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Pope
Benedict XVI - Messages |
"'It Has
Become Clear to Me How Deep a Thirst There
Is' for the Good News"
Message to Bishops of England, Scotland, and
Wales at St. Mary's Seminary
H.H. Benedict XVI
September 19, 2010
www.zenit.org
My dear Brother Bishops,
This has been a day of great joy for the
Catholic community in these islands. Blessed
John Henry Newman, as we may now call him,
has been raised to the altars as an example
of heroic faithfulness to the Gospel and an
intercessor for the Church in this land that
he loved and served so well. Here in this
very chapel in 1852, he gave voice to the
new confidence and vitality of the Catholic
community in England and Wales after the
restoration of the hierarchy, and his words
could be applied equally to Scotland a
quarter of a century later. His
beatification today is a reminder of the
Holy Spirit’s continuing action in calling
forth gifts of holiness from among the
people of Great Britain, so that from east
to west and from north to south, a perfect
offering of praise and thanksgiving may be
made to the glory of God’s name.
I thank Cardinal O’Brien and Archbishop
Nichols for their words, and in so doing, I
am reminded how recently I was able to
welcome all of you to Rome for the Ad Limina
visits of your respective Episcopal
Conferences. We spoke then about some of the
challenges you face as you lead your people
in faith, particularly regarding the urgent
need to proclaim the Gospel afresh in a
highly secularized environment. In the
course of my visit it has become clear to me
how deep a thirst there is among the British
people for the Good News of Jesus Christ.
You have been chosen by God to offer them
the living water of the Gospel, encouraging
them to place their hopes, not in the vain
enticements of this world, but in the firm
assurances of the next. As you proclaim the
coming of the Kingdom, with its promise of
hope for the poor and the needy, the sick
and the elderly, the unborn and the
neglected, be sure to present in its fulness
the life-giving message of the Gospel,
including those elements which call into
question the widespread assumptions of
today’s culture. As you know, a Pontifical
Council has recently been established for
the New Evangelization of countries of
long-standing Christian tradition, and I
would encourage you to avail yourselves of
its services in addressing the task before
you. Moreover, many of the new ecclesial
movements have a particular charism for
evangelization, and I know that you will
continue to explore appropriate and
effective ways of involving them in the
mission of the Church.
Since your visit to Rome, political changes
in the United Kingdom have focused attention
on the consequences of the financial crisis,
which has caused so much hardship to
countless individuals and families. The
spectre of unemployment is casting its
shadow over many people’s lives, and the
long-term cost of the ill-advised investment
practices of recent times is becoming all
too evident. In these circumstances, there
will be additional calls on the
characteristic generosity of British
Catholics, and I know that you will take a
lead in calling for solidarity with those in
need. The prophetic voice of Christians has
an important role in highlighting the needs
of the poor and disadvantaged, who can so
easily be overlooked in the allocation of
limited resources. In their teaching
document Choosing the Common Good, the
Bishops of England and Wales underlined the
importance of the practice of virtue in
public life. Today’s circumstances provide a
good opportunity to reinforce that message,
and indeed to encourage people to aspire to
higher moral values in every area of their
lives, against a background of growing
cynicism regarding even the possibility of
virtuous living.
Another matter which has received much
attention in recent months, and which
seriously undermines the moral credibility
of Church leaders, is the shameful abuse of
children and young people by priests and
religious. I have spoken on many occasions
of the deep wounds that such behaviour
causes, in the victims first and foremost,
but also in the relationships of trust that
should exist between priests and people,
between priests and their bishops, and
between the Church authorities and the
public. I know that you have taken serious
steps to remedy this situation, to ensure
that children are effectively protected from
harm and to deal properly and transparently
with allegations as they arise. You have
publicly acknowledged your deep regret over
what has happened, and the often inadequate
ways it was addressed in the past. Your
growing awareness of the extent of child
abuse in society, its devastating effects,
and the need to provide proper victim
support should serve as an incentive to
share the lessons you have learned with the
wider community. Indeed, what better way
could there be of making reparation for
these sins than by reaching out, in a humble
spirit of compassion, towards children who
continue to suffer abuse elsewhere? Our duty
of care towards the young demands nothing
less.
As we reflect on the human frailty that
these tragic events so starkly reveal, we
are reminded that, if we are to be effective
Christian leaders, we must live lives of the
utmost integrity, humility and holiness. As
Blessed John Henry Newman once wrote, "O
that God would grant the clergy to feel
their weakness as sinful men, and the people
to sympathize with them and love them and
pray for their increase in all good gifts of
grace" (Sermon, 22 March 1829). I pray that
among the graces of this visit will be a
renewed dedication on the part of Christian
leaders to the prophetic vocation they have
received, and a new appreciation on the part
of the people for the great gift of the
ordained ministry. Prayer for vocations will
then arise spontaneously, and we may be
confident that the Lord will respond by
sending labourers to bring in the plentiful
harvest that he has prepared throughout the
United Kingdom (cf. Mt 9:37-38). In this
regard, I am glad that I will shortly have
the opportunity to meet the seminarians of
England, Scotland and Wales, and to assure
them of my prayers as they prepare to play
their part in bringing in that harvest.
Finally, I should like to speak to you about
two specific matters that affect your
episcopal ministry at this time. One is the
imminent publication of the new translation
of the Roman Missal. I want to take this
opportunity to thank all of you for the
contribution you have made, with such
painstaking care, to the collegial exercise
of reviewing and approving the texts. This
has provided an immense service to Catholics
throughout the English-speaking world. I
encourage you now to seize the opportunity
that the new translation offers for in-depth
catechesis on the Eucharist and renewed
devotion in the manner of its celebration.
"The more lively the eucharistic faith of
the people of God, the deeper is its sharing
in ecclesial life in steadfast commitment to
the mission entrusted by Christ to his
disciples" (Sacramentum Caritatis, 6). The
other matter I touched upon in February with
the Bishops of England and Wales, when I
asked you to be generous in implementing the
Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus.
This should be seen as a prophetic gesture
that can contribute positively to the
developing relations between Anglicans and
Catholics. It helps us to set our sights on
the ultimate goal of all ecumenical
activity: the restoration of full ecclesial
communion in the context of which the mutual
exchange of gifts from our respective
spiritual patrimonies serves as an
enrichment to us all. Let us continue to
pray and work unceasingly in order to hasten
the joyful day when that goal can be
accomplished.
With these sentiments, I thank you warmly
for your hospitality over the past four
days. Commending all of you and the people
you serve to the intercession of Saint
Andrew, Saint David and Saint George, I am
pleased to impart my Apostolic Blessing to
you and to all the clergy, religious and lay
faithful of England, Scotland and Wales.
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