ZENIT, Daily dispatch
The World Seen From Rome
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VATICAN DOSSIER
* God Speaks Through Scripture, Says Pontiff
* Romanian Thanks Pope for Immigration Message
* Benedict XVI Mourns Victims of Portugal Crash
WORLD FEATURES
* Still Time to Avoid Turkey-Kurdish Rebel Conflict, Says Prelate
* Armed Forces' Bishop Asks More From Government
* Prelates: Couples Need Confidence to Become Parents
NEWS BRIEFS
* U.S. Bishops Support Child Tax Credit
WEDNESDAY'S AUDIENCE
* On St. Jerome
FORUM
* The Secular Vs. Religion?
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VATICAN DOSSIER
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God Speaks Through Scripture, Says Pontiff
Notes Importance of Personal Contact With Bible
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Sacred Scripture isn't merely a text written in the past, but rather the word of God that has within it a personal message directed to each individual Christian, says Benedict XVI.
The Pope said this today to 40,000 people who had gathered in St. Peter's Square to participate in the general audience, which he dedicated to the biblical exegete St. Jerome (347-419/420).
The Holy Father said that the Bible was at the center of Jerome's life. The biblical scholar translated what is considered the official text of the Bible in Latin, known as the Vulgate.
The Pontiff recounted that Jerome lived for a time as a hermit in the desert, where he dedicated himself to serious study of, among other things, Greek and Hebrew. "The meditation, the solitude, the contact with the word of God matured his Christian sensibility," he said.
It was later in Rome, however, at the suggestion of Pope Damasus I, that the scholar undertook a new Latin translation of the Bible, basing himself on the original texts of the sacred texts in Greek and Hebrew.
Benedict XVI said of the biblical exegete: "His literary preparation and vast erudition allowed Jerome to revise and translate many Biblical texts: an invaluable service for the Latin Church and for Western culture."Reflecting on what the Church of today can learn from Jerome, the Pope said, "Above all I think it is this: to love the word of God in sacred Scripture. St. Jerome said, 'To ignore Scripture is to ignore Christ.'
"That is why it is important that every Christian live in contact and in personal dialogue with the word of God, given to us in sacred Scripture."
Benedict XVI said this dialogue should have a personal and a communal dimension: "It should be truly personal, because God speaks to each of us through sacred Scripture and has a message for each of us. We shouldn't read sacred Scripture as a word from the past, but rather as the word of God addressed even to us, and we must try to understand what the Lord is telling us."
He added: "We must also keep in mind that the word of God is given to us in order to build communion, to unite us in the truth along our way to God.
"Therefore, despite the fact that it is always a personal word, it is also a word that builds community, and that builds the Church itself. Therefore, we should read it in communion with the living Church."
The Pope pointed out that "the privileged place for reading and listening to the word of God is in the liturgy. By celebrating the word and rendering the Body of Christ present in the sacrament, we bring the word into our life and make it alive and present among us."
"We should never forget that the word of God transcends time," said the Holy Father. "Human opinions come and go; what is very modern today will be old tomorrow. But the word of God is the word of eternal life, it carries within itself eternity, which is always valuable. Carrying within ourselves the word of God, we also carry eternal life."
Quoting Jerome, the Pontiff concluded, "Let us seek to learn on earth those truths which will remain ever valid in heaven."
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Romanian Thanks Pope for Immigration Message
Italy Embroiled in Debate Over Migration Issue
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- In the wake of Italy's deportation of more than a dozen Romanian immigrants last week, Romania's prime minister thanked Benedict XVI today for encouraging tolerance in migration.
Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu visited the Pope this morning after the general audience, reported Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office.
The prime minister thanked the Holy Father for encouraging the welcome of immigrants, Father Lombardi said.
The Vatican press office director added that during the brief meeting, the Romanian prime minister thanked the Holy Father for what both he and the Church do to welcome immigrants and to educate people in tolerance, and for the words to that effect pronounced by the Pope at last Sunday's Angelus when he underlined the importance of welcome and security. The prime minister also expressed the hope that such a positive attitude should continue.
Tariceanu's comments came amid rising tension in Italy over the immigration issue. Last week a 24-year-old Romanian citizen, a member of a Gypsy community, was arrested for the rape and murder of an Italian naval officer's wife.
Authorities on Saturday tore down the Gypsy camp in Rome where the Romanian suspect lived. And last Wednesday, Italy passed a decree allowing the deportation of European Union citizens considered to be dangerous. Some 20 Romanians were later deported.
Also today, the prime ministers of Italy and Romania made a joint appeal to the European Union to tackle problems stemming from immigration, particularly that of transient Gypsy communities.
Romanian immigrants have flooded into Italy since the start of the year when the country joined the EU, giving its citizens the right to travel to any country in the 27-nation bloc. Romanians in Italy now number more 500,000, the biggest foreign community, and account for about 1% of the population, the Caritas organization estimates.
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Benedict XVI Mourns Victims of Portugal Crash
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI expressed his sadness at a recent road accident in Portugal that claimed the lives of 13 people and injured 24.
The Pope offered his condolences today, when he addressed Portuguese pilgrims who had participated in today's general audience.
He said to them in Portuguese, "May the strong arm of the heavenly Father protect and console everyone. To the families affected by this tragedy and to those working to alleviate its consequences, I give assurances of my particular solidarity and prayers."
The accident, which took place Monday in western Portugal, involved a head-on collision between a car and a bus carrying pilgrims who were returning from a visit to the shrine of Fatima. Last July, the Pope offered condolences for another bus accident involving pilgrims. Twenty-six Polish pilgrims died when their bus went off the road as they were returning home from the Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in France.
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WORLD FEATURES
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Still Time to Avoid Turkey-Kurdish Rebel Conflict, Says Prelate
Urges Careful Consideration of Situation in Northern Iraq
ROME, NOV. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- There is still room for a diplomatic solution to the tension between Turkey and Kurdish rebels, as long as the Kurd issue is thoroughly taken into account, says the vicar apostolic of Anatolia.
L'Osservatore Romano reported Bishop Luigi Padovese's affirmation in today's edition of the semi-official Vatican newspaper.
Benedict XVI implored Sunday every effort to attain a peaceful solution in the region of the Turkey-Iraq border.
His comments came as tensions mount due to conflicts between Turkey and the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, the European Union and Iraq.
Turkey has amassed troops at its border with Iraq. Despite encouragement to avoid armed conflict from U.S. President George Bush, who met with the Turkish prime minister in Washington on Monday, Turkey continues in its determination to take the steps it deems necessary against the PKK -- even if that means military attack.
L'Osservatore Romano affirmed that "an open conflict between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan would be a catastrophe for the peoples involved and the umpteenth open wound for the area of the Middle East."
Bishop Padovese called for a peaceful solution, saying that the Kurd issue is "above all an internal problem of Turkey," a country "of many faces."
According to the apostolic vicar, the tension is stirred by "a certain press organization that has always attached importance to the attacks of the PKK, and the murders, which must be condemned, of Turkish soldiers, with the consequence that a climate of tension has arisen over the emotional wave of these events."
Despite everything, the bishop said, "there is still space for a diplomatic solution," as long as "the Kurdish problem in all of its magnitude and scope is addressed [] a problem that would still exist after a possible Turkish invasion of Iraq."
Bishop Padovese expressed his concern that those who would suffer from an armed conflict would be those who are in Kurdistan because of the Iraqi war -- many displaced Christians.
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Armed Forces' Bishop Asks More From Government
Says Troops Need to be Shown Gratitude in Form of Aid
LONDON, NOV. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The bishop of the British armed forces said the government needs to offer more support to troops and their families, as a way of showing gratitude for the service they offer.
In a message sent for the occasion of Remembrance Sunday, celebrated this Sunday, Bishop Thomas M. Burns said that "in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in other conflicts around the globe, our nation owes a huge debt of gratitude for the sacrifices made by so many in our forces today, and indeed for the sacrifices made by their families too."
Contending that "the risk to life and limb facing every serviceman and woman on operations has increased," the prelate said that "the state's duty of care in return has increased, but sometimes is found wanting."
"Offering the minimum is not enough: not in wages, nor in equipment, nor in housing, nor in medical care," Bishop Burns added. "I call upon the government not only to extend what they have already offered, but to go that extra mile in providing even better support and care for our troops."
The 63-year-old bishop noted improvements had been made in equipment and housing, as well as in other areas.
But he called for "extra sacrifices to be made by the government, in recognition of the sacrifices made by serving personnel and their families."
Family aid
Bishop Burns called attention to the aid offered to the families of those in the armed forces, saying that it is sometimes neglected for "other more visible areas of public life, important as they are."
"Only a lump-sum injected without delay will bring positive effects to the quality of life and support that a family gives to one of its own in the forces -- now, at a time of conflict, rather than waiting until later," he said. "We should never forget that when members of the forces go to war, their families go too, every day in their hearts, until their loved ones come home, alive or dead, healthy or injured."
The Irish-born prelate lamented that not everyone wounded during time in the armed forces has access to medical care.
"It may not be until a year or two has passed that chronic suffering catches up unawares," the bishop said. "By then the serviceman or woman may have left the forces, and is deprived of the support that previously came from the military environment, in the form of camaraderie, and the specialist, holistic care that would previously have contributed to a speedy recovery. The support that families give meanwhile is hidden and undervalued, because the focus is on active servicemen and women."
"Just as we call for so much unstintingly from our men and women in uniform, and from their suffering families, let us as a nation call on the government -- and on all parties -- to have a greater human understanding of what families are actually experiencing," Bishop Burns concluded. "Let everyone be unstinting in stating that never was so much owed by so many to so few."
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Prelates: Couples Need Confidence to Become Parents
European Bishops Propose Ways to Support Families
BRUSSELS, Belgium, NOV. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Young couples need more confidence in life so that they have the courage to become parents, the European bishops affirmed. And they proposed steps for the European Union to help bring this about.
The Secretariat of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community presented Monday a working document that aims to contribute to an improved family strategy on the level of the European Union.
The document "Proposal for a Strategy of the European Union for the Support of Couples and Marriage" draws attention to challenges for families. It suggests political initiatives in areas such as labor law and tax and housing policy, with which European institutions can support families.
"Stable couples and families are sources of mutual trust," a communiqué from the bishops' commission said. "They encourage taking responsibility and openness for the other and thus constitute an important social capital for Europe. "In view of the current demographic evolution and the increasing rate of divorce, it is necessary to offer also an increased attention to family-related issues on the European level."
Stability
The commission document outlines the areas in which EU institutions can contribute more to stable couples and families.
The document focuses on the various daily difficulties of couples and on the required conditions to allow parents to assume their role better in, for example, the protection of children and youth, integration and the fight against poverty.
"Helping married couples to create a loving and stable relationship and to assume their educational role as parents must be considered as an important and necessary step in enhancing the European Union's social dimension," the document says. "The European Union can contribute in helping married couples to overcome and prevent crises and assist them in their most challenging task, which is the education of their children.
"Now European policy makers are tasked to take up these issues and develop appropriate and imaginative policies."
Climate of joy
The bishops encouraged policymakers to take into account Benedict XVI's words during his September trip to Austria.
"Encourage young married couple to establish new families and to become mothers and fathers!" the Pope said on that occasion. "You will not only assist them, but you will benefit society as a whole. I also decisively support you in your political efforts to favor conditions enabling young couples to raise children. Yet all this will be pointless, unless we can succeed in creating once again in our countries a climate of joy and confidence in life, a climate in which children are not seen as a burden, but rather as a gift for all."
The bishops' document continued: "Indeed, many of the difficulties couples face today in maintaining the bond of marriage and in raising their children point to the difficulty of leading a meaningful life in modern society.
"This, of course, is not something that governments can deal with. A government cannot offer a meaningful life; its task is related to justice. Other actors have to stand in. Churches are certainly among them."
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NEWS BRIEFS
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U.S. Bishops Support Child Tax Credit
Say the Poor Need a Voice
WASHINGTON, D.C., NOV. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- U.S. bishops urged the House of Representatives to make the well-being of poor families with children a central priority when they debate and vote on the Temporary Tax Relief Act of 2007.
In a letter dated today, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, chairman of the conference's Domestic Policy Committee, stated that the prelates continue to be strong supporters of the Child Tax Credit and believe it to be an essential program that helps low income working families live in decency.
"Unless Congress acts, poor working families will increasingly fall further behind. Our faith and moral principles call us to stand with these workers and their children and insist that their needs take priority in this tax debate," Bishop DiMarzio wrote. "One moral measure of tax legislation is how it treats 'the least among us.'"
The bill would strengthen and expand the "refundable child credit" to more effectively reach the poorest of working families. As it is now structured, the Child Tax Credit excludes many poor and working families because they lack the minimum level of earnings required to qualify for the credit.
"Simple justice," the letter concludes, "requires that poor families not be left out of this effort to assist working families in raising their children. Too often, poor families are overlooked in public policy debates. While their voices are not always heard, poor people have compelling needs that should have a priority claim on our consciences and the choices made in Congress."
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Wednesday's Audience
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On St. Jerome
"To Ignore Scripture Is to Ignore Christ"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square on St. Jerome.
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Dear brothers and sisters!
We will turn our attention today to St. Jerome, a Father of the Church who placed the Bible at the center of his life: He translated it into Latin, he commented on it in his writings, and above all he committed to live it concretely in his long earthly existence, despite his naturally difficult and fiery character, which he was known for.
Jerome was born in Stridon around 347 to a Christian family that educated him well, and sent him to Rome to complete his studies. Being young, he felt attracted to worldly living (cf. Ep. 22,7), but his desire for and interest in the Christian religion prevailed.
After his baptism around 366, he was drawn to the ascetic life, and upon moving to Aquileia, he joined a group of fervent Christians, whom he described as a type of "choir of the blessed" (Chron. Ad ann., 374), who were united around the bishop Valerian.
He then left for the East and lived as a hermit in the desert of Calcide, south of Aleppo (cf. Ep. 14,10), dedicating himself to serious study. He perfected his knowledge of Greek, began to study Hebrew (cf. Ep. 125,12), transcribed patristic codices and works (cf. Ep. 5,2). The meditation, the solitude, the contact with the word of God matured his Christian sensibility.
He felt intensely the weight of his youthful past (cf. Ep. 22, 7), and became vividly aware of the contrast between the pagan and Christian mentalities: a contrast made famous by the dramatic and vivid "vision" which he left to us. In this vision he saw himself being scourged in the presence of God because he was a "Ciceronian and not a Christian" (cf. Ep. 22,30).
In 382, he moved to Rome where Pope Damasus, recognizing his fame as an ascetic and his competence as a scholar, took him on as secretary and adviser. He encouraged him to undertake a new Latin translation of biblical texts for pastoral and cultural reasons.
Some members of the Roman aristocracy, above all noblewomen such as Paola, Marcella, Asella, Lea and others, desired to commit themselves to the way of Christian perfection and to deepen their knowledge of the Word of God, and they chose him to be their spiritual guide and teacher in the method to read sacred texts. These women also learned Greek and Hebrew themselves.
After the death of Pope Damasus, Jerome left Rome in 385 and undertook a pilgrimage, first to the Holy Land, silent witness to the earthly life of Christ, then to Egypt, a destination chosen by many monks (cf. "Contra Rufinum," 3,22; Ep. 108,6-14).
In 386, he decided to stay in Bethlehem, where, thanks to the generosity of the noblewoman Paola, a monastery for men was built, and another for women, as well as a hospice for pilgrims to the Holy Land "in memory of Mary and Joseph who found no shelter" (Ep. 108,14).
He remained in Bethlehem until his death, carrying on his intense activity. He commented on the Gospels; he defended the faith, vigorously opposing various heresies; he exhorted monks to perfection; he taught classical and Christian culture to young pupils; he welcomed pilgrims to the Holy Land like a pastor. He died in his cell near the Grotto of the Nativity on Sept. 30, 419/420.
His literary preparation and vast erudition allowed Jerome to revise and translate many biblical texts: an invaluable service for the Latin Church and for Western culture. Beginning with the original texts in Greek and Hebrew, and comparing them to earlier translations, he revised the translation of the four Gospels in Latin, then the Psalms and a good part of the Old Testament.
Taking into account the original Greek and Hebrew texts of the Septuagint, the classic Greek version of the Old Testament that dates back to pre-Christian times, and the earlier Latin translations, Jerome and his collaborators were able to offer a better translation. This is what we call the "Vulgate," considered the "official" text of the Latin Church, which was recognized as such by the Council of Trent. Despite the recent revision of the text, it continues to be the "official" text of the Church in the Latin language.
It is interesting to highlight the criteria that the great biblical scholar used in his work as a translator. He revealed them himself when he stated that he respected even the order of words in sacred Scripture, because "even the order of the words is a mystery," that is, a revelation.
He also reiterated the need to turn to the original texts: "Whenever a question is raised among the Latins regarding the New Testament due to discordant readings of the texts, we must turn to the original, that is, the Greek text in which the New Testament was first written. Likewise for the Old Testament, if there are divergences between the Greek and Latin texts, let us turn to the original text in Hebrew. In this way, "we will be able to find in the rivulets everything that flows from the spring" (Ep. 106,2).
Jerome also commented on several biblical texts. He said commentaries should offer many opinions so that "the astute reader, after reading different explanations and getting to know different opinions -- to accept or to reject -- may judge which one is most reliable, and like a currency expert, reject the counterfeit" ("Contra Rufinum" 1,16).
With energy and liveliness, he refuted the heretics who contested the tradition and faith of the Church. He also showed the importance and validity of Christian literature, which had by then come into its own, and deemed worthy to confront classical literature. He did this in "De viris illustribus," a work in which he presented the biographies of more than 100 Christian authors.
He also wrote biographies of monks, expounding the monastic ideal alongside other spiritual itineraries, and translated various works by Greek authors. Lastly, in the important Epistolary, a masterpiece of Latin literature, Jerome emerges characterized as a man of culture, an ascetic and a spiritual guide.
What can we learn from St. Jerome? Above all I think it is this: to love the word of God in sacred Scripture. St. Jerome said, "To ignore Scripture is to ignore Christ." That is why it is important that every Christian live in contact and in personal dialogue with the word of God, given to us in sacred Scripture.
This dialogue should be of two dimensions. On one hand, it should be truly personal, because God speaks to each of us through sacred Scripture and has a message for each of us. We shouldn't read sacred Scripture as a word from the past, but rather as the word of God addressed even to us, and we must try to understand what the Lord is telling us.
And so we don't fall into individualism, we must also keep in mind that the word of God is given to us in order to build communion, to unite us in the truth along our way to God. Therefore, despite the fact that it is always a personal word, it is also a word that builds community, and that builds the Church itself. Therefore, we should read it in communion with the living Church.
The privileged place for reading and listening to the word of God is in the liturgy. By celebrating the word and rendering the Body of Christ present in the sacrament, we bring the word into our life and make it alive and present among us.
We should never forget that the word of God transcends time. Human opinions come and go; what is very modern today will be old tomorrow. But the word of God is the word of eternal life, it carries within itself eternity, which is always valuable. Carrying within ourselves the word of God, we also carry eternal life.
I conclude with a something St. Jerome had said to St. Paulinus of Nola, in which the great exegete expressed the reality that in the word of God we receive eternity, life eternal. St. Jerome said: "Let us seek to learn on earth those truths which will remain ever valid in heaven" (Ep. 53,10).
[Translation by ZENIT]
[After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted pilgrims in six languages. In English, he said:]
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In our catechesis on the teachers of the early Church, we now turn to Saint Jerome, who was responsible for the Latin version of the Bible known as the Vulgate. Jerome made the Scriptures the centre of his life, translating the inspired word of God, commenting upon its teaching and, above all, striving to live his life in accordance with its precepts. Born in Dalmatia in the middle of the fourth century and educated in Rome, he embraced the ascetic life and devoted himself to the study of Hebrew and Greek. After a sojourn in the East, he returned to Rome as secretary to Pope Damasus, who encouraged him in his work of translation. He then retired to the Holy Land, where he founded monasteries and a hospice for pilgrims in Bethlehem. Jerome's entire life, his vast erudition and the spiritual wisdom born of his ascetic lifestyle were devoted to the service of God's word, the refutation of heresy and the encouragement of Christian culture. Let us take to heart the words which this great
master of the spiritual life once addressed to Saint Paulinus of Nola, and "seek to learn on earth those truths which will remain ever valid in heaven".
I am pleased to greet the English-speaking visitors present at today's Audience, especially those from England, Ireland, Denmark, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and the United States. My special greeting goes to the members of the pilgrimage group from the Diocese of Rockville Centre, led by their Bishop. I also thank the orchestral and choral groups for their uplifting music. Upon all of you I cordially invoke an abundance of joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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FORUM
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The Secular Vs. Religion?
Address by Bishop Murray of Limerick
ENNIS, Ireland, NOV. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here are excerpts from a speech delivered Tuesday by Bishop Donal Murray of Limerick at the Ceifin Conference in Ennis. The bishop proposed that secular culture and religion should enrich each other, rather than be placed in contrast.
The full text of the speech can be read at the ZENIT Web page. See http://www.zenit.org/article-20933?l=english.
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Contemporary culture does not give proper weight to questions of meaning. The result is a false conflict between religion and the secular.
In Ireland today the question, "Are we forgetting something?" has a particularly unsettling resonance, an unease we share with much of Western society. On the one hand, we enjoy new freedoms and possibilities, but on the other, we feel like a person skating on a frozen lake who is beginning to suspect that the ice is not strong enough to bear his weight.
There are signs all around us of a world on thin ice, in denial about its fragility and in confusion about its values. [] We all see the contradictions. A few weeks ago, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin gave a striking example: "You get people using cocaine on Saturday night and eating organic food on Sunday." The fragility is evident but we continue to skate as though the ice was solid!
The attitude of religion to the secular is not that it is evil or that it is false, but that on its own it cannot bear the weight that we are placing on it. Ice formed without reference to the big questions and the deep convictions that for most citizens are grounded in faith, is simply too thin. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks spoke of the fallacy that: "Religion and society are two independent entities, so that we can edit God out of the language and leave our social world unchanged." On the contrary, faith is about the meaning of life, including the secular dimension of life.
Faith can challenge and enrich the secular
Religious belief is important to the health of secular reality. But the relationship must be right. In some parts of the world faith and politics are seen as virtually the same, but in "Deus Caritas Est," Pope Benedict sets out a different approach:
"The Church cannot and must not take upon herself the political battle to bring about the most just society possible. She cannot and must not replace the state. Yet at the same time she cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice. She has to play her part through rational argument and she has to reawaken the spiritual energy without which justice, which always demands sacrifice, cannot prevail and prosper."
All Christians, lay and ordained, are entitled, like everyone else, to engage in the life of society through rational argument. Whatever is said by the Church or Church bodies in the area of politics, economics and social policy is addressed to rational minds and consciences. It has no coercive force; the only power it can have is through being accepted as true by those who hear it.
Political discussion cannot be conducted with theological arguments, nor theological discussion with political arguments. They are two distinct languages. We need to be bilingual, speaking the language of the beliefs that give energy to our convictions, but speaking also the language of citizenship when we join with our fellow citizens to discuss what is best for society.
[]
Christian faith is sometimes seen as giving rise to a narrow perspective. That is the opposite of the truth. "Who is my neighbor?" asked the Catechism, "My neighbor is all mankind, without any distinction of persons, even those who injure us or differ from us in religion." In a world of great migrations, this is a real challenge. There may well be a need to regulate migration. But are we willing to face that issue with the realization that we are dealing with people in whose name Jesus will say: "I was a stranger"?
The second purification and awakening is found in something that the secular dimension cannot give, namely a belief that there is a meaning big enough to bring hope where we cannot do so. Even if we loved with all our heart and soul, even if every possible effort was made, millions of our brothers and sisters have already died, their lives blighted by abject poverty and violence. Even with the most heroic efforts, that sort of poverty will continue to exist for many decades. Do we then live on the basis that, "I'm all right, Jack"? If life is meaningless for any of our brothers and sisters, it is not meaningless for all of us? A "meaning of life" that applied only to some of us, would make no sense. A society that ignores "the big questions" is always on the point of plunging through the breaking ice into absurdity.
[]
The secular can challenge and enrich faith
We also need to look at the other side of the picture, namely how the secular dimension challenges and enriches faith. Chesterton was right: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." He says in the same context:
"My point is that the world did not tire of the church's ideal, but of its reality. Monasteries were impugned not for the chastity of monks, but for the unchastity of monks. Christianity was unpopular not because of the humility, but of the arrogance of Christians."
The transformation of Irish society from one where faith was seen as relevant everywhere to one where it seems not very relevant at all is an enormous threat to faith. This is not because the role of faith in society is being challenged or ignored; that has happened in many places and at many times. But the present transformation risks persuading Christians and other believers that faith can be put away into a private compartment and can be lived "part-time," that is less than wholeheartedly.
The secular is the world in which faith is lived. If believers do not reflect and pray and understand what the Gospel has to say to all the complex dimensions of that world, and act on that reflection, they cooperate in confining God and silencing the big questions. A being limited in that way, is not God! Acquiescing in the separation of faith from life destroys faith.
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