Speech of Pope Benedict XVI at Ecumenical Meeting in Prague
Speech of Pope Benedict XVI Ecumenical Meeting Prague, September 27, 2009
Dear
Cardinals, Your Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I am grateful
to Almighty God for the opportunity to meet with you who are here representing the
various Christian communities of this land. I thank Doctor Černý, President of the
Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic, for the kind words of welcome
which he has addressed to me on your behalf. My dear friends, Europe continues
to undergo many changes. It is hard to believe that only two decades have passed
since the collapse of former regimes gave way to a difficult but productive transition
towards more participatory political structures. During this period, Christians joined
together with others of good will in helping to rebuild a just political order, and
they continue to engage in dialogue today in order to pave new ways towards mutual
understanding, cooperation for peace and the advancement of the common good. Nevertheless,
attempts to marginalize the influence of Christianity upon public life – sometimes
under the pretext that its teachings are detrimental to the well-being of society
– are emerging in new forms. This phenomenon gives us pause to reflect. As I suggested
in my Encyclical on Christian hope, the artificial separation of the Gospel from intellectual
and public life should prompt us to engage in a mutual “self-critique of modernity”
and “self-critique of modern Christianity,” specifically with regard to the hope each
of them can offer mankind (cf. Spe Salvi, 22). We may ask ourselves, what does the
Gospel have to say to the Czech Republic and indeed all of Europe today in a period
marked by proliferating world views? Christianity has much to offer on the practical
and ethical level, for the Gospel never ceases to inspire men and women to place themselves
at the service of their brothers and sisters. Few would dispute this. Yet those
who fix their gaze upon Jesus of Nazareth with eyes of faith know that God offers
a deeper reality which is nonetheless inseparable from the “economy” of charity at
work in this world (cf. Caritas in Veritate, 2): He offers salvation. The term
is replete with connotations, yet it expresses something fundamental and universal
about the human yearning for well-being and wholeness. It alludes to the ardent desire
for reconciliation and communion that wells up spontaneously in the depths of the
human spirit. It is the central truth of the Gospel and the goal to which every effort
of evangelization and pastoral care is directed. And it is the criterion to which
Christians constantly redirect their focus as they endeavour to heal the wounds of
past divisions. To this end – as Doctor Černý has noted – the Holy See was pleased
to host an International Symposium in 1999 on Jan Hus to facilitate a discussion of
the complex and turbulent religious history in this country and in Europe more generally
(cf. Pope John Paul II, Address to the International Symposium on John Hus, 1999).
I pray that such ecumenical initiatives will yield fruit not only in the pursuit of
Christian unity, but for the good of all European society. We take confidence in
knowing that the Church’s proclamation of salvation in Christ Jesus is ever ancient
and ever new, steeped in the wisdom of the past and brimming with hope for the future.
As Europe listens to the story of Christianity, she hears her own. Her notions of
justice, freedom and social responsibility, together with the cultural and legal institutions
established to preserve these ideas and hand them on to future generations, are shaped
by her Christian inheritance. Indeed, her memory of the past animates her aspirations
for the future. This is why, in fact, Christians draw upon the example of figures
such as Saint Adalbert and Saint Agnes of Bohemia. Their commitment to spreading
the Gospel was motivated by the conviction that Christians should not cower in fear
of the world but rather confidently share the treasury of truths entrusted to them.
Likewise Christians today, opening themselves to present realities and affirming all
that is good in society, must have the courage to invite men and women to the radical
conversion that ensues upon an encounter with Christ and ushers in a new life of grace.
From this perspective, we understand more clearly why Christians are obliged to
join others in reminding Europe of her roots. It is not because these roots have
long since withered. On the contrary! It is because they continue – in subtle but
nonetheless fruitful ways – to supply the continent with the spiritual and moral sustenance
that allows her to enter into meaningful dialogue with people from other cultures
and religions. Precisely because the Gospel is not an ideology, it does not presume
to lock evolving socio-political realities into rigid schemas. Rather, it transcends
the vicissitudes of this world and casts new light on the dignity of the human person
in every age. Dear friends, let us ask the Lord to implant within us a spirit of
courage to share the timeless saving truths which have shaped, and will continue to
shape, the social and cultural progress of this continent. The salvation wrought
by Jesus’s suffering, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven not only transforms
us who believe in him, but urges us to share this Good News with others. Enlightened
by the Spirit’s gifts of knowledge, wisdom and understanding (cf. Is 11:1-2; Ex 35:31),
may our capacity to grasp the truth taught by Jesus Christ impel us to work tirelessly
for the unity he desires for all his children reborn through Baptism, and indeed for
the whole human race. With these sentiments, and with fraternal affection for you
and the members of your respective communities, I express my deep thanks to you and
commend you to Almighty God, who is our fortress, our stronghold and our deliverer
(cf. Ps 144:2). Amen.