Pope Benedict greets Ambassadors with fraternal words
(VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of
five new ambassadors to the Holy See: Suresh Prasad Pradhan of Nepal; Royson Mabuku
Mukwena of Zambia; Miquel Angel Canturri Montanya of Andorra, Vivianne Fock Tave of
Seychelles, and Boubacar Sidiki Toure of Mali. The Holy Father first addressed
the diplomats as a group, then gave each of them a speech in written form concerning
issues specific to his or her own country. The Pope focused his collective remarks
on the subject of human fraternity, in which context he recalled appeals made over
the course of the year "for Haiti, devastated first by the earthquake and them by
the cholera epidemic. Unfortunately", he said, "other tragedies have taken place in
a number of nations this year. Your own counties, the international community and
the voluntary sector have responded to the urgent appeals for aid, aid which must
certainly continue and intensify. For her part the Church, through her various institutions,
also contributes in many ways over the course of time". "The great ideal of fraternity,
which is part of the national emblem of many countries, has had less resonance in
the development of philosophical and political ideas than other ideals such as freedom,
equality, progress or unity", the Pope observed. "It is a principle which has become
a dead letter in contemporary political societies, due above all to the influence
of individualist and collectivist ideologies. Yet fraternity has a special significance
for Christians, because of God's plan of fraternal love, the fraternity revealed to
us by Christ". "In order to live with dignity all human beings need respect, just
as they need justice to be done and their rights to be recognised in concrete terms.
However, this is not enough to live a fully human life, for human beings also need
fraternity, ... not only in their immediate relationships but also on a planetary
scale. And, although the current process of globalisation brings people closer together
it does not make them brothers". "Human reason", said Benedict XVI, "is capable
of recognising the equality of all men and the need to limit excessive inequalities
among them, yet it is incapable of establishing fraternity. That is a supernatural
gift. The Church sees the achievement of human fraternity on earth as a vocation that
is part of the creative design of God, Who wishes her to create this fraternity at
both the local and universal level, as she does in the countries you represent before
the Holy See". Yet, the Pope concluded, "although fraternity among men can raise
positive echoes in terms of 'social effectiveness', it must not be forgotten that
it is not a means but an end in itself. The Church believes that Christ revealed to
us that God is love. Thus people who believe in divine charity are certain that the
path of love is open to all men and women, and that efforts to establish universal
fraternity are not in vain". Listen: