Benedict XVI grateful
for Synodal assembly's work
in behalf of Africa
Translated from
the 10/25/09 issue of
At the end of the 20th General Congregation on Saturday morning, Benedict XVI lunched with the Synodal fathers and all the guests and staff workers of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Bishops' Synod in the atrium of Aula Paolo VI.
At the end, the Holy Father gave brief remarks, saying:
"Now, it is time to say thank you. Thanks to the Lord above all who has convoked us, has brought us together, has helped us to listen to his Word, the voice of the Holy Spirit.
"Thus he has given us the possiblity to find the road of unity amid a multiplicity of experiences, the unity of faith and communion in the Lord.
"That is why the expression 'The Church family of God' is no longer just a concept, an idea - but the living experience during these weeks. We are all truly gathered together as the family of God."
He added: "We have done good work, with the help of the Lord", although, he said, it is not an easy challenge, with two dangers:
"The theme of reconciliation, justice and peace' certainly implies a strong political dimension, even if it is evident that reconciliation, justice and peace, are not possible without a profound purification of the heart, without a renewal of thought, a metanoia, without something new that should result precisely in an encounter with God.
"But even if it is so, if this spiritual dimension is profound and fundamental, the political dimension too is very real, because without political realization, these novelties from teh Holy Spirit are generally not realized.
"that is why the temptation would be to politicize the issue, to speak less as pastors but as politicians - on a competence that is not ours."
To avoid politicization, the Pope pointed out the other danger,
which is to retreat to a purely spiritual world, abstract and beautiful but not realistic: "The discourse of a pastor must be realistic, it must touch reality, but in the perspective of God and his Word."
His mediation consists in being, on the one hand, being truly attentive to reality, and on the other, not falling into technically political situations.
The task, he said, is to "indicate concrete ways which are also spiritual". This was a problem that the Synodal assembly had to overcome, and "thanks to God, we have succeeded in doing so".
"For me, this is also a reason to give thanks, because it will greatly facilitate elaborating the post-synodal document."
The Pope then tanked the three President delegates "who moderated the sessions with great mastery and with joy", and to the relators or secretaries, w"who bore the greatest weight of work", even at nights, on Sundays and during lunch hours, "who therefore deserve great applause from us".
Even greater applause when the Holy Father announced that he has named Cardinal Peter Turkson President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, to succeed Cardinal Raffaele Martino:
"Thank you, Your Eminence, for having accepted. We are very happy to have you among us soon. And thanks to all the Fathers, teh fraternal delegates, the auditors and experts....and especially, to the Secretary-General [Mons, Nikola Eterovic] and his team, who have organized all this and guided us all very well."
The Pope concluded:
"The Synod ends but does not end. The work proceeds not only with the post-synodal exhortation.
Synodos means 'common journey'. Let us stay on a common journey with the Lord, let us walk ahead to prepare the way for him, to help him open up the doors of the world so he can build his kingdom among us."
The Press Office has not yet posted the text of the Holy Father's remarks, but the latest Synod Press Bulletin has the English translation of the words of gratitude addressed to the Holy Father by Cardinal Theodore Adrien Sarr, Archbishop of Dakar (Senegal) at the luncheon. He spoke in French:
TRIBUTE TO THE HOLY FATHER
BY CARDINAL SARR
Most Holy Father,
At the closing of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, the Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops of Africa, Madagascar and adjacent islands, with all the faithful of Christ in their dioceses - priests, religious and laity - renew their deep gratitude to you, which they expressed on many occasions, before as during the Synodal Assembly.
They are grateful to you for having reconfirmed your predecessor’s, the dear Pope John Paul II, intention of convoking a Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, and of having called it with the theme “The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. ‘You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world’ (Mt 5:13,14)”.
In particular they thank you for having marked with your physical presence most of the general congregations of the Synodal Assembly. They thank you for the paternal attention, regard and solicitude thus manifested towards Africa and its populations, to the Churches of this continent and all of its members, from the opening Mass on October 4th 2009, with the rich and very encouraging words of your homily, which will remain as a reference.
They continue to raise, towards God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a fervent act of thanks for the fraternity of our Assembly of disciples of Christ, for the quality of reflection and exchange during these three weeks, for the fervor of prayer, which has sustained us, as well as for the enrichments and consciousness that the Divine Spirit incited in us through personal reflection and fraternal exchange.
They continue to ask for the grace of a “new Pentecost” for all the Churches of the Continent and adjacent isles, so that all their members - bishops, priests, religious and laity - may experience the encounter with the Risen Christ better and forever, and allow themselves to be evermore transformed by Him and commit to give of themselves generously for the promotion of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace, in the ecclesial communities on all levels, as well as in the different spheres of life and work in the different countries.
Most Holy Father, the Fathers of this Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, in the joyous feeling of having lived these three weeks close to you, weeks of prayer, reflection and exchange, and already turning towards the fields of our daily ministry, we implore your apostolic blessing on the persons, families and different communities of their dioceses, as well as on their countries and all of their populations.
Tomorrow's issue (10/25/09) of L'Osservatore Romano also carries a wrap-up story on the 57 Propositions approved by the Synodal assembly:
The expectations of
the African continent
Translated from
the 10/25/09 issue of
With 57 propositions - read by the Secretary-General, Cardinal Turkson, and voted on, Friday afternoon and Saturday morning - the Synodal Fathers asked the Pope to avail of a document on the Church in Africa in the service of reconciliation, justice and peace: a text that will summarize the work of the Synod and offer indications and perspectives for the future of the continent.
These propositions to the Pontiff, the Ghanaian cardinal said, would add to a body of texts that includes the Lineamenta, Instrumentum laboris, the general relations before and after the Synodal discussions, all the texts of the interventions presented orally and in writing, as well as the discussions and reports of the working groups.
The text of the 57 propositions was presented by Cardinal Turkson and the two special secretaries, Archbishop Antonio Damião Franklin and Bishop Edmond Djitangar, at a news conference Saturday morning.
At the start of the news conference, the Holy Father's appointment of Cardinal Turkson as the new President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and peace, was announced. Because he has to wrap up his pastoral work in Ghana, he will not formally take office in the Curia until January 6, 2010.
The propositions convey to the Holy Father that the participants experienced the Synodal assembly as a new Pentecost, just as the first special synodal ssembly for Africa in 1994 was one of resurrection and hope.
The first proposition aims at achieving better ecclesial communion on every level, encouraging cooperation within the Church itself. It would involve renewing existing ecclesial structures but also of promoting others. They ask the Pope to establish continent-wide councils for the clergy, for lay faithful and for Catholic women.
In this connection, they ask for practical ways to institute more adequate formation of priests, religious and laymen in their specific roles, along with a more professional and quick-responding Cattholic presence in the mass media.
The 57 propositions substantially synthesize all the key points discussed during the three-week synodal assembly. They reaffirm ideas like the irreversibility of the ecumenical and inter-religious dialog, with a special approach to Islam. They urge overcoming any form of discimination, intolerance and religious fundamentalism, and making provisions for trans-national collaboration on social issues and reconciliation.
They make concrete proposals to African governments that they may, once and for all, undertake the road to reconciliation, justice and peace. More specifically, to do everything to fight poverty, eradicate violence, exploitation, injustices, and corruption. For its part, the Church must put its social doctrine into practice with the utmost efficiency and efficacy.
Even as they encourage participation of Catholics in public life, they also believe the Church must assure adequate spiritual, doctrinal, pastoral and practical formation for Catholics who take on political and economic responsibilities.
Among the measures would be to set up faculties of political science in the Catholic universities of Africa.
Among the new ideas is the creation of an international solidarity fund through Caritas Inteernational, and of an African program for peace and solidarity that can help find solutions to the conflicts on the continent, as well as the formation of councils for peace that are well-provided with staff and means.
They propose to support an ongoing United Nations study for an international treaty on the arms trade with the aim of a total ban on nuclear and biological weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
Also strongly stressed is a call for total and universal abolition of the death penalty with the denunciation that such a measure, when it is unappealable, most strikes at poor people who cannot defend themselves even when the death penalty is used by politicians to eliminate their opponents.
Likewise, they urged government to adopt penal reforms which will guarantee minimum international standards for the treatment of all prisoners.
The Synodal assembly was particularly concerned about the AIDS epidemic, saying it is not simply a medical-pharmaceutical issue but a question of integral development and justice. They claim that AIDS patients in Africa are not getting the same quality of care as in other countries. Also, that AIDS assistance funds often do not reach their designated beneficiaries. One proposition recommends preparation of a manual for pastoral healthcare workers.
The propositions reaffirm a rejection of abortion and a defense of life at every stage from cocneption to natural death.
Likewise, the Synodal fathers denounce violations against children and women, and the lack of in-country oppportunities for young people who are then constrained to emigrate. They ask for a review of restrictive international laws on immigration so as not to discriminate against Africans in a way that violates their human rights.
The unofficial English text of the Propositions may be found on:
www.vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_23_ii_speciale-africa-2009/02_inglese/b33...
10/25/09
P.S.
The Press Office posted the text of the Pope's after-luncheon remarks today. Here is a translation:
REMARKS BY THE HOLY FATHER
after luncheon with Synod
participants and staff
10/24/09
Dear brothers and sisters,
The time has come to say Thank you. Thanks to the Lord above all who called us, brought us together, and helped us to listen to his
Word, the voice of the Holy Spirit, and thus has given us the possibility to find the road to unity in the multiplicity of experiences, unity in faith and communion with the Lord.
And so the expression "Church as the FAmily of God' is no longer just a concept, an idea, but is the living experience of these weeks: we have truly been united here as the Family of God. And whe have done good work, with the help of the Lord.
The theme [of the Synodal assembly] was in itself not an easy challenge, with what I would call two dangers. The theme of 'reconciliation, justice and peace' certainly implies a strong political dimentsion, even if it is evident that reconciliation, jstice and peace are not possible without profound purification of the heart, without a renewal of thought, a metanoia, without a newness that should result precisely from an encounter with God.
But even if this spiritual dimension is profound and fundamental, the political dimension is very real, because without political realization, the novelties of the Spirit generally are not realized. So, there may be a temptation to politicize the question, to speak less as pastors and more as politicians, therefore, with a competence that is not ours.
The other danger - precisely to avoid that temptation - was to retreat into a purely spiritual world, beautiful and abstract, but not realistic. The discourse of a pastor, however, must be realistic, it must touch reality, but in the perspective of God and his Word.
Therefore, the pastor's mediation involves, on the one hand, to be truly linked to reality, careful to speak of what is, and on the other hand, one must be careful not to fall into solutions that are technically political - and this means, giving a concrete word that is also spiritual.
This was the great problem of the Synod, and I think that, thank God, we successfully resolved it - and for me, this is also a reason to be thankful, because it will facilitate very much the elaboration of the post-Synodal document.
I wish now to get back to the Thank-you's. I thank above all the president delegates, who moderated with great mastery and even with joy, the sessions of the Synod.
I thank the relators: We have seen and even touched first hand, so to speak, that they bore the greatest weight of the work - they have worked at night, even on Sundays, they have worked during the lunch breaks, and now they deserve great applause from us.
I can communicate here that I have decided to name Cardinal Turkson as the new President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to succeed Cardinal Martino. Thank you, Eminence, for having accepted. We are happy that you will soon be among us.
Thanks to all the Fathers, to the fraternal delegates, to the augditors and experts, and thanks especially to the translators for thei role in our attempt to 'create a Pentecost'. Pentecost means to understand each other - and without translators, we would not have this bridge of understanding. Thank you!
And thanks above all to the Scretary-General, to his team, which has guided us and silently organized everything very well.
The Synod ends but does not end - not only because the work will go ahead with the post-Synodal exhortaiton. 'Synodos' means a common jounrye. Let us stay on the common path with the Lord, let us go before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to help him, to open for him the doors of the world so that he may create his Kingdom among us.
In this sense, my blessing goes to all of you. Let us now say the prayer of thanks for the meal we had.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 26/10/2009 01:14]