VATICAN - “In many parts of the world, especially in Asia and Africa, there is a great need for vital areas of encounter with the Lord, where through prayer and contemplation people can recuperate serenity and peace with themselves and others,” the Pope tells Benedictine Abbots

Castel Gandolfo (Agenzia Fides) – “In a de-sacralized world and at a time marked by a worrisome culture of emptiness and ‘meaninglessness,’ you are called to declare, without compromises, the primacy of God and to make proposals as to new paths of evangelization.” These were the words of the Holy Father Benedict XVI in addressing the participants in the International Congress of Benedictine Abbots, received in an audience at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo on September 20. The Congress, which is held every four years in Rome, is attended by all the Abbots of the Confederation and the Superiors of the Independent Priories, and a group of Abbesses, in representation of the Communion Internationalis Benedictinarum, as well as representatives from the Orthodox faith.
In our day, as well, men and women hasten to the monasteries “in search of God and in order to learn how to recognize the signs of Christ’s presence, of His charity, of His Mercy,” the Holy Father said, and thus encouraged the Benedictines not to tire of sharing with all those who turn to them for spiritual support, “the wealth of the Gospel message, which is resumed in the announcement of the love of the merciful Father, ready to embrace every person in Christ.”
Addressing the Abbots and Abbesses, the Pope spoke of the role of the monasteries in the field of cultural and education, which is of such great importance for the younger generations: “it is especially important that the youth be prepared to face their future and confront the many demands of society, with a constant reference to the Gospel message, which is always pertinent, inexhaustible, and life-giving. Therefore, dedicate yourselves with renewed apostolic spirit to the youth, who are the future of the Church and humanity. In order to build a ‘new’ Europe, it is necessary to begin with the new generations, offering them the possibility of entering into close contact with the spiritual wealth of the liturgy, meditation, and lectio divina.”
Then Benedict XVI continued, “In many parts of the world, especially in Asia and Africa, there is a great need for vital areas of encounter with the Lord, where through prayer and contemplation people can recuperate serenity and peace with themselves and others. Therefore, never cease to welcome with an open heart the beseeching of those who, even outside of Europe, express an ardent desire for your presence and your apostolate in order to share in the wealth of the Benedictine spirituality. Let yourselves be guided by the inner desire to serve every person with charity, regardless of their race or religion. With prophetic freedom and wise discernment, you should become important reference points wherever Providence calls you to establish yourselves, being distinguished by your harmonic stability of prayer and work that characterizes your lifestyle.”
The Holy Father also recommended stability in the “acclaimed Benedictine hospitality”: “the community’s heart should be open, but the times and manners of accommodating visitors should be well-proportioned...A community capable of authentic fraternal life, fervent in liturgical prayer, study, and work, in the cordial openness to their neighbor who thirsts for God, is the best means to cultivate, especially in the youth, the vocation to monastic life and, in general, a fruitful journey of faith.”
Before concluding, Benedict XVI spoke to the Benedictine nuns and sisters present, encouraging them even in the face of a vocations shortage: “respond to these painful situations with serenity and with the awareness that each of us is called to succeed, as well as to proceed in effort and fidelity. What should be absolutely avoided is any weakening of one’s spiritual union with the Lord, the vocation, and the mission. Faithfully persevering in your own vocations you bear witness with great effectiveness, also before the world, to your firm faith in the Lord of history, in Whose hands are the times and destinies of individuals, institutions and peoples, and to Him we entrust all that concerns the works of His gifts.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 22/9/2008)