Pope reviews 2009 in pre-Christmas meet with Roman Curia

(December 21, 2009) Bishops and priests must not give in to the temptation of personally being involved in politics but must practice and interpret a positive secularism in the right way. Pope Benedict XVI made the point on Monday to the cardinals, archbishops and officials of various Vatican offices in an annual pre-Christmas gathering to exchange greetings with them. In a long talk the German-born pontiff reviewed the major events of 2009 that ranged from the close of the Pauline Year to the start of the Year of Priests, from his pastoral visit to Cameroun and Angola and the African Synod, to his visits to the Holy Land and the Czech Republic. “For the Church and for me personally, the year that is closing has been largely under the banner of Africa,” Pope said reviewing with satisfaction his first African visit and the Synod for Africa in Rome in the month of October. The Pope said that the synod theme of reconciliation, justice and peace is a burning theological and pastoral issue, which could also be understood as a political theme. It is the bishops’ duty to transform theology into a pastoral ministry that is largely concrete where the great visions of the Sacred Scriptures and Church Tradition are applied and put to action by bishops and priests in specific time and space. However, the Pope warned that in doing so one should no give in to the temptation of personally getting involved in politics and turn into political guides instead of pastors. In the face of this, the Pope said, one can practice and interpret a positive secularism in the correct way. Still pursuing the theme of peace, the Pontiff said that every society is in need of reconciliation. A look on the sufferings and pains of modern African history, but also in many other parts of the world, shows that deep-rooted and unresolved conflicts can lead, in certain situations, such explosions of violence in which all sense of humanity seems lost. “Peace,” the Pope said,” can be accomplished only with interior reconciliation.”