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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

"At the Service of the Church as Communion"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 29, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today before reciting the Regina Caeli with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. All the faithful are exhorted to pray in a particular way for vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life.

This morning in St. Peter's Basilica I had the joy of ordaining 22 new priests. As I greet with affection these newly ordained men and their families and friends, I invite you to remember in your prayers those whom the Lord continues to call by name -- as he did one day with the apostles on the shores of the Sea of Galilee -- that they may become "fishers of men," that is, his more direct co-workers in the proclamation of the Gospel and the service of the Kingdom of God in our time.

Let us pray for the gift of perseverance for all priests: May they remain faithful to prayer, may they celebrate the holy Mass with ever renewed devotion, may their lives always be a listening to the word of God and that day after day they assimilate the same sentiments and attitudes of Jesus the Good Shepherd.

Let us pray, then, for those who are preparing for the priestly office and for the instructors in the seminaries of Rome, Italy and the whole world; let us pray for the families, that they continue to allow the "seed" of the call to the ministerial priesthood to mature and blossom.

This year the theme for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations is "Vocation at the Service of the Church as Communion." The Second Vatican Council, in presenting the mystery of the Church in our time, favored the category of "communion." In this perspective the rich variety of gifts and offices of the people of God is highlighted. All the baptized are called to contribute to the work of salvation. In the Church there are, however, some vocations that are especially dedicated to the service of communion.

The one who is primarily responsible for Catholic communion is the Pope, Successor of Peter and Bishop of Rome; with him the bishops, successors of the apostles, are caretakers and teachers of unity. The bishops are helped by the priests. But consecrated persons and all the faithful are also at the service of communion. The Eucharist is at the heart of the Church as communion: From this greatest sacrament the various vocations draw the spiritual strength to continually build up the one ecclesial body in charity.

We turn now to Mary, Mother of the Good Shepherd. May she who readily responded to God's call, saying "behold the handmaid of the Lord" (Luke 1:38), help us to welcome with joy and availability Christ's invitation to be his disciples, always animated by the desire to form "one heart and one soul" (cf. Acts 4:32).

[After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted pilgrims in eight languages. In English, he said:]

I extend a cordial greeting to the English-speaking pilgrims! Today, on this "Good Shepherd Sunday", the Church observes the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. In my message for this occasion, I emphasized that the call to ordained and consecrated life in the Church is a call to communion -- a communion rooted in the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

As Jesus tells us in the Gospel, "The Father and I are one" (John 10:30). Today, I invite you to join me in praying that young people will answer this call to communion and the service of the Church by responding generously to Christ's call to priesthood and religious life. May God bless you all!

© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Code: ZE07042904

Date: 2007-04-29

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

General Assembly to Parallel G-8 Summit

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 29, 2007 (Zenit.org).- A Caritas Internationalis meeting in Rome this June will parallel the annual Group of Eight summit in Germany, but will tell a different tale, said the Catholic aid organization's secretary-general.

Duncan MacLaren made this statement Friday in a press release to announce the organization's 18th general assembly, to be held June 3-9.

Meanwhile, the leaders of major industrial countries will meet at the G-8 summit in Heiligendamm, June 6-8.

The secretary-general said: "The Caritas General Assembly and the G-8 will be more than a tale of two summits, they will be a tale of two worlds.

"On one hand, you have the leaders representing the interests of the world's rich countries with a combined gross domestic product of over $30 trillion.

"On the other hand, you have representatives of civil society working for the world's 3 billion people living on less than $1 a day."

MacLaren said that "G-8 leaders must live up to their promises on aid." He added that "there is backsliding with the commitments made" two years ago at the summit held in Gleneagles, Scotland.

"Caritas wants G-8 countries to deliver on promises to increase aid to 0.7% of national income, and to ensure that aid is used effectively to end poverty. Millions of the poor will suffer as a consequence of these broken promises," he added.

Keynote speakers for the Caritas meeting will include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai and president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Renato Martino.

Code: ZE07042902

Date: 2007-04-29

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Urge Citizens to Resist Election Fraud

LAGOS, Nigeria, APRIL 29, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Nigerians were abused, traumatized and brutalized while exercising their right to vote during recent state and national elections, says the country's episcopal conference.

Archbishop Felix Alaba Job of Ibadan made these comments at a press conference Tuesday, in which he reported on the findings of the Justice Development and Peace unit (JDPC) of the Nigerian bishops' conference.

The unit mobilized 30,000 young men and women to observe the elections, which took place April 14 and 21. The first vote decided the gubernatorial and state assembly, and the second vote decided the presidential and national assembly vote.

Archbishop Job, who is also the president of the Nigerian bishops' conference, said, "The reports from our observers indicate that we have again failed to successfully transition in a democratic manner through the power of the ballot box from one civilian administration to another.

"The large protests, arson, violence and wanton destruction of lives and property which heralded the announcements of the results of the gubernatorial and state Houses of Assembly elections clearly showed that the results announced did not reflect the voting and wishes of the people."

"There were indications of blatant rigging and falsification of election results," he said.

The elections reveal "a humiliating situation where the electorates [were] forced to endorse a civilian coup d'etat," Archbishop Job explained. "This is a repression of unprecedented proportion visited on the democratic spirit of the Nigerian people."

"It should be admitted that we can no longer persist in the deceit of styling our country a democracy," explained the conference president, when "only a handful of the political elite decide the outcome of electoral processes."

The politicians themselves have "not shown significant respect for the peace and stability of the country," Archbishop Job said.

Toward democracy

The archbishop continued: "In the absence of a formidable opposition, Nigerians must come together to resist any form of dictatorship, domination and subversion in a constitutional and dignified manner.

"The Church will continue its campaign for the development of the culture of democracy and good governance in the country to ensure transparency and accountability."

"We will continue to mobilize, sensitize and educate the people on the need for a peaceful, credible, free and fair democracy," he said.

Archbishop Job concluded: "We call on all persons of good will in the country to stand up against the enemies of the common good in our country."

Code: ZE07042928

Date: 2007-04-29

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Same-Sex Marriage Pressures and Dangers

By Father John Flynn

ROME, APRIL 29, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Giving full legal status to marriage between persons of the same sex continues to be a hotly debated topic. On Thursday in the United States the New Hampshire senate voted in favor of a bill granting same-sex couples virtually all the legal rights heterosexual spouses enjoy, reported the Washington Post the same day. The bill now goes to the governor, John Lynch, who has already said he will sign it.

The vote came on the heels of Governor Eliot Spitzer's recent announcement that he will introduce a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the state of New York, the New York Times reported April 23.

In turn, this followed a vote last December by the New Jersey legislature to recognize civil unions for same-sex couples. The vote made New Jersey the third state, after Vermont and Connecticut, to establish civil unions for homosexuals, reported the New York Times on Dec. 15. So far Massachusetts is the only state to have introduced same-sex marriage.

The New Jersey vote came after the state's Supreme Court directed authorities to grant same-sex couples the same financial benefits and legal rights as married heterosexual couples.

Outside the United States, family and Church groups in Italy will hold a public rally in Rome on May 12. The event, to be held on what has been designated as Family Day, is part of a campaign to defend heterosexual marriage in the face of proposals to give legal recognition to same-sex couples.

Last year in Mexico, despite a strong Catholic presence in the country, lawmakers in the capital city gave couples the possibility to register civil unions, while not formally legalizing same-sex marriage. The move by Mexico City's legislature gave homosexual partners inheritance rights and other benefits, according to a report by the Associated Press on Nov. 17.

Soon afterward, the northern Mexican state of Coahuila followed suit granting similar legal status to homosexual partners, Reuters reported Jan. 10.

Late last year in South Africa, the country's Parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage, making it the first African country to do so, the BBC reported Nov. 14. The move followed a ruling by the South African Constitutional Court in 2005, which declared that the government had to legalize same-sex marriage. The ruling was based on a clause in the country's constitution, which outlaws discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference.

Prior to the vote Cardinal Wilfred Napier, archbishop of Durban, submitted a statement on behalf of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference to a parliamentary committee explaining why the Catholic Church was opposed to marriage for same-sex couples.

The text, dated Oct. 16, explained that the Church does not condemn homosexual persons, nevertheless, homosexual acts are contrary to the natural law and they close the sexual act to the gift of life.

Damaging society

Legalizing homosexual unions is, the cardinal continued, also contrary to this same natural law. Moreover, such a move undermines the very nature of marriage and the family. By weakening marriage the well-being of society is also damaged, he warned.

Proponents of legalizing marriage for same-sex couples often dismiss such arguments as the imposition of Church morality on secular society. This is not true, explains a book published in March by David Blankenhorn, president of the New York-based Institute for American Values.

In his book, "The Future of Marriage," Blankenhorn explains that it is mistaken to conceive of marriage as a merely private matter between two people. Marriage significantly influences individual and social well-being.

"Marriage is the first and most important of society's institutions," he argues. This is acknowledged even by secular thinkers. It was John Locke, for example, who called marriage the "first society."

Therefore, contemporary efforts to redefine marriage as being principally a private emotionally constituted relationship ignore a large part of what its nature really is. Marriage is, in addition to a personal relationship, a social institution -- an institution with vital functions to carry out, not the least of which is ensuring that children are raised with the assistance of both a mother and a father.

Unfortunately, Blankenhorn observes, heterosexuals have been responsible for weakening the connection between marriage, procreation and child-rearing, due to the widespread practices of premarital sexual relations, divorce and single-parent homes. The tendency in recent times to conceive of marriage as being primarily about the private needs and feelings of the spouses has made it a lot easier to argue that the institution should be opened to same-sex couples.

The nature of parenthood

Redefining marriage to include same-sex couples would severely weaken the idea that children need both a father and a mother. Here Blankenhorn explains what happened with the 2005 law in Canada that legalized same-sex marriage. The legislation removed the term "natural parent" from Canadian law and replaced it with "legal parent."

This is an earth-shaking difference, he argues. Marriage as traditionally seen unites the biological and social dimensions of being a parent. The child is loved and raised by the two individuals whose physical union made the child.

Same-sex marriage disavows the importance of that gift of life, and from that point on a parent is merely whomever the state deems to be a parent. A change that is manifestly contrary to the interests of children. Proof abounds, Blankenhorn continues, that children's needs are best looked after when they are raised in the context of marriage between a man and a woman, who are their biological parents.

Another argument put forward by advocates of marriage for homosexuals is based on the concept of human dignity. In the name of dignity, human rights and equality, homosexual marriage proponents argue, they should be free to marry to avoid unjust discrimination.

This is too narrow a focus, Blankenhorn replies. Marriage as a right is, in fact, closely linked to marriage as an institution. The United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in fact, intrinsically connects marriage to parenthood, and in turn, marriage to its role as a fundamental institution in society.

In context

Thus, marriage is linked to the family and to responsibilities within the family and society. So marriage as a right is not some free-floating concept, but one which is placed within the context of other realities and responsibilities. Hence the right recognized in the Declaration of the United Nations is the right to participate in the institution of marriage, and not the right to turn any private adult relationship of choice into marriage.

Accepting the proposal that adults have a right to marry any person they may choose is not, therefore, merely extending a right to an additional group of people, Blankenhorn argues. What such a change does change is the very nature of what marriage means. Taken together with the need for same-sex partners to have recourse to assisted reproduction techniques in order to produce any children, it means accepting the idea that individuals have the right to form the family they choose.

So what is being done here is turning into a primordial principle the concept of human freedom. This is attractive to modern mentality, which tells us we should be able to shape our lives just as we please. It ignores, however, a key principle of human rights. This is, that a right exists in community with other rights. A proposed right to form whatever type of family desired is in conflict with the rights of children, for example.

In the end, Blankenhorn comments, the great challenge we face is not to just defeat proposals for same-sex marriage, but to renew marriage and make it stronger and better able to carry out its vital social functions.

This is precisely an idea echoed by Benedict XVI during his recent trip to the north of Italy. During his homily at the Mass on April 21 in Vigevano, the Pope stated that the family is the institution that supports society. Only be supporting the family can the Church and civil society be renewed. A conclusion both social science and the Church can agree upon.

Code: ZE07042529

Date: 2007-04-29

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Aide Comments on Exchange With Merkel

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 29, 2007 (Zenit.org).- By putting Africa in the forefront of international politics, Benedict XVI offers hope "for a more equitable world," said the director of the Vatican Television Center.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi said this on the most recent edition of the Vatican television news program "Octava Dies," in which he commented on the exchange of letters between the Pope and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The letters were published April 23 by the Vatican.

In the Holy Father's letter to Merkel, dated Dec. 16, he underlines the necessity of a renewed international commitment to help with the problems of the poorest countries, especially those in Africa.

Father Lombardi said: "The Pope's letter intends to sustain and encourage the positive intentions already manifested by the English presidency of the European Union and strongly reaffirmed by the current German presidency in view of the meeting of the major industrialized nations, the G-8, in June.

"The letters of the Pope and Merkel make reference to the various concrete measures in the field of international commerce, of the cancelation of foreign debt, of the helps for development, health, and the struggle to reduce arms sales."

The Vatican spokesman said that the exchange was "a high-level dialogue in which the prospect of a real international effort toward a more just world finds an efficacious contribution of inspiration and moral support from the highest authority in the Church."

Father Lombardi said: "In today's world a large part of the African continent finds itself in a condition of dramatic poverty with dim prospects for the future.

"The effort of the peoples affected is necessary to change the situation but it will not be enough if, in our interdependent world, a much more favorable framework of conditions for development is not created."

"Africa needs the commitment of Africans but it also needs the orientation toward solidarity and justice on the part of the political and economic forces that are active at an international level," he said.

The Vatican spokesman added that "the letters of the Pope and Merkel are a sign of hope for a more equitable world."

Code: ZE07042901

Date: 2007-04-29

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 29, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Nothing is impossible for a family that trusts in God, Benedict XVI wrote to an ecclesial movement in Italy that forms part of the greater Catholic Charismatic Renewal.

The Holy Father's message was addressed to Salvatore Martinez, national president of Renewal in the Holy Spirit, on the occasion of the movement's 30th national convocation, which is being held through Tuesday in Rimini.

Some 25,000 Italians are participating in the meeting entitled "Nothing is Impossible with God."

The Pope's message highlighted the meeting's focus on the family: "I also have often had the occasion to emphasize the urgency today of 'the evangelization of the family,' fundamental building block of society and little domestic Church.

"Following the direction of the Italian bishops, you too actively dedicate yourselves to support all that concretely defends and promotes those human and Christian values that must be at the basis of every family."

Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, also greeted the meeting.

He wished that "the awareness of the extraordinary power of God, to whom all is possible, be for you a motivation for continual apostolic zeal and generosity in charity toward the ecclesial community."

Code: ZE07042903

Date: 2007-04-29