HUNGARY: MEDIATOR BETWEEN EAST AND WEST

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC 2010 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received the Letters of Credence of Gabor Gyorivanyi, the new Hungarian ambassador to the Holy See.

  Speaking to the diplomat in German, the Pope observed that, following the resumption of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Hungary in 1990, "new confidence emerged in active and constructive dialogue with the Catholic Church". He also spoke of his hope "that the profound wounds inflicted by the materialistic vision of man which seized the hearts of your country's citizens for nearly forty-five years, may continue to heal in a climate of peace, freedom and respect for man's dignity.

  "Without doubt the Catholic faith is one of the fundamental pillars of Hungarian history", the Holy Father added. "When, long ago in the year 1000, the young Hungarian Prince Stephen received the regal crown sent to him by Pope Sylvester II, this gift included the mandate to give faith in Jesus Christ a space and a home in that land. ... Of course we do not expect the State to impose a particular religion; rather, it should guarantee the freedom to confess and practice the faith. Nonetheless, politics and Christian faith do meet. ... This does nor mean imposing norms or codes of behaviour upon people who do not share the faith. It means, quite simply, purifying reason with the aim of helping to ensure that what is good and just may be recognised and put into practice, here and now".

  The Pope then went on to refer to the important role played by Hungary following the fall of the Iron Curtain, to its entry into the European Union six years ago, and to its forthcoming presidency of the Council of Europe. "Hungary", he said, "is particularly called to act as mediator between East and West. The Holy Crown, the legacy of King Stephen, by uniting the circular 'corona graeca' with the arched 'corona latina', ... shows how East and West must support and enrich one another on the basis of their spiritual and cultural heritage, and on the living profession of faith".

  Speaking them of the project for a new Hungarian constitution, the Pope expressed the hope "that it will be inspired by Christian values, especially as concerns the position of marriage and the family within society, and the protection of life".

  He went on: "Marriage and the family constitute an essential foundation for the healthy development of civil society, of countries and of peoples. ... Europe would not be Europe if this basic social building block disappeared or was substantially transformed. ... The Church cannot approve legislative initiatives which involve the acceptance of alternative models of marriage and family life, as these would contribute to weakening the principles of natural law and thus to relativising legislation and society's understanding of values".

  Finally Benedict XVI highlighted how the Catholic Church, "like other religious communities, plays a significant role in Hungarian society ... through her institutions in the field of education, culture, and social assistance, in this way she makes a useful contribution to the moral edification of your country. ... May the collaboration between the State and the Catholic Church in this field grow in the future and bring benefit to everyone".
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CARDINAL RATZINGER AND REVISION OF CANONICAL PENAL LAW

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC 2010 (VIS) - Given below is the text of an article by Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. the article is to be published on 4 December by the Italian magazine "Civilta Cattolica" under the title "Cardinal Ratzinger's Influence on the Revision of the Canonical Penal Law System".

  In the coming weeks, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts will distribute to its Members and Consultors the draft of a document containing suggestions for the revision of Book VI of the Code of Canon Law, the basis of the Church's penal law system. For almost two years a commission of experts in penal law has been re-examining the text promulgated in 1983, taking into account the needs that have emerged in subsequent years. The aim is to maintain the general plan and the existing numbering of the canons, while revising some of the decisions taken at the time, which with hindsight can be seen to be insufficient.

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris and president of the Conference of Bishops of France, accompanied by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Lille and Archbishop Hippolyte Simon of Clermont, vice presidents, and by Msgr. Antoine Herouard, secretary general.

 - Eight prelates of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Bishop Artemio L. Rillera S.V.D. of San Fernando de La Union.

    - Bishop Mylo Hubert C. Vergara of San Jose.

    - Bishop Jacinto A. Jose of Urdaneta.

    - Bishop Ruperto C. Santos of Balanga.

    - Bishop Florentino G. Lavarias of Iba.

    - Bishop Florentino F. Cinense of Tarlac.

    - Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes of Antipolo.

    - Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco of Cubao.
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IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC 2010 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

 - Cardinal Urbano Navarrete S.J. on 22 November at the age of 90.

 - Bishop Sergio Valech Aldunate, former auxiliary of Santiago de Chile, Chile, on 24 November at the age of 83.
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JULIAN OF NORWICH: PRIMACY OF DIVINE LOVE

VATICAN CITY, 1 DEC 2010 (VIS) - During today's general audience Benedict XVI spoke about Julian of Norwich, a great English mystic who lived approximately between 1342 and 1430, "difficult years", the Holy Father remarked, "both for the Church, lacerated by the schism that followed the Pope's return from Avignon to Rome, and for people's everyday lives which were suffering the consequences of a long war between the kingdoms of England and France".

  In 1373, during a period of serious illness, Julian received sixteen revelations on the love of God. "Inspired by divine love, Julian made a radical choice. Like an ancient anchoress, she chose to live in a cell located near the church of St. Julian in the city of Norwich".

  "Anchoresses, or 'recluses', dedicated themselves to prayer, meditation and study within their cells. In this way they came to acquire a very delicate human and religious sensibility which led to their being venerated by the people; and men and women of all ages and conditions, in need of counsel and comfort, devotedly sought them out".

  Benedict XVI went on: "Women and men who chose to withdraw and live in the company of God acquire, precisely because of this choice, a great sense of compassion for the suffering and weakness of others. Friends of God, they enjoy a wisdom which the world they have left does not possess, and they willingly share this with those who knock at their door. Thus I think with admiration and gratitude of the monasteries of cloistered women and men which, today more than ever, are oases of peace and hope, a precious treasure for the entire Church, especially inasmuch as they recall the primacy of God and the importance that intense and constant prayer has for the journey of faith".

  Julian's book "Revelations of Divine Love", contains "an optimistic message based on the certainty that we are loved by God and protected by His Providence". She "compares divine love with maternal love. This is one of the most characteristic messages of her mystical theology. The tenderness, solicitude and sweetness of God's goodness towards us are so great that to us, pilgrims on the earth, they seem as the love of a mother for her children".

  "Julian of Norwich understood the central message of spiritual life: that God is love. Only when we open ourselves totally to this love, only when we allow it to become the one guide to our existence, does everything become transfigured and do we find true peace and joy which we can pass on to others".

  "The Catechism of the Catholic Church", the Holy Father explained, "contains words of Julian of Norwich, expounding the point of view of the Catholic faith on a subject that never ceases to arouse the concern of believers. If God is supremely good and wise, why does evil exist, why do the innocent suffer? ... Yet in the mysterious designs of Providence, even from evil God can draw a greater good. As Julian of Norwich wrote: 'I was taught by the grace of God that I should steadfastly keep me in the faith, and that at the same time I should ... earnestly believe that all manner of thing shall be well'".

  "God's promises are always greater that our expectations. If we commend the purest and deepest desires of our heart to God and to His immense love, we will never be disappointed, and 'all manner of thing shall be well'. This is the final message", the Pope concluded, "which Julian of Norwich transmits to us and which I too propose to you today".
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