Address of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI at his Meeting with the German Bishops
(Cologne, Archbishop’s House, 21 August 2005)
Dear
Brothers in the Episcopate,
I bless the Lord who has given me the joy of meeting
you here, on German soil, at the conclusion of this Twentieth World Youth Day. I
think we could say that the hand of Providence has been visible during these days,
and not only has it given encouragement to me, the Successor of Peter, but it has
also offered a sign of hope to the Church in this country, and above all to you, her
Pastors. To all of you I renew my heartfelt thanks for the effort you have made in
preparing for the event. I particularly thank Cardinal Joachim Meisner and his auxiliaries,
and the President of the Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, together with
all who have assisted in any way.
As I said this morning at the conclusion
of the great Eucharistic celebration at Marienfeld, Germany has witnessed a remarkable
pilgrimage in recent days. This was no ordinary group of pilgrims, but a pilgrimage
of young people! This event, which the Diocese of Cologne and all of you worked so
hard to prepare, has now ended: and what a cause it is for thanksgiving to God, for
reflection and for renewed commitment! The much-beloved Pope John Paul II, founder
of the World Youth Days, used to say that on these pilgrimages the young people are
the protagonists and the Pope, in a certain sense, follows them. A humorous observation,
but one which points to a profound truth: young people, who are searching for the
fullness of life despite their weaknesses and limitations, urge their Pastors to listen
to their questions and to do everything possible to help them understand the one true
answer, which is Christ. We need, then, to cherish this gift which God has given
to the Church in Germany, to accept the challenge that it presents and to make good
use of the potential it provides.
It should be stressed that this event, while
exceptional, is not unique. The Cathedral in Cologne is not, to quote a familiar
expression, “a Cathedral in the desert”. I am thinking of the many gifts which enrich
the Church in Germany. It brings joy to my heart to list them briefly here with you,
in the same spirit of praise and thanksgiving that has marked these days of grace.
Many people in this country live their faith in an exemplary manner, with great love
for the Church, for its Pastors and for the Successor of Peter. A good number voluntarily
take on what are sometimes demanding responsibilities in diocesan and parish life,
in associations and movements, especially in order to help young people. Many priests,
religious and lay people carry out faithful service in pastoral situations that are
often difficult. And German Catholics are very generous towards the poor. Many Fidei
Donum priests and German missionaries carry out their apostolate in distant lands.
The Catholic Church maintains a presence in public life through many different institutions.
Significant work is being done by the various charitable agencies: Misereor, Adveniat,
Missio, Renovabis, as well as diocesan and parish Caritas organizations.
Equally vast is the educational work carried out in Catholic schools and other Catholic
institutions and organizations on behalf of young people. These are just a few brief
examples, incomplete yet significant, which sketch as it were the portrait of a living
Church, the Church which gave birth to us in faith and which we have the honour and
the joy to serve.
We know that on the face of this Church there are unfortunately
also wrinkles, shadows that obscure her splendour. These too we should keep before
us, in a spirit of unfailing love, at this moment of celebration and thanksgiving.
Secularism and dechristianization continue to advance. The influence of Catholic
ethics and morals is in constant decline. Many people abandon the Church or, if they
remain, they accept only a part of Catholic teaching. The religious situation in
the East is particularly worrying, since the majority of the population is unbaptized
and has no contact with the Church. In each of these problems we recognize a fresh
challenge. You yourselves are more aware of this than anyone, as is evident from
your Pastoral Letter of 21 September 2004 in commemoration of the 1,250th
anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Boniface. In that Letter, quoting the Jesuit
Father Alfred Delp, you stated that “we have become a mission territory”. As a native
of this country that I hold so dear, I feel particularly affected by its problems.
Today I want to assure you of my affection and solidarity, along with that of the
entire College of Bishops, and I encourage you to remain united and to persevere undaunted
in your mission. The Church in Germany needs to become ever more missionary, committed
to finding the best ways to pass on the faith to future generations.
This is
the panorama that World Youth Day opens up before us: it invites us to look to the
future. For the Church, and especially for pastors, parents and educators, young
people are a living call to faith and hope. My venerable Predecessor, in choosing
for this Twentieth World Youth Day the theme: “We Have Come To Worship Him”
(Mt 2:2), implicitly confirmed this call. He marked out a clear path for young
people to follow. He urged them to seek Christ, with the Magi as their model; he
invited them to follow the star, a reflection of Christ in the firmament of personal
and social life; he trained them, by his strong but gentle example, to bend the knee
before God made man, the Son of the Virgin Mary, and to acknowledge in him the Redeemer
of humanity. That same model which he proposed to young people, John Paul II also
offered to their Pastors, as a means of guiding their ministry among the younger generation
and the whole family of the Church. The Way, the Truth and the Life which everyone
seeks, particularly every young person, have been entrusted to us Pastors by Christ
himself, who has made us his witnesses and ministers of his Gospel (cf. Mt
28:18-20). Consequently we must neither lessen the intensity of the search nor conceal
the truth, but rather maintain the fruitful tension that exists between these two
poles: a tension that corresponds profoundly to the character of modern man. With
the light and strength that come from this gift, namely the Gospel which the Holy
Spirit ceaselessly makes alive and active, we can proclaim Christ fearlessly and invite
everyone not to be afraid to open their hearts to him, for we are convinced that in
him is found the fullness of life and happiness.
This means being a Church
open to the future, and therefore one full of promise for coming generations. Young
people, in fact, are not looking for a Church which panders to youth but one which
is truly young in spirit; a Church completely open to Christ, the new Man. This is
the commitment that we wish to make today, at this truly significant moment, at the
conclusion of this great event for youth, an event which has forced us to think about
the future of the Church and of society. It is in this positive and hope-filled light
that we can confidently confront the most difficult issues facing the Church in Germany.
Once again young people are providing us, their Pastors, with a salutary stimulus,
for they are asking us to be consistent, united and courageous. We for our part must
train them in patience, in discernment, in healthy realism. Yet there can be no false
compromise, no watering down of the Gospel.
Dear Brothers, the experience of
the last twenty years has taught us that every World Youth Day represents a kind of
new beginning for the pastoral care of young people in the host country. Preparing
for the event mobilizes people and resources and celebrating it brings about a surge
of enthusiasm that needs to be channelled in the best possible way. It contains enormous
potential energy which can grow greater the wider it spreads. Here I am thinking
of parishes, lay associations, movements; and of priests, religious, catechists and
youth workers. I imagine that in Germany an enormous number of them have been involved
in this event. I pray that for everyone it will be the occasion of a real growth
in love for Christ and for the Church, and I encourage all to continue to cooperate,
in a renewed spirit of service, for the improved pastoral care of young people.
The
majority of young Germans live in comfortable social and economic circumstances, yet
difficult situations are not lacking. In all social strata a growing number of young
people come from broken families. Unemployment among young people in Germany has
unfortunately increased. Moreover many young men and women find themselves confused,
lacking real answers to their questions about the meaning of life and death, about
their present and their future. Many of the ideas put forward by modern society have
led nowhere, and many young people have ended up mired in alcohol and drugs or in
the clutches of extremist groups. Some young Germans, especially in the East, have
never had a personal encounter with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Even in traditionally
Catholic areas, the teaching of religion and catechesis do not always manage to forge
lasting bonds between young people and the Church community. For this reason the
Church in Germany is committed to finding new ways of reaching out to young people
in order to proclaim Christ to them. World Youth Day is always, to use an expression
dear to Pope John Paul II, an outstanding “laboratory” for this. It is also a laboratory
of vocations, because in the course of these days the Lord will not have failed to
make his call heard in the hearts of many young people. It is a call which naturally
must be received and internalized, if it is to put forth deep roots and thus bear
good and lasting fruit. So many of the testimonies of young people and couples show
that the experience of these world meetings, when it unfolds within a journey of faith,
discernment and ecclesial service, can lead to mature decisions for marriage, religious
life, priestly and missionary service. In the light of the shortage of priests and
religious, which is reaching dramatic proportions here in Germany, I encourage you,
dear Brothers, to promote the pastoral care of vocations with renewed vigour, in order
to reach parishes, educational centres and families. The pastoral care of young people
and of vocations is ultimately connected with that of the family. I am saying nothing
new when I observe that the family today faces many problems and difficulties. I
warmly exhort you not to be discouraged, but to carry out with confidence your commitment
to support the Christian family. The goal we seek is to ensure that married couples
are able to accomplish their mission fully, and particularly the evangelization of
children and young people.
Among young people, an important role is played
by associations and movements, which are clearly a source of great enrichment. The
Church must value them and at the same time she must guide them with pastoral prudence,
so that they will contribute in the best possible way, through their varied gifts,
to building up the community, without ever entering into competition but respecting
one another and working together in order to awaken in young people the joy of faith,
love for the Church and passion for the Kingdom of God. For this purpose it is essential
that those who are engaged with and for young people should themselves be convinced
witnesses to Christ and faithful to the teaching of the Church. The same applies
in the field of Catholic education and catechesis: I am confident that you will take
care to ensure that the persons chosen to be teachers of religion and catechists are
well-prepared and faithful to the Church’s Magisterium. A useful aid in this commitment
to the Christian formation of the younger generation will surely be the Compendium
of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which collects and synthesizes all the
essential elements of Catholic faith and morality in clear and accessible language.
Dear
Brothers in the Episcopate, please God there will be other opportunities to explore
further the many issues which demand your pastoral care and mine. On this occasion
I wished to reflect with you on the message of this great pilgrimage of young people.
It seems to me that, having come to the end of this experience, the young people have
this to say to us: “We have came to worship him. We have found him. Help us now
to become his disciples and witnesses.” It is a challenging appeal, but what great
consolation it brings to the heart of a Pastor! May the memory of these hope-filled
days spent in Cologne sustain your ministry, our ministry. I offer you my affectionate
encouragement, together with a fervent fraternal request to live and work together
in unity, on the basis of a communion that has its summit and its inexhaustible source
in the Eucharist. Entrusting you to Mary Most Holy, Mother of Christ and of the Church,
I cordially impart to each of you and to all your communities a special Apostolic
Blessing.