“Faith in my native Germany has a young face, it is alive, it has a future”, said
Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday as he retraced the steps of his recent 4 day visit to
his native land before 20 thousand pilgrims in St Peter’s Square for the General Audience.
They
included groups from the Church in Indonesia, accompanying their bishops at the beginning
of their Ad Limina pilgrimage, from the Samoa Islands, from Kenya and a children’s
choir from a South Korean Catholic school - who won a warm smile from Pope Benedict
and applause from the crowds as they preformed a hymn and the traditional dance of
the fans resplendent in their local dress.
Young men embarking on their studies
for the priesthood at the Pontifical Colleges, accompanied by their tutors were also
present for whom the Holy Father had particular words of encouragement: “My affectionate
greeting goes to the students of both the Venerable English College and the Pontifical
Irish College as they take up their studies for the priesthood”.
Speaking in
Italian Pope Benedict began: “As you know, from Thursday to Sunday last I made a pastoral
visit to Germany, I am pleased, therefore, as usual, to take the opportunity of today's
audience with you to go over the intense and wonderful days spent in my native country.
I crossed Germany from north to south, from east to west: from the capital Berlin
to Erfurt and Eichsfeld and then Freiburg, a city near the border with France and
Switzerland. First I thank the Lord for the opportunity offered me to meet people
and speak about God, to pray together and strengthen brothers and sisters in faith,
according to the particular mandate that the Lord has entrusted to Peter and his successors.
This visit, which took place under the motto "Where God is, there is the future",
was truly a great celebration of faith: in the various meetings and discussions, in
the celebrations, especially in the solemn Masses with the people of God. These moments
were a precious gift that helped us perceive once more how God is gives the deepest
meaning, true fullness to our life indeed, that only He gives us, gives us all, a
future”.
“I remember with deep gratitude the warm and enthusiastic welcome
as well as the attention and affection shown me in the various places I visited. I
heartily thank the German bishops, especially those of the diocese which hosted me,
for the invitation and for all they did, along with many collaborators, in preparing
for this trip. A big thank you goes also to the Federal President and all civil and
political authorities at federal and regional levels. I am deeply grateful to all
who have contributed in various ways to the success of the visit, especially to the
many volunteers. So it was a great gift for me and for all of us and has given rise
to joy, hope and a new leap of faith and commitment to the future”.
“In the
federal capital Berlin, the Federal President welcomed me to his residence and welcomed
me in his name and on the part of my countrymen, expressing esteem and affection for
a Pope who is a native of German soil. For my part, I was able to trace a brief thought
on the reciprocal relationship between religion and freedom, remembering a phrase
of the great Bishop and social reformer Wilhelm von Ketteler,: "Just as religion requires
freedom, freedom also needs religion."
“I gladly accepted the invitation to
go to the Bundestag, that was certainly one of the moments of major importance of
my trip. For the first time a Pope gave a speech before members of the German Parliament.
On this occasion I wanted to expose the foundation of law and free State of law, that
is, the measure of all law, inscribed by the Creator in the very being of His creation.
Therefore we must broaden our concept of nature, understanding it not only as a set
of functions but beyond this as the language of the Creator to help us discern right
from wrong. Then there was also a meeting with representatives of the Jewish community
in Germany. Remembering our common roots in faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, we highlighted the fruits achieved thus far in the dialogue between the Catholic
Church and Judaism in Germany. I also had the opportunity to meet some members of
the Muslim community, agreeing with them about the importance of religious freedom
for the peaceful development of humanity”.
“The Holy Mass in the Olympic Stadium
in Berlin, at the conclusion of the first day of the visit, was one of the great liturgical
celebrations which gave me the opportunity to pray with the faithful and encourage
them in the faith. I was very gladdened by the participation of people in large numbers!
At that moment, festive and impressive , we meditated on the Gospel image of the vine
and its branches, that is, on the importance of being united with Christ for our personal
lives as believers and for our being Church, His mystical body”.
“The second
stage of my visit was to Thuringia. Germany, and Thuringia in particular, is the land
of the Protestant Reformation. So, from the beginning I was eager to give particular
emphasis to ecumenism in the context of this trip, and I strongly desired an ecumenical
moment in Erfurt, because in that city Martin Luther entered the Augustinian community
and there he was ordained priest. So I was very pleased with the meeting with members
of the Council of the Reformed Protestant Churches in Germany in the former Convent
of the Augustinians: a cordial meeting that, in dialogue and prayer, led us more profoundly
to Christ. Once again we have seen the importance of our common witness of faith in
Jesus Christ in today's world, which often ignores God or has no interest in Him.
Our common efforts in the path towards full unity are necessary, but we are always
well aware that neither the faith or unity so longed for are a product of our own.
A faith created by ourselves is of no value, and true unity is rather a gift from
God, who prayed and prayed for the unity of his disciples. Only Christ can give us
this unity, and we will be ever more united than the extent to which we return to
Him and allow ourselves to be transformed by Him”.
Pope Benedict described
the celebration of vespers at the Marian shrine of Etzelsbach as “particularly moving”,
a region that "always remained Catholic throughout the various vicissitudes of history"
whose inhabitants "have courageously opposed the dictatorships of Nazism and communism."
In
Erfurt, recalling the patrons saints of Thuringia and "the shining example of the
faithful who witnessed to the Gospel during the totalitarian regimes, I invited the
faithful to be the saints of today, good witnesses of Christ, and to help build our
society . In fact, there have always been saints and people imbued with the love
of Christ to really transform the world". During the visit to Erfurt, Pope Benedict
also had occasion to "meet some victims of sexual abuse by clergymen, whom I wanted
to assure of my sorrow and my closeness to their suffering."
Moving onto the
Freiburg stage of his visit, the Pope recalled the "very festive reception" and the
prayer vigil with thousands of young people. "I was happy to see that faith in my
native German has a young face, it is alive and has a future”. "I transmitted flame
of the Paschal candle, symbol of light that is Christ, to the young people exhorting
them: You are the light of the world. I repeated to them that the Pope is confident
in the active collaboration of the youth; with the grace of Christ, they are able
to bring the fire of God’s love to the world. "
Also in Freiburg, Pope Benedict
met with the seminarians, "I wanted to show them the beauty and grandeur of their
calling from the Lord" and with representatives of the Orthodox Churches "to whom
we Catholics feel very close. In fact, it is from this broad commonality that the
common task to be leaven for the renewal of our society is derived. "
And finally
in the great Sunday Mass at the Freiburg airport his thanks to volunteers from the
charitable initiatives of the German Church. "I recalled that their valuable service
will always be fruitful when it is born of an authentic faith and lives in union with
the bishops and the Pope, in union with the Church. Finally, before my return, I talked
to a thousand Catholics involved in the Church and in society, suggesting some reflections
on the action of the Church in a secularized society, on the invitation to be free
from material and political burdens to reflect God more transparently".Listen to
Emer McCarthy's report: