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"Music … the Universal Language of Beauty"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 26, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of Benedict XVI's address following the concert offered him for his 80th birthday.

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CONCERT FOR THE HOLY FATHER'S 80th BIRTHDAY

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Paul VI Audience Hall
Monday, 16 April 2007

Your Eminences,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,

At the end of this marvellous concert at which the Stuttgart Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra have offered us a gift by uplifting our hearts, I would like to greet you all warmly.

I thank Minister Willi Stächele and Prof. Peter Voss, Director of the Südwestrundfunks, for their courteous words to me at the beginning.

I willingly and joyfully accepted your musical gift, this marvellous Birthday present from Southwest Germany, especially because the Baden-Württemberg Land is linked to an important and formative phase of my life. The Minister has already mentioned my roots.

In fact, I willingly think back to my years at Tübingen, to the intellectual and scientific exchange in that university and the many precious meetings with people which I had there and which continued for years and decades and are still taking place.

Above all, I would now like to thank the musicians of this evening's event, the members of the Stuttgarter Radio-Sinfonieorchesters, the SWR, who with their skill have offered us all an authentic experience of the inspiring power of great music.

I thank Gustavo Dudamel, the conductor, and Hilary Hahn, the soloist, and all of you, Ladies and Gentlemen. Since the language of music is universal, we see people from completely different cultural and religious backgrounds who let themselves be gripped and likewise guided by it and who also interpret it.

Today, this universal aspect of music is given special emphasis, thanks to the electronic and digital instruments of communications. How many people there are in the most diverse countries who are able to take part in this musical performance at home, or experience it later!

I am convinced that music -- and here I am thinking in particular of the great Mozart and this evening, of course, of the marvellous music by Gabrieli and the majestic "New World" by Dvorák -- really is the universal language of beauty which can bring together all people of good will on earth and get them to lift their gaze on high and open themselves to the Absolute Good and Beauty whose ultimate source is God himself.

In looking back over my life, I thank God for placing music beside me, as it were, as a travelling companion that has offered me comfort and joy. I also thank the people who from the very first years of my childhood brought me close to this source of inspiration and serenity.

I thank those who combine music and prayer in harmonious praise of God and his works: they help us glorify the Creator and Redeemer of the world, which is the marvellous work of his hands.

This is my hope: that the greatness and beauty of music will also give you, dear friends, new and continuous inspiration in order to build a world of love, solidarity and peace.

For this I invoke upon us who are gathered this evening in the Vatican and upon everyone who is linked to us via radio and television the constant protection of God, of that God of love who desires to kindle ceaselessly in our hearts the flame of good, and to feed it with his grace. May he, the Lord and Giver of new and definitive life, whose victory we are joyfully celebrating in this Easter Season, bless you all!

I thank you once again for your presence and for your good wishes.

A Happy Easter Season to everyone!

Thank you!

[Translation issued by the Holy See]

© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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"A Lack of Charity and Justice in the World"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 26, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the introductory text of the 13th Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences on the theme "Charity and Justice in the Relations Among Peoples and Nations."

The plenary session will be held in Vatican City from April 27 to May 1.

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INTRODUCTION: CHARITY AND JUSTICE IN THE RELATIONS AMONG PEOPLES AND NATIONS

The next plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences will be devoted to the study of Charity and Justice in the Relations Among Peoples and Nations. In the recent past, the academy has devoted sessions to the study of globalization and these have enabled us to see that there is a lack of charity and justice in the world we live in.

This may be summarized in a general way as: disproportionate reallocations, promises not honored, and unequal divisions. In addition, we are faced with new signs of the times that are very worrying. All of this has been met by the renewed appeal to charity and justice made by the Pope, Benedict XVI, in particular in his encyclical "Deus Caritas Est." These facts and this appeal form an important part of the background to our meeting.

The subject of the session will be the relations among peoples and nations: the developed, the developing, the emerging and the poor. We will ask ourselves whether these relations, in the light of the social magisterium of the Church, can become more just, fairer, and more peaceful, and what the route should be to achieve such ends. In other words, is a partnership for charity and justice possible in the globalized world?

1. Worrying recent signs of the times

Although it is at times a common conviction that the pursuit of charity and justice at the international level is of key importance for contemporary society, at the same time we encounter signs that are working in the opposite direction:

The re-emergence of nationalism. In developing and developed countries there are signs of crisis as regards two key features of the process of globalization: one is a human problem and relates to increased legal and illegal international migration and the political resistance to it; the second is economic and relates to the tensions between protectionism and free trade.

Weak convergence. In spite of continuing rapid economic growth in many developing countries, signals of economic and social convergence between developed and developing countries are still confined to only to a few of this last category. This is not only the case at the economic level but is also true in the field of education.

Pervasive poverty. At the same time, even in countries that have a fast-growing economy, the incidence of poverty and extreme poverty is still very high.

The weakness of multilateralism. Bilateralism is growing stronger and most multilateral institutions, such as the UN, the WTO, the IMF, the World Bank, and even some of their regional counterparts, are demonstrating signs of weakness and tiredness. However, no institutions are presently emerging to replace them.

Millennium Goals. These were based on a broad international consensus but there are now well-grounded doubts about the possibility of really implementing them within the time envisaged. The previous consensus on the Millennium Goals is thus beginning to crumble. As a result, there is a need for further reflection on the mechanisms by which these goals can be achieved, together with the formulation of new proposals.

Insufficient and inefficient aid. The aid that has been given has fallen far short of the goal of allocating 0.7% of the GDP of developed countries to foreign aid. In addition, the aid that has been given has often been inefficiently distributed and utilized both by international organizations and by local governments and agencies.

Terrorism and war. As the events of Sept. 11, 2001, indicate, the beginning of the new century has been characterized by a notable increase in the social and moral scourge of terrorism. At the same time, the world is still afflicted on a large scale by wars between countries and wars within countries.

2. The Encyclical "Deus Caritas Est" of Pope Benedict XVI

Our meeting wants to draw inspiration from the Pope's first encyclical and its important implications. In particular this document reminds us that the theological and human virtue of charity must preside over all of the social teaching and all of the social works of the Church and her members. First of all, this encyclical leads us to the center of our faith, to the truth that "God is love."

Thus the Pope declares that "Jesus united into a single precept this commandment of love for God and the commandment of love for neighbor." The Pope draws our attention to the fact that this teaching is both timely and significant "in a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence."

This is why "Deus Caritas Est" has been correctly described as being in part a social encyclical. It is love (caritas) that animates the Church's care for the needy, the work of laywomen and men for justice and peace in the secular sphere, and is the leavening force of the Church in society. And without love, as Paul told the Corinthians, our words and works will come to nothing.

Indeed, "Deus Caritas Est" places itself in the long lineage of other social encyclicals (cf. No. 27), not only because it addresses the virtue of charity but also because it attributes primary importance to the virtue of justice. Indeed, it has a highly significant reference to a famous statement on this virtue by one of the great figures of Tradition: "As Augustine once said, a state which is not governed according to justice would be just a bunch of thieves: 'Remota itaque iustitia quid sunt regna nisi magna latrocinia?"'

Taking into consideration traditional philosophical-political doctrines and also (in a critical way) the Marxist demand for a fair distribution of goods by public powers, Benedict XVI declares: "In today's complex situation, not least because of the growth of a globalized economy, the social doctrine of the Church has become a set of fundamental guidelines offering approaches that are even beyond the confines of the Church: in the face of ongoing development these guidelines need to be addressed in the context of dialogue with all those seriously concerned for humanity and for the world in which we live" (No. 27).

When discussing the relationship between the Church, a "Community of Love," and politics, the Pope's approach to justice is particularly relevant to the social sciences and to the role of the magisterium of the Church.

First of all, the Pope offers the strongest vision that has ever been formulated in the contemporary age on the relationship between politics and justice: "The just ordering of society and the State is a central responsibility of politics." Indeed, "Justice is both the aim and the intrinsic criterion of all politics."

For the Pope justice (and politics) is not a mere utilitarian or contractual technique but "by its very nature has to do with ethics" (No. 28). In contrast to the solely descriptive and value-free understanding of human action proposed by many within the human and social sciences, the Pope upholds the importance of practical reason by renewing the question of the most just political order.

However, he perceives the modern danger of detaching reason from faith: "If reason is to be exercised properly, it must undergo constant purification, since it can never be completely free of the danger of a certain ethical blindness caused by the dazzling effect of power and special interests." Indeed, we cannot but engage in an assessment of our sense of justice in the light of faith: "From God's standpoint, faith liberates reason from its blind spots and therefore helps it to be ever more fully itself."

This critical work of faith frees reason from its limits: "Faith enables reason to do its work more effectively and to see its proper object more clearly." Not only the historical dimension of the meaning of justice, founded on both the Jewish and Christian traditions and the Roman and Greek inheritance, but also its contemporary meaning, derive from the constant purification that faith brings to reason: "This is where Catholic social doctrine has its place: it has no intention of giving the Church power over the State. Even less is it an attempt to impose on those who do not share the faith ways of thinking and modes of conduct proper to faith."

To conclude, here, too, the Pope attributes to the Christian a fundamental task and stresses that the aim of the social doctrine of the Church "is simply to help purify reason and to contribute, here and now, to the acknowledgement and attainment of what is just" (No. 28a).

The Holy Father, in conformity with this teaching on charity and justice, thus calls for the structures of charitable service in the social context of the present day to promote the wellbeing of individuals, of peoples and of humanity: "Our times call for a new readiness to assist our neighbors in need. … Concern for our neighbor transcends the confines of national communities and has increasingly broadened its horizon to the whole world" (No. 30).

[Text adapted]
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Archpastoral Statement Regarding the Virginia Tech Tragedy

Johnstown, PA ( April 23, 2007 ) His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas has issued the following statement regarding the  Recent Tragedy at Virginia Tech:

April 23, 2007

Christ is Risen!

Dear Fathers and Faithful:

Tragedy comes in many forms and faces. It is not new to us. It has visited our nation once again, this time in Blacksburg, Virginia at Virginia Tech University. Its form is senseless. Its face is brutal. Thirty-two lives – the majority of them aspiring students, the others, distinguished educators - were snuffed out without warning on the morning of April 16 by a lone gunman in a senseless shooting spree. Although we do not understand this tragedy, nor did the victims do anything to precipitate it, nevertheless it happened.

Now, we do what our Christian tradition teaches us to do – pray for the victims, mourn with their families, and, yes, pray for mercy on the soul of the perpetrator of this crime.

In a Convocation address the day after the tragedy, Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor, spoke to the university community. Listen to a portion of the message of inspiration he delivered to them:

“We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think, and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through our sadness…We will prevail…”

Virginia Tech will prevail…our nation will prevail because of the truth of the Resurrection that gives us hope. Because Christ is risen, eternal life is bestowed. Indeed, He is risen!

Memorial services have been held across the nation every day since this senseless tragedy. If you have not already prayed for the fallen, I ask that you do so in the Divine Liturgy this Sunday.

Additionally, cards and letters of condolences can be sent to:

Dean of Students
Virginia Tech
201 West Roanoke Street
Blacksburg, VA 24061.

With prayerful regards and the assurance of my blessing, I remain

Most sincerely yours in Christ Risen

+ METROPOLITAN NICHOLAS

Metropoltian Smisko is the Bishop of the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of Johnstown.
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VATICAN CITY, APR 26, 2007 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office at midday today, a press conference was held to present the 13th plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences which is due to be held in the Vatican from April 27 to May 1 and which has as its theme this year: "Charity and Justice in the Relations among Peoples and Nations."

 

Participating in the press conference were Mary Ann Glendon, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and professor of law at Harvard University, U.S.A.; Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences; and Juan Jose Llach, counsellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and professor of economics at Austral University, Argentina.

 

An English-language note regarding the theme of the forthcoming plenary was made public today. "Although it is at times a common conviction that the pursuit of charity and justice at the international level is of key importance for contemporary society, at the same time we encounter signs that are working in the opposite direction," the note reads, and goes on to list a number of "worrying recent signs of the times" such as "the re-emergence of nationalism," and signs that "economic and social convergence between developed and developing countries is still confined only to a few of this last category."

 

Other "worrying signs" include the high "incidence of poverty and extreme poverty" and the fact that "multilateral institutions such as the UN, the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank ... are demonstrating signs of weakness and tiredness." Furthermore "there are now well-grounded doubts about the possibility of really implementing" the Millennium Goals of halving the number of poor people in the world by the year 2015.

 

A further cause for concern is the fact that "the aid that has been given has fallen far short of the goal of allocating 0.7 percent of the GDP of developed countries to foreign aid," and "has often been inefficiently distributed and utilised." Finally, the note mentions the problem of war and terrorism highlighting how the beginning of the new century was "characterised by a notable increase in the social and moral scourge of terrorism. At the same time, the world is still afflicted on a large scale by wars between countries and wars within countries."

 

The text then mentions Benedict XVI's Encyclical "Deus caritas est" as a specific source of inspiration. "In particular," the note says, the Encyclical "reminds us that the theological and human virtue of charity must preside over all of the social teaching and all of the social works of the Church and her members. ... The Pope draws our attention to the fact that this teaching is both timely and significant, 'in a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence.'

 

"This," the note adds, "is why 'Deus Caritas est' has been correctly described as being in part a social encyclical. It is love (caritas) that animates the Church's care for the needy, the work of lay women and men for justice and peace in the secular sphere, and is the leavening force of the Church in society."

 

"Indeed, 'Deus Caritas est' places itself in the long lineage of other social encyclicals, not only because it addresses the virtue of charity but also because it attributes primary importance to the virtue of justice." In the Encyclical, "Benedict XVI declares: 'In today's complex situation, not least because of the growth of a globalized economy, the Social Doctrine of the Church has become a set of fundamental guidelines offering approaches that are even beyond the confines of the Church'."

 

"When discussing the relationship between the Church, a 'Community of Love,' and politics," says the note, "the Pope offers the strongest vision that has ever been formulated in the contemporary age on the relationship between politics and justice: 'The just ordering of society and the State is a central responsibility of politics.' Indeed, 'Justice is both the aim and the intrinsic criterion of all politics.' For the Pope, justice (and politics) is not a mere utilitarian or contractual technique but 'by its very nature has to do with ethics'."

 

On the other hand, however, the Holy Father "perceives the modern danger of detaching reason from faith" when he states: "if reason is to be exercised properly, it must undergo constant purification, since it can never be completely free of the danger of a certain ethical blindness caused by the dazzling effect of power and special interests."

 

The note goes on: "This critical work of faith frees reason from its limits: 'Faith enables reason to do its work more effectively and to see its proper object more clearly.' Not only the historical dimension of the meaning of justice, founded on both the Jewish and Christian traditions and the Roman and Greek inheritance, but also its contemporary meaning, derive from the constant purification that faith brings to reason: 'This is where Catholic social doctrine has its place: it has no intention of giving the Church power over the State. Even less is it an attempt to impose on those who do not share the faith ways of thinking and modes of conduct proper to faith'."

 

The note concludes: "The Holy Father, in conformity with this teaching on charity and justice, thus calls for the structures of charitable service in the social context of the present day to promote the wellbeing of individuals, of peoples and of humanity."

ACAD-SS/CHARITY:JUSTICE/GLENDON                                VIS 070426 (940)

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Cites Example of Origen

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Prayerful reading of Scripture, and the consequent reform of life, is the secret to the constant renewal of the Church, Benedict XVI says.

The Pope affirmed that today when speaking of Origen of Alexandria at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. He continued with his series of catechesis on early Church Fathers.

Origen, "true teacher … brilliant theologian … exemplary witness of the doctrine he taught … the most prolific author of the first three Christian centuries," brought about an "irreversible turn in Christian thought," the Holy Father said.

"He grounded theology in the explanations of the Scriptures; or we could also say that his theology is the perfect symbiosis between theology and exegesis," the Pontiff explained.

He added: "The characterizing mark of Origen's doctrine seems to reside in his incessant invitation to pass from the letter to the spirit of the Scriptures, to progress in the knowledge of God.

"We can say, therefore, that the central nucleus of Origen's immense literary works consists in his 'three-pronged reading' of the Bible."

Three prongs

Benedict XVI explained Origen's methodology in studying sacred Scripture.

"To know what is actually written and to know what this text wanted to say intentionally and initially," was Origen's first step, the Pope said.

He explained how Origen used a system of columns to evaluate all the possible meanings of the original biblical language. For example, in the first column, he would put the Hebrew original. And in five parallel columns, Origen would do a transliteration and four different translations into Greek. He thus tried "to know exactly what is written," the Holy Father explained.

The second prong was reading Scripture along with its most famous commentaries. "He proceeds almost verse by verse, probing amply and deeply, with philological and doctrinal notes," the Pope added.

Finally, Benedict XVI continued: "Origen dedicated himself a great deal to the preaching of the Bible, adapting himself to varied audiences. In any case, as we see in his Homilies, the teacher, dedicated to systematic interpretation of verses, breaks them down into smaller verses.

"Origen takes every opportunity to mention the various senses of sacred Scripture that help or express a way of growth in faith: There is the 'literal' sense, but this hides depths that are not apparent upon a first reading; the second dimension is the 'moral' sense: what we must do as we live the Word; and in the end we have the 'spiritual' sense, the unity of Scripture in its diversity."

Multidimensional

Benedict XVI said that he followed a similar process in his recently released book.

"I tried somewhat, in my book 'Jesus of Nazareth,' to show the multiple dimensions of the Word in today's world, of sacred Scripture, that must first of all be respected in the historical sense," he said. "But this sense brings us toward Christ, in the light of the Holy Spirit, and shows us the way, how to live."

The Pope invited the faithful to follow Origen's example: "I invite you to welcome the teachings of this great teacher of the faith into your hearts.

"He reminds us that in the prayerful reading of Scripture and in a coherent way of life, the Church is renewed and rejuvenated."

Code: ZE07042503

Date: 2007-04-25

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VATICAN CITY, APRIL 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- In celebration of 30 years of service, the photo department of L'Osservatore Romano is offering "Vatican Click," an exposition of 11 papacies.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, presented the first showing on Tuesday. Starting today, the exposition is also available by Internet in English and Italian at https://www.photo.va/?f=1.

More than 5 million images are distributed among five categories: "Benedict XVI," "John Paul II," "John Paul I," "Paul VI" and "The Giordani Collection."

Vatican Click offers the possibility to see the faces of the last 11 popes and opens a window to daily life at the Vatican.

The exposition was organized by Salesian Father Giuseppe Colombara, of L'Osservatore Romano's photography department.

The showing is free and open to the public through May 27 in the Charlemagne Wing at the left colonnade of St. Peter's Square.

Code: ZE07042501

Date: 2007-04-25