CULTURE MUST REDISCOVER THE DYNAMISM OF TRANSCENDENCE

Vatican City, 3 May 2012 (VIS) - The "Agostino Gemelli" Faculty of Medicine and Surgery is currently celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. To mark the occasion, the Holy Father made a visit to Rome's Sacred Heart Catholic University this morning, where he pronounced an address focusing on "quaerere Deum" (the search for the absolute) in contemporary culture.

The Pope was received by the academic authorities of the teaching hospital, who were accompanied by Gianfranco Fini, president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, and by Lorenzo Ornaghi and Renato Balduzzi, respectively ministers of culture and of health. Also present was Cardinal Agostino Vallini, His Holiness' vicar general for the diocese of Rome, and Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, Italy and president of the "Giuseppe Toniolo" Institute for Higher Studies. Many students and patients gathered to hear the Holy Father’s words, which he pronounced on an open area in front of the hospital building.

"Ours is a time in which the empirical sciences have transformed our view of the world, and even man's understanding of himself", the Pope said. "Numerous discoveries and innovative technologies ... are a justified reason for pride, but often they are not without worrying side effects".

"The Europe's fruitful root of culture and progress seems to have been forgotten; there the search for the absolute - 'quaerere Deum' - also embraced the need to develop the profane sciences, the entire world of knowledge. Indeed, scientific research and the demand for meaning, each with is own specific epistemological and methodological attributes, spring from a single source: the Logos which presided over the work of creation and guides the course of history. A mentality that is fundamentally technical and practical generates a dangerous imbalance between what is technically possible and what is morally good, with unforeseeable consequences.

"It is therefore important for culture to rediscover the vigour of meaning and the dynamism of transcendence. In a word, it must open itself decisively to the horizon of 'quaerere Deum'", Benedict XVI added. "Science and faith possess a fruitful reciprocity, almost a complementary need to understand reality. ... Christianity, the religion of the Logos, does not relegate faith to the field of irrationality; rather is attributes the origin and meaning of reality to creative Reason, which in the crucified God showed itself to be love and which invites us to follow the path of 'quaerere Deum': 'I am the way, the truth and the life'".

"By following the path of faith, man is able to distinguish, even in the reality of suffering and death which traverse his existence, an authentic possibility for goodness and for life. ... Care for those who suffer is, then, a daily encounter with the face of Christ, and the dedication of mind and heart becomes a sign of God's mercy and of His victory over death.

"Experienced in its entirety this search is illuminated by science and faith, drawing vigour and impetus from these two 'wings' and never losing a due sense of humility and of its own limitations. In this way the quest for God enriches understanding, becoming a ferment of culture, a promoter of true humanism, a search which does not stop at the surface. ... It is here that the irreplaceable role of the Catholic University comes into play, a place in which education is placed at the service of the person in order to construct an academic competence rooted in that heritage of knowledge which the succeeding generations have distilled into life wisdom; a place where care is not a task, but a mission".

"The Catholic University, which has a special relationship with the See of Peter, is today called to be an exemplary institution which does not limit learning to functionality and economic success, but broadens it horizons to projects in which the gift of intelligence investigates and develops the gifts of creation, abandoning a purely productive and utilitarian view of existence because 'the human being is made for gift, which expresses and makes present his transcendent dimension'". Finally, the Pope concluded his remarks by assuring patients at the Gemelli Hospital of his "prayers and affection".

BENEDICT XVI TO CELEBRATE MASS IN FRASCATI

Vatican City, 3 May 2012 (VIS) - In a communique made public today the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household states that the Holy Father, accepting the invitation of Bishop Raffaello Martinelli of Frascati, will celebrate Mass in Piazza San Pietro in that Italian town on 15 July. Following the celebration the Pope will return to Castelgandolfo where he will pray the Angelus. The announcement was made this morning by Bishop Martinelli while celebrating the Feast of Sts. Philip and James the Less, patron saints of that suburbicarian diocese.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 3 May 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Antoni Dziemianko, auxiliary of Minsk-Mohilev. Belarus, as bishop of Pinsk (area 72,700, population 3,141,000, Catholics 50,500, priests 48, religious 78), Belarus.

ST. STEPHEN: MEDITATION UPON SACRED SCRIPTURE IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE PRESENT

Vatican City, 2 May 2012 (VIS) - The prayer of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was the theme of the Holy Father's catechesis during his general audience this morning.

Addressing more than 20,000 faithful filling St. Peter's Square, the Pope explained how, according to the narrative of the Acts of the Apostles, Stephen was taken before the Sanhedrin accused of having declared that Jesus would destroy the Temple and change the customs handed down by Moses. In his address before the council Stephen explained that, in saying these things, Jesus had been referring to His body, which was the new temple. In this way, Christ "inaugurated the new worship and, with the offer of Himself on the cross, replaced the ancient sacrifices", Benedict XVI said.

Stephen wished to show that the accusation of subverting the Law of Moses was unfounded, to which end he outlined his view of the history of salvation, of the covenant between God and man. "Thus", the Holy Father explained, "he reread the entire biblical narrative to show that it led to the 'place' of God's definitive presence, which is Jesus Christ and in particular His passion, death and resurrection. Stephen interpreted his status as a disciple of Jesus in the same light, ... following Him to martyrdom. Thus, meditation upon Sacred Scripture helped him to understand ... the present".

"In his meditation upon God's action in the history of salvation" the proto-martyr "highlighted the perennial temptation to reject God and His acts, and affirmed that Jesus is the Just One announced by the prophets. In Him, God made Himself definitively and uniquely present: Jesus is the 'place' of true worship".

Stephen's explanations and his life were interrupted by his stoning, yet "martyrdom was the culmination of his life and message, because he became one with Christ. Thus his meditation upon the action of God in history, on the divine Word which was entirely fulfilled in Jesus, became a form of participation in Christ's prayer on the cross".

The moment of Stephen's martyrdom "again revealed the fruitful relationship between the Word of God and prayer", the Pope said. Yet "where did this first Christian martyr find the strength to face his persecutors and to make the ultimate gift of self? The answer is simple: in his relationship with God, in his communion with Christ, in meditating upon the history of salvation, in witnessing the action of God which reached its apex in Jesus Christ".

St. Stephen believed that Jesus was "the Temple, 'not made by human hands', in which the presence of God the Father came so close as to enter our human flesh, bringing us to God and opening the doors of heaven for us. Our prayer must, then, be contemplation of Jesus sitting at the right hand of God, of Jesus as Lord of our daily life. In Him, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we too can address God ... with the trust and abandonment of children who turn to a Father Who loves them with an infinite love".

RENEWED JURIDICAL FRAMEWORK FOR CARITAS INTERNATIONALIS

Vatican City, 2 May 2012 (VIS) - Made public today was a General Decree concerning the renewed juridical framework of Caritas Internationalis. The document, which bears the signature of Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., was approved by the Holy Father on 27 April, and comes into force from the moment of its publication.

The publication of the decree is being accompanied by an explanatory text in English, written by Msgr. Osvaldo Neves de Almeida, excerpts from which are given below.

"In its sixty-one years of existence, Caritas Internationalis has always been a privileged instrument of the Church’s charitable activity. Drawing upon its long experience of this worthy institution, and in particular the developments of recent years, the Holy See has sought to update the juridical status of Caritas Internationalis, in order the better to support its activity in the context of the modern world".

"Blessed John Paul II gave it public canonical juridical personality by means of the Chirograph 'Durante l'ultima Cena'. ... This public juridical person is governed principally, though not exclusively, by its proper legislation and by the relevant provisions of the Code of Canon Law. The Chirograph 'Durante l’Ultima Cena', in recognising the special bond linking Caritas Internationalis with the Apostolic See, implicitly established that its governance and operation should make reference to the First Section of the Secretariat of State. At the same time, the Chirograph gave the Pontifical Council 'Cor Unum' the task of following and accompanying the activity of Caritas Internationalis".

The process of updating the juridical framework of Caritas Internationalis

"The experience garnered in almost eight years of applying the Chirograph 'Durante l’Ultima Cena' has made it possible to understand in greater detail how to carry forward a process of juridical updating that not only respects but expresses even better the nature of the organisation and clarifies the distribution of competences among dicasteries and offices with an interest in it".

"Between January and May of last year, a working group of representatives from Caritas Internationalis and the Holy See studied a new version of the Statutes of Caritas Internationalis, with the intention of resolving the interlinked doctrinal, juridical and economic issues. ... During the said meetings of the working group, one of the points to emerge was the need for legislation to complement the Chirograph 'Durante l’Ultima Cena', as a normative reference-point for the application of the new Statutes. Having received the draft Statutes, the Holy Father gave precise instructions to the Cardinal Secretary of State on the contents of the said text due to complement the Chirograph. Accordingly, in deference to these indications, the General Decree was drawn up and the new Statutes and Internal Rules were revised in accordance with it".

Some characteristic features of the new General Decree

"Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the General Decree clarify the competences of the principal dicasteries involved. In this regard, first and foremost, the role of the Pontifical Council 'Cor Unum' has been strengthened (art. 1), the dicastery, that is, that follows the institutional activity of Caritas Internationalis and is responsible for approving its texts with doctrinal or moral content".

"Articles 4 and 5 establish guidelines for the future redaction of specific norms governing employment of personnel and the preparation of a suitable welfare regime. The employees of Caritas Internationalis, in fact, while they are not Vatican employees, are part of the working community of the Apostolic See".

"Article 6 ... establishes that at least three members of the Executive Board be papal appointments. This allows the Holy Father to designate individuals of specific proven competence, particular those coming from poor regions or regions deserving of privileged attention. ... It remains the case, however, that the majority of members are chosen by national Caritas agencies, which therefore continue to be responsible for the governance of this important structure of the Confederation.

"Moreover, provision is made for an Ecclesiastical Assistant and a Support Commission. ... In addition to the 'nihil obstat' of the Holy See for candidates for the offices of President and Secretary-General, ... the General Decree and the new Statutes require a 'nihil obstat' for the candidates for Treasurer".

"Article 7 re-affirms the general principle that significant canonical and Vatican legislation is binding upon those who are employed in entities situated within Vatican City and institutionally linked to the Holy See".