Be living models of the Good Samaritan, Benedict XVI encourages volunteers

Vatican City, Mar 6, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

The Holy Father met with thousands of members of the Italian Civil Protection Service on Saturday in the Paul VI Hall. He commended their voluntary service in protection of the common good and the dignity of man, comparing their work to that of the Good Samaritan.

Drawing attention to the strength of the volunteer organization in its approximately 1.3 million members, Pope Benedict XVI called it "one of the most recent and mature expressions of the long tradition of solidarity," which has its foundation "in the altruism and generosity of the Italian people."

Italian Civil Protection Service’s (ICPS) mission and "vocation" of protecting people and their dignity, he said, is well-represented in the name of the organization.

The ICPS provides assistance and security for national and international emergencies as well as major events, such as World Youth Day 2000 in Rome. They offered a massive response following the earthquake that rocked L'Aquila, Italy April 6, 2009.

"This mission," he continued, "does not only consist in emergency management, but in a precise and worthy contribution to the realization of the common good" which is always the goal of human coexistence "especially in the moments of great trials."

These occasions, said the Pope, provide a chance for "discernment and not desperation" and they offer the opportunity to design new plans for society oriented towards virtue and the good of all.

In the figure of the Good Samaritan, said the Holy Father, we see a model for the protection of the person and commitment to the common good. "This person indeed demonstrated charity and humility tending to an unfortunate person in the moment of utmost need."

While others turned a blind eye, the Good Samaritan taught us to "walk towards the emergency and to prepare ... the return to normalcy," he pointed out.

As these pages in Luke's gospel show us, said Benedict XVI, "love of our neighbor cannot be delegated: the State and politics, though with the necessary attention for welfare, cannot replace it."

Pope Benedict XVI repeated the words from his encyclical, “Deus caritas est” saying, "Love will always be necessary, even in the most just society" and this "requires and will always require personal and volunteer commitment."

For this reason, the Holy Father told the group of an estimated 7,000 people from the ICPS, volunteers are not just "hole-fillers" in society, but they are people who "truly contribute to delineate the human and Christian face of society."

"Without volunteer work, the common good and society cannot last long, as their progress and their dignity depend in great measure exactly on those people who do more than their strict duty."

The Holy Father called the members of the ICPS to be "living icons of the Good Samaritan," giving attention to their neighbors, remembering the dignity of man and inciting hope.

"When a person doesn't limit himself to just completing his duty in his profession and in the family, but he works for others, his heart delights. He who loves and serves another freely as a neighbor lives and acts according to the Gospel and takes part in the mission of the Church, which always protects the entire human and wants to make him feel the love of God," Pope Benedict concluded.

Vatican paper looks at faith connection between saints and their mothers

Rome, Italy, Mar 5, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Italian historians are taking interest in the role mothers in transmitting faith to their sons. Referring to the examples of St. Jean Vianney, Popes Pius X and Paul VI, the Vatican newspaper suggests that this relationship is fundamental to religious vocations.

According to an article published in the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano (LOR), historians at a recent conference in Modena, Italy commented on the need to study the relationship that ties the man of faith to his mother. In studying biographies, they asserted that faith is almost always transmitted to a man by his mother.

LOR indicates that while research into this relationship can be useful in "reconstructing biographical events of public personalities, it assumes a deeper and almost essential significance" if one looks at the emergence and maturation of a religious vocation.

St. Jean Vianney, the Cure of Ars and patron of priests, spoke of this relationship often, telling his parishioners "virtue passes from the heart of the mother to the heart of the children," the Vatican newspaper noted.

In the book Mothers of Saints, by Albina Henrion, the prayerfulness of the Cure of Ars is attributed to the influence of St. Jean's mother who created an atmosphere of prayer that "he almost breathed in his family life."

The saint said about his gift of prayer, "After God, it is the work of my mother," and added that children "voluntarily do what they see done."

In the book, the story of his mother's great charity throughout her life is told as well as her encouragement of young Jean's vocation and how she convinced the boy's father to allow him receive religious instruction. Although she did not live to see him ordained, he carried her example on through the "inexhaustible and charitable exercise of his ministry," reported LOR.

Another example offered by the Vatican newspaper was Saint Pius X, whose mother, Margherita Sanson, raised him and numerous brothers and sisters. She taught them to pray first thing in the morning, communicate with God throughout the day in Mass and Scripture reading, and to end each day with prayer, bringing the family together for an open examination of conscience. After describing this tradition, a friend of the family said, "is it any wonder that a holy soul came out of there?"

Following her son's episcopal ordination and placement in Mantova, the future Pope Pius X visited his mother to thank her. After kissing his episcopal ring, she showed him her wedding ring and said, "Your ring is very beautiful, Giuseppe, but you wouldn't have it if I didn't have this."

Margherita lived to see her son become the Patriarch (Archbishop) of Venice.

The final example presented by LOR was that of Pope Paul VI, who talked of an "unpayable debt of gratitude to his mother." To her, he said, "I owe my sense of concentration, of interior life, of the meditation which is prayer, the prayer that is meditation. Her entire life was a gift."

After the deaths of his parents, he said, "To the love of my father and of my mother, to their union I owe my love of God and love of man."

Paul VI, indicates LOR, offered a further insight, saying, "We, they tell us, all live more or less from that which a woman has taught us in the sublime dimension. And boys feel it more than girls, because of nature... priest-sons even more strongly, because they are consecrated to solitude."

Looting and thefts display absence of faith in God, remarks Chilean bishop

CNA STAFF, Mar 3, 2010 / (CNA).-

In comments to Catholic News Agency, Bishop Philip Bacarreza Rodriguez of Santa Maria de Los Angeles in Chile explained that the looting and thefts that have occurred following the earthquake on February 27, are "a further demonstration of the people's lack of Christian values,” and absence of faith.

In a telephone conversation with CNA from the Chilean city of Los Angeles, which was also hit by the earthquake, the bishop said, “People are looting the supermarkets in reality because they need to eat ... I can understand that to a certain point. But there have also been acts of vandalism that are truly unacceptable. These people do not steal food, but televisions” and other items having nothing to do with survival.

Bishop Rodriguez went on to denounce "gangs who come to rob the victims. Unfortunately it is a sign of human evil. It is a further demonstration of lack of Christian values, the absence of faith in God."

Emergency situation

Speaking later about his own experience of seeing his house “destroyed and rendered uninhabitable," Bishop Bacarreza noted that the Chilean people are in immediate need of "food, supplies, clothing, blankets - these kinds of things." While many people and organizations are sending aid, he added, what is also needed now is detailed organization in order to distribute the supplies.

The Chilean bishop rejected the idea that the earthquake was divine punishment, calling it instead “an opportunity: God corrects his children because he loves them. Sometimes we are so caught up in frivolous things, such as celebrities,” and when “these kinds of events occur, they bring us back to reality.”

The prelate also noted that many churches have suffered damages and cracks to their foundations. We need to “determine whether these cracks are deep or just on the surface. The minor seminary suffered roof damage. That needs to be fixed as soon as possible,” as the rainy season is approaching.

“The cathedral is okay,” he added, although two other churches were damaged, “and many rural chapels were affected, but we don’t have all of the information yet,” the bishop added.

“We must trust in God and help each other,” he stressed, “because Christian charity at this time of trial must be put into action. Everyone who has resources and greater means should help those who have been affected the most.”

“Let us trust in God and that the Virgin Mary, our patroness, will protect us and be with us.”

"Imitate Christ, the ideal for every Christian"

St. Bonaventure is model of contemplation and action, says Benedict XVI

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Pope Benedict XVI taught today on the holy life of St. Bonaventure during the General Audience at Paul VI Hall. Of this saint it has been said that "all who saw him were pervaded by a love that the heart could not conceal," the Pope said.

The Holy Father began his teaching by admitting a "certain nostalgia" while preparing the catechesis, as he thought back to his youth when he researched the life St. Bonaventure.

"His knowledge engraved not a little of my formation," said Pope Benedict.

Among the "great Christian figures" that contributed to the "harmony between faith and culture" of the 13th century was Bonaventure, whom the Pope described as a "man of action and of contemplation, of profound piety and of prudence in government."

An event that marked his life happened when he was when he was just a boy. Struck by a serious illness from which not even his father, a doctor, thought he would recover, his mother prayed for the intercession of St. Francis and he was healed.

Years later, while studying in Paris he joined the Franciscans, explaining his choice by saying that this order "recognized the action of Christ."

Benedict XVI quoted Bonaventure's words from a letter to a brother in the order, "I confess before God that the reason that made me love the life of Blessed Francis most is that it is alike to the beginnings and the growth of the Church ... the religion of Blessed Francis was not established by the prudence of men, but by Christ."

While completing a difficult course of study in the Theology College of the University of Paris, the Holy Father recalled, "he matured his own personal reflection and a spiritual sensibility of great value that, in the course of the following years, he knew how to transfuse into his works and sermons, in this way becoming one of the most important theologians in the history of the Church."

He started to teach Franciscan theology in Paris and it was at this time that he wrote on "evangelical perfection," showing how the mendicant orders followed the Gospel through their practices of vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

This teaching, said Pope Benedict, is "always current: the Church is enlightened and beautified by the faithfulness to their vocation of these sons and daughters of hers, who not only put the evangelical precepts into practice but, by God's grace, are called to observe the evangelical counsels and thus bear witness - with their poor, chaste and obedient lifestyle - to the fact that the Gospel is a source of joy and perfection."

St. Bonaventure was elected Minister General of the Friars Minor (Franciscans) in 1257, at that time there were 30,000 brothers spread from China to North Africa.

With the great expansion came various interpretations of the Franciscan message and to address the possibility of internal fracture, he saw that a consolidation and sharing of ideals and motivations was needed to unify the Franciscan action and spirit.

Collecting documents and listening to first-hand testimonies of the life of St. Francis, Bonaventure produced a book on the life of the saint, which became the official biography.

In this biography, noted Pope Benedict, St. Francis emerges as "a man who passionately sought Christ. With the love that leads to imitation, he entirely conformed himself to Him. Bonaventure indicated this as a living ideal for all the followers of St. Francis."

This is the "living ideal" that St. Bonaventure offered to the order, and "this ideal," pointed out Benedict XVI, is "valid for every Christian, yesterday, today, always, was indicated as a program also for the Church of the Third Millenium by my Venerable predecessor John Paul II."

Bonaventure died in 1273, having only just been made a bishop and cardinal by Pope Gregory X.

In closing, Pope Benedict turned to the words of an anonymous pontifical notary who "offers us a conclusive portrait of this great saint and excellent theologian: 'Good man, affable, pious and merciful, height of virtue, loved by God and men ... God indeed had given him such a grace, that all who saw him were pervaded by a love that the heart could not conceal.'"

This "holy Doctor of the Church," concluded Benedict XVI, "reminds us of the meaning of our lives with the following words: 'On earth we can contemplate the immensity of divine things by reason and admiration; in the heavenly homeland, on the other hand, we can view them, when we will have been made similar to God and by ecstasy will enter into the joy of God.'"

Priestly celibacy is not the cause of sexual abuse, reaffirm German bishops

Rome, Italy, Mar 1, 2010 / (CNA).-

At the conclusion of their plenary assembly, the Bishops’ Conference of Germany issued a statement regarding the “cases of sexual abuse by clergy members during the 1970s and 80s.” They noted that “priestly celibacy, as experts have confirmed, is not the cause of these acts of sexual abuse.”

In a statement published by L’Osservatore Romano the bishops explained, “A life of celibacy can only be assumed by someone who possesses the essential emotional maturity.” The prelates went on to note the necessity that future priests receive life-lasting, “attentive and rigorous” formation.

During their assembly, the bishops also decided to develop new strategies for confronting the crisis of vocations, because, they explained, the problem of sexual abuse may have had its origin in “the quality of seminarians,” who then went on to become priests.

“We German bishops accept our responsibility and condemn the abuse committed by the priests, religious and lay people of our dioceses,” they wrote. “Mortified and shocked, we ask all the victims of these terrible acts for their forgiveness. Our desire is for there to be sincere clarity, without false expectations, even if the acts took place many years ago.”

“The victims have a right to this.”

The bishops also reported that Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier, Germany was named director of the committee responsible for handling cases of sexual abuse by clergy members.

Later this month, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Germany, Archbishop Robert Zoellitsch, will address the issue directly with Pope Benedict XVI. Then in August, the German bishops will revise and update the norms issued in 2002 on sexual abuse by the clergy, putting a special emphasis on preventative measures.

Lenten spiritual exercises show importance of a ‘listening heart,’ Pope comments

Vatican City, Feb 28, 2010 / (CNA).-

Following the final meditation of a week of Lenten spiritual exercises, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Roman Curia on Saturday. He welcomed the week as an opportunity to renew their priestly vocations and looked to the example of Mary as a major lesson from the retreat.

The Holy Father first thanked Fr. Enrico dal Covolo, the Salesian Father of Don Bosco who led the series of 17 meditations along the course of the week. He praised him for the "passionate and very personal way he guided us in the path towards Christ, in the path of renewal of our priesthood."

The theme of this year's meditations, taking place within the Year of the Priest, was "Lessons from God and the Church on the Priestly Vocation."

Reflecting on Fr. dal Covolo's insistence during the reflections on the importance of "a listening heart," the Pope said, "In reality, it seems to me that this might summarize the entire Christian vision of man."

Man, he continued, "has the necessity of listening" to others, but "mostly to the Other... God."
"Only in this way does one know himself, only in this way does he become himself," Pope Benedict stated.

Mary, he said, shows us what it is to have a "listening heart." In Luke's gospel, the Holy Father pointed out, she is presented as a woman who is "immersed in the Word of God, listens to the Word... holds it in her heart.

"In listening she conceived the eternal word, gave her flesh to this word," he emphasized.
As Mary listened to the Word, joined by the communion of saints, said the Holy Father, we are also called to do so, not in isolation, but in the "us" of the Church and the saints.

In his closing comment, the Holy Father reiterated his gratitude to Fr. dal Covolo in helping participants in the exercises to renew their perception of the meaning of the priesthood and to remain aware that priestly consecration "is destined to become a mission."

"So, with renewed courage, we wish now to face our mission," concluded Pope Benedict XVI.

The Holy Father also made reference to the spiritual exercises during the Sunday Angelus. He thanked all people "who were spiritually close" to him and members of the Curia during the week.