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NEWS 15/2007
The President to the Readers
Dear friends,
One of the problems
that causes the most concern nowadays is undoubtedly the major crisis in
education that has emerged from post-modern culture. It is a challenge that the
Church cannot ignore, and the Holy Father Benedict XVI has spoken on this topic
several times. When referring to this real “ educational emergency ” in his
speech on 11 June 2007 at the opening of a Convention held by the Diocese
of Rome, he made reference to the increasing difficulty in transmitting to the
younger generations the values that give a basic structure to life, a difficulty
that involves every organisation with educational aims. He explained that it is
“ an inevitable emergency in a society, in a culture, which all too often makes
relativism its creed ”. Here “ relativism has become a sort of dogma ” and “ the
light of truth is missing; indeed, it is considered dangerous and
‘authoritarian’ to speak of truth, and the end result is doubt about the
goodness of life ”. In this “ liquid society ” (Z. Baumann) – a society without
certainties that lacks the firm pivotal role of shared values –, that denies the
existence of truth and substitutes it with the limitless pluralism of opinions,
education becomes an arduous task if not actually impossible. “ If the people
could receive an education then they would be better ” is the title of an appeal
that appeared in “ Atlantide ” (N. 4/12/2005) in which one of the statements
made is this: “ Something is happening that has never happened before: there is
a crisis in the ability of a generation of adults to educate their own children.
In recent years they have heard from the new pulpits – school and university,
newspapers and television – that freedom is the absence of ties and history,
that you can become great without belonging to anything or anyone, and by simply
following your own preferences and pleasures. It has become normal to think that
everything is the same, that nothing has real value except money, power and
social position ”. It is a humus that generates and multiplies personalities
that are confused, fragile and inconsistent. This crisis is found wherever
education takes place, even in the local Church in the parishes and Catholic
associations, but it particularly affects the family, the place par excellence
for the education of the younger generations. In a recent report from the
research institute Eurispes with “Telefono Azzurro” on the conditions of
childhood and adolescence, young Italians emerge as the “now generation” who
want everything right away. Their perception of time emphasises immediacy and
the present, as the future is hazy and uncertain. They are “children in charge”
of parents who are afraid to be demanding, and nervous
about aggressive reactions from the small children. In an article entitled
“S.O.S. education: permissive parents and children-in-charge”, published in
Avvenire on 16 November 2007, Paola Simonetti made reference to the Eurispes
report and noted that parents who are absent from the home too much because of
work or other reasons, have a sense of guilt that causes them to be excessively
permissive with their children and this compromises any serious educational
relationship. The emergency in education also seems to stem from a crisis among
the educators themselves – parents, teachers and university lecturers, and also
priests and religious involved in pastoral work. They “ are easily tempted to
abdicate their educational duties and may even no longer understand what their
role, or rather, the mission entrusted to them, is ” as Benedict XVI said in the
speech cited above. The widespread crisis in the role of educator as teacher,
guide and persuasive witness of the important values in life, inevitably also
has repercussions on the pastoral work of the Church, especially in youth
ministry. It is necessary therefore that each person
who has been entrusted with the task of educating, should rediscover their high
vocation to help the younger generations grow in humanity. What can be done to
emerge from an emergency that is putting at risk the very foundations of social
coexistence and the future of society? Of course, Christians cannot give in to
the nihilistic tendencies of post-modern culture. In a context in which there is
increasing demand for spaces that are truly capable of educating individuals,
and where it is agreed that the heart of every educational process is always
instruction in the correct use of freedom and to know how to make the right
choices, “ the Church’s commitment to providing education in the faith, in
discipleship and in witnessing to the Lord Jesus is more than ever acquiring the
value of a contribution to extracting the society in which we live from the
educational crisis that afflicts it, clamping down on distrust and on that
strange ‘self hatred’ that seems to have become a hallmark of our civilization
”. These words from the Pope’s address call us to hope as the basis of every
educational itinerary. Benedict XVI providentially dedicated his second
encyclical Spe Salvi to hope. It throws new light on the task of the instruction
of the baptised in a vibrant and coherent faith, and is fundamental for the
Church and all its educational and pastoral activities. This was our perspective
during the preparations for WYD held in Sydney, and in the Seminar on the theme:
“ Sport: an educational and pastoral challenge ”, both of which you can read
about in this issue. I would not like to conclude without sharing with our
Readers the deep emotion with which I learned of the decision of the Holy Father
Benedict XVI to call me to the College of Cardinals with the title of deacon of
the church of the Sacred Heart of Christ the King. This is a new and important
gesture of trust on the part of the Pope that commits me to serving the
Successor of Peter and the cause of the lay faithful in the Church with even
greater care, and I hope never to neglect this. I ask
you for your prayers for this intention.
Card. Stanisław Ryłko
President
Benedict XVI and
the movements
Bishops’ seminar
The Pontifical Council for the Laity will hold a seminar for bishops on the
theme “ I ask you to approach movements with a great deal of love ”. This theme
has aroused a great deal of interest among prelates from around the world. It
was originally planned for 22 to 24 November 2007, but will now take place from
15 to 17 May 2008. The programme remains the same, as does the venue, the Mondo
Migliore Centre in Rocca di Papa.
The movements and new communities in the words of the Holy Father.
A brief review
In the previous issue of our News
we presented a short collection of the teachings of Benedict XVI on the
ecclesial movements and new communities. With this article we shall complete the
presentation of what the Pope has said on this theme during the early years of
his pontificate. As we said in the previous article, the Holy Father recognises
in the movements one of the most evident fruits of the renewal brought about by
the Second Vatican Council. In fact, their birth and development help us to
correctly understand the Council itself: “ I think we have to rediscover the
Council’s great legacy. It is not a spirit reconstructed from texts but consists
of the great Council texts themselves, reinterpreted today with the experiences
we have had which have borne fruit in so many movements and so many new
religious communities ” (24 July 2007, to the clergy of Belluno-Feltre and
Treviso). In our secularised and individualistic world the movements reawaken in
the faithful an awareness of belonging to the Church: “ The Eucharistic form of
Christian life is clearly an ecclesial and communitarian form. Through the
diocese and the parish, the fundamental structures of the Church in a particular
territory, each individual believer can experience concretely what it means to
be a member of Christ’s Body. Associations, ecclesial movements and new
communities – with their lively charisms bestowed by the Holy Spirit for the
needs of our time – together with Institutes of Consecrated Life, have a
particular responsibility for helping to make the faithful conscious that they
belong to the Lord (cf. Rom 14:8). Secularization, with its inherent emphasis on
individualism, has its most negative effects on individuals who are isolated and
lack a sense of belonging. Christianity, from its very beginning, has meant
fellowship, a network of relationships constantly strengthened by hearing God’s
word and sharing in the Eucharist, and enlivened by the Holy Spirit ” (Sacramentum
Caritatis, 76).
Movements and new communities have therefore shown that they can effectively
stand up against the relativistic mentality and at the same time reignite and
sustain Christian hope in the serious situations of poverty that afflict so many
nations: “In the rich Western world, where even though a relativistic culture is
present, at the same time a widespread desire for spirituality is not missing,
and your movements witness the joy of the faith and the beauty of being
Christian in great ecumenical openness. In the vast depressed areas of the earth,
they communicate the message of solidarity and
draw near to the poor and the weak with that human and divine love that I wished
to repropose to the attention of all in the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est” (8
February 2007, to the bishop-friends of the Focolare movement and the Sant’Egidio
Community). The vitality of the movements impels
them towards a strong missionary commitment: “The ecclesial movements and new
Communities are a providential instrument for a renewed missionary outreach;
welcome and promote them in your dioceses, since the Holy Spirit uses them to
awaken and deepen faith in hearts and to proclaim the joy of believing in Jesus
Christ ” (26 May 2007, to the bishops of Mozambique).
Collaboration with these new movements has proved to be useful for
evangelisation: “My thoughts turn to the priests, the men and women religious
and the laity who work so generously, often in the face of immense difficulties,
in order to spread the truth of the Gospel. Many of them cooperate with or
actively participate in the associations, movements and other new ecclesial
realities that, in communion with the Pastors and in harmony with diocesan
guidelines, bring their spiritual, educational and missionary richness to the
heart of the Church, as a precious experience and a model of Christian life ”
(11 May 2007, to the bishops of Brazil).
An increasing number of the faithful find in the movements an opportunity to
receive adequate instruction in the faith, and in a special way to rediscover
the sacraments of Christian initiation. “Each Christian community is called to
be a place where people can be taught about the mysteries celebrated in faith.
In this regard, the Synod Fathers called for greater involvement by communities
of consecrated life, movements and groups which, by their specific charisms, can
give new impetus to Christian formation. In our time, too, the Holy Spirit
freely bestows his gifts to sustain the apostolic mission of the Church, which
is charged with spreading the faith and bringing it to maturity” (Sacramentum
Caritatis, 64).
For this reason the presence of the movements contributes significantly to the
growth in maturity of the laity: “In the ecclesial communities of Latin America
there is a notable degree of maturity in faith among the many active lay men and
women devoted to the Lord, and there are also many generous catechists, many
young people, new ecclesial movements and recently established Institutes of
consecrated life ” (13 May 2007, to the 5th CELAM General Conference). The
engagement of the lay faithful in culture and politics is essential if the
living conditions in their countries are to improve. Therefore, “ it is time to
overcome the notable absence—in the political sphere, in the world of the media
and in the universities—of the voices and initiatives of Catholic leaders with
strong personalities and generous dedication, who are coherent in their ethical
and religious convictions.
The ecclesial movements have plenty of room here to remind the laity of their
responsibility and their mission to bring the light of the Gospel into public
life, into culture, economics and politics ” (13 May 2007, to the 5th CELAM
General Conference).
Naturally, not everything can be solved by politics: “ The living Church, the
Church of the little communities, the parish Church, the movements, must form as
many centres in the outskirts and thus help to overcome the difficulties that
the leading politics obviously cannot manage to resolve, and at the same time,
we must also think that despite the great focuses of power, contemporary society
itself is in need of solidarity, of a sense of lawfulness, of the initiative and
creativity of all ” (1
September 2007, to the young people gathered in Loreto). Families find support
in these new ecclesial movements: “Today, however, it is possible for husbands
and wives to overcome their difficulties and remain faithful to their vocation
with recourse to God’s support, with prayer and participating devotedly in the
sacraments, especially the Eucharist. The unity and strength of families
helps society to breathe the genuine human values and to be open to the Gospel.
The apostolate of many of the movements called to work in this context in
harmonious understanding with the dioceses and parishes contributes to this ”
(13 May 2006, to the Pontifical Council for the Family). In our fragmented
society, it is not sufficient to follow the very necessary preparation for the
sacrament of matrimony because “ the great crises come later. Consequently,
ongoing guidance, at least in the first 10 years, is of the utmost importance.
In the parish, therefore, it is not only necessary to provide preparatory
courses but also communion in the journey that follows, guidance and mutual help
[...]. The presence of a network of families that help one another is important
and different movements can make a considerable contribution” (24 July 2007, to
the clergy of Belluno-Feltre and Treviso). It is precisely in this field, on the
other hand, that “there is also a growing number of national and international
lay movements which promote the renewal of married and family life as well as a
greater community experience ” (8 September 2005, to the Mexican bishops).
On many occasions Benedict XVI pointed out the importance of movements and
communities for young people: “ It is only in this way that young people – with
the support of their respective parishes, movements and communities, in which it
is possible to experience the greatness and vitality of the Church – will be
able to experience work as a vocation and true mission ” (28 March 2007, to the
participants at the 9th International Youth Forum). The Pope urges young people
to be “ prepared to make an impact with an authentically Christian witness in
the contexts of study and work, to be committed to the parish community, to
groups, movements, associations and every social milieu ” (29 March 2007, to the
youth of Rome).
The words of Benedict XVI clearly show the role that the new ecclesial groups
can take in helping in the renewal of parishes: “As we have seen, associations
and movements, which are undoubtedly a source of enrichment, play an important
role in the world of youth. The Church must make the most of these realities,
and at the same time she must guide them with pastoral wisdom, so that with the
variety of their different gifts they may contribute in the best possible way to
building up the community without ever entering into competition – each one
building, so to speak, its own little church –, but respecting one another and
working together for the one Church – for the one parish as the local Church –
to awaken in young people the joy of faith, love for the Church and passion for
the Kingdom of God. I think that precisely this is another important aspect:
this authentic communion on the one hand between the various movements whose
forms of exclusivism should be
eliminated, and on the other, between the local Churches and the movements, so
that the local Churches recognize this particularity, which seems strange to
many, and welcome it in itself as a treasure, understanding that in the Church
there are many ways and that all together they converge in a symphony of faith.
The local Churches and movements are not in opposition to one another, but
constitute the living structure of the Church ” (21 August 2005, to the German
bishops). Pastors are therefore called to make the most of the possibilities
offered by the new associations: “it seems to me that precisely during the
Pontificate of Pope John Paul II, a fruitful combination between the constant
element of the parochial structure and, let us say, the ‘charismatic’ element,
was created, which offers new initiatives, new inspirations, new life. Under the
wise guidance of the Cardinal Vicar and the Auxiliary Bishops, all parish
priests can together be truly responsible for the growth of the parish, taking
in all of the factors that can come from the movements and the living reality of
the Church in varied dimensions ” (13 May 2005, to the clergy of Rome).
The sports chaplain - educator and pastor
On the 7 and 8 of September 2007,
the “ Church and Sport ” Section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity hosted
an international seminar on the theme: “ Sport: a pastoral and educational
challenge”. The aim of the seminar was to reflect on the role of the priest as a
sports chaplain since he can serve as an initial door of entry for pastoral
ministry to the growing world of sport, a world that encompasses both the
professional and amateur level and that finds its culmination at the major
sporting events. Pope Benedict XVI’s appeal for the world of sport “to be
illuminated by God through Christ ” (Letter on the occasion of the Winter
Olympic Games in Turin, 29 November 2005), and his speech on “Educating in the
faith ” given at the opening of the Diocese of Rome Convention (11 June 2007),
provided a general background for our reflections on the role of the sports
chaplain. In this light, the chaplain emerged as one who is actively engaged in
bringing the presence of Christ to the world of sport as both guide and friend
to athletes and a bold witness to the Gospel and to the dignity of the human
person engaged in sport. An essential priority of pastoral work is that of
bringing new generations closer to the faith, and this pertains especially to
the youth who practise sports as this activity can and should be an educational
and formative experience. Nonetheless, because today “every educational task
seems more and more arduous and precarious due to the increasing difficulty
encountered in transmitting the basic values of life and correct behaviour to
the new generations” (Benedict XVI, Inaugural speech at the Diocese of Rome
Convention, 11 June 2007), and because sport itself at times loses its
educational capacity, it was essential that this seminar reflect on these
educational challenges and seek ways in which they could be overcome by those
engaged in the pastoral ministry to sport. From this analysis, the sports
chaplain was also seen as a potential guide for athletes who are immersed in the
world of relativism and materialism, and where parents and educators often
abdicate their personal responsibility in their instruction. Whereas the task of
education passes through freedom, it also requires authority. Here the sports
chaplain can provide an authoritative voice that is all the more convincing as
he gains the respect of athletes through genuine service that entails spending
time with
them and showing a sincere interest in their good. In fact, it was noted that
whereas coaches, fellow players, and even parents can have a vested interest in
only the sporting success of the player, the chaplain is there exclusively for
their ultimate good regardless of the outcome of their performance.
Although the focus of the seminar was specifically on the role of the chaplain,
these efforts to evaluate the Church’s pastoral ministry to date revealed the
immense opportunities that sporting activities offer to the laity and their
creative and apostolic action. Coaches, parents, sport directors and volunteers
can and must contribute to recovering the formative dimension of sport, and they
can use the opportunities offered by sport for the “ socialisation of faith”.
The seminar was an opportunity for chaplains of Olympic teams and those involved
in the organisation of large sporting events to have an initial exchange of
ideas and to discuss initiatives and ways of working together suited to their
specific ministry. We are grateful for the generous collaboration and wide range
of experiences that the participants and speakers from around the world brought
to the table. The proceedings of the seminar are in the process of being edited
and will be published in English and Italian.
On the way to Sydney
The Second International Preparatory Meeting for WYD 2008
The
second preparatory meeting for WYD 2008 took place in Sydney from 15 to 17
October 2007. Around two hundred people representing the international and local
Church came together for the meeting. The conference opened after lunch on
Monday 15 with words of welcome by the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George
Pell, and an aboriginal dance by some local schoolchildren. Archbishop Ryłko
addressed the assembly and spoke of the new generation of youth workers who have
discovered in World Youth Day a providential gift for the evangelisation of
today’s youth, and who dedicate themselves to this pastoral work with real
passion and enthusiasm. On behalf of the Pontifical Council for the Laity,
Archbishop Ryłko thanked all youth ministers, and he gave special thanks to the
Church in Sydney and Australia for the great service they are rendering to the
universal Church. He then reminded those present of some pivotal points outlined
by the Holy Father to help in pastoral engagement: the centrality of God in a
person’s life, the rationality of faith, freedom and beauty. Cardinal Pell spoke
to the assembly about what it means to the Church in Australia to host World
Youth Day, and how it should mark local youth ministry for the foreseeable
future. The Catholic Church is well established in Australia and reaches out to
many through its network of schools and hospitals. The challenges nowadays are
general religious indifference, a tendency to trivialise Christ and
Christianity, and confusion on moral issues. It is time to be active in offering
the faith, and this is the task of young Christians. The embers of faith are
still glowing; they just need to be fanned into flame. Bishop Anthony Fisher,
Coordinator of WYD08, gave an account of the journey of the WYD Cross and Icon
in Oceania, New Zealand and Australia and of the pastoral activities under way
in preparation for WYD. Activ8 (Act 1 v. 8) is the pastoral programme
of
events, activities and materials developed by WYD08 to prepare young people for
World Youth Day. It is available on the www.wyd2008.org website and can be
downloaded and used all over the world. Prayer cards have been distributed to
encourage young people to pray, and Eucharistic adoration is encouraged to pray
for WYD and the future of the Church. The
ePilgrimage
electronic
journal comes out every month in four languages, and the website receives an
extraordinary number of hits every day. Bishop Clemens gave an introduction to
the Holy Father’s Message for WYD 2008. He pointed out that both the place of
this WYD and the theme made it a particularly missionary event. Bishop Clemens
pinpointed several areas for study and discussion under three main headings:
recognise the true identity of the Spirit; be clearly aware of the ongoing
active presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church; put the Gospel
into practice at the dawn of the third millennium. He concluded by suggesting
some concrete ways of putting the Holy Father’s recommendations into practice.
The second day was dedicated to logistic information from the various WYD08
departments and federal and state government representatives. Delegates were
informed of the preparations under way regarding registrations, accommodation,
transport, meals, youth festival, security, pilgrim information, etc. As the
main events of WYD 2008 will take place within the city of Sydney, the morning
of the third day was dedicated to site inspections for the events of WYD 2008,
beginning with Mass at Mary McKillop’s Memorial Chapel. A very short coach trip
brought the delegates to visit Barangaroo, the waterfront where the opening Mass
will take place and where the Holy Father will arrive in Sydney by boat. They
also visited locations like the Opera House forecourt and the Domain where youth
festival events and the stations of the cross will take place. The trip
concluded
with lunch at Randwick Racecourse, venue for the prayer vigil and closing Mass.
In the afternoon, there were further briefings and a question-and-answer
session. Most of the questions had already been written down, collected and
sorted, and therefore the answers were prepared by the relevant heads of
department. The main areas of concern to delegates were the desire for community
singing during the main events rather than concerts, the choosing and equipping
of animation groups for catechesis, the number of languages used in translations
during the events, the location of priests during the closing Mass and the
distribution of communion, difficulties in having to pay for registration by
credit card, difficulties in finding flights to Australia around the time of WYD,
visas, satellite broadcasting and other ways to reach the youth who cannot go to
Sydney, etc. After evening prayer in St. Mary’s Cathedral Crypt, there was a
farewell dinner at the hotel. That was when the news arrived that Archbishop
Ryłko was to be named cardinal in the November consistory. Cardinal Pell went to
the stage to make the announcement to the delegates who greeted the news with
sustained applause and genuine pleasure. Archbishop Ryłko addressed a few words
to the delegates saying that it was very significant that he should learn that
news while he was in Sydney with WYD organisers from all over the world. Sydney
now has another reason for holding a special place in his heart. On the days
following the International Preparatory Meeting, the PCL had further meetings
with the Sydney WYD organisers. On Thursday morning this included a visit to
Parliament
House where the Lower House was in session. The Deputy Prime Minister and the
Speaker of the House greeted the guests. Meetings then took place with the World
Youth Day Coordination Committee (WYDCA). This committee was set up in 2006 to
coordinate the planning and delivery of New South Wales services to support the
WYD event. Several spokespersons presented the planning and progress in various
areas: venues, transport, policing, health, etc. In the afternoon a
representative from the Federal Government spoke of the areas involving the
Commonwealth Government including visas and air transport. The meetings on
Friday were in the WYD08 offices, and there was an exchange of information on
the part of the PCL and the heads of the various departments. Msgr Kohn had
talks with Fr Danny Meagher and his team about catechesis planning. From past
experience, there will be ongoing collaboration and frequent communication
between the PCL and the local WYD organisers on the question of catechesis as
the time approaches. Before leaving Sydney, Archbishop Ryłko had the opportunity
to visit Rosemary Goldie in Randwick where she has now retired. He conveyed the
greetings of the PCL staff in Rome. Rosemary dedicated many years of her life
working for the laity in the Church. She was Secretary of Copecial, and she was
one of the lay auditors at the Second Vatican Council. As the countdown clock on
the facade of Sydney Cathedral continues to turn, the task of the Sydney WYD
team and of the PCL intensifies in ongoing communication and collaboration, in
spite of the great physical distance that separates us.
The journey of
the WYD Cross and Icon
The World
Youth Day Cross and Icon of Our Lady have been travelling around Australia since
1 July when they arrived in Sydney after a memorable and grace-filled journey in
Africa, Asia and Oceania. Thanks to modern technology, young people all over the
world can follow
the
journey step by step. The full programme is on the WYD website; the JCI (Journey
of the Cross and Icon) team post a daily blog with photographs; some parishes
and towns make their video of the visit available on the internet; and hundreds
of photographs are shared online. The
team of young people who accompany the Cross and Icon on their pilgrimage are
having a unique opportunity to experience the variety contained within their
homeland, and to witness the simple faith of its people, a quality that does not
often reach the headlines. The journey in Australia began with the arrival of
the Cross and Icon in Sydney airport. They were greeted by the Prime Minister of
Australia, the Premier of New South Wales, and hundreds of youth, clergy and
laity. A group of young New Zealanders formally handed the Cross and Icon over
to the Australians. They were taken to the shrine of Blessed Mary McKillop, and
then in procession through the streets of Sydney and over Harbour Bridge to a
park where thousands were gathered to celebrate their arrival. From then on,
they were taken in procession down streets, into shopping centres, hospitals and
retirement homes. Very often, people joined the procession as it passed and
followed the Cross to its destination. There were vigils, stations of the cross,
passion dramas, concerts and liturgies in churches and parks. The Cross and Icon
left Sydney and continued on their journey through the towns and cities along
the coast, sometimes making trips inland, sometimes visiting islands. They were
taken on boats across lakes and bays, on trucks escorted by motorcycles or on
armed personnel carriers with police escort, on horse-drawn buggies, “surfed”
from hand to hand over the heads of crowds of schoolchildren, and taken down
mines. Sometimes churches were too small for the Cross to stand upright. When
they reached Darwin, they were joined by a group of 50 youth who accompanied
them on the Great Crossing Ghan Pilgrimage which took them by railway right down
through the centre of Australia, passing Ayer’s Rock and several remote towns
and communities. One town is so hot that the church and many houses are
underground. Then they reached the southern part of Australia to visit the
communities there.
25th anniversary
of the San Lorenzo International Youth-Centre
The San
Lorenzo International Youth Centre at the church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus,
very close to Saint Peter’s Square in Rome, completes 25 years of activity in
March 2008. The Centre was opened at the desire of Pope John Paul II and managed
by the Pontifical Council for the Laity. It is a place of welcome, prayer,
instruction and encounter for young people on pilgrimage to Rome from all parts
of the world. It is also the home base of the World Youth Day Cross. It was
inaugurated by Pope John Paul II on 13 March 1983. In order to celebrate this
key anniversary, the Pontifical Council for the Laity is organising a series of
celebrations and events involving the young people who frequent the Centre, the
animators who have given service during this time, the associations, communities
and movements of young Catholics who have provided volunteers to welcome
pilgrims and groups and to animate activities at the Centre. The Holy Father
Benedict XVI will celebrate Holy Mass in the church of San Lorenzo. There is a
three-day programme of events concluding on Sunday 16 March with participation
in Palm Sunday Mass presided by the Holy Father in Saint Peter’s Square. In
addition to the Masses and prayer vigils, these events include an encounter for
reflection and testimonies on the theme: “ The history and mission of San
Lorenzo International Centre ”. The present and past animators will take part,
and those who were there at the birth of the Centre. There will be testimonials
from young people who have taken turns in giving service to the Centre over the
years.
Ad limina visits
In the early part of 2007 the Pontifical Council for the Laity received the
regional bishops’ conferences of Italy. We reported on these meetings in the
previous issue of Notiziario. From the month of May there were visits from
prelates from other parts of the world. We met with bishops from Africa (Mozambique,
Benin, Gabon and Kenya), Central America (Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic)
and Europe (Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia, Ukraine and Portugal), as well as
bishops from the Arabicspeaking countries of North Africa (Algeria, Libya,
Tunisia and Morocco). Notwithstanding their specific differences, all the
bishops’ conferences wanted the discussions to concentrate on certain basic
themes, thus showing the common concerns of the whole Church. First of all there
was an awareness of the need to put instruction in the faith at the centre of
pastoral work with the laity. It was emphasised that Christian instruction is
effective only if it involves every dimension of the person, that is, when it
not only contributes to intellectual or political growth, but also, and
especially, to spiritual and moral growth, guiding the existential options of
the faithful and reinforcing communion among them and a sense of belonging to
the Church. It is precisely for this reason, in various geographical and
cultural contexts, even when very far from each other, we are seeing a
rediscovery of the itinerary of Christian initiation being also offered to
adults. It is thanks to this that all dimensions of life are being taken into
account, and so helping the faithful to distance themselves from attitudes and
ways of thinking that are contrary to the ways of followers of Christ.
Particularly in Europe, but now in every part of the world, each person must
learn to stand up to the effects of secularisation, and to avoid being seduced
by models that fascinate but delude. In Africa and in Central America there is
need for mature faith free from compromises in order to avoid falling into
behaviour and beliefs of a superstitious or tribal kind and to resist the
aggressive advance of the sects. In the Muslim countries of North Africa, the
tiny Christian minority need to have sufficient resources within themselves in
order to resist the strong pressure coming from an increasingly assertive Islam.
Another important topic shared by all the bishops’ conferences discussed in our
meetings was about the Christian presence in public, political and cultural
life. Beyond the difficulties the faithful encounter, at times very serious,
where religious and political freedom is inexistent or limited, we must
recognise that there is progress in the awareness of the laity about the
importance of engagement in public life, both at personal level and, where
possible, in association with others. This greater awareness is attributed to
the progressive circulation of the social doctrine of the Church which
demonstrates the universal validity of its principles in different situations
and great adaptability in its application. On their part, the ecclesial
movements and new communities, now widespread on each continent, are giving
greater attention to the major political and cultural themes that characterise
our times. We could also see that the youth around the world are looking forward
to the next World Youth Day due to take place in Sydney from 15 to 20 July. Even
if the numbers physically present at this 23rd WYD are less numerous than in the
past, mainly due to the high costs involved in such distant travel, the “
spiritual ” participation in the event that we have been informed about is
really impressive. Many bishops’ conferences and dioceses, in order to respond
to the growing interest shown by their young people, are doing what they can to
allow them to be present “ virtually ” at the events, and for some time now a
large number of parishes and movements have been involved in preparations. Even
poorer countries will be represented in Sydney by delegations of young people,
thanks in part to the financial aid being extended for this purpose by the
Pontifical Council for the Laity.
Contacts with associations
and movements
•
On 3 July Archbishop
Stanisław Ryłko received the Founder of the
Chemin neuf
Community,
Fr Laurent Fabre, SI.
•
On 12 July Bishop
Josef Clemens was at Castel di Guido (Rome) with a group of members of the
Regnum Christi Apostolic Movement
who were there for a
course of study.
•
Archbishop Ryłko
presided at the Opening Mass of the
Foederatio
Internationalis Pueri Cantores
(FIPC) Congress that
took place in Cracow (Poland) from 10 to 15 July.
•
On 17 July Bishop
Clemens received the leaders of the
Silent
Workers of the Cross Association
(SODC).
•
On 23 July Msgr
Francis Kohn met with George Dixon and Christine Brandmeir, President and
General Secretary respectively of the
International
Movement of Catholic Agricultural and Rural Youth
(MIJARC).
•
On 5 September
Archbishop Ryłko received the Founder of the
Couples for
Christ
Association, Frank Padilla.
•
On 14 September,
Archbishop Ryłko received Nelson Giovanelli, cofounder of
Fazenda da
Esperança.
•
On 17 September at
the Salesianum in Rome, Bishop Clemens presided at the thanksgiving Mass for
the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the movement
Hogares
Nuevos-Obra de Cristo.
•
Archbishop Ryłko
presided at the opening Mass of the 13th General Assembly of the
Community
Animation Service (Movement for a Better World)
that took place in Rome from 7 to 26 October.
•
On 23 October
Archbishop Ryłko received Hervé-Marie Catta of the
Emmanuel
Community.
•
On 31 October
Archbishop Ryłko received the leaders of the
International
Catholic Union of the Press
(UCIP); and the
leaders of the
Comunità Gesù
Risorto.
•
On 5 November
Archbishop Ryłko was in Rimini for the funeral of Fr Oreste Benzi, Founder
of the
“ Pope John
XXIII Community ” Association.
•
On 7 November Prof.
Guzmán Carriquiry met with Ezequiel H. Reggiani, regional leader in Latin
America for the
Comunidades
Laicas Marianistas
(CLM).
•
On 9 November
Archbishop Ryłko and Bishop Clemens received Rev. Robert Tyrała,
ecclesiastical assistant of the
Foederatio
Internationalis Pueri Cantores
(FIPC).
•
On 10 November
Archbishop Ryłko received Moysés Louro de Azevedo Filho, Founder of the
Shalom Catholic Community.
•
On 20 November
Bishop Clemens received George Dixon Fernandez, president
of
the
International Movement of Catholic Agricultural and Rural Youth
(MIJARC).
•
On 22
November Archbishop Ryłko received prof. Matteo Calisi and Archbishop
Alberto Taveira Corrêa, respectively president and ecclesiastical assistant
of the
Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowships.
•
On 23
November Bishop Clemens received Dr Baldur Hermans, Secretary General of the
International Catholic Conference of Scouting
(ICCS);
he presided at solemn Mass in the Cathedral of Velletri for the feast of
Saint Clement.
•
On 29
November Archbishop Ryłko received a group of members of the
International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCSPax Romana).
•
On 4
December Cardinal Ryłko received Karen Hurley, President of the
World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations
(WUCWO).
•
On 4
and 5 December Bishop Clemens was in Cologne for the opening Mass of the
jubilee year for the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the
Internationales Kolpingwerk
(IKW).
•
On 13
December Bishop Clemens received the council members of the association
La Dieci
from
Bassano del Grappa
(Vicenza).
•
On 17 December
Cardinal Ryłko received Rev. Nicola Giordano, Founder of the
“Living In”
Spirituality Movement.
•
On 18 December
Cardinal Ryłko received Dr Roberto Fontolan, director of the International
Centre of
Communion and
Liberation
(CL)
and
Rev Stefano Alberto, one of the leaders of the Fraternity.
•
On 22 December
Cardinal Ryłko received Salvatore Martinez, President of the association
Rinnovamento nello Spirito Santo.
•
On 26 December
Cardinal Ryłko was in Rimini to preside at the Mass for the Feast of the
Recognition during which hundreds of young people were recognised as being
ready to return to normal life after following a course of renewal in the
therapeutic community of the
“ Pope John
XXIII Community ” Association.
Other engagements
•
On 4 July
Archbishop Ryłko, Bishop Clemens, Prof. Guzmán Carriquiry and Msgr Francis
Kohn met with Cardinal George Pell, Bishop Anthony Fisher and Danny Casey.
•
On 5 July
Msgr Kohn met with Christa Langen Peduto, Rome correspondent for several
German publications.
•
On 24 July
Msgr Kohn met with Bishop Jean-Yves Riocreux of Pontoise (France).
•
Archbishop
Ryłko took part in the 9th annual meeting of the young Catholics of
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Central
Asia which took place at the Marian Shrine of Oziornoje from 11 to 15
August.
•
From 12 to 16
August, Msgr Kohn took part in the International Youth Forum of the
Emmanuel
Community
in Paray-le-Monial
(France) where he gave a talk on the history of World Youth Day and the
theme for the next one in 2008.
•
On 30 August
Bishop Clemens received Hans-Henning Horstmann, Ambassador
of
Germany to the Holy See.
•
Archbishop
Ryłko, Prof. Carriquiry and Msgr Kohn took part in the
Agorà
of young
Italians in Loreto with Pope Benedict XVI on 1 and 2 September.
•
On 18
September Fr Kevin Lixey LC met with Carlo Mazza, director of the national
office for pastoral work in the areas of leisure, tourism and sport of the
Italian Bishops’ Conference.
•
From 5 to 7
October Bishop Clemens took part in the 7th Congress on “ Joy in Faith ”
organised in Fulda (Germany) by the
Deutscher
Katholiken
Forum on the theme:
“ The Church in our country ”.
•
On 22 October
Archbishop Ryłko received Anne-Marie Plunkett, Australian Ambassador to the
Holy See.
•
On 25 October
Bishop Clemens received Archbishop Héctor Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte, President
of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference.
•
On 26 October
Archbishop Ryłko received Cardinal Antonio M.
Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid; Bishop Aleksander Kaszkiewicz of Grodno
and President of the Belarus Conference of Catholic Bishops.
•
On 5 November
Bishop Clemens and Prof. Carriquiry received the members of the presidential
committee of the Latin American Bishops’ Council (CELAM).
•
On 7 November
Archbishop Ryłko received Antonio Zanardi Landi, Italian ambassador to the
Holy See.
•
On 10
November Bishop Clemens received a group of leaders of the “ Sport and Youth
” Commission of the Bavarian Parliament.
•
On 13 and 14
November Archbishop Ryłko gave a
lectio
magistralis
to open the academic
year of the Catholic University of San Antonio in Murcia (Spain). He
presided at the solemn opening Mass of the 2nd International Congress of
Confraternities, and also gave a talk on “The mission of the laity and the
new evangelisation ”.
•
On 14 and 15
November Bishop Clemens was present at
the presentation of the Annual Directory of the diocese of Gurk in Villach
(Austria), and he gave a talk on “Sport, games and spirituality”, and he met
with Hans Gerd Schütt, director of the “Church and Sport” Commission of the
German Bishops’ Conference.
•
On 20
November Bishop Clemens took part in a press conference arranged by CONI to
present the second series of the “Clericus Cup ”.
•
On 22
November Bishop Clemens received Bishop Carlos
Aguiar, president of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference.
•
On 23
November Msgr Kohn received Jean-François Lemercier and Didier Jeffredo,
organisers of WYD 2008 for the French Bishops’ Conference.
•
On 26
November Fr Lixey met with Dietmar Heeg, the new president of the pastoral
commission of the
Catholic
International Federation of Sport and Physical Education
(FICEP).
•
On 30
November Bishop Clemens gave a talk on World Youth Day at a prizegiving
ceremony for the one hundred best young graduates of the Chamber of Commerce
and Industry of the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany).
•
On 7 December
Bishop Clemens received Edio Costantini, President of the Centro Sportivo
Italiano (CSI).
•
On 11
December Cardinal Ryłko and Bishop Clemens received John Watkins,
Vice-Premier of New SouthWales.
A new format for
the Pontifical Council for the Laity web page
In an effort to illustrate the activities of the Pontifical Council for the
Laity in a clearer and more orderly way, and in order to facilitate consultation
of the materials, it was decided to rearrange the web page given to our
Dicastery on the internet website of the Holy See. As yet the new format only
applies to the page in Italian. From the home page (www.vatican.va) you choose
the Italian language, and continue to Roman Curia, Pontifical Councils, and
finally “ Laity ”. Within the web space given to our Dicastery you can visit the
pages concerned with the aims and goals, offices and sections, activities under
preparation, complete lists of the publications of the Dicastery, etc.
These pages will be available in English, French and Spanish in due course.
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