Pope’s message to Rimini Meeting

(August 20, 2012) In order to realize himself fully man needs to be aware that he is a creature and not the master of his own destiny. Pope Benedict XVI made the observation in a message to the 33rd Rimini Meeting which kicked off on Sunday in the Italian city of Rimini on the Adriatic coast. The August 19 – 25 meeting has as its theme, “By Nature, Man Is Relation to the Infinite.” The Rimini Meeting, an encounter among persons of different faiths and cultures from around the world, was born in 1980. In his message the Pope lamented that "today this word “creature” appears almost out of fashion.” “We prefer to think of man as being complete in himself, and master of his own destiny." The Holy Father explained that despite trying to escape this fundamental relationship with God, man’s heart is still in search of the infinite, although in the wrong direction. He "begins a frantic search for a sterile and false infinite that leads to dangerous places, "to drugs, sexuality lived in a disorderly manner, success at any cost, and even deceptive forms of religiosity." However, "to truly find himself and his identity,” the Pope said man must return to recognizing himself as a creature, dependent on God.