Fr. Guillermo Mario Cassone. Everyone must know that Italy had a change in government, that the Euro and Europe are reeling, and that this Christmas we must save on celebrations and gifts.
But few people know that the Church, in the person of POPE BENEDICT XVI, is on the move, although it is not always news in the media or on the Internet. For this reason, I will relate some news and make my comments.
After his participation in World Youth Day, the Pope made several trips in Italy, but there were two very important ones outside of Italy.
Visit to Germany
He went to Germany, his native land, where he visited three cities and a Marian Shrine. He spoke to the politicians in Parliament and to evangelicals in a Lutheran Convent, he met with the youth in a very beautiful vigil, he celebrated Mass in Berlin, Erfut, and in Freiburg with people’s great participation, he met with Catholic leaders, Protestant representatives, Jews, and Muslims.
The Bishop of Freiburg, Monsignor Zollitsch, who presides over the German Episcopal Conference, and who belongs to the Schoenstatt Diocesan Institute accompanied him throughout the trip. He recently visited us in Rome, where he commented on how the Pope was able to conquer the critical and distant attitudes that were present prior to his trip, and he gained the openness and empathy of the people who met him or followed him on TV. He was able to reach everyone, with his very respectful and warm manner, with the spontaneity of speaking in their language and in his Nation, with sincerity and with his great intellectual authority with which he confronts the most difficult subjects.
The motto for this trip was “Where God is present, there is a future,” and he presented this line in the various meetings placing the great subject of the relationship with God and its meaning for people and society, as well as the hope for the future, based precisely on faith in a living and present God.
Trip to Benin
Recently, he went to Benin, a small African country on the west coast, close to Nigeria, where he met the African Bishops, and he presented them with the new document, “AFRICAE MUNUS,” a fruit of Synod 2009. It deals with the “commitment of the Christian Africans at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace” as stated in the sub-title. It is a program for the Church throughout the continent, and at the same time, it is a way to frame the New Evangelization.
During his various encounters with enormous multitudes of people, he stressed African values such as their profound devotion, their love of life, and family, the communitarian dimension, the solidarity in their relationships, and their respect for nature and the environment. The Pope has great affection for the African continents, and on this trip, he showed it. He returned very happy.
The New Evangelization
On December 12th, the Feast of Guadalupe, he will celebrate Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica with Latin Americans, who will attend, he will surely announce his next trip to Mexico and Cuba in 2012.
He has convoked a Synod in Rome in October 2012 for the NEW EVANGELIZATION.
A year ago he created a new Dicasteria that carries this name and is beginning to take its first steps. He commented on one of those steps, which took place on October 15th and 16th, with representatives of the Movements and Institutions about this subject. On Saturday, he spoke to us in an audience of 8,000 people about what the New Evangelization should be, and during the Mass on Sunday at Saint Peter’s, he gave a very enthusiastic drive excitedly setting this objective into motion. There is an article about this written by Federico Bauml, who belongs to the Italian Schoenstatt Family.
On repeated occasions, he has systematically returned to this subject, and it is noticeable that this is a great impulse that he desires for the entire Church everywhere. This shows the continuity with John Paul II, and at the same time, there are certain new accents, for example, the Word of God, the charisms, the liturgy, catechesis and the devotion of the people.
A Workshop with representatives from Latin America
On November 11th, the Pontifical Commission for Latin American convoked a group of Latin Americans from the different Congregations, Seminarians, and Movements so that we could present our contribution on this subject, departing from the experiences of the Church on our continent, where this challenge was first posed and where more has been done culminating with Aparecida and the Continental Mission. It was a very intense and rich workshop, where we could verify the action of the Spirit in the great variety of charisms and the number of initiatives in the missionary line. I believe there is much to contribute to the Church in and from Latin America in this new challenge.
As you can see, there is much to share about Benedict XVI. May these lines be a brief sample of what happens in Rome and from Rome through the Holy Father’s initiative; he seems very agile and lucid at the age of 84. Let us pray for him, and let us assume our commitment as active and adult members of the Church in this New Evangelization.
May everyone have a very blessed Advent and a Christmas filled with hope!
Celina M. Garza: Spanish/English translation – Melissa Peña-Janknegt: English edit
