ZENIT, Daily dispatch
The World Seen From Rome
====================================================
-------------------------------------------------
Give ZENIT as a GIFT!
A ZENIT subscription is FREE for personal use. It would make a great gift for friends and loved ones -- and help ZENIT too.
Our strength is in our subscribers. More readers means more impact. Help us to bring important news to the people who value it the most -- like those on your gift list.
Give a ZENIT subscription now!
http://www.zenit.org/english/gift.html
-------------------------------------------------
VATICAN DOSSIER
* Pope: Cardinals Called to Give Lives for Church
* It's About Love, Benedict XVI Tells New Cardinals
* Pontiff Urges Prayer for Annapolis Meeting
* Red Hat Signals Papal Solidarity With Iraq
* Positive Steps With Islam Noted
ANALYSIS
* Love, Marriage and Happy Kids
INTERVIEW
* Cardinal's Witness Inspires Novel
ANGELUS
* A Day of Prayer for the Mideast
DOCUMENTS
* Papal Homily at the Consistory
--------------------------------------
VATICAN DOSSIER
--------------------------------------
Pope: Cardinals Called to Give Lives for Church
Says They Serve King Whose Throne Is the Cross
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI asked the 23 newly-elevated cardinals to constantly give their lives for the Church, noting that the crucifix on their new rings symbolizes the surrender they are called to live.
The Holy Father made this appeal during the homily of the Mass he concelebrated with the new cardinals today in a packed St. Peter's Basilica. Some 20,000 people who could not fit in the basilica followed the celebration from the plaza, despite the rain.
In his homily, the Pontiff explained that "in Jesus crucified there is the greatest possible revelation of God in this world, because God is love, and the death of Jesus on the cross is the greatest act of love in all of history."
"On the cardinal's ring, which I will soon give to the new members of the sacred college, the crucifixion is portrayed," he said. "This, dear brothers, will always be for you an invitation to remember the king whose servants you are, on which throne he was raised up and how he remained faithful to the very end to defeat sin and death with the power of divine mercy.
"Mother Church, bride of Christ, gives you this sign as a commemoration of her Bridegroom, who loved her and gave himself up for her. Thus, wearing this ring of the cardinalate, you are constantly called to give your life for the Church."
After the Eucharistic celebration and the midday Angelus, Benedict XVI had lunch with the new cardinals and with the other cardinals in Rome for the consistory and for Friday's meeting of prayer and reflection.
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-21110?l=english
--------------------------------------
It's About Love, Benedict XVI Tells New Cardinals
Says Their Mission Is Service
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Love, not ambition, is the characteristic of Christ's disciples, Benedict XVI recalled during the consistory in which 23 new cardinals were elevated.
The Pope affirmed this Saturday during his homily in St. Peter's Basilica.
He said: "Be apostles of God, who is love, and witnesses of evangelical hope: The Christian people expect this of you.
"It is not the quest for power and success, but the humble gift of self for the good of the Church that should characterize each gesture and each word of ours."
The new cardinals come from many countries -- six from Italy, three from Spain, two from Argentina and from the United States, and one from Mexico, Iraq, Germany, Poland, Ireland, France, Senegal, India, Brazil and Kenya.
In his homily, the Pontiff commented on this formula: "In entering the College of Cardinals, the Lord asks of you and gives to you the service of love: love for God, love for his Church, love for our brothers, with a total and unconditional dedication, 'usque ad sanguinis effusionem' [even to the shedding of blood], as is said in the formula for the imposition of the biretta and as is shown in the garments that you will put on."
"True Christian greatness, in fact, does not consist in dominating but in serving," the Pope added. During his homily the Pontiff also recalled Bishop Ignacy Jez of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg, Poland, who died Oct. 16 at 93, one day before the Pope made the names of the new cardinals known.
With the elevation of the new cardinals the college now has 201 members, 120 of which under 80 and would thus be electors in a conclave. There are 104 European cardinals, 20 from North America, 34 from Latin America, 18 from Africa, 21 from Asia, and 4 from Oceania.
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-21111?l=english
--------------------------------------
Pontiff Urges Prayer for Annapolis Meeting
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI seconded the U.S. bishops' appeal for a day of prayer for the Holy Land, leading up to Tuesday's meeting with Israelis and Palestinians in Annapolis, Maryland.
The Pope mentioned the meeting in his address today after concelebrating Mass with the newly elevated cardinals, and before praying the midday Angelus.
The Holy Father said: "On Tuesday, at Annapolis in the United States, Israelis and Palestinians, with the help of the international community, intend to relaunch the negotiation process to find a just and definitive solution to the conflict that has bloodied the Holy Land for 60 years and provoked so many tears and so much suffering among the two peoples.
"I ask you to join yourselves to the day of prayer declared today by the U.S. bishops' conference to implore the Spirit of God for peace for that region so dear to us and to give wisdom and courage to all the protagonists in this important meeting."
The Pontiff concluded by expressing gratitude "to those faithful who have come from far away to accompany the new cardinals and participate in this event, which manifests in a singular manner the unity and universality of the Catholic Church."
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-21109?l=english
--------------------------------------
Red Hat Signals Papal Solidarity With Iraq
Benedict XVI Mentions War-Torn Country in Homily
By Jesús Colina
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI affirmed that elevating Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly, archbishop of Baghdad, to the status of cardinal was a sign of the Holy Father's solidarity with the suffering people of Iraq.
In the Pope's homily at Saturday's consistory, in which he elevated 23 men to the College of Cardinals, the Pontiff gave particular mention of the war-torn nation.
Speaking to the new cardinals, Benedict XVI said: "I now think with affection of the communities entrusted to your care and, in a special way, of those that are most tried by suffering, by challenges and difficulties of different sorts.
"Among these, how can I not turn my gaze with apprehension and affection, in this moment of joy, to the dear Christian communities of Iraq? These brothers and sisters of ours in the faith are experiencing in their own flesh the dramatic consequences of a long conflict, and are living in an ever more fragile and delicate political situation.
"Calling the patriarch of the Chaldean Church to enter into the College of Cardinals, I intended to express in a concrete way my spiritual nearness and my affection for those populations."
The Pope assured that with his brother bishops, he reaffirmed "the solidarity of the whole Church with the Christians of that beloved land." He expressed his prayer "to implore from the merciful God, for all peoples involved, the longed for coming of reconciliation and peace."
Cardinal Delly, of Babylon of the Chaldeans, spoke to L'Osservatore Romano about the Holy Father's words. "It has been an honor, not only for me, but for the whole country, for all Iraqis without distinction," the 80-year-old prelate said. "The Lord has given us the gift of intelligence to speak one to another, to dialogue, and while there is no peace, there is no security."
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-21107?l=english
--------------------------------------
Positive Steps With Islam Noted
Cardinals Gather With Pope in Pre-consistory Meeting
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Cardinals meeting with Benedict XVI before Saturday's consistory noted positive steps in the relationship between the Church and Islam.
Last Friday was dedicated to prayer and reflection for the cardinals in Rome on the occasion of the elevation of 23 new members to the College of Cardinals.
The evening session of the day of reflection included 16 interventions.
The Vatican press office also reported that the theme of ecumenism was again touched on in the evening, after the morning session had been largely dedicated to that topic. The HOly Father chose the topic.
"Issues [such] as the cooperation by Christians of different confessions for the defense of the family in society and the legal order, as well as the importance of spiritual ecumenism and of personal relationships with the faithful and authorities of the other Christian confessions" were discussed, the Vatican statement reported.
Other talks dealt with relations with Judaism and with Islam, the statement affirmed.
"There was discussion of the encouraging sign represented by the letter of 138 Muslim scholars and by the visit of the king of Saudi Arabia to the Holy Father," it said.
Happiness
The cardinals further discussed the difficulties of Christian faith in the secularized world and the duty and importance of the new evangelization, "which responds to the deep and permanent longings for happiness and freedom of postmodern man," the communiqué stated.
The cardinals gave special attention to Latin America, where, the Vatican statement reported, "a new missionary drive" was "nourished by the recent general conference of the Latin American and Caribbean bishops that took place in Aparecida, Brazil."
During the meeting, specific interventions were dedicated to the situation of consecrated life and to formation in seminaries.
The letter of the Holy Father to the Church in China was recalled and there was discussion of its "favorable reception on the part of bishops and faithful," the statement affirmed.
The urgent commitment of the Church for peace, for the struggle against poverty and for disarmament, above all nuclear disarmament, was also discussed by the cardinals.
Finally, there were talks to convey information about the International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Quebec in June 2008; the Pauline Year; and the diffusion of the Catholic press, especially L'Osservatore Romano.
After a brief response by Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Holy Father spoke. He gave "a concluding summary in which he thanked the cardinals for their participation and their contribution," the Vatican communiqué stated, "and announced the upcoming publication of his new encyclical on hope in response to the deep longings of our contemporaries."
The Pope's new encyclical, "Spe Salvi," will be signed and released Friday.
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-21105?l=english
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
ANALYSIS
--------------------------------------
Love, Marriage and Happy Kids
Reports Show that Family Life Is Highly Beneficial
By Father John Flynn, LC
ROME, NOV. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The increasing trend toward cohabitation as an alternative to marriage brings with it severe disadvantages for children. The latest confirmation of how children suffer when brought up outside a stable marriage between a man and a woman came in a lengthy article published Nov. 18 by the Associated Press.
The article reviewed evidence from a variety of sources, and commented that many scholars and social workers "say the risk of child abuse is markedly higher in the nontraditional family structures."
Among the studies cited by the Associated Press was that published in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2005. The journal reported that children living in households with unrelated adults are nearly 50 times as likely to die of inflicted injuries as children living with two biological parents.
Children living in stepfamilies or with single parents are at higher risk of physical or sexual assault, according to several studies co-authored by David Finkelhor, director of the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center, the article continued.
"The risk (of abuse) to children outside a two-parent household is greater,'' Susan Orr, a child-welfare specialist in the Department of Health and Human Services, told the Associated Press.
The problem exists outside the United States also. On April 15 a British newspaper, the Sunday Telegraph, reported that seven children under age 16 had been murdered in London alone in the previous two months. Many crimes such as these are being committed by juveniles, the paper noted.
The news prompted politicians to promise more funding for disadvantaged communities, but the article commented that one of the main problems is that adolescents brought up in a single-parent family are more likely to end up in criminal activities. No fewer than 70% of young offenders are from single-parent families.
In England there are now three times the number of children being brought up just by their mothers than there were 30 years ago, the Telegraph added, resulting in one in every four children being raised without a father.
Divorce's bottom line
Divorce creates other difficulties, among them economic. A July 7 article from the British Telegraph newspaper reported that a study of more than 4,000 people found that on average, a man's income increases by 11% after divorce. By contrast, a woman suffers a drop of 17%.
Particularly at risk are the mothers of young children, who find it difficult to reconcile the demands of work and family responsibilities.
"We found that many women don't work at all after their marriage breaks down or have to work only part-time because they can't afford the cost of child care," commented Mieke Jansen, one of the authors of the study carried out by academics from the University of Antwerp in Belgium.
Similar problems were revealed in research carried out by the Australian Institute of Family Studies. According to a July 10 article from the newspaper The Australian, not only does divorce bring with it economic penalties but it also leads to unhappiness and harms both physical and mental health.
The study, titled "Divorce and the Well-being of Older Australians," compared divorced women who remain single to those who are widowed and stay single. Both men and women report problems of unhappiness and health, but women are particularly affected.
Another Australian newspaper, the Sydney Morning Herald, reported Aug. 14 that marriage does indeed make people happier. During a visit to the country, Swiss economist Bruno Frey reported on the findings of a survey of 15,000 people over 17 years, examining the relationship between happiness and marriage. Frey said that one of the reasons people are happier in marriage is due to the greater level of commitment between the couple.
From England, a recent report by the Office for National Statistics found that married couples live longer and enjoy better health, reported the Times on Oct. 5. As well, children who live with their married parents are also healthier, and will remain in full-time education for longer.
Failure on the rise
In spite of ample evidence of the harm stemming from facilitating divorce, some countries continue to make it easier. The Spanish newspaper El País reported Nov. 16 that in 2006 the number of divorces increased by a stunning 74%. The rise occurred after the socialist government changed the divorce law in July 2005, allowing divorce proceedings to start without a period of one year's separation previously required.
Overall in Spain in 2006 there were 210,132 marriages, and 145, 919 marriages that failed -- between divorce, separations and marriages declared null.
According to a recent study by the Spain-based Institute for Family Policies, Europe is seeing a decline in marriages and an increase in divorce. The report, titled the "Evolution of the Family in Europe in 2007," said that the number of marriages in Europe decreased by 22.3% from 1980 to 2005, while divorces increased by 55% in the same period.
The latest figures do show a decrease in divorce in England and Wales, but it could well be partially caused by lower marriage levels. According to an Aug. 30 article published by the Guardian newspaper, in 2006 some 132,562 couples divorced. This is the lowest since 1977. The data came from figures published by the Office for National Statistics.
The fall in divorce, however, comes when in 2005 the marriage rate in England and Wales fell to its lowest level since records began in 1862.
One in three
Moreover, on Sept. 12 the Guardian published an article noting that the cumulative total of divorces in past decades means that now more than 20 million people in the United Kingdom -- a third of the population -- are affected by divorce and separation, either through their own relationships or that of their parents.
The figures come from a study published by the Center for Separated Families, a group that provides support for family members after separation.
Families are also under pressure in Canada, reported the Globe and Mail newspaper, Sept. 12. According to the latest figures, taken from the 2006 national census, married-couple families are still the majority, accounting for 68.8% of all census families.
Nevertheless, the number of cohabiting couples has more than doubled from the 7.2% of two decades ago to the current level of 15.5% of all census families. The number of lone-parent families has also increased, by 7.8% in the period 2001-2006.
Single-parent families are more important than the relatively low percentage would suggest.
Lone-parent families account for 26% in the category of families with children. More than 2.1 million children are now living in a lone-parent family. And, as in other countries, they are poorer. In 2005, the median household income for two-parent families in Canada was 67,600 Canadian dollars (US $68,861), according to the Globe and Mail. For lone-parent families it was only 30,000 Canadian dollars (US $30,559).
"Marriage is still the best framework in which to raise healthy, happy children," commented an editorial in the Globe and Mail newspaper the following day. The clock can't be turned back, the newspaper added. Even so, "Canadian families are unable to give their children the solidity that serves them best," the editorial concluded.
Conclusions that are very similar to those expressed on repeated occasions by Benedict XVI. "The devoted love of Christian married couples is a blessing for your country," the Pontiff said on Nov. 19 to a group of Kenyan bishops in Rome for their five-yearly visit.
"This precious treasure must be guarded at all costs," he recommended. Advice that governments in all countries would do well to heed.
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-21104?l=english
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
INTERVIEW
--------------------------------------
Cardinal's Witness Inspires Novel
Interview With Author Tom Grace
By Carrie Gress
ANN ARBOR, Michigan, NOV. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Hearing the story of Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-mei's martyrdom told by a U.S. senator sparked the imagination of author Tom Grace, whose latest fictional novel was inspired by the history of the Chinese prelate.
In this interview with ZENIT, Grace discusses The Secret Cardinal, published by Vanguard Press.
Grace, an architect by trade, has also authored "Bird of Prey," "Quantum," "Twisted Web," and "Spyder Web," featuring the fictional character of Nolan Kilkenny.
Q: Your book "The Secret Cardinal" is a fictional suspense novel hinging on an imprisoned Chinese cardinal created "in pectore" (in secret). What was the inspiration for the book?
Grace: In March 2000, Senator Joseph Lieberman delivered a stirring tribute from the floor of the U.S. Senate to mark the passing of Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-mei. From this tribute, I learned of the difficult political situation that still exists between China and the Holy See, of the persecution of Roman Catholics and other people of faith in China, of the existence of secret cardinals and the underground Church in China, and of the incredible witness to the faith made by the late Cardinal Kung during decades as a prisoner and an enemy of the Chinese state. Lieberman's tribute sparked my imagination and set me off on the journey that resulted in "The Secret Cardinal."
As a Catholic, I could not help but be moved by the tale of Kung's long, dry martyrdom, his unshakable faith, and his unwavering loyalty to the Church and the Pope. I drew on Kung's honor, loyalty and faith in crafting the title character of my novel. And like Kung, my fictional bishop had his blood shed for the Church and truly earned the right to wear the red of a cardinal.
As a writer, I found a vein of rich themes in the real situation to draw upon in my novel. "The Secret Cardinal" operates on many levels -- it's a tale of good and evil, of Church and state, of faith and atheism, and of loss and redemption.
Geopolitically, the story is David and Goliath, pitting a tiny city-state against the fourth largest and most populous nation in the world in a conflict that touches over 2.5 billion people at its broadest scope. I indulged my fascination with the history and beauty of Rome and China in crafting this novel, but at its core, "The Secret Cardinal" is a story about a man imprisoned for the crime of his faith and the daring effort to rescue him.
Q: Though a piece of fiction, there are very clear connections between your characters and those in real life, namely, your fictitious Pope Leo XIV and Pope John Paul II. Why did you use these connections?
Grace: Fiction requires a certain amount of reality, or at least familiarity, to render it believable to the reader. There is a wonderful photograph of John Paul II kissing Cardinal Kung on the forehead that speaks volumes about the special relationship that existed between these two men. Both men understood religious persecution in a way that only comes from bloody personal experience and I needed this dynamic for my story to resonate with my readers.
The decision to liberate a bishop from a Chinese prison is not one a Pope would make lightly. To make such a decision believable, I needed a Pope who had experienced religious persecution firsthand, who was active in supporting the underground Church in China, and who had endured decades of fruitless diplomacy with Beijing over imprisoned Roman Catholic clergy. I could imagine such a Pope, near the end of a long historic reign and stymied over the frustrating diplomatic impasse, making such a decision in the wake of an atrocity like the Tiananmen Square massacre. The fact that we had such a Pope makes what I'm proposing plausible.
Q: "The Secret Cardinal" gives a small window into the Church in China. Do you think it is an accurate picture or is that largely fictional as well?
Grace: In September, a Chinese Roman Catholic bishop died while in police custody and, within hours of his death, his body was cremated and interred. In October, Benedict XVI's open letter to all Chinese Catholics was decried as an evil document by a senior official of the "Patriotic Church," and those found in possession of the Pope's letter have been dealt with severely. The dwindling numbers of Roman Catholic bishops that remain in China are either in prison, under house arrest or in hiding. I believe my novel fairly portrays the situation in China, and the positive responses I've received from Chinese Catholic émigrés and seminarians studying in the United States bears this out.
Treatment of the Church in China varies from province to province. In some places, Roman Catholics openly practice in churches with no state affiliation, while in others, persecution has driven the Church completely underground. Ironically, the Vatican reports that most of the bishops in the "Patriotic Church" have quietly sought and received the Pope's blessing for their episcopal appointments, though none of these bishops has made their communion with Rome public. My fictional Cardinal Donoher puts it best: "The tangled mess of Church and state in China is simply a quagmire."
Q: You describe at a few points in the book how hard it is for Westerns to understand the suffering many endure for the Catholic faith. Was this part of your motivation in writing the book -- as something of a reminder to the West to not take faith for granted?
Grace: Absolutely. Prior to writing "The Secret Cardinal" I thought of Christian persecution as something that happened in the early years of the Church, but far more people died for the faith in the past century, and Catholic martyrs are being made today in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Iraqi Catholics, who are the last people on Earth still speaking the same language as Jesus Christ, are being murdered, persecuted and driven from their homes today because of their faith. It is easy for people in the West to be lax about their faith because no one is trying to take it away.
In March 2006, Beijing reacted strongly to the elevation of Bishop Zen of Hong Kong to cardinal, decrying it as a hostile act against the Chinese government. In the months that followed, Beijing ordained several bishops without papal approval and raised the possibility of excommunication.
On Sept. 1 of this year, Beijing enacted a law that granted the state sole authority over the reincarnation of Buddhist lamas, much as the state has sole authority to name Catholic bishops. This law is a move to control the succession of the Dalai Lama, who resides in exile outside of Tibet.
The Dalai Lama's recent high-profile visits to the U.S. and Canadian capitals drew harsh criticism from Beijing and threats of dire consequences, though such threats against important trading partners have in the past proved empty. Strongly worded statements are already flowing out of Beijing in an attempt to derail a formal meeting between the Dalai Lama and Benedict XVI on Dec. 13. As the Holy See does not enjoy diplomatic or trade relations with China, Beijing's threats may not prove hollow, as was the case following the elevation of Cardinal Zen.
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-21103?l=english
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
ANGELUS
--------------------------------------
A Day of Prayer for the Mideast
"To Implore the Spirit of God for That Region So Dear to Us"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today after celebrating the Eucharist with the new cardinals created in Saturday's consistory and before reciting the midday Angelus.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
On Tuesday, at Annapolis in the United States, Israelis and Palestinians, with the help of the international community, intend to re-launch the negotiation process to find a just and definitive solution to the conflict that has bloodied the Holy Land for 60 years and provoked so many tears and so much suffering among the two peoples. I ask you to join yourselves to the day of prayer declared today by the U.S. bishops' conference to implore the Spirit of God for peace for that region so dear to us and to give wisdom and courage to all the protagonists in this important meeting.
After the conclusion of today's solemn celebration, I would like to address my cordial greetings to all present, including those who are outside the basilica. I express special gratitude to those faithful who have come from far away to accompany the new cardinals and participate in this event, which manifests in a singular manner the unity and universality of the Catholic Church. To the distinguished civil authorities I renew my deferential sentiments. [Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]
[After the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted those present in several languages. In English, he said:]
I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims who have come to attend the Consistory, especially those from Iraq, Ireland, India, Kenya and the United States of America. Let us give thanks to God for the gift of these new Cardinals and strive to follow closely in the footsteps of Christ our King, bearing constant witness to his saving truth! I wish you all a pleasant stay in Rome, and a blessed Sunday!
© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-21108?l=english
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
DOCUMENTS
--------------------------------------
Papal Homily at the Consistory
"The Lord Asks of You and Gives to You the Service of Love"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the homily that Benedict XVI gave during Saturday's ordinary public consistory in which he elevated 23 new cardinals.
* * *
Lord Cardinals,
Venerable Brothers of the Episcopate and Priesthood,
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today -- in this Vatican basilica, heart of the Christian world -- is renewed a significant and solemn ecclesial event: the ordinary public consistory for the creation of 23 new cardinals with the imposition of the biretta and the conferral of the title. It is an event that every time awakens a special emotion, and not only in those who with these rites are admitted to the College of Cardinals, but in the whole Church, joyful over this eloquent sign of Catholic unity. The ceremony itself in its structure discloses the value of the task that the new cardinals are called to perform, closely cooperating with the Successor of Peter, and it invites the people of God to pray that in their service, these brothers of ours always remain faithful to Christ, even unto the sacrifice of life if it is necessary, and let themselves be guided by his Gospel. For this we gather around them with faith and raise up to God, first of all, our prayerful thanksgiving.
In this climate of joy and intense spirituality I offer with affection my greeting to each one of you, brothers, who from this day forward are members of the College of Cardinals, chosen to be, according to an ancient institution, the closest counselors and co-workers of the Successor of Peter in guiding the Church.
I greet and thank Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, who, in your name addressed courteous and devout sentiments to me, emphasizing at the same time the significance and importance of the ecclesial event we are experiencing. I desire, furthermore, to address a dutiful thought to Bishop Ignacy Jez, whom we mourn, whom the God of every grace called to himself, just before his nomination, to offer him a very different crown: that of the glory of Christ. My cordial greeting then goes to the lord cardinals who are present and also to those who were not able to be with us physically, but who are spiritually united with us. The celebration of the consistory is always a providential occasion to offer "urbi et orbi" -- to the city of Rome and to the whole world -- witness to that singular unity that binds the cardinals to the Pope, Bishop of Rome. In such solemn circumstances it is also dear to me to address a respectful and deferential greeting to government representatives and leaders who have
gathered here from every part of the world, and to the relatives, friends, priests, religious, and faithful of the particular local Churches from which the new cardinals come. Finally, I greet all those who have come here to pay their respects to the new cardinals and to express in festive joy their esteem and affection for them.
With today's celebration, you, dear brothers, are with full rights inserted into the venerable Church of Rome, whose shepherd is the Successor of Peter. Thus in the College of Cardinals is revived the ancient "presbyterium" of the Bishop of Rome, whose members, while they carried out their pastoral and liturgical functions in the various churches, did not neglect their precious work in the fulfillment of those tasks connected with assisting the Pope in his universal apostolic office. The times have changed and today the great family of Christ's disciples is spread across every continent to the most remote corners of the earth. It speaks nearly all the languages of the world and to it belong people of every culture. The diversity of the College of Cardinals, which is accounted for by geographical and cultural provenance, manifests this providential growth and at the same time demonstrates the changed pastoral needs to which the Pope must respond. Because of this, the universality,
the catholicity, of the Church, is well reflected in the composition of the College of Cardinals: Many are pastors of diocesan communities, others are in direct service of the Apostolic See, and others have rendered meritorious service in specific pastoral sectors.
Each one of you, dear and venerable newly created cardinals, therefore represents a portion of the articulated Mystical Body of Christ that is the Church everywhere diffused. I know what effort and sacrifice is necessary today for the care of souls, but I know the generosity that sustains your daily apostolic activity. For this reason, in the circumstances in which we live, it is dear to me to confirm to you my sincere appreciation of the service you have faithfully given in many years of work in different spheres of ecclesial ministry, service which now, with this elevation to the cardinalate, you are called to accomplish with greater responsibility, in the closest communion with the Bishop of Rome.
I now think with affection of the communities entrusted to your care and, in a special way, of those that are most tried by suffering, by challenges and difficulties of different sorts. Among these, how can I not turn my gaze with apprehension and affection, in this moment of joy, to the dear Christian communities of Iraq? These brothers and sisters of ours in the faith are experiencing in their own flesh the dramatic consequences of a long conflict and are living in an ever more fragile and delicate political situation. Calling the patriarch of the Chaldean Church to enter into the College of Cardinals, I intended to express in a concrete way my spiritual nearness and my affection for those populations. We would like, dear and venerable brothers, together to reaffirm the solidarity of the whole Church with the Christians of that beloved land and to invite and to implore from the merciful God, for all peoples involved, the longed-for coming of reconciliation and peace.
A short while ago we heard the Word of God that helps us better to understand the solemn moment we are now experiencing. In the Gospel passage, Jesus had just recalled for the third time the fate that awaits him in Jerusalem, but the ambition of the disciples gets the upper hand on the fear that for a moment assailed them. After Peter's confession at Caesarea and the discussion along the way about who was greatest, ambition drives the sons of Zebedee to claim for themselves the best positions in the messianic kingdom at the end of time. In the race for privileges, the two know well what they want, just as the other 10 do, despite their "righteous" indignation. In truth, however, they do not know what they are asking for. It is Jesus who makes them understand, speaking in very different terms of the "service" that awaits them. He corrects the coarse conception of merit that they have, according to which man can acquire rights before God.
The Evangelist Mark reminds us, dear and venerable brothers, that every true disciple of Christ can aspire for one thing only: to share in his passion without claiming recompense. The Christian is called to assume the condition of "servant," following in the footsteps of Jesus, spending his life for others in a gratuitous and disinterested way. It is not the quest for power and success but the humble gift of self for the good of the Church that should characterize each gesture and each word of ours. True Christian greatness, in fact, does not consist in dominating but in serving. Today Jesus repeats to each of us that he "did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life for the many" (Mark 10:45). This is the ideal that must orient your service. Dear brothers, in entering the College of Cardinals, the Lord asks of you and gives to you the service of love: love for God, love for his Church, love for our brothers, with a total and unconditional dedication, "usque ad
sanguinis effusionem" [even to the shedding of blood], as is said in the formula for the imposition of the biretta and as is shown in the garments that you will put on.
Be apostles of God, who is love, and witnesses of evangelical hope: The Christian people expects this of you. Today's ceremony highlights the great responsibility that weighs on each of you, venerable and dear brothers, and which finds confirmation in the words of the Apostle Peter that we have just heard: "Adore the Lord, Christ, in your hearts, always ready to answer whoever asks you the reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). Such a responsibility does not exempt you from risks, rather, as St. Peter adds, "It is better, if God wills it, to suffer for doing the good than for doing evil" (1 Peter 3:17). Christ asks you to confess his truth before men, to embrace and share his cause; and to accomplish all of this "with sweetness and respect, with a good conscience" (1 Peter 3:1-16), that is, with that interior humility that is a fruit of cooperation with the grace of God.
Dear brothers and sisters, tomorrow, in this same basilica, I will have the joy of celebrating the Eucharist of Christ the King of the Universe, together with the new cardinals, and I will give them the ring. It will be a very important and opportune occasion to reaffirm our unity in Christ and to renew our common will to serve him with total generosity. Accompany them with your prayer, so that they will respond to the gift given with complete and constant dedication. To Mary, Queen of the Apostles, we turn our confidence. May her spiritual presence today in this singular cenacle be a pledge for the new cardinals and for all of us a constant effusion of the Holy Spirit that guides the Church on her way in history. Amen!
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-21106?l=english
--------------------------------------
=================================================================
ZENIT is an International News Agency.
For reprint permission:
http://www.zenit.org/english/permissions.html
Visit our web page at:
To subscribe or unsubscribe:
http://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html
To give a ZENIT gift subscription:
http://www.zenit.org/english/gift.html
To make a donation to support ZENIT:
http://www.zenit.org/english/donation.html
=================================================================
SEND US YOUR NEWS.
Please send press releases using:
http://www.zenit.org/english/news.html
=================================================================
Copyright, Innovative Media, Inc.
=================================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment