(Vatican Radio) On Tuesday August 7th the 130th
Supreme Convention of the Order of the Knights of Columbus gets underway in Anaheim,
California. The Order, founded on the principles of charity, unity and fraternity,
will gather together thousands of its members under the banner Proclaim Liberty
Throughout All the Land. Below a message to the Convention addressed to Supreme
Knight Karl A. Anderson of behalf of Pope Benedict XVI signed by Vatican Secretary
of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
Dear Mr. Anderson, His
Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was pleased to learn that from 7 to 9 August 2012 the 130th
Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus will be held in Anaheim, California.
He has asked me to convey his warm greetings to all in attendance, together with the
assurance of his closeness in prayer.
The theme of this year’s Supreme Convention
– Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land – evokes not only the great biblical
ideals of freedom and justice which shaped the founding of the United States of America,
but also the responsibility of each new generation to preserve, defend and advance
those great ideals in its own day. At a time when concerted efforts are being made
to redefine and restrict the exercise of the right to religious freedom, the Knights
of Columbus have worked tirelessly to help the Catholic community recognize and respond
to the unprecedented gravity of these new threats to the Church’s liberty and public
moral witness. By defending the right of all religious believers, as individual citizens
and in their institutions, to work responsibly in shaping a democratic society inspired
by their deepest beliefs, values and aspirations, your Order has proudly lived
up to the high religious and patriotic principles which inspired its founding.
The
challenges of the present moment are in fact yet another reminder of the decisive
importance of the Catholic laity for the advancement of the Church’s mission in today’s
rapidly changing social context. The Knights of Columbus, founded as a fraternal society
committed to mutual assistance and fidelity to the Church, was a pioneer in the development
of the modern lay apostolate. His Holiness is confident that the Supreme Convention
will carry on this distinguished legacy by providing sound inspiration, guidance and
direction to a new generation of faithful and dedicated Catholic laymen. As he stated
to the Bishops of the United States earlier this year, the demands of the new evangelization
and the defence of the Church’s freedom in our day call for “an engaged, articulate
and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-à-vis the
dominant culture and with the courage to counter a reductive secularism which would
delegitimize the Church’s participation in public debate about the issues which are
determining the future of American society” (Ad Limina Address, 19 January
2012).
Given this urgent need, the Holy Father encourages the Supreme Council,
together with each of the local Councils, to reinforce the praiseworthy programs of
continuing catechetical and spiritual formation which have long been a hallmark of
your Order. Each Knight, in fidelity to his baptismal promises, is pledged to bear
daily witness, however quiet and unassuming, to his faith in Christ, his love of the
Church and his commitment to the spread of God’s Kingdom in this world. The forthcoming
inauguration of the Year of Faith, which commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of
the opening of the Second Vatican Council, is meant to deepen this sense of ecclesial
responsibility and mission in the entire People of God. His Holiness prays that the
celebration of this Year of spiritual and apostolic renewal will inspire in the Knights
an ever firmer resolve to profess their baptismal faith in its fullness, celebrate
it more intensely in the liturgy, and make it manifest through the witness of their
lives (cf. Porta Fidei, 9).
In a particular way, His Holiness wishes
me to convey his profound personal gratitude for the spiritual bouquet of prayers
and sacrifices which the Knights and their families have offered for his intentions
throughout this year which marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of his episcopal ordination.
He is pleased to see in this act of spiritual solidarity not only an outstanding testimony
of love for the Successor of Saint Peter, who is “the perpetual and visible principle
and foundation of the Church’s unity in faith and her communion” (cf. Lumen Gentium,
18), but also a sign of especial fidelity, loyalty and support during these difficult
times.
With these sentiments, the Holy Father commends the deliberations of
the Supreme Convention to the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church. To
all the Knights and their families he cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as
a pledge of joy and peace in the Lord.
Adding my own prayerful good wishes
for the work of the Supreme Convention, I remain Yours sincerely, Card. Tarcisio
Bertone Secretary of State From the Vatican, 19 July 2012