Pope receives Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands Bishops
Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday received Bishops from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon
Islands, who are in Rome for their ad limina visits.
Below, please
find the complete text of Pope Benedict’s remarks to the Bishops:
Dear
Brother Bishops,
I offer you a warm fraternal welcome on the occasion of your
visit ad Limina Apostolorum, and I thank Archbishop John Ribat for his kind
words on behalf of the whole of the Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon
Islands. This gathering is a privileged opportunity to express our communion in the
one Church of Christ. Through you I send warm greetings to the priests, the men and
women religious and all those entrusted to your pastoral care. Please assure them
of my prayers for their continued growth in faith, hope and charity.
I would
like to commend your efforts to “tend the flock of God that is your charge” (1
Pet 5:2). The attention you give to those under your pastoral care has been particularly
noteworthy in the way you provide for the basic needs of the poor, the marginalized
and the sick – especially those suffering from HIV/AIDS – through the work of your
diocesan agencies. Another important part of your pastoral ministry is exercised
when you speak publicly as an objective moral voice on behalf of those in need. When
the Church voices her concern in the public square, she does so legitimately and in
order to contribute to the common good, not proposing concrete political solutions,
but rather helping to “purify and shed light upon the application of reason to the
discovery of objective moral principles” (Address at Westminster Hall, 17 September
2010). Such principles are accessible to all through right reason and are necessary
for the just ordering of civil society. In view of this, I encourage you to continue
to dialogue and to work with the civil authorities so that the Church may be free
to speak and to provide services for the common good in a manner fully consonant with
Gospel values. I note from your reports that you are initiating various pastoral
efforts which have as their common element the evangelization of culture. This is
of great importance since the human person can “achieve true and full humanity only
by means of culture” (Gaudium et Spes, 53). We also observe the essential
role of culture in salvation history, since the Triune God gradually revealed himself
in time, culminating in the sending of his only Son, who himself was born into a particular
culture. On the other hand, while acknowledging the respective contribution of each
culture and at times calling upon its resources in fulfilling her mission, the Church
has been sent to preach the Gospel to all nations, transcending man-made boundaries.
In the work of evangelization then, my Brother Bishops, continue to apply the eternal
truths of the Gospel to the customs of the people whom you serve, in order to build
upon the positive elements already present and to purify others when necessary. In
this way, you play your part in the Church’s mission to lead people of every nation,
race and language to Jesus Christ the Saviour in whom we find revealed the fullness
and truth of humanity (cf. ibid).
When speaking about this aspect
of evangelization, the family has a key role to play, since it is the basic unit of
human society and the first place where faith and culture are appropriated. Although
society has recognized the important role of the family throughout history, particular
attention needs to be given at the present time to the religious, social and moral
goods of fidelity, equality and mutual respect that must exist between husband and
wife. The Church tirelessly proclaims that the family is based on the natural institution
of marriage between a man and a woman, and in the case of baptized Christians, it
is a covenant which has been raised by Christ to the supernatural level of a sacrament,
through which husband and wife participate in the love of God as they become one flesh,
pledging to love and respect each other while remaining open to God’s gift of children.
In this regard, I commend your efforts to give pastoral priority to the evangelization
of marriage and the family in accordance with Catholic moral teaching. As you continue
the centenary celebrations of the birth of Blessed Peter To Rot, who shed his blood
in defence of the sanctity of marriage, I encourage all married couples to look to
his example of courage and thus help others to see the family as a gift from God and
the privileged environment where children “are enabled to be born with dignity, and
to grow and develop in an integral manner” (Homily, 9 July 2006).
The
work of evangelization involves all members of the Church of Christ. Mindful that
Bishops, like the Apostles, “are sent to their Dioceses as the prime witnesses to
the Risen Christ” (Ecclesia in Oceania, 19), make every effort to provide proper
formation and catechetical programmes for the clergy, men and women religious, and
the lay faithful so that they may be strong and joyful witnesses of the faith they
profess as members of the Catholic Church. A properly catechized laity and well formed
clergy and religious, “like a wise man who built his house upon the rock” (Mt 7:24),
will be equipped to resist the temptations of the secular world and will be wise enough
not to be deceived by attempts to convert them to overly simplistic versions of Christianity
that are often based solely on false promises of material prosperity. While recognizing
the importance of developing and maintaining formal programmes, I encourage you to
remember that a key element for effective formation and catechetical programmes is
the example of holy witnesses who, by “doing the will of God in everything ... wholeheartedly
devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of neighbour” (Lumen Gentium,
40). These witnesses and those they teach, with your guidance and support, will help
to ensure that the Church in your countries will continue to be an effective instrument
of evangelization, attracting those who do not yet know Christ and inspiring those
who have become lukewarm in their faith.
Finally, my Brother Bishops,
it is my hope that your visit to the Successor of Peter and to the tombs of the Apostles
will strengthen your resolve to be protagonists of the new evangelization, especially
during the upcoming Year of Faith. I also pray that your efforts will bear fruit,
so that the kingdom of God may continue to grow in the portion of the Lord’s vineyard
entrusted to your pastoral care. Commending you to the intercession of Mary, Mother
of the Church, and assuring you of my affection and prayers for you and your people,
I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing.