Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “As you already know, Pope Benedict XVI is sending me to you as your Vicar General. I address him and our Bishops, in expressing my feelings of intimate communion, profound respect, and sincere gratitude for the confidence they have placed in me, a sign of singular benevolence.” These were the words written by Cardinal Vallini, the Holy Father’s Vicar General, in his greeting to the Diocese of Rome. “I joyfully greet the entire People of God present in Rome: families, youth, sick, elderly, poor, persons living alone, and with a spirit of cordial friendship I greet all those who live in our city, at whose service and in humble assistance to the Holy Father I have been sent to proclaim the Gospel and testify to the charity of Christ. As pastor and citizen, I feel close, a friend and ally of every person, in the promotion and defense of the fundamental rights and dignity of each one of them.”
After expressing his thoughts on the various components of the diocesan and civil community, the Vicar said that he observed in himself “a feeling of inadequacy and anxiety” in taking up this ministry, aware of the “exemplary” nature of the Church of Rome, “that presides in charity,” and is called to take a leadership role before all the other dioceses of the world. “I am thinking of the great challenges facing the modern age that have instilled in many men and women a feeling of spiritual confusion, uncertainty, and fear of the future, as well as other demands for the Church, that she may commit herself through a testimony of apostolic life and zeal, to discovering the beautiful countenance of the spouse of Christ, place and school of Christian hope.”
The Cardinal also mentioned the many baptized and all other persons who have not yet received the Gospel, who “need someone to instruct them in the mystery of Christ, the Lord of Life, someone who with the light of the word and the strength of their example can propose the Gospel message, so that they may discover time and again the wonderful reasons of Biblical faith and the joy in living them.”
At the close of his message, indicating the pastoral goals for the coming years, he said, “We should work towards an ‘education of hope,’ so that the Church in Rome may continue to proclaim the Gospel of the Risen Lord with renewed energy, as it is the ‘first fruit’ of new life that has no end. We should work towards a perseverant prayer that purifies the heart, opens itself to God and to others and sparks a testimony of love, especially towards the poor, and to a positive cooperation that knows how to find the good wherever it is.”
On June 27, in the Clementine Hall, in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received representatives from the Diocese of Rome in an audience for the retirement of Cardinal Ruini and the appointment of his successor, Cardinal Agostino Vallini. In his speech, the Pope thanked Cardinal Ruini for his long-running service as Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, recalling “the many aspects of such a long and appreciated ministry”: sentiments of gratitude which he expressed in a recent letter he sent to Cardinal Ruini on the occasion of his 25th anniversary of his ordination as a Bishop.
Recalling the “missionary charisma of Pope John Paul II,” “alongside a true giant of the faith and of the mission of the Church,” the Pope mentioned that this had “a decisive influence on his pontificate, in particular on the period of preparation for the Jubilee 2000.
And this was directly evident in the Diocese of Rome, the Pope's own diocese, thanks to the constant commitment of the cardinal vicar and his collaborators.” The Rome's Citizens' Mission and the Dialogues in the Cathedral continue to be “manifestations of a Church which, at the very moment in which it was gaining a greater awareness of its own diocesan identity and assuming progressively its physiognomy, opened itself decisively to a missionary mentality and a style consistent with it, a mentality and style destined to last not just the length of a season, but, as was often confirmed, to become permanent.” In this particularly important aspect, the Pope gave Cardinal Ruini the credit because as President of the Bishops’ Conference, he promoted and cared for it, at the level of the entire Italian nation.
“Solicitude for the mission was always accompanied and backed up by an outstanding capacity for theological and philosophical reflection, which you manifested and exercised since your youthful years. The apostolate, especially in our own time, must be constantly nourished by thought in order to explain the significance of gestures and actions, which otherwise lapse into sterile activism.” The Pope praised Cardinal Ruini for having offered an example “goes beyond the initiatives of the moment, an example of commitment to "thinking the faith" in absolute conformity to the magisterium of the Church, with careful attention to the teachings of the bishop of Rome and, at the same time, while constantly listening to the questions that arise from contemporary culture and from the problems of modern society.”
The Pope also presented the new Vicar General, Cardinal Agostino Vallini: “. I greet you with great affection and welcome you in the new office. I entrust it to you bearing in mind the pastoral experience you gained first as auxiliary in the great Archdiocese of Naples, then as bishop of Albano, to which experiences you add proven gifts of wisdom and cordiality. Dear cardinal, from today my prayer for you will be particularly intense, so that the Lord will grant you all the graces necessary in this new office. I encourage you to express fully your pastoral zeal and wish you a serene and profitable ministry.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 01/7/2008)
