(April 17, 2008) The world and the Church are going through a time of great promise,
but one that is also witnessing disturbing signs of secularism and materialism. It
is a situation that needs from Catholics a reaffirmation of the unity in the apostolic
faith, a convincing witness to the hope which inspires them, the conversion of the
heart to holiness and a renewal of missionary zeal. Pope Benedict XVI said this and
more in the first public Mass of his US trip which he celebrated at a Nationals Park
stadium in Washington filled to capacity. The Pope who is on a 5-day apostolic
visit to the US, began his homily recalling the historic roots of the Catholic Church
in the United States. It was Pope Pius VII who 200 years ago divided America’s first
Catholic diocese of Baltimore, in neighbouring Maryland, and established those of
Boston, Bardstown (now Louisville), New York and Philadelphia. Two hundred years
on, the Pope said, the Church in the United States is now called to look to the future
to meet new challenges with the hope poured into the hearts of men by the Holy Spirit.
The Pope said that in the exercise of his ministry as the Successor of Peter,
he has come to America to confirm them in the faith of the Apostles. He said he has
come to repeat the Apostle’s call to conversion and the forgiveness of sins, and to
implore from the Lord a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church in the country.
The readings of the Mass, the Pope pointed out, recall the inseparable link between
the risen Lord, the gift of the Spirit for the forgiveness of sins, and the mystery
of the Church. He prayed that the significant anniversary of the Church in the United
States, with the Successor of Peter among them, will be an occasion for all Catholics
to reaffirm their unity in the apostolic faith, to offer their contemporaries a convincing
account of the hope which inspires them, and to be renewed in missionary zeal for
the extension of God’s Kingdom. The Pope said the world, including the Church in
America and society as a whole, needs this witness today in the face of disturbing
signs - signs of alienation, anger and polarization; increased violence; a weakening
of the moral sense; a coarsening of social relations; and a growing forgetfulness
of God. At the same time the Church, also sees signs of immense promise in her many
strong parishes and vital movements, in the faith of so many young people, in the
number of those who each year embrace the Catholic faith, and in a greater interest
in prayer and catechesis. The Pope thanked and encouraged all those who are committed
to the new evangelization in order to respond to the challenges raised by an increasingly
secular and materialistic culture of the times. He particularly called for a comprehensive
and sound instruction in the truths of the faith for the young to help them discern
the path that leads to true freedom, justice and peace. He told American Catholics
that his current visit was meant to be a witness to “Christ our Hope”. Americans
have always been a people of hope. “Your ancestors,” he said, “came to this country
with the expectation of finding new freedom and opportunity, while the vastness of
the unexplored wilderness inspired in them the hope of being able to start completely
anew, building a new nation on new foundations.” However, the Pope noted that this
hope and promise was not experienced by all, especially when one thinks of the injustices
endured by Native Americans and by those brought here forcibly from Africa as slaves.
In this context he acknowledged the pain which the Church in America has experienced
as a result of the sexual abuse of minors. “No words of mine could describe the pain
and harm inflicted by such abuse,” he said. The Pope urged loving pastoral attention
for those who have suffered because of sexual abuse. He said great efforts have already
been made to deal honestly and fairly with this tragic situation, and to ensure that
children can grow up in a safe environment. These efforts to protect children must
continue, the Pope urged, calling on all to do everything possible to foster healing
and reconciliation, and to assist those who have been hurt. The Pope urged the
faithful to pray that the Holy Spirit will pour out his gifts upon the Church, the
gifts that lead to conversion, forgiveness and growth in holiness. He encouraged
them to be a leaven of evangelical hope in American society, striving to bring the
light and truth of the Gospel to the task of building an ever more just and free world
for generations yet to come.