The World of Culture: Discourse 3 of Pope Benedict XVI at Portugal
(May 12, 2010) I am very pleased to meet you, men and women devoted to research and
expansion in the various fields of knowledge, and worthy representatives of the rich
world of culture in Portugal. I take this occasion to express my deep esteem and
appreciation of you and your work. The Government, represented here by the Minister
for Culture, to whom I extend my respectful and warm greetings, gives praiseworthy
support to the national priorities of the world of culture. I am grateful to all
those who have made this meeting possible, particularly the Cultural Commission of
the Bishops’ Conference and its President, Bishop Manuel Clemente, whom I thank for
his kind words of welcome and his presentation of the multifaceted reality of Portuguese
culture, represented here by some of its most distinguished leaders. Their sentiments
and expectations have been expressed by film director Manoel de Oliveira, a man venerable
in years and in professional activity, to which I extend my affectionate greetings
and esteem. I also thank him for his kind words, which have given a glimpse of the
concerns and the mood of the soul of Portugal in this turbulent period of the life
of society. Today’s culture is in fact permeated by a “tension” which at times
takes the form of a “conflict” between the present and tradition. The dynamic movement
of society gives absolute value to the present, isolating it from the cultural legacy
of the past, without attempting to trace a path for the future. This emphasis on
the “present” as a source of inspiration for the meaning of life, both individual
and social, nonetheless clashes with the powerful cultural tradition of the Portuguese
people, deeply marked by the millenary influence of Christianity and by a sense of
global responsibility. This came to the fore in the adventure of the Discoveries
and in the missionary zeal which shared the gift of faith with other peoples. The
Christian ideal of universality and fraternity inspired this common adventure, even
though influences from the Enlightenment and laicism also made themselves felt. This
tradition gave rise to what could be called a “wisdom”, that is to say, an understanding
of life and history which included a corpus of ethical values and an “ideal” to be
realized by Portugal, which has always sought to establish relations with the rest
of the world. The Church appears as the champion of a healthy and lofty tradition,
whose rich contribution she sets at the service of society. Society continues to
respect and appreciate her service to the common good but distances itself from that
“wisdom” which is part of her legacy. This “conflict” between tradition and the present
finds expression in the crisis of truth, yet only truth can provide direction and
trace the path of a fulfilled existence both for individuals and for a people. Indeed,
a people no longer conscious of its own truth ends up by being lost in the maze of
time and history, deprived of clearly defined values and lacking great and clearly
formulated goals. Dear friends, much still needs to be learned about the form in
which the Church takes her place in the world, helping society to understand that
the proclamation of truth is a service which she offers to society, and opening new
horizons for the future, horizons of grandeur and dignity. The Church, in effect,
has “a mission of truth to accomplish, in every time and circumstance, for a society
that is attuned to man, to his dignity, to his vocation. […] Fidelity to man requires
fidelity to the truth, which alone is the guarantee of freedom (cf. Jn 8:32) and of
the possibility of integral human development. For this reason the Church searches
for truth, proclaims it tirelessly and recognizes it wherever it is manifested. This
mission of truth is something that the Church can never renounce” (Caritas in Veritate,
9). For a society made up mainly of Catholics, and whose culture has been profoundly
marked by Christianity, the search for truth apart from Christ proves dramatic. For
Christians, Truth is divine; it is the eternal “Logos” which found human expression
in Jesus Christ, who could objectively state: “I am the truth” (Jn 14:6). The Church,
in her adherence to the eternal character of truth, is in the process of learning
how to live with respect for other “truths” and for the truth of others. Through
this respect, open to dialogue, new doors can be opened to the transmission of truth. “The
Church – wrote Pope Paul VI – must enter into dialogue with the world in which she
lives. The Church becomes word, she becomes message, she becomes dialogue” (Ecclesiam
Suam, 67). Dialogue, without ambiguity and marked by respect for those taking part,
is a priority in today’s world, and the Church does not intend to withdraw from it.
A testimony to this is the Holy See’s presence in several international organizations,
as for example her presence at the Council of Europe’s North-South Centre, established
20 years ago here in Lisbon, which is focused on intercultural dialogue with a view
to promoting cooperation between Europe, the southern Mediterranean and Africa, and
building a global citizenship based on human rights and civic responsibility, independent
of ethnic origin or political allegiance, and respectful of religious beliefs. Given
the reality of cultural diversity, people need not only to accept the existence of
the culture of others, but also to aspire to be enriched by it and to offer to it
whatever they possess that is good, true and beautiful. Ours is a time which calls
for the best of our efforts, prophetic courage and a renewed capacity to “point out
new worlds to the world”, to use the words of your national poet (Luís de Camões,
Os Lusíades, II, 45). You who are representatives of culture in all its forms, forgers
of thought and opinion, “thanks to your talent, have the opportunity to speak to the
heart of humanity, to touch individual and collective sensibilities, to call forth
dreams and hopes, to broaden the horizons of knowledge and of human engagement. […]
Do not be afraid to approach the first and last source of beauty, to enter into dialogue
with believers, with those who, like yourselves, consider that they are pilgrims in
this world and in history towards infinite Beauty!” (Address to Artists, 21 November
2009). Precisely so as “to place the modern world in contact with the life-giving
and perennial energies of the Gospel” (John XXIII, Apostolic Constitution Humanae
Salutis, 3), the Second Vatican Council was convened. There the Church, on the basis
of a renewed awareness of the Catholic tradition, took seriously and discerned, transformed
and overcame the fundamental critiques that gave rise to the modern world, the Reformation
and the Enlightenment. In this way the Church herself accepted and refashioned the
best of the requirements of modernity by transcending them on the one hand and on
the other by avoiding their errors and dead ends. The Council laid the foundation
for an authentic Catholic renewal and for a new civilization – “the civilization of
love” – as an evangelical service to man and society. Dear friends, the Church
considers that her most important mission in today’s culture is to keep alive the
search for truth, and consequently for God; to bring people to look beyond penultimate
realities and to seek those that are ultimate. I invite you to deepen your knowledge
of God as he has revealed himself in Jesus Christ for our complete fulfilment. Produce
beautiful things, but above all make your lives places of beauty. May Our Lady of
Belém intercede for you, she who has been venerated down through the centuries by
navigators, and is venerated today by the navigators of Goodness, Truth and Beauty.