VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 153
DATE 12-09-2014

Summary:
- To the bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo: work for a society
based on respect for the dignity of the person
- The exegete perceives the Divine Word through a fervent spiritual life
- Catholics and orthodox in Amman on "Synodality and the Primate"
- Archbishop Tomasi: human trafficking is not confined to poor and
developing countries
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
- Notice

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 To the bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo: work for a society
based on respect for the dignity of the person
 Vatican City, 12 September 2014 (VIS) - The education of young people in
order to overcome violence and inequality, the participation of the Church
in building society and the consolidation of peace and her mission in aid
of "those whom life has wounded" were the main issues in the
discourse Pope Francis handed to the bishops of the Democratic Republic of
Congo this morning, at the end of their "ad Limina" visit.
 "The Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a young
Church", writes the Holy Father. "However, it is also a Church of
youth. Children and adolescents, in particular, need God's strength to help
them resist the many temptations of a precarious life in which they are
unable to study or find work. I am sympathetic to their plight, and I know
you share their sorrows, their joys and hopes. I think with horror
especially of those children and young people conscripted into militias and
forced to kill their own countrymen. I encourage you, therefore, to pursue
the pastoral care of youth. By providing the greatest assistance possible,
especially through the creation of spaces for human, spiritual and
professional formation, you can help them discover their deepest vocation
that predisposes them to encounter the Lord".
 "The most effective way to overcome violence, inequality and ethnic
divisions is to equip the young with a critical mind and to offer them the
opportunity to mature an understanding of Gospel values. It is also
necessary to strengthen pastoral care in universities and in Catholic and
public schools, combining education with the clear proclamation of the
Gospel. ... Similarly, to face the problem of family breakdown, caused in
particular by war and poverty, it is essential to promote and encourage all
initiatives to strengthen the family, the source of brotherhood and the
foundation and first road to peace".
 "Fidelity to the Gospel also implies that the Church participates in
the construction of the city. One of the most valuable contributions that
the local church can offer your country is to help people rediscover the
relevance of faith in daily life and the need to promote the common good.
Similarly, leading figures in the nation, enlightened by pastors and in
relation to their skills, can also be supported in incorporating Christian
teachings in their personal lives and in the exercise of their duties in
the service of the state and society. In this sense, the Magisterium of the
Church, especially the encyclical Caritas in Veritate, the post-Synodal
apostolic exhortation "Africae munus" and the recent apostolic
exhortation "Evangelii gaudium", are invaluable tools".
 The Pope urges the Congolese bishops to "work tirelessly for the
establishment of a just and lasting peace through a pastoral of dialogue
and reconciliation among the various sectors of society, supporting the
process of disarmament, and promoting effective collaboration with other
religious denominations". He emphasises that at this time, when the
country is currently experiencing political events that are important for
the future, "it is necessary for the Church to make her contribution,
avoiding the risk of becoming substitute for political institutions and
temporal realities that must retain their autonomy". In particular,
pastors must be careful not to take on roles that rightfully belong to the
lay faithful, whose mission is justly that of bearing witness to Christ and
the Gospel in politics and in all other areas of their activities".
 After highlighting the need for collaboration between all pastoral workers
in the various fields of the apostolate, especially in education, health
and charitable aid, Francis reminds the prelates that there are high
expectations of them "in defence of spiritual and social values",
and he urges them to "provide guidance and solutions for the promotion
of a society based on respect for the dignity of the human person". In
this regard, "attention to the poor and needy, as well as the elderly,
the sick and disabled, should be the subject of adequate pastoral care
under constant review". Indeed, "the Church is called to be
concerned with the wellbeing of these people and to bring the attention of
society and public authorities to their situation".
 The Holy Father concludes by encouraging the bishops to be "men of
hope for the people" and gave thanks for the work of all missionaries,
priests, religious and other pastoral workers dedicated to the service of
"those who have been wounded by life, the victims of violence,
especially in the most isolated and remote areas of the country", and
reserved special mention for "the internally displaced and the many
people who come from neighbouring countries".

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 The exegete perceives the Divine Word through a fervent spiritual life
 Vatican City, 12 September 2014 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father met
with the participants in the 43rd National Biblical Week, organised by the
Italian Biblical Association, a meeting that inaugurated the celebrations
for the fiftieth anniversary of the Dogmatic Constitution of Vatican
Council II on the Divine Revelation "Dei Verbum", promulgated on
18 November 1965.
 "Faith, to respond, and so as not to be suffocated, must be
constantly nurtured by the Word of God", said the Pope, expressing his
esteem and acknowledgement of the "valuable work" that the
Association has carried out through the teachings of its lecturers and
Bible scholars. He continued, "God has made the most of all the
possibilities of human language, but at the same time He has had to submit
His Word to the limitations of this language. True respect for the inspired
Scriptures requires us to make all the efforts necessary to fully grasp
their meaning". As it is not possible for every Christian personally
to carry out the research of every type necessary to arrive at a good
understanding of Biblical texts, he added, "this task is entrusted to
exegetes, those who are responsible in this sector for the good of all. ...
Therefore, alongside academic competence, the Catholic exegete needs above
all, faith: received from and shared with all believers who, in their
entirety, cannot be mistaken".
 Pope Francis recalled the words of St. John Paul II: "to respect the
coherence of the faith of the Church and the inspiration of the Scripture,
Catholic exegesis must be careful not merely to comply with the human
aspects of biblical texts. First and foremost, exegesis must help Christian
people to perceive more clearly the Word of God in these texts, so as to
accept it better, to live fully in communion with God. ... Naturally it is
necessary for the exegete to know how to perceive the Divine Word in the
texts, and this is possible only if his spiritual life is fervent, rich in
dialogue with the Lord; otherwise exegetic research remains incomplete, and
the main objective is lost from sight".

--- MPost/386 v1.21