Press Conference for the Presentation of the Lenten Message 2002

"Cor Unum": 30 Years of History and the Challenges of Today

Ladies and Gentlemen,

     We and our contemporaries, with a little sensitivity, cannot avoid seeing the suffering of many people.  It is evident, both near and far from us, when it manifests itself in poverty and catastrophes, in suffering and in need, in youth and in old age.  Over thirty years ago, the Pope himself was compelled to intervene by undertaking a new initiative.  In accord with the aid activities of many Catholic agencies and works, Paul VI created an instrument to act in his name for specific emergency cases and to foster the coordination of the various charitable institutions of the Church.  On July 15, 1971, he founded the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" with the Letter Amoris Officio.  This document shows the intent of Paul VI:  "We therefore think it opportune to set up a special Council which would, so to speak, offer to all the People of God the possibility of coming together to deal with the above-mentioned questions concerning the promotion of human society and development."

     Since its foundation, the Popes, in order to make this intention tangible, by the end of 2001 had channeled aid in the amount of US $87,510,201 through this Dicastery.  As you know, most recently "Cor Unum" was entrusted and charged with taking care of the collection which the Holy Father proposed concomitantly with the day of fast on December 14.  By January 31, more than 2 million euro had been given.

1. The thirty years that have passed give "Cor Unum" an occasion to reflect upon and consider its orientation towards its origins.  For its Anniversary, "Cor Unum" has published Ars Caritatis.  It gathers together all of the speeches of the Popes to the members of our Council, along with an historical description of the same.  Added to this are two sections on the Foundations entrusted to us, namely, the Jean-Paul II pour le Sahel and Populorum Progressio for Latin America.  Along with these historically oriented articles, we have included a glossary of key concepts regarding the most significant terminology in the sectors within our competence.  I would like to emphasize that this section would seem to be of particular use, perhaps even for the work of journalists.  We all know that the imprecise use of terms can confuse concepts and therefore give a false understanding to reality.

2. Looking back, we must recognize that "Cor Unum" was not to be simply a philanthropic institution.  Our purpose was not to be merely an emergency service, which is seen well over the past years.  In fact, all of us need something more than bread and a roof.

     As such, our attention cannot be limited to the material needs of men and women.  To substantiate this, it is enough to read the Lenten Message, which the Pope has addressed to the Universal Church, and to which, as always, "Cor Unum" has given its contribution.  There is certainly a calling once again to assist those in need.  The Pope makes an appeal for "generosity toward the poorest of our brothers and sisters!" But this is not limited to a call for financial aid.  It must be underlined that the gift a member of the faithful offers should be an expression of his own gratitude.  This year's Message has as its fundamental conviction the fact that we have received much.  The traditional Lenten collection thus becomes an occasion to go back to God and to the works He has done for us.  The collection acquires, therefore, a transcendent significance and leads to a revitalization of our faith.  In an age in which man wants to live in a totally autonomous manner, the Pope recalls the attitude which deceives us: "...the capabilities we now have to improve the quality of life can lead us to think that man is the "master" of life.  The achievements of medicine and biotechnology can sometimes lead man to think of himself as his own creator..."  This is the presumption that we can be self-sufficient and not have need of another person.  This growing temptation is decisively countered in a reflection often repeated by John Paul II, which is found in Gaudium et Spes (n. 24): "Man cannot fully find himself if not through a sincere gift of self."  As a result, the situation of suffering for so many people in our time can become an occasion to go beyond oneself, a challenge of gratuitous giving.  Along this line, the answer to gifts received implies, in the end, a stimulus for each individual to give himself, even though one may fear that this stimulus may be a threat to oneself.  The pontifical document, which we present today, takes up all of these catechetical urgings in the affirmation: "Giving thanks to all those who, throughout the world, render witness to charity."

3. This element also leads us to consider another theme, which we cannot ignore.  Last year was proclaimed the Year of Volunteers by the UN.  At the request of "Cor Unum", Pope John Paul II sent a message to the countless volunteers who are willing to put into practice the teaching of loving one's neighbor.  The Church is proud of them.  The numbers speak for themselves.  In Italy, for example, the "Misericordie" alone account for 650,000 members.  Another example is the Spanish organization "Manos Unidas", which sends help to the third world for nearly $40,000,000 per year, almost exclusively through its volunteers.  On the other hand, the statistics as of May 31, 2001, speak for themselves, in that the UN accounted for 3,067 volunteers in their service. 

     The volunteers are extremely important for the mission of the Church.  In fact, each believer is offered the opportunity to systematically live out the call to love one's neighbor.  At the same time, this contributes to strengthening the Church's credibility.  "Charity," writes the Pope to volunteers, "represents the most eloquent form of evangelization because, responding to corporal needs, it reveals to man God's provident and fatherly love, concerned for each one" (n.2).  Beyond this, the work of volunteers is a path of education for each one of them, and even more meaningful because it is a school of gratuitous giving.  It helps each of them to open his eyes to witness the action of God in society and in history.  Whoever undertakes charitable activity soon realizes that evil is rooted in distance from God.  Evil reigns where God and His will are despised or misunderstood.  This is why the fight against human misery undertaken by the Church is not merely a philanthropic activity. 

     Within the most profound, and therefore theological, dimension of human suffering, lies the common denominator for the activities that we present here today: that answer to our search for happiness is found only in the love of God.  The activities we highlight today are the initiatives of "Cor Unum" throughout its history, the Lenten Message of the Holy Father, and his Message to Volunteers.

4. The bountiful goodness of God is constantly present throughout the history of His relationship with mankind.  The name of the Messiah is Jesus, which means "God is salvation" (see Luke 1:77).  Jesus is announced as the one who is going to free his people from sin.  In this sense, a good example is a verse from Matthew's Gospel (cf. 9:2): Jesus heals illness and frees from sin.  This teaches us, therefore, that there is a link between sin and illness, and even if this is not true for every specific case, Jesus highlights this fundamental law.  We find this also in the Gospel of John, when Jesus orders the paralytic whom He healed: "...do not sin any more." (5:14).  In fact, only the final coming of the Lord will put an end to our temporal condition marked by physical and spiritual evil (see Rev. 21:4). 

     I wanted to quote the Scriptures to highlight the truth that comes to us from life itself, a truth that each of us can learn very well by committing ourselves to those who suffer. One case, for example is that of Agnes Neuhaus.  She was in the forefront of charitable activities in Germany and the first person to devote herself specifically to abused and harassed women.  She is the foundress of the "Sozialdienst katholischer Frauen" (1899).  Another prominent personality of the social movement in Germany was Helen Weber, a trade union member and a parliament deputy, who spoke of Agnes in these terms:

     "We must not distort things and ascribe ideas that are modern into the thinking of Agnes Neuhaus.  Her starting point was not the work undertaken by the law, humanitarian philanthropy, the state of need of the population, but the desire to save the souls of man, of each single person. 

     It can be said of Agnes Neuhaus that she was repulsed by sin, by the idea of man far from God, which is a strong affirmation and can have a deep impact on our times. Today, who can say this of himself or herself?  She made and perceived the call of God to diffuse His Reign into the souls of women, who were destroyed or fallen either through their own fault or that of others."

5. We have with us one of the great initiators of Catholic volunteers of our day: Jean Vanier.  He is a well-known personality, a Canadian living in France, who in 1964 founded the first group of L'Arche.  Today, there are 117 such communities in 29 different countries.  They seek to be places of acceptance and integration for the mentally ill.  The purpose of the foundation is this: to give a family, a community to whomever has a mental handicap, in order to enable them to learn as much as possible, to be independent in every-day life, when working and living in communion with others and meeting God.  In his spiritual experience of closeness with the most weak, Jean Vanier has been able to gather thousands of people into the "Faith and Light" movement.  In particular, his witness conveys that good works do not aim only at alleviating suffering or making a person happy. Rather, the most important feature of charitable work is that for someone it turns into a path for discovering God.

Vatican City, February 5, 2002.

 Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes

President

The Pontifical Council "Cor Unum"