VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI in Brazil - “Starting afresh from Christ in every area of missionary activity; rediscovering in Jesus the love and salvation given to us by the Father through the Holy Spirit: this is the substance and lifeline of the bishop's mission”

São Paulo (Agenzia Fides) - In the evening of Friday 11 May Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Vespers with 400 Brazilian bishops in the Cathedral of Sao Paulo Catedral da Sé dedicated to Our Lady of the Annunciation. In his homily the Holy Father said “I thank God for the opportunity to be with this distinguished Episcopate, which presides over one of the largest Catholic populations in the world. I greet you with a sense of deep communion and sincere affection, well aware of your devotion to the communities entrusted to your care.” He then thanked Brazil for offering hospitality to the participants at 5th General Conference of the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean in Aparecida, and for praying for the success of the meeting: “a great ecclesial event in view of the missionary efforts which Latin America must assume from here in Brazil”.
Reflecting on the passage from the Letter to the Hebrews “Although he was Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him"” (Heb 5,8-9), Pope Benedict XVI said that Jesus “teaches that the way to salvation is to conform our will with that of God … if we go towards the will of God with Jesus Christ, we open the world to the Kingdom of God.” The mission of bishops is to recall that, as the Apostles of the Nations writes, our Saviour “wishes all men and women to be saved and to come to know the truth ” (1 Tm 2,4-6). “This alone it the finality of the Church: to save every single soul. Hence the mandate to evangelise …Where God and his will are unknown, where there is no faith in Jesus Christ and in his presence in the celebration of the sacraments, the essential for the solution of urgent social and political problems is lacking ”.
The Pope then said the present times are difficult for the: “social life is experiencing a sense of loss and anxiety. The holiness of marriage and the family is attack in impunity… crimes against life are justified in the name of the rights of individual freedom; the dignity of the human person is violated; the wound of divorce and illegal unions is spreading… in the Church the value of priestly commitment as total entrustment to God in apostolic celibacy and total dedication to serve souls is questioned...” The Holy Father encouraged the Bishops to look to the future with confidence “the Church is holy and cannot be destroyed” founded on Christ. Among the most urgent problems for the Church in Brazil the Pope mentioned lapse Catholics and he said the main reason was, “lack of evangelisation in which Christ and his Church are at the centre of all explanation”. Hence the need to promote “ methodical and capillary evangelisation to foster personal and community communion with… in a word, an evangelising mission involving all the living forces of this immense flock ”.
“In this work of evangelisation the ecclesial community should be clearly marked by pastoral initiatives, especially by sending missionaries, lay or religious, to homes on the outskirts of the cities and in the interior, to enter into dialogue with everyone in a spirit of understanding, sensitivity and charity. On the other hand, if the persons they encounter are living in poverty, it is necessary to help them, as the first Christian communities did, by practising solidarity and making them feel truly loved. The poor living in the outskirts of the cities or the countryside need to feel that the Church is close to them, providing for their most urgent needs, defending their rights and working together with them to build a society founded on justice and peace.” the Pope said.
“ Starting afresh from Christ in every area of missionary activity; rediscovering in Jesus the love and salvation given to us by the Father through the Holy Spirit: this is the substance and lifeline of the bishop's mission which makes the him the person primarily responsible for catechesis in his diocese. Indeed, it falls ultimately to him to direct catechesis, surrounding himself with competent and trustworthy co-workers. It is therefore clear that the catechist’s task is not simply to communicate faith-experiences; rather—under the guidance of the Pastor—it is to be an authentic herald of revealed truths. Faith is a journey led by the Holy Spirit which can be summed up in two words: conversion and discipleship. In the Christian tradition, these two key words clearly indicate that faith in Christ implies a way of living based on the twofold command to love God and neighbour—and they also express life’s social dimension".
“The is need for a correct application of the principles indicated by Vatican II, with regard to the Liturgy of the Church included in the instructions in the Directory for Bishops (cfr nn. 145-151), to restore to the Liturgy its sacred nature ”, the Popes aid expressing the need to “improve the quality of the Christian life of the people to enable them to witness clearly to their faith”. He urged the Bishops to be “heralds of eternal salvation for all who obey Christ (cfr Heb 5,10)… faithful servants of the Word with no watering-down or confusion in the mission entrusted to us. It is not enough to observe reality on the basis of personal faith; we must work with the Gospel in hand and we must be anchored to authentic heritage of Apostolic Tradition, avoiding interpretations motivated by rationalistic ideologies”. It is the duty of the bishop to “preserve the deposit of faith and maintain its unity”.
Among the other questions which concern the bishop mentioned by the Pope in his homily: vocation discernment, “to complete the spiritual, psycho-affective, intellectual and pastoral dimension in young men mature and willing to serve the Church ”, and concern for religious communities: “The Church cannot fail to manifest joy and appreciation for all the religious do in universities, schools, hospitals and other institutions and works”.
With regard to Ecumenism the Pope said that today this task “ever more urgent” has become “complex ”. Therefore “ indispensable is good historical and doctrinal formation which fosters the necessary discernment and helps to understand the specific identity of each community, the elements which divide and those which foster the building of unity ”. In the last part of his homily the Pope stressed the need to “work tirelessly for the formation of politicians and all Brazilians with decision-making power, and in general every member of society, that all may assume their responsibility and give a human face to economy with solidarity”.
Pope Benedict XVI concluded his address to the Bishops of Brazil with an “affectionate word of encouragement and at the same time a fraternal and sincere call to continue to work as you are already doing in harmony having as your foundation communion which in the Eucharist has its culminating moment and inexhaustible source.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 12/5/2007; righe 85, parole 1.194)