Instrumentum mensis Octobris pro lectura Magisterii Summi Pontifici Benedicti XVI, pro evangelizatione in terris missionum

Saturday, 17 November 2007

On October 5th the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI granted an audience to the members of the International Theological Commission on the occasion of the Commission's plenary session. In his address the Pope dwelt on the issue of natural moral law and he said “this nature of this theme is not exclusively or principally confessional, although doctrine on natural moral law is fully illuminated and developed in the light of Christian revelation and the full realisation of man in the mystery of Christ ”. On his visit to the Pontifical Institute for Sacred Music the Pontiff encouraged the Institute to offer its own contribution towards “the ‘aggiornamento’ of the precious traditions of which sacred music is so rich to suit our times ”.
At the end of his General Audience on 17 October, Pope Benedict XVI announced the second Consistory of his pontificate, to he held on 24 and 25 November, during which he will appoint new cardinals. Addressing the Catholic Bishops of Congo, received in audience on the occasion of their five yearly ad limina visit, the Holy Father urged them “to give special attention to the initial and on-going Christian formation of the laity that they may understand and live the Christian mystery, sustained by the reading of the Scripture and sacramental life”. On Sunday 21 October, World Mission Sunday, Benedict XVI made a pastoral visit to Naples, a city “where healthy forces, good, culturally people with a profound sense of the family are not lacking”, but where “there are many situations of poverty, a scarcity of housing, unemployment or underemployment, lack of future prospects”, an in addition the sad phenomenon of violence, which “unfortunately tends to become a widespread mentality”. At the end of the Mass celebrated in the Piazza del Plebiscito, before reciting the Angelus prayer, the Pope mentioned World Mission Sunday and encouraged those present to pray “especially for missionaries… we must not fail to give spiritual and material support to those working on the frontiers of mission”. During his short visit the Pope also addressed leaders of delegations taking part in the International Meeting for Peace, promoted by the S. Egidio Community, held in Naples 21 to 23 October on the theme: “For a world without violence - Religions and Cultures in Dialogue”. Lastly in October, of particular importance was the address given by Benedict XVI when he received participants at the International Conference of Catholic Pharmacists, in which he reminded them of their “role” to educate patients: “The pharmacist must invite each person to advance humanity, so that every being may be protected from the moment of conception until natural death, and that medicines may fulfil properly their therapeutic role”.


Share: