VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 165
DATE 27-09-2015

Summary:
- The future of the Church requires more active participation of the laity
- Meeting with the Hispanic community and other immigrants: "Never be ashamed of
your traditions"
- God gave Creation to a family
- Other Pontifical Acts

___________________________________________________________


The future of the Church requires more active participation of the laity

Vatican City, 27 September 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis arrived in Philadelphia for
the last stage of his apostolic trip yesterday at 9.30 a.m. local time (3.30
p.m. in Rome). His first act in this history city, where the Declaration of
Independence was adopted and the United States Constitution was signed, was the
celebration of Holy Mass at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, a votive mass
to the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, attended by the bishops, clergy, and
men and women religious of the state of Pennsyvlania.

"This morning I learned something about the history of this beautiful Cathedral:
the story behind its high walls and windows", said the Pope in his
homily. "I
would like to think, though, that the history of the Church in this city and
state is really a story not about building walls, but about breaking them down.
It is a story about generation after generation of committed Catholics going out
to the peripheries, and building communities of worship, education, charity and
service to the larger society. ... All of this is a great legacy which you have
received, and which you have been called to enrich and pass on".

"Most of you know the story of Saint Katharine Drexel, one of the great saints
raised up by this local Church", he continued. "When she spoke to
Pope Leo XIII
of the needs of the missions, the Pope ... asked her pointedly: 'What about you?
What are you going to do?'. Those words changed Katharine's life, because they
reminded her that, in the end, every Christian man and woman, by virtue of
baptism, has received a mission. Each one of us has to respond, as best we can,
to the Lord's call to build up his Body, the Church".

Those words were addressed to a "a young woman with high ideals, and they
changed her life. They made her think of the immense work that had to be done,
and to realise that she was being called to do her part. How many young people
in our parishes and schools have the same high ideals, generosity of spirit, and
love for Christ and the Church! ... To find ways of sharing their enthusiasm and
gifts with our communities, above all in works of mercy and concern for others?"
asked the Pope.

"One of the great challenges facing the Church in this generation is to foster
in all the faithful a sense of personal responsibility for the Church's mission,
and to enable them to fulfil that responsibility as missionary disciples, as a
leaven of the Gospel in our world. This will require creativity in adapting to
changed situations, carrying forward the legacy of the past not primarily by
maintaining our structures and institutions, which have served us well, but
above all by being open to the possibilities which the Spirit opens up to us and
communicating the joy of the Gospel, daily and in every season of our life".

Francis remarked that "it is significant that those words of the elderly Pope
were also addressed to a lay woman. We know that the future of the Church in a
rapidly changing society will call, and even now calls, for a much more active
engagement on the part of the laity. The Church in the United States has always
devoted immense effort to the work of catechesis and education. Our challenge
today is to build on those solid foundations and to foster a sense of
collaboration and shared responsibility in planning for the future of our
parishes and institutions. This does not mean relinquishing the spiritual
authority with which we have been entrusted; rather, it means discerning and
employing wisely the manifold gifts which the Spirit pours out upon the Church.
In a particular way, it means valuing the immense contribution which women, lay
and religious, have made and continue to make, to the life of our communities".

"During these days of the World Meeting of Families, I would ask you in a
particular way to reflect on our ministry to families, to couples preparing for
marriage, and to our young people", he concluded. "I know how
much is being done
in your local Churches to respond to the needs of families and to support them
in their journey of faith. I ask you to pray fervently for them, and for the
deliberations of the forthcoming Synod on the Family".

___________________________________________________________


Meeting with the Hispanic community and other immigrants: "Never be ashamed of
your traditions"

Vatican City, 27 September 2015 (VIS) - The Independence National Historical
Park, considered the "most historic square mile in America" for
its numerous
buildings linked to the American War of Independence between the United States
of America and Great Britain (1763-1783), was the scene of the Pope's meeting
with the Hispanic community and other immigrants. The central theme of his
discourse was religious freedom and the defence of the roots of every individual
and people. Upon arrival, the representatives of the "Encuentros Nacionales del
ministerio Hispano" asked the Holy Father to bless a "Biblia
Catolica para la
Familia y para el Joven" - a Catholic Bible for the Family and the Young - and
the "Cruz de los Encuentros", the cross carried on pilgrimages
throughout all
the United States in preparation for each national "Encuentro" of
the community.
The initiative was started in 1972, and is intended to enhance the contribution
of the Hispano-Latin community to the life and decisions of the Catholic Church
in the country. The next Encuentro will take place in January 2017.

In his address to the thousands of people gathered in the Park, the Pope
remarked that one of the highlights of his trip was his visit to Independence
Mall, the birthplace of the United States of America, where the freedoms that
define the country were proclaimed for the first time. "The Declaration of
Independence stated that all men and women are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, and that governments
exist to protect and defend those rights. Those resounding words continue to
inspire us today, even as they have inspired peoples throughout the world to
fight for the freedom to live in accordance with their dignity. But history also
shows that these or any truths must constantly be reaffirmed, re-appropriated
and defended. ... We remember the great struggles which led to the abolition of
slavery, the extension of voting rights, the growth of the labour movement, and
the gradual effort to eliminate every kind of racism and prejudice directed at
successive waves of new Americans. This shows that, when a country is determined
to remain true to its founding principles, based on respect for human dignity,
it is strengthened and renewed".

He went on to speak of the importance of remembering the past, as "a people
which remembers does not repeat past errors; instead, it looks with confidence
to the challenges of the present and the future. Remembrance saves a people's
soul from whatever or whoever would attempt to dominate it or use it for their
interests". He then reiterated his wish, "in this place which is
symbolic of the
American way" to "reflect ... on the right to religious freedom. It is a
fundamental right which shapes the way we interact socially and personally with
our neighbours whose religious views differ from our own".

"Religious freedom certainly means the right to worship God, individually and in
community, as our consciences dictate", he explained. "But
religious liberty, by
its nature, transcends places of worship and the private sphere of individuals
and families. Our various religious traditions serve society primarily by the
message they proclaim. ... They remind us of the transcendent dimension of human
existence and our irreducible freedom in the face of every claim to absolute
power. We need only look at history, especially the history of the last century,
to see the atrocities perpetrated by systems which claimed to build one or
another 'earthly paradise' by dominating peoples, subjecting them to apparently
indisputable principles and denying them any kind of rights. Our rich religious
traditions seek to offer meaning and direction. ... At the heart of their
spiritual mission is the proclamation of the truth and dignity of the human
person and human rights. ... In a world where various forms of modern tyranny seek
to suppress religious freedom, or try to reduce it to a subculture without right
to a voice in the public square, or to use religion as a pretext for hatred and
brutality, it is imperative that the followers of the various religions join
their voices in calling for peace, tolerance and respect for the dignity and
rights of others".

We live in a world "subject to globalization ... which consciously aims at a
one-dimensional uniformity and seeks to eliminate all differences and traditions
in a superficial quest for unity. The religions thus have the right and the duty
to make clear that it is possible to build a society where a healthy pluralism
which respects differences and values them as such is a precious ally in the
commitment to defending human dignity... and a path to peace in our troubled
world".

He went on to mention the Quakers who founded Philadelphia, "inspired by a
profound evangelical sense of the dignity of each individual and the ideal of a
community united by brotherly love. This conviction led them to found a colony
which would be a haven of religious freedom and tolerance. That sense of
fraternal concern for the dignity of all, especially the weak and the
vulnerable, became an essential part of the American spirit. During his visit to
the United States in 1987, St. John Paul II paid moving homage to this,
reminding all Americans that: 'The ultimate test of your greatness is the way
you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenceless
ones'".

"I take this opportunity to thank all those, of whatever religion, who have
sought to serve the God of peace by building cities of brotherly love, by caring
for our neighbours in need, by defending the dignity of God's gift of life in
all its stages, by defending the cause of the poor and the immigrant. All too
often, those most in need of our help are unable to be heard. You are their
voice, and many of you have faithfully made their cry heard. In this witness,
which frequently encounters powerful resistance, you remind American democracy
of the ideals for which it was founded, and that society is weakened whenever
and wherever injustice prevails. A moment ago I spoke about the tendency towards
globalisation. Globalisation is not an ill. On the contrary, the tendency
towards globalisation is good in that it unites us. The aspect that can be bad
is the way in which it is realised. If globalisation aims to make us all equal,
like a sphere, then it destroys the specific character of each person and each

--- MPost/386 v1.21