News

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

"Truly a Doctor of Unity"

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 14, 2007 (ZENIT.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the general audience today on St. Ignatius of Antioch.

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Like last Wednesday, today we are talking about the protagonists in the young Church. Last week, we spoke about Pope Clement I, third successor to St. Peter. Today, we will talk about St. Ignatius, who was "the third bishop of Antioch in Syria, from the year 70 to 107," the year of his martyrdom.

At that time, Rome, Alexandria and Antioch were the three great cities of the Roman Empire. The Council of Nicaea mentions the three "primacies": that of Rome, and Alexandria and Antioch participate, in a certain sense, in a "primacy."

St. Ignatius was the bishop of Antioch, which is now located in Turkey. Here, in Antioch, as we know from the Acts of the Apostles, a blossoming Christian community was emerging: Its first bishop was the apostle Peter as is stated in tradition, and "there for the first time the disciples were called Christians" (Act 11:26).

Eusebius of Caesarea, a fourth-century historian, dedicates an entire chapter of his Storia Ecclesiastica to the life and works of Ignatius (3,36).

"From Syria," he writes, "Ignatius was sent to Rome to be thrown to the animals, because of his testimony to Christ. Traveling through Asia, under the severe care of the guards" (which he calls "ten leopards" in his Letter to the Romans, 5:1), "in each city where he stopped, with preaching and admonitions, he reinforced the Churches; above all, he would exhort heatedly to watch out for heresy, which were beginning to come about and recommended not straying from the apostolic tradition."

The first stop on Ignatius' trip toward martyrdom was the city of Smyrna, whose bishop was St. Polycarp, a disciple of St. John. Here, Ignatius wrote four letters, respectively to the Church of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles and Rome.

Eusebius continues: "Having left Smyrna, Ignatius came to Troas, and from there sent new letters": two to the Churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna, and one to Bishop Polycarp.

Eusebius completes the list of letters, which have come to us from the first-century Church like a precious treasure. Reading these texts, one can feel the freshness of the faith of the generation that had still known the apostles. We can also feel in these letters the ardent love of a saint. Finally from Troas, the martyr reached Rome, where, in the Flavian Amphitheater, he was thrown to the lions.

No other Church Father expressed as intensely as Ignatius the wish for union with Christ and life in him. This is why we have read the Gospel of the vine, which according to the Gospel of St. John is Jesus.

Two spiritual currents can be found in St. Ignatius: St. Paul's tending toward union with Christ and St. John's concentrating on life in him. In turn, these two currents merge into "imitation of Christ" many times proclaimed by Ignatius as my or our God.

Therefore Ignatius begs the Roman Christians to not postpone his martyrdom, because he was "impatient to join Jesus Christ." And explains: "It is beautiful for me to die going toward ('eis') Jesus Christ, rather than reigning to the ends of the earth. I look for him, who died for me, I want him, who was resurrected for us. … Let me imitate the Passion of my God!" (Romans 5-6).

In these expressions of burning love we can see the specific Christological realism typical of the Church of Antioch, evermore attentive to the incarnation of the Son of God and his true and concrete humanity. Ignatius writes to the Smyrnaeans, "He is truly of the line of David … truly born of a virgin … truly was he nailed for us" (1,1).

Ignatius' irresistible tension toward union with Christ founds a real "mystique of unity." He defines himself as "a man who has been given the duty of unity" (Philadelphians 8,1).

For Ignatius, union is "above all a prerogative of God who being three," is one in absolute union. He often repeats that God is union and only in God can this be found in the pure and original state. The union to be reached in this world by Christians is but an imitation, the closest possible to the divine archetype. In this way, Ignatius elaborates a vision of the Church, closely recalling certain expression of the Letter to the Corinthians by Clement of Rome.

For example, he writes to the Christians of Ephesus: "Wherefore it is fitting that you should run in accordance with the will of your bishop, a thing you also do. For your justly renowned presbytery, worthy of God, is fitted as exactly to the bishop as the strings are to the harp. Therefore in your concord and harmonious love, Jesus Christ is sung. And do ye, man by man, become a choir, that being harmonious in love, and taking up the song of God in unison you may with one voice sing" (4,1-2).

And after having advised the Smyrnaeans to not "undertake anything regarding the Church without the bishop" (8,1), he confides to Polycarp: "I offer my life for those obeying the bishop, the presbyters and the deacons. May I, with them, have a part with God. Work together one with the other, fight together, run together, suffer together, sleep and wake together as administrators of God, his assessors and servants. Please him under whom you fight and from whom you receive grace. May none of you be found deserting. May your baptism remain a shield, faith as a helmet, charity as a lance, patience as armor" (6,1-2).

In general, in Ignatius' letters, we can see a sort of constant and fruitful dialectic between the two aspects characteristic of Christian life: on one hand the hierarchical structure of the ecclesial community, and on the other hand, the fundamental union that links all the faithful in Christ. Therefore the roles cannot be opposed. On the contrary, the insistence on communion of the faithful among themselves and with their pastors is continually formulated through eloquent images and analogies: the harp, the chords, the tone, the concert, the symphony. The specific responsibility of the bishops, the presbyters and the deacons in the building of the community is evident. To them above all, the invitation to love and union is valid.

Ignatius writes to the Magnesians, taking up Jesus' prayer during the Last Supper: "Be as one. One supplication, one mind one hope in love. … Come all to Jesus Christ as the only temple of God, as the one altar; he is one, and proceeding from the one Father, he remained in union with him, and returned to him in union" (7,1-2).

Ignatius was the first one in Christian literature to give the Church the adjective "Catholic," that is, "universal." He states: "Where Jesus Christ is, so is the Catholic Church" (Smyrnaeans 8,2).

It is in the service of union to the Catholic Church that the Christian community of Rome exercises a sort of primacy in love: "In Rome, it presides worthy of God, venerable worthy of being called blessed. … Presiding over charity, who bears the law of Christ and the name of Father" (Romans, prologue).

As we can see, Ignatius is "truly a doctor of unity": unity of God and unity of Christ (despite the various heresies that had begun to spread and divided humanity and divinity in Christ), unity of the Church, unity of the faithful "in faith and charity, of which there is nothing more excellent" (Smyrnaeans 6,1).

In conclusion, the realism of Ignatius invites the faithful of yesterday and today, invites us all, to a progressive synthesis between configuration to Christ (union with him, life in him) and dedication to his Church (union with the bishop, generous service to the community and the world).

In other words, one must achieve a synthesis between communion of the Church within itself and the mission of proclamation of the Gospel to others, until one dimension speaks through the other, and believers are evermore "in possession of that indivisible spirit that is Jesus Christ himself" (Magnesians 15).

Imploring this "grace of union" of the Lord, and with the conviction of presiding charity throughout the Church (cf. Romans, prologue), I wish you the same desire that ends the Letter by Ignatius to the Trallians: "Love one another with an undivided heart. My spirit is offered in sacrifice for you not only now, but also when you have reached God. … In Christ may you be found without sin" (13). And we pray that the Lord may help us in achieving this unity and to be found without sin, because love purifies the spirit.

[Translation by ZENIT]

[After the audience, the Pope greeted visitors in various languages. In English he said:]

I welcome all the English speaking visitors present today, including the Cardinals and Bishops of the Vox Clara committee, gathered in Rome to advise the Congregation for Divine Worship on the new English translation of the Roman Missal. I thank them and their assistants for their important work. Upon all of you I invoke God's abundant blessings of joy and peace.

© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Code: ZE07031401

Date: 2007-03-14

 

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

VATICAN CITY, MAR 14, 2007 (VIS) - Continuing his cycle of catecheses on the Apostolic Fathers, Benedict XVI dedicated the general audience today to the figure of St. Ignatius of Antioch. The audience, held in St. Peter's Square, was attended by around 25,000 people.

 

From the year 70 to 107 St. Ignatius was bishop of Antioch, "the city in which the disciples first received the name of Christians," said the Pope. Condemned to be thrown to wild beasts, he was taken to Rome for the sentence to be carried out and took advantage of his journey through the various cities of the empire to confirm the Christians living there in their faith.

 

"No Father of the Church expressed with the same intensity as Ignatius the longing for union with Christ and for life in Him," said the Pope, explaining that "two spiritual currents come together in St. Ignatius: that of Paul, which tends towards union with Christ, and that of John, which focuses on life in Him. In their turn, these two currents lead to the imitation of Christ."

 

"Ignatius' irresistible attraction towards union with Christ is the foundation for a true mysticism of unity," Benedict XVI went on. And he recalled how in the seven letters the bishop of Antioch wrote during his journey to Rome "he frequently repeats that God, existing in three persons, is One in absolute unity, ... and that the unity Christians must create in this world is no more than an imitation, as near as possible to the divine archetype."

 

In St. Ignatius' letters we find "a constant and fruitful dialectic between two characteristic aspects of Christian life: on the one hand, the hierarchical structure of the ecclesial community and, on the other, the fundamental unity that binds the faithful to one another in Christ. Consequently, the [various different] roles cannot conflict. On the contrary, the insistence on the communion of believers among themselves and with their pastors is continually reformulated" using musical images such as "the lyre, chords ... symphonies."

 

Benedict XVI highlighted the "special responsibility of bishops, priests and deacons in the edification of the community," which must translate, above all, into "a proposal of love and unity."

 

"It is clear, then, that St. Ignatius was the 'doctor of unity'," said the Pope. "The 'realism' of Ignatius invites us all to undertake a progressive synthesis between configuration to Christ (union with Him, life in Him) and commitment to His Church (unity with the bishop, generous service to the community and the world), ... between interior communion of the Church and mission, which is the proclamation of the Gospel for others."

AG/IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH/...                                                     VIS 070314 (450)

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

VATICAN CITY, MAR 14, 2007 (VIS) - Yesterday evening the Holy See Press Office released the following communique:

 
"This afternoon, March 13, 2007, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Valdimir Putin, president of the Russian Federation. At the same time, Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States, met with Sergei Lavrov, minister for foreign affairs of the Russian Federation, and other members of the delegation accompanying the president.

 

"The discussions, which took place in a positive atmosphere, provided an opportunity to emphasize the cordial relations that exist between the Holy See and the Russian Federation and the shared desire to develop them further, also through specific cultural initiatives. Within this framework, certain bilateral themes of mutual interest were examined, also concerning relations between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and current international questions were analyzed, especially those regarding the Middle East.

 

"Finally, attention also turned to the problems of extremism and intolerance, which constitute grave threats to the civilized coexistence of nations, highlighting the need to preserve peace and to favor negotiated and peaceful solutions to conflicts."

OP/PRESIDENT RUSSIAN FEDERATION/PUTIN                    VIS 070314 (200)

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Date: February 19, 2007
Contact: Jack Figel (703) 691-8862
President
Eastern Christian Publications

For Immediate Release


Orientale Lumen Conferences Announced for 2007

Fairfax VA: The Orientale Lumen Conferences will be held in four different cities around the world this coming year. These ecumenical conferences focus on the Christian East and are open to the public, for both lay persons and clergy. The plenary speakers come from four main religious groups: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Oriental Orthodox. These conferences encourage ecumenical dialogue (discussion of the similarities and differences among the groups) on a theme through presentations and discussions. The conferences include a variety of prayer services, from a wide range of Church traditions. In this way, the conferences provide a learning experience and intellectual discussion, as well as a unique spiritual experience.

The goals, then, of the Orientale Lumen Conferences are to:

-- educate and promote information about the Eastern Christian Churches, their traditions, liturgy, spirituality, monasticism, theology, and more
-- provide an unofficial forum for ecumenical dialogue at the "grass roots" level among lay persons and clergy, as well as include senior Church officials and theologians who normally participate in official dialogues.

Orientale Lumen EuroEast II will be held in Istanbul, May 7 – 10, 2007. The theme of this conference will be “Liturgical Worship of the Eastern Church”. The presentations and discussion will explore various aspects of this interesting topic, which is at the core of how people relate to their own Church. The speakers will discuss the conference theme from the perspective of their own tradition. They will include:

Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia, Oxford, United Kingdom
Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ, Pontifical Oriental Institute, the Vatican, Rome, Italy
Father Paul McPartlan, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA
Father Peter Galadza, Sheptytsky Institute, St. Paul University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Father Andrew Dudchenko, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate, Kiev, Ukraine
Prof. Gabriele Winkler, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

The conference moderator will be Bishop John Michael Botean, Romanian Greek Catholic Church, Canton, OH, USA. Special guests will include Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, and Lubomyr Cardinal Husar, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.


Orientale Lumen XI East will be held in Washington, DC, June 18 – 21, 2007, at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in northeast Washington, DC next to the campus of The Catholic University of America. Orientale Lumen XI West will be held in San Diego, CA, June 25 – 28, 2007, on the campus of the University of San Diego. The theme of both of these conferences will be “Icons – Expressions of Our Faith”. Icons are the graphical representations of scripture, the people, and events of the church, and guide the spiritual thought and experience for many people. They are found in all human activity, and are helpful visual guides for each person, sometimes differently for each one. They can be touchstones of beauty and inspiration, used with many caring and devoted purposes for all of us. The conferences will explore the theology and symbols of icons and how they are used for religious devotion.

The following speakers will give presentations at both locations:

Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos, Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church, Johnstown, PA, USA
Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia, Oxford, United Kingdom, (by recorded video from Constantinople)
Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ, Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, Italy
Father Mark Morozowich, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA
Prof. Richard Schneider, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Other speakers in Washington will include Father Daniel Findikyan, St. Nerses Armenian Orthodox Seminary, New York, NY, USA and Father Andrij Chirovsky, Sheptysky Institute, Ottawa, Canada. Other speakers in San Diego will include Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, CA, USA, and Father Thomas Loya, Chicago, IL, USA.

The moderator for both sites will be Rev. Msgr. George Dobes, US Navy Chaplain Corps, Retired, Washington, DC, USA.

The fourth conference this year, Orientale Lumen Australasia and Oceania III, will be held in Melbourne, Australia, on September 26 – 29, 2007 on the campus of the Australian Catholic University there. The theme will be “The Life in Christ” and plenary speakers will include:

Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, Russian Orthodox Church, Vienna, Austria
Archimandrite Serge Keleher, Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, Dublin, Ireland
Father Columba Stewart, OSB, Collegeville, MN, USA
Professor Mary Cunningham, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Dr. Abraham Terian, St. Nerses Armenian Orthodox Seminary, New York, NY, USA
Dr. Frances Baker, School of Theology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
Dr. Mary Marrocco, Canadian Council of Churches

The moderator in Melbourne will be Rev. John Henderson, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, Australia.

Church leaders, lay persons, monastics, clergy and students are all welcome and invited to participate. These conferences have been appreciated and discussed all across the world, and have been mentioned in meetings among the religious leaders in the Vatican, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Greek Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, and many others.

The Orientale Lumen Conferences have been meeting annually since 1997 in Washington, DC and other locations around the world. Primarily sponsored by the Society of Saint John Chrysostom and Eastern Christian Publications, other co-sponsors include the Halki School of Orthodox Theology in Constantinople, the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and the University of San Diego, in San Diego, CA.

The Pope's visit to Istanbul in November, 2006, as well as the official dialogue of Catholic and Orthodox Churches that was held in September, 2006, demonstrate the improved relations among the Christian Churches. The Orientale Lumen conferences function in an unofficial capacity parallel to those official discussions. They are unique because of the extensive participation of lay persons, and because of the involvement of Eastern Catholics -- a small minority within the Catholic Church, and who are rarely represented at other dialogue meetings.

Registration details for the Istanbul, Washington and San Diego conferences are available on the website at http://www.olconference.com or by contacting the Conference Office for a brochure.

Contact:
Jack Figel
Orientale Lumen Conferences
PO Box 192
Fairfax, VA 22038-0192
(703) 691-8862
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Details for the Melbourne conference can be found at http://www.orientale-lumen.com.au .

For further information:
Society of Saint John Chrysostom: http://www.ssjc.org
Eastern Christian Publications: http://www.ecpubs.com
The Catholic University of America: http://www.cua.edu
The University of San Diego: http://www.sandiego.edu

# # #

Photo Captions:
1. OL EuroEast I Group at Halki -- “The attendees at the Orientale Lumen EuroEast I Conference at the Halki Orthodox School of Theology in May 2004”
2. OL EuroEast Group with Bartholomew -- “The attendees with Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, at the Orientale Lumen EuroEast I Conference in May 2004”
3. OL X East Group -- “The group of participants at the Orientale Lumen X East Conference in Washington, DC in June 2006”
4. OL X West Group -- “The group of participants at the Orientale Lumen X West Conference in San Diego, CA in June 2006”
5. Bartholomew Address – “Patriarch Bartholomew welcomes and addresses the Orientale Lumen EuroEast I Conference in Constantinople”
6. Gregorios at Tombs – “Greek-Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III of Antioch leads a memorial prayer service at the tombs of deceased Patriarchs of Constantinople”



Attachments
22-2007-OL-brochure.pdf

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

VATICAN CITY, MAR 13, 2007 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office at 11.30 a.m. today, the presentation took place of the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Sacramentum Caritatis" on the Eucharist, source and summit of the life and mission of the Church. Participating in the press conference were Cardinal Angelo Scola, patriarch of Venice, Italy, relator general of the 11th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, and Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops.

 

The exhortation, which is dated February 22, Feast of the of the Chair of St. Peter, is the final document of the synodal assembly held in Rome from October 2 to 23, 2005. It has been published in Latin, Italian, English, French, Spanish German, Portuguese and Polish.

 

Archbishop Eterovic explained how the Apostolic Exhortation forms part of the "series of great documents on the sublime Sacrament of the Eucharist such as, for example, those of Servant of God John Paul II 'Ecclesia de Eucharistia' and 'Mane nobiscum Domine.' 'Sacramentum Caritatis' is part of this continuity and, at the same time, re-proposes in an updated form certain essential truths of Eucharistic doctrine, calling for the dignified celebration of the sacred rite and recalling the urgent need to include Eucharistic life as part of everyday life."

 

The secretary general of the Synod of Bishops pointed out that the document, "in presenting the great truths of Eucharistic faith in a way accessible to modern man, considers various current aspects of [Eucharistic] celebration and calls for a renewed commitment to building a more just and peaceful world, in which the Bread broken for everyone's life becomes ... the exemplary cause in the fight against hunger and against all forms of poverty."

 

For his part, Cardinal Angelo Scola recalled how the title of the Apostolic Exhortation, "Sacramentum Caritatis," reaffirms "the Holy Father's insistence over these two years of his pontificate on the truth of love," clearly indicating that this is "one of the crucial themes upon which the future of the Church and of humanity depend."

 

The Exhortation is founded "on the indissoluble bond of three elements: Eucharistic mystery, liturgical action and new spiritual worship." Hence, the text "is divided into three sections, each one of which considers one of the three dimensions of the Eucharist." The sections are entitled: "the Eucharist, a Mystery to be believed," "the Eucharist, a Mystery to be celebrated," and "the Eucharist, a Mystery to be lived."

 

"The Holy Father's teaching," Cardinal Scola went on, "clearly illustrates how liturgical action (the mystery to be celebrated) is that specific action which makes it possible for Christian life (the mystery to be lived, new worship) to be conformed by faith (the mystery to be believed)." In "a second and very important doctrinal novelty," Benedict XVI also highlights "the importance of 'ars celebrandi' (art of celebration) for an ever greater 'actuosa participatio' (full, active and fruitful participation)."

 

The first section of the document, "the Eucharist, a Mystery to be believed," highlights the "free gift of the Blessed Trinity" and illustrates "the mystery of the Eucharist on the basis of its Trinitarian origin, which ensures it always remains a gift. ... In this teaching are the profound roots of what the Exhortation says concerning adoration and its intrinsic relationship with Eucharistic celebration."

 

With reference to Christology and the work of the Spirit, the Holy Father considers "the institution of the Eucharist in relation to the Jewish Paschal supper," in a "decisive passage that illuminates the radical 'novum' that Christ brought to the ancient ritual meal.

 

"Indeed," the cardinal added, "in the rites we do not repeat an act chronologically situated during Jesus' Last Supper, rather we celebrate the Eucharist as a radical 'novum' of Christian worship." Jesus calls us to enter "the mystery of death and resurrection, the innovative beginning of the transformation ... of all history and all the cosmos."

 

The chapter on "the Eucharist and the Church" highlights how "the Eucharist is the causal principle of the Church: 'We too, at every celebration of the Eucharist, confess the primacy of Christ's gift. The causal influence of the Eucharist at the Church's origins definitively discloses both the chronological and ontological priority of the fact that it was Christ Who loved us first.' Benedict XVI, while affirming the circularity between the Eucharist that builds the Church and the Church herself that celebrates the Eucharist, makes a significant magisterial option for the primacy of Eucharistic over ecclesial causality."

 

"The Holy Eucharist brings Christian initiation to completion and represents the center and goal of all sacramental life" said Cardinal Scola quoting from the Exhortation, and he pointed out how the document goes on to consider the Eucharist and the seven Sacraments. "Concerning the Sacrament of Reconciliation the Holy Father insists on the need for 'a reinvigorated catechesis on the conversion born of the Eucharist'," while "the Anointing of the Sick and the Viaticum 'unites the sick with Christ's self-offering for the salvation of all'."

 

"The irreplaceable nature of priestly ministry for the valid celebration of Mass," is emphasized in the chapter dedicated to "the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Holy Orders," said the patriarch of Venice, adding that the Holy Father "reaffirms and underlines the relationship between priestly ordination and celibacy: 'while respecting the practice and tradition of the Eastern Churches, there is a need to reaffirm the profound meaning of priestly celibacy, which is rightly considered a priceless treasure'."

 

The great decrease in the number of clergy on some continents "must be faced in the first place by bearing witness to the beauty of priestly life," and by "careful vocational formation."

 

In the chapter entitled "the Eucharist and Matrimony" the Holy Father maintains that "the Eucharist, par excellence a nuptial Sacrament, 'inexhaustibly strengthens the indissoluble unity and love of every Christian marriage'."

 

"Taking the nuptial nature of the Eucharist as his starting point," said Cardinal Scola, "Benedict XVI reconsiders the theme of the unicity of Christian marriage, with reference to the question of polygamy and to the indissolubility of the marriage bond.

 

"The text contains important pastoral suggestions" concerning Catholics who have divorced and remarried, he added. "The Exhortation, having reaffirmed that despite their situation such people 'continue to belong to the Church, which accompanies them with special concern,' lists nine ways to participate in the life of the community for these faithful who, even without receiving Communion, can adopt a Christian style of life."

 

Mention is also made in the text "of people who, having celebrated a valid marriage, ... find themselves unable to obtain a nullity of the marriage bond, suggesting that, with appropriate pastoral assistance they commit themselves 'to living their relationship in fidelity to the demands of God's law, as friends, as brother and sister,' in other words transforming their bond into a fraternal friendship."

 

The second part of the document, "the Eucharist, a Mystery to be celebrated," is dedicated, the cardinal said, "to describing the development of liturgical action in celebration, indicating the aspects that deserve the greatest attention and making a number of significant pastoral suggestions."

 

"The Pope offers a number of indications concerning the richness of liturgical symbols (silence, vestments, gestures, the standing and kneeling positions, etc.) and of art at the service of celebration." In this context the document recalls the importance of the tabernacle being visible in the church and marked by a lamp.

 

The unity between Eucharistic mystery, liturgical action and new spiritual worship becomes clear "when the Pope highlights the personal conditions for active participation."

 

The document highlights certain pastoral aspects that favor a more active participation in the sacred rites. These include use of the communications media, participation by the sick, prisoners and emigrants, large-scale concelebrations (which must be limited to "extraordinary situations"), and Eucharistic celebrations in small groups. "It also proposes a more widespread use of the Latin language, especially in the great international celebrations, without overlooking the importance of the Gregorian chant."

 

"The Pope," the cardinal went on, "recalls 'the inherent unity of the rite of Mass' which must also be expressed in the way in which the Liturgy of the Word is practiced." Benedict XVI highlights "the great educational value for the life of the Church, especially at this moment in history, of the presentation of the gifts, the sign of peace and the 'Ite, missa est.' And the Holy Father entrusts the study of possible modifications to these latter two aspects to the competent curial offices."

 

The third and final part of the Apostolic Exhortation, said the cardinal, "demonstrates the power of the mystery - believed and celebrated - to become the ultimate and definitive horizon of Christian existence."

 

From its opening lines, the patriarch of Venice went on, the Apostolic Exhortation highlights the fact "that the gift of the Eucharist is for man, that it responds to man's hopes. ... In the Eucharistic celebration, Christians find the true and living God, capable of saving their lives. And the interlocutor of this salvation is human freedom." On this subject, Benedict XVI writes: "Precisely because Christ has become for us the food of truth, the Church turns to every man and woman, inviting them freely to accept God's gift."

 

The cardinal continued: "The anthropological importance of the Eucharist emerges with all its power in the new worship characteristic of Christians. ... On the basis of Eucharistic action, all the circumstances of life become, so to say, 'sacramental.' ... Regenerated by Baptism and 'eucharistically' incorporated into the Church, man can finally be completely fulfilled, learning to offer his 'own body' - in other words, all of himself - as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God."

 

The patriarch of Venice indicated that "all the faithful are called to a profound transformation of their own lives" which is, as the Pope writes, "'a heartfelt yearning to respond to the Lord's love with one's whole being, while remaining ever conscious of one's own weakness.'

 

"In this context, the responsibility of Christians in public and political life becomes particularly important." Catholic politicians and legislators must, then, "introduce and support laws,' the Holy Father writes, "inspired by values grounded in human nature. There is an objective connection here with the Eucharist."

 

Another chapter of the document deals with the question of the Eucharist and witness. "The first and fundamental mission that we receive from the sacred mysteries we celebrate is that of bearing witness by our lives," the Holy Father writes.

 

"The Exhortation," said the cardinal, "strongly recommends that everyone, and in particular the lay faithful 'cultivate a desire that the Eucharist have an ever deeper effect on their daily lives, making them convincing witnesses in the workplace and in society at large'."

 

The document, Cardinal Scola said, does not hesitate to affirm that "the Eucharist ... compels all who believe ... to become 'bread that is broken for others,' and to work for the building of a more just and fraternal world."

 

"Eucharistic celebration involves the offer of bread and wine, the fruits of the earth, and of the life and labor of mankind. ... The question of protecting creation is developed and becomes more profound in relation to the Lord's design for all creation, The truth is not mere neutral matter at the mercy of technical and scientific manipulation, it is desired by God with a view to the recapitulation of all things in Christ. Hence the responsibility to protect creation, a responsibility that falls to Christians who are nourished by the Eucharist."

 

Cardinal Scola expressed the conviction that "in the authenticity of faith and of Eucharistic worship lies the secret for a revival of Christian life capable of regenerating the People of God. The mystery of the Eucharist throws opens the way to the reality of God, which is love."

 

At the beginning and end of the document, Benedict XVI highlights the relationship between the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary: "In Mary Most Holy, we also see perfectly fulfilled the 'sacramental' way that God comes down to meet His creatures and involves them in His saving work. ... From Mary we must learn to become men and women of the Eucharist and of the Church."

 

Click here to read the complete text of the document.

EXOR/SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS/...                                      VIS 070313 (2040)

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Begins Audience Series on Apostolic Fathers

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 8, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Already in the first century, popes exercised their primacy over the other Churches, Benedict XVI says.

The Holy Father explained this on Wednesday at the general audience, which he dedicated to Pope St. Clement of Rome, the third successor of Peter.

Speaking to some 16,000 people gathered both in Paul VI Hall and St. Peter's Basilica, the Pontiff began a new series of catecheses on the Apostolic Fathers.

Benedict XVI mentioned that Clement's Letter to the Corinthians was given "[a]n almost canonical characteristic."

The letter noted that the Church of Corinth was experiencing severe divisions. "The priests of the community, in fact, had been deposed by some young upstarts," the Holy Father said.

And quoting St. Irenaeus, he explained the context of Clement's letter: "[t]he Church of Rome sent the Corinthians a very important letter to reconcile them in peace to renew their faith and to announce the tradition, a tradition they had so newly received from the apostles."

Benedict XVI continued: "Therefore we could say that [Clement's letter] is a first exercise of a Primate of Rome after the death of St. Peter."

He added that the letter "opened to the Bishop of Rome the possibility for vast intervention on the identity of the Church and its mission."

Organic connection

St. Clement's letter clarifies the distinction between hierarchy and laity.

"The clear distinction between the 'lay people' and the hierarchy does not mean, in any way, a contraposition but only the organic connection of a body, of an organism with different functions," Benedict XVI explained. "In fact, the Church is not a place for confusion and anarchy, where someone can do whatever he wants at any time; each one in this organism with an articulated structure practices his ministry according to the vocation received.

"As pertains to the heads of the communities, Clement specifies clearly the doctrine of apostolic succession."

Benedict XVI added: "The laws that regulate this derive from God himself in an ultimate analysis. The Father sent Jesus Christ, who in turn sent the apostles. These then sent out the first heads of the communities, and established that they would be followed by worthy men."

"The Church is above all a gift of God and not a creature of ours," the Pope contended, "and therefore this sacramental structure not only guarantees the common order but also the precedence of the gift of God that we all need."

Code: ZE07030826

Date: 2007-03-08