feelings and emotions devoid of strength or authenticity; rather, it is the Truth that irradiates around the world".

  "Only in that Child is the power of God made manifest, the power which brings together men of all centuries so that, under His lordship, they may follow the path of love which transfigures the world. And yet, although the few of Bethlehem have become many, believers in Jesus Christ always seem to be few. Many have seen the star but only a few have understood its message".

  "We can, then, ask ourselves", said the Holy Father, "why is it that some seek and find, while others do not? What is it that opens their eyes and hearts? What is lacking in those who remain indifferent, in those who show the way but do not move themselves? And we may answer that too much self-confidence, the belief they possess a perfect knowledge of reality, and the presumption of having already formulated a definitive judgement about things makes their hearts closed and insensitive to the novelty of God. They are sure of the idea they have of the world and do not allow themselves to be intimately moved by the adventure of a God Who wants to meet them. They place their trust more in themselves than in Him, and do not believe it possible that God is so great that He can become small, that he can truly draw close to us.

  "In the end", he added, "what they lack is the authentic humility capable of submitting itself to that which is greater, but also the authentic courage which brings us to believe in that which is truly great, even if it shows itself in a defenceless Child. What they lack is the evangelical capacity to become children at heart, to be amazed and to abandon the self so as to start down the path indicated by the star, the path of God. Yet the Lord", the Pope concluded, "has the power to make us see and to save ourselves".
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HARMONY BETWEEN REASON AND FAITH, SCIENCE AND REVELATION

VATICAN CITY, 6 JAN 2010 (VIS) - Following this morning's Mass in the Vatican Basilica, at midday the Pope appeared at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus with thousands of faithful gathered below.

  Recalling the fact that "today we celebrate the great Feast of the Epiphany, the mystery of the apparition of the Lord to all people, as represented by the Magi who came from the East to adore the King of the Jews", the Pope said that "the star and Holy Scripture were the twin lights that guided the journey of the Magi, who appear to us as models of authentic seekers after truth".

  The Magi, he went on, "were men of learning in the broadest sense, who observed the cosmos and held it to be a vast book full of signs and divine messages for mankind. Their wisdom, then, far from being self-sufficient, was open to further revelations and divine calls".

  "The culmination of their quest came when they found themselves before 'the child with Mary his mother'. The Gospel says that 'they knelt down and paid him homage'. They could have been deluded, even scandalised; yet, being true wise men, they were open to the mystery which revealed itself in such a surprising way, and with their symbolic gifts they showed they recognised Jesus as King and Son of God. In that gesture the messianic oracles announcing the homage of the nations to the God of Israel were fulfilled.

  "One final detail confirms the blend of intelligence and faith in the Magi", the Pope added. "This is the fact that, 'having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road'. It would have been natural to return to Jerusalem, to the palace of Herod and the Temple, in order to announce their discovery. Instead the Magi, who had chosen the Child as their king, kept that discovery hidden, like Mary or, better still, like God Himself. And so, just as they appeared they disappeared in silence, contented but also changed by their encounter with the Truth. They had discovered the new face of God, a new regality: the regality of love".

  The Pope appealed to the Virgin Mary, "model of true wisdom, to help us become true searchers after the truth of God, always capable of experiencing the profound harmony that exists between reason and faith, between science and revelation".

  After the Marian prayer, the Holy Father congratulated "our brothers and sisters of the Eastern Churches who celebrate Christmas tomorrow. May the mystery of light be a source of joy and peace for all families and communities".

  He then reminded those present that the Solemnity of the Epiphany coincides with the Day of Missionary Children, which has as its motto this year: "children helping children".

  "Promoted by the Venerable Pope Pius XII in 1950, this initiative educates children to form a mentality open to the world and to show solidarity with their more disadvantaged peers", said Pope Benedict. In this context he concluded by expressing his affectionate greetings to "all the young missionaries present on the five continents, and I encourage them always to be witnesses of Jesus and announcers of His Gospel".
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