Pope commends eastern Churches of US

(May 18, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday commended the eastern-rite Catholic Churches of the United States for their efforts in favour of immigrants and in forging a coherent communion amidst America’s variety of cultures and rites for an effective proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world. The Pope praised a group of 15 bishops from the Chaldean, Ruthenian, Maronite, Ukrainian, Armenian, Melkite, Syriac and Romanian Catholic churches who met him in the Vatican as part of their May 15-19 “ad limina” visit, which heads of dioceses are required to make every five years or so. The Pope said the Church of America has succeeded “in forging a communion in Christ and in the apostolic faith which mirrors the catholicity which is an indefectible mark of the Church.” Pope Benedict particularly commended the bishops for their response to the ongoing phenomenon of immigration in the country, by welcoming waves of new immigrants, and providing them with pastoral care and charitable assistance, and supporting ways of regularizing their situation, especially with regard to the unification of families. The Pope said such an action is of profound concern to the Church, since it involves ensuring the just treatment and the defence of the human dignity of immigrants. The Pope noted that fostering a communion of cultures within their local Churches must be considered of particular importance in the exercise of their ministry at the service of unity amidst America’s variegated mix of rites and immigrant groups, particularly Hispanic, Asian and African Catholics. This ‘diaconia’ of communion entails more than simply respecting linguistic diversity, promoting sound traditions, and providing much-needed social programs and services. It also calls for a commitment to ongoing preaching, catechesis and pastoral activity aimed at inspiring in all the faithful a deeper sense of their communion in the apostolic faith and their responsibility for the Church’s mission in the United States, the Pope said.
Pope Benedict also encouraged vocations to religious life and hoped that the Year of Faith starting on Oct. 12, will help their faithful re-discover with joy and gratitude the priceless treasure of our faith. “With the progressive weakening of traditional Christian values, and the threat of a season in which our fidelity to the Gospel may cost us dearly, the truth of Christ needs not only to be understood, articulated and defended, but to be proposed joyfully and confidently as the key to authentic human fulfilment and to the welfare of society as a whole,” the Pope added.