"The Lord is Present and Powerful"

Intervention at the close of the Synod of Bishops for the New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Faith
Sunday, October 28, 2012


Dear brothers and sisters,

Before expressing my gratitude I would like to make an announcement. In the context of the reflections of the Synod of Bishops [on] “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith" and at the conclusion of a path of reflection on the topics of seminaries and catechesis, I am pleased to tell you that I have decided, after prayer and subsequent reflection, to transfer the oversight of seminaries from the Congregation for Catholic Education to the Congregation for the Clergy and the oversight of catechesis from the Congregation for the Clergy to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.

The pertinent documents will follow in the form of apostolic letters motu proprio to define the areas of oversight and respective faculties. We pray to the Lord that he will accompany the 3 dicasteries of the Roman Curia in their important mission with the assistance of the whole Church.

Already having the floor, I would also like to express my most cordial greetings to the new cardinals. I wished, with this little consistory, to complete the consistory in February, precisely in the context of the new evangelization, with a gesture of the Church’s universality, showing that the Church is the Church of all peoples, speaking all languages, she is always the Church of Pentecost; she not the Church of a continent but the universal Church. This was exactly my intention, to express this context, this universality of the Church; it is also the beautiful expression of this Synod. For me it has truly been edifying, consoling and encouraging to see here the mirror of the universal Church with her sufferings, threats, perils and joys, experiences of the Lord’s presence even in difficult situations.

We have heard how the Church grows, lives today as well. I think, for example, of what we were told of Cambodia, where the Church, the faith is reborn; or about Norway, and many other places. We see how today too, where it was unexpected, the Lord is present and powerful and the Lord is working even through our labors and our reflections.

Even if the Church feels contrary winds, nevertheless she feels the wind of the Holy Spirit who helps us, who shows us the right road; and so, we are on our way, it seems to me, with new enthusiasm, and we thank the Lord for granting this truly catholic gathering. I thank everyone: the Synod fathers, the auditors, with the often truly moving witness, the experts, the fraternal delegates who helped us; and we know that we all wish to proclaim Christ and his Gospel and to fight, in this difficult time, for the presence of Christ’s truth and its proclamation.

I would above all like to thank our presidents who have guided us gently and decisively, the speakers, who worked day and night. I think it is somewhat against the natural law to work even at night, but if they do it freely they can be thanked and we must be grateful; and, naturally, I would like to thank our general secretary, who was indefatigable and rich with ideas.

Now these “propositiones” are a testament, a gift, given to me by us, to develop into a document that comes from life and must generate life. Let us hope for this and for pray for it; in any case, let us go forward with the Lord’s help. I thank all of you. I will see many of you again in November at the consistory. Thank you.

[Translation by Joseph Trabbic]

 

 

 

 

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