| 10 - 11.10.2012 SUMMARY
- PAPAL CHAPEL FOR THE OPENING OF THE YEAR OF THE FAITH (THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11 , 2012)
- TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION AND PRAYER : THE BEAUTIFUL CHURCH OF THE COUNCIL
PAPAL CHAPEL FOR THE OPENING OF THE YEAR OF THE FAITH (THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012)
- HOMILY BY THE HOLY FATHER
- GREETING BY THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH
This morning, Thursday, October 11 2012, at 10:00 a.m. , the Holy Father Benedict XVI presided the Eucharistic Celebration in the Square of Saint Peters Basilica on the occasion of the opening of the Year of the Faith and for the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the beginning of Vatican Council II and the 20th Anniversary of the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
80 Cardinals, 16 Council Fathers, 8 Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches, 191 Archbishops and Bishops participating in the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, 104 Presule Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences from all over the world participated in the concelebration.
The following stepped to the altar for the Eucharistic Prayer: His Em. Card. Tarcisio BERTONE, S.D.B., Secretary of State (VATICAN CITY); His Em. Card. Angelo SODANO, Deacon of the Cardinal College (VATICAN CITY); the two first Cardinals by seniority; His Exc. Msgr. Salvatore FISICHELLA, Titular Archbishop of Voghenza, President of the Pontifical Counciol for the Promotion of New Evangelization (VATICAN CITY); His Exc. Msgr. José Octavio RUIZ ARENAS, Archbishop Emeritus of Villavicencio, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelization (VATICAN CITY).
The First Reading was given in English, the Responsorial Psalm in Italian and the Second Reading was in Greek. The Gospel was proclaimed in Latin. The Prayer of the Faithful was pronounced in Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese and Swahili.
At the end of the Prayer after Communion, His Holiness BARTHOLOMEW I, Archbishop of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch (TURKEY) addressed a greeting, which is published in this Bulletin.
Then, the Holy Father gave the Messages of Vatican Council II to humanity and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
During the Sacred Rite, after the proclamation of the Gospel, the Holy Father gave the homily, which is published below.
HOMILY BY THE HOLY FATHER
Dear Brother Bishops,
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today, fifty years from the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, we begin with great joy the Year of Faith. I am delighted to greet all of you, particularly His Holiness Bartholomaois I, Patriarch of Constantinople, and His Grace Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. A special greeting goes to the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches, and to the Presidents of the Bishops Conferences. In order to evoke the Council, which some present had the grace to experience for themselves - and I greet them with particular affection - this celebration has been enriched by several special signs: the opening procession, intended to recall the memorable one of the Council Fathers when they entered this Basilica; the enthronement of a copy of the Book of the Gospels used at the Council; the consignment of the seven final Messages of the Council, and of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I will do before the final blessing. These signs help us not only to remember, they also offer us the possibility of going beyond commemorating. They invite us to enter more deeply into the spiritual movement which characterized Vatican II, to make it ours and to develop it according to its true meaning. And its true meaning was and remains faith in Christ, the apostolic faith, animated by the inner desire to communicate Christ to individuals and all people, in the Churchs pilgrimage along the pathways of history.
The Year of Faith which we launch today is linked harmoniously with the Churchs whole path over the last fifty years: from the Council, through the Magisterium of the Servant of God Paul VI, who proclaimed a Year of Faith in 1967, up to the Great Jubilee of the year 2000, with which Blessed John Paul II re-proposed to all humanity Jesus Christ as the one Saviour, yesterday, today and forever. Between these two Popes, Paul VI and John Paul II, there was a deep and complete convergence, precisely upon Christ as the centre of the cosmos and of history, and upon the apostolic eagerness to announce him to the world. Jesus is the centre of the Christian faith. The Christian believes in God whose face was revealed by Jesus Christ. He is the fulfilment of the Scriptures and their definitive interpreter. Jesus Christ is not only the object of the faith but, as it says in the Letter to the Hebrews, he is the pioneer and the perfecter of our faith (12:2).
Todays Gospel tells us that Jesus Christ, consecrated by the Father in the Holy Spirit, is the true and perennial subject of evangelization. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor (Lk 4:18). This mission of Christ, this movement of his continues in space and time, over centuries and continents. It is a movement which starts with the Father and, in the power of the Spirit, goes forth to bring the good news to the poor, in both a material and a spiritual sense. The Church is the first and necessary instrument of this work of Christ because it is united to him as a body to its head. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you (Jn 20:21), says the Risen One to his disciples, and breathing upon them, adds, Receive the Holy Spirit (v.22). Through Christ, God is the principal subject of evangelization in the world; but Christ himself wished to pass on his own mission to the Church; he did so, and continues to do so, until the end of time pouring out his Spirit upon the disciples, the same Spirit who came upon him and remained in him during all his earthly life, giving him the strength to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Lk 4:18-19).
The Second Vatican Council did not wish to deal with the theme of faith in one specific document. It was, however, animated by a desire, as it were, to immerse itself anew in the Christian mystery so as to re-propose it fruitfully to contemporary man. The Servant of God Paul VI, two years after the end of the Council session, expressed it in this way: Even if the Council does not deal expressly with the faith, it talks about it on every page, it recognizes its vital and supernatural character, it assumes it to be whole and strong, and it builds upon its teachings. We need only recall some of the Councils statements in order to realize the essential importance that the Council, consistent with the doctrinal tradition of the Church, attributes to the faith, the true faith, which has Christ for its source and the Churchs Magisterium for its channel (General Audience, 8 March 1967). Thus said Paul VI in 1967.
We now turn to the one who convoked the Second Vatican Council and inaugurated it: Blessed John XXIII. In his opening speech, he presented the principal purpose of the Council in this way: What above all concerns the Ecumenical Council is this: that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine be safeguarded and taught more effectively [
] Therefore, the principal purpose of this Council is not the discussion of this or that doctrinal theme
a Council is not required for that
[but] this certain and immutable doctrine, which is to be faithfully respected, needs to be explored and presented in a way which responds to the needs of our time (AAS 54 [1962], 790,791-792). So said Pope John at the inauguration of the Council.
In the light of these words, we can understand what I myself felt at the time: during the Council there was an emotional tension as we faced the common task of making the truth and beauty of the faith shine out in our time, without sacrificing it to the demands of the present or leaving it tied to the past: the eternal presence of God resounds in the faith, transcending time, yet it can only be welcomed by us in our own unrepeatable today. Therefore I believe that the most important thing, especially on such a significant occasion as this, is to revive in the whole Church that positive tension, that yearning to announce Christ again to contemporary man. But, so that this interior thrust towards the new evangelization neither remain just an idea nor be lost in confusion, it needs to be built on a concrete and precise basis, and this basis is the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the place where it found expression. This is why I have often insisted on the need to return, as it were, to the letter of the Council that is to its texts also to draw from them its authentic spirit, and why I have repeated that the true legacy of Vatican II is to be found in them. Reference to the documents saves us from extremes of anachronistic nostalgia and running too far ahead, and allows what is new to be welcomed in a context of continuity. The Council did not formulate anything new in matters of faith, nor did it wish to replace what was ancient. Rather, it concerned itself with seeing that the same faith might continue to be lived in the present day, that it might remain a living faith in a world of change. If we place ourselves in harmony with the authentic approach which Blessed John XXIII wished to give to Vatican II, we will be able to realize it during this Year of Faith, following the same path of the Church as she continuously endeavours to deepen the deposit of faith entrusted to her by Christ. The Council Fathers wished to present the faith in a meaningful way; and if they opened themselves trustingly to dialogue with the modern world it is because they were certain of their faith, of the solid rock on which they stood. In the years following, however, many embraced uncritically the dominant mentality, placing in doubt the very foundations of the deposit of faith, which they sadly no longer felt able to accept as truths.
If today the Church proposes a new Year of Faith and a new evangelization, it is not to honour an anniversary, but because there is more need of it, even more than there was fifty years ago! And the reply to be given to this need is the one desired by the Popes, by the Council Fathers and contained in its documents. Even the initiative to create a Pontifical Council for the promotion of the new evangelization, which I thank for its special effort for the Year of Faith, is to be understood in this context. Recent decades have seen the advance of a spiritual desertification. In the Councils time it was already possible from a few tragic pages of history to know what a life or a world without God looked like, but now we see it every day around us. This void has spread. But it is in starting from the experience of this desert, from this void, that we can again discover the joy of believing, its vital importance for us, men and women. In the desert we rediscover the value of what is essential for living; thus in todays world there are innumerable signs, often expressed implicitly or negatively, of the thirst for God, for the ultimate meaning of life. And in the desert people of faith are needed who, with their own lives, point out the way to the Promised Land and keep hope alive. Living faith opens the heart to the grace of God which frees us from pessimism. Today, more than ever, evangelizing means witnessing to the new life, transformed by God, and thus showing the path. The first reading spoke to us of the wisdom of the wayfarer (cf. Sir 34:9-13): the journey is a metaphor for life, and the wise wayfarer is one who has learned the art of living, and can share it with his brethren as happens to pilgrims along the Way of Saint James or similar routes which, not by chance, have again become popular in recent years. How come so many people today feel the need to make these journeys? Is it not because they find there, or at least intuit, the meaning of our existence in the world? This, then, is how we can picture the Year of Faith: a pilgrimage in the deserts of todays world, taking with us only what is necessary: neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, nor two tunics as the Lord said to those he was sending out on mission (cf. Lk 9:3), but the Gospel and the faith of the Church, of which the Council documents are a luminous expression, as is the Catechism of the Catholic Church, published twenty years ago.
Venerable and dear Brothers, 11 October 1962 was the Feast of Mary Most Holy, Mother of God. Let us entrust to her the Year of Faith, as I did last week when I went on pilgrimage to Loreto. May the Virgin Mary always shine out as a star along the way of the new evangelization. May she help us to put into practice the Apostle Pauls exhortation, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom [
] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Col 3:16-17). Amen.
GREETING BY THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH
Beloved brother in the Lord, Your Holiness Pope Benedict; Brothers and Sisters;
As Christ prepared for His Gethsemane experience, He prayed a prayer for unity which is recorded in the Gospel of Saint John Chapter 17 verse 11: ... keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are(All scripture from English translation of the Holy Bible, New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.). Through the centuries we have, indeed, been kept in the power and love of Christ, and in the proper moment in history the Holy Spirit moved upon us and we began the long journey towards the visible unity that Christ desires. This has been confirmed in Unitatis Redintegratio § 1:
Everywhere large numbers have felt the impulse of this grace, and among our separated brethren also there increases from day to day the movement, fostered by the grace of the Holy Spirit, for the restoration of unity among all Christians.
Fifty years ago in this very square, a powerful and pivotal celebration captured the heart and mind of the Roman Catholic Church, transporting it across the centuries into the contemporary world. This transforming milestone, the opening of the Second Vatican Council, was inspired by the fundamental reality that the Son and incarnate Logos of God is ... where two or three are gathered in his name (Matt.18.20) and that the Spirit, who proceeds from the Father, ... will guide us into the whole truth (John 16.13).
In the 50 years that have intervened, we recall with vividness and tenderness, but also with elation and enthusiasm, our personal discussions with episcopal members and theological periti during our formative time - then as a young student - at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, as well as our personal attendance at some special sessions of the Council. We witnessed firsthand how the bishops experienced a renewed awareness of the validity - and a reinforced sense of the continuity - of the tradition and faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1.3). It was a period of promise and hope for your Church both internally and externally.
For the Orthodox Church, we have observed a time of exchange and expectation. For example, the convocation of the first Pan-Orthodox Conferences in Rhodes led to the Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conferences in preparation for the Great Council of the Orthodox Churches. These exchanges will demonstrate the unified witness of the Orthodox Church in the modern world. Moreover, it coincided with the dialogue of love and heralded the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church, which was established by our venerable predecessors Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios.
Over the last five decades, the achievements of this assembly have been diverse as evidenced through the series of important and influential constitutions, declarations, and decrees. We have contemplated the renewal of the spirit and return to the sources through liturgical study, biblical research, and patristic scholarship. We have appreciated the struggle toward gradual liberation from the limitation of rigid scholasticism to the openness of ecumenical encounter, which has led to the mutual rescinding of the excommunications of the year 1054, the exchange of greetings, returning of relics, entering into important dialogues, and visiting each other in our respective Sees.
Our journey has not always been easy or without pain and challenge, for as we know narrow is the gate and difficult is the way (Matthew 7.14). The essential theology and principal themes of the Second Vatican Council - the mystery of the Church, the sacredness of the liturgy, and the authority of the bishop - are difficult to apply in earnest practice, and constitute a life-long and church-wide labor to assimilate. The door, then, must remain open for deeper reception, pastoral engagement, and ecclesial interpretation of the Second Vatican Council.
As we move forward together, we offer thanks and glory to the living God Father, Son and Holy Spirit - that the same assembly of bishops has recognised the importance of reflection and sincere dialogue between our sister churches . We join in the ...hope that the barrier dividing the Eastern Church and the Western Church will be removed, and that - at last - there may be but the one dwelling, firmly established on Christ Jesus, the cornerstone, who will make both one (Unitatis Redintegratio § 18).
With Christ as our cornerstone and the tradition we share, we shall be able or, rather, we shall be enabled by the gift and grace of God - to reach a better appreciation and fuller expression of the Body of Christ. With our continued efforts in accordance with the spirit of the tradition of the early Church, and in the light of the Church of the Councils of the first millennium, we will experience the visible unity that lies just beyond us today.
The Church always excels in its uniquely prophetic and pastoral dimension, embraces its characteristic meekness and spirituality, and serves with humble sensitivity the least of these My brethren (Matt. 25.40).
Beloved brother, our presence here signifies and seals our commitment to witness together to the Gospel message of salvation and healing for the least of our brethren: the poor, the oppressed, the forgotten in God's world. Let us begin with prayers for peace and healing for our Christian brothers and sisters living in the Middle East. In the current turmoil of violence, separation, and brokenness that is escalating between peoples and nations, may the love and desire for harmony we profess here, and the understanding we seek through dialogue and mutual respect, serve as a model for our world. Indeed, may all humanity reach out to 'the other' and work together to overcome the suffering of people everywhere, particularly in the face of famine, natural disasters, disease, and war that ultimately touches all of our lives.
In light of all that has yet to be accomplished by the Church on earth, and with great appreciation for all the progress we have shared, we are, therefore, honored to be invited to attend - and humbled to be called to address - this solemn and festive commemoration of the Second Vatican Council. It is fitting that this occasion also marks for your Church the formal inauguration of the Year of Faith, as it is faith that provides a visible sign of the journey we have traveled together along the path of reconciliation and visible unity.
In closing, Your Holiness, Beloved Brother, we wholeheartedly congratulate you - together with the blessed multitude assembled here today - and we fraternally embrace you on the joyous occasion of this anniversary celebration. May God bless you all.
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TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION AND PRAYER : THE BEAUTIFUL CHURCH OF THE COUNCIL
The beautiful Church of the Council is the initiative promoted by the Italian Catholic Action in collaboration with the Diocese of Rome, for the occasion of the opening of the Year of the Faith and while the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, dedicated to new evangelization, is being held. The Fathers and other participants of the Synodal Assize will also be present.
Moments of reflection and prayer are foreseen, as well as testimony and joyful celebration. The meeting is scheduled for 6:00 pm. At 7:30 pm a torchlight procession will leave Castel SantAngelo to arrive in Saint Peters Square. At 9:00 pm there will be a greeting by the Holy Father Benedict XVI, preceded by interventions by His Em. Card. Agostino Callini, General Vicar of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome; Franco Miano, National President of Italian Catholic Action; His Exc. Msgr. Domenico Sigalini, Bishop of Palestrina and general ecclesiastic assistant of the Association; by the witness of Msgr. Loris Capovilla, secretary of Pope John XXIII; and the projection of the original and full version of the movie Discourse of the Moon, loaned by the Vatican movie library.
The songs by the Polyphonic Choir of the Diocese of Rome will accompany the evening, directed by Msgr. Marco Frisina. Immediately after, it will be possible to go to the churches in the center of Rome to continue praying with the Eucharistic adoration.
The event is organized as a living commemoration of Vatican Council II, fifty years after its beginning and by the historical torchlight procession on October 11th 1962, this too promoted by Italian Catholic Action, the evening of the Discourse of the Moon by John XXIII.
The live broadcast of the event will be ensured by the Vatican Television Center and by Vatican Radio. This event will be broadcast by many networks, as well as on the website www.azionecattolica.it.
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