VATICAN - Benedict addresses the Bishops of Japan: “The need to proclaim Christ boldly and courageously is a continuing priority for the Church…Your task today is to seek new ways of bringing alive the message of Christ in the cultural setting of modern Japan”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The 50th anniversary of the birth of Saint Francis Xavier Apostle of Japan, celebrated with joy last year by the whole Church, was recalled by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI in his address to the Catholic Bishops of Japan received in audience for their ad limina visit on 15 December. “join you in giving thanks to God for the missionary work that he carried out in your land, and for the seeds of Christian faith that he planted at the time of Japan’s first evangelisation - the Pope told the Bishops - The need to proclaim Christ boldly and courageously is a continuing priority for the Church…Your task today is to seek new ways of bringing alive the message of Christ in the cultural setting of modern Japan”.
Benedict XVI then recalled that “Even though Christians form only a small percentage of the population, the faith is a treasure that needs to be shared with the whole of Japanese society. Your leadership in this area needs to inspire clergy and religious, catechists, teachers, and families to offer an explanation for the hope that they possess." He stressed the need for “sound catechesis, based on the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Compendium”. The Pope continued: “The world is hungry for the message of hope that the Gospel brings. Even in countries as highly developed as yours, many are discovering that economic success and advanced technology are not sufficient in themselves to bring fulfilment to the human heart. Anyone who does not know God "is ultimately without hope, without the great hope that sustains the whole of life" (Spe Salvi, 27). Remind people that there is more to life than professional success and profit. Through the practice of charity, in the family and in the community, they can be led towards "that encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others" (Deus Caritas Est, 31). This is the great hope that Christians in Japan can offer their compatriots; it is not foreign to Japanese culture, but rather it reinforces and gives new impetus to all that is good and noble in the heritage of your beloved nation”.
Young people in particular “at risk of being deceived by the glamour of modern secular culture” the Holy Father continued, underlining the disappointment often leads to depression, desperation and even suicide. “If their youthful energy and enthusiasm can be directed towards the things of God, which alone are sufficient to satisfy their deepest longings, more young people will be inspired to commit their lives to Christ, and some will recognise a call to serve him in the priesthood or the religious life. Invite them to consider whether this may be their vocation”. The Pope exhorted the Bishops to promote vocations and to pray to God to send “workers for his harvest”.
Half the Catholic community in Japan is composed of immigrants and Pope Benedict XVI said this is an “an opportunity to enrich the life of the Church in your country and to experience the true catholicity of God’s people”, and he urged the Bishops to “to ensure that all are made to feel welcome in the Church”, and "to remain vigilant in ensuring that the liturgical and disciplinary norms of the universal Church are carefully observed”.
Modern Japan has wholeheartedly chosen to engage with the wider world, "and the Catholic Church, with its universal outreach, can make a valuable contribution to this process of ever greater openness to the international community”, the Pope said, adding that other nations can learn “from the accumulated wisdom of Japan's ancient culture, and especially from the witness to peace that has characterised her stance on the world political stage in the last sixty years”. Benedict XVI encouraged the Bishops to continue to express their opinion of issues of public interest in the life of the nation and to diffuse these orientations at all levels of society: “In this way, the message of hope that the Gospel brings can truly touch hearts and minds, leading to greater confidence in the future, greater love and respect for life, increasing openness towards the stranger and the sojourner in your midst. "The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life"”
Concluding his address the Pope mentioned the Beatification next year of 188 Japanese martyrs. He said the Beatification “offers a clear sign of the strength and vitality of Christian witness in your country’s history. From the earliest days, Japanese men and women have been ready to shed their blood for Christ.”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 17/12/2007; righe 49, parole 715)