(02 Feb 10 - RV) On Monday Pope Benedict XVI received the Bishops of England and Wales
at the end of their Ad Limina Pilgrimage to Rome. During his address, the Pope confirmed
his first Apostolic Visit to Great Britain and asked the bishops to ensure the faithful
of England and Wales that the Pope "holds them in his heart". Below we publish the
full text and audio of the Papal discourse:
Dear Brother
Bishops, I welcome all of you on your ad Limina visit to Rome, where you
have come to venerate the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul. I thank you for the
kind words that Archbishop Vincent Nichols has addressed to me on your behalf, and
I offer you my warmest good wishes and prayers for yourselves and all the faithful
of England and Wales entrusted to your pastoral care. Your visit to Rome strengthens
the bonds of communion between the Catholic community in your country and the Apostolic
See, a communion that sustained your people’s faith for centuries, and today provides
fresh energies for renewal and evangelization. Even amid the pressures of a secular
age, there are many signs of living faith and devotion among the Catholics of England
and Wales. I am thinking, for example, of the enthusiasm generated by the visit of
the relics of Saint Thérèse, the interest aroused by the prospect of Cardinal Newman’s
beatification, and the eagerness of young people to take part in pilgrimages and World
Youth Days. On the occasion of my forthcoming Apostolic Visit to Great Britain, I
shall be able to witness that faith for myself and, as Successor of Peter, to strengthen
and confirm it. During the months of preparation that lie ahead, be sure to encourage
the Catholics of England and Wales in their devotion, and assure them that the Pope
constantly remembers them in his prayers and holds them in his heart. Your country
is well known for its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of
society. Yet as you have rightly pointed out, the effect of some of the legislation
designed to achieve this goal has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom
of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs. In some respects
it actually violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is
grounded and by which it is guaranteed. I urge you as Pastors to ensure that the
Church’s moral teaching be always presented in its entirety and convincingly defended.
Fidelity to the Gospel in no way restricts the freedom of others – on the contrary,
it serves their freedom by offering them the truth. Continue to insist upon your
right to participate in national debate through respectful dialogue with other elements
in society. In doing so, you are not only maintaining long-standing British traditions
of freedom of expression and honest exchange of opinion, but you are actually giving
voice to the convictions of many people who lack the means to express them: when so
many of the population claim to be Christian, how could anyone dispute the Gospel’s
right to be heard? If the full saving message of Christ is to be presented effectively
and convincingly to the world, the Catholic community in your country needs to speak
with a united voice. This requires not only you, the Bishops, but also priests, teachers,
catechists, writers – in short all who are engaged in the task of communicating the
Gospel – to be attentive to the promptings of the Spirit, who guides the whole Church
into the truth, gathers her into unity and inspires her with missionary zeal. Make
it your concern, then, to draw on the considerable gifts of the lay faithful in England
and Wales and see that they are equipped to hand on the faith to new generations comprehensively,
accurately, and with a keen awareness that in so doing they are playing their part
in the Church’s mission.In a social milieu that encourages the expression
of a variety of opinions on every question that arises, it is important to recognize
dissent for what it is, and not to mistake it for a mature contribution to a balanced
and wide-ranging debate. It is the truth revealed through Scripture and Tradition
and articulated by the Church’s Magisterium that sets us free. Cardinal Newman realized
this, and he left us an outstanding example of faithfulness to revealed truth by following
that “kindly light” wherever it led him, even at considerable personal cost. Great
writers and communicators of his stature and integrity are needed in the Church today,
and it is my hope that devotion to him will inspire many to follow in his footsteps. Much
attention has rightly been given to Newman’s scholarship and to his extensive writings,
but it is important to remember that he saw himself first and foremost as a priest.
In this Annus Sacerdotalis, I urge you to hold up to your priests his example
of dedication to prayer, pastoral sensitivity towards the needs of his flock, and
passion for preaching the Gospel. You yourselves should set a similar example. Be
close to your priests, and rekindle their sense of the enormous privilege and joy
of standing among the people of God as alter Christus. In Newman’s words,
“Christ’s priests have no priesthood but His … what they do, He does; when they baptize,
He is baptizing; when they bless, He is blessing” (Parochial and Plain Sermons,
VI 242). Indeed, since the priest plays an irreplaceable role in the life of the
Church, spare no effort in encouraging priestly vocations and emphasizing to the faithful
the true meaning and necessity of the priesthood. Encourage the lay faithful to express
their appreciation of the priests who serve them, and to recognize the difficulties
they sometimes face on account of their declining numbers and increasing pressures.
The support and understanding of the faithful is particularly necessary when parishes
have to be merged or Mass times adjusted. Help them to avoid any temptation to view
the clergy as mere functionaries but rather to rejoice in the gift of priestly ministry,
a gift that can never be taken for granted. Ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue
assume great importance in England and Wales, given the varied demographic profile
of the population. As well as encouraging you in your important work in these areas,
I would ask you to be generous in implementing the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution
Anglicanorum Coetibus, so as to assist those groups of Anglicans who wishto enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. I am convinced that, if
given a warm and open-hearted welcome, such groups will be a blessing for the entire
Church. With these thoughts, I commend your apostolic ministry to the intercession
of Saint David, Saint George and all the saints and martyrs of England and Wales.
May Our Lady of Walsingham guide and protect you always. To all of you, and to the
priests, religious and lay faithful of your country, I cordially impart my Apostolic
Blessing as a pledge of peace and joy in the Lord Jesus Christ. From the Vatican,
1 February 2010