That young people may learn to use modern means of social communication for their personal growth and to better prepare themselves to serve society.

In anticipation of the forthcoming World Communications Day, I would like to address to you some reflections on the theme chosen for this year - New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship. The new digital technologies are, indeed, bringing about fundamental shifts in patterns of communication and human relationships. These changes are particularly evident among those young people who have grown up with the new technologies and are at home in a digital world that often seems quite foreign to those of us who, as adults, have had to learn to understand and appreciate the opportunities it has to offer for communications. In this year’s message, I am conscious of those who constitute the so-called digital generation and I would like to share with them, in particular, some ideas concerning the extraordinary potential of the new technologies, if they are used to promote human understanding and solidarity. These technologies are truly a gift to humanity and we must endeavour to ensure that the benefits they offer are put at the service of all human individuals and communities, especially those who are most disadvantaged and vulnerable.

The accessibility of mobile telephones and computers, combined with the global reach and penetration of the internet, has opened up a range of means of communication that permit the almost instantaneous communication of words and images across enormous distances and to some of the most isolated corners of the world; something that would have been unthinkable for previous generations. Young people, in particular, have grasped the enormous capacity of the new media to foster connectedness, communication and understanding between individuals and communities, and they are turning to them as means of communicating with existing friends, of meeting new friends, of forming communities and networks, of seeking information and news, and of sharing their ideas and opinions. Many benefits flow from this new culture of communication: families are able to maintain contact across great distances; students and researchers have more immediate and easier access to documents, sources and scientific discoveries, hence they can work collaboratively from different locations; moreover, the interactive nature of many of the new media facilitates more dynamic forms of learning and communication, thereby contributing to social progress.

While the speed with which the new technologies have evolved in terms of their efficiency and reliability is rightly a source of wonder, their popularity with users should not surprise us, as they respond to a fundamental desire of people to communicate and to relate to each other. This desire for communication and friendship is rooted in our very nature as human beings and cannot be adequately understood as a response to technical innovations. In the light of the biblical message, it should be seen primarily as a reflection of our participation in the communicative and unifying Love of God, who desires to make of all humanity one family. When we find ourselves drawn towards other people, when we want to know more about them and make ourselves known to them, we are responding to God’s call - a call that is imprinted in our nature as beings created in the image and likeness of God, the God of communication and communion.

The desire for connectedness and the instinct for communication that are so obvious in contemporary culture are best understood as modern manifestations of the basic and enduring propensity of humans to reach beyond themselves and to seek communion with others. In reality, when we open ourselves to others, we are fulfilling our deepest need and becoming more fully human. Loving is, in fact, what we are designed for by our Creator. Naturally, I am not talking about fleeting, shallow relationships, I am talking about the real love that is at the very heart of Jesus’ moral teaching: "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" and "You must love your neighbour as yourself" (cf. Mk 12:30-31). In this light, reflecting on the significance of the new technologies, it is important to focus not just on their undoubted capacity to foster contact between people, but on the quality of the content that is put into circulation using these means. I would encourage all people of good will who are active in the emerging environment of digital communication to commit themselves to promoting a culture of respect, dialogue and friendship.

Those who are active in the production and dissemination of new media content, therefore, should strive to respect the dignity and worth of the human person. If the new technologies are to serve the good o individuals and of society, all users will avoid the sharing of words and images that are degrading of human beings, that promote hatred and intolerance, that debase the goodness and intimacy of human sexuality or that exploit the weak and vulnerable.

The new technologies have also opened the way for dialogue between people from different countries, cultures and religions. The new digital arena, the so-called cyberspace, allows them to encounter and to know each other’s traditions and values. Such encounters, if they are to be fruitful, require honest and appropriate forms of expression together with attentive and respectful listening. The dialogue must be rooted in a genuine and mutual searching for truth if it is to realize its potential to promote growth in understanding and tolerance. Life is not just a succession of events or experiences: it is a search for the true, the good and the beautiful. It is to this end that we make our choices; it is for this that we exercise our freedom; it is in this - in truth, in goodness, and in beauty - that we find happiness and joy. We must not allow ourselves to be deceived by those who see us merely as consumers in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth.

The concept of friendship has enjoyed a renewed prominence in the vocabulary of the new digital social networks that have emerged in the last few years. The concept is one of the noblest achievements of human culture. It is in and through our friendships that we grow and develop as humans. For this reason, true friendship has always been seen as one of the greatest goods any human person can experience. We should be careful, therefore, never to trivialize the concept or the experience of friendship. It would be sad if our desire to sustain and develop on-line friendships were to be at the cost of our availability to engage with our families, our neighbours and those we meet in the daily reality of our places of work, education and recreation. If the desire for virtual connectedness becomes obsessive, it may in fact function to isolate individuals from real social interaction while also disrupting the patterns of rest, silence and reflection that are necessary for healthy human development.

Friendship is a great human good, but it would be emptied of its ultimate value if it were to be understood as an end in itself. Friends should support and encourage each other in developing their gifts and talents and in putting them at the service of the human community. In this context, it is gratifying to note the emergence of new digital networks that seek to promote human solidarity, peace and justice, human rights and respect for human life and the good of creation. These networks can facilitate forms of co-operation between people from different geographical and cultural contexts that enable them to deepen their common humanity and their sense of shared responsibility for the good of all. We must, therefore, strive to ensure that the digital world, where such networks can be established, is a world that is truly open to all. It would be a tragedy for the future of humanity if the new instruments of communication, which permit the sharing of knowledge and information in a more rapid and effective manner, were not made accessible to those who are already economically and socially marginalized, or if it should contribute only to increasing the gap separating the poor from the new networks that are developing at the service of human socialization and information.

I would like to conclude this message by addressing myself, in particular, to young Catholic believers: to encourage them to bring the witness of their faith to the digital world. Dear Brothers and Sisters, I ask you to introduce into the culture of this new environment of communications and information technology the values on which you have built your lives. In the early life of the Church, the great Apostles and their disciples brought the Good News of Jesus to the Greek and Roman world. Just as, at that time, a fruitful evangelization required that careful attention be given to understanding the culture and customs of those pagan peoples so that the truth of the gospel would touch their hearts and minds, so also today, the proclamation of Christ in the world of new technologies requires a profound knowledge of this world if the technologies are to serve our mission adequately. It falls, in particular, to young people, who have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this "digital continent". Be sure to announce the Gospel to your contemporaries with enthusiasm. You know their fears and their hopes, their aspirations and their disappointments: the greatest gift you can give to them is to share with them the "Good News" of a God who became man, who suffered, died and rose again to save all people. Human hearts are yearning for a world where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. Our faith can respond to these expectations: may you become its heralds! The Pope accompanies you with his prayers and his blessing.

The modern Internet began to develop in the ‘80s, but in that decade was still limited to restricted circles. It spread massively more recently, in the ‘90s. All the same, the enormous impact that this communication-network has had on society and on culture is a very recent phenomenon. Its existence has signalled an undeniable technological and cultural revolution, so much so that the Pope has referred to today’s young people as ‘the digital generation’. The number of internet-users grew by 300% at world-level between 2000 and 2008. The expectation is that in 2011, 22% of the world’s population will be using the internet regularly. About 76% of the population of the United States will be ‘connected’. China and Brazil will have the highest rates of growth in the incorporation of new users. Children and adolescents form the largest group of users, calculating according to age-groups.

As well as the popular e-mail, all kinds of information is to be found on the net, notices, friendship-groups…. it is even possible to enter into a virtual world, with a fictitious identity, to live a second life, where one can buy land, get to know people, take part in events, and so on – all of them virtual. Unfortunately, the promotion of the sex-industry takes up hundreds of thousands of pages of the internet. In some countries 70% of male users of the internet aged between 18 and 34 visit pornographic sites with some regularity. This last, together with video games and other attractions of the net, makes the development of addiction to the internet more and more frequent, often as an escape from the harsh demands of real life.

We Christians, aware as we are of the dangers, also recognise great opportunities for doing good in the new digital technologies (which also include television and the cell-phone). The Pope tells us that they respond to a desire for connectivity and communication innate in human beings. He invites us to use them to create a culture of respect, of dialogue and of friendship. The technological opportunities for creating networks of social mobilisation to promote noble causes are far in advance of other periods in human history. The Pope challenges the young to use these media ‘for their personal growth and to prepare themselves better to serve society’. Discerning use of them is to help young people to be men and women for others. It is the digital generation’s responsibility, above all, to use this great universal forum so that the Kingdom of God may become more real every day, and not just a second ‘virtual life’.

See other internet statistics on http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

Lastly, I recommend some sites for prayer and Christian formation which can be accessed by internet:

That every believer in Christ may be conscious that unity among all Christians is a condition for more effective proclamation of the Gospel.

To Cardinal Péter Erdo
President of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences
and to Pastor Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont
President of the Conference of European Churches

I joyfully address my greeting to all the Delegates and Participants in the Third European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu, which is reflecting on an important theme for the new evangelization in Europe: "The light of Christ shines upon all: Hope for Renewal and Unity in Europe", and aims to "recognize a new light in the Crucified and Risen Christ, along the road to the reconciliation of Christians in Europe".

I offer my greeting to each one of you, and through you, to the Council of European Episcopal Conferences and the Conference of European Churches. I look to this important meeting in the eager hope that it may help the ecumenical process on its way towards the recomposition of the full and visible unity of all Christians.

Indeed, I have wished to stress this pastoral priority since the very beginning of my Pontificate. If Christ's light is to shine anew upon all human beings, the commitment to seeking the visible unity of all Christians is essential.

With the Second Vatican Council, as my venerable Predecessor Pope John Paul II remarked, "the Catholic Church committed herself irrevocably to following the path of the ecumenical venture, thus heeding the Spirit of the Lord, who teaches people to interpret carefully the "signs of the times'" (Ut Unum Sint, n. 3).

"To believe in Christ means to desire unity; to desire unity means to desire the Church" (ibid., n. 9). Aware of this, the Catholic Church will continue confidently on the path of unity and communion between Christians, a difficult path but so full of joy (cf. ibid., n. 2).

How many "signs of the times" have sustained and encouraged us to continue on this route throughout the decades and at the previous European Ecumenical Assemblies in Basle (1989) and Graz (1997), until the signing of the Charta Oecumenica in Strasbourg in 2001!

The many ecumenical meetings and celebrations, together with the patient work of theological dialogue at local and international levels, have offered us encouraging signs and have "given us a more vivid sense of the Church as a mystery of unity" (Novo Millennio Ineunte, n. 48).

True dialogue is established where there are not only words but also listening, and where listening leads to encounter, and encounter to relationship, and relationship to understanding, perceived as a deepening and transforming of our Christian being.

Dialogue, therefore, does not only concern the field of knowledge and what we are able to do. Rather, it makes the believer, indeed, the Lord himself, speak in our midst.

Two elements must guide us in our commitment: the dialogue of truth and the encounter in the sign of brotherhood. Both need spiritual ecumenism as their foundation.

The Second Vatican Council had earlier noted: "This change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement" (Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 8).

Prayer for unity is the primary route for ecumenism. It enables Christians in Europe to look with new eyes at Christ and at the unity of his Church. It also enables them to face courageously both the sorrowful memories from which European history is not exempt and the social problems in the age of relativism widely predominant today.

In every age, the main builders of reconciliation and unity have been men and women of prayer, among whom belong the numerous witnesses to the faith of all denominations. It was they who inspired divided Christians to seek the path of reconciliation and unity.

We Christians must be aware of the task entrusted to us, which is to bring to Europe and to the world the voice of the One who said: "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (Jn 8: 12). It is up to us to make Christ's light shine on today's people: not our own light, but that of Christ.

Therefore, let us ask God for unity and peace for Europeans and let us show that we are ready to work together for the true development of European society on the continents of the East and of the West.

I am sure that the Sibiu Meeting will offer precious ideas for pursuing and intensifying Europe's specific vocation, ideas that will then help to create a better future for her peoples.

I hope that the EEA3 in Sibiu will succeed in making room for the encounter of unity in its legitimate diversity. In an atmosphere of reciprocal trust and in the awareness that our common roots are far deeper than our divisions, it will be possible to shatter false self-sufficiency and to overcome extraneousness with the spiritual experience of the common foundation of our faith.

Europe needs places of encounter and experiences of unity in the faith that are guided by the Spirit. I invoke God so that, through his Spirit, he will make your Meeting at Sibiu just such a place.

May Christ's light illuminate the progress of the European Continent! May the Lord bless your families, communities, Churches and all who in every region of Europe profess to be disciples of Christ.

‘I believe in one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church’, we recite in the Creed each Sunday. The unity of the Church is one of its characteristic marks. When we show divisions and quarrels among Christians we raise a real obstacle to effective proclamation of the Gospel. The missionary intention for this month is another call from the Holy Father to pray and work for the necessary unity among Christians.

We cannot trivialise the seriousness of the objective situation of division. There have been encouraging moves forward, like the agreement with the Orthodox in 1997 on the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome, and the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Lutherans in 1999. We can be grateful that in the last four decades we have recovered fraternity between the different Christian churches.

But there is still a long way to go to reach our Lord’s desire, expressed in Jn 17:20-23 – That they may all be one. For many people it will be hard to believe ‘in’ Christ, if by our actions we make it difficult to believe ‘about’ Christ. He asked us to remain united with him and united among ourselves. The world will not believe that He is the one sent from the Father and that the Father loves everyone as much as he loves Him, if his disciples contradict that. Mahatma Gandhi’s words ‘if Christians lived according to the message that they proclaim, I should be a Christian’ still move us.

The visible unity of the Church is what ought to show its identity as being ‘in Christ…in the nature of a sacrament – a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity among all men’ (LG 1, Vatican II). How can we be a sign and instrument of unity, if we don’t love one another? In the Decree on Ecumenism (1a) the same Council says ‘The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council.’

Our ecumenical effort will demand that we work with enormous honesty and from the clear affirmation of our identity, but grateful for the certainty that there is much more that unites us than that separates us. The Church will grow, not by proselytism but by attraction, as Christ attracts all to himself by the power of his love. The Church attracts when it lives in communion, so Jesus’ disciples will be recognised if they love one another as He loves us. (Rm 12:4-13; Jn 13:14)

For all scholars and intellectuals, that by means of sincere search for the truth they may arrive at an understanding of the one true God.

[...]
Ten years after its publication, an attentive look at the Encyclical Fides et ratio enables one to perceive admiringly its lasting topicality; it reveals the farsighted depth of my unforgettable Predecessor. In fact, the Encyclical is characterized by its great openness to reason, especially in a period in which its weakness was theorized. John Paul II, on the other hand, underlines the importance of combining faith and reason in their reciprocal relationship, yet while also respecting the sphere of autonomy of each. With this Magisterium, the Church has voiced an emerging need within the contemporary cultural context. She has chosen to defend the power of reason and its ability to attain the truth, presenting faith once again as a special form of knowledge, thanks to which we are opened to the truth of Revelation (cf. Fides et ratio, n. 13). We read in the Encyclical that we must trust in the abilities of human reason and not set ourselves goals that are too modest: "It is faith which stirs reason to move beyond all isolation and willingly to run risks so that it may attain whatever is beautiful, good and true" (n. 56). Moreover, it is in the passing of time that the achievement of reason's goals, motivated by the passion for truth, are manifest. Who could deny the contribution that the great philosophical systems have made to the development of human self-awareness and the progress of various cultures? What is more, these cultures become fruitful when they are opened to the truth, enabling all those who participate in them to reach goals that make social life ever more human. The quest for the truth bears most fruit when it is sustained by love for the truth. Augustine wrote: "What one holds with the mind is held by knowing it, but no good may be known perfectly unless one loves perfectly" (De diversis quaestionibus, 35, 2).

Yet we cannot deny that a shift has occurred from predominantly speculative thought to that which is primarily experimental. Research has above all involved the observation of nature in the attempt to discover its secrets. The desire to know nature then became the desire to reproduce it. This transformation was far from painless; the evolution of concepts damaged the relationship between fides and ratio, resulting in each taking its own separate path. Scientific and technological breakthroughs, which fides is increasingly challenged to face, have modified the age-old concept of ratio; in a certain way they have marginalized the reason that was seeking the ultimate truth of things in order to make room for a reason content with discovering the contingent truths of the laws of nature. Scientific research undoubtedly has its positive value. The discovery of and increase in the mathematical, physical, chemical and applied sciences are the product of reason and express the intelligence with which man succeeds in penetrating the depth of creation. Faith, for its part, does not fear scientific progress and the developments to which scientific achievements lead when they are aimed towards the human being, his well-being and the progress of humanity as a whole. As the anonymous author of the Letter to Diognetus recalled: "The tree of knowledge does not kill, but disobedience kills. For there cannot be life without knowledge any more than there can be sound knowledge without genuine life, and so the two trees were planted close together" (xii, 2, 4).

Nonetheless, it happens that scientists do not always direct their research to these aims. Easy earnings or, even worse, the arrogance of replacing the Creator, at times play a decisive role. This is a form of the hybris of reason, which can acquire characteristics that are dangerous to humanity itself. Science, moreover, is unable to work out ethical principles; it can only accept them and recognize them as necessary to eradicate its potential pathologies. In this context, philosophy and theology become indispensable aids which must be placed alongside science in order to prevent it from proceeding on its own down a twisting path, full of unexpected accidents and not without risks. This does not mean restricting scientific research or preventing technology from producing the means for development; rather, it consists in maintaining vigilance about the sense of responsibility that reason possesses in regards to science, so that it stays on track in its service to the human being.

Augustine's lesson is still meaningful even in today's context: "What does someone who can use reason well attain other than the truth?" the holy Bishop of Hippo asks. "The truth is not obtained by itself with reasoning but it is what those who use reason seek.... It confesses that what the truth is is not you, for it does not seek itself; you, on the other hand, have not attained it by passing from one place to another, but by seeking it with the disposition of your mind" (De vera religione, 39, 72). In other words, wherever the search for the truth comes from, it remains as a given that is both offered and recognizable as already present in nature. The intelligibility of creation, in fact, is not the result of the scientist's effort, but a condition offered to him to enable him to discover the truth that is present within it. "These things are not made by the process of reasoning, but discovered", Augustine continues in his reflection. "Therefore they abide in themselves even before they are discovered, and once they are discovered they renew us" (ibid., 39, 73). In brief, reason must fully run its course, strong in its autonomy and its rich intellectual tradition.

Reason also understands and discovers that, in addition to what it has already attained and achieved, there exists a truth that it will never be able to discover based solely on itself, but only receive as a gift freely given. The truth of Revelation does not superimpose the truth achieved by reason; rather, it purifies and exalts reason, thereby enabling it to broaden its horizons to enter into a field of research as unfathomably expansive as mystery itself. The truth revealed, when "the time had fully come" (Gal 4:4), assumed the Face of a person, Jesus of Nazareth, who brought the ultimate and definitive answer to the question of human meaning. The truth of Christ, since it affects every person in search of joy, happiness and meaning, far exceeds any other truth that reason can discover. It surrounds mystery, so that fides and ratio might find the real possibility of a common path.
[...]

A true event, which happened in 1892, now part of a biography.

A gentleman aged about 70 was travelling by train, and beside him was a young university-student reading his scientific book. The gentleman, in his turn, was reading a book with a black cover. Then the young man realised that it was a Bible, open at St. Mark’s Gospel.

Without much ceremony the boy interrupted the old man’s reading, and asked ‘Sir, do you still believe in that book full of fables and stories?’

- Yes, but it isn’t a story-book, it’s the Word of God. Am I wrong?

- But of course you are. I think you ought to study world history. You would see that the French Revolution, more than 100 years ago, showed the blindness of religion. Only uneducated people still believe that God created the world in six days. You ought to know a little more of what our scientists say about all that.

- And…. Is that the same as our scientists say about the Bible?

- Well, as I’m getting out at the next station, I haven’t time to explain to you, but give me your card, with your address, so that I can send you scientific material by post as soon as possible.

So the old man, very patiently, opened the right-hand pocket of his bag with great care and gave the boy his card. It read:

Professor Dr. Louis Pasteur, Director General of the Institute of Scientific Investigation, National University of France.

‘A little science separates us from God. A lot of science brings us closer.’ Louis Pasteur.

The beauty and the extent of scientific knowledge in this age allow us to be filled with wonder at learning the bounds of the universe and examining the smallest and most essential details of matter. We are grateful for the generous dedication of many men and women of science who have opened up the fields of human knowledge for us. Scientific ability applied for the benefit of human beings has made possible great technical advances, which have improved people’s lives.

But science loses it proper role when it raises itself up as the only valid and legitimate knowledge, disqualifying others. Even in our time voices are heard, coming particularly from scientific circles, which come to doubt that it is possible to affirm God’s existence without failing to be rigorous in scientific discovery. Not long ago Stephen Hawking said ‘Science does not leave much room for God.’

From a renewed theology we have learned that there is no contradiction between science and faith, as both bring different perspectives, complementary to one another. Both ways of knowing have their own autonomy, which is to be respected. Both are at the service of human life to the full, and of the wellbeing of all. Science needs to stay open to guidance from an ethical reason illuminated by faith, which will direct its advances in accordance with the criteria of justice and the common good. There are sad examples in history of things going badly wrong when scientific knowledge was not accompanied by ethical judgement.

We know that scientific logic alone is not able to answer the deepest and most burning questions of the human heart. In fact, despite the huge scientific achievements that have been made, a third of humanity is still suffering hunger, a quarter does not even have access to drinking-water. This shows that scientific and technical knowledge are not enough to solve problems. Other forms of knowledge are needed which guarantee the good use of resources and the just distribution of the opportunities that progress offers us.

The Holy Father’s intention for prayer for this month invites the scientist to convert his amazement into adoration capable of recognising God’s traces in the vastness and beauty of a creation which surpasses him. It invites them, furthermore, to continue in the sincere search for truth, which will always be a road that leads to God.

That the Church, aware of its own missionary identity, may strive to follow Christ faithfully and to proclaim His Gospel to all peoples.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On the occasion of the World Mission Day, I would like to invite the entire People of God - Pastors, priests, men and women religious and lay people - to reflect together on the urgent need and importance of the Church's missionary action, also in our time.

Indeed, the words with which the Crucified and Risen Jesus entrusted the missionary mandate to the Apostles before ascending to Heaven do not cease to ring out as a universal call and a heartfelt appeal: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you". And he added, "Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28: 19-20).

In the demanding work of evangelization we are sustained and accompanied by the certainty that he, the Lord of the harvest, is with us and continues to guide his people. Christ is the inexhaustible source of the Church's mission. This year, moreover, a further reason impels us to renew our missionary commitment: the 50th anniversary of the Encyclical of the Servant of God Pius XII, Fidei Donum, which promoted and encouraged cooperation between the Churches for the mission ad gentes.

"All the Churches for all the world": this is the theme chosen for the next World Mission Day. It invites the local Churches of every continent to a shared awareness of the urgent need to relaunch missionary action in the face of the many serious challenges of our time.

The conditions in which humanity lives have of course changed and in recent decades, especially since the Second Vatican Council, a great effort has been made to spread the Gospel.

However, much still remains to be done in order to respond to the missionary call which the Lord never tires of addressing to every one of the baptized. In the first place, he continues to call the Churches of so-called "ancient tradition", which in the past provided the missions with a consistent number of priests, men and women religious and lay people as well as material means, giving life to an effective cooperation between Christian communities.

This cooperation has yielded abundant apostolic fruit both for the young Churches in mission lands as well as in the ecclesial situations from which the missionaries came. In the face of the secularized culture, which sometimes seems to be penetrating ever more deeply into Western societies, considering in addition the crisis of the family, the dwindling number of vocations and the progressive ageing of the clergy, these Churches risk withdrawing into themselves to view the future with ever less hope and weakening their missionary effort.

Yet, this is the very time for opening oneself with trust to the Providence of God, who never abandons his People and who, with the power of the Holy Spirit, guides them toward the fulfillment of his eternal design of salvation.

The Good Shepherd also invites the recently evangelized Churches to dedicate themselves generously to the missio ad gentes. Despite the many difficulties and obstacles they encounter in their development, these communities are constantly growing. Fortunately, some of them have a large number of priests and consecrated persons, many of whom, although there are so many needs in loco, are nevertheless sent to carry out their pastoral ministry and apostolic service elsewhere, even in lands evangelized long ago.

Thus, we are witnessing a providential "exchange of gifts" which redounds to the benefit of the entire Mystical Body of Christ.

I warmly hope that missionary cooperation will be intensified and that the most will be made of the potential and charisms of each one. I also hope that World Mission Day will contribute to making all the Christian communities and every baptized person ever more aware that Christ's call to spread his Kingdom to the very ends of the earth is universal.

"The Church is missionary by her very nature", John Paul II wrote in his Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, "for Christ's mandate is not something contingent or external, but reaches the very heart of the Church. It follows that the universal Church and each individual Church is sent forth to the nations.... It is highly appropriate that young Churches "should share as soon as possible in the universal missionary work of the Church. They should themselves send missionaries to proclaim the Gospel all over the world, even though they are suffering from a shortage of clergy'" (n. 62).

Fifty years after the historical appeal for cooperation between the Churches at the service of the mission of my Predecessor, Pius XII, with his Encyclical Fidei Donum, I would like to reaffirm that the Gospel proclamation continues to be timely and urgent.

In the Encyclical Redemptoris Missio cited above, Pope John Paul II, for his part, recognized that "the Church's mission is wider than the "communion among the Churches'; it ought to be directed not only to aiding re-evangelization but also and primarily to missionary activity as such" (n. 64).

Therefore, as has often been said, missionary commitment remains the first service that the Church owes to humanity today to guide and evangelize the cultural, social and ethical transformations; to offer Christ's salvation to the people of our time in so many parts of the world who are humiliated and oppressed by endemic poverty, violence and the systematic denial of human rights.

The Church cannot shirk this universal mission; for her it has a binding force. Since Christ first entrusted the missionary mandate to Peter and to the Apostles, today it is primarily the responsibility of the Successor of Peter whom divine Providence has chosen as a visible foundation of the Church's unity, and of the Bishops directly responsible for evangelization, both as members of the Episcopal College and as Pastors of the particular Churches (cf. Redemptoris Missio, n. 63).

I am thus addressing the Pastors of all the Churches chosen by the Lord to guide his one flock so that they may share in the pressing concern to proclaim and spread the Gospel.

It was precisely this concern that 50 years ago impelled the Servant of God Pius XII to bring missionary cooperation more up to date with the times.

With particular concern for the future of evangelization he asked the "long established" Churches to send priests to support the recently founded Churches.

Thus, he gave life to a new "subject of mission" which took the name of "Fidei Donum" precisely from the first words of the Encyclical.

Of it he wrote: "As We direct our thoughts, on the one hand, to the countless multitudes of Our sons who have a share in the blessings of divine faith, especially in countries that have a long Christian tradition, and on the other hand, as We consider the far more numerous throngs of those who are still waiting for the day of salvation to be proclaimed to them, We are filled with a great desire to exhort you again and again, Venerable Brethren, to support with zealous interest the most holy cause of bringing the Church to all the world". He added: "Please God, may it come to pass that Our admonitions will arouse a keener interest in the missionary apostolate among your priests and through them set the hearts of the faithful on fire!" (cf. Fidei Donum, n. 4).

Let us give thanks to the Lord for the abundant fruits obtained by this missionary cooperation in Africa and in other regions of the earth.

Throngs of priests, after leaving their native communities, have devoted their apostolic energy to the service of communities which have sometimes only recently come into being in poor and developing areas. Among these priests are many martyrs who have combined with the witness of their words and apostolic dedication the sacrifice of their lives.

Nor can we forget the many men and women religious and lay volunteers who, together with the priests, spared no effort to spread the Gospel to the very ends of the earth. May World Mission Day be an opportunity to remember in prayer these brothers and sisters of ours in the faith and all who continue to work in the vast field of the mission.

Let us ask God that their example may everywhere inspire new vocations and a renewed mission awareness in the Christian people. Indeed, every Christian community is born missionary, and it is precisely on the basis of the courage to evangelize that the love of believers for their Lord is measured.

Consequently, we could say that for the individual members of the faithful it is no longer merely a matter of collaborating in evangelizing work but of feeling that they themselves are protagonists and corresponsible. This corresponsibility entails the growth of communion between the communities and increases reciprocal help with regard to the personnel (priests, men and women religious and lay volunteers) and the use of the means necessary for evangelization today.

Dear brothers and sisters, the missionary mandate entrusted by Christ to the Apostles truly involves us all. May World Mission Day therefore be a favourable opportunity to acquire a deeper awareness and to work out together appropriate spiritual and formative itineraries which encourage inter-Church cooperation and the training of new missionaries to spread the Gospel in our time.

However, let it not be forgotten that the first and priority contribution that we are called to offer to the missionary action of the Church is prayer. "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few", the Lord said; "pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest" (Lk 10: 2).

"First of all, therefore", Pope Pius XII of venerable memory wrote 50 years ago, "Venerable Brethren, We trust that more continuous and fervent prayers will be raised to God for this cause" (Fidei Donum, n. 49). Remember the immense spiritual needs of the numerous populations who are far from the true faith or who stand in such great need of the means of perseverance (cf. n. 55). And he urged the faithful to increase the number of Masses offered for the missions, saying that "this is in accordance with the prayers of Our Lord who loves his Church and wishes her to flourish and enlarge her borders throughout the whole world" (ibid., n. 52).

Dear brothers and sisters, I also renew this invitation, which is more timely than ever. May the unanimous invocation of the "Our Father who art in Heaven" be extended in every community, so that his Kingdom will come on earth.

I appeal in particular to children and young people, who are always ready and generous in their missionary outreach. I address the sick and the suffering, recalling the value of their mysterious and indispensable collaboration in the work of salvation. I ask consecrated people, especially those in cloistered monasteries, to intensify their prayers for the missions.

Thanks to the commitment of every believer, the spiritual network of prayer and support for evangelization is being extended throughout the Church. May the Virgin Mary who accompanied with motherly solicitude the development of the newborn Church, also guide our footsteps in our time and obtain for us a new Pentecost of love. May she especially make us all aware of being missionaries, that is, those who have been sent out by the Lord to be his witnesses at every moment of our life.

Each month the Pope gives us one general intention and another missionary intention. Why are they different? The second, the missionary intention, reminds us of the inescapable dimension of faith, and reinforces it. In earlier times there was a clear identification of ‘mission countries’, usually far away, for which Catholics in the other part of the world prayed specially. From 1925 the missionary intentions of the Pope came into being to reinforce this idea. They were added each month to the general intention which the Apostleship of Prayer had been promoting since 1890.

Today it is not so clear which are mission countries and which not. In fact, today we have learned that mission is a permanent dimension of the Church wherever it may be. Besides, it is not difficult to find examples of countries traditionally Catholic which today have turned into a religious desert, real mission fields.

The Pope’s intention for this month impels us to strengthen the permanent missionary dimension of the Church. As well as all having the call to mission (‘prophet, king and priest’) through our baptism, members of the Apostleship of Prayer have a special responsibility for the Church’s mission. We came into being as a missionary association to make all Christians apostles by prayer, on the very day of the feast of St. Francis Xavier, back in 1844. Let us pray that this month the awareness of being responsible for spreading the good news of the gospel may grow in us and in all Christians. ‘There is no greater sorrow than dying without knowing God’, John Paul II once said. May the closing words of the gospel, sending the Church to bear witness and to make disciples, resound in all of us with new vigour.

I leave you today with a missionary testimony from the National Secretary of the AP in a European country:

‘In the last five years, for three months each year (and still today) I go with other companions on an apostolic journey through the dioceses. We go without money, we go to serve the Christian communities, and we knock at some door not to talk about God or the gospel, but to ask for food and a place to sleep.

As we go, vulnerable, without power, property or learning, but as ‘wandering priests’, we come into a new relationship with the people who shelter us, who open their hearts about their lives, about the road of life and death as it is each day. In this brotherly encounter, in humanity, we often have the gospel experience, good news for the sick, the lonely, the one who has just lost his wife, who is divorced and suffering, the one who, day after day, works hard and persistently to give his children a decent life. For many of them, that someone, and not just anybody, but the Church, is interested in them, listens to them without condemning them, is good news, is gospel, and the way to it. It seems to me that if we show each one, in his everyday life, the face here present of the one who until now has seemed to them to be absent, many will set out on the way, and come to church with different eyes.

That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking account of the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest.

[...]
9. In the field of international commerce and finance, there are processes at work today which permit a positive integration of economies, leading to an overall improvement in conditions, but there are also processes tending in the opposite direction, dividing and marginalizing peoples, and creating dangerous situations that can erupt into wars and conflicts. Since the Second World War, international trade in goods and services has grown extraordinarily fast, with a momentum unprecedented in history. Much of this global trade has involved countries that were industrialized early, with the significant addition of many newly- emerging countries which have now entered onto the world stage. Yet there are other low-income countries which are still seriously marginalized in terms of trade. Their growth has been negatively influenced by the rapid decline, seen in recent decades, in the prices of commodities, which constitute practically the whole of their exports. In these countries, which are mostly in Africa, dependence on the exportation of commodities continues to constitute a potent risk factor. Here I should like to renew an appeal for all countries to be given equal opportunities of access to the world market, without exclusion or marginalization.

10. A similar reflection may be made in the area of finance, which is a key aspect of the phenomenon of globalization, owing to the development of technology and policies of liberalization in the flow of capital between countries. Objectively, the most important function of finance is to sustain the possibility of long- term investment and hence of development. Today this appears extremely fragile: it is experiencing the negative repercussions of a system of financial dealings – both national and global – based upon very short-term thinking, which aims at increasing the value of financial operations and concentrates on the technical management of various forms of risk. The recent crisis demonstrates how financial activity can at times be completely turned in on itself, lacking any long-term consideration of the common good. This lowering of the objectives of global finance to the very short term reduces its capacity to function as a bridge between the present and the future, and as a stimulus to the creation of new opportunities for production and for work in the long term. Finance limited in this way to the short and very short term becomes dangerous for everyone, even for those who benefit when the markets perform well[12].

11. All of this would indicate that the fight against poverty requires cooperation both on the economic level and on the legal level, so as to allow the international community, and especially poorer countries, to identify and implement coordinated strategies to deal with the problems discussed above, thereby providing an effective legal framework for the economy. Incentives are needed for establishing efficient participatory institutions, and support is needed in fighting crime and fostering a culture of legality. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that policies which place too much emphasis on assistance underlie many of the failures in providing aid to poor countries. Investing in the formation of people and developing a specific and well integrated culture of enterprise would seem at present to be the right approach in the medium and long term. If economic activities require a favourable context in order to develop, this must not distract attention from the need to generate revenue. While it has been rightly emphasized that increasing per capita income cannot be the ultimate goal of political and economic activity, it is still an important means of attaining the objective of the fight against hunger and absolute poverty. Hence, the illusion that a policy of mere redistribution of existing wealth can definitively resolve the problem must be set aside. In a modern economy, the value of assets is utterly dependent on the capacity to generate revenue in the present and the future. Wealth creation therefore becomes an inescapable duty, which must be kept in mind if the fight against material poverty is to be effective in the long term.

12. If the poor are to be given priority, then there has to be enough room for an ethical approach to economics on the part of those active in the international market, an ethical approach to politics on the part of those in public office, and an ethical approach to participation capable of harnessing the contributions of civil society at local and international levels. International agencies themselves have come to recognize the value and advantage of economic initiatives taken by civil society or local administrations to promote the emancipation and social inclusion of those sectors of the population that often fall below the threshold of extreme poverty and yet are not easily reached by official aid. The history of twentieth-century economic development teaches us that good development policies depend for their effectiveness on responsible implementation by human agents and on the creation of positive partnerships between markets, civil society and States. Civil society in particular plays a key part in every process of development, since development is essentially a cultural phenomenon, and culture is born and develops in the civil sphere[13].

Benedict XVI
Message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace
1 January 2009

© Copyright 2008 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

1. As we are daily reminded by the media, the world financial crisis has created a global recession causing dramatic social consequences, including the loss of millions of jobs and the serious risk that, for many of the developing countries, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) may not be reached. The human rights of countless persons are compromised, including the right to food, water, health and decent work. Above all, when large segments of a national population see their social and economic rights frustrated, the loss of hope endangers peace. The international community has a legitimate responsibility to ask why such a situation developed; whose responsibility it is; and how a concerted solution can lead us out of the crisis and facilitate the restoration of rights. The crisis was caused, in part, by problematic behaviour of some actors in the financial and economic system, including bank administrators and those who should have been more diligent in monitoring and accountability systems; thus they bear much responsibility for the current problems. The causes of the crisis, however, are deeper.

2. Reflecting, at that time, on the 1929 crisis Pius XI observed that: "… it is obvious that not only is wealth concentrated in our times but an immense power and despotic economic dictatorship is consolidated in the hands of a few, who often are not owners but only the trustees and managing directors of invested funds which they administer according to their own arbitrary will and pleasure" (Quadragesimo Anno, n.105). He also noted that free competition had destroyed itself by relying o profit as the only criterion. There are economic, juridical and cultural dimensions of the present crisis. To engage in financial activity cannot be reduced to making easy profits, but also must include the promotion of the common good among those who lend, those who borrow, and those who work. The lack of an ethical base has brought the crisis to low, middle and high income countries alike. The Delegation of the Holy See, Mr. President, calls for renewed "attention to the need for an ethical approach to the creation of positive partnerships between markets, civil society and States." (Pope Benedict XVI).

3. The negative consequences, however, exert a more dramatic impact on the developing world and on the most vulnerable groups in all societies. In a recent document, the World Bank estimates that, in 2009, the current global economic crisis could push an additional 53 million people below the threshold of $2 a day. This figure is in addition to the 130 million people pushed into poverty in 2008 by the increase in food and energy prices. Such trends seriously threaten the achievement of the fight against poverty in the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Evidence indicates that children, in particular, will suffer the most from economic hardship, and a strong increase in the infant mortality rate in poor countries is forecasted for 2009.

4. It is well known that low-income countries are heavily dependent upon two financing flows: foreign aid and migrant remittances. Both flows are expected to decline significantly over the next months, due to the worsening of the economic crisis. Despite the official reaffirmation of commitment by donors to increase Official Development Assistance (ODA) in accord with the Gleneagles agreement, currently most donors are not on track to meet their target for significant scale-up of ODA by 2010. Moreover, the most recent figures reveal a slowing down of aid flows. This results in worry that a possible direct effect of the global economic crisis will be a major reduction of aid to the poor countries. On the other hand, remittances from migrant workers already have been reduced significantly. This threatens the economic survival of entire families who derive a consistent share of their income from the transfer of funds by relatives working overseas.

5. The Delegation of the Holy See, Mr. President, would like to focus on a specific case in this crisis: its impact on the human rights of children, which exemplifies, as well, what is symptomatic of the destructive impact on all other social and economic rights. At present some important rights of poor people are heavily dependent on official aid flows and on workers’ remittances. These include the right to health, education, and food. In several poor countries, in fact, educational, health and nutritional programmes are implemented with the help of aid flows from official donors. Should the economic crisis reduce this assistance, the successful completion of these programs could be threatened. By the same token, in many poor regions, entire families can afford to have their children educated and decently nourished due to remittances received from migrants. If the reduction of both aid and remittances continue, it will deprive children of the right to be educated creating a double negative consequence. Not only will we prevent children from the full exercise of their talent that, in turn, could be put to use for the common good, but also the preconditions will be established for long-range economic hardship. Lower educational investment today, in fact, will be translated into lower future growth. At the same time, poor nutrition among children significantly worsens life expectancy by increasing both child and adult mortality rates. The negative economic consequences of this go beyond the personal dimension and affect entire societies.

6. Mr. President, let me mention another consequence of the global economic crisis that could be particularly relevant for the mandate of the United Nations. All too often, periods of severe economic hardship have been characterized by the rise in power of governments with dubious commitments to democracy. The Holy See prays that such consequences will be avoided in the present crisis, since they would result in a serious threat for the diffusion of basic human rights for which this institution has so tenaciously struggled.

7. The last fifty years have witnessed some great achievements in poverty reduction. Mr. President, these achievements are at risk, and a coherent approach is required to preserve them through a renewed sense of solidarity, especially for the segments of population and for the countries more affected by the crisis. Old and recent mistakes will be repeated, however, if concerted international action is not undertaken to promote and protect all human rights and if direct financial and economic activities are not placed on an ethical road that can prioritize persons, their productivity and their rights over the greed that can result from a fixation on profit alone.

The grave financial crisis which broke out in the second half of 2007 has been a glaring and tragic demonstration of the insecurity of the bases on which the world financial framework is built. The crisis was generated in an atmosphere of exaggerated optimism in a system which gave rise to the illusion that nothing could continue but growth. Together with a ‘constructive euphoria’, credit was abused, and loans were allowed without the requisite securities. ‘Bad payers’ accumulated, many could not or would not be responsible for their debts. Added to that, different financial products appeared, lacking government control and with little transparency. Unbridled speculation, secret lies, investments that promised impossible returns,were the normal procedure of financial enterprises, and no-one seemed to be able or to want to stop it. Until the bubble burst.

Today we are suffering the consequences of a global economic management that was irresponsible, incapable of limiting the ambition and avarice of a few. Once again, the weakest, and the poor, pay the highest price, unable to cope with paying their debts, with the consequent loss of millions of jobs, and many people losing their homes. It is not the greedy bankers or the unscrupulous speculators who have suffered the effects of the crisis most. Those who caused the catastrophe, and their institutions, have been and are being helped in many countries from State funds, to prevent the collapse of the whole system, in the hope of avoiding worse consequences for everyone. The double standards of the prevailing system, which privatises gain and socialises losses, are highly visible. A few benefited in the boom times, but when the system collapsed because of their mistakes and their excessive ambitions, the State had to pay, and goes on paying, with the people’s money.

The real reasons for this situation are not just technical defects in the financial system, but the results of a profound moral crisis. Ambition, unregulated greed, the law of the most powerful, ruled. Consequently, and as the only real road to a solution, today a moral renewal is necessary on the large scale of modern societies and commercial relations. This is the basis of the Pope’s intention for this month. Direct the world economy in a responsible way to achieve real solidarity. Learn that a change of mentality is needed in the way we live in the world together, that may produce new ideas and models.

Let us pray with the Holy Father that this crisis, which can mean a danger or an opportunity, may make us more capable of carrying out lasting changes. We cannot go on with the insulting inequality between the high level of consumption of the rich and the situation of the poor, which is becoming more and more tragic (whether we mean countries or persons). The crisis is an opportunity to move in earnest towards alternative forms of economy (like the creation of micro-credit banks, the establishment of fair trade, etc.) The bad moment showed that when political will combined with concern for the common good, in a few months huge funds could be produced to save the financial markets. It is possible to bring together great efforts for great solutions.

I conclude this commentary with the words of Mgr. Celestino Migliore, the Holy See’s permanent observer at the UNO, on 1 December 2008: ‘Despite the fact that uncertainty and anxiety appear to prevail at the moment, the virtues and principles which have enabled the global community to come out of many crises still remain. For example, solidarity with our global community, the fair division of resources and opportunities, prudent use of the environment, moderation in the search for short-term financial and social benefits at the cost of sustainable development, and finally the political daring needed to build a world in which human life is at the centre of all social and economic activity.’

‘Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also of our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.’ B. Obama, inaugural address, 2008.

From Fr. Ernesto Cavasso sj, paragraphs from his article ANOTHER WORLD IS URGENT, published in Palabra de CPAL, Rio de Janeiro, 29 December 2008:

The agility shown by the developed countries in preventing the collapse of financial institutions, produced by the avarice and greed of a few, contrasts hugely with their slowness in the matter of help for development, struggle against poverty, respect for human rights and for the environment, the central priorities for creating a more just world. [..]

It is not difficult to work out that those who suffer the consequences most are the permanently poor. For them this culmination of crisis, the worst since the recession of 1929, is a question of life or death. It is enough to see those who suffer the continual environmental crises which are affecting various regions of the planet because of climate change. The rise in food-prices has already been a severe blow to many fragile economies. Unemployment is hitting hard at the most vulnerable (peasants, migrants, the young), and is going to increase as the recession becomes more acute. We know, furthermore, that few countries are going to be able to honour their financial commitments to reach, in 2015, the objective established in the first Millenium Goal, which is ‘to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.’[…]

The economic crisis does not have to do with numbers only. Behind them there are persons, who are going to suffer the consequences of the blind and irresponsible thesis that the market would regulate itself on its own, and would avoid the imbalances that have now become evident. In the case of a prolonged economic recession, which is feared more and more, migrants, refugees, those who live on the margins of cities, pensioners and other sectors of the population who are always at risk, will find themselves subject to unsustainable situations. It would not be extraordinary, then, for collective expressions of discontent to be produced, which might lead governments to opt for the easy way of open or secret repression. Meanwhile, those really responsible for the situation, the presidents and chief executives of the failed banks, and their protectors in public office, find themselves enjoying a substantial pension.

The present crisis is, above all, an ethical crisis, a crisis of values. Not only have banks failed; the trust which makes relations possible between persons and institutions, including financial institutions, has been broken. What has brought us to this situation is not legitimate profit, fruit of work directed to the production of goods (material or of another kind) useful to society, but the absolutization of profit as the ultimate and sole criterion of economic activity, without considering the consequences that this idol might give rise to for others, particularly the weakest. The crisis that we are suffering at the moment repeats and exposes one of the most immoral practices of the capitalist system: profits are privatised, losses, on the other hand, are socialised. […]

Like every crisis, this could be also an opportunity. Although it may be necessary to cover the losses produced by the greed of a few, it is even more necessary to put on the agenda for discussion the system of values which has produced them and which is the basis of the capitalism really existing today. In this interconnected world there is need to imagine new global alternatives based on the dignity of every person and respect for their inalienable rights, on social justice and sustainable development, on a social market economy which limits the concentration of wealth and opens opportunities for integral development for everyone. The present situation calls urgently for a new social contract, really global, fruit of a multilateral dialogue including governments, churches and the organisations of civil society.

Websites on the theme of an economic alternative:

That the Churches in Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent.

[...]

Peace and national harmony are among the most urgent challenges to which the Church in your Country must respond. The poorest, in particular, are victims of dramatic situations that lead inevitably to deep divisions in society and indeed, to despair. The Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops for which preparations are being made will be a strong time of reflection on Gospel proclamation in a context marked by numerous signs of hope but also by disturbing situations.

I warmly hope that Africa will no longer be forgotten in this world that is undergoing profound changes and that genuine hope will dawn for the people of this Continent.

It is the Church's task to defend the weak and to make herself the voice of those who have no voice. I would like, therefore, to encourage the people who work to inspire hope by a determined commitment to defending the dignity of the human person and his or her inalienable rights.

These rights include the fundamental good of peace and a life in security. The promotion of peace, justice and reconciliation is an expression of Christian faith in God's love for every human being. May the Church continue with determination to proclaim Christ's peace while working for justice and reconciliation with all people of good will. I also invite the faithful to pray to the Lord for this gift which is so precious, for prayer opens hearts and inspires peacemakers.

By social institutions, especially in the areas of health care and the education of the young, the Church also contributes in her own way to building the fraternal and supportive society to which your people aspires. I ask especially the religious communities and lay people who are qualified to engage in this essential commitment to the Country's future to persevere in their efforts, never losing heart so that they may be signs of that trust which the Lord instils in every human person.

Furthermore, a change in mindset must be brought about to allow society to have access to genuine human and spiritual development. This long-term task concerns in the first place the family and marriage. By resolutely engaging to live in conjugal fidelity and in the unity of the couple, Christians show everyone the greatness and truth of marriage.

It is by a freely consenting "yes", for ever, that a man and a woman express their genuine humanity and openness to giving new life. Thus, the serious preparation for marriage of young people must help them overcome their reluctance to found a permanent family open to the future. I also ask you to develop support for families, especially by encouraging their Christian education. They will then be able to account more vigorously for the faith that enlivens them, both to their children and to society.

As for your priests, I commend their generosity and zeal as they exercise, with your support and attention to their private and pastoral life, an essential responsibility in the mission of your dioceses. I insistently invite them to be impassioned by the proclamation of the Gospel, in fraternal collaboration with all the pastoral workers but in the first place with the missionaries and catechists, with whose tireless commitment to the service of the Gospel I am also familiar.

Personal friendship with Christ and in him, contemplation of the Father's Face, will help them find their own unity and the source of their apostolic dynamism. An exemplary priestly life, founded on the constant search for conformity with Christ, is a daily requirement. [...]

The Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops was celebrated from 4 – 25 October 2009 in Rome with the slogan ‘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.’

In this intention the Pope puts us in harmony with the objectives decided by this Meeting and asks us to pray that its conclusions and proposals may be brought to fulfilment. Let us pray that the light of the Holy Spirit may guide the bishops and the whole Church in its challenge to proclaim the Good News in the midst of tensions, exploitation and injustice. May its renewed option for the poor be a sign that the situation of misery which afflicts many Africans is not irreversible.

We unite ourselves with the desires of all Christians on the African continent to make peace and reconciliation based on justice (and not a false reconciliation which tries to bypass justice) a reality. We commit ourselves in our prayer and the daily offering of our lives to collaborate, out of our reality, to a greater global awareness of the cry for justice in Africa. We might perhaps also take practical action to help, through humanitarian or development organisations, for example the Jesuit Refugee Service) (www.jrs.net) or CERAP (Centre de Recherche et d’Action pour la Paix) in Ivory Coast (www.cerap-inades.org) among many others.

That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers.

[...]
All these things appear even more necessary in order to face the challengesto the proclamation of the Good News and consistent practice of Christian life posed by today's globalized society in your regions too. Here I would like to recall that in addition to the difficulties I mentioned earlier, almost everywhere in the world disturbing phenomena are seriously threatening security and peace. I am referring in particular to the scourges of violence and terrorism, to the spread of extremism and fundamentalism. Of course, it is necessary to combat these scourges with legislation. Yet the force of the law can never be transformed into injustice, nor can the free practice of religions be limited, because professing one's own faith freely is one of the fundamental and universally recognized human rights.

Then I feel it is helpful to reaffirm that the Church does not impose but rather freely proposes the Catholic faith, well aware that conversion is the mysterious fruit of the Holy Spirit's action. Faith is a gift and the work of God. For this very reason every type of proselytism that forces, induces or entices someone to embrace the faith by unworthy devices is strictly forbidden (cf. Ad Gentes, n. 13). A person can open himself to the faith after mature and responsible reflection and must be able to achieve this intimate inspiration freely. This is not only for the individual's benefit but indeed for that of the whole of society, for the faithful observance of the divine precepts is helpful in building a more just and supportive coexistence. [...]

The phenomenon of extremism and fundamentalism in particular areas of human society seems to have increased over the last few years. ‘Fundamentalism’ is taken to mean the very strict observance of the fundamental principles of a group or organisation. As regards religion, fundamentalism considers its dogmas as absolute truth, not open to discussion, and for that reason it is closed to dialogue with anyone of another faith. It is usually set on imposing its ideas on other groups, even by force. In every religion some people may reach the point of being fundamentalists.

The fanatical action of individuals or groups who have become radicalised and are furthest beyond the political centre of society is called extremism. There are religious groups which use extremist methods, even to violence, to promote obedience to their doctrines through coercion or fear. Sadly, not everyone experiences the name of God as a name of peace. Today there is an increase in examples of people who use his name to kill and destroy. It is clear that religion is not the real cause or the true inspiration for violence; it is rather the excuse adopted to justify other positions or to denounce injustices or defects in the system.

News-bulletins alarm us with the increase in tensions and anti-Christian violence in some states of India, or in Mosul, Iraq, or in some parts of Indonesia or the Philippines. Many Muslim countries and regions introduce an interpretation of sharia, Islamic law, as civil law, in a way which is strict, intolerant and violent towards every person who does not submit to it. In these and other places there is an increase in the political power of fanatical and extremist groups, where ‘State violence’ has become practically institutionalised, justified lightly by ideologies which disregard the life of anyone who is not ‘one of ours’. Often the sectarian violence of fundamentalist groups counts on the connivance and inertia of local political authorities. We are moved by cases like the condemnation to death of a young journalist in Saudi Arabia, a convert to Christianity, found guilty of possessing a Bible, or the story of the young Iraqi killed by his father and his brothers because he was seen talking to a British soldier, a killing claimed as legitimate to save the family honour. We could quote many other examples of the growth of fundamentalism and extremism to illustrate the grave situation behind the Pope’s concern this month.

History demonstrates that fundamentalism and extremism grow stronger when they are combated solely by force of arms. The war on terror, the power of one people exercised against another, nullifying any attempt at dialogue, has exacerbated and to a large extent strengthened the extremist movements that it set out to fight. Now, for example, in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, every day there are more Arabs ready to become suicide bombers, driven in a large part by the violence used against them, which has reached agonising and desperate limits. Years of mutual violence, and the failure to implement the agreements reached, have not brought peace, they have only sown sorrow and death. Fortunately, however, we meet groups which have come into being in those same places of conflict, which are seeking peace based on dialogue and mutual respect. Let us support these roads to peace with our prayer, as the Church has always done, united with the Holy Father who has needed to repeat time and again: violence is never the solution to problems, but rather it makes them worse.

We Christians ourselves, Catholics included, can fall, and have fallen, into fundamentalist and intolerant attitudes. In times and places where we have been in the majority, we have not always respected the rights of those professing other faiths. At the present time, we do not always welcome and defend the immigrant, the person of another culture or religion. Very often, from Christian fundamentalist positions and with little humility, we look down on different ways of thinking. The power-game has made us forget the disempowered and pacifist style of Jesus, who defeated power and injustice through Love which let itself be crucified. When his disciples wanted to stop someone who was casting out demons in his name because he was not one of them, he reproached them: ‘You must not stop him; no one who works a miracle in my name could soon afterwards speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us’ (Mk.9:38-40). We want today to follow the way of the master who taught us to love our enemy and to turn the other cheek, because we are all children of the same Father ‘who causes his sun to rise on the bad as well as the good’ (Mt.5:45)

Together with the Holy Father, we pray this month that in our world understanding may prevail over confrontation. That we may be able to build peace based on constant respect, tolerance and dialogue. As members of the Apostleship of Prayer we seek to be the first to foster welcome and respect for those who think differently, and to journey towards a world in which all can live with dignity.

That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing to the love of God for the entire human race.

5. […] As far as the free expression of personal faith is concerned, another disturbing symptom of lack of peace in the world is represented by the difficulties that both Christians and the followers of other religions frequently encounter in publicly and freely professing their religious convictions. Speaking of Christians in particular, I must point out with pain that not only are they at times prevented from doing so; in some States they are actually persecuted, and even recently tragic cases of ferocious violence have been recorded. There are regimes that impose a single religion upon everyone, while secular regimes often lead not so much to violent persecution as to systematic cultural denigration of religious beliefs. In both instances, a fundamental human right is not being respected, with serious repercussions for peaceful coexistence. This can only promote a mentality and culture that is not conducive to peace.

Christians in India are very much minority groups in society; at national level they are only 2% of the population. Often the work carried out by the Church, basically in educational institutions and the promotion of the poorest, is opposed with hatred and violence. In face of the persecution suffered, they have asked the reason for such antagonism, given that they are few and with little power. The reason is clear. Their efforts to proclaim the good news to the most marginalised in that society and to support their legitimate demands are against the interests of those who exploit them, who see themselves deprived of a human group that is submissive and docile to their abuses. And, what is more serious for them, those demands are aimed at a change in injustices which have roots thousands of years old. The seed of the gospel seeks here to be the leaven in the dough for a new model of culture and living together, while destroying nothing of the enormous richness of local traditions. In every culture the gospel is called to make possible the sharing of life as children of God for all without distinction, and this meets with resistance in fanatical fundamentalist groups.

This seed will go on growing, and Christians will go on acting, comforted by Jesus’ words to his disciples:

The Church will go on working to humanise the lives of those excluded from the caste system, helping them to become aware of their rights. They will be (and they are) persecuted and killed, accused of subversion and of attacking the religious identity of India. Don’t these accusation sound to us like the same ‘politico-religious’ reasons brought forward to put Jesus to death?

There are also other ways of persecuting those who profess the faith, less visible and less violent, but limiting the free expression of faith. I refer to the difficulties experienced by practising Christians in modern societies strongly marked by secularism. The testimony of a religious sister who works with the Eucharistic Movement for Young People in Canada is very clear:

Last Thursday I had a meeting with young people aged 14 – 30… we began by talking about St. Paul, and touched on the point about the persecution of Christians at that time,.. and then we began to talk about the present time. They shared something very serious, reflecting their own experience. They explained how they live today in an atmosphere of persecution. In certain social contexts putting up religious images, pictures, crucifixes, is already forbidden, just as we hear in some news from North America and Europe of the ban on Christmas trees. They spoke of how they are criticised and judged by their companions, who at time don’t greet them, and even insult them. This is seen in both school and university, also from the teachers themselves, who sometimes mock and laugh at religion. The young people who practise and believe feel insulted, but they cannot do much, and they suffer from it.

That the shameful and monstrous commerce in human beings, which sadly involves millions of women and children, may be ended.

[...]
In this context it is necessary to mention trafficking in human beings - especially women - which flourishes where opportunities to improve their standard of living or even to survive are limited. It becomes easy for the trafficker to offer his own "services" to the victims, who often do not even vaguely suspect what awaits them. In some cases there are women and girls who are destined to be exploited almost like slaves in their work, and not infrequently in the sex industry, too.

Though I cannot here closely examine the analysis of the consequences of this aspect of migration, I make my own the condemnation voiced by John Paul II against "the widespread hedonistic and commercial culture which encourages the systematic exploitation of sexuality" (Letter of Pope John Paul II to Women, 29 June 1995, n. 5). This outlines a whole programme of redemption and liberation from which Christians cannot withdraw. [...]

Mr Chairman,

The Holy See appreciates the efforts undertaken at various levels to combat human trafficking, which is a multidimensional problem and one of the most shameful phenomena of our era. In fact, trafficking in human beings is a dreadful offence against human dignity, which the social doctrine of the Catholic Church regards as the foundation of human rights.

It is well known that poverty, as well as the lack of opportunities and of social cohesion, push people to look for a better future despite the related risks, making them extremely vulnerable to trafficking.

Moreover, it should be emphasized that, nowadays, several factors contribute to the spread of this crime, namely, the absence of specific rules in some countries, the victims' ignorance of their own rights, the socio-cultural structure and armed conflicts.

The Holy See encourages all kinds of just initiatives aimed at eradicating this immoral and criminal phenomenon and at promoting the welfare of the victims. The Palermo Protocol and the successive regional Conventions have introduced an exhaustive international legislation against trafficking in human beings.

Moreover, the Holy See notes with satisfaction the coming into force, at the beginning of this month, of the Council of Europe's Convention against trafficking in human beings.

The Holy See has been constantly aware of the seriousness of the crime of trafficking in human beings.

In 1970, Pope Paul VI established a Pontifical Commission (now a Council) for the Pastoral Care of Migrant and Itinerant People, which monitors also the issue of the victims of human trafficking, considered to be the slaves of modern times.

In this perspective, the same Pontifical Council has organised two World Congresses: the first, for the liberation of women of the street and the second, for the children of the street (See People on the Move, n. 102 Suppl. and n. 98 Suppl.).

These Congresses resulted in the publication of the Guidelines for the pastoral care of the road-street (See People on the Move n. 104 Suppl., published in six languages), which contain concrete suggestions, including many actions that have already been accomplished to fight against trafficking of human beings.

Because of the presence of the Catholic Church at both universal and local levels, the action of the aforementioned Pontifical Council consists especially in encouraging the various Conferences of Bishops throughout the world to fight against human trafficking with the participation of religious women and men, lay people, various Catholic associations and movements, etc.

Among other things, the Holy See has stated that all efforts to tackle criminal activities and to protect the victims of people involved in trafficking should include "both men and women and place human rights at the centre of all strategies".

The demand side of sexual exploitation, "'customers' - ordinary men: young men, husbands and fathers -, also needs to be addressed; this requires a better knowledge of motives in order to address the reasons why women are misused".

A similar attitude should be applied to other forms of trafficking: for example, illicit forms of subcontracting activities that profit from exploitative labour conditions.

At the local level, these points have been taken up by a number of Bishops' Conferences (for example, Nigeria, Ireland, Spain), which have addressed them through pastoral letters focusing on some specific local situations.

This has resulted in a direct involvement of Catholic organizations and institutions in different countries in assisting the victims, which includes listening to them, providing them with necessary assistance and support to escape from sexual violence, creating safe houses, promoting counselling geared towards re-integration into society or helping them to return in a sustainable way to their homelands and sponsoring prevention and awareness-raising activities.

In addition, in countries that have faced violent conflicts (DRC, Sierra Leone, Liberia), the Catholic Church has also reached out to former child soldiers, who are often exposed to the risk of being sold once they leave the militia. Activities are undertaken not only for their social and economic integration, but also for healing their wounds and sustaining the receiving family and/or community. This has become evident in quite a number of initiatives undertaken by religious congregations.

We have to admit that easy solutions do not exist. Addressing these particular human rights abuses requires a coherent and integral approach.

This should take into account not only the best interests of the victim, but also the just punishment of those who take advantage of it, and the introduction of preventive measures such as, on the one hand, awareness and consciousness raising and, on the other, addressing the root causes of the phenomenon, among which the macroeconomic situation certainly should not be overlooked.

Among other things, a coherent and integral approach should also promote the integration of the victims into the society that receives them, especially those who collaborate with the Authorities against the traffickers, which includes medical care and psycho-social counselling, accommodation, residence permits and access to employment.

It also means the return to the homeland, which may be accompanied by micro projects and/or loans, thus ensuring that victims do not return to the same harmful environment. In addition, measures could be introduced for the creation of compensation schemes. These could be financed by the confiscation of the profits and the assets gained by the traffickers through their criminal activities.

As Pope Benedict XVI stated in his recent Encyclical on hope: "The true measure of humanity is essentially determined in relationship to suffering and to the sufferer. This holds true both for the individual and for society" (Spe salvi, n. 38).

One of the most shameful, unjust and offensive phenomena of our time is the trafficking of persons for sexual or industrial exploitation, against the free will of the victims. It is nothing else but slavery, which still in our modern World involves millions of persons in all continents.

People-trafficking is a crime which has increased in an important way at world level since the 1990s. Among the abuses experienced by the victims of trafficking are ‘violation, torture, servitude for debt, illegal confinement and threats against the families or persons associated with the victims, along with other forms of violence, physical, sexual and sociological,’ the International Office for Migrations, IOM, explains. The organisation adds that "the demand for cheap labour, for sexual services and for certain criminal activities are the original causes of people-trafficking. The lack of opportunities and resources, as of social power, are other factors which contribute to this phenomenon".

According to information from the International Work Organisation, IWO, in 2005 the trafficking of persons was one of the three most lucrative illegal trades at world level, surpassed only by the drugs trade and the arms trade. According to estimates, this activity brings in to organised crime some $32.000 million dollars per year. For the United Nations Office against drugs and crime, UNDOC, the victims of people-trafficking are destined chiefly for sexual exploitation and forced labour.

Given the clandestine way in which the mafias operate it is very difficult to know how many victims there are of this grave violation of human dignity. The numbers can oscillate between 700 million and two million persons trafficked each year. The highest concentration of human trafficking or trade in persons is found in Asia, but it is a reality present in the other continents as well.

What is alarming in this situation is the virtual failure of the greater number of national political authorities to take effective means to confront it. The silence and the ignorance on the subject in the political sphere only favour those who are widening their nets of abduction and extortion. Few countries have legal instruments to arrest the traffic in persons, and for the most part they are insufficient and inadequate. No country has been really capable of holding back the constant growth of this evil.

It is difficult to imagine the indescribable anguish and helplessness experienced by the victims, who generally end up in drug-addiction, suffering sexually-transmitted diseases, and whose end is nothing but death in conditions of inhuman deprivation. Even so, there are people who have managed to escape this fate. We know some of their testimonies:

The Holy Father’s warning voice invites us to work to oppose, to resist and strive to eliminate this blight from our society. This month’s intention for prayer is a call, in the first place, to inform ourselves on the subject, to make it known and not to let our silence favour the criminals. Let us be interested in knowing how and to whom to report suspicious situations, that is, to the specialist organs of the police in my country (when they are trustworthy) or to others. We could also collaborate actively in institutions which are already working on the question. He we might get to know some of them:

That ordained ministers, religious women and men, and lay people involved in apostolic work may understand how to infuse missionary enthusiasm into the communities entrusted to their care.

Your Eminence,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am particularly pleased to meet all of you who are directly involved in the Pontifical Mission Societies, entities at the service of the Pope and the Bishops of the local Churches, which aim to carry out the missionary mandate to evangelize the peoples to the ends of the earth. I first address my cordial thanks to Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, for his words on behalf of everyone present. I extend my greeting to the Secretary, and to all the Collaborators of the missionary Dicastery, priests, religious and lay people. Dear friends, it is thanks to your hard work that the affirmation of the Council, according to which "the whole Church by her nature is missionary", becomes an effective reality. The charism of the Pontifical Mission Societies is to encourage among Christians a passion for the Kingdom of God, to be established everywhere through the preaching of the Gospel. Having come into being with this universal outreach, they have been a precious instrument in the hands of my Predecessors who raised them to the rank of "Pontifical", recommending that the Bishops establish them in their dioceses. The Second Vatican Council rightly gave them "pride of place, since they are the means of imbuing Catholics from their very infancy with a genuinely universal and missionary outlook. They are also the means for undertaking an effective collection of funds to subsidize all missions, each according to its needs" (Ad Gentes, n. 38). The Council made a special examination of the nature and mission of the particular Church, recognizing her full dignity and missionary responsibility.

Mission is a task and duty of all Churches which, like communicating vessels, share people and resources in order to carry it out. Every local Church is the people chosen from among the peoples, convoked in the unity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, to "proclaim the perfection of him who has called them out of darkness into his marvellous light" (Lumen Gentium, n. 10). The local Church is the place where the Spirit makes himself manifest with the riches of his charisms, giving to each member of the faithful the call to, and responsibility for, mission. Hers is a mission of communion. The local Church counters with the generating power of unity of Christ's Body, the seeds of disintegration among men and women which daily experience shows to be so deeply rooted in humanity because of sin.

Pope John Paul joyfully affirmed that "there has been an increase of local Churches with their own Bishops, clergy and workers in the apostolate... communion between the Churches has led to a lively exchange of spiritual benefits and gifts.... Above all, there is a new awareness that missionary activity is a matter for all Christians, for all dioceses and parishes, Church institutions and associations" (Redemptoris Missio, n. 2). Thanks to the reflection that has developed in the past decades, the Pontifical Mission Societies have become integrated in the context of the new paradigms of evangelization and of the ecclesiological model of communion among the Churches. It is clear that they are Pontifical, but by right they are also episcopal, since they are instruments in the Bishops' hands for the implementation of Christ's missionary mandate. The Pontifical Mission Societies, "while they belong to the Pope, belong also to the whole Episcopate and to the whole People of God" (Paul VI, Message for World Mission Sunday, 20 October 1968; L'Osservatore Romano English edition [ORE], 13 June 1968, p. 2). They are the specific, privileged and principal means for education in the universal missionary spirit, for communion and for inter-ecclesial collaboration in the service of Gospel proclamation (cf. Statutes, 18).

Moreover, in this phase of the Church's history, which is recognized by her missionary character, the charism and work of the Pontifical Mission Societies are not depleted, nor must they ever be lacking. The mission to evangelize humanity remains urgent and necessary. Mission is a duty, to which we must respond: "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel" (1Co 9:16). The Apostle Paul, to whom the Church is dedicating a special year in memory of the 2,000th anniversary of his birth, realized on the road to Damascus and then experienced in the course of his subsequent ministry that redemption and mission are acts of love. It is Christ's love that impelled him to travel the roads of the Roman Empire, to be a herald, apostle and town-crier of the Gospel (cf. 2Tm 2:1,11) and make himself all things to all people so that he might by all means save some (cf. 1Co 9:22). "He who announces the Gospel participates in the charity of Christ, who loved us and gave himself up for us (cf. Eph 5:2); he is his ambassador and he pleads in the name of Christ: let yourselves be reconciled with God! (cf. 2Co 5:20)", (Doctrinal Note on some aspects of evangelization, 3 December 2007, n. 11; ORE, 19 December 2007, p. 11). It is love that must impel us to proclaim to all people, with honesty and courage, the truth that saves (cf. Gaudium et Spes, n. 28). This love must shine everywhere and reach the hearts of every man and woman. Indeed, people are waiting for Christ.

Jesus' words, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Mt 28:19-20), are still an obligatory mandate for the whole Church and for every individual member of Christ's faithful. This apostolic task is a duty and also an inalienable right, an expression proper to religious freedom which has its corresponding social- and political-ethical dimensions (cf. Dignitatis Humanae, n. 6). The Pontifical Mission Societies are asked to make the Missio ad Gentes the paradigm of all pastoral activity. It is their task, and in particular that of the Pontifical Missionary Union "to promote, that is, increasingly to disseminate among the Christian people the mystery of the Church, that is, this effective missionary spirit" (Paul VI Graves et Increscentes, 5 September 1966). I am sure that you will continue to work with all your enthusiasm to ensure that your local Churches assume ever more generously their share of responsibility in the universal mission.

In this month’s intention the Holy Father recalls to us the share that we all have in the missionary task of the Church. Each member of the Church, but above all those who hold some pastoral responsibility, is invited to arouse missionary enthusiasm in the community or the persons entrusted to them.

The form in which the intention is worded is evidence of a reality often met in many places: initially through shortage of priests, pastoral care of communities has often passed into the hands of religious or of laypeople. This fact has served to develop more fully the definition of their role in the Church. Today ecclesial structures function in general in a rich mutual relation of collaboration between clergy and laity. Each needs the help and the proper role of the other.

Base ecclesial communities, Bible groups, pastoral work with young people, associations and organisations strongly marked by lay leadership, must be pastoral communities. At times they cannot count regularly on the presence of priests, and when they can reckon on having an ordained minister, it is often only for the celebration of the sacraments. Lay leaders take on the pastoral responsibility of caring for those who are weaker, and of approaching the alienated, as of proclaiming the Word to those who do not know it. An integral part of their mission as pastors of these communities is arousing missionary enthusiasm in those who are present and to go out and invite those who are not. If a particular group is lacking in missionary thrust, it lives its way of being Church in a truncated and incomplete fashion.

The missionary vocation is given to us as a seed in baptism. It is an essential part of Christian being, which is grace, as its other dimensions are. Wakening this missionary enthusiasm will not be the fruit of our will-power, it is a gift of the Spirit. Therefore it is a grace which must be asked for. Let us recall that the Apostleship of Prayer was born missionary, as an invitation to all Christians to collaborate by a holy life in the apostolic work of the Church. Let us ask that the Holy Spirit, who caused the Church to be born in the paschal experience, may go on giving birth to it in such communities, through a new fire of missionary enthusiasm.

That every national and transnational institution may strive to guarantee respect for human life from conception to natural death.

How can we not be alarmed, moreover, by the continuous attacks on life, from conception to natural death? Such attacks do not even spare regions with a traditional culture of respecting life, such as Africa, where there is an attempt to trivialize abortion surreptitiously, both through the Maputo Protocol and through the Plan of Action adopted by the Health Ministers of the African Union – shortly to be submitted to the Summit of Heads of State and Heads of Government. Equally, there are mounting threats to the natural composition of the family based on the marriage of a man and a woman, and attempts to relativize it by giving it the same status as other radically different forms of union. All this offends and helps to destabilize the family by concealing its specific nature and its unique social role. Other forms of attack on life are sometimes committed in the name of scientific research. There is a growing conviction that research is subject only to the laws that it chooses for itself and that it is limited only by its own possibilities. This is the case, for example, in attempts to legitimize human cloning for supposedly therapeutic ends. […]

The right to life and to religious freedom

4. The duty to respect the dignity of each human being, in whose nature the image of the Creator is reflected, means in consequence that the person cannot be disposed of at will. Those with greater political, technical, or economic power may not use that power to violate the rights of others who are less fortunate. Peace is based on respect for the rights of all. Conscious of this, the Church champions the fundamental rights of each person. In particular she promotes and defends respect for the life and the religious freedom of everyone. Respect for the right to life at every stage firmly establishes a principle of decisive importance: life is a gift which is not completely at the disposal of the subject. Similarly, the affirmation of the right to religious freedom places the human being in a relationship with a transcendent principle which withdraws him from human caprice. The right to life and to the free expression of personal faith in God is not subject to the power of man. Peace requires the establishment of a clear boundary between what is at man's disposal and what is not: in this way unacceptable intrusions into the patrimony of specifically human values will be avoided.

5. As far as the right to life is concerned, we must denounce its widespread violation in our society: alongside the victims of armed conflicts, terrorism and the different forms of violence, there are the silent deaths caused by hunger, abortion, experimentation on human embryos and euthanasia. How can we fail to see in all this an attack on peace? Abortion and embryonic experimentation constitute a direct denial of that attitude of acceptance of others which is indispensable for establishing lasting relationships of peace. As far as the free expression of personal faith is concerned, another disturbing symptom of lack of peace in the world is represented by the difficulties that both Christians and the followers of other religions frequently encounter in publicly and freely professing their religious convictions. Speaking of Christians in particular, I must point out with pain that not only are they at times prevented from doing so; in some States they are actually persecuted, and even recently tragic cases of ferocious violence have been recorded. There are regimes that impose a single religion upon everyone, while secular regimes often lead not so much to violent persecution as to systematic cultural denigration of religious beliefs. In both instances, a fundamental human right is not being respected, with serious repercussions for peaceful coexistence. This can only promote a mentality and culture that is not conducive to peace.

The natural equality of all persons

6. At the origin of many tensions that threaten peace are surely the many unjust inequalities still tragically present in our world. Particularly insidious among these are, on the one hand, inequality in access to essential goods like food, water, shelter, health; on the other hand, there are persistent inequalities between men and women in the exercise of basic human rights.

A fundamental element of building peace is the recognition of the essential equality of human persons springing from their common transcendental dignity. Equality on this level is a good belonging to all, inscribed in that natural “grammar” which is deducible from the divine plan of creation; it is a good that cannot be ignored or scorned without causing serious repercussions which put peace at risk. The extremely grave deprivation afflicting many peoples, especially in Africa, lies at the root of violent reactions and thus inflicts a terrible wound on peace.

7. Similarly, inadequate consideration for the condition of women helps to create instability in the fabric of society. I think of the exploitation of women who are treated as objects, and of the many ways that a lack of respect is shown for their dignity; I also think —in a different context—of the mindset persisting in some cultures, where women are still firmly subordinated to the arbitrary decisions of men, with grave consequences for their personal dignity and for the exercise of their fundamental freedoms. There can be no illusion of a secure peace until these forms of discrimination are also overcome, since they injure the personal dignity impressed by the Creator upon every human being(5).

Human rights and international organizations

12. A true and stable peace presupposes respect for human rights. Yet if these rights are grounded on a weak conception of the person, how can they fail to be themselves weakened? Here we can see how profoundly insufficient is a relativistic conception of the person when it comes to justifying and defending his rights. The difficulty in this case is clear: rights are proposed as absolute, yet the foundation on which they are supposed to rest is merely relative. Can we wonder that, faced with the “inconvenient” demands posed by one right or another, someone will come along to question it or determine that it should be set aside? Only if they are grounded in the objective requirements of the nature bestowed on man by the Creator, can the rights attributed to him be affirmed without fear of contradiction. It goes without saying, moreover, that human rights imply corresponding duties. In this regard, Mahatma Gandhi said wisely: “The Ganges of rights flows from the Himalaya of duties.” Clarity over these basic presuppositions is needed if human rights, nowadays constantly under attack, are to be adequately defended. Without such clarity, the expression “human rights” will end up being predicated of quite different subjects: in some cases, the human person marked by permanent dignity and rights that are valid always, everywhere and for everyone, in other cases a person with changing dignity and constantly negotiable rights, with regard to content, time and place.

I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full, is Jesus’ saying to those who are his (Jn.10:10). The God of life has revealed himself on our earth to lead all his sons and daughters to fullness of life. Faithful to the Master’s teaching, the Church has always defended the life of human persons, from its beginning, before birth, to its natural end. To ensure this respect for human life is the Pope’s concern in this month’s intention.

Not all groups or organisations are coherent in their struggles to defend life. Some proclaim themselves great defenders of human rights, and indeed do praiseworthy work, but fail when it comes to defending the rights of the most defenceless, the unborn. They advocate the unacceptable thesis that abortion is a woman’s right over her own body. The right to be born is the primary and most fundamental of rights, not subject to the mother’s arbitrary decision. On occasion, the same groups support euthanasia, which is a way of approving the dubious right to kill.

On the other hand, there are those who are energetic and active in the struggle against abortion or euthanasia, with great zeal for the Church’s teaching, but keep silence about violations of the rights of the poor, and other grave social injustices. Some of these groups in certain developed countries have also supported and maintained the unjustifiable war against Iraq. This approach is not faithful to the view of the Church’s magisterium, which always supports peace and justice.

The figures for the damage to life at world level are horrifying: 45 million abortions per year, 2,000 million persons in poverty, 1,500 millions of whom do not even have access to drinking-water, 70 million refugees and displaced persons, 300,000 child soldiers…. and much more.

Coherence in defence of life from its beginning to its natural end goes on today to include defence of the environment. An attack on the habitat where life must be born and grow is an attack on life itself.

The Pope’s concern this month constitutes a call to the national and international social institutions to exercise their mission of promoting life for the benefit of their peoples. It calls for the united efforts of all the social agencies to counteract the forces of those who sow death in the world.

The links with institutions and persons developing actions and projects in support of life are endless. We limit ourselves to just some of them:

That the Churches in Asia, which constitute a “little flock” among non-Christian populations, may know how to communicate the Gospel and give joyful witness to their adherence to Christ.

[…]

Although Catholics in the Republic of China represent little more than one per cent of the population, they are eager to play their part in building up a society that is humane, just, and marked by genuine concern for the welfare of the weaker members of the community. It is part of the Church’s mission to share her “expertise in humanity” with all people of good will in order to contribute to the well-being of the human family. Characteristically, it is in the fields of education, healthcare and charitable assistance that she offers this contribution. Your Government’s firm commitment to freedom of religion has made it possible for the Church to carry out her mission of love and service, and to express herself openly through worship and the proclamation of the Gospel. On behalf of all the Catholics in Taiwan, I would like to express my appreciation of this freedom that the Church enjoys.

Thanks to their “innate spiritual insight and moral wisdom” (Ecclesia in Asia, 6), there is great religious vitality and capacity for renewal among the peoples of Asia. Hence the ground is particularly fertile for interreligious dialogue to take root and grow. Asians continue to demonstrate a “natural openness to the mutual enrichment of peoples in the midst of a plurality of religions and cultures” (ibid.). How important it is in today’s world for different peoples to be able to listen to one another in an atmosphere of respect and dignity, conscious that their shared humanity is a bond far deeper than the cultural variations that seem to divide them! Such growth in mutual understanding offers a much-needed service to society at large. By bearing clear witness “to those moral truths which they hold in common with all men and women of good will, religious groups … exert a positive influence on the wider culture” (Address to Representatives of Other Religions, Washington, 17 April 2008).

Frank and constructive dialogue is also the key to the resolution of the conflicts that threaten the stability of our world. In this regard, the Holy See welcomes the recent positive developments in relations between Taiwan and mainland China. Indeed the Catholic Church is eager to promote peaceful solutions to disputes of whatever kind, “giving attention and encouragement to even the faintest sign of dialogue or desire for reconciliation” (Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations, 18 April, 2008). In this way, she wishes to support the efforts of Governments to become “staunch champions of human dignity and courageous builders of peace” (Message for the 2007 World Day of Peace, 16).

Indeed the world is hungry for the message of hope that the Gospel brings. Even in countries as highly developed as yours, many are discovering that economic success and advanced technology are not sufficient in themselves to bring fulfillment to the human heart. Anyone who does not know God “is ultimately without hope, without the great hope that sustains the whole of life” (Spe Salvi, 27). Remind people that there is more to life than professional success and profit. Through the practice of charity, in the family and in the community, they can be led towards “that encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others” (Deus Caritas Est, 31). This is the great hope that Christians in Japan can offer their compatriots; it is not foreign to Japanese culture, but rather it reinforces and gives new impetus to all that is good and noble in the heritage of your beloved nation. The well-merited respect which the citizens of your country show towards the Church, on account of her fine contribution in education, health care and many other fields, gives you an opportunity to engage with them in dialogue and to speak joyfully to them of Christ, the “light that enlightens every man” (Jn 1:9).

Young people especially are at risk of being deceived by the glamour of modern secular culture. Yet, like all the greater and lesser hopes that appear on first sight to promise so much (cf. Spe Salvi, 30), this turns out to be a false hope – and tragically, disillusion not infrequently leads to depression and despair, even to suicide. If their youthful energy and enthusiasm can be directed towards the things of God, which alone are sufficient to satisfy their deepest longings, more young people will be inspired to commit their lives to Christ, and some will recognize a call to serve him in the priesthood or the religious life. Invite them to consider whether this may be their vocation. Never be afraid to do so. Encourage your priests and religious likewise to be active in promoting vocations, and lead your people in prayer, asking the Lord to “send out labourers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38).

The Lord’s harvest in Japan is increasingly made up of people of diverse nationalities, to the extent that over half of the Catholic population is formed of immigrants. This provides an opportunity to enrich the life of the Church in your country and to experience the true catholicity of God’s people. By taking steps to ensure that all are made to feel welcome in the Church, you can draw on the many gifts that the immigrants bring. At the same time, you need to remain vigilant in ensuring that the liturgical and disciplinary norms of the universal Church are carefully observed. Modern Japan has wholeheartedly chosen to engage with the wider world, and the Catholic Church, with its universal outreach, can make a valuable contribution to this process of ever greater openness to the international community.

Other nations can also learn from Japan, from the accumulated wisdom of her ancient culture, and especially from the witness to peace that has characterized her stance on the world political stage in the last sixty years. You have made the voice of the Church heard on the enduring importance of this witness, all the greater in a world where armed conflicts bring so much suffering to the innocent. I encourage you to continue to speak on matters of public concern in the life of your nation, and to ensure that your statements are promoted and widely disseminated, so that they may be properly heard at all levels within society. In this way, the message of hope that the Gospel brings can truly touch hearts and minds, leading to greater confidence in the future, greater love and respect for life, increasing openness towards the stranger and the sojourner in your midst. “The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life” (Spe Salvi, 2).

In this regard, the forthcoming Beatification of 188 Japanese martyrs offers a clear sign of the strength and vitality of Christian witness in your country’s history. From the earliest days, Japanese men and women have been ready to shed their blood for Christ. Through the hope of these people “who have been touched by Christ, hope has arisen for others who were living in darkness and without hope” (Spe Salvi, 8). I join you in giving thanks to God for the eloquent testimony of Peter Kibe and his companions, who have “washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb” and now serve God day and night within his temple (Rev 7:14f.).

The Asian continent includes countries characterized by very large populations and significant economic development. I am thinking of China and India, countries that are in rapid expansion, and I hope that their growing presence on the international stage will bring with it benefits for their own populations and for other nations. Likewise, I pray for Vietnam, recalling its recent entry into the World Trade Organization. My thoughts go out to the Christian communities. In most Asian countries, they tend to be small but lively communities, with a legitimate desire to be able to live and act in a climate of religious liberty. This is not only a primordial right but it is a condition that will enable them to contribute to the material and spiritual progress of society, and to be sources of cohesion and harmony.

In East Timor, the Catholic Church intends to continue making her contribution, notably in the fields of education, healthcare and national reconciliation. The political crisis experienced by this young State, and by other countries in the region, highlights a certain fragility in the processes of democratization. Dangerous sources of tension are lurking in the Korean Peninsula. The goal of reconciling the Korean people and maintaining the Peninsula as a nuclear-free zone – which will bring benefits to the entire region – must be pursued within the context of negotiations. It is important to avoid gestures that could compromise the talks, and likewise to avoid making their results a condition for the humanitarian aid destined for the most vulnerable sectors of the North Korean population.

I would like to draw your attention to two other Asian countries that give cause for concern. In Afghanistan, in recent months, we can only deplore the notable increase in violence and terrorist attacks. This has rendered the way out of the crisis more difficult, and it weighs heavily on the local population. In Sri Lanka, the failure of the Geneva negotiations between the Government and the Tamil Movement has brought with it an intensification of the conflict, causing great suffering among the civilian population. Only the path of dialogue can ensure a better and safer future for all.

In Asian countries the percentage of Catholics is usually very low. With the exception of the Philippines and East Timor, in all the rest they are minority groups and, in many countries, almost non-existent in comparison with the total population. They live their faith and develop their Christian mission surrounded by millions of people who have never heard Christ’s message. Often they do it in conditions of suspicion or open hostility, fruits of intolerant national governments or fanatical fundamentalist groups (see the commentary on the general intention for April).

Among the countries known in the West as ‘the Far East’, some have reached high levels of economic and technical development (like Japan, Taiwan, South Korea) and others, like China, are taking great strides towards it. But in many cases the price paid for this material success is high levels of exhaustion (stress) and of dissatisfaction in people, because of the enormous pressure and excess of work to which they see themselves submitted in the interests of productivity. This can be seen even among children, pushed strongly by their parents to achieve academic success. In many cases we can define them as societies in crisis: crisis of values and of the absence of God, even when in some areas Buddhism enjoys vitality and popularity among the population. They have achieved progress in agreement with western patrons, but they have weakened their traditional family, social and religious structures. Many don’t know which way to turn.

This is where Christians in those countries have an opportunity to witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ, in response to the Pope’s intention for this month. Many men and women, tired and disoriented, would accept eagerly a message capable of giving new meaning to their lives. (In both Chinese and Japanese, the word ‘crisis’ means two things: danger and opportunity.) In this difficult cultural and political context, which harms many people, Christians meet the new life of Jesus Christ and offer it to their brothers and sisters. The new force of the Risen Christ transforms the darkness into life, according to the Lord’s words, ‘they will pick up snakes in their hands and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison’ (Mk 16:18).

We also see with hope how the Church in some of those countries, like India, Vietnam and Indonesia, is experiencing a vigorous expansion and a sustained flowering, also in the number of vocations to religious life. The blood of many martyrs who have given their lives for the faith in these regions is bearing fruit. Let us pray intensively this month, united with the Holy Father, that this little flock may receive the force of the Spirit, to be able in a challenging context ‘to communicate the Gospel and to witness with joy to its commitment to Christ’.

That in every nation of the world the election of officials may be carried out with justice, transparency and honesty, respecting the free decisions of citizens.

Mr Ambassador, the people of Nigeria desire a vibrant democracy and you have mentioned some of the priorities that your country has identified as necessary steps on her way to significant growth and sustained development. These include democratic governance and the rule of law, internal security, and the efficient administration of justice. As Your Excellency is well aware, good governance requires that elections are clearly seen to be free, fair and transparent. It also depends on internal security, always founded in the democratic ideal of respect for individual rights and the rule of law. To implement properly this building block of democracy requires public officials to address first of all the root causes of social unrest and second to form the populace in the virtues of respect and tolerance.

I am aware that, in the past, friction between different groups has given cause for concern. Conflict of this kind can often be traced to a variety of factors, including errors of administration, isolated grievances or ethnic tension. In this regard, I am pleased to note that in the last few years tensions appear to have eased. This can be seen as a true indicator of progress and a sign of hope for the future. In the promotion of understanding, reconciliation and good will among different groups, the Church continues to encourage a community spirit by working to eradicate prejudice and supporting openness towards all. She is especially interested in fostering interreligious dialogue, in the hope that a strong attitude of solidarity among religious leaders will progressively become embodied in popular nationwide expressions of peaceful acceptance, mutual understanding and cooperation. [...]

Good administration of public affairs

110. The Synod Fathers were unanimous in acknowledging that the greatest challenge for bringing about justice and peace in Africa consists in a good administration of public affairs in the two interrelated areas of politics and the economy. Certain problems have their roots outside the Continent and therefore are not entirely under the control of those in power or of national leaders. But the Synodal Assembly acknowledged that many of the Continent's problems are the result of a manner of governing often stained by corruption. A serious reawakening of conscience linked to a firm determination of will is necessary, in order to put into effect solutions which can no longer be put off.

Building the nation

111. On the political front, the arduous process of building national unity encounters particular problems in the Continent where most of the States are relatively young political entities. To reconcile profound differences, overcome longstanding ethnic animosities and become integrated into international life demands a high degree of competence in the art of governing. That is why the Synod prayed fervently to the Lord that there would arise in Africa holy politicians — both men and women — and that there would be saintly Heads of State, who profoundly love their own people and wish to serve rather than be served.(215)

The rule of law

112. The foundation of good government must be established on the sound basis of laws which protect the rights and define the obligations of the citizens.(216) I must note with great sadness that many African nations still labour under authoritarian and oppressive regimes which deny their subjects personal freedom and fundamental human rights, especially the freedom of association and of political expression, as well as the right to choose their governments by free and honest elections. Such political injustices provoke tensions which often degenerate into armed conflicts and internal wars, bringing with them serious consequences such as famine, epidemics and destruction, not to mention massacres and the scandal and tragedy of refugees. That is why the Synod rightly considered that an authentic democracy, which respects pluralism, "is one of the principal routes along which the Church travels together with the people ... The lay Christian, engaged in the democratic struggle according to the spirit of the Gospel, is the sign of a Church which participates in the promotion of the rule of law everywhere in Africa".(217)

Administering the common patrimony

113. The Synod also called on African governments to establish the appropriate policies needed to increase economic growth and investment in order to create new jobs.(218) This involves the commitment to pursue sound economic policies, adopting the right priorities for the exploitation and distribution of often scarce national resources in such a way as to provide for people's basic needs, and to ensure an honest and equitable sharing of benefits and burdens. In particular, governments have the binding duty to protect the common patrimony against all forms of waste and embezzlement by citizens lacking public spirit or by unscrupulous foreigners. It is also the duty of governments to undertake suitable initiatives to improve the conditions of international commerce.

Africa's economic problems are compounded by the dishonesty of corrupt government leaders who, in connivance with domestic or foreign private interests, divert national resources for their own profit and transfer public funds to private accounts in foreign banks. This is plain theft, whatever the legal camouflage may be. I earnestly hope that international bodies and people of integrity in Africa and elsewhere will be able to investigate suitable legal ways of having these embezzled funds returned. In the granting of loans, it is important to make sure of the responsibility and forthrightness of the beneficiaries.(219)

It is difficult to say how many countries, states or cities in the world are run by governments that are really legitimate and representative of their people. There are very many places that do not come into that category. In many areas the basic practice of democracy in the election of authorities does not exist. De facto governments have put themselves into power, sometimes for many years, and seem more interested in maintaining themselves in privileged positions than in serving the people. In many places sham elections take place, controlled by the regime, and are then presented as democratic. Denying the opposition a fair share of electoral propaganda before the ballot, buying, falsifying or manipulating the votes, among other things, frustrates the people’s free decision and generates violence. Even traditional democracies in western countries provoke many questions about the way in which they respect the citizens’ free will, given the high cost of campaigns, the mechanisms for selecting candidates used by the parties, the games of power and private interests, and so on.

The Holy Father calls our attention to this serious situation, which exists in so many parts of the world. He invites us, as Christians, to pray and act to the end that in elections the wellbeing of the nation or region may prevail over private interests. Let us pray, with the Holy Father, that there may be justice, transparency and honesty in the electoral processes of nations. Let us believe that building on the foundation of truth is the only way to establish a society that may grow in peace and prosperity for all.

In fact, the Church has always encouraged Christian commitment in politics and public debate, with a view to building a more just world. Moreover, the Church is called to develop an active role in educating civic conscience, so as to produce Christian leaders ready to serve their country. Jesus himself pointed out to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.’ (Mt.15:13-14). It is the mission of the baptised to work for a more human and just society, also in the political sphere. The gospel must inspire Christian politicians employed in creating today’s and tomorrow’s society.

If we are not ready to commit ourselves by our prayer and action, also in the political sphere, we shall have no right to complain afterwards about the bad governments that we have put into power.

That Christians may strive to offer everywhere, but especially in great urban centers, an effective contribution to the promotion of education, justice, solidarity and peace.

[...]

3. The phenomenon of the megalopolis has long been with us, and the Church has not been slow to consider how best to respond. In his Apostolic Letter of 1971, Octogesima adveniens, Pope Paul VI noted how increasing and irreversible urbanization is a great challenge to human wisdom, imagination and powers of organization (n. 10). He emphasized how urbanization in an industrial society upsets traditional ways and structures of life, producing for people "a new loneliness ... in an anonymous crowd ... in which they feel themselves strangers" (ibid.). It also produces what the Pope called "new proletariats" on the edges of the big cities, "a belt of misery in silent protest at the luxury which blatantly cries out from centres of consumption and waste" (ibid.). There arises a culture of discrimination and indifference, "lending itself to new forms of exploitation and domination" which deeply undermine human dignity. This is not the whole truth of the modern megalopolis but it is a crucial part of it, and it presents the Church, especially her Pastors, with a pressing and inescapable challenge. Urbanization, it is true, provides new opportunities, creates new modes of community, stimulates many forms of solidarity; but "in the struggle against sin" (cf. Heb 12:4) it is often the dark underside of urbanization which occupies your immediate pastoral attention.

In the years since 1971, the truth of Pope Paul's remarks has become clearer as the process of urbanization has gone on and increased. The Synod Fathers noted that the movement of people to the cities is most often caused by poverty, lack of opportunity and poor services in rural areas (Ecclesia in America, n. 21). The attraction grows stronger because the cities hold out the promise of employment and entertainment, appearing to be the answer to poverty and boredom when in fact they generate new forms of both.

For many people, especially the young, the city becomes an experience of rootlessness, anonymity and inequality, with the consequent loss of identity and sense of human dignity. The result is often the violence that now marks so many of the large cities, not least in your own country. At the core of this violence there is a protest bred of deepseated disappointment: the city promises so much and delivers so little to so many. This sense of disappointment is also linked to a loss of confidence in institutions - political, legal and educational institutions, but also the Church and the family. In such a world, a world of great absences, the heavens seem closed (cf. Is 64:1) and God seems a long way away. It becomes a profoundly secular world, a one-dimensional world which to many people can appear like a prison. In this "city of man", we are called to build "the city of God"; and before so daunting a duty we are tempted perhaps, like the prophet Jonah at Nineveh, to lose heart and flee from the task (cf. Jon 4:1-3; Octogesima adveniens, n. 12). But, as with Jonah, the Lord himself will lead us resolutely along the path which he has chosen for us.

4. The Synod Fathers were not vague when advocating a new urban evangelization: they also specified elements of the pastoral strategy which it requires. They spoke of the need for "a methodical and far-reaching urban evangelization through catechesis, liturgy and the very way in which pastoral structures are organized" (Ecclesia in America, n. 21). Here we have three quite precise indications: catechesis, liturgy and the organization of pastoral structures - indications which are radically linked to the threefold ministry of a Bishop to teach, to sanctify and to govern. At this point, dear Brothers, we are at the heart of what Christ is calling us to be and to do in the new evangelization.

All three factors look towards a fresh and more profound experience of community in Christ, which is the only effective and enduring response to a culture of rootlessness, anonymity and inequality. Where this experience is weak, we may expect more of the faithful to lose interest in religion or to drift into the sects and pseudo-religious groups which feed off alienation and which flourish among Christians who are disenchanted with the Church for one reason or another. We can no longer expect people to come to our communities spontaneously: there must be instead a new missionary outreach in the cities, with dedicated men and women, and young people, going forth in Christ's name to invite people into the community of the Church. This is a crucial element of that "organization of pastoral structures" which a new evangelization of the cities will require. It will be a new surge of the same energy which brought the Church to birth in your land: the heroic outreach of Jean de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Marguerite Bourgeoys and Marguerite d'Youville. But the frontier now is the city, and it is there that the new missionary heroism must shine no less brightly than it did in other ways in the past. This will depend in large part upon the energy and dedication of urban lay missionaries, but they in turn will need the service of truly zealous priests who are themselves fired with the missionary spirit and who know how to kindle that spirit in others. It is vital that seminaries and houses of formation be seen clearly as schools for mission which train priests who can inspire the faithful to become the new evangelizers whom the Church now needs.

7. In a community more fully conscious of Christ's presence the megalopolis will find the God-given sign pointing beyond a culture of rootlessness, anonymity and inequality. There will be nurtured the culture of life which you, dear Brothers, have striven so consistently to promote; and this in turn will generate a culture of human dignity, that true humanism which is rooted in God's creative act and is always a sign of Christ's redemptive power. Such a community will be the seed of "the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God" (Rv 21:2). We are those who have seen that vision of the Church: therefore "we have learnt that there is a City of God and we have longed to become citizens of that City" (St Augustine, City of God, XI, 1), where "we shall be still and see; we shall see and we shall love; we shall love and we shall praise" (ibid., XXII, n. 30).

This month’s intention faces us with the challenge of evangelising the big city. In our day the great urban centres have become the place where most of the population live, leaving behind us the time when a rural culture predominated. The over-populated modern metropolises have generated their own culture, or rather, diverse cultures within themselves, with great and important challenges not only to evangelisation but also to human life together. In them we find the world of commerce and work, and of unemployment, the world of young people in its multifarious forms, the unequal distribution of wealth, the world of misery and marginalisation, homelessness, overcrowding and promiscuity, gangs and violence, drug-trafficking, environmental and noise-pollution, civic security or insecurity, the challenges of urban transport, among others which confront the ordinary citizen every day. Other aspects of the city are the world of art, education, sport and recreation, social and family life, cultural diversity and the contribution of immigrants….. and modern city life goes at a faster pace. It can become a fractured and stressful world, threatening and cruel for some, where, despite being surrounded by thousands of people, one can experience intense loneliness. This is the context in which the men and women of today seek God.

How are we to speak of God in the big city? How are we to witness to his presence in a secularised and desacralised environment? How can we proclaim the gospel message as leaven to gestate a society that is more just, peaceful, and in solidarity? What is the new culture which is beginning to germinate from the gospel-seed, able to respond to the modern person’s heart? What contribution can Christians give, to make city life more fraternal and human?

The answer to these questions puts us in line with the Pope’s missionary intention for this month. It is not possible to give the answers here, but let us at least become aware of the problems and put ourselves on the road to a solution.

How can a topic like this be considered a missionary intention? Without doubt, the Christian mission has to find its way into daily life in the big city. A fundamental part of the Christian mission, received in baptism, is to promote actively the new culture of justice, solidarity and peace, according to the Pope’s words. It is the Good News which the great missionary St. Paul, in his time, set out to announce precisely in the urban centres, and which we are called to make present today in the new Areopagus (cf. Ac 17:19).

As we pray this month in union with the Holy Father, let us commit ourselves to be missionaries in the big city. Let us work together with the Lord, so that Kingdom values may be alive there, that minorities may be respected and the weak helped, that Christians may make, in the Pope’s words, ‘a valid contribution to the promotion of culture, justice, solidarity and peace’.

That those who are without work or homes or who are otherwise in serious need may find understanding and welcome, as well as concrete help in overcoming their difficulties.

At the start of the year, we are invited to turn our attention to the international situation, so as to focus upon the challenges that we are called to address together.

Among the key issues, how can we not think of the millions of people, especially women and children, who lack water, food, or shelter? The worsening scandal of hunger is unacceptable in a world which has the resources, the knowledge, and the means available to bring it to an end. It impels us to change our way of life, it reminds us of the urgent need to eliminate the structural causes of global economic dysfunction and to correct models of growth that seem incapable of guaranteeing respect for the environment and for integral human development, both now and in the future. Once again I invite the leaders of the wealthiest nations to take the necessary steps to ensure that poor countries, which often have a wealth of natural resources, are able to benefit from the fruits of goods that are rightfully theirs. From this point of view, the delay in implementing the commitments undertaken by the international community during the last few years is another cause of concern. So it is to be hoped that the trade negotiations of the “Doha Development Round” of the World Trade Organization will be resumed, and that the process of debt cancellation and reduction for the poorest countries will be continued and accelerated. At the same time, these processes must not be made conditional upon structural adjustments that are detrimental to the most vulnerable populations.

Equally, in the area of disarmament, symptoms of a developing crisis are multiplying, linked to difficulties in negotiations over conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction and also to the rise in global military expenditure. Security issues – aggravated by terrorism, which is to be utterly condemned – must be approached from a global and far-sighted perspective.

As far as humanitarian crises are concerned, we should note that the organizations dealing with them need greater support, so that they can be equipped to provide protection and assistance to the victims. Another concern which looms ever larger is that of the movement of persons: millions of men and women are forced to leave their homes or their native lands because of violence or in order to seek more dignified living conditions. It is an illusion to think that migration can be blocked or checked simply by force. Migration and the problems to which it gives rise must be addressed humanely, with justice and compassion.

Having seen the tragic situation of poor children and adults sleeping in the streets, under the bridges, St. Albert Hurtado, a Chilean Jesuit who died in 1952, didn’t stand by idly. He began the Hogar de Cristo, a hostel to give them food and shelter, and went out into the streets to look for them. Today his work has grown, even beyond the frontiers of his own country, and takes in thousands and thousands of children, young people, adults, sick people, old people, drug-addicts; it also carries out important building-projects to provide low-cost housing for the poor.

Sister Gonzha Agnes (Maria Teresa) Bojaxhiu, a Loreto sister, worked in a college for the daughters of families living in India. But her heart was restless each day when she saw the wretchedness of homeless people on the street. She felt very clearly called by the Lord to do something for them. She left her congregation and went out to meet and serve Jesus in ‘the unwanted, the unloved, those whom nobody was concerned about.’ Mother Teresa of Calcutta then became the founder of the Missionaries of Charity.

In a town in north Chile characterised, like many towns, by the presence of a number of mentally-sick adults wandering abandoned in the streets, some years ago a group of Christians decided to do something. They organised fund-raising, rented, and later bought, a house to receive them. By offering them shelter, food and affection they brought about the miracle of giving humanity and dignity to people who had been living until then in sub-human conditions. The work has lasted and grown, and continues today to welcome the poor and vulnerable Christ who wanders the city streets.

Following the inspiration of the Spirit of Jesus, the poor man of Nazareth, many people throughout history have given concrete responses to the Pope’s uneasiness of heart this month. In France, Abbé Pierre, founder of the Ragpickers of Emmaus; St. Peter Claver in Colombia, St. Martin de Porres in Peru, St. Damian of Molokai in Hawaii, St. Francis of Assisi in Italy, among so many others.

‘Faith without works is dead’, the apostle St. James reminds us (2:17). ‘Love must be placed more in works than in words’, St. Ignatius of Loyola teaches. ‘Injustice causes enormously more evils than love can remedy’, says St. Albert Hurtado. Let us ask ourselves what we can do to make our lives more in tune with what we are praying in union with the Holy Father this month.

That the Church may be a “home” for all people, ready to open its doors to any who are suffering from racial or religious discrimination, hunger, or wars forcing them to emigrate to other countries.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This year the theme of the Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees is: “St Paul migrant, ‘Apostle of the peoples’”. […]

The proclamation of the kerygma caused him to cross the seas of the Near East and to travel the roads of Europe until he reached Rome. He set out from Antioch, where he proclaimed the Gospel to people who did not belong to Judaism and where the disciples of Jesus were called “Christians” for the first time (cf. Acts 11:20, 26). His life and his preaching were wholly directed to making Jesus known and loved by all, for all persons are called to become a single people in him.

This is the mission of the Church and of every baptized person in our time too, even in the era of globalization; a mission that with attentive pastoral solicitude is also directed to the variegated universe of migrants - students far from home, immigrants, refugees, displaced people, evacuees - including for example, the victims of modern forms of slavery, and of human trafficking. Today too the message of salvation must be presented with the same approach as that of the Apostle to the Gentiles, taking into account the different social and cultural situations and special difficulties of each one as a consequence of his or her condition as a migrant or itinerant person. I express the wish that every Christian community may feel the same apostolic zeal as St Paul who, although he was proclaiming to all the saving love of the Father (Rm 8:15-16; Gal 4:6) to “win more” (1 Cor 9:22) for Christ, made himself weak “to the weak... all things to all men so that [he] might by all means save some” (1 Cor 9:22). May his example also be an incentive for us to show solidarity to these brothers and sisters of ours and to promote, in every part of the world and by every means, peaceful coexistence among different races, cultures and religions.

Yet what was the secret of the Apostle to the Gentiles? The missionary zeal and passion of the wrestler that distinguished him stemmed from the fact that since “Christ [had] made him his own”, (Phil 3:12), he remained so closely united to him that he felt he shared in his same life, through sharing in “his sufferings” (Phil 3:10; cf. also Rm 8:17; 2 Cor 4:8-12; Col 1:24). This is the source of the apostolic ardour of St Paul who recounts: “He who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles” (Gal 1:15-16; cf. also Rm 15:15-16). He felt “crucified with” Christ, so that he could say: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20), and no difficulty hindered him from persevering in his courageous evangelizing action in cosmopolitan cities such as Rome and Corinth, which were populated at that time by a mosaic of races and cultures.

In reading the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters that Paul addressed to various recipients, we perceive a model of a Church that was not exclusive but on the contrary open to all, formed by believers without distinction of culture or race: every baptized person is, in fact, a living member of the one Body of Christ. In this perspective, fraternal solidarity expressed in daily gestures of sharing, joint participation and joyful concern for others, acquires a unique prominence. However, it is impossible to achieve this dimension of brotherly mutual acceptance, St Paul always teaches, without the readiness to listen to and welcome the Word preached and practised (cf. 1 Thes 1:6), a Word that urges all to be imitators of Christ (cf. Eph 5:1-2), to be imitators of the Apostle (cf. 1 Cor 11:1). And therefore, the more closely the community is united to Christ, the more it cares for its neighbour, eschewing judgment, scorn and scandal, and opening itself to reciprocal acceptance (cf. Rm 14:1-3; 15:7). Conformed to Christ, believers feel they are “brothers” in him, sons of the same Father (Rm 8:14-16; Gal 3:26; 4:6). This treasure of brotherhood makes them “practise hospitality” (Rm 12:13), which is the firstborn daughter of agape (cf. 1 Tm 3:2, 5:10; Ti 1:8; Phlm 17).

In this manner the Lord's promise: comes true: “then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters” (2 Cor 6:17-18). If we are aware of this, how can we fail to take charge of all those, particularly refugees and displaced people, who are in conditions of difficulty or hardship? How can we fail to meet the needs of those who are de facto the weakest and most defenceless, marked by precariousness and insecurity, marginalized and often excluded by society? We should give our priority attention to them because, paraphrasing a well known Pauline text, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1Cor 1:27).

Dear brothers and sisters, may the World Day for Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated on 18 January 2009, be for all an incentive to live brotherly love to the full without making any kind of distinction and without discrimination, in the conviction that any one who needs us and whom we can help is our neighbour (cf. Deus Caritas Est, n. 15). May the teaching and example of St Paul, a great and humble Apostle and a migrant, an evangelizer of peoples and cultures, spur us to understand that the exercise of charity is the culmination and synthesis of the whole of Christian life.

The commandment of love - as we well know - is nourished when disciples of Christ, united, share in the banquet of the Eucharist which is, par excellence, the sacrament of brotherhood and love. And just as Jesus at the Last Supper combined the new commandment of fraternal love with the gift of the Eucharist, so his “friends”, following in the footsteps of Christ who made himself a “servant” of humanity, and sustained by his Grace cannot but dedicate themselves to mutual service, taking charge of one another, complying with St Paul's recommendation: “bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). Only in this way does love increase among believers and for all people (cf. 1 Thes 3:12).

Dear brothers and sisters, let us not tire of proclaiming and witnessing to this “Good News” with enthusiasm, without fear and sparing no energy! The entire Gospel message is condensed in love, and authentic disciples of Christ are recognized by the mutual love their bear one another and by their acceptance of all.

May the Apostle Paul and especially Mary, the Mother of acceptance and love, obtain this gift for us. As I invoke the divine protection upon all those who are dedicated to helping migrants, and more generally, in the vast world of migration, I assure each one of my constant remembrance in prayer and, with affection, I impart my apostolic Blessing to all.

Zimbabweans have had to flee to South Africa, Sudanese from Darfur have taken refuge in Chad, members of minorities discriminated against in Myanmar have fled to Thailand, Bhutanese have had to flee to Nepal, thousands of Iraqis to Jordan. Pakistanis, Afghans, Congolese, Colombians, Somalis, Nigerians, Sri Lankans, among others, have had to become refugees in their own countries to escape death and the terrors of war. And that is without counting the hundreds of thousands of Africans who undertake arduous journeys to reach Europe in search of better prospects, or, in the same way, innumerable Central Americans and Mexicans who pass through the most difficult experiences to reach the United States.

The list of the millions and millions of innocent, honest and hardworking people who find themselves forced to flee from their homes, leaving everything behind through fear or hunger, is much longer. They flee in terror wherever they can, with the little that they can carry, many of them having suffered cruel ill-treatment or the death of their loved ones. About 80% are women and children whose families have been decimated or divided by conflict.

Today migration, forced or not forced, is a world phenomenon. In fact, in all countries, certainly including our own, there are people who have left their lands and their customs to seek better living conditions.

Who welcomes them?

They are rejected, feared, denied their rights of asylum; they are discriminated against and treated as criminals, persecuted and even killed. Why? Because they are different, they speak another language, come from somewhere else. They are seen as a threat by those who arrived earlier.

The Bible gives witness that the people of God was always a migrant people, which passed through painful sufferings in its exile. Jesus himself, and his family, when he was a child, were obliged to emigrate to Egypt, and they also had to look for an open door.

The Pope invites us this month to open Church doors to those in most need, especially to refugees. May they find in us, in our Christian community, and in our society, a shelter, a hand stretched out, a smile and an understanding heart. May all the baptised, sons and daughters of the same Father, wherever they may have been born, be able to feel that in the Church they have come home.

Today there are many examples of organisations and institutions, Church and lay, where the poorest can find shelter and support. Get to know some of them:

That in less developed parts of the world the proclamation of the Word of God may renew people’s hearts, encouraging them to work actively toward authentic social progress.

The Word of God and the Service of Charity

39. Diakonia or the service of charity is the vocation of the Church of Jesus Christ in response to the charity shown by the Word of God Incarnate in his words and deeds.

The Word of God should lead to love of neighbour. Many communities demonstrate that the encounter with the Word is not limited to hearing alone or celebrations in themselves but seeks to become a real commitment, by individuals or a community, to the poor, who are a sign of the Lord present in our midst.

[...]

Many pages of Sacred Scripture not only recommend but command respect for justice towards one’s neighbour (cf. Deut 24:14-15; Am 2:6-7; Jer 22:13; Joel 5:4). Faithfulness to the Word of God exists when the first form of charity is realized in a respect for the rights of the human person and in defence of the oppressed and those who suffer. For this reason, specific importance is rendered by communities of faith, grounded in Bible reading, which also include the poor, who need to hear the message of consolation and hope. With his Word, the Lord, who loves life, desires to enlighten, guide and bring comfort to believers throughout their lives and in every aspect of those lives—in work, at celebrations, in times of suffering, at leisure, in duties to family and society and in life’s every moment—so that all might test everything and hold fast to what is good (cf. 1 Thess 5:21), thereby coming to know God’s will and put it into practice (cf. Mt 7:21).

[...]

The Word of God: Leaven in Modern Cultures

57. Throughout the centuries the book of the Bible has entered cultures, so much so as to inspire various fields of knowledge, including philosophy, pedagogy, science, art and literature. Biblical thought can so penetrate as to become the summary and soul of culture itself. In an essay on the Encyclical Fides et Ratio, the then Cardinal Ratzinger wrote: "Already in the Bible is formulated a patrimony of pluralistic religious and philosophical thought coming from the various cultures of the world. The Word of God develops in the context of a series of encounters with the man’s search to respond to his ultimate questions. It does not fall directly from heaven, but is properly a synthesis of cultures " (109). The economic and technological influence of a widely diffused mass-media, strongly inspired by secularism, calls for an intense dialogue between the Bible and culture. At times, this dialogue can be dialectical but it is always full of potential in proclaiming the Word, because of its richness in meaning. In this way, the Word of the Lord can prove to be a freeing experience.

To do this, the Word of God must enter as leaven in a pluralistic and secularized world, in the modern areopaghi, bringing "the power of the Gospel into the very heart of culture and cultures" (110), to purify them, elevate them and make them instruments of the Kingdom of God. This task requires an inculturation of the Word of God which is done in a serious manner, so as to adequately prepare a person to weigh opposing factors and to clearly sets forth the Christian mystery and its beneficial effects in people’s personal lives. The process requires research in the so-called "history of effects" (Wirkungsgeschichte) of the Bible on culture and on a common ethos, for which the Bible is rightly referred to and valued as the "Great Code," especially in the West. According to Pope Benedict XVI: "Today more than ever, reciprocal openness between the cultures is a privileged context for dialogue between people committed to seeking an authentic humanism, over and above the divergences that separate them. In the cultural arena too, Christianity must offer to all a very powerful force of renewal and exaltation, that is, the Love of God who makes himself human love" (111). Many centres for culture throughout the Catholic world are undertaking this work with great seriousness and merit.

The Holy Father’s intention for September, the month in which many Churches celebrate the Month of the Bible, invites us to put the Word of God at the centre. It calls us to renew our confidence in the transforming power of the Word, able to make all things new, even in the least developed regions of the world.

The Word renews hope and mobilises into action in places where there is much suffering, in regions in conflict, or those enduring great poverty:

The Word brings God’s consolation and tenderness:

The Word of the Lord is to be trusted:

The formulation of the Pope’s intention expresses his faith in the potential of God’s Word to engender ‘authentic social progress.’ It acts in us and moves us to make real the joyful message of salvation which comes from the Lord:

God intervenes on behalf of the poor, and does this by raising up prophets who proclaim and carry forward his saving work:

May this month’s intention renew our love of the Word and encourage us to open Holy Scripture often. May assiduous reading of it make us into new prophets, committed to the birth of a new culture and to authentic social progress.

That by opening our hearts to love we may put an end to the numerous wars and conflicts which continue to bloody our world.

[...]

In considering the political situation in the various continents, we find even more reasons for concern and reasons for hope. At the outset, we note that peace is often fragile and even mocked. We cannot forget the African Continent. The drama of Darfur continues and is being extended to the border regions of Chad and the Central African Republic. The international community has seemed powerless for almost four years, despite initiatives intended to bring relief to the populations in distress and to arrive at a political solution. Only by active cooperation between the United Nations, the African Union, the governments and other interested parties will these methods achieve results. I invite all those concerned to act with determination: we cannot accept that so many innocent people continue to suffer and die in this way.

The situation in the Horn of Africa has recently become more serious, with the resumption of hostilities and the internationalization of the conflict. While calling upon all parties to lay down their arms and to enter negotiations, I should like to invoke the memory of Sister Leonella Sgorbati, who gave her life in the service of the least fortunate, and prayed that her murderers be forgiven. May her example and her witness inspire all those who truly seek the good of Somalia.

With regard to Uganda, we must pray for the progress of negotiations between the parties, in order to hasten the end of that cruel conflict which has even seen numerous children enlisted and forced to become soldiers. This would allow the many displaced persons to return home and to resume a dignified way of life. The contribution of religious leaders and the recent appointment of a Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations augur well. I repeat: we must not forget Africa with its numerous situations of war and tension. We must remember that only negotiations between the various protagonists can open the way to a just settlement of the conflicts and offer a glimpse of progress towards the establishment of lasting peace.

The Great Lakes Region has seen much bloodshed over the years through merciless wars. Recent positive developments are to be welcomed with interest and hope, especially the conclusion of the period of political transition in Burundi and, more recently, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Yet it is urgent that these countries commit themselves to restoring the proper functioning of the rule of law, in order to disarm the warlords and allow society to develop. In Rwanda, I pray that the long process of national reconciliation after the genocide may finally result in justice, but also in truth and forgiveness. The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, with the participation of a delegation from the Holy See and representatives of numerous national and regional Episcopal conferences of Central and Eastern Africa, affords a glimpse of new hopes. Finally, I should like to mention the Ivory Coast, urging the embattled parties to create a climate of mutual trust that can lead to disarmament and peace. And I should like to speak of Southern Africa: in the countries of this region, millions of people are reduced to a situation of great vulnerability that clamours for the attention and the support of the international community.

Among the positive signs for Africa is the wish expressed by the international community to keep its attention focused on this continent. Likewise, the strengthening of Africa’s continental and regional institutions bears witness to the desire of the countries concerned to take increasing charge of their own destiny. Moreover, we must pay tribute to the laudable attitude of the people who commit themselves with determination every day, on the ground, to promote projects which contribute to the development and the organization of economic and social life. [...]

The longing for peace is in everyone. The desire to work for peace, in many. Action for peace, in few. To reach it, not making war is not enough. Peace is forged through life-commitment and by means of decisive actions, contrary to the logic of war and violence.

“Happy are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God”, Jesus teaches. (Mt 5,9).

For that reason peace is a construct, a result of concrete actions. Peace is the fruit of works, works of justice and reconciliation. Peace is the fruit of respect for persons, of patient dialogue, of perseverance, of humility. It often calls for great courage, since those who call for actions of peace will be persecuted by those who benefit from injustice.

“Happy are those who are persecuted for doing what is right, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”(Mt 5,10).

We know that many personal interests and great economic profits come into play in the multimillion war industry. It calls for attention that the main arms industries are to be found in the rich countries, while all the wars taking place at the moment are in the poor countries. It has to be asked in many cases whether there is a genuine desire to achieve peace on the part of the former, or whether rather committed interests prevail, which keep wars active in poor nations.

The Italian website Conflitti dimenticati (Forgotten Wars) picks out 22 crisis-areas in the world, which have been, or are now, in conflict. Seven of these are to be found in Africa: Algeria, Burundi, Uganda, Ruanda, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan; six more in Asia: India (Kashmir), Nepal, the Philippines, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Sri Lanka and Pakistán; four in the Middle East: Iraq, Afganistan, Israel-Palestine and Turkey; three more on the American continent: Colombia, El Salvador and Peru; two, lastly, in Europe: Russia (Chechenia) and Georgia. For our part we can add Somalia to the list. Today, happily, some of these conflicts have ended, like the civil war in El Salvador and the guerrilla war in Peru.

Since the 90s – the same source continues – 57 wars have been fought on the soil of 45 countries. If we include the period between 1945-1999, 25 wars between countries have been recorded, which have produced some 3.3 million dead in combat. The same period has produced 127 civil wars which have left 16.2 million dead. The damages caused by war often continue for a long time after the official end of conflict, because of the thousands of anti-personnel mines which continue to be active for many years, mutilating or killing more than ever before of the civilian population.

The Church has always been active in its support for world peace initiatives and in recent times, for nuclear non-proliferation treaties. The Church’s voice has been constant in proclaiming that war is never the solution to problems, declaring that on the other hand it makes them worse. The Pope often expresses his sorrow in the face of conflicts and asks insistently for peace in those places in the world which today are bleeding through war. Let us pray intensively this month with the Holy Father for an end to the wars which are causing untold suffering.

That Catholic Universities may more and more be places where, in the light of the Gospel, it is possible to experience the harmonious unity existing between faith and reason.

Theology and philosophy in this regard form a strange pair of twins, in which neither of the two can be totally separated from the other, and yet each must preserve its own task and its own identity. It is the historical merit of Saint Thomas Aquinas – in the face of the rather different answer offered by the Fathers, owing to their historical context – to have highlighted the autonomy of philosophy, and with it the laws and the responsibility proper to reason, which enquires on the basis of its own dynamic. Distancing themselves from neo-Platonic philosophies, in which religion and philosophy were inseparably interconnected, the Fathers had presented the Christian faith as the true philosophy, and had emphasized that this faith fulfils the demands of reason in search of truth; that faith is the “yes” to the truth, in comparison with the mythical religions that had become mere custom. By the time the university came to birth, though, those religions no longer existed in the West – there was only Christianity, and thus it was necessary to give new emphasis to the specific responsibility of reason, which is not absorbed by faith. Thomas was writing at a privileged moment: for the first time, the philosophical works of Aristotle were accessible in their entirety; the Jewish and Arab philosophies were available as specific appropriations and continuations of Greek philosophy. Christianity, in a new dialogue with the reasoning of the interlocutors it was now encountering, was thus obliged to argue a case for its own reasonableness. The faculty of philosophy, which as a so-called “arts faculty” had until then been no more than a preparation for theology, now became a faculty in its own right, an autonomous partner of theology and the faith on which theology reflected. We cannot digress to consider the fascinating consequences of this development. I would say that Saint Thomas’s idea concerning the relationship between philosophy and theology could be expressed using the formula that the Council of Chalcedon adopted for Christology: philosophy and theology must be interrelated “without confusion and without separation”. “Without confusion” means that each of the two must preserve its own identity. Philosophy must truly remain a quest conducted by reason with freedom and responsibility; it must recognize its limits and likewise its greatness and immensity.

Theology must continue to draw upon a treasury of knowledge that it did not invent, that always surpasses it, the depths of which can never be fully plumbed through reflection, and which for that reason constantly gives rise to new thinking. Balancing “without confusion”, there is always “without separation”: philosophy does not start again from zero with every thinking subject in total isolation, but takes its place within the great dialogue of historical wisdom, which it continually accepts and develops in a manner both critical and docile. It must not exclude what religions, and the Christian faith in particular, have received and have given to humanity as signposts for the journey. Various things said by theologians in the course of history, or even adopted in practice by ecclesiastical authorities, have been shown by history to be false, and today make us feel ashamed. Yet at the same time it has to be acknowledged that the history of the saints, the history of the humanism that has grown out of the Christian faith, demonstrates the truth of this faith in its essential nucleus, thereby giving it a claim upon public reason. Of course, much of the content of theology and faith can only be appropriated within the context of faith, and therefore cannot be demanded of those to whom this faith remains inaccessible. Yet at the same time it is true that the message of the Christian faith is never solely a “comprehensive religious doctrine” in Rawls’ sense, but is a purifying force for reason, helping it to be more fully itself. On the basis of its origin, the Christian message should always be an encouragement towards truth, and thus a force against the pressure exerted by power and interests.

Up to this point, I have spoken only of the medieval university, while seeking nonetheless to indicate the unchanging nature of the university and its task. In modern times, new dimensions of knowledge have opened up, which have been explored within the university under two broad headings: first, the natural sciences, which have developed on the basis of the connection between experimentation and the presumed rationality of matter; second, the historical and human sciences, in which man, contemplating his history as in a mirror and clarifying the dimensions of his nature, seeks to understand himself better. In this process, not only has an immense quantity of knowledge and power been made available to humanity, but knowledge and recognition of human rights and dignity have also evolved, and for this we can only be grateful. Yet the human journey never simply comes to an end; and the danger of falling into inhumanity is never totally overcome, as is only too evident from the panorama of recent history! The danger for the western world – to speak only of this – is that today, precisely because of the greatness of his knowledge and power, man will fail to face up to the question of the truth. This would mean at the same time that reason would ultimately bow to the pressure of interests and the attraction of utility, constrained to recognize this as the ultimate criterion. To put it from the point of view of the structure of the university: there is a danger that philosophy, no longer considering itself capable of its true task, will degenerate into positivism; and that theology, with its message addressed to reason, will be limited to the private sphere of a more or less numerous group. Yet if reason, out of concern for its alleged purity, becomes deaf to the great message that comes to it from Christian faith and wisdom, then it withers like a tree whose roots can no longer reach the waters that give it life. It loses the courage for truth and thus becomes not greater but smaller. Applied to our European culture, this means: if our culture seeks only to build itself on the basis of the circle of its own argumentation, on what convinces it at the time, and if – anxious to preserve its secularism – it detaches itself from its life-giving roots, then it will not become more reasonable or purer, but will fall apart and disintegrate.

This brings me back to my starting-point. What should the Pope do or say at the university? Certainly, he must not seek to impose the faith upon others in an authoritarian manner – as faith can only be given in freedom. Over and above his ministry as Shepherd of the Church, and on the basis of the intrinsic nature of this pastoral ministry, it is the Pope’s task to safeguard sensibility to the truth; to invite reason to set out ever anew in search of what is true and good, in search of God; to urge reason, in the course of this search, to discern the illuminating lights that have emerged during the history of the Christian faith, and thus to recognize Jesus Christ as the Light that illumines history and helps us find the path towards the future.

What should be the specific contribution of a Catholic university to society and to the evangelising task of the Church? What characteristics should distinguish a university bearing the adjective ‘Catholic’? Is it enough for there to be chapels available, and for it to offer its students daily Mass? Or is its task, rather, to form agents of social change, inspired by Gospel criteria? On the one hand the religious and liturgical dimension, on the other, social conscience which strives for the justice of God’s Kingdom? Both dimensions seem important and necessary. To achieve this, what specific traits should characterise the curricular framework and the different courses? How should the university chaplaincy be organised on campus?

These are some of the questions to be answered by a university that calls itself Catholic. It is the subject of the Pope’s intention for prayer this month. Undoubtedly he hopes for the Catholic universities to be places where Christian culture is developed, where humanity’s great problems are treated in depth and with academic excellence. They should be platforms for dialogue with today’s society, demonstrating ‘the harmonious unity which exists between faith and reason’ according to his words, which is another way of speaking about inculturation. The university is called to be the place for the encounter of faith in dialogue with the human sciences and contemporary philosophy, with the scientific and artistic world. It must offer to the modern world, in an intelligent way, reason enlightened by faith. It must work out a convincing answer to contemporary secularism and materialism, offering reasoned and reasonable faith. It must keep in view and seek solutions to the problems that confront daily the poorest members of society. It must be able to question the deep roots of the social and economic structures that keep a great part of humanity in poverty and underdevelopment, and propose alternatives to make progress towards a more just world.

I conclude with Fr. P.H. Kolvenbach’s clear words, spoken to the university world on two different occasions, which complement each other very well:

In Mexico on 16 February 2003:

A university is not worthy of the name if it keeps silent on what is inhuman in the present global affluence, or if it looks away so as not to see the iniquities crying out to heaven. Nor is it enough to denounce poverty, injustice, or the deterioration of the environment. It is necessary to do it in the way proper to a university, with spiritual wisdom, and with up-to-date knowledge of the sciences needed to build new, more just and human, realities. We must order the means to their appropriate ends. For this reason, today more than ever we need a university which, in the formation of young people, in research, and in its voice in society, is outstanding for its connection with the needs of the poor and their legitimate aspirations, at the same time as it forms a bridge with the business world and with public life, so that together they may build an inclusive society with opportunities for dignity in life for everyone. (Message To The Spanish-American University On The Occasion Of The Diamond Jubilee Of Its Foundation.)

In Santiago, Chile, 2nd May 2006:

Is this the vision of an ideal university found only in dreams? At all events, if a university calls itself Catholic, Christian, if it seeks to be inspired by the Ignatian educational tradition, it will have to take seriously the effort to embed the gospel of Christian love in academic life, in student life, and in its promotion of faith and justice in the world. (Inaugural lecture in the Alberto Hurtado University).

That the World Mission Day may afford an occasion for understanding that the task of proclaiming Christ is an absolutely necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity.

On the occasion of the World Mission Day, I would like to invite the entire People of God - Pastors, priests, men and women religious and lay people - to reflect together on the urgent need and importance of the Church's missionary action, also in our time.

Indeed, the words with which the Crucified and Risen Jesus entrusted the missionary mandate to the Apostles before ascending to Heaven do not cease to ring out as a universal call and a heartfelt appeal: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you". And he added, "Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28: 19-20).

In the demanding work of evangelization we are sustained and accompanied by the certainty that he, the Lord of the harvest, is with us and continues to guide his people. Christ is the inexhaustible source of the Church's mission. This year, moreover, a further reason impels us to renew our missionary commitment: the 50th anniversary of the Encyclical of the Servant of God Pius XII, Fidei Donum, which promoted and encouraged cooperation between the Churches for the mission ad gentes.

"All the Churches for all the world": this is the theme chosen for the next World Mission Day. It invites the local Churches of every continent to a shared awareness of the urgent need to relaunch missionary action in the face of the many serious challenges of our time.

The conditions in which humanity lives have of course changed and in recent decades, especially since the Second Vatican Council, a great effort has been made to spread the Gospel.

However, much still remains to be done in order to respond to the missionary call which the Lord never tires of addressing to every one of the baptized. In the first place, he continues to call the Churches of so-called "ancient tradition", which in the past provided the missions with a consistent number of priests, men and women religious and lay people as well as material means, giving life to an effective cooperation between Christian communities.

This cooperation has yielded abundant apostolic fruit both for the young Churches in mission lands as well as in the ecclesial situations from which the missionaries came. In the face of the secularized culture, which sometimes seems to be penetrating ever more deeply into Western societies, considering in addition the crisis of the family, the dwindling number of vocations and the progressive ageing of the clergy, these Churches risk withdrawing into themselves to view the future with ever less hope and weakening their missionary effort.

Yet, this is the very time for opening oneself with trust to the Providence of God, who never abandons his People and who, with the power of the Holy Spirit, guides them toward the fulfilment of his eternal design of salvation.

The Good Shepherd also invites the recently evangelized Churches to dedicate themselves generously to the missio ad gentes. Despite the many difficulties and obstacles they encounter in their development, these communities are constantly growing. Fortunately, some of them have a large number of priests and consecrated persons, many of whom, although there are so many needs in loco, are nevertheless sent to carry out their pastoral ministry and apostolic service elsewhere, even in lands evangelized long ago.

Thus, we are witnessing a providential "exchange of gifts" which redounds to the benefit of the entire Mystical Body of Christ.

I warmly hope that missionary cooperation will be intensified and that the most will be made of the potential and charisms of each one. I also hope that World Mission Day will contribute to making all the Christian communities and every baptized person ever more aware that Christ's call to spread his Kingdom to the very ends of the earth is universal.

"The Church is missionary by her very nature", John Paul II wrote in his Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, "for Christ's mandate is not something contingent or external, but reaches the very heart of the Church. It follows that the universal Church and each individual Church is sent forth to the nations.... It is highly appropriate that young Churches "should share as soon as possible in the universal missionary work of the Church. They should themselves send missionaries to proclaim the Gospel all over the world, even though they are suffering from a shortage of clergy'" (n. 62).

[…]

Therefore, as has often been said, missionary commitment remains the first service that the Church owes to humanity today to guide and evangelize the cultural, social and ethical transformations; to offer Christ's salvation to the people of our time in so many parts of the world who are humiliated and oppressed by endemic poverty, violence and the systematic denial of human rights.

The Church cannot shirk this universal mission; for her it has a binding force. Since Christ first entrusted the missionary mandate to Peter and to the Apostles, today it is primarily the responsibility of the Successor of Peter whom divine Providence has chosen as a visible foundation of the Church's unity, and of the Bishops directly responsible for evangelization, both as members of the Episcopal College and as Pastors of the particular Churches (cf. Redemptoris Missio, n. 63). [...]

Quotation from Fr. Guillermo Alberto Morales Martinez, National Director of the Pontifical Missionary Works of the Episcopate in Mexico:

‘World Missions Day – called DOMUND in Spanish-speaking countries – is a call to all the Christians of the world to collaborate according to their situation in the proclamation of the Good News. The Pontifical Work for the Propagation of the Faith calls all the people of God at the present time to take part in this day, but this call has deeper roots in the missionary command: Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection ‘and said to them: “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to every creature…” (Mk.16:15) The response to this command, from the time of the first Christian communities, has brought various ways in which Christians have collaborated in proclaiming the Good News. So we have prayer (Acts 6:5; 1:24; Phil 4:6) and material help: let us remember, for example, the collections made on behalf of the community in Jerusalem (1Co 16:1ff.; Rm 15:26 – 28; Gal 2:10; 2Co 8:9; Acts 24:17), always accompanied by sacrifices and fasting, pleasing in God’s eyes. The subsequent history of the Church, in the course of nearly twenty centuries, is a history full of different responses to this command, given by many Christians serving with generosity and commitment, and so cooperating, according to their situation, in the spreading and building of the Kingdom.’

Fr. Morales recalls how in the 19th century, called ‘the century of missions’ because of the ecclesial environment that characterised it, the Pontifical World Missions Day itself was founded (in 1822). World Missions Day is the result of a long journey which began in that century, until in April 1926 the Work for the Propagation of the Faith made three petitions to His Holiness Pius XI:

1. That there should be a Sunday, concretely the penultimate Sunday in October, as ‘Day of Missionary Prayer and Propaganda’ all over the Catholic world.

2. That on the said Sunday there should be added to all Masses a collect ordered ‘pro re gravi’ (for serious matters), the prayer ‘Pro propaganda Fide’ (for the propagation of the faith).

3. That the homily on that Sunday should be of a missionary character, with particular application to the Work for the Propagation of the Faith, urging the faithful to join it (without the intention of limiting the homily solely to missions.)

From that year the Day was established, and achieved clear recognition from the bishops and parishioners all over the world. Today we still celebrate the penultimate Sunday of October every year.

In union with the Holy Father we pray this month that, motivated by the celebration of this date, every Christian may take on as his or her own the task of proclaiming Christ as, in his words, ‘a necessary and indispensable service that the Church is called to carry out for the sake of humanity’.

(See more: http://www.vicariadepastoral.org.mx/domund_6/hojas/2006_04.htm)

Encyclicals:

That victims of drugs or of other dependence may, thanks to the support of the Christian community, find in the power of our Saving God strength for a radical life-change.

3. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me" (Rev 3:20). These are divine words which penetrate to the depths of our souls and shake us at our deepest roots.

At some stage in people’s lives, Jesus comes and gently knocks at the hearts of those properly disposed. Perhaps for you, he did this through a friend or a priest, or, who knows, perhaps he arranged a series of coincidences which enabled you to realize that you are loved by God. Through the institution which has welcomed you, the Lord has given you this opportunity for physical and spiritual recovery, so vital for you and your families. In turn, society expects you to spread this precious gift of health among your friends and all the members of the community.

You must be Ambassadors of hope! Brazil’s statistics concerning drug abuse and other forms of chemical dependency are very high. The same is true of Latin America in general. I therefore urge the drug-dealers to reflect on the grave harm they are inflicting on countless young people and on adults from every level of society: God will call you to account for your deeds. Human dignity cannot be trampled upon in this way. The harm done will receive the same censure that Jesus reserved for those who gave scandal to the "little ones", the favourites of God (cf. Mt 18:7-10).

4. Through treatment, which includes medical, psychological and educational assistance, and through much prayer, manual work and discipline, many people— especially young people—have already succeeded in freeing themselves from alcohol and drug dependency, thereby recovering meaning in their lives.

I wish to express my appreciation for this work, which has the charism of Saint Francis and the spirituality of the Focolare Movement as its spiritua