Pope: relationship with secularized world "central" to Church
» 11/08/2009 13:03VATICAN
Visiting Brescia, 30 years after the death of Paul VI, Benedict XVI recalls the words and example of the Montini Pope. A Church "poor, and thus freed" which, then as now, must have, and search for "consciousness", "renewal" and "dialogue." And "many - he said - expect dramatic gestures from the Pope, energetic and decisive action. The Pope does not believe that he must follow another line that is not that of confidence in Jesus Christ, to which his Church is more dear than to anyone else”.
Brescia (AsiaNews) - The "question of the Church, its necessity in the plan of salvation and its relationship with the world" is "absolutely central," as Pope Paul VI wrote, it is in fact made even more "radical" today, due to developments of secularization and globalization, "in confronting forgetfulness of God, on the one hand, and non-Christian religions, on the other."30 years after the death of Paul VI, Benedict XVI, visiting Brescia and Concesio, birthplace of the Montini Pope, who "devoted his entire life" to the Church, underlined the challenges of today’s world that the Church, in all of its components, is facing and the importance it has for the salvation of humanity. At the same time he also stressed the requirement that a relationship of mutual understanding and love be established between the Church and society. A Church that is "poor, and thus free" as the Montini Pope defined it, and that, then as now, must have, and search for "consciousness", "renewal" and "dialogue."
Almost 15 thousand people managed to find a space in a completely full Paul VI Square, despite the rain, (photo). During the Mass, Benedict XVI, among others, quoted some passages from the spiritual testament of the late Pope where he wrote: "And to the Church, to which I owe everything and that was mine, what will I say? The blessings of God be upon you: be aware of your nature and your mission; be aware of the real and profound needs of humanity; and walk poor, that is free, strong and loving toward Christ". "What can we add - continued Benedict XVI – to such elevated and intense words? Allow me to point to that vision of the 'poor and free' Church, which recalls the evangelical figure of the widow. This is how the Church community must be, to be able to speak to contemporary humanity". This was particularly dear to Pope Montini, who "devoted all his energies to a church as conformed to the Lord Jesus Christ as possible, so that meeting by encountering it, modern man can meet Him, because it has an absolute need of Him. This is the basic desire of Vatican II, which corresponds to the reflection of Pope Paul VI on the Church. "
"Dear friends - and I say this especially to you brothers in the episcopate and the priesthood – how can we not see that the question of the Church, its necessity in the plan of salvation and its relationship with the world, even today remains absolutely central? Indeed, the development of secularization and globalization have made it even more radical in confronting forgetfulness of God, on the one hand, and non-Christian religions, on the other? Paul VI’s reflection on the Church is even more valuable now than ever before as an example of his love for her, inseparable from that for Christ. " Benedict XVI then quoted the encyclical Ecclesiam suam "The mystery of the Church - we read - is not simply an object of theological knowledge, it is a fact to be lived in, in which even before it is clear notion, the faithful soul can have almost ingrained experience "(ibid., p 229, n. 178). This presupposes a strong inner life, which is "the great source of the Church's spirituality, its own way to receive the radiation of the Spirit of Christ, a radical, irreplaceable expression of its religious and social activities, inviolable defence and resurgent energy in its difficult contact with the secular world "(ibid., p. 231, n. 179).
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See also:
From CNA, "Total gift of self is an necessary to Christian life, says Benedict XVI"
From the AP, "Pope Benedict honors Paul VI in Italian birthplace"
And from YouTube-Vatican's Channel:
Pope: A poor and free Church to speak to the world
November 8, 2009
posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 3:10 PM
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