Blog by-the-Sea

St. Paul: A Man of Three Cultures

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict began a new series of catechesis about the Apostle Paul.  This was the first Wednesday audience since the beginning of the Pauline Year, and the last before the summer break, as the Holy Father is moving to his summer residence Castel Gandolfo today and will depart next week on his journey to Australia for World Youth Day.

He mentioned that St. Paul was a Jew, when Jews made up only about 3% of ancient Rome, setting them apart from the rest of the population.  He was also immersed in Helenistic culture and influenced by the prevailing Stoic philosophy.  He was also a citizen of Rome as indicated by his Latin name.  While the “universalistic vision that was typical of the Christian Paul owes its basic impulse to Jesus”, he said, the values of humanity and wisdom seen in the Stoic philosopher Seneca were "naturally received in Christianity."

Asia News has an article.  Full translations are available at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum. The Vatican Press Office provides original Italian text and short summaries in several languages, and Vatican Information Service has a press release with a longer summary.

Benedict XVI and Bartholomew I on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

This morning, Pope Benedict XVI and Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, side by side, celebrated the liturgy of the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Basilica.  The Holy Father also gave the pallium to 40 archbishops during that Mass.  EWTN will re-broadcast that Mass at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time/6:00 p.m. Pacific tonight.

Asia News has an article, as it usually does on Sunday morning.  The International Herald Tribune, Vatican Radio,  also have articles, and the Washington Post has a short summary in an article on the day's world news.

During the Mass, the Gospels were proclaimed by a Latin rite Catholic deacon and a deacon from the Orthodox Church.  The Holy Father kissed the book of the Gospels used by the Orthodox deacon, and the Ecumenical Patriarch kissed the book of the Gospels used by the Catholic deacon.  The Greek formula of the Nicene Creed was recited.  Father Zuhlsdorf has a post about the use of the Greek Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed without the filioque.

Following the Gospels, Benedict XVI introduced Bartholomew I, who then gave a short homily.  After Bartholomew I's homily, Benedict VXI gave his own homily.   The Vatican Press Office has the text of the introduction and both homilies in Italian.  An English translation of the introduction and both homilies is provided at Papa Ratzinger Forum.  Zenit also has translations of Bartholomew I's homily with the Pope's introduction and Benedict XVI's homily.

Bartholomew I's homily spoke of the unity between the "new Rome" (Constantinople, now known as Istanbul) and the "old Rome" (Rome), and a hope for full unity as soon as possible. 

Benedict XVI's homily spoke of the importance of Rome as the place of martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul.  For Paul, he said, going to Rome was part of the universality of his mission to the Gentiles.  For Peter, he said, going to Rome was part of a mission for the unity of the Church that was being formed by Jews and pagans.  He said that the Church's interior unity, which comes from God's peace, is important in today's world, in which the external unity brought by information technology has prompted new disagreements and re-activated some old ones.  He also spoke about the symbolism of the pallium.

After the imposition of the pallium, the Holy Father gave his Angelus reflection and recited the Angelus.  The Italian text with greetings in various languages can be found on the Vatican Press Office website.  There are English translations at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.  In that reflection, he again spoke of the Pauline year, saying that it would naturally have Rome as its center, but would involve the entire Church, particularly mentioning the locations of St. Paul's missionary journeys, including Tarsus, Turkey, the Holy Land and Malta.

Benedict XVI and Bartholomew I then blessed the people together and went together to the tomb of St. Peter for a moment of silent prayer.

St. Maximus the Confessor: Freedom in Saying Yes

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about St. Maximus the Confessor, one of the Fathers of the Eastern Church.  St. Maximus was called "the Confessor" for the way he proclaimed ("confessed") his faith.  Living in the late 6th and early 7th centuries, he contributed to the understanding of Christ in his day by writing about Christ's divine will and human will having a "unity in the person of Christ."  Adam saw human freedom in saying "No" to God.  Although that human tendency carried into Christ's human will, the Holy Father said, St. Maximus showed that Christ went beyond it in that he "does not see the maximum of freedom in saying No, but rather in saying Yes and conforming to God’s Will."

An article is available from Asia News. The Vatican Press Office has the original Italian text and short summaries in other languages, including English.  A longer summary is provided by Vatican Information Service. English translations of the full text are available at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Sunday Angelus: He Who Fears God Is Tranquil

In his words before the midday Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI spoke from the Gospel reading for today's Mass, including Matthew 10:26: "Be not afraid."  He spoke about the difference between fearing God and fearing man.  He described forms of fear that we experience since childhood, which should be "faced and overcome with human effort and with trust in God."  However, one who fears God will not be afraid, and fear of God coincides with faith in Him.  He said, "He who fears God is tranquil even in the midst of tempests, because God, as Jesus has revealed to us, is the Father full of mercy and goodness."

News articles are available at Asia News and Catholic News Agency.  Full English translations of the text are available at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

St. Isidore of Seville: The Active and Contemplative Life

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of St. Isidore of Seville from the early seventh century.  Asia News has an article.  The Vatican Press Office has the original Italian text with summaries in several languages.  The full text in English translation is available at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

The Holy Father spoke of St. Isidore's fusion of the active and contemplative life, saying that this "is the summary of a life that sought contemplation of God, dialogue with God in prayer and the reading of Holy Scripture, and action in the service of the human community" and "the lesson that the great bishop of Seville leaves to us, Christians of today who are called to bear witness to Christ at the beginning of a new millennium."

Here is the English language summary from the Vatican Press Office:

"In today’s catechesis we turn to Saint Isidore of Seville, the brother of Saint Leander and a contemporary and friend of Saint Gregory the Great. Isidore lived during the Visigothic invasions of Spain, and he devoted much energy to converting the barbarian tribes from heresy and preserving the best fruits of classical and Christian culture. His encyclopedic, albeit somewhat eclectic, learning is reflected in his many writings, including the Etymologies, which were widely read throughout the Middle Ages. Isidore worked to bring the richness of pagan, Jewish and Christian learning to the rapidly changing political, social and religious situations in which he lived. Throughout his life, he was torn between his devotion to study and contemplation, and the demands made by his responsibilities as a Bishop, especially towards the poor and those in need. He found his model in Christ, who joined both the active and contemplative life, and sought to "love God in contemplation and one’s neighbour in action" (Differentiarum Liber, 135). This is a lesson which is as valid today as it was in the life of the great Bishop of Seville."

Benedict XVI in Brandisi, Italy: Holiness and Mission Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

Today, the Holy Father is on an Apostolic Journey to the city of Brindisi, Italy.  The Vatican Press Office has the Italian text of his words before the midday Angelus prayer.  His outdoor Mass at the Port of Brindisi is being televised on EWTN.  Asia News has an article about the visit.  There are more articles and photos at Papa Ratzinger Forum.  The Vatican page on the journey presently has the texts of the Holy Father's addresses and homilies in Italian.  Eventually, the official translations into various languages, including English, will be accessible on that page.  Zenit has a full translation of the Holy Father's words before the Angelus.

In his words before the Angelus, he said that he wanted to renew the Christian message of peace and cooperation among all peoples, referring to the symbolic meaning that he saw in the Port of Brindisi:

Every port speaks of welcome, of shelter, of safety; it speaks of the landing point desired after a journey, possibly a long and difficult one.  But it also speaks of departure, of projects and aspirations, of the future.

At the Mass on the Port of Brindisi, the Holy Father delivered a homily drawing from today's readings for Mass.  The first reading, Exodus 19:2-61, he said re-evokes the covenant that God made with Israel on Mt. Sinai.  The Gospel gives the call of the 12 Apostles. 

The following is a summary of the homily.   When full translations become available online, I will then add links to the full text in English translation and shorten or delete the following summary:

He said that the pact on Mt. Sinai is one of the great moments in history, in which the boundary between Old and New Testaments disappears, and God's perennial design is manifest: a design to save people. The people is called to become a holy nation, not just in the moral sense but in its very ontological reality, in its being as a people.  When Jesus called the apostles, he placed the 12 at the center of the new community, making it understood that he had come to bring fulfillment to the Father's design.  The style of Jesus is the characteristic style of God who loves to do great things in a poor and humble way.

The covenant of Sinai is accompanied by cosmic signs that astound the Israelites.  The beginnings of the Church in Galilee reflect the mildness and compassion of Christ's heart, but they presage another battle, which is that stirred up by the forces of evil.  He gave the 12 the power to drive out unclean spirits and to heal every kind of infirmity.  Substantially, the Church is called to go out and establish the kingdom of life and to undo the dominion of death.

God's plan is to spread over humanity and the whole cosmos his generating love of life.  It is a project that the Lord wants to actuate with respect for our freedom, because love cannot impose itself. 

He said that the Church's holiness and missionary character are two sides of the same coin.  Holiness always exists for others and, in this way, it is a force for transformation.  The 12 Apostles were not perfect men, chosen for their absolute moral probity and religious uprightness.  Jesus did not call them because they were already holy, but so that they could become so. 

The Church is a community of sinners who believe in God's love and let themselves be transformed by Him.  They become holy and, in this way, they transform the world.  The Gospel suggests to us the style of the mission, the interior attitude that translates itself into life that is lived fully.  It can only be the attitude of Jesus, His style of compassion, as he gazed on the fold and felt compassion because the people were tired and worn out like sheep without a shepherd.  After the call of the 12, he commanded them to go first to the lost of the tribe of Israel, and we feel His love for the people, especially for the weak and the poor.

Working Document for the Synod of Bishops on the Word of God

The Vatican today released the Instrumentum Laboris (Working Document) for the 12th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church.  The synod will take place October 5 to 26, 2008.  The document was released in several languages, including English.  The Vatican's web pages on the Synod of Bishops includes the official English translation of the Instrumentum Laboris.  Vatican Information Service has a press release about it.

The Instrumentum Laboris is divided into three parts: (1) The Mystery of God Who Speaks to Us; (2) The Word of God in the Life of the Church; and (3) The Word of God in the Mission of the Church.

The Lineamenta for the Synod on the Word of God was released last year.  As stated in the Introduction to the Instrumentum Laboris, the Lineamenta called for a "reflection, in light of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, on the various experiences and aspects of encountering the Word of God in the Church today, according to her various traditions and rites and from the vantage point of faith."

The Introduction to the Instrumentum Laboris provides a list of the Pastors' expectations for the synod:

— the Word of God needs to be given greater priority in the life and mission of the Church; this will require courage and creativity in a pedagogy of communicating, adapted to the times (culture, real-life situations, communication);

— the faithful need to know that the Word of God is Jesus Christ, an awareness which lends a sense of mystery to the reading of every word in the Bible, particularly during liturgical celebrations, first and foremost at the Sunday Eucharist;

— the Word of God can only be fully understood through the action of the Holy Spirit, who gives it meaning and inspires the reading of the Bible in the Church, within the context of her living Tradition of proclamation and charity. In this way, hearing the Word of God and reading the Bible are seen to require participation in the community of the Church in a spirit of communion and service;

— the Bible needs to be seen as the Word of God who continues to reveal, despite the many difficulties in understanding certain passages, especially those in Old Testament;

— Christ’s faithful exhibit a great desire to hear the Word of God, which has resulted in many noteworthy pastoral initiatives. In this regard, however, urgent attention needs to be given to a sense of indifference, lack of knowledge and confusion about the truths of the faith concerning the Word of God, as well as to due preparation and necessary biblical supports;

— pastoral programs on the Bible need to be developed. Indeed, all pastoral activity, including the teaching of the truths of the faith, should be based on the Word of God and continually inspired by it;

— communion in the faith necessarily requires putting the Word of God into practice; each particular Church must commit itself to receiving the Word and applying it to every local situation;

— the different approaches to the Bible in the Latin and Eastern Traditions need to be known and their richness appreciated;

— the competency and responsibility of Pastors to proclaim the Word of God demands continual updating in the formation process;

— the laity urgently need to be aware that they are not passive subjects in relation to the Word of God; rather they are to become both hearers of the Word of God and, after due preparation and support from the community, proclaimers of it; and

— the faithful need to be convinced that God addresses his Word of salvation to every person without exception; consequently, he wants his Word to be a part of the Church’s mission, in what people come to know as the Good News of liberation, consolation and salvation. The Word seeks a dialogue within the Church, with Christian communities, with other religions, and even with culture, always mindful of the many seeds of the truth which God’s providence has placed in them.

St. Columbanus: Austerity as a Means to Open Himself to God's Love

In his catechesis at today's General Audience, the Holy Father spoke about Saint Columbanus.  St. Columbanus was a 6th century Irish monk who founded monasteries, including the monastery at Bobbio that would later become a great cultural center of Europe.  He fought against the heresy of Arianism.  He lived an ascetic life and called people to detachment from worldly goods as the means to an end, and not as the end in itself.  The Holy Father described Columbanus as "A man of great culture and rich in gifts of grace, both as a tireless builder of monasteries and as an uncompromising penitential preacher."    

Asia News has an article.  The Vatican Press Office has the original Italian text and short summaries in several languages, including English.  The Vatican Information Service has a press release with more quotations.  Full translations are available at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Here is a portion of what the Holy Father said about St. Columbanus' asceticism:

"St. Columbanus' message focuses on a powerful call to conversion and detachment from worldly goods, with a view to the eternal reward. With his ascetic life and his uncompromising attitude to the corruption of the powerful, he evokes the severe figure of John the Baptist. Yet his austerity . . . was only a means to open himself freely to the love of God and to respond with his entire being to the gifts received from Him, reconstructing the image of God in himself, and at the same time ploughing the earth and renewing human society."

The Christian Message: Love of God and One's Neighbor

In his reflection before today's midday Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of Jesus' words in today's Gospel reading for Mass, "Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’  I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matt. 9:13)  Jesus is there quoting Hosea 6:6 from the Hebrew Scriptures.  The Pope mentioned that the passage was important enough to Jesus that he quoted it again at Matthew 12:7 in a different context.  Benedict XVI explained:

"This word of God has reaches us through the Gospels as one of those that synthesizes the entire Christian message: the true religion consists in the love of God and one's neighbor. This is what gives value to worship and the practice of precepts."

Asia News has an article.  Full translations are available at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Pope/St. Gregory the Great: Greatness in Humility

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI continued the catechesis on Pope/St. Gregory the Great that he began last week.  This week, he turned his attention to the saint's humility, in his way of leadership and in his approach to Scripture.

Asia News has an article.  The Vatican Press Office provides he original Italian text with short summaries in several languages.  Full English translations are available from Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.  Here is a quote:

Gregory remained a simple monk in his heart and that explains why he was decidedly opposed to great titles. . . . [H]e was convinced that, above all, a bishop must imitate this humility of God and, for love of God, be able to make himself the servant of all in a time full of tribulations and sufferings, to make himself the "servant of the servants." Precisely because he was this, he is great and shows us also the measure of true greatness.

St. Gregory the Great: A Comfort to St. Teresa of Avila

As Pope Benedict XVI's weekly audience catechesis this week and last week spoke of Pope/St. Gregory the Great, I thought I would do a separate post about his writing that influenced St. Teresa of Avila. In her Life, 5:16, she says that St. Gregory the Great's book Morals on the Book of Job helped to sustain her during the serious illness that struck her in early adulthood. She knew the life of Job, she said, from that book.  She would have had St. Gregory's book in Spanish translation.  Although she quoted from the Biblical Book of Job itself, she may have been careful to mention a source other than Scripture, because she was writing in an era when women were not taught much of the Latin language in which Scripture was usually available, and Spanish translations were under scrutiny for their association with the ongoing Protestant Reformation.  Here is the reference:

I was not more than three months in this cruel distress, for it seemed impossible that so many ills could be borne together.  I now am astonished at myself, and the patience His Majesty gave me—for it clearly came from Him—I look upon as a great mercy of our Lord.  It was a great help to me to be patient, that I had read the story of Job, in the Morals of St. Gregory (our Lord seems to have prepared me thereby); and that I had begun the practice of prayer, so that I might bear it all, conforming my will to the will of God.  All my conversation was with God.  I had continually these words of Job in my thoughts and in my mouth: "If we have received good things of the hand of our Lord, why should we not receive evil things?"  This seemed to give me courage.

Her quote is from Job 2:10.  Volume I and part of Volume II of St. Gregory's 3-volume Morals on the Book of Job are online at Lectionary Central.

June Devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

In his reflection at today's midday Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which he said "expresses in a simple and authentic way the 'good news' of love, summarizing in itself the mystery of the Incarnation and of the Redemption."  He mentioned the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was observed this past Friday as the third of three feasts following Eastertide (the others being the feasts of the Holy Trinity and Corpus Christi).  He mentioned that the month of June in the Church calendar is the Month of the Sacred Heart, and he invited everyone to take the month of June to renew their own devotion to the heart of Christ, being aware in silence of the heart of Jesus, "the pulse of a presence that is we can trust, perceptible with the senses of faith."

He said that the point of departure for his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, was a look at the pierced side of Christ.  That center of faith, he said, is also the source of the hope that was the subject of his second encyclical, Spe Salvi.

Asia News has an article. The Vatican Press Office has the original Italian text.  Full translations are available at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Pope/St. Gregory the Great: Peace and Hope in a Disastrous and Desparate Time

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about Pope/St. Gregory the Great, who lived at the end of the sixth century and is sometimes called "the last of the Romans."  Asia News has an article.  The Vatican Press Office has the original Italian text with short summaries in several languages.  Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum have a full English translation.

This is the conclusion:

He was a man immersed in God: The desire for God was always alive in the depth of his soul and precisely because of this he was always very close to his neighbor, to the needs of the people of his time. During a disastrous and desperate time, he was able to create peace and hope. This man of God shows us the true fonts of peace, from which true hope comes, and so becomes a guide also for us today.

Christian Classics Ethereal Library has his Book of Pastoral Rule and selected letters (with more letters in another volume).  His Life of St. Benedict can also be found at the Order of St. Benedict and Internet Medieval Sourcebook.  His Life of St. Benedict is Book II of his Dialogues.  The four-volume Dialogues can be found at Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

For more information about Pope/St. Gregory the Great, see the Catholic Encyclopedia, Patron Saint Index, and a biographical post on this blog About Pope/St. Gregory the Great with bibliographical links. 

Remembering China and Corpus Christi at the Midday Angelus

On this day following the day of prayer for the Church in China, many Chinese from around Italy were in the St. Peter's Square crowd for the midday Angelus.  Pope Benedict XVI's words at the Angelus mentioned China and also mentioned the celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi, which falls today in some parts of the world, including the U.S.  He called on Mary, Our Lady of Sheshan, for the Chinese, asking, among other things, that they may "always be credible witnesses to this love, ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built."

Here is a part of what he said in remembering the feast of Corpus Christi:

A week ago, our eyes were drawn to the mystery of the Holy Trinity; today we are invited to fix them on the Holy Eucharist.  It is the same God! The same Love! This is the beauty of Christian truth: the Creator and Lord of all things has been made a “grain of wheat” to be sown in our earth, in the furrows of our history.  He became bread to be broken, shared, eaten.  He made himself our food to give us life, his own divine life. He was born in Bethlehem, which in Hebrew means “House of Bread”, and when he began to preach to crowds, he revealed that the Father had sent him into the world as “living bread come down from heaven,” as the “Bread of Life.”

Asia News has an article.  Full translations are available from Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Pope Benedict XVI's Homily for the Feast of Corpus Christi

In the Holy Father's homily for the feast of Corpus Christi, he spoke of three meanings for the feast of Corpus Christi: (1)we gather around the altar of the Lord to be in his presence; (2) we join in procession, walking with the Lord; and finally, (3) we kneel before the Lord and prostrate ourselves before the Lord who lowered Himself to our level and gave His life for us.  Zenit has an article about the Mass and Procession with quotations from the homily.

Full English translations of the homily are available at the Vatican, Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Here is an excerpt:

"We prostrate ourselves before a God who was the first to bend down to man, like the Good Samaritan, to help him and give him back life, who knelt before us to wash our dirty feet.

"To adore the Body of Christ means to believe that he is truly present in that piece of bread, Christ who gives sense to life - to the immense universe as to its littlest creature, to the entire human history as to the briefest of existence."

Romanus the Melodist: The Wealth of Christian Culture Born of Faith

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the fifth century Romanus the Melodist.  Full English translations are available from Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Vatican Information Service provides a press release describing the Pope's catechesis.  In it, he said, "This great poet and composer reminds us of all the wealth of Christian culture which was born of faith, born of hearts that encountered Christ. From this contact with the Truth that is love ... all great Christian culture came into being."

Here is the shorter English language summary of his catechesis from the Vatican Press Office:

"In today’s catechesis we turn to the Christian poetry of Romanus the Melodist. Born in Syria at the end of the fifth century, Romanus received a classical education, was ordained a deacon, and settled in Constantinople. His preaching took the form of chanted metrical hymns known as "kontakia", consisting of an introduction and a series of stanzas punctuated by a refrain. Some eighty-nine of these have come down to us, and they testify to the rich theological, liturgical and devotional content of the hymnography of that time. Composed in simple language accessible to his hearers, these kontakia are notable for their dramatic dialogues and their use of sustained metaphors. Romanus was a catechist concerned to communicate the unity of God’s saving plan revealed in Christ. His hymns, steeped in Scripture, develop the teaching of the early Councils on the divinity of the Son, the mystery of the Incarnation, the person and role of the Holy Spirit, and the dignity of the Virgin Mary. Romanus shows us the power of symbolic communication which, in the liturgy, joins earth to heaven and uses imagery, poetry and song to lift our minds to God’s truth."

Pope Benedict XVI's Journey to Savona and Genoa

Pope Benedict XVI has been on a pastoral visit to Savona and Genoa yesterday and today.  The Vatican page on the journey already has the Holy Father's words in Italian.

Lots of photos, as well as English translations of the Holy Father's various homilies and addresses in Savona and Genoa, can be found at Papa Ratzinger Forum.

In addition to the translations and articles posted there, Asia News has an article about the Holy Father's words today at the midday Angelus prayer, following a meeting with youth.  A full translation is also available from Zenit. 

The Asia News article also mentions some of his activities earlier in the day, including a visit to a statue of Our Lady of the Guard.  He said that he prays each day in front of a statue of Mary that is in the Vatican gardens by his predecessor Pope Benedict XV.  At the Angelus, the Holy Father emphasized the Genoa's universal vocation, as many missionaries have departed from it to other parts of the world.  After the prayer, he invoked the protection of Mary, Star of the Sea, over the youth, "that they may follow, with her help, the correct route through the often stormy sea of life."

In his homily at today's Mass, the Pope spoke of the Trinity, from the readings for today's Mass for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

He said that today's feast invites us to contemplate the Lord and to go up the mountain as Moses did.  In doing so, we do not only escape from our problems, but we receive practical implications for life.  From the reality of God, we can derive a certain image of man by understanding the concept of what "person" means.  The human creature made in the image of God reflects God's make-up.

He said that the Vatican II Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) and the encyclicals of Popes Paul VI, John XXIII, and John Paul II outline a social doctrine for the Church.  He outlined two fundamental options: (1) above all, the choice of God's primacy (putting God first -- not a generic God, but the God of the covenant) and (2) placing the person in relationship at the center of the discussion.  In a society strained by globalization and individualism, the Church offers this concept of koinonia (communion), which has its roots in Heaven in the One and Triune God.  The ecclesial community, he said, is like a sign of God who is love, whose name is deeply engraved in every person and in every experience of true solidarity. 

He encouraged people to look to the future with trust and to work towards building it together, avoiding factions and working towards the common good.  He concluded with a wish from Moses, from the day's Old Testament reading (Exodus 34:9, quoted here in the RSV): "Let the Lord, I pray thee, go in the midst of us . . . and take us for thy inheritance."

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Symphony of God

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, the sixth century writer who was thought through part of Church history to have been the first century disciple of St. Paul known as Dionysius the Areopagite.  Responding to people who wanted a return to Greek polytheism and who wanted to make the thinking of Plato into a philosophical religion, Dionysius was a promoter of the encounter between such polytheistic Greek thought and the "the harmony of God's cosmos where all the forces are in praise of God" and "all creation speaks of God."

Full English translations are available from Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

The Asia News article says that much of what the Holy Father said today was spontaneous.  He spoke much about the dialogue between Christianity and the eastern religions as a "search for truth."  The original Latin text (which may be the written text rather than the catechesis as actually delivered) is available from the Vatican Press Office, which also includes the following summary in English:

"In today’s catechesis we turn to the teaching of a sixth-century author whose writings have been attributed to the first-century disciple of Saint Paul, Dionysius the Areopagite. His two principal works, The Divine Names and Mystical Theology, strive to present a knowledge of God which surpasses rational understanding and culminates in spiritual perfection and transforming contemplation. Pseudo-Dionysius stresses the apophatic or "negative" understanding born of pondering God’s infinite transcendence and otherness. By contemplating what God is not, and by entering more deeply into the rich symbolic language of Scripture, we grow in our relationship with the One who reveals himself in hiddenness. Contemplation is thus an ascent leading from purification to illumination, perfection and union with God. In the West, Dionysius’ writings influenced the early scholastics and Saint Thomas, as well as Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint John of the Cross. His vision of a great cosmic harmony reflecting the beauty of the Creator and the love freely bestowed on us in Christ, can also inspire our efforts to work for unity, reconciliation and peace in our world."

For more about Pseudo-Dionysius, this blog has a biographical post About Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite with a bibliography for further reading.

Pentecost at St. Peter's Basilica: The Journey to the Ends of the Earth

In his homily for the Solemn Mass of Pentecost today in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the universality of the Church that was born at Pentecost, which spoke the languages of all people.  He spoke of the significance of "Rome" in the ancient world.  He mentioned St. Luke's writing in Acts 1:8 ("But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth"), saying that "the journey of the word of God, begun in Jerusalem, reaches its destination, because Rome represents the entire world and thus embodies the Lucan idea of catholicity."  The Pope spoke about the nature of the Church, the intertwining of multiplicity and unity within the Church, and the role of the Church in service to the peace of Christ.  He said that the Church can be "a ferment of that reconciliation that comes from God" but "only if she remains docile to the Spirit and bears witness to the Gospel, only if she carries the cross like Jesus and with Jesus."

Afterward, he addressed the crowd in St. Peter's Square at the midday Regina Caeli, asking people to "rediscover the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives."  In it are found "the 'I' of the disciple and the 'we' of the Church," which are inseparable.  After the prayer, he made an appeal for peace in  the current fighting in Lebanon.

An article is available from Asia News, which also has a separate article devoted to the Holy Father's appeal for peace in Lebanon.   The Vatican Press Office has the original Italian text of the Pope's homily and his words at the Regina Caeli.  English translations of the homily are available from Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.  Translations of the Holy Father's words at the Regina Caeli are also available from Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

EWTN's special broadcasts today include two more re-broadcasts of the Mass at St. Peter's Basilica at 12:00 noon and midnight Eastern, 9:00 a.m. and p.m. Pacific.  Watch online.

The Holy Spirit and the Longing for Full Unity

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI welcomed His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, who was present and who also made a brief address.  The Holy Father's address to Karekin II was in English, including the following excerpt from the Vatican Press Office:

In an external niche of Saint Peter’s Basilica, there is a fine statue of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, founder of the Armenian Church. It serves to remind us of the severe persecutions suffered by Armenian Christians, especially during the last century. Armenia’s many martyrs are a sign of the power of the Holy Spirit working in times of darkness, and a pledge of hope for Christians everywhere.

In the Holy Father's catechesis that followed in Italian, he spoke of the Holy Spirit and of this coming Sunday's celebration of Pentecost.

An English translation of the greeting to Karekin II and the catechesis is available from Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

The Italian text of the catechesis was provided by the Vatican Press Office with short summaries in several languages.  A longer summary with quotes in English is available in the Vatican Information Service press release, including this:

These days of preparation that immediately precede the Solemnity of Pentecost stimulate us to renew our hope in the help of the Holy Spirit to advance along the path of ecumenism. We have the certainty that the Lord Jesus never abandons us in our search for unity, because His Spirit is tirelessly at work to support the efforts we make to overcome all forms of division. . . . This is what Christ asks of Christians: to persevere in prayer in order to keep alive the flame of faith, hope and charity, and the longing for full unity.

The Ascension: Not a Theoretical Truth, but a Real One

The Feast of the Ascension is celebrated today in many places, including most of the U.S. and Italy.  In addition, in St. Peter's Square, 100,000 people were gathered to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the founding of Catholic Action, an Italian Catholic community.  Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, who is president of the Italian Bishops Conference, presided at Mass in St. Peter's Square.  Pope Benedict XVI addressed them in his usual reflection before praying the Regina Caeli, and also afterward.  The Vatican Press Office has the original Italian text of the Holy Father's words at the recitation of the Regina Caeli and his address to them after the prayer.

News articles about his message are available from Asia News and Catholic News Agency.

Full translations of his reflection before the Regina Caeli are available at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.  A full translation of his address to Catholic Action afterward is also available at Papa Ratzinger Forum (scroll down).

Concerning the Ascension, he said:

"God in man - man in God" are "not a theoretical truth, but a real one", an anchor for the life of all men. "And what does man need more in every age if not this: a solid anchoring for his existence?"

He also spoke of the responsibility of a lay vocation in society, including the role in what he called an "educational emergency" in Italy, and the need to be "courageous and prophetic witnesses of the radical nature of the Gospel."

Plans for the Papal Journey to Paris and Lourdes

The Bishops' Conference of France issued an official announcement on Monday, April 28, confirming plans for an apostolic journey by Pope Benedict XVI to Paris and Lourdes in September.  La-Croix posted an article about the plans a few days earlier.  Zenit published an interview with Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris, about the visit on April 30.

The Pope's journey to France will take place from Friday, September 12 to Monday, September 15, 2008.  He will arrive in Paris on September 12.  After greeting State dignitaries, he will go to the Collège des Bernardins (the College of the Bernardines) to present an address to the cultural world.  The Collège des Bernardins, a 13th century building, is now a diocesan center for reflection on the link between faith and culture.  The late Cardinal Lustiger, Cardinal Vingt-Trois' predecessor as Archbishop of Paris, had wanted that facility.  In his interview with Zenit, Cardinal Vingt-Trois explained that he had asked Pope Benedict XVI to give a lecture in Paris on the subject of faith and reason in contemporary society.  That question, he said, is one of the principle questions which confronts us, because it concerns "whether Christian culture, developed by revelation and reflection on revelation, has a place in dialogue with other approaches to human existence, and how it finds that place."

The Pope will then go to the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris, where he will celebrate vespers with priests, deacons, men and women religious, and seminarians.  He will address young people gathered in the cathedral's square.  Also while in Paris, the Pope will likely meet with representatives of other Christian confessions and with representatives of the Jewish and Muslim faiths.

On Saturday, the 13th, the Pope will preside at an open-air Mass at the Esplanade des Invalides -- a space that could accommodate a vast crowd.  He will depart Paris for Lourdes in the afternoon.

His journey to Lourdes will fall during the Jubilee of the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions of St. Bernadette.  An official website called Lourdes 2008 already provides information about the Jubilee year activities in English as well as several other languages.  Late Saturday afternoon, Pope Benedict XVI will make the first three stages of the Jubilee Way.  That evening, at the end of the torchlight Marian procession, he will address the pilgrims.

There are four stages of the Jubilee Way altogether, and the Holy Father will make all four during his time in Lourdes.  The four stages are:

    1.    The parish church that holds the baptismal font where St. Bernadette was baptized.

    2.    The abandoned prison where the Soubirous family lived.

    3.   St. Michael's Gate, the Arches and the Grotto.

    4.    The hospital oratory, where St. Bernadette made her first Holy Communion on June 3, 1858.

For pilgrims to Lourdes during this Jubilee year, the Lourdes 2008 website mentions that the Holy Father has granted a plenary indulgence for each stage of the Jubilee Way.  More information about each of the stages, together with the Jubilee Prayer and other information about the Jubilee, can be found at the Lourdes 2008 website.

On Sunday, the Holy Father will preside at a solemn Mass for pilgrims.  That afternoon, he will meet with the Bishops' Conference of France and will conclude the Eucharistic procession. 

Finally, on Monday morning, he will make the fourth stage of the Jubilee Way, and he will anoint the sick during a celebration of the Eucharist.   He will return to Rome on Monday afternoon.

Benedict XVI Reflects on His Journey to America

In today's General Audience, the Pope reflected on his journey to America, offering his own comments on the visit.  In doing so, he gave one thought or comment to each event, explaining his intention, and added a request for prayer and hope that the journey will be fruitful.

Asia News has an article.  Translations of the full text can be found at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.  The original text in Italian with comments in various languages has been posted by the Vatican Press Office.  Here is his comment in English at the end of the audience:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

My recent Apostolic Journey to the United Nations and the United States of America was inspired by the theme, "Christ our Hope". I am most grateful to all who helped in any way to make the Journey a success. My visit was meant to encourage the Catholic community in America, especially our young people, to bear consistent witness to the faith, and to carry on the Church’s mission, especially with regard to education and concern for the poor. American society traditionally values religious freedom and the need for faith to play its part in building a sound civic life. In my meetings with President Bush, and with Christian leaders and representatives of other religions, I reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to cooperation in the service of understanding, peace and spiritual values. My address to the United Nations stressed the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which grounds respect for human dignity in a universally valid ethical order. In a particular way, my visit to Ground Zero, charged with sober silence and prayer, was a moving testimony to the hope which is stronger than evil and death. I ask all of you to join me in praying that this Visit will bear abundant spiritual fruit for the growth of the faith in America and for the unity and peace of the whole human family.

I offer a warm welcome to the participants in the third Christian-Buddhist Symposium, meeting in Castel Gandolfo during these days. Upon all of you and upon the English-speaking pilgrims from England, Ireland, Scandinavia, Malta, South Africa, Korea, Thailand, Canada and the United States, I cordially invoke the joy and peace of the Risen Christ.

Benedict XVI Ordains 29 Deacons to the Priesthood

Pope Benedict XVI ordained 29 deacons to the priesthood today at St. Peter's Basilica.  The Daily Bulletin of the Vatican Press Office has the Holy Father's Ordination Mass homily and his words at the Regina Caeli, both in Italian.  English translations of the Holy Father's words at the Regina Caeli are available at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.  An English translation of the homily is available at Papa Ratzinger Forum.  Asia News has an article about the Mass and Regina Caeli. 

French Catholic TV KTO has an online video  of the ordination for those who have Windows and Explorer 7 (It will not play properly in a Mac OS or with Firefox, and may still not work properly in Vista.  Double click the screen or click the link for full screen video.)

The Holy Father spoke about the silent imposition of hands on one being ordained as inseparable from prayer.  He spoke about Jesus words, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments," from today's readings for Mass and asked those ordained to read, meditate upon, and pray those words often.  He mentioned his recent journey to the U.S. and said that he will reflect upon it more at Wednesday's General Audience.  Remembering that today is Easter in the Orthodox Church, he said at the Regina Caeli:

"I invite everyone to join me in invoking the Mother of God so that the road of dialog and collaboration that we have taken for some time may bring us soon to a more complete communion among all the disciples of Christ, that they may be an ever more luminous sign of hope for all mankind."

Pope Benedict XVI in the United States

This post is a compilation of notes and links compiled during and after the Holy Father's journey to the U.S., begun April 15 and completed April 27.  The delay was partly attributable to a computer crash that left me without a home computer for about a week.

OVERVIEW

The Vatican page on the journey provides a schedule for the visit.  It has been quickly updated with the texts of all of the Holy Father's words during the journey, provided with official translations into several other languages.  The Vatican page also provides a down-loadable copy of the Missal for the journey, which includes the liturgies and some of the music for the various Masses and prayer services.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Official Website for the Journey includes regular news updates and videos of the various events.

In addition to its live broadcasts and re-broadcasts (see yesterday's post on television and radio coverage online), EWTN has a page on the journey.  That page includes articles, blog entries, and photos.  EWTN also has a page with videos of The World Over's interview with President Bush about the visit and the Pope's Message to the U.S. before his visit.

The Washington Post has a full coverage page for the journey.  CNN has articles, video, photos, and maps.

Christopher Blosser's Benedict in America blog has regular updates on on the visit.  Thomas Peters' The American Papist has updates and a lot of photos.  Papa Ratzinger Forum has several pages of articles, photos, and texts beginning before the journey and continuing day by day.

TUESDAY, APRIL 15 ARRIVAL

During the flight from Rome to the U.S., the Holy Father answered four questions previously provided by reporters who joined him on the flight.  The one that drew the most news media attention was the first question asked, submitted by John L. Allen, Jr. regarding the clergy sex abuse scandal in the U.S.  During a broadcast of CNN, Allen stated that he had suggested that the Holy Father answer the question in English due, and he did so.

The Vatican Press Office has posted the text of the questions and answers, all of them in Italian except the one about the sex abuse scandal.  The Vatican page on the visit will eventually have a full English translation.  For now, Zenit has an English translation of the entire press conference.

At the beginning of the press conference, he mentioned two objectives of the journey.  The first was to visit the Church in America, which is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the elevation of the Diocese of Baltimore to the status of metropolis, forming four other U.S. dioceses.  It is, he said, "a moment of reflection about the past and above all of reflection about the future, about how to respond to the great challenges of our time, in the present and with sights set on the future."  Among the challenges he mentioned later, in the course of his homilies and addresses for the journey, one of several frequent themes was the cultural and ethnic diversity of the U.S. and the unity to be found in Christ.  The growth of the Hispanic presence in the U.S. was the subject of the second question.  Other challenges of the present included relativism and secularism.  Secularism was the subject of the third question he answered.

The second objective for his journey mentioned in the press conference was his visit to the United Nations, which is observing the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the Pope mentioned is the founding philosophy of the United Nations.  He said that his visit, taking place "in a moment of a values crisis," would be important to reconfirm the moment when that philosophy began and to recover it for the future.  The principles of natural law were the subject of the fourth question he answered, and he described it as the objective of the United Nations, "that it safeguard the common values of humanity."

Here is the official text of the answer to the question about clergy sex abuse:

It is a great suffering for the Church in the United States and for the Church in general, for me personally, that this could happen. If I read the history of these events, it is difficult for me to understand how it was possible for priests to fail in this way the mission to give healing, to give God’s love to these children. I am ashamed and we will do everything possible to ensure that this does not happen in future. I think we have to act on three levels: the first is at the level of justice and the political level. I will not speak at this moment about homosexuality: this is another thing. We will absolutely exclude paedophiles from the sacred ministry; it is absolutely incompatible and who is really guilty of being a paedophile cannot be a priest. So at this first level we can do justice and help the victims, because they are deeply affected; these are the two sides of justice: one, that paedophiles cannot be priests and the other, to help in any possible way the victims. Then, there’s a pastoral level. The victims will need healing and help and assistance and reconciliation: this is a big pastoral engagement and I know that the bishops and the priests and all Catholic people in the United States will do whatever possible to help, to assist, to heal. We have made a visitation of the seminaries and we will do all that is possible in the education of seminarians for a deep spiritual, human and intellectual formation for the students. Only sound persons can be admitted to the priesthood and only persons with a deep personal life in Christ and who have a deep sacramental life. So, I know that the bishops and directors of seminarians will do all possible to have a strong, strong discernment because it is more important to have good priests than to have many priests. This is also our third level, and we hope that we can do and we have done and we will do in the future all that is possible to heal these wounds.

A video of the Holy Father's arrival is available from the Official Website for the Journey .  Articles are available from Catholic News Service.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16 - WASHINGTON, D.C.

April 16 was the Holy Father's 81st birthday.  The day's events included entertainment and a birthday cake at the White House, multiple choruses of "Happy Birthday," and addresses by the Holy Father and by President Bush. 

An article about his birthday celebrations is available from Catholic News Service.  Zenit has an article about the crowds who were able to see the Pope from the campus of the Catholic University of America before he entered the National Shrine.  He traveled in the Pope-mobile, waving to the crowds.

Articles about the Holy Father's words at the White House and his meeting with President Bush are available from Catholic News Service (here, here, and here) and Catholic News Agency, among others. 

The full text of the Holy Father's address at the White House welcoming ceremony can be found on the Vatican website.  In it, he mentioned the U.S. Constitution's reference to "the 'self-evident truth' that all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights grounded in the laws of nature and of nature's God." In our own time too, he said, "Americans continue to find their strength in a commitment to this patrimony of shared ideals and aspirations." He spoke of the need for personal responsibility, truth as essential to freedom's foundation, the human person created in the image and likeness of God, and the need for global solidarity and international diplomacy.  At the end of the address, he said forcefully, "God bless America!", which drew appreciative responses from those present and from those watching by television.

The White House and the Holy See issued a Joint Statement on the Meeting, which provided a brief summary of a number of topics discussed during the brief meeting between the Pope and President Bush.   

Afterward, the Holy Father attended a meeting with American cardinals and an evening prayer service with American bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine for the Immaculate Conception.  At the National Shrine, he made his firmest statement to date regarding the sex abuse scandal, saying that it "causes deep shame." Moreover, he said that new policies and programs to address the issue need to be "placed in a wider context" of "sexual mores," giving children a "healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships."  He viewed it in context of the family as a whole, asking, "What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today?"

He called on the bishops to remove barriers to "an encounter with the living God."Articles about his words to bishops are available from Catholic News Service, Catholic News Agency. 

The full text of the Holy Father's Address to Bishops is available from the Vatican and Zenit. The issues discussed include some of the same challenges facing the present day Church in America that he mentioned in answering questions during his flight.  Those mentioned in his address to bishops included secularism, materialism, and individualism.  He spoke again of the diversity of the origins of the people of the U.S., 200 years ago and still today.

After his address, the Holy Father answered three previously presented questions from the bishops.  The Vatican page on the journey has the text of those questions and answers.  Among the topics were secularism and relativism, the "scandal given by Catholics who promote an alleged right to abortion," the harmony of faith and reason, natural law, the decline in vocations, prayer, and the need for a "new and engaging ways of proclaiming" the message of the "gift of new life and freedom in Christ."

He then presented the gift of a chalice to Archbishop Alfred Hughes of New Orleans (text here).  He also presented a Golden Rose of Our Mother Mary to the National Shrine, and Cardinal George presented the Holy Father with a gift of $870,000 from U.S. Catholics as a donation toward Catholic international charitable works.  The text of their brief addresses to each other is available from Vatican Radio.

Video is available from the Official Website for the Journey.

THURSDAY, APRIL 17 - WASHINGTON, D.C.

The Holy Father's homily from this morning's Mass at Nationals Stadium is already available on the Vatican's Page for the Journey.  At the end of the homily, he spoke in Spanish.  His words in Spanish were left in Spanish on the Vatican website.  Zenit has the Vatican's text of the homily with Zenit's own English translation of the portion delivered in Spanish.  The Vatican Radio text does not include the Spanish portion.  However, by clicking on the speaker icon at the end of the text, you can access an audio recording of the homily down-loadable for Real Player.

The music at the Mass at Nationals Stadium has been a topic of much conversation on television and in the news reports and blogs.  Among them, see Insight Scoop, The New Liturgical Movement, Benedict in America (Christopher Blosser) and Father Z.  Richard John Neuhaus at First Things wrote, "The Thursday Mass at Nationals Park introduced the Holy Father to aspects of the aesthetic suffering endured by the faithful in America."  

The Pope's homily at Nationals Stadium spoke of the diversity that has existed in the Catholic Church in the U.S. for the past 200 years, saying that the Church in America "has come to appreciate ever more fully the importance of each individual and group offering its own particular gifts to the whole." Speaking of the unity within the Church, he also said that "In every time and place, the Church is called to grow in unity trough constant conversion to Christ, whose saving work is proclaimed by the Successors of the Apostles and celebrated in the sacraments."  Just as the increasing ethnic and cultural diversity in the U.S. was portrayed in the music, one of the repeated themes in the Holy Father's words in the U.S. was the role of the Church in building unity at a time when there are "signs of a disturbing breakdown in the very foundations of society" as well as "the presence of division and polarization" within the Church itself" as some "embrace attitudes contrary to the truth of the Gospel."

He raised his theme of "Christ our Hope," mentioning Americans as "a people of hope" and the Christian virtue of "the hope poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit." Again, he spoke of the "pain and harm" inflicted by the sex abuse of minors, asking everyone "to do what you can to foster healing and reconciliation and to assist those who have been hurt" as well as "to love your priests, and to affirm them in the excellent work that they do." His discussion of prayer is discussed separately below.

At 4:15 p.m., the Pope met privately for 25 minutes with 5 or 6 victims of clergy sexual abuse, speaking to each of them privately.  John L. Allen, Jr. called it "an unexpected and essentially unprecedented move."  Vatican Radio has a short reference and an audio broadcast story to download.  CNN has an article together with a video of victims telling about their meeting with the pope.  Other articles about the meeting can be found from the Associated Press, Catholic News Service, among other sources.

At 5:00 p.m., he met with Catholic educators at Catholic University of America.  His address to them is available from the Vatican, Catholic University of America, Vatican Radio and Zenit.  The Catholic University of America has a news release about the address together with photos.  While his role as a former professor came through more clearly when he spoke to seminary students later in the journey, his address to Catholic educators might be seen as a master educator speaking to other educators about priorities and necessities in Catholic education.  He said, "First and foremost every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth (cf., Spe Salvi, 4)."  The Holy Father suggested that while educators have engaged their students' intellect, "perhaps we have neglected the will," with a subsequent distortion of the notion of freedom. 

He spoke about faith and reason, affirming that the "truths of faith and of reason never contradict one another."  He spoke of the Church's role in "humanity's struggle to arrive at truth," mentioning that the Church's contribution of revealed truth, purifying reason, "illuminates the very truth which makes consensus attainable, and helps to keep public debate rational, honest and accountable." Affirming the value of academic freedom, adding that academic freedom cannot be used to justify "positions that contradict the faith and the teaching of the Church" in Catholic universities and schools, which would "obstruct or even betray the university's identity and mission." 

The themes of truth, tolerance, faith and reason have been the subject of earlier writings and addresses by Pope Benedict.  Among the sources for his other discussions on these themes are his Lecture at the University of Regensburg, which was also addressed primarily to academics, and a collection of essays published under the title Truth and Tolerance.

In the evening, he met with representatives of other religions at the John Paul II Cultural Center.  The text of his address to them can be found at the Vatican page on the journey, Zenit and EWTN.  The address appeared to me to have been written with the expectation that it would be heard by people from other religions who knew little of Christianity.  Given the diversity within the U.S. itself, the availability of televised addresses throughout most of the world by internet, and his own past experience, it would have been a reasonable assumption that many viewers would have little background in interfaith dialogue.  Encouraging all religious groups to "persevere in their collaboration and thus enrich public life with the spiritual values that motivate your action in the world," he mentioned shared ethical values as "a way of serving society at large."  In addition, he spoke of the central beliefs of Christianity in a way that reminded me of St. Paul's sermon at the Areopagus (Acts 17:22-31):

"Throughout history, men and women have striven to articulate their restlessness with this passing world. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the Psalms are full of such expressions: “My spirit is overwhelmed within me” (Ps 143:4; cf. Ps 6:6; 31:10; 32:3; 38:8; 77:3); “why are you cast down, my soul, why groan within me?” (Ps 42:5). The response is always one of faith: “Hope in God, I will praise him still; my Savior and my God” (Ps 42:5, 11; cf. Ps 43:5; 62:5). Spiritual leaders have a special duty, and we might say competence, to place the deeper questions at the forefront of human consciousness, to reawaken mankind to the mystery of human existence, and to make space in a frenetic world for reflection and prayer.

"Confronted with these deeper questions concerning the origin and destiny of mankind, Christianity proposes Jesus of Nazareth. He, we believe, is the eternal Logos who became flesh in order to reconcile man to God and reveal the underlying reason of all things. It is he whom we bring to the forum of interreligious dialogue. The ardent desire to follow in his footsteps spurs Christians to open their minds and hearts in dialogue (cf. Lk 10:25-37; Jn 4:7-26)."

His address subsequently delivered in writing to the Jewish Community, as his meeting with them was late and he was tired, is also online from the Vatican, Zenit and EWTN.  His short greeting to the Jewish representatives is available from the Vatican.  Of particular interest, following objections from some in the Jewish community to his revision to a prayer for the Jews in the traditional Good Friday liturgy, he stated, "In addressing myself to you I wish to re-affirm the Second Vatican Council’s teaching on Catholic-Jewish relations and reiterate the Church’s commitment to the dialogue that in the past forty years has fundamentally changed our relationship for the better." 

FRIDAY, APRIL 18 - NEW YORK CITY

EWTN has videos of the Pope's arrival in New York early Friday morning, his address to the U.N., his address at a synagogue, and his address to an ecumenical meeting.  KTO (French) has a 1-1/2 hour video of the Pope's visit to the U.N., with his address beginning about 46 minutes into the video (viewable by Windows XP with Explorer 7 and Windows Media Player 11).

His address to the United Nations is available from the Vatican, EWTN and Zenit.  His greeting to U.N. staff is available from the Vatican and Zenit.  The U.N. Secretary General's greeting to the Pope is on Zenit. 

The Pope's address to the U.N. marked the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  He recalled that "The founding principles of the Organization – the desire for peace, the quest for justice, respect for the dignity of the person, humanitarian cooperation and assistance – express the just aspirations of the human spirit, and constitute the ideals which should underpin international relations."  He spoke of natural law as the basis for such rights:

"It is evident, though, that the rights recognized and expounded in the Declaration apply to everyone by virtue of the common origin of the person, who remains the high-point of God’s creative design for the world and for history. They are based on the natural law inscribed on human hearts and present in different cultures and civilizations. Removing human rights from this context would mean restricting their range and yielding to a relativistic conception, according to which the meaning and interpretation of rights could vary and their universality would be denied in the name of different cultural, political, social and even religious outlooks. This great variety of viewpoints must not be allowed to obscure the fact that not only rights are universal, but so too is the human person, the subject of those rights."

He also spoke of "a vision of life firmly anchored in the religious dimension" as helping to achieve a social order respectful of the "dignity and rights of the person," in that "recognition of the transcendent value of every man and woman favours conversion of heart, which then tends to a commitment to resist violence, terrorism and war, and to promote justice and peace.  This also provide the proper context for the inter-religious dialogue that the United Nations is called to support, just as it supports dialogue in other areas of human activity." He spoke of the importance of religious liberty as among those human rights to be protected.  He also said that the Church is committed to contributing to the U.N. her experience of humanity, developed over centuries among "peoples of every race and culture." Thus, the cultural diversity within the Catholic Church was again raised as a valuable contribution to society as the Christian faith has brought diverse cultures into unity in the Church.

As in his address to an inter-faith gathering, he again spoke specifically of Christian motivation drawn from Jesus Christ:

"In my recent Encyclical, Spe Salvi, I indicated that “every generation has the task of engaging anew in the arduous search for the right way to order human affairs” (no. 25). For Christians, this task is motivated by the hope drawn from the saving work of Jesus Christ. That is why the Church is happy to be associated with the activity of this distinguished Organization, charged with the responsibility of promoting peace and good will throughout the earth."

Later in the day, the Holy Father met briefly with the Jewish community at a New York synagogue shortly before the Sabbath of Passover, and then delivered an address to an ecumenical meeting at St. Joseph's Church.  The text of his greeting at the synagogue is online from the Vatican, Vatican Radio and EWTN. 

The text of his address to the ecumenical meeting is also available from the Vatican, Vatican Radio and EWTN.  Again, he spoke of unity, this time mentioning that St. Paul calls us to live in "a way that bears witness to the one heart and mind" (Acts 4:32).  He said that "a faithful witness to the Gospel is as urgent as ever" in the context of globalization and a sense of global solidarity at the same time as a growth of fragmentation and individualism.  He cautioned that non-Christians are confused by the splintering of Christian communities.  Catholic News Service said that, although the Pope did not offer specific examples, his "concerns obviously extend to the Anglican Communion and its troubled relations with the U.S. Episcopal Church and some dioceses in Canada" in saying:

"Fundamental Christian beliefs and practices are sometimes changed within communities by so-called “prophetic actions” that are based on a hermeneutic not always consonant with the datum of Scripture and Tradition. Communities consequently give up the attempt to act as a unified body, choosing instead to function according to the idea of “local options”. Somewhere in this process the need for diachronic koinonia – communion with the Church in every age – is lost, just at the time when the world is losing its bearings and needs a persuasive common witness to the saving power of the Gospel (cf. Rom 1:18-23)."

That reference to "prophetic actions" brings to mind the claim of some activists within the Episcopal Church that their support of such things as gay marriage or the election of an actively gay bishop is somehow "prophetic" of what they would like to think other Christians will believe in the future, although recognizing that their beliefs have always been, and still are now, rejected by a large majority of other Christians.  The phrase "local option" should be understood in the context of such things as the Church of Canada's Diocese of Niagara which, last November, voted to allow the "local option" of allowing those clergy whose consciences permit them to do so to marry gays and lesbians while others within the same diocese will not do so.  In response, the Pope recalled that "the unity of the Church flows from the perfect oneness of the Trinitarian God" and that throughout the New Testament, the core of the Apostles' argument "was always the historical fact of Jesus's bodily resurrection from the tomb (Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15;