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Pope Benedict XVI- General Audiences |
General
Audience
On the Trip to Spain
"I Invited Europe to Open Itself Ever More to God"
H.H. Benedict XVI
November 10, 2010
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
I am happy to receive you and to address to each one of you my cordial
welcome. In particular, I greet you, faithful of Carpineto Romano, who
come together with your pastor, Bishop Lorenzo Loppa, to repay the brief
but intense visit that I had the joy of making to your land last
September, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the birth of Pope Leo
XIII. Dear friends, I wish to renew to all my heartfelt gratitude for
the warm reception you gave me on that occasion. I am thinking of the
availability of the civil authorities, particularly the mayor and the
town council, as well as the eager commitment of your bishop, of the
parish priest and of their collaborators, especially in the preparation
of the Eucharistic celebration, so well taken care of and participated
in. The memory of that event, charged with ecclesial and spiritual
meaning, revives in each one the desire to reflect increasingly on the
life of faith, in the wake of the teachings of your illustrious fellow
citizen Pope Leo XIII, whose courageous pastoral action inspired a
beneficial renewal of Catholics' commitment in society.
Dear friends, do not tire of entrusting yourselves to Christ and of
proclaiming him with your life, in the family and in every environment.
It is this that men also today expect from the Church. With such
sentiments, I impart to all from my heart my blessing, which I willingly
extend to your families and to all dear persons.
I cordially greet you pilgrims from the Czech Republic, who are gathered
so numerously to exchange the visit I had the joy of making to your
country last year. Dear friends, you are welcome! I keep a cherished and
happy memory of my pleasant trip in you beautiful land. I am thinking in
particular of the deferent courtesy of the various authorities; of the
warm welcome I received from venerable brothers in the episcopate, from
priests, from consecrated persons and from all the faithful, who wished
to express their faith around the Successor of Peter with enthusiasm. I
was also struck by the attentive consideration given to me by all those
who, though being far from the Church, are however searching for genuine
human and spiritual values, of which the Catholic community itself
wishes to be joyful witness. I pray that the Lord will make fruitful the
graces of that trip, and I hope that the Christian people of the Czech
Republic will continue, with renewed impetus, to render everywhere a
courageous evangelical testimony. I impart to all of you from my heart a
special apostolic blessing, extended to your families and to your entire
homeland.
[In Paul VI Hall]
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today I would like to recall with you the apostolic journey to Santiago
de Compostela and Barcelona, which I had the joy of making last Saturday
and Sunday. I went there to confirm my brothers in the faith (cf. Luke
22:32); I did so as a witness of the Risen Christ, as a sower of the
hope that does not disappoint or deceive because its origin is the
infinite love of God for all men.
The first stage was Santiago. From the welcome ceremony, I was able to
experience the affection that the people of Spain nourish for the
Successor of Peter. I was truly received with great enthusiasm and
warmth. In this Compostelian Holy Year, I wished to be a pilgrim
together with the very numerous people who went to that famous shrine. I
was able to visit the "House of the Apostle James the Greater," who
continues to repeat to him who arrives there in need of grace, that in
Christ, God has come into the world to reconcile it with himself, not
imputing to men their faults.
In the imposing cathedral of Compostela, giving with emotion the
traditional embrace to the saint, I thought how this gesture of
hospitality and friendship is also a way of expressing adherence to his
word and participation in his mission. [It is] a strong sign of
willingness to be conformed to the apostolic message, which, on one
hand, urges us to be faithful custodians of the Good News that the
apostles have transmitted, without yielding to the temptation to alter,
diminish or bend it to other interests and, on the other, it transforms
each one of us into tireless heralds of faith in Christ, by word and the
testimony of life in all areas of society.
Seeing the number of pilgrims present at the solemn holy Mass, which I
had the great joy to preside over in Santiago, I reflected on what made
so many people leave their daily occupations to undertake the
penitential way to Compostela, a way that at times is long and tiring:
It is the desire to reach the light of Christ, for which they yearn in
the depth of their heart, even if often they are unable to express this
well in words. In moments of loss, of searching, of difficulty, as well
as in the aspiration to reinforce the faith and to live in a more
coherent way, the pilgrims to Compostela undertake a profound itinerary
of conversion to Christ, who has assumed to himself weakness, the sin of
humanity, the miseries of the world, bearing them to where evil no
longer has any power, where the light of goodness illumines everything.
It is a people of silent walkers, from every part of the world, who
rediscover the ancient medieval and Christian tradition of pilgrimage,
going through villages and cities permeated with Catholicism.
In that solemn Eucharist, lived by so many faithful present with intense
participation and devotion, I prayed with fervor that all those who go
on pilgrimage to Santiago may receive the gift of becoming true
witnesses of Christ, whom they have rediscovered at the crossroads of
thought-provoking roads leading to Compostela. I also prayed so that
pilgrims, following in the footsteps of numerous saints who in the
course of the centuries have undertaken the "Way of Santiago," may
continue to keep alive the genuine religious, spiritual and penitential
meaning, without yielding to banality, distraction or fashions. That
road, intersected by ways that furrow vast lands forming a network
through the Iberian Peninsula and Europe, was and continues to be the
place of encounter of men and women of the most diverse provenance,
united by the search for the faith and the truth about themselves, and
inspired by profound experiences of sharing, fraternity and solidarity.
It is precisely faith in Christ that gives meaning to Compostela, a
spiritually extraordinary place, which continues to be a point of
reference for today's Europe in its new configurations and prospects.
Preserving and reinforcing openness to the transcendent, as well as a
fruitful dialogue between faith and reason, between politics and
religion, between economy and ethics, will make possible the building of
a Europe that, faithful to its essential Christian roots, is able to
respond fully to its own vocation and mission in the world. Because of
this, certain of the immense possibilities of the European continent and
trusting in its future of hope, I invited Europe to open itself ever
more to God, thus favoring the prospects of an authentic, respectful and
solidary encounter with the populations and civilizations of the other
continents.
Then on Sunday in Barcelona I had the truly great joy of presiding over
the dedication of the Church of the Holy Family, which I declared a
minor basilica. In contemplating the grandeur and beauty of that
building, which invites raising one's gaze and soul to the Most High, to
God, I remembered the large religious constructions, such as the
medieval cathedrals, which have profoundly marked the history and
physiognomy of the principal cities of Europe. That splendid work --
very rich in religious symbols, beautiful in the intertwining of shapes,
fascinating in the play of lights and colors -- virtually an immense
sculpture in stone, fruit of profound faith, of spiritual sensibility
and of the artistic talent of Antoni Gaudí, refers one to the true
sanctuary, the place of real worship, Heaven, where Christ entered to
stand in the presence of God in our favor (cf. Hebrews 9:24). In that
beautiful temple, the brilliant architect was able to represent
admirably the mystery of the Church, to which the faithful are
incorporated with baptism as living stones for the construction of a
spiritual building (cf. 1 Peter 2:5).
The Church of the Holy Family was conceived and planned by Gaudí as a
great catechesis on Jesus Christ, as a canticle of praise to the
Creator. In that very imposing building, he put his genius at the
service of the Beautiful. In fact, the extraordinary expressive and
symbolic capacity of the artistic forms and motifs, as well as the
innovative architectural and sculptural techniques evoke the supreme
Source of every beauty. The famous architect considered this work as a
mission in which his whole person was involved. From the moment he
accepted the assignment of the construction of that church, his life was
marked by a profound change, perceiving the need to prepare himself
spiritually to succeed in expressing in the material reality the
unfathomable mystery of God. It can be said that, while Gaudí worked on
the construction of the temple, God was constructing in him the
spiritual building (cf. Ephesians 2:22), reinforcing him in the faith
and bringing him ever closer to the intimacy of Christ. Inspiring
himself continually in nature, work of the Creator, and dedicating
himself passionately to know sacred Scripture and the liturgy, he was
able to realize in the heart of the city a building worthy of God and,
hence, worthy of man.
In Barcelona, I also visited the work of the "Child God," an initiative
from more than 100 years ago, very linked to that archdiocese, where
children and young people of different abilities are looked after with
professionalism and love. Their lives are precious in the eyes of God
and invite us constantly to come out of our egoism. In that house, I
participated in the joy and profound and unconditional charity of the
Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts, in the generous work of
doctors, educators and so many other professionals and volunteers, who
work with praiseworthy dedication in that institution. I also blessed
the first stone of a new residence that will be part of this work, where
everything speaks of charity, of respect for the person and his dignity,
of profound joy, because the human being's value is in what he is, and
not just what he does.
While I was in Barcelona, I prayed intensely for families, vital cells
and hope of society and of the Church. I also remembered those who
suffer, in particular in these moments of serious economic difficulties.
I had present, at the same time, young people -- who accompanied me
throughout the visit to Santiago and Barcelona with their enthusiasm and
joy -- so that they would discover the beauty, the value and commitment
of marriage, in which a man and a woman form a family, which with
generosity receives life and supports it from its conception until its
natural end. All that is done to support marriage and the family, to
help the neediest persons, all that enhances the grandeur of man and his
inviolable dignity, contributes to the perfecting of society. No effort
is vain in this sense.
Dear friends, I thank God for the intense days I spent in Santiago de
Compostela and Barcelona. I renew my gratitude to the king and queen of
Spain, to the princes of Asturias and to all the authorities. I turn my
grateful and affectionate thought once again to the dear brother
archbishops of those two particular Churches and to their collaborators,
as also to all those who spent themselves generously so that my visit in
those two wonderful cities would be fruitful. They were unforgettable
days, which will remain impressed in my heart! In particular, the two
Eucharistic celebrations, carefully prepared and intensely lived by all
the faithful, also through songs taken from the great musical tradition
of the Church or from the genius of modern authors, were moments of true
interior joy. May God recompense all, as only he knows how; may the Most
Holy Mother of God and the Apostle St. James continue to accompany their
way with their support. Next year, God willing, I will go to Spain
again, to Madrid, for World Youth Day. I entrust henceforth to your
prayer this providential initiative, so that it will be an occasion of
growth in the faith for so many young people.
[Translation by ZENIT]
[The Holy Father then greeted the people in various languages. In
English, he said:]
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This past weekend I made an Apostolic Journey to Santiago de Compostela
and Barcelona, two great cities of Spain and Europe. I came as a pilgrim
among pilgrims in this Holy Year of Compostela, to venerate the Apostle
Saint James the Greater. The traditional practice of embracing the image
of the Saint symbolizes our embrace of the Gospel which he preached and
the mission which we receive in Baptism to bear daily witness to Christ
and to strengthen society by our fidelity to the wisdom and truth of the
Gospel. On Sunday, in Barcelona, I dedicated the Church of the Sagrada
Familia, the masterpiece of the great architect Antoni Gaudi. In this
magnificent edifice Gaudi wished to celebrate the eternal source of all
beauty, made flesh in Jesus Christ, who calls all humanity to become, in
the Church, a temple in which God dwells. Let us pray for all families,
that they may fulfil their unique role in society, and for all the
people of Spain and Europe, that they may always find in their Christian
roots the inspiration to pursue, along the pathways of our time, the
historic mission of the Continent in today's world.
I offer a warm welcome to all the English-speaking visitors present at
today's Audience, especially those from England, Denmark, Sweden, Japan
and the United States of America. Upon you and your families I invoke
Almighty God's blessings of joy and peace.
© Copyright 2010 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[The Pope concluded in Italian:]
My thought now goes to young people, the sick and newlyweds. In
yesterday's liturgy we celebrated the feast of the Dedication of the
Basilica of St. John Lateran, "caput et mater omnium ecclesiarum."
Together with it we remembered also the churches in which your
communities gather and those that still await to be built in Rome and in
the world. Dear young people, sick people and Christian spouses, I
exhort you to collaborate with all the People of God and with all men of
good will to build up the House of the Lord. Always be "living stones"
of the spiritual building that is the Church, walking together in
service of the Gospel, in the offer of prayer and in the sharing of
charity.
[Translation by ZENIT]
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