Pope calls American Catholics to witness to hope

(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.