Pope meets bishops from Hong Kong and Macao

(June 27, 2008) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday encouraged the Catholic communities of Hong Kong and Macao to a renewed commitment to make Jesus ever more visible in the Church and better known in society by bearing witness to his love and the truth of his Gospel. The Pope made the exhortation in an address he delivered to the bishops of Hong Kong and Macao who were on their ad limina visit to Rome. Such visits are made by heads of dioceses every 5 years or so to report on the state of their jurisdiction. Pope Benedict reminded the bishops that all of the Church’s activities are oriented towards evangelization and may not be separated from the commitment to assist everyone to encounter Christ in faith, which is the primary aim of evangelization. He said that it was the right of every man and woman to hear that Jesus Christ loved and gave Himself for them. Corresponding to this right is also the duty to evangelize. Pope Benedict observed that in today’s globalized context, there are, on the one hand, many social and cultural bonds which tend to promote attitudes of world-wide solidarity and shared responsibility for the good of mankind. On the other hand, there are worrying signs of fragmentation and individualism dominated by secularism which pushes the transcendent and the sense of the sacred to the margins and eclipses the very source of harmony and unity of the universe. The negative aspects of this cultural phenomenon, the Pope said, call for action aimed at supporting the spiritual and moral ethos of the people. The task of evangelization in this complex context calls for an adequate ongoing formation of the clergy. Noting that parents particularly seek out Catholic schools for the intellectual, spiritual and moral formation of their children, Pope Benedict urged Church schools to be close to students and to their families in order to cater to their spiritual needs.