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World Youth Day Opens in Cologne Cardinal Meisner Extends Invitations, Including One Heavenward COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Joachim Meisner opened World Youth Day with an invitation to Benedict XVI as well as to the late Pope John Paul II. The archbishop of Cologne presided over a Mass today in the city's RheinEnergie Stadium, whose attendees included German President Horst Köhler. During his homily, the German cardinal recalled his meeting with John Paul II in Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic, three weeks before his death, when the Pope asked him: "Are they still waiting for me in Cologne?" "I replied: 'Holy Father, we are faithfully waiting for you,'" Cardinal Meisner said. "We now call up to heaven, 'Holy Father John Paul II, we are waiting for you!' "And we call to Rome: 'Holy Father Benedict XVI, we are waiting for you!'" John Paul II convoked this World Youth Day. It was the only international trip he kept as a possibility until his death April 2. Benedict XVI will be welcomed officially by young people on Thursday. He will close World Youth Day next Sunday, in what will be his first international trip as Bishop of Rome. More than 400,000 youths have registered for the event. Estimates say the final figure might exceed 800,000. Eye to eye During his homily, Cardinal Meisner invited young people to seek God as the wise men of the Gospel did, whose relics, according to tradition, are in Cologne's cathedral. The World Youth Day motto was taken by John Paul II from the affirmation of those three mysterious men from the East: "We Have Come to Worship Him." "Worshipping him on bended knee does not make us small, it makes us great, because it takes us eye to eye with God," said the archbishop. Two other Masses were celebrated simultaneously in two other German cities. In Bonn, a World Youth Day Mass was presided over by Osnabrueck Bishop Franz-Josef Bode, and attended by 50,000 youths, while in Duesseldorf, the Mass was presided over by Cardinal Karl Lehmann, president of the German episcopal conference, and attended by 20,000 young people. The Masses were followed by the Welcome Festival, a celebration of music and testimonies in Cologne, Bonn and Duesseldorf, to welcome the Youth Day participants. On Wednesday morning participants will attend catecheses and Masses presided over by bishops, and in the afternoon they will attend the Youth Festival. See www.wjt2005.de. ZE05081608 email this article TOP Cardinal Meisner's Homily at Opening Mass "Your Presence Is the Result of an Act of Mercy by God" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the homily delivered today by Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, during the Mass at which he presided in the RheinEnergie Stadium to open World Youth Day. * * * Brothers and Sisters! 1. Welcome to the Archdiocese of Cologne! We are delighted that you are all here. We are celebrating the first World Youth Day with two Popes: with Pope John Paul II in heaven above, and with our Pope Benedict XVI here on earth. What an amazing celebration of faith this will be! Three weeks before he died, the Holy Father called me to his room in the Gemelli hospital and asked me, "Are they still waiting for me in Cologne?" I replied, "Holy Father, we are faithfully waiting for you." We now call up to heaven: "Holy Father John Paul II, we are waiting for you!" And we call to Rome: "Holy Father Benedict XVI, we are waiting for you!" With Peter of yesterday, that is John Paul II, and Peter of today, that is Benedict XVI, in our midst, we are strengthened on our pilgrimage, for the Lord said to Peter, "Strengthen your brothers (and sisters)" (Luke 22:32). Young people are so much closer to the beginning of their lives than older people. That is why the origin of their life in God's hand is a far stronger and more intensive aspect of their search for the true life, than for others. Those who give the young God-seekers any less than God are not giving them enough. Your search for a fulfilled life has taken you on a journey to Cologne, where we will be following in the footsteps of the first God-seekers, the Three Kings. Two years ago, Pope John Paul II took the words written by Matthew the Evangelist and made them the motto of World Youth Day in Cologne: "We have come to worship Him" (cf. Matthew 2:2). 2. We all have only one life. We are not granted a probationary period, free of responsibilities, like we are when we gain our driving licenses. We all set out on the road of life with a full set of responsibilities. There is no provisional license for life, love, faith or death. This is the real thing. We all carry full responsibility from the very beginning. I do not really need to tell you this, as you will be instinctively aware of it as creatures made by God. That is what you have in common with all young people around the world. You are encountering each other this week not as strangers, but as relatives and companions. We are "relatives" because we were all created by the same God, and "companions" because we have joined each other in our search for a fulfilled and worthwhile life, for a life with God. Worship means no more, but also no less, than coming eye to eye with God and kneeling down before him -- kneeling down before the child in the manger, like the Wise Men. God has made himself so small that he fits in with our personal lives and life-stories. However, it would be easy to overlook him if we were to go through life with our noses up in the air. He becomes visible at this low level as he washes the feet of his disciples. God is down below. Worshipping him on bended knee does not make us small, it makes us great, because it takes us eye to eye with God. 3. We all share a yearning for the good, the pure, the great and the beautiful. Why is that? Because we were all made in the image of God, who is the highest good and purity personified. That is why no one can want to be bad, impure and ugly. The hunger for love is in all of us. When I asked a nonbeliever, "Do you wish to be unloved?" he answered, "That would be hell." How did he know this without having been taught about faith? Because we all originated in God's hand and have an intuitive knowledge of God and the fact that we were made in his image. And because God never releases us, even if we break away from him, we always instinctively remain aware of our origin and destination. Saint Augustine already realized this 1,600 years ago. He summarized this insight in his memorable words: "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you." 4. Two thousand years ago, this inner driving force from God caused the Three Kings to commence their journey to Christ. It has also brought you here to Cologne to look for and find God. He guarantees you a great future and a fulfilled life. For Christ, there was no alternative. When some of the disciples disagreed with his teachings, they decided to turn away from him. Jesus asked the remaining disciples, "Do you also wish to go away?" And it was the first Peter who gave the Lord an answer that is both the first and the shortest creed in holy Scripture: "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). Peter's creed is also our own. "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life." The Lord expressly tells us, "No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me" (John 6:44). You, dear brothers and brothers, have been drawn by the Father. That is the ultimate reason why you are here in Cologne. Your presence here is the result of an act of mercy by God. And I promise you sincerely: He will therefore remain your leader. He will turn you into a blessing for your environment, your fatherland, for the whole world, and guide you in bringing the world closer to God. That is how the world will remain a habitable place for us humans as God's children. And that is why, dear young pilgrims from around the world, you are the future of the Church and the future of the World, because you are the children of God, brothers and sisters of Christ and the living temple of the Holy Spirit. The world does not survive first and foremost on production figures, refrigerators, missiles and similar commodities. It is sustained primarily through its connection to the living God and in turn to the source of its life. World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne is not just a purely Catholic event. It concerns the whole world. Christ is not a Christian property agent -- he is the Lord of the world. And this week, we will be searching for Christ not just for our own benefit, but especially for that of our other brothers and sisters so that they may experience the joy of faith in Christ. Amen. Joachim Cardinal Meisner Archbishop of Cologne [Translation of German original issued by the organizers of Cologne's World Youth Day] ZE05081606 email this article TOP Center Dedicated for Confessions COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- From 9 a.m. to midnight, Wednesday to Friday of this week, 650 confessors will be available on rotation to young people attending World Youth Day. At all times, 100 of the confessors will be present at the Center of Reconciliation to minister to penitents. The sacrament will be available in dozens of languages. The premises being used as the Center for Reconciliation are of particular historical importance. Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, Polish war prisoners and forced laborers were held in the buildings. ZE05081603 email this article TOP 405,000 Registered So Far COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Some 405,000 young pilgrims have registered for the activities of World Youth Day being held this week in Cologne and neighboring cities. As of today, the German organizers of the event said there are 105,000 German participants, followed by 101,174 Italians, 38,549 French, 31,908 Spanish and 24,237 Americans. In total, 191 countries and territories are represented. In previous World Youth Days, the number of participants increases with each day, reaching the highest figure for the closing Mass. Benedict XVI will preside over the closing Mass on Sunday. Some 27,000 volunteers from 120 countries are helping with the organization of activities. Schools, gymnasiums and private homes are being used to accommodate young pilgrims. Participants are also being accommodated in public offices, supermarkets, stores, Muslim cultural associations' premises, greenhouses, farms, beer factories and sports clubs. In total, 750 bishops and 54 cardinals are attending the event. From Wednesday to Friday, 248 catecheses will be held, led by bishops. One culinary note: Youth Day participants can choose between normal or vegetarian menus. ZE05081626 email this article TOP Christianity Isn't Just "Dos and Don'ts," Says Pope In Interview Looking Ahead to Youth Day CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI wants to show the young people attending World Youth Day that Christianity is not a burdensome set of rules, but rather a personal experience of God's love. The Pope expressed this in the first media interview of his pontificate, granted to Father Eberhard von Gemmingen, director of Vatican Radio's German program, on the eve of his first international trip to meet with hundreds of thousands of young people in Cologne. "I would like to show them how beautiful it is to be Christian, because the widespread idea which continues to exist is that Christianity is composed of laws and bans which one has to keep and, hence, is something toilsome and burdensome -- that one is freer without such a burden," said the Holy Father. During the interview, broadcast Monday on Vatican Radio, the Bishop of Rome explained that he wanted to make it clear that "it is not a burden to be carried by a great love and realization, but it is like having wings." "It is wonderful to be a Christian with this knowledge that gives us a great breadth, a large community," he said. "As Christians we are never alone -- in the sense that God is always with us, but also in the sense that we are always standing together in a large community, a community for The Way, that we have a project for the future." Benedict XVI hopes that, in proclaiming the Gospel, young people will be captivated and say: "This is the answer we have been waiting for." More to life "It is evident that many heavy burdens exist in our modern Western society, driving us away from Christianity. Faith and God appear to be far away," acknowledged the Holy Father. However, he is convinced that "among young people the sentiment is spreading" that there "must be something more" to life than all these diversions, the leisure industry, buying and selling, where religions is degraded by being turned into a product in the "market of religions." Young people want to know what the "essential" question is, the Pope said. Therefore, Benedict XVI said, Christianity must not be considered "as something out of date" or "exhausted," but "as a possibility, because it came from God himself and is hence always a fresh possibility" which "brings about new dimensions." "This should be the event of the encounter between the proclamation of the Gospel and young people," he concluded. During the interview, the Pontiff also addressed issues such as ecumenism and the growth of secularism in Europe. ZE05081602 email this article TOP Faithful Urged to Bring God Into Public Life Benedict XVI Makes Plea at Mass in Castel Gandolfo CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI in his Assumption day homily invited the faithful to make room for God in private and public life. The Pope's appeal came Monday during the Mass he celebrated in the Parish of St. Thomas of Villanueva in the town of Castel Gandolfo, where he is spending the rest of the summer. In his spontaneous homily on the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into heaven, the Holy Father referred to the Magnificat as the "wonderful canticle" in which the Blessed Virgin wishes to magnify God in the world and in her life. In modern times, it is thought that we will be really free by "forgetting God and following our own ideas and will," Benedict XVI lamented. "When God disappears, man is not greater: He loses divine dignity, the splendor of God in his face," he said. "In the end, he is left with the product of a blind evolution, loses divine dignity, and can therefore be used and abused, as we see," the Pope said. "Man is great only if God is great." "Let us apply this in our life," he urged the faithful of Castel Gandolfo, a town some 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Rome. "It is important that God be great among us, in public and private life." Common dignity The Holy Father said that it is important that the Almighty be present in public life "with the sign of the Cross in official sites, that God be present in our daily life, because if God is present we are directed on a common path." "Otherwise, the contrasts become irreconcilable because the common essence does not exist, the common dignity of our being," the Pope explained. "To make God great in public and private life means to make room for God each day in life, beginning with morning prayer, giving time to God, offering Sunday to God," he said. "If God enters our time, all time becomes greater, longer, richer." ZE05081605 email this article TOP Pope Notes Plight of the Divorced-and-Remarried Says the Church Must Help Them in Their Suffering VATICAN CITY, AUG. 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that the Church must welcome with special love the divorced faithful who have remarried and, as such, cannot received Communion. "We all know that this is a particularly painful problem for people who live in situations in which they are excluded from Eucharistic Communion, and naturally for the priests who desire to help these people love the Church and love Christ," said the Pope during a meeting July 25 in a church at Introd, the northern Italian town near where he spent his summer holidays. The Holy Father said, "None of us has a ready-made formula, also because situations always differ." "I would say that those who were married in the Church for the sake of tradition but were not truly believers, and who later find themselves in a new and invalid marriage and subsequently convert, discover faith, and feel excluded from the sacrament, are in a particularly painful situation," he continued. "This is really a cause of great suffering and when I was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I invited various bishops' conferences and experts to study this problem: a sacrament celebrated without faith," the Pope added. "Whether, in fact, a moment of invalidity could be discovered here because the sacrament was found to be lacking a fundamental dimension, I do not dare to say. I personally thought so, but from the discussions we had I realized that it is a highly complex problem, and ought to be studied further," he acknowledged. Respect for marriage "It is important that the parish priest and the parish community make these people realize that, on the one hand, they must respect the indissolubility of the sacrament and, on the other, that we love these people who are also suffering for us," clarified the Pope. Benedict XVI appealed to the baptized to "suffer with them, because they are bearing an important witness," as they do not go to Communion, in order to manifest visibly the indissoluble character of marriage. "I would call this a noble suffering," he said. The Holy Father's impromptu address in Italian was transcribed by the daily edition of L'Osservatore Romano and translated by ZENIT. It may be consulted in the Documents section of the Web page. ZE05081621 email this article TOP Taizé Founder, Brother Roger, Slain DIJON, France, AUG. 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The founder of the French religious Taizé Community, Brother Roger, was attacked and killed by a mentally disturbed man during vespers, his community said. Roger, 90, was attacked, probably with a knife, during evening prayer today at Taizé, near Cluny, in the eastern Burgundy region, a member of the community told Agence France-Presse. The Taizé movement started during World War II, when Swiss-born monk Roger Schutz, living in Taizé, provided a refuge for those fleeing the conflict, irrespective of their religion. Roger, a Protestant with a degree in theology, devoted his life to the reconciliation between Christian denominations. ZE05081624 email this article TOP Benedict XVI on Youth, the Faith, and More Interview With Vatican Radio CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 16, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of an exclusive interview Benedict XVI gave to Vatican Radio and broadcast Monday, ahead of his trip to World Youth Day in Germany. * * * Q: Holy Father, on April 25 you said: "I'm looking forward to Cologne." Can you describe your feelings more concretely? Benedict XVI: Yes -- in many ways. First of all, I have spent several wonderful years in the Rhineland, so I'm simply delighted to breathe in the character of the Rhineland, of this international city and all that is connected to it. Then there is also the fact that Providence wanted my first trip abroad to take me to Germany. I would not have dared to have initiated it. But if the Almighty God decides to do something like that to you, then one can only be delighted. And also, this first trip abroad will be an encounter with young people from all over the world. It is always wonderful to encounter the youth, because they are full of problems -- but perhaps also full of hope, full of zest and expectation, because young people contain the dynamic of the future, and hence the encounter with them also makes oneself more sweeping, more joyful and open. These are several of the reasons which have since then strengthened the joy within me, and not at all diminished it. Q: Holy Father, can you tell me what you would like to transmit to the youth of the world? What is the main issue you would like to "bring about"? Benedict XVI: Yes -- I would like to show them how beautiful it is to be Christian, because the widespread idea which continues to exist is that Christianity is composed of laws and bans which one has to keep and, hence, is something toilsome and burdensome -- that one is freer without such a burden. I want to make clear that it not a burden to be carried by a great love and realization, but it is like having wings. It is wonderful to be a Christian with this knowledge that it gives us a great breadth, a large community. As Christians we are never alone -- in the sense that God is always with us, but also in the sense that we are always standing together in a large community, a community for The Way, that we have a project for the future -- and in this way a Being which is worth believing in. This is the joy of being a Christian and is the beauty of believing. Q: Holy Father, being a Pope means building bridges, to be a pontiff. The Church has an ancient wisdom and you are encountering a dynamic youth, which is not as wise. How can a bridge be built between this old wisdom -- and also an aged Pope -- and the youth? How does that work? Benedict XVI: [laughs] Yes -- we will see in how far the Lord will help me. But in any case, wisdom in itself is not something stale -- as we in German connect the word "wisdom" with such a stale taste, but it is the understanding of the facts of the matter, it is the view of what is "essential." Young people of course want to learn about life, they want to newly discover life, and they don't want someone to regurgitate it for them. Perhaps this is the contrast one can see here. But at the same time, wisdom is also what the "world" interprets it to be, which also is again something new as, in the new context, it leads to what matters, and how one can achieve what really matters. In this regard I believe that speaking, believing, and living out something which has been given to humanity and has illuminated it, is not the regurgitation of something stale, but it is precisely suited to the dynamics of young people, who are also asking for the great and the whole. That is what the wisdom of belief is about, not that we know many details -- that is important for every job -- but, that we know, above all, the details of what life is about and how being human, and the future, is to be shaped. Q: Holy Father, you have also said, "The Church is young" -- it is nothing old. Can you describe a bit more in detail what exactly you mean by that? Benedict XVI: Yes -- first of all we say that she is young in the biological sense, meaning that many young people belong to the Church. But she is also young in the sense that her belief comes out from the fresh font of God himself. It is not a stale fare, which we have had for 2,000 years and which is reheated again and again; rather, God himself is the spring of all youth and of all life. And when belief is a gift, in other words the new water which springs from him -- given to us again and again, with which we can then live and which we may, so to speak, feed strength into the ways of the world -- then the Church is a rejuvenating power. There is one Church Father who once saw the Church and saw this strange element about it: The Church does not become older in the course of the years. On the contrary it grows younger, because she is forever moving toward the Lord, meaning she is going toward the spring from which youth, newness, refreshment, and the strength of life stems. Q: You know the Church in Germany better than I and all of us, and the issue of ecumenism -- the unity between the Catholic and Protestant churches is a central question. Are there perhaps some utopian hopes that the World Youth Day may bring about a breakthrough on ecumenical issues? Does ecumenism play a small, medium or large role in this regard? Benedict XVI: Yes -- it exists insofar as the task of unity permeates the entire nature of the Church and is not some marginal task on the side. Especially when one centrally lives this belief; it is the beginning of the path toward unity. Concrete ecumenical talks are, of course, not a large part of the agenda, since it is primarily an encounter of Catholic people from all over the world -- and, of course, also those who are not Catholic but who want to ask if there is perhaps something to be found. Insofar as this dimension will be present, it will be in the encounters of the young people themselves -- who, of course, don't only speak to the Pope, but, above all, meet with each other. I will have a meeting with our Protestant friends, but unfortunately we won't have much time together -- as the "daily work load" will be heavy, but we will have some time to reflect on how we shall proceed. I recall very well, and with pleasure, the first visit to Germany by Pope John Paul II. When he was in Mainz, he sat at a table with the representatives of the Protestant communities, and together they developed a strategy on how to proceed. The commission was then founded from which the Common Declaration on Justification emerged. I think that the substantial issue is that all of us, especially in the centrality of our Christian identity and not only in the particular moments of meeting, keep in mind this unity. This means that what we do in faith, is always essentially ecumenical. Q: Holy Father, especially in our Nordic and rich countries, not only are more people turning away from the Church and the faith, but it is especially the young people. What can one do to counter this and above all, how can one perhaps answer the fundamental question -- What sense does my life have? – so that the youth will say: "The Church is 'the thing' it is 'our thing'!" Benedict XVI: [laughs] Yes -- we all try to bring the Gospel to young people, because this is the answer we have been waiting for. It is evident that many heavy burdens exist in out modern Western society, driving us away from Christianity. Faith and God appear to be far away. Life itself is full of possibilities and tasks. First, one wants to grasp life on one's own, to live it as fully as possible. I think of the Prodigal Son who thought his father's house was boring, who thought he needed to take life on by the full, to seize hold of it and to enjoy it -- until he noticed that it is really empty, and that he was free and great when he lived in his father's house. So I think that, in any case, among young people the sentiment is spreading that all these diversions we are being offered and the entire leisure industry, in spite of everything that one does and can do, buy and can sell -- this cannot be everything, that there must be something more about it. In this regard I believe that there is also a big question which could also be the essential one. It cannot be all, what we have or what we can buy. That is the reason why the so-called market of religions exists, which offers religion as a product and, hence, degrades it. But it is a sign that this question exists. To really understand this question and not just talk around it -- not to put aside Christianity as something out of date or sufficiently exhausted, but precisely to let it be recognized as a possibility, because it came from God himself and is hence always a fresh possibility, it always carries and brings about new dimensions. The Lord says: "He will lead you into things which he cannot tell you now." Christianity is full of undiscovered dimensions and it shows itself fresh and anew if one poses his questions again fundamentally. In other words: It is the meeting point of the question which is there and the answer which we are living, and through the question we receive it anew. This should be the event of the encounter between the proclamation of the Gospel and young people. Q: At the moment, I'm living with the feeling that Europe is more and more giving up, and that its human values founded in Christianity are counting less and less. Chinese and Indians are working very hard, are well educated, while we in Europe are lazy and morose. The main issue is Christian roots -- especially now in the European Constitution. Europe is in a crisis. Could perhaps World Youth Day, with nearly 1 million people, give the impulse to really search for the Christian roots, especially among young people -- in order for us to continue to live as human beings? Benedict XVI: We are hoping for this, especially because such an encounter of people from all continents should also give the "old" continent, the host, a new impulse and help us so that we don't only see the sick, the tired and the missed opportunities in European history, because, after all, we are in a state of self-pity and self-accusation. Yes, many bad things have happened in all histories, but it is also in our history during which such huge technological possibilities have been developed, and have become particularly dramatic. But then we must also see what great things have come out from Europe. The entire world today wouldn't be living in the so-called civilization which came out from Europe if these good things hadn't originated in greater roots. Now we are only offering the latter. One takes only the civilization, but looks for different roots, and, hence, ends up with contradictions. I think that this civilization, with all its dangers and hopes, can only lead to greatness if it is tamed: If it re-recognizes its own springs of strength, if we again see the greatness, which will give this endangered possibility of human existence a direction and greatness. If we're happy to be living on this continent which has determined the world's fate -- for good and bad -- and undertake the ongoing task to rediscover the truth, purity, and greatness which gives us our future -- we will continuously, and even in new and better ways, stand in the service of all humanity. Q: As a last question, can one formulate the ideal aim of the World Youth Day in Cologne? What would be the aim if all would work out perfectly? Benedict XVI: [laughs] Yes, well, a wave of new faith among young people -- especially the youth in Germany and Europe. We still have large Christian institutions in Germany. Many Christian things occur, but there is also a great fatigue and we are so concerned with structural questions that the zest and the joy of faith are missing. If this zest, this joy, to know Christ would came alive again and gave the Church in Germany and Europe a new dynamic, then I think the aim of World Youth Day would be achieved. [Translation of German original by Vatican Radio] ZE05081601 email this article TOP Pope Hopes Germany Rediscover Its Spiritual Roots Arrives in Homeland for World Youth Day COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- On arriving in Germany, Benedict XVI expressed the hope that World Youth Day will help his country to rediscover the Christian roots of its spiritual heritage. The Pope was welcomed on arrival today at Konrad Adenauer Airport by German President Horst Köhler, as well as by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, cardinals and bishops representing the Church in Germany, and youths attending World Youth Day. "The meeting of many young people with the Successor of Peter is a sign of the vitality of the Church. I am happy to be with them, to confirm their faith and to enliven their hope," said the Bavarian-born Benedict XVI, on his first international trip since his election to the papacy. "At the same time, I am sure that I will also receive something from them, especially from their enthusiasm, their sensitivity and their readiness to face the challenges of the future," the 78-year-old Pontiff added as he buffeted by a strong wind. The Pope explained that "all believers, and young people in particular, have been called to set out on the journey of life in search of truth, justice and love." "The ultimate goal of the journey can only be found through an encounter with Christ, an encounter which cannot take place without faith," he noted. Rich tradition The Pope continued: "Along this interior journey we can be guided by the many signs with which a long and rich Christian tradition has indelibly marked this land of Germany: from great historical monuments to countless works of art found throughout the country, from documents preserved in libraries to lively popular traditions, from philosophical inquiry to the theological reflection of her many great thinkers, from the spiritual traditions to the mystical experience of a vast array of saints." The Pope was interrupted by applause on several occasions. Shortly before, President Köhler acknowledged in his welcome address: "Even as a Protestant I can say that we are very much moved by the fact that a German, one of us, has become Pope." The German head of state added that Benedict XVI's "election to the papacy is of historic significance." "Following the Pope from Poland, the first country to be invaded by Germany during the Second World War, a member of the so-called flak helper generation has now been chosen as St. Peter's Successor," he continued. "This is for me a source of confidence -- 60 years after the end of the inhuman and ungodly ideology which prevailed in Germany." Köhler added: "People around the world have also perceived it as a sign of reconciliation. Let me share a secret with you -- only a few minutes after your election, the Polish President Kwasniewski was the first to phone me and congratulate us." On greeting the president, after his long and profound address, the Pope said jokingly: "I didn't know that a president was also a theologian." Not only did Köhler smile but also Chancellor Schröder, wringing the applause of young people. The Holy Father ended his address saying: "May God protect the Federal Republic of Germany!" ZE05081808 email this article TOP Jesus Is Who You Need, Pope Tells Young People In Address Given on the Rhine COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI, addressing his first throng of young people gathered for World Youth Day, assured them that the happiness they seek has a name: Jesus of Nazareth. "Only he gives the fullness of life to humanity!" the Pope said today when reading a carefully prepared message from the RhineEnergie cruise ship, sailing on the Rhine River. In a festive atmosphere, and waving flags from countries of all the continents, young people heard the Holy Father's words from the ship itself or from the banks of the river. "Dear young people," the Bavarian-born Pontiff said, "the happiness you are seeking, the happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: It is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist." "Be completely convinced of this: Christ takes from you nothing that is beautiful and great, but brings everything to perfection for the glory of God, the happiness of men and women, and the salvation of the world," he affirmed in the address, passages of which he read in German, English, French, Spanish and Italian. "Whatever the cost" On board the ship was an orchestra that, in moments of silence, played prayerful songs, some composed by the ecumenical Community of Taizé. Young people dressed in their countries' natives costumes surrounded the Pope, who was accompanied by several cardinals and bishops. Five ships, carrying young people from each of the world's continents, escorted the Pope's vessel. "In these days I encourage you to commit yourselves without reserve to serving Christ, whatever the cost," exhorted the Holy Father. "The encounter with Jesus Christ will allow you to experience in your hearts the joy of his living and life-giving presence, and enable you to bear witness to it before others," affirmed Benedict XVI. The Holy Father greeted "those among you who have not been baptized, and those of you who do not yet know Christ or have not yet found a home in his Church." 10K trip Addressing all those present, the Pontiff added: "Let yourselves be surprised by Christ! Let him have 'the right of free speech' during these days! Open the doors of your freedom to his merciful love!" During the 10 kilometers of the ship's journey, the Holy Father stood up several times to greet those welcoming him with enthusiasm as he passed by. After disembarking at the Hohenzollernbruecke pier, the Pope went to Cologne's Cathedral with the youths carrying the World Youth Day cross. According to a pious tradition, since 1164, the cathedral has housed the relics of the Wise Kings. ZE05081809 email this article TOP Pope Reminisces About His Youth in Cologne When Visiting City's Cathedral COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI reminisced about his youth when he visited the Cologne Cathedral, in the culminating meeting of his first day in Germany as Pope. After a festive welcome today on the banks of the Rhine River by throngs of young people who have arrived in the city for World Youth Day, the Holy Father visited the cathedral, historic symbol of this city. On entering the church he greeted hundreds of mentally and physically handicapped youths, and then spent some time in prayer before the reliquary of the Wise Kings which, according to tradition, has been kept in the cathedral since 1164. When leaving the church, after hearing the greeting of Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne, who had to speak over the noise of the enthusiastic young audience, the Holy Father began to speak spontaneously, sharing the memories that unite him to this city. Benedict XVI said that when he was a professor of theology at Bonn University, he often came to Cologne. Here he forged lifetime friendships. At home In particular, he mentioned Cardinal Joseph Frings (1887-1978), then archbishop of the city, who took him to Rome as a theological consultor to participate in the Second Vatican Council. "I always feel at home in Cologne," Benedict XVI said, mentioning that for a long time he has enjoyed the friendship of Cardinal Meisner, the No. 1 organizer of this World Youth Day. The Pope recalled that Cologne has been the cradle and witness of great saints in the history of the Church in Germany. He said the city has given origin in recent times to great charitable initiatives, such as Misereor, Adveniat, Missio and Renovabis, which "make present Christ's charity in all the continents." After the visit, the Holy Father paused at the tombs of Cardinal Frings and Cardinal Joseph Höffner (1906-1987), another past archbishop of Cologne, who was a pioneer in the promotion of the social doctrine of the Church. Cardinal Höffner recently received the honor of "Righteous Among the Nations," offered by Israel to those who risked their lives to save Jews during World War II. After the meeting, Benedict XVI returned to the archbishop's resident in the city, which will be his headquarters over the next few days. ZE05081810 email this article TOP Benedict XVI Offers Advice to Journalists ROME, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Before boarding his flight for Cologne, Benedict XVI spoke of his emotion at the prospect of meeting World Youth Day participants. He also had advice for journalists covering the event. "I am profoundly moved by this meeting with young people -- an extraordinary meeting among young people of all cultures, united in the search for truth, united under the sign of Jesus Christ," the Pope told reporters today at the Roman airport of Ciampino. "These young people are the force of peace in the world," he said. Before his plane took off, the Holy Father met again with journalists and had some advice for them before going to Cologne, whose cathedral, according to tradition, houses the relics of the Magi. "Try to write beautiful things," he said. "Let us go together on pilgrimage in the footsteps of the Wise Kings." ZE05081806 email this article TOP Cologne Remembers Brother Roger of Taizé Cardinal Meisner Joins Young People in Prayer COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Joachim Meisner, the archbishop of Cologne, recollected himself in prayer with young people from the Community of Taizé to remember Brother Roger Schutz, who was slain Tuesday. News of the murder of the founder of the France-based ecumenical Community of Taizé by an apparently mentally unstable woman has been a psychological blow for many of the 400,000-plus participants at World Youth Day. Heiner Koch, secretary-general of World Youth Day, told journalists Wednesday that Benedict XVI expressed a desire to commemorate Brother Roger in Cologne somehow. The Pope arrived today in Germany for the events. Cardinal Meisner prayed for Brother Roger in St. Agnes' Church in Cologne on Wednesday, where the Taizé Community meets to pray three times a day. The cardinal knelt for a long time in the center of the church, amid the silence and candles of many young people, who sang the well-known hymns of Taizé on their knees. At the end, the archbishop of Cologne went in procession to sign the book of condolences placed next to a photograph of Brother Roger. "You have passed through death and the transit from one world to another," wrote the cardinal in German. "Now, Brother Roger, you are in good hands, and you can impose yours from on high on all the young people." ZE05081820 email this article TOP An "Awakening" Seen in Youth Pastoral Care Says Father M. Wittal of the Emmanuel Community COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Father Markus Wittal of the Emmanuel Community wants to evangelize during World Youth Day with music and testimony. In a preliminary evaluation of the event taking place in his native Germany, the priest said: "We are witnessing a sort of pastoral awakening in the pastoral care of youth, aroused by young people's thirst to know Christ ever more." In the past, Father Wittal composed a musical inspired by Mary that has been very successful in Europe. He has also composed music for Masses as well as religious songs. One of his musical works was performed at World Youth Day 2000 in Rome. "The fact that WYD is taking place here, and the election of Benedict XVI as Pope, are two providential events that are really setting the German Church on fire," contended the 38-year-old priest. He said that this World Youth Day poses a question: "What does it mean to be a Catholic in our days and what does it mean to be an active member of the Church?" "These questions, written between the lines of the theme 'We Have Come to Worship Him,' point to our roots. During the preparations for WYD, I witnessed the effectiveness of discussions between individuals on these arguments, and I have seen great signs of openness," Father Wittal said. "The city, and the country in general, seem to believe that this event might open wide many doors at the level of faith and spiritual renewal," continued the priest. Visit with seminarians The Emmanuel Community, of which Father Wittal is a member, was founded in 1972 by Pierre Goursat in France. The Catholic group is leading the prayers in St. Mary's Church in Lyskirchen during the current World Youth Day. Father Wittal is in charge of a musical program for the Pope's visit with Cologne's seminarians, scheduled this Friday in St. Pantaleon's Church in Cologne. That meeting, he said, "shows Pope Benedict's profound interest in young vocations and his support for those who want to undertake this path, responding with courage to God's call." Meanwhile, Father Wittal is convinced of "the importance of music in prayer, as music is better than any other language to express our identity." "On returning home, young people will keep in their hearts and hum the melodies they've heard these days, expressing in this way their own faith and Catholic identity," he added. "Where there is music made by young Catholics, you will see a vibrant parish." ZE05081801 email this article TOP Pope Mourns for Venezuela Air-Crash Victims VATICAN CITY, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI expressed his grief for the air accident in Venezuela on Tuesday that killed 160. The 152 passengers were from the French island of Martinique and the eight crew members were Colombians. Before leaving for Germany to attend World Youth Day, the Pope sent a telegram to Archbishop Michel Méranville, archbishop of Fort-de-France, Martinique, in which he assured his "spiritual closeness to all those who have been affected by the tragedy." In the telegram, sent on the Pope's behalf by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, Benedict XVI "commends the deceased to divine mercy and prays that the Almighty will welcome them in his peace and light." At the same time, the Pontiff implores God's "support and consolation for all the severely tried persons, hoping that they will find around them the help they need in these painful hours." The West Caribbean Airways jet crashed in Venezuela on a flight from Panama to Martinique. The pilot radioed authorities saying that both engines had failed. ZE05081803 email this article TOP Birthplace of World Youth Days; Background Work Centro San Lorenzo, Something Old and New By Catherine Smibert ROME, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Everything has a moment of conception -- a place and a time when it all began. This is valid for the World Youth Days too, and Rome was where it began. Specifically, it was the Centro San Lorenzo/International Youth Center and was one of Pope John Paul II's first big steps at renewing the faith of the young. As his pontificate started, he was concerned about the dwindling numbers of young people active in the Church. That's when he went on a search to give youth a place -- it could become the Vatican Youth Center -- and he managed to find one practically in front of St. Peter's Square. It was the old Church of St. Lawrence "in Piscibus" (at the Fish Market) that had been forgotten due to the modern palazzi blocks which had been built around it. With fourth-century foundations, the stunning church we see today was reconstructed in the 12th century following the Crusades. Its alternating interior columns still have little crosses carved into them as symbols of the "conquest over paganism." The church had gone through a lot of hardships by the time John Paul II came upon it -- from being de-consecrated and turned into an artists studio, to becoming a home to Rome's fish markets at one time. Yet, the Pope saw potential in this lovely building that had almost been left to ruin, just as he saw potential in the youth of the day. He reconsecrated it in a special youth Mass in March 1983. During this Mass -- photos of which still hang on the walls of the church -- John Paul II expressed his desire that the church, its basement and courtyard become "a hothouse of faith-filled evangelization … a breeding ground for mission." During this time there was a rise in the newer communities, many of them based on the Charismatic Renewal. They were attracted to the Pope's enthusiasm and decided to respond to his invitation by pooling their resources. Ever since then, the Centro, as its affectionately known, has offered the youth of the world a place to come and ask questions when visiting the Eternal City. They then have an opportunity to partake in daily sacraments -- reconciliation, Mass, etc. -- in a variety of languages, and a holy hour at 5 p.m. every weekday. Over the years many youth have also taken the chance to kneel at the foot of the original cross, given to young people by the Pope in 1984, which stays here when not traveling around the world. The center, overseen by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, welcomes pilgrimage groups. More information is available via phone (39-06-698-85332) or fax (39-06-698-85095). * * * Behind the Scenes The Vatican works for each World Youth Day behind the scenes, via the Youth Section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Some of its roles include the publishing of multilingual booklets for the occasion, multimedia promotion kits, and reflection points for diocesan preparation. Elizabeth Hawkins is an officer at this Youth Section. She spoke with me about how the office also assists in the coordination of the World Youth Days. "We organize the WYD around preparatory meetings, for each year, but the work is on a more grand scale when it comes to the international ones," she said. Hawkins emphasized how much the staff cares about learning the intricate needs of each country involved and how important it is to learn from the past. "In the case of Cologne, the first meeting was held directly after [World Youth Day in] Toronto, to get some feedback on how things went here," she recalled. "In fact, we sent out questionnaires to discover what people thought; what went right or wrong, what they wanted, etc., and this was presented and discussed at that meeting," Hawkins explained. "Another meeting took place last January in Cologne itself to specifically hear the input and expectations of the WYD representatives from across the world." Hawkins noted that it is especially important to highlight the beauty that each host country offers, and equally be concerned about what the event is bringing to the nation. "In this case, it's the Pope's nationality too," she said. "I think it will be very good for the Church in Germany. The young people are so thrilled to invite one of their own! And I think it's going to be a very nice bridge." She added: "This is a period of transition in history where papal legacies are being passed on to the next Pope. WYD is among them." * * * Where Youth Day Is Every Day Each World Youth Day challenges young people to be the principal actors in the new evangelization. And there's a school in Rome that offers them the chance to live up to the challenge. The Emmanuel School of Mission is available to those wishing to follow up their World Youth Day experience by committing to relive it on a daily basis for an entire year. Located just up the road from the Vatican, the school aims to form young adults to be missionary in their whole being while continuing to pursue their professional, academic and family life. Its current director, Marie Barbieri, believes "the school means to offer a year's experience rich in missionary, spiritual and doctrinal formation." The school offers an experience in theory and practice based on pastoral, theological and spiritual formation, as well as a "Roman dimension." What better place to form these young saints than in the heart of the Church, the resting place for so many martyrs and apostles and the home of the Pope? Visits to Rome's sacred sites are just one part of the ESM syllabus. Rome is also an ideal spot for introducing young people to the universal Church, through daily contact with pilgrims, teachers and students from every continent. I have witnessed the new annual intake of students to the ESM ever since I was welcomed there as a young pilgrim myself. It was such a welcome site to see the smiling face of young Harold Kuijpers of the Netherlands. After he kindly relieved me of my heavy backpack, an Irish student led me up to a courtyard filled with singing. Along the way we passed by the chapel where adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was being held. It was World Youth Day all over again! Ever since then, I have grown fondly attached to this community and once in a while, even become a part of its international staff of more than 30 teachers. I work on elements of music and singing in missions. The principal courses are run in theology, philosophy and personal development. The ESM coordinators -- members of the Emmanuel Community -- describe the methodology of the school as "dynamic" and say that it "encourages the active participation of the students." Discussion, question time, role playing, workshops and group work provide an arena for mutual support in learning. Students also have a chance to use their input in creative ways in various Roman parishes. One example is the annual Halloween mission where the students dress up as various saints and invite the people gathered around the Trevi fountain to celebrate the feasts of All Souls and All Saints by entering the church there. Another occasion occurs at Christmas when the teams offer a live Nativity scene to all visitors at the top of the Spanish Steps. Both the Halloween and Christmas events are accompanied by appropriate music and sacraments. Their mission experience often extends beyond Rome to other countries that request their services. Encounters with people of all walks of life through these missions reveal the numerous questions, doubts, struggles people carry about life. The ESM crew suggest that "these questions are reflected upon in class to deepen the student's understanding of humanity and the answers to be found in the long tradition of the Catholic faith, adapted to today's situation." They describe the approach as "a pastoral one designed to enable others to encounter the closeness and tender love of God for his people, learn to know who God really is and discover his presence in the Church." Cardinal Francis Stafford was president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity when the ESM started. It captured his attention. "Faced with the challenges of secularization, poverty, unemployment, loneliness and despair among the youth," he said, "there is a need to form the youth leaders of our Church to find new ways of communicating the hope that comes from Jesus Christ, unique Savior of the world. "The existence of a School of Mission in Rome provides a unique opportunity for young lay Catholics to draw inspiration from the lives of the apostles and martyrs as well as allowing the students to come into contact with numerous people working for the mission of the Church in the world today." Barbieri invites 20- to 35-year-olds who are committed to "spreading the Gospel in their country and beyond" to be "bold and take courage … it's one year that can make all the difference." And to more than 600 students to date, it has. * * * Catherine Smibert can be reached at catherine@zenit.org. ZE05081821 email this article TOP Benedict XVI's Address on Arrival in Germany "A Sign of the Church's Vitality" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today on his arrival at the Cologne-Bonn airport, after being greeted by German President Horst Köhler. * * * Mr. President, Distinguished Political and Civil Authorities, Your Eminences and Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate, Dear Citizens of the Federal Republic, My Dear Young People! With deep joy I find myself for the first time after my election to the Chair of Peter in my beloved homeland, in Germany. With deep emotion I thank God who has enabled me to begin my pastoral visits outside Italy with this visit to the nation of my birth. I have come to Cologne for the 20th World Youth Day, which had already been planned by my predecessor, the unforgettable Pope John Paul II. I am sincerely grateful to all present for the warm welcome given to me. My respectful greeting goes first to the president of the Federal Republic, Mr. Horst Köhler, whom I thank for the gracious words of welcome which he addressed to me in the name of all the citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany. I also express my gratitude to the representatives of the government, the members of the diplomatic corps and the civil and military authorities. With fraternal affection I greet the pastor of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Cardinal Joachim Meisner. My greeting also goes to the other bishops, the priests, men and women religious, and to all those engaged in various pastoral activities in the German-speaking dioceses. At this moment I also greet with affection all those living in the different Länder of the Federal Republic of Germany. In these days of intense preparation for the World Youth Day, the dioceses of Germany, and the diocese and city of Cologne in particular, have been enlivened by the presence of very many young people from different parts of the world. I wish to thank all those who have so competently and generously helped to organize this worldwide ecclesial event. I am grateful to the parishes, religious institutes, associations, civil organizations and the many individuals who have offered hospitality and so friendly a welcome to the thousands of pilgrims coming here from different continents. The Church in Germany and the people of the German Federal Republic can be proud of their long tradition of openness to the global community; among other things, this is seen in their many initiatives of solidarity, particularly on behalf of developing countries. In this spirit of esteem and acceptance toward all those who come from different cultures and traditions, we are about to experience World Youth Day in Cologne. That so many young people have come to meet the Successor of Peter is a sign of the Church's vitality. I am happy to be with them, to confirm their faith and to enliven their hope. At the same time, I am sure that I will also receive something from them, especially from their enthusiasm, their sensitivity and their readiness to face the challenges of the future. And so I greet the young people themselves, and all those who have welcomed them in these event-filled days. In addition to intense moments of prayer, reflection and celebration with them and with all those taking part in the various scheduled events, I will have an opportunity to meet the bishops, to whom even now I extend a warm greeting. I will also meet the representatives of the other churches and ecclesial communities, make a visit to the synagogue for a meeting with the Jewish community, and also welcome the representatives of some Islamic communities. These meetings are important steps along the journey of dialogue and cooperation in our shared commitment to building a more just and fraternal future, a future which is truly more human. During this World Youth Day we will reflect together on the theme: "We Have Come To Worship Him" (Matthew 2:2). This is a precious opportunity for thinking more deeply about the meaning of life as a "pilgrimage," guided by a "star," in search of the Lord. Together we shall consider the Magi, who, coming from various distant lands, were among the first to recognize the promised Messiah in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the Virgin Mary, and to bow down in worship before him (cf. Matthew 2:1-12). The ecclesial community and the city of Cologne have a special link with these emblematic figures. Like the Magi, all believers -- and young people in particular -- have been called to set out on the journey of life in search of truth, justice and love. The ultimate goal of the journey can only be found through an encounter with Christ, an encounter which cannot take place without faith. Along this interior journey we can be guided by the many signs with which a long and rich Christian tradition has indelibly marked this land of Germany: from great historical monuments to countless works of art found throughout the country, from documents preserved in libraries to lively popular traditions, from philosophical inquiry to the theological reflection of her many great thinkers, from the spiritual traditions to the mystical experience of a vast array of saints. Here we find a rich cultural and spiritual heritage which even today, in the heart of Europe, testifies to the fruitfulness of the Christian faith and tradition. The diocese and the region of Cologne, in particular, keep the living memory of great witnesses to Christian civilization. Among others, I think of Saint Boniface, Saint Ursula, Saint Albert the Great, and, in more recent times, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and Blessed Adolph Kolping. May these, our illustrious brothers and sisters in the faith, who down the centuries have held high the torch of holiness, be "models" and "patrons" of the World Youth Day which we now celebrate. To all of you here present I renew my deep gratitude for your gracious welcome, and I pray to the Lord for the future of the Church and of society as a whole in this Federal Republic of Germany, so dear to my heart. May this country's long history and her great social, economic and cultural attainments be an incentive to renewed commitment in the pursuit of authentic progress, solidarity and development, not only for the German nation, but for the other peoples of the Continent as well. May the Virgin Mary, who presented the Child Jesus to the Magi when they arrived in Bethlehem to worship the Savior, continue to intercede for us, just as for centuries she has kept watch over the German people from her many shrines throughout the German Länder. May the Lord bless everyone here present, together with all the pilgrims and all who live in this land. May God protect the Federal Republic of Germany! [Translation of the German original issued by the Vatican press office] ZE05081804 email this article TOP Pope's Message to Young People "Let Yourselves Be Surprised by Christ!" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the message Benedict XVI addressed from a ship on the Rhine River this afternoon to young people gathered in Cologne. * * * [In German] Dear Young People, I am delighted to meet you here in Cologne on the banks of the Rhine! You have come from various parts of Germany, Europe and the rest of the world as pilgrims in the footsteps of the Magi. Following their route, you too want to find Jesus. Like them, you have begun this journey in order to contemplate, both personally and with others, the face of God revealed by the Child in the manger. Like yourselves, I too have set out to join you in kneeling before the consecrated white Host in which the eyes of faith recognize the real presence of the Savior of the world. Together, we will continue to meditate on the theme of this World Youth Day: "We Have Come To Worship Him" (Matthew 2:2). [In English] With great joy I welcome you, dear young people. You have come here from near and far, walking the streets of the world and the pathways of life. My particular greeting goes to those who, like the Magi, have come from the East. You are the representatives of so many of our brothers and sisters who are waiting, without realizing it, for the star to rise in their skies and lead them to Christ, Light of the Nations, in whom they will find the fullest response to their hearts' deepest desires. I also greet with affection those among you who have not been baptized, and those of you who do not yet know Christ or have not yet found a home in his Church. Pope John Paul II had invited you in particular to come to this gathering; I thank you for deciding to come to Cologne. Some of you might perhaps describe your adolescence in the words with which Edith Stein, who later lived in the Carmel in Cologne, described her own: "I consciously and deliberately lost the habit of praying." During these days, you can once again have a moving experience of prayer as dialogue with God, the God who we know loves us and whom we in turn wish to love. To all of you I appeal: Open wide your hearts to God! Let yourselves be surprised by Christ! Let him have "the right of free speech" during these days! Open the doors of your freedom to his merciful love! Share your joys and pains with Christ, and let him enlighten your minds with his light and touch your hearts with his grace. In these days blessed with sharing and joy, may you have a liberating experience of the Church as the place where God's merciful love reaches out to all people. In the Church and through the Church you will meet Christ, who is waiting for you. [In French] Today, as I arrive in Cologne to take part with you in the 20th World Youth Day, I naturally recall with deep gratitude the Servant of God so greatly loved by us all, Pope John Paul II, who had the inspired idea of calling young people from all over the world to join in celebrating Christ, the one Redeemer of the human race. Thanks to the profound dialogue which developed over more than 20 years between the Pope and young people, many of them were able to deepen their faith, forge bonds of communion, develop a love for the Good News of salvation in Christ and a desire to proclaim it throughout the world. That great Pope understood the challenges faced by young people today and, as a sign of his trust in them, he did not hesitate to spur them on to be courageous heralds of the Gospel and intrepid builders of the civilization of truth, love and peace. Today it is my turn to take up this extraordinary spiritual legacy bequeathed to us by Pope John Paul II. He loved you -- you realized that and you returned his love with all your youthful enthusiasm. Now all of us together have to put his teaching into practice. It is this commitment which has brought us here to Cologne, as pilgrims in the footsteps of the Magi. According to tradition, the names of the Magi in Greek were Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar. Matthew, in his Gospel, tells of the question which burned in the hearts of the Magi: "Where is the infant king of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2). It was in order to search for him that they set out on the long journey to Jerusalem. This was why they withstood hardships and sacrifices, and never yielded to discouragement or the temptation to give up and go home. Now that they were close to their goal, they had no other question than this. We too have come to Cologne because in our hearts we have the same urgent question that prompted the Magi from the East to set out on their journey, even if it is differently expressed. It is true that today we are no longer looking for a king, but we are concerned for the state of the world and we are asking: "Where do I find standards to live by, what are the criteria that govern responsible cooperation in building the present and the future of our world? On whom can I rely? To whom shall I entrust myself? Where is the One who can offer me the response capable of satisfying my heart's deepest desires?" The fact that we ask questions like these means that we realize our journey is not over until we meet the One who has the power to establish that universal Kingdom of justice and peace to which all people aspire but which they are unable to build by themselves. Asking such questions also means searching for Someone who can neither deceive nor be deceived, and who therefore can offer a certainty so solid that we can live for it and, if need be, even die for it. [In Spanish] Dear friends, when questions like these appear on the horizon of life, we must be able to make the necessary choices. It is like finding ourselves at a crossroads: which direction do we take? The one prompted by the passions or the one indicated by the star which shines in your conscience? The Magi heard the answer: "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet" (Matthew 2:5), and, enlightened by these words, they chose to press forward to the very end. From Jerusalem they went on to Bethlehem. In other words, they went from the word which showed them where to find the King of the Jews whom they were seeking, all the way to the end, to an encounter with the King who was at the same time the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Those words are also spoken for us. We too have a choice to make. If we think about it, this is precisely our experience when we share in the Eucharist. For in every Mass the liturgy of the Word introduces us to our participation in the mystery of the cross and resurrection of Christ and hence introduces us to the Eucharistic Meal, to union with Christ. Present on the altar is the One whom the Magi saw lying in the manger: Christ, the living Bread who came down from heaven to give life to the world, the true Lamb who gives his own life for the salvation of humanity. Enlightened by the Word, it is in Bethlehem -- the "House of Bread" -- that we can always encounter the inconceivable greatness of a God who humbled himself even to appearing in a manger, to giving himself as food on the altar. We can imagine the awe which the Magi experienced before the Child in swaddling clothes. Only faith enabled them to recognize in the face of that Child the King whom they were seeking, the God to whom the star had guided them. In him, crossing the abyss between the finite and the infinite, the visible and the invisible, the Eternal entered time, the Mystery became known by entrusting himself to us in the frail body of a small child. "The Magi are filled with awe by what they see; heaven on earth and earth in heaven; man in God and God in man; they see enclosed in a tiny body the One whom the entire world cannot contain" (St. Peter Chrysologus, Serm. 160, No. 2). In these days, during this "Year of the Eucharist," we will turn with the same awe to Christ present in the Tabernacle of mercy, in the Sacrament of the Altar. [In Italian] Dear young people, the happiness you are seeking, the happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: It is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist. Only he gives the fullness of life to humanity! With Mary, say your own "yes" to God, for he wishes to give himself to you. I repeat today what I said at the beginning of my pontificate: "If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation" (Homily at the Mass of Inauguration, April 24). Be completely convinced of this: Christ takes from you nothing that is beautiful and great, but brings everything to perfection for the glory of God, the happiness of men and women, and the salvation of the world. In these days I encourage you to commit yourselves without reserve to serving Christ, whatever the cost. The encounter with Jesus Christ will allow you to experience in your hearts the joy of his living and life-giving presence, and enable you to bear witness to it before others. Let your presence in this city be the first sign and proclamation of the Gospel, thanks to the witness of your actions and your joy. Let us raise our hearts in a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the many blessings he has given us and for the gift of faith which we will celebrate together, making it manifest to the world from this land in the heart of Europe, a Europe which owes so much to the Gospel and its witnesses down the centuries. [In German] And now I shall go as a pilgrim to the Cathedral of Cologne, to venerate the relics of the holy Magi who left everything to follow the star which was guiding them to the Savior of the human race. You too, dear young people, have already had, or will have, the opportunity to make the same pilgrimage. These relics are only the poor and frail sign of what those men were and what they experienced so many centuries ago. The relics direct us toward God himself: it is he who, by the power of his grace, grants to weak human beings the courage to bear witness to him before the world. By inviting us to venerate the mortal remains of the martyrs and saints, the Church does not forget that, in the end, these are indeed just human bones, but they are bones that belonged to individuals touched by the transcendent power of God. The relics of the saints are traces of that invisible but real presence which sheds light upon the shadows of the world and reveals the Kingdom of Heaven in our midst. They cry out with us and for us: "Maranatha!" -- "Come Lord Jesus!" My dear friends, I make these words my farewell, and I invite you to the Saturday evening Vigil. I shall see you then! [Translation issued by the Vatican press office] ZE05081807 email this article TOP Papal Address After Visit to Cologne Cathedral "We Become Aware of the Legacy of Values Handed Down to Us" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered from the Roncalliplatz after visiting the Cathedral of Cologne today, the first day of his visit to Germany for World Youth Day. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am pleased to be with you this evening in Cologne, a city that I love for the many memories which it evokes for me. For a number of years I lived in the neighboring city of Bonn as a professor, and from there I would often come to Cologne where I had many friends. It was, I am convinced, by a special design of Providence that I soon became a friend of the then archbishop, Cardinal Joseph Frings, who gave me his full confidence and called me to be his theologian for the Second Vatican Council, which meant that I was able to play an active part in that historic event. I also came to know his successor, Cardinal Joseph Höffner, with whom I was associated for many years, first as a fraternal colleague in the German Bishops' Conference and later through working together for various offices of the Roman Curia. Your present archbishop, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, is a good friend of mine, and I thank him for his warm words of welcome and for his hard work over the past months in preparing for World Youth Day. I also wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Cardinal Karl Lehmann, the president of the German Bishops' Conference, for all his dedication, and through him I thank the bishops and all those involved in marshalling the different sectors of the Church in this country for today's great ecclesial event. I am grateful to all those who for many months have been preparing for this important moment, so eagerly awaited: in particular, the Planning Committee in Cologne, but also the dioceses and local communities which have welcomed the young people in recent days. I can well imagine what all of this entails in terms of energy spent and sacrifices accepted, and I pray that it will bear abundant fruit in the spiritual success of this World Youth Day. Finally I cannot fail to express my profound gratitude to the civil and military authorities, the leaders of the city and region, and the police and security forces of Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia. In the person of the mayor I thank the people of Cologne for their understanding in the face of this "invasion" by so many young people from all over the world. The city of Cologne would not be what it is without the Magi, who have had so great an impact on its history, its culture and its faith. Here, in some sense, the Church celebrates the feast of the Epiphany every day of the year! And so, before addressing you in the presence of this magnificent cathedral, I paused for a moment of prayer before the reliquary of the three Magi and gave thanks to God for their witness of faith, hope and love. The relics of the Magi were brought from Milan in 1164 by the archbishop of Cologne, Reinald von Dassel; after crossing the Alps, they were received in Cologne with great jubilation. On their pilgrimage across Europe the relics of the Magi left traces behind them which are still evident today, both in place names and in popular devotions. In honor of the Magi the inhabitants of Cologne produced the most exquisite reliquary of the whole Christian world and, as if that were not sufficient, they raised above it an even greater reliquary, this stupendous Gothic cathedral which, after the ravages of war, once more stands before visitors in all the splendor of its beauty. Along with Jerusalem the "Holy City," Rome the "Eternal City" and Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Cologne, thanks to the Magi, has become down the centuries one of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Christian West. Yet Cologne is not just the city of the Magi. It has been deeply marked by the presence of many saints; these holy men and women, through the witness of their lives and the imprint they left on the history of the German people, have helped Europe to grow from Christian roots. I think above all of the martyrs of the first centuries, like young Saint Ursula and her companions, who, according to tradition, were martyred under Diocletian. How can one fail to remember Saint Boniface, the apostle of Germany, whose election as bishop of Cologne in 745 was confirmed by Pope Zachary? The name of Saint Albert the Great is also linked to this city; his body rests nearby in the crypt of the Church of Saint Andrew. In Cologne Saint Thomas Aquinas was a disciple of Saint Albert and later a professor. Nor can we forget Blessed Adolph Kolping, who died in Cologne in 1865; from a shoemaker he became a priest and founded many social initiatives, especially in the area of professional training. Closer to our own times, our thoughts turn to Edith Stein, the eminent 20th-century Jewish philosopher who entered the Carmelite Convent in Cologne taking the name of Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, and later died in the concentration camp at Auschwitz. Pope John Paul II canonized her and declared her a co-patroness of Europe, together with Saint Bridget of Sweden and Saint Catherine of Siena. In these and all the other saints, both known and unknown, we discover the deepest and truest face of this city and we become aware of the legacy of values handed down to us by the generations of Christians who have gone before us. It is a very rich legacy. We need to be worthy of it. It is a responsibility of which the very stones of the city's ancient buildings remind us. Indeed it is these spiritual values that make possible mutual comprehension between individuals and peoples, between different cultures and civilizations. In this context, I offer a warm greeting to the representatives of the different Christian denominations and those from other religions. I thank all of you for your presence in Cologne at this great gathering, in the hope that it will mark a step forward on the path toward reconciliation and unity. For Cologne does not speak to us of Europe alone; it opens us to the universality of the Church and of the world. Here, one of the three Magi was seen as a Moorish King, and, as such, the representative of the continent of Africa. Here, according to tradition, Saint Gereon and his companions of the Theban Legion died as martyrs. Irrespective of the strictly historical reliability of these traditions, the centuries-old devotion toward those saints testifies to the universal outlook and openness of the faithful of Cologne and, in a wider sense, of the Church which emerged in Germany through Saint Boniface's apostolic activity. This openness has been confirmed in recent years by great charitable initiatives such as Misereor, Adveniat, Missio and Renovabis. Themselves originating in Cologne, these societies have brought the love of Christ to all continents. Now you yourselves are here, dear young people from throughout the world. You represent those distant peoples who came to know Christ through the Magi and who were brought together as the new People of God, the Church, which gathers men and women from every culture. Today it is your task to live and breathe the Church's universality. Let yourselves be inflamed by the fire of the Spirit, so that a new Pentecost will renew your hearts. Through you, may other young people everywhere come to recognize in Christ the true answer to their deepest aspirations, and may they open their hearts to receive the Word of God Incarnate, who died and rose from the dead for the salvation of the world. [Translation released by the Vatican press office] ZE05081811 email this article TOP German President's Welcome Address to Benedict XVI "Your Election to the Papacy Is of Historic Significance" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the welcome speech German President Horst Köhler addressed to Benedict XVI today at Konrad Adenauer Airport. * * * Holy Father, Welcome home! Welcome to Germany! Greetings from all of us here. We are glad to see you. We are delighted that your first official visit abroad has brought you here to Germany. This is a joyful day for us all. World Youth Day, which you have invited young people to attend, is a wonderful occasion. I think it is marvelous that so many young people have come to enjoy our hospitality. Even as a Protestant I can say that we are very much moved by the fact that a German, one of us, has become Pope. Allow me to say this to you once again, here on German soil -- we wish you all the very best and God's blessing for your high office. Your election to the papacy is of historic significance. Following the Pope from Poland, the first country to be invaded by Germany during the Second World War, a member of the so-called flak helper generation has now been chosen as St. Peter's successor. This is for me a source of confidence -- 60 years after the end of the inhuman and ungodly ideology which prevailed in Germany. People around the world have also perceived it as a sign of reconciliation. Let me share a secret with you -- only a few minutes after your election, the Polish President Kwasniewski was the first to phone me and congratulate us. Holy Father, Almost 50 years ago you embarked on your academic career as a very young theology professor at the University of Bonn, not far from here. Your interpretation of doctrine inspired your listeners then -- and your reputation in the academic world has continued to grow ever since. For you, faith and theology have never been the lofty preserve of academia. You have always worked to ensure that the central message of the Creed also has a bearing on secular culture and on politics. That has inevitably caused dissent. But you rightly prefer dissent to indifference. For the principles of faith, too, are intended to be the salt of the earth. Scholars from all over the world have therefore specifically sought you out to engage in discussion, including one of your contemporaries, Jürgen Habermas, fairly recently. I believe it is also an honor for the field of German theology, and for the German humanities in general, that someone from their ranks has been chosen to exchange the lectern for the "cathedra Petri." When you were accepted as a member of the prestigious Academy of the Institut de France in 1992 to replace the great Andrei Sakharov, you said of him, "He was more than a great scholar, he was a great man." You likewise combine erudition with wisdom. That is why many people -- also far beyond the Catholic Church -- seek and find in you a moral authority. Holy Father, You have come to a country in which the Christian churches play an active role. I am glad that this is the case. Take the Catholic and Protestant youth groups, for example. Young people today are often accused of lacking commitment or being fixated on themselves. However, this is certainly not true of the many thousands of youth group leaders who take responsibility for children or young people of their own age in the boy scouts and girl guides, the Katholische Junge Gemeinde (German Federation of Catholic Children's and Youth Organizations), the YMCA and elsewhere on a voluntary basis. Here, many young people learn how worthwhile it is to help others, and how fulfilling that can be. Church youth work in particular encourages young people to absorb values and learn responsible behavior, on which our entire society depends. The orientation for which so many cry out today can only come from those who have already found it. My impression is that church youth work is a great force for good, even indispensable in this area. The Churches' social commitment derives from a specific view of humanity, a view of humanity which is not influenced by pragmatism or materialism. It tells us that man shall not live by bread alone. And that only by reaching out to and interacting with others can we find inner fulfillment. Freedom, personality and solidarity are inextricably linked. That is what the social teachings of the Catholic Church rightly impart. The Churches' charitable and welfare work is therefore much more than a social repair company. This commitment always presents a political challenge, too -- not to turn a blind eye to the weak, the sick, the dying, the underdogs. All verbal calls for solidarity remain unconvincing unless they are accompanied by practical commitment, by love in action. I constantly see evidence that this love in action and the commitment to building a just society are very much alive in the Churches here. The lay workers, who show great devotion in their service, have therefore truly earned the appreciation of their Church leaders and the thanks of us all. Holy Father, You have come to World Youth Day, an event which your predecessor, the unforgotten John Paul II, invited young people around the world to attend. World Youth Day is intended to be a sign of hope. Global solidarity among young people can be a great force for good. It reminds us of our responsibility for the One World in which we live. Nonetheless, I am well aware that World Youth Day is not primarily concerned with action programs or theoretical discussions. It focuses on spirituality, spiritual experience, prayer and the celebration of faith. Change, true change, has to begin in the heart of the individual. With their openness and their search for direction, the many hundreds of thousands of young people are giving particularly us older people a sign of hope and confidence. I have witnessed this myself in the past few days. At a time when many people live in fear of terrorism and violence prompted by supposedly religious motives, it is good to experience faith and religion as a way to peace and compassion. You yourself, Holy Father, have often spoken of the fact that there are "pathologies" of religion, or false paths, even in Christianity, in the same way that there are false paths in enlightened reason. Both, religion and reason, must constantly correct and purify each other, as you have said. I hope that this World Youth Day, which you have called people to attend, will stand as an undeniable _expression of a compassionate and humane faith. A faith which is not indifferent to the world and humanity, a faith which testifies to the fact that we are all God's children in this one world. And I say it again: Welcome, Pope Benedict! [Translation of German original issued by the organizers of World Youth Day] ZE05081805 email this article TOP Benedict XVI Proposes Increased Dialogue With Jews Visits Synagogue of Cologne COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 19, 2005 (ZENIT.org).- In his visit to the synagogue of Cologne, Benedict XVI expressed his concern regarding a resurgence of new signs of anti-Semitism and racism. Today's highly symbolic visit, the second such visit of a modern Pope -- John Paul II visited the synagogue of Rome in 1986 -- serves also to advance new goals of dialogue between Jews and Catholics. The visit began outside the synagogue where Rabbi Natanel Teitelbaum recited the "Kaddish," a Jewish prayer for the dead, before a memorial to the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis. After the prayer, Benedict XVI entered the synagogue while a choir sang "Shalom Alechem," Hebrew for "peace be with you." A shofar, or ram's horn, sounded as Benedict XVI took his place in the first row of the temple of Germany's oldest Jewish community, which was destroyed by the Nazis in 1938, and reconstructed in 1959. Benedict XVI called the years of the holocaust as the "darkest period of German and European history," and explained that "an insane racist ideology, born of neo-paganism, gave rise to the attempt, planned and systematically carried out by the regime, to exterminate European Jewry." "The holiness of God was no longer recognized, and consequently contempt was shown for the sacredness of human life," said the Pope. Rabbi Teitelbaum said that the visit of the Pope constitutes a positive step toward peace for all peoples of the world, and an eloquent sign against anti-Semitism. Cardinal Lustiger present Benedict XVI, dressed all in white, received applause various times from those present, including Otty Schily, German interior minister, leaders of various German political parties, and Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, retired archbishop of Paris, who is Jewish, and whose mother was killed in Auschwitz. Recalling the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council declaration "Nostra Aetate," which he stated gave a decisive push to Jewish-Catholic dialogue, the Pope confirmed the Church's commitment to "tolerance, respect, friendship and peace between all peoples, cultures and religions." To "encourage sincere and trustful dialogue between Jews and Christians," Benedict XVI said that only through communication will it be possible "to arrive at a shared interpretation of disputed historical questions, and, above all, to make progress toward a theological evaluation of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity." "This dialogue, if it is to be sincere, must not gloss over or underestimate the existing differences: in those areas in which, due to our profound convictions in faith, we diverge, and indeed precisely in those areas, we need to show respect for one another," he said. The Pope also proposed a joint effort to give "an ever more harmonious witness and to work together on the practical level for the defense and promotion of human rights and the sacredness of human life, for family values, for social justice and for peace in the world." The Ten Commandments, he said, "is for us a shared legacy and commitment." ZE05081904 email this article TOP Visit to Synagogue Shows Dialogue Goes On, Says Aide Vatican Spokesman Calls Pope's Historic COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's visit to the synagogue of Cologne was "an event of extraordinary historic significance," says a Vatican spokesman. Joaquín Navarro Valls, director of the Vatican press office, said that it was Benedict XVI himself who decided to include the symbolic visit in his first international apostolic trip, which made him the second modern Pope to visit a synagogue. Pope John Paul II visited Rome's synagogue in 1986. The Vatican spokesman mentioned the difficulties that arose in July, when representatives of the Israeli government accused John Paul II and Benedict XVI publicly of not having condemned terrorist attacks against Jews. The Holy See reacted in a long communiqué which cited John Paul II's numerous pronouncements against such terrorist acts, and Benedict XVI's condemnation of all such acts of violence. "This incident has been clarified, but it is important to make a distinction between an incident at the diplomatic level and one at the level of interreligious relations," Navarro Valls said. "The images of the Pope in the synagogue show that the dialogue is not closed," he stated. In regard to Benedict XVI's future international trips, his spokesman commented that "for the time being, there are no other trips on the agenda, though the Pope has received many invitations. This does not mean, however, that within a span of time the agenda might be full." ZE05081906 email this article TOP Pope Highlights Holiness in Address to Seminarians Meeting Is New to World Youth Day Program COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI highlighted holiness as the goal of life when addressing 3,000 seminarians attending the World Youth Day. The Pope told his audience gathered in St. Pantaleon's Church that "the secret of holiness is friendship with Christ and faithful obedience to his will." The Holy Father walked to the church, greeted those present, and then prayed vespers with the seminarians. After a seminarian, a priest, and Cardinal Marc Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec, gave testimonies of their vocation, Benedict XVI delivered a homily in which he revealed the reasons why he called the meeting, unprecedented in the history of World Youth Days. "I had asked that the program of these days in Cologne should include a special meeting with young seminarians, so that the vocational dimension which is always a part of World Youth Day would be even more clearly and strongly evident," he said. Benedict XVI explained that "you too, after your long, necessary program of seminary formation, will be sent forth as ministers of Christ; indeed, each of you will return as an 'alter Christus,'" another Christ. The Holy Father illustrated "the secret of your vocation and mission" with these words from the Gospel according to John: "Abide in my love. If you abide in Christ, you will bear much fruit. You have not chosen him, he has chosen you." ZE05081909 email this article TOP Dialogue Will Unite Christians, Says Pope Meets With Representatives of Christian Churches COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI met with representative of some 30 Christian confessions, encouraging more positive progress in the ecumenical journey. "I am well aware that many Christians in this country, and not only in this country, expect further concrete steps to bring us closer together," the Holy Father said today to the religious leaders in the archbishop's palace in Cologne, his headquarters during World Youth Day. The Pope also recalled that in the 20th century Germany was one of the countries that gave greatest impetus to ecumenical dialogue. "I myself have the same expectation," he said in his address, which he delivered after being greeted by Cardinal Karl Lehmann, president of the German episcopal conference, and Lutheran Bishop Wolfgang Huber of Berlin. "It is the Lord's command, but also the imperative of the present hour, to carry on dialogue, with conviction, at all levels of the Church's life," the Pope stated. "This must obviously take place with sincerity and realism, with patience and perseverance, in complete fidelity to the dictates of one's conscience. There can be no dialogue at the expense of truth; the dialogue must advance in charity and in truth." For Benedict XVI "it is obvious that, in the end, this dialogue can develop only in a context of sincere and committed spirituality." "We cannot 'bring about' unity by our powers alone. We can only obtain unity as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, spiritual ecumenism -- prayer, conversion and the sanctification of life -- constitute the heart of the ecumenical movement," explained the Holy Father. "It could be said that the best form of ecumenism consists in living in accordance with the Gospel," he concluded. ZE05081910 email this article TOP Pope Lunches With 12 Young People COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI invited 12 youths attending World Youth Day to lunch with him in the archbishop's palace in Cologne. The Pope, who earlier had visited the city's synagogue, spoke today with the young people and listened attentively to their comments. Two youths represented each of the continents, and two others were German. The Pope remained alone with them and switched languages to be able to converse with each one, the youths told journalists later. Here is the lists of the Holy Father's guests: Christille Giraudet, 20, France Jason Mackiewicz, 28, Ireland Nicolàs José Frias Ossandon, 19, Chile Martin Hounzinme Adonha, 27, Benin Yunju RosaLee, 21, China Lauriane-Salomé Moufouma-Okia, 26, Congo Véronique Rondeau, 23, Canada Anna Franzkiska Herbst, 18, Germany Klaus Langenstück, 22, Germany Aleksander Pavkovic, 28, Slovenia Lubica Jovanovic, 19, Australia Johnny Bassous, 20, Palestine Yunju RosaLee of Taiwan took advantage of the opportunity to pray with the Pope for her country's situation. "For me it is very important that the Pope be concerned about the future of my country. He told me that he knows the problems and follows them with attention," said the young woman, who is a volunteer for the youth event. RosaLee also gave the Pope a CD of Chinese music in which she and her band performs. ZE05081907 email this article TOP Juggling Act Part of Youth Day Vigil Performer Mixes Faith With Show COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Flying hats, spinning soccer balls and bowling pins going round and round in circles will all be part of Saturday's celebrations at World Youth Day. World-class juggler Paul Ponce will perform during the youth day vigil in the presence of Benedict XVI and hundreds of thousands of youths. The occasion "will be for me one of the most important moments of my whole professional career, because of the importance that living my faith within the Catholic Church has for me," Ponce said to ZENIT. Ponce was invited to perform at the youth event last winter after he was seen performing in Cologne. Heiner Koch, secretary-general of World Youth Day, and the liturgical committee of the event, were impressed by the young performer who often mixes messages of faith with his performance, and asked Ponce to do an adapted version of the "Juggler of Notre Dame," which he will perform before an image of the Virgin Mary. Conversion The young Argentine juggler, part of the sixth-generation of a family of performers, has never lived more than 10 months in the same city. He was raised Catholic, but never had the opportunity to attend catechism classes. Working in a show at a Nassau casino in the Bahamas -- "the only time I spent 10 consecutive months in one place" -- Ponce, then 21, experienced what he terms his "conversion." In order to receive confirmation, the parish priest sent him to a catechesis course with 14- and 15-year-olds. "It all started there," he said, "I began to ask myself very serious questions which I had never asked myself before: Why was I a Catholic? What did God and the Church mean to me?" "Something I cannot forget about this process of my conversion are the times I went to church alone and fixed my gaze on the crucifix. Looking at it, I wondered: Why so much pain and suffering?" he said. Ponce continued: "I realized then that God had inundated my whole life with graces and gifts, and I was very far from my duty to God as a baptized Christian. "What is incredible is that the more I tried to understand and to do good to God and others, the happier and more fulfilled I felt. "The culmination of all this was when I decided to stop working in the performing world for a whole year to give a year as a lay missionary to the Church, saying to myself that God had done a lot for me, and now I wanted to do something for him." In God's hands "At the end of the year I realized that that year had been the happiest of my whole life, as during that year I learned where happiness is found: in seeking God and the good of others," Ponce stated. "Now I work in the artistic world with a new ideal," he said, "to see how I can be an instrument of God to my companions, not because of what I can do for them, which would be nothing, but what God can do for them, making use, as he always does, of unworthy instruments." Ponce said that he wants to say a few words to the Pope: "My life would have not meaning without faith. I pray every day for you, for your difficult work, which the Holy Spirit undoubtedly illuminates, so that the love of God and the culture of life will reign in the hearts of this humanity, so thirsty to know Christ. As part of his work in Cologne, Ponce will be selling T-shirts with messages of faith. The proceeds will go toward schools in Latin America which offer educational opportunities to children of poor families. ZE05081902 email this article TOP Youth Day '08 Expected to Be in Sydney COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Sydney seems to the likely location for the World Youth Day 2008. "Australians simply know how to celebrate -- and they have every reason," said Markus Fuhrmann, the official in charge of looking after Australian guests to the 20th World Youth Day in Cologne. His remarks, published this week in a press statement by the organizers of World Youth Day in Cologne, came in response to the rumor that Sydney is in line to be the locale for the next World Youth Day. On Tuesday, more than 1,600 Australian youths gathered at the Cologne Exhibition Center, praying and singing as recurrent images of the late Pope John Paul II appeared on video screens. In a videotaped message after the service, Australian Prime Minister John Howard expressed his pleasure that the next World Youth Day is set to take place in Australia. The young people were overjoyed by the announcement, even though the Vatican has yet to confirm the venue. Officially, Benedict XVI is not scheduled to announce the location of the 2008 World Youth Day until Sunday's concluding Mass. ZE05081929 email this article TOP Pennsylvania Bishops Speak Out on Stem Cell Research HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, AUG. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Pennsylvania's Catholic bishops recently released a joint statement to clarify the Church's teaching on why embryonic stem cell research is morally unacceptable. The text of "Questions and Answers on Stem Cell Research" is posted at www.pacatholic.org/bishops'%20statements/qascr.htm. The bishops note that the "Vatican Instruction on Respect for Human Life" says that "no objective, even though noble in itself, such as a foreseeable advantage to science, to other human beings, or to society, can in any way justify experimentation on living human embryos or fetuses, whether viable or not, either inside or outside the mother's body." Dr. Robert O'Hara Jr., executive director of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, said, "At a time when public policy-makers are considering spending taxpayer money to finance various biomedical research initiatives, it is appropriate to consider the moral impact of such research." The text of the document is being translated into Spanish and will be available in a full-color booklet in both English and Spanish. ZE05081925 email this article TOP Benedict XVI's Homily to Seminarians in Cologne "If You Abide in Christ, You Will Bear Much Fruit" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is the homily Benedict XVI addressed to seminarians, attending World Youth Day, in St. Pantaleon's Church today. * * * [In German] Dear Seminarians, I greet all of you with great affection and gratitude for your festive welcome and particularly for the fact that you have come to this gathering from so many countries the world over. In a special way my heartfelt thanks go to the seminarian, the priest and the bishop who have given us their own personal witness. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to be with you. I had asked that the program of these days in Cologne should include a special meeting with young seminarians, so that the vocational dimension which is always a part of World Youth Day would be even more clearly and strongly evident. Naturally, you are taking part in this experience in your own particular way, since you are seminarians, that is to say, young people devoting an intense period of your lives to seeking Christ and spending time with him in preparation for your important mission in the Church. This is what a seminary is: More than a place, it is a significant time in the life of a follower of Jesus. I can imagine how you yourselves relate to the theme of this Twentieth World Youth Day -- "We Have Come To Worship Him" -- and the entire Gospel account of the Magi from which the theme has been drawn. This passage has a special meaning for you, precisely because you are engaged in discerning and confirming your call to the priesthood. Let us pause and reflect on this theme. [In French] Why did the Magi set off from afar to go to Bethlehem? The answer has to do with the mystery of the "star" which they saw "in the East" and which they recognized as the star of the "King of the Jews," that is to say, the sign of the birth of the Messiah (cf. Matthew 2:2). So their journey was inspired by a powerful hope, strengthened and guided by the star, which led them toward the King of the Jews, toward the kingship of God himself. The Magi set out because of a deep desire which prompted them to leave everything and begin a journey. It was as though they had always been waiting for that star. It was as if the journey had always been a part of their destiny, and was finally about to begin. Dear friends, this is the mystery of God's call, the mystery of vocation. It is part of the life of every Christian, but it is particularly evident in those whom Christ asks to leave everything in order to follow him more closely. The seminarian experiences the beauty of that call in a moment of grace which could be defined as "falling in love." His soul is filled with amazement, which makes him ask in prayer: "Lord, why me?" But love knows no "why"; it is a free gift to which one responds with the gift of self. [In English] The seminary years are devoted to formation and discernment. Formation, as you well know, has different strands which converge in the unity of the person: It includes human, spiritual and cultural dimensions. Its deepest goal is to bring the student to an intimate knowledge of the God who has revealed his face in Jesus Christ. For this, in-depth study of Sacred Scripture is needed, and also of the faith and life of the Church in which the Scripture dwells as the Word of life. This must all be linked with the questions prompted by our reason and with the broader context of modern life. Such study can at times seem arduous, but it is an indispensable part of our encounter with Christ and our vocation to proclaim him. All this is aimed at shaping a steady and balanced personality, one capable of receiving validly and fulfilling responsibly the priestly mission. The role of formators is decisive: The quality of the presbyterate in a particular Church depends greatly on that of the seminary, and consequently on the quality of those responsible for formation. Dear seminarians, for this very reason we pray today with genuine gratitude for your superiors, professors and educators, who are spiritually present at this meeting. Let us ask the Lord to help them carry out as well as possible the important task entrusted to them. The seminary years are a time of journeying, of exploration, but above all of discovering Christ. It is only when a young man has had a personal experience of Christ that he can truly understand the Lord’s will and consequently his own vocation. The better you know Jesus the more his mystery attracts you. The more you discover him, the more you are moved to seek him. This is a movement of the spirit which lasts throughout life, and which makes the seminary a time of immense promise, a true "springtime." [In Italian] When the Magi came to Bethlehem, "going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him" (Matthew 2:11). Here at last was the long-awaited moment -- their encounter with Jesus. "Going into the house": this house in some sense represents the Church. In order to find the Savior, one has to enter the house, which is the Church. During his time in the seminary, a particularly important process of maturation takes place in the consciousness of the young seminarian: he no longer sees the Church "from the outside," but rather, as it were, "from the inside," and he comes to sense that she is his "home," in as much as she is the home of Christ, where "Mary his mother" dwells. It is Mary who shows him Jesus her Son; she introduces him and in a sense enables him to see and touch Jesus, and to take him into his arms. Mary teaches the seminarian to contemplate Jesus with the eyes of the heart and to make Jesus his very life. Each moment of seminary life can be an opportunity for loving experience of the presence of our Lady, who introduces everyone to an encounter with Christ in the silence of meditation, prayer and fraternity. Mary helps us to meet the Lord above all in the celebration of the Eucharist, when, in the Word and in the consecrated Bread, he becomes our daily spiritual nourishment. [In Spanish] "They fell down and worshipped him ... and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11-12). Here is the culmination of the whole journey: encounter becomes adoration; it blossoms into an act of faith and love which acknowledges in Jesus, born of Mary, the Son of God made man. How can we fail to see prefigured in this gesture of the Magi the faith of Simon Peter and of the other Apostles, the faith of Paul and of all the saints, particularly of the many saintly seminarians and priests who have graced the two thousand years of the Church's history? The secret of holiness is friendship with Christ and faithful obedience to his will. Saint Ambrose said: "Christ is everything for us"; and Saint Benedict warned against putting anything before the love of Christ. May Christ be everything for you. Dear seminarians, be the first to offer him what is most precious to you, as Pope John Paul II suggested in his Message for this World Youth Day: the gold of your freedom, the incense of your ardent prayer, the myrrh of your most profound affection (cf. No. 4). [In German] The seminary years are a time of preparing for mission. The Magi "departed for their own country" and most certainly bore witness to their encounter with the King of the Jews. You too, after your long, necessary program of seminary formation, will be sent forth as ministers of Christ; indeed, each of you will return as an "alter Christus." On their homeward journey, the Magi surely had to deal with dangers, weariness, disorientation, doubts. … The star was no longer there to guide them! The light was now within them. Their task was to guard and nourish it in the constant memory of Christ, of his Holy Face, of his ineffable Love. Dear seminarians! One day, God willing, by the consecration of the Holy Spirit you too will begin your mission. Remember always the words of Jesus: "Abide in my love" (John 15:9). If you abide in Christ, you will bear much fruit. You have not chosen him, he has chosen you (cf. John 15:16). Here is the secret of your vocation and your mission! It is kept in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who watches over each one of you with a mother's love. Have recourse to her, often and with confidence. I assure you of my affection and my daily prayers. And I bless all of you from my heart. [Translation of original issued by the Vatican press office] ZE05081905 email this article TOP Pope's Address in Synagogue of Cologne "We Must Come to Know One Another Much More and Much Better" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered in German today in Cologne's synagogue after being greeted by Rabbi Netanel Teitelbaum. * * * Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Brothers and Sisters! "Shalom lechem!" It has been my deep desire, during my first visit to Germany since my election as the Successor of the Apostle Peter, to meet the Jewish community of Cologne and the representatives of Judaism in Germany. By this visit I would like to return in spirit to the meeting that took place in Mainz on Nov. 17, 1980, between my venerable predecessor Pope John Paul II, then making his first visit to this country, and members of the Central Jewish Committee in Germany and the Rabbinic Conference. Today too I wish to reaffirm that I intend to continue on the path toward improved relations and friendship with the Jewish People, following the decisive lead given by Pope John Paul II (cf. "Address to the Delegation of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations," June 9, 2005: "L'Osservatore Romano," June 10, 2005, p. 5). The Jewish community in Cologne can truly feel "at home" in this city. Cologne is, in fact, the oldest site of a Jewish community on German soil, dating back to the Colonia of Roman times. The history of relations between the Jewish and Christian communities has been complex and often painful. There were times when the two lived together peacefully, but there was also the expulsion of the Jews from Cologne in the year 1424. And in the 20th century, in the darkest period of German and European history, an insane racist ideology, born of neo-paganism, gave rise to the attempt, planned and systematically carried out by the regime, to exterminate European Jewry. The result has passed into history as the "Shoah." The victims of this unspeakable and previously unimaginable crime amounted to 7,000 named individuals in Cologne alone; the real figure was surely much higher. The holiness of God was no longer recognized, and consequently contempt was shown for the sacredness of human life. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps, in which millions of Jews -- men, women and children -- were put to death in the gas chambers and ovens. I make my own the words written by my venerable Predecessor on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and I too say: "I bow my head before all those who experienced this manifestation of the 'mysterium iniquitatis.'" "The terrible events of that time must "never cease to rouse consciences, to resolve conflicts, to inspire the building of peace" ("Message for the Liberation of Auschwitz," Jan. 15, 2005). Together we must remember God and his wise plan for the world which he created. As we read in the Book of Wisdom, he is the "lover of life" (11:26). This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council's declaration "Nostra Aetate," which opened up new prospects for Jewish-Christian relations in terms of dialogue and solidarity. This declaration, in the fourth chapter, recalls the common roots and the immensely rich spiritual heritage that Jews and Christians share. Both Jews and Christians recognize in Abraham their father in faith (cf. Galatians 3:7, Romans 4:11ff.) and they look to the teachings of Moses and the prophets. Jewish spirituality, like its Christian counterpart, draws nourishment from the psalms. With Saint Paul, Christians are convinced that "the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29, cf. 9:6,11; 11:1ff.). In considering the Jewish roots of Christianity (cf. Romans 11:16-24), my venerable Predecessor, quoting a statement by the German Bishops, affirmed that: "whoever meets Jesus Christ meets Judaism" ("Insegnamenti," vol. III/2, 1980, p. 1272). The conciliar declaration "Nostra Aetate" therefore "deplores feelings of hatred, persecutions and demonstrations of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews at whatever time and by whomsoever" (No. 4). God created us all "in his image" (cf. Genesis 1:27) and thus honored us with a transcendent dignity. Before God, all men and women have the same dignity, whatever their nation, culture or religion. Hence the declaration "Nostra Aetate" also speaks with great esteem of Muslims (cf. No. 3) and of the followers of other religions (cf. No. 2). On the basis of our shared human dignity the Catholic Church "condemns as foreign to the mind of Christ any kind of discrimination whatsoever between people, or harassment of them, done by reason of race or color, class or religion" (No. 5). The Church is conscious of her duty to transmit this teaching, in her catechesis and in every aspect of her life, to the younger generations which did not witness the terrible events that took place before and during the Second World War. It is a particularly important task, since today, sadly, we are witnessing the rise of new signs of anti-Semitism and various forms of a general hostility toward foreigners. How can we fail to see in this a reason for concern and vigilance? The Catholic Church is committed -- I reaffirm this again today -- to tolerance, respect, friendship and peace between all peoples, cultures and religions. In the 40 years that have passed since the conciliar Declaration "Nostra Aetate," much progress has been made, in Germany and throughout the world, towards better and closer relations between Jews and Christians. Alongside official relationships, due above all to cooperation between specialists in the biblical sciences, many friendships have been born. In this regard, I would mention the various declarations by the German Episcopal Conference and the charitable work done by the "Society for Jewish-Christian Cooperation in Cologne," which since 1945 have enabled the Jewish community to feel once again "at home" here in Cologne and to establish good relations with the Christian communities. Yet much still remains to be done. We must come to know one another much more and much better. Consequently, I would encourage sincere and trustful dialogue between Jews and Christians, for only in this way will it be possible to arrive at a shared interpretation of disputed historical questions, and, above all, to make progress towards a theological evaluation of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. This dialogue, if it is to be sincere, must not gloss over or underestimate the existing differences: in those areas in which, due to our profound convictions in faith, we diverge, and indeed precisely in those areas, we need to show respect for one another. Finally, our gaze should not only be directed to the past, but should also look forward to the tasks that await us today and tomorrow. Our rich common heritage and our fraternal and more trusting relations call upon us to join in giving an ever more harmonious witness and to work together on the practical level for the defense and promotion of human rights and the sacredness of human life, for family values, for social justice and for peace in the world. The Decalogue (cf. Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5) is for us a shared legacy and commitment. The Ten Commandments are not a burden, but a sign-post showing the path leading to a successful life. This is particularly the case for the young people whom I am meeting in these days and who are so dear to me. My wish is that they may be able to recognize in the Decalogue a lamp for their steps, a light for their path (cf. Psalm 119:105). Adults have the responsibility of handing down to young people the torch of hope that God has given to Jews and to Christians, so that "never again" will the forces of evil come to power, and that future generations, with God's help, may be able to build a more just and peaceful world, in which all people have equal rights and are equally at home. I conclude with the words of Psalm 29, which express both a wish and a prayer: "May the Lord give strength to his people, may he bless his people with peace." May he hear our prayer! [Translation of German original issued by the Vatican press office] ZE05081903 email this article TOP Benedict XVI's Address to Christians Meeting in Cologne Among Christians, Fraternity Is Not Just a Vague Sentiment COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address, delivered in German, to representatives of different Christian confessions with whom he met in the archbishop's palace in Cologne. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, our common Lord! It is a pleasure for me to meet you, the representatives of other Churches and ecclesial Communities, during my visit to Germany. I greet you all most cordially! As a native of this country, I am quite aware of the painful situation which the rupture of unity in the profession of the faith has entailed for so many individuals and families. This was one of the reasons why, immediately following my election as Bishop of Rome, I declared, as the Successor of the Apostle Peter, my firm commitment to making the recovery of full and visible Christian unity a priority of my Pontificate. In doing so, I wished consciously to follow in the footsteps of two of my great Predecessors: Pope Paul VI, who 40 years ago signed the conciliar decree on ecumenism "Unitatis Redintegratio" and Pope John Paul II, who made that document the inspiration for his activity. In ecumenical dialogue Germany has a place of particular importance. Not only is it the place where the Reformation began; it is also one of those countries where the ecumenical movement of the 20th century originated. With the successive waves of immigration in the last century, Christians from the Orthodox Churches and the ancient Churches of the East also found a new homeland in this country. This certainly favored greater contact and exchanges. Together we can rejoice in the fact that ecumenical dialogue, with the passage of time, has brought about a renewed sense of fraternity and has created a more open and trusting climate between Christians belonging to the various Churches and ecclesial Communities. My venerable Predecessor, in his encyclical "Ut Unum Sint" (1995) saw this as an especially significant fruit of dialogue (cf. Nos. 41ff; 64). Among Christians, fraternity is not just a vague sentiment, nor is it a sign of indifference to truth. It is grounded in the supernatural reality of the one baptism which makes us members of the one Body of Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 2:12). Together we confess that Jesus Christ is God and Lord; together we acknowledge him as the one mediator between God and man (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5) and we emphasize that together we are members of his Body (cf. "Unitatis Redintegratio," 22; "Ut Unum Sint," 42). On this shared foundation dialogue has borne its fruits. I would like to mention the re-examination of the mutual condemnations, called for by John Paul II during his first visit to Germany in 1980, and above all the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" (1999), which grew out of that re-examination and led to an agreement on basic issues that had been a subject of controversy since the 16th century. We should also acknowledge with gratitude the results of our common stand on important matters such as the fundamental questions involving the defense of life and the promotion of justice and peace. I am well aware that many Christians in this country, and not only in this country, expect further concrete steps to bring us closer together. I myself have the same expectation. It is the Lord’s command, but also the imperative of the present hour, to carry on dialogue, with conviction, at all levels of the Church's life. This must obviously take place with sincerity and realism, with patience and perseverance, in complete fidelity to the dictates of one's conscience. There can be no dialogue at the expense of truth; the dialogue must advance in charity and in truth. I do not intend here to outline a program for the immediate themes of dialogue -- this task belongs to theologians working alongside the bishops. I simply wish to make an observation: Ecclesiological issues, and especially the question of the sacred ministry or priesthood, are inseparably linked with that of the relationship between Scripture and Church, that is to say the correct interpretation of the Word of God and its development within the life of the Church. Another urgent priority in ecumenical dialogue arises from the great ethical questions of our time; in this area, modern research rightly expects a common response on the part of Christians, which, thanks be to God, has often been forthcoming. But not always, alas. Because of contradictory positions in these areas, our witness to the Gospel and the ethical guidance which we owe to the faithful and to society lose their impact and often appear too vague, with the result that we fail in our duty to provide the witness that is needed in our time. Our divisions are contrary to the will of Jesus and they disappoint the expectations of our contemporaries. What does it mean to restore the unity of all Christians? The Catholic Church has as her goal the full visible unity of the disciples of Christ, as defined by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council in its various documents (cf. "Lumen Gentium," 8, 13; "Unitatis Redintegratio," 2, 4, etc.). This unity subsists, we are convinced, in the Catholic Church, without the possibility of ever being lost (cf. "Unitatis Redintegratio," 4). This does not, however, mean uniformity in all expressions of theology and spirituality, in liturgical forms and in discipline. Unity in multiplicity, and multiplicity in unity: in my homily for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29, I insisted that full unity and full catholicity go together. As a necessary condition for the achievement of this coexistence, the commitment to unity must be constantly purified and renewed; it must constantly grow and mature. To this end, dialogue has its own contribution to make. More than an exchange of thoughts, it is an exchange of gifts (cf. "Ut Unum Sint," 28), in which the Churches and the ecclesial Communities can make available their own riches (cf. "Lumen Gentium," 8, 15; "Unitatis Redintegratio," 3, 14ff; "Ut Unum Sint, 10-14). As a result of this commitment, the journey can move forward step by step along the path to full unity, when at last we will all "attain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). It is obvious that, in the end, this dialogue can develop only in a context of sincere and committed spirituality. We cannot "bring about" unity by our powers alone. We can only obtain unity as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, spiritual ecumenism -- prayer, conversion and the sanctification of life -- constitute the heart of the ecumenical movement (cf. "Unitatis Redintegratio," 8; "Ut Unum Sint," 15ff., 21, etc.). It could be said that the best form of ecumenism consists in living in accordance with the Gospel. I see good reason for optimism in the fact that today a kind of "network" of spiritual links is developing between Catholics and Christians from the different Churches and ecclesial Communities: each individual commits himself to prayer, to the examination of his own life, to the purification of memory, to the openness of charity. The father of spiritual ecumenism, Paul Couturier, spoke in this regard of an "invisible cloister" which unites within its walls those souls inflamed with love for Christ and his Church. I am convinced that if more and more people unite themselves to the Lord’s prayer "that all may be one" (John 17:21), then this prayer, made in the name of Jesus, will not go unheard (cf. John 14:13; 15:7, 16, etc.) With the help that comes from on high, we will also find practical solutions to the different questions which remain open, and in the end our desire for unity will come to fulfillment, whenever and however the Lord wills. I invite all of you to join me in following this path. [Translation of German original issued by the Vatican press office] ZE05081908 email this article TOP 2 Tell of Their
Lunch With the Pope "Only From God Does True Revolution Come" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 20, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave at this evening's vigil at World Youth Day. * * * [In German] Dear young friends, In our pilgrimage with the mysterious Magi from the East, we have arrived at the moment which Saint Matthew describes in his Gospel with these words: "Going into the house (over which the star had halted), they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him" (Matthew 2:11). Outwardly, their journey was now over. They had reached their goal. But at this point a new journey began for them, an inner pilgrimage which changed their whole lives. Their mental picture of the infant King they were expecting to find must have been very different. They had stopped at Jerusalem specifically in order to ask the King who lived there for news of the promised King who had been born. They knew that the world was in disorder, and for that reason their hearts were troubled. They were sure that God existed and that he was a just and gentle God. And perhaps they also knew of the great prophecies of Israel foretelling a King who would be intimately united with God, a King who would restore order to the world, acting for God and in his name. It was in order to seek this King that they had set off on their journey: Deep within themselves they felt prompted to go in search of the true justice that can only come from God, and they wanted to serve this King, to fall prostrate at his feet and so play their part in the renewal of the world. They were among those "who hunger and thirst for justice" (Matthew 5:6). This hunger and thirst had spurred them on in their pilgrimage -- they had become pilgrims in search of the justice that they expected from God, intending to devote themselves to its service. Even if those who had stayed at home may have considered them Utopian dreamers, they were actually people with their feet on the ground, and they knew that in order to change the world it is necessary to have power. Hence they were hardly likely to seek the promised child anywhere but in the King's palace. Yet now they were bowing down before the child of poor people, and they soon came to realize that Herod, the King they had consulted, intended to use his power to lay a trap for him, forcing the family to flee into exile. The new King, to whom they now paid homage, was quite unlike what they were expecting. In this way they had to learn that God is not as we usually imagine him to be. This was where their inner journey began. It started at the very moment when they knelt down before this child and recognized him as the promised King. But they still had to assimilate these joyful gestures internally. [In English] They had to change their ideas about power, about God and about man, and in so doing, they also had to change themselves. Now they were able to see that God's power is not like that of the powerful of this world. God's ways are not as we imagine them or as we might wish to them to be. God does not enter into competition with earthly powers in this world. He does not marshal his divisions alongside other divisions. God did not send twelve legions of angels to assist Jesus in the Garden of Olives (cf. Matthew 26:53). He contrasts the noisy and ostentatious power of this world with the defenseless power of love, which succumbs to death on the Cross, and dies ever anew throughout history; yet it is this same love which constitutes the new divine intervention that opposes injustice and ushers in the Kingdom of God. God is different -- this is what they now come to realize. And it means that they themselves must now become different, they must learn God's ways. They had come to place themselves at the service of this King, to model their own kingship on his. That was the meaning of their act of homage, their adoration. Included in this were their gifts -- gold, frankincense and myrrh -- gifts offered to a King held to be divine. Adoration has a content and it involves giving. Through this act of adoration, these men from the East wished to recognize the child as their King and to place their own power and potential at his disposal, and in this they were certainly on the right path. By serving and following him, they wanted, together with him, to serve the cause of good and the cause of justice in the world. In this they were right. Now, though, they have to learn that this cannot be achieved simply through issuing commands from a throne on high. Now they have to learn to give themselves -- no lesser gift would be sufficient for this King. Now they have to learn that their lives must be conformed to this divine way of exercising power, to God's own way of being. They must become men of truth, of justice, of goodness, of forgiveness, of mercy. They will no longer ask: How can this serve me? Instead they will have to ask: How can I serve God's presence in the world? They must learn to lose their life and in this way to find it. Having left Jerusalem behind, they must not deviate from the path marked out by the true King, as they follow Jesus. [In French] Dear friends, what does all this mean for us? What we have just been saying about the nature of God being different, and about the way our lives must be shaped accordingly, sounds very fine, but remains rather vague and unfocussed. That is why God has given us examples. The Magi from the East are just the first in a long procession of men and women who have constantly tried to gaze upon God's star in their lives, going in search of the God who has drawn close to us and shows us the way. It is the great multitude of the saints -- both known and unknown -- in whose lives the Lord has opened up the Gospel before us and turned over the pages; he has done this throughout history and he still does so today. In their lives, as if in a great picture-book, the riches of the Gospel are revealed. They are the shining path which God himself has traced throughout history and is still tracing today. My venerable predecessor Pope John Paul II beatified and canonized a great many people from both the distant and the recent past. Through these individuals he wanted to show us how to be Christian; how to live life as it should be lived -- according to God's way. The saints and the blessed did not doggedly seek their own happiness, but simply wanted to give themselves, because the light of Christ had shone upon them. They show us the way to attain happiness, they show us how to be truly human. Through all the ups and downs of history, they were the true reformers who constantly rescued it from plunging into the valley of darkness; it was they who constantly shed upon it the light that was needed to make sense -- even in the midst of suffering -- of God's words spoken at the end of the work of creation: "It is very good." One need only think of such figures as Saint Benedict, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Charles Borromeo, the founders of 19th-century religious orders who inspired and guided the social movement, or the saints of our own day -- Maximilian Kolbe, Edith Stein, Mother Teresa, Padre Pio. In contemplating these figures we learn what it means "to adore" and what it means to live according to the measure of the child of Bethlehem, by the measure of Jesus Christ and of God himself. [In Spanish] The saints, as we said, are the true reformers. Now I want to express this in an even more radical way: Only from the saints, only from God does true revolution come, the definitive way to change the world. In the last century we experienced revolutions with a common program -- expecting nothing more from God, they assumed total responsibility for the cause of the world in order to change it. And this, as we saw, meant that a human and partial point of view was always taken as an absolute guiding principle. Absolutizing what is not absolute but relative is called totalitarianism. It does not liberate man, but takes away his dignity and enslaves him. It is not ideologies that save the world, but only a return to the living God, our Creator, the guarantor of our freedom, the guarantor of what is really good and true. True revolution consists in simply turning to God who is the measure of what is right and who at the same time is everlasting love. And what could ever save us apart from love? Dear friends! Allow me to add just two brief thoughts. There are many who speak of God; some even preach hatred and perpetrate violence in God's name. So it is important to discover the true face of God. The Magi from the East found it, when they knelt down before the child of Bethlehem. "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father," said Jesus to Philip (John 14:9). In Jesus Christ, who allowed his heart to be pierced for us, the true face of God is seen. We will follow him together with the great multitude of those who went before us. Then we will be traveling along the right path. [In Italian] This means that we are not constructing a private God, a private Jesus, but that we believe and worship the Jesus who is manifested to us by the sacred Scriptures and who reveals himself to be alive in the great procession of the faithful called the Church, always alongside us and always before us. There is much that could be criticized in the Church. We know this and the Lord himself told us so: It is a net with good fish and bad fish, a field with wheat and darnel. Pope John Paul II, as well as revealing the true face of the Church in the many saints that he canonized, also asked pardon for the wrong that was done in the course of history through the words and deeds of members of the Church. In this way he showed us our own true image and urged us to take our place, with all our faults and weaknesses, in the procession of the saints that began with the Magi from the East. It is actually consoling to realize that there is darnel in the Church. In this way, despite all our defects, we can still hope to be counted among the disciples of Jesus, who came to call sinners. The Church is like a human family, but at the same time it is also the great family of God, through which he establishes an overarching communion and unity that embraces every continent, culture and nation. So we are glad to belong to this great family; we are glad to have brothers and friends all over the world. Here in Cologne we discover the joy of belonging to a family as vast as the world, including heaven and earth, the past, the present, the future and every part of the earth. In this great band of pilgrims we walk side by side with Christ, we walk with the star that enlightens our history. [In German] "Going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him" (Matthew 2:11). Dear friends, this is not a distant story that took place long ago. It is with us now. Here in the sacred Host he is present before us and in our midst. As at that time, so now he is mysteriously veiled in a sacred silence; as at that time, it is here that the true face of God is revealed. For us he became a grain of wheat that falls on the ground and dies and bears fruit until the end of the world (cf. John 12:24). He is present now as he was then in Bethlehem. He invites us to that inner pilgrimage which is called adoration. Let us set off on this pilgrimage of the spirit and let us ask him to be our guide. Amen. [Translation distributed by the Vatican press office] ZE05082005 email this article TOP Pope's Address to Muslim Representatives "Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue … a Vital Necessity" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 20, 2005 (ZENIT.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during his meeting at World Youth day with representatives of some Muslim communities. * * * Dear Muslim Friends! It gives me great joy to be able to be with you and to offer you my heartfelt greetings. I have come here to meet young people from every part of Europe and the world. Young people are the future of humanity and the hope of the nations. My beloved predecessor, Pope John Paul II, once said to the young Muslims assembled in the stadium at Casablanca (Morocco): "The young can build a better future if they first put their faith in God and if they pledge themselves to build this new world in accordance with God's plan, with wisdom and trust" ("Insegnamenti," VIII/2, 1985, p. 500). It is in this spirit that I turn to you, dear Muslim friends, to share my hopes with you and to let you know of my concerns at these particularly difficult times in our history. I am certain that I echo your own thoughts when I bring up as one of our concerns the spread of terrorism. Terrorist activity is continually recurring in various parts of the world, sowing death and destruction, and plunging many of our brothers and sisters into grief and despair. Those who instigate and plan these attacks evidently wish to poison our relations, making use of all means, including religion, to oppose every attempt to build a peaceful, fair and serene life together. Terrorism of any kind is a perverse and cruel decision which shows contempt for the sacred right to life and undermines the very foundations of all civil society. If together we can succeed in eliminating from hearts any trace of rancor, in resisting every form of intolerance and in opposing every manifestation of violence, we will turn back the wave of cruel fanaticism that endangers the lives of so many people and hinders progress towards world peace. The task is difficult but not impossible. The believer knows that, despite his weakness, he can count on the spiritual power of prayer. Dear friends, I am profoundly convinced that we must not yield to the negative pressures in our midst, but must affirm the values of mutual respect, solidarity and peace. The life of every human being is sacred, both for Christians and for Muslims. There is plenty of scope for us to act together in the service of fundamental moral values. The dignity of the person and the defense of the rights which that dignity confers must represent the goal of every social endeavor and of every effort to bring it to fruition. This message is conveyed to us unmistakably by the quiet but clear voice of conscience. It is a message which must be heeded and communicated to others: Should it ever cease to find an echo in peoples' hearts, the world would be exposed to the darkness of a new barbarism. Only through recognition of the centrality of the person can a common basis for understanding be found, one which enables us to move beyond cultural conflicts and which neutralizes the disruptive power of ideologies. During my meeting last April with the delegates of Churches and Christian communities and with representatives of the various religious traditions, I affirmed that "the Church wants to continue building bridges of friendship with the followers of all religions, in order to seek the true good of every person and of society as a whole" (L'Osservatore Romano, 25 April 2005, p. 4). Past experience teaches us that relations between Christians and Muslims have not always been marked by mutual respect and understanding. How many pages of history record battles and even wars that have been waged, with both sides invoking the name of God, as if fighting and killing the enemy could be pleasing to him. The recollection of these sad events should fill us with shame, for we know only too well what atrocities have been committed in the name of religion. The lessons of the past must help us to avoid repeating the same mistakes. We must seek paths of reconciliation and learn to live with respect for each other's identity. The defense of religious freedom, in this sense, is a permanent imperative and respect for minorities is a clear sign of true civilization. In this regard, it is always right to recall what the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council said about relations with Muslims. "The Church looks upon Muslims with respect. They worship the one God living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to humanity and to whose decrees, even the hidden ones, they seek to submit themselves wholeheartedly, just as Abraham, to whom the Islamic faith readily relates itself, submitted to God. ... Although considerable dissensions and enmities between Christians and Muslims may have arisen in the course of the centuries, the Council urges all parties that, forgetting past things, they train themselves towards sincere mutual understanding and together maintain and promote social justice and moral values as well as peace and freedom for all people" (declaration "Nostra Aetate," No. 3). You, my esteemed friends, represent some Muslim communities from this country where I was born, where I studied and where I lived for a good part of my life. That is why I wanted to meet you. You guide Muslim believers and train them in the Islamic faith. Teaching is the vehicle through which ideas and convictions are transmitted. Words are highly influential in the education of the mind. You, therefore, have a great responsibility for the formation of the younger generation. As Christians and Muslims, we must face together the many challenges of our time. There is no room for apathy and disengagement, and even less for partiality and sectarianism. We must not yield to fear or pessimism. Rather, we must cultivate optimism and hope. Interreligious and intercultural dialogue between Christians and Muslims cannot be reduced to an optional extra. It is in fact a vital necessity, on which in large measure our future depends. Young people from many parts of the world are here in Cologne as living witnesses of solidarity, brotherhood and love. They are the first fruits of a new dawn for humanity. I pray with all my heart, dear Muslim friends, that the merciful and compassionate God may protect you, bless you and enlighten you always. May the God of peace lift up our hearts, nourish our hope and guide our steps on the paths of the world. [Translation distributed by Vatican press office] ZE05082002 email this article TOP Benedict XVI Saw "Young" Church in Germany Bids Farewell at End of 1st Apostolic Trip COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI assured the participants at World Youth Day that they have reflected a "young" Church with "imagination and courage." The Pope bid farewell to his native land in the Cologne-Bonn airport. He delivered the last address of his first international apostolic trip as Bishop of Rome, after receiving the affectionate greeting of German President Horst Köhler. "Indeed one can say that during these days Germany has been the center of the Catholic world," said the Holy Father. "Young people from every continent and culture, gathered in faith around their pastors and the Successor of Peter, have shown us a young Church, one that seeks with imagination and courage to shape the face of a more just and generous humanity. "Now they are returning to their own regions and cities to testify to the light, the beauty and the power of the Gospel which they have experienced anew." Benedict XVI thanked all those who made the past days possible, and hoped "that this event will remain impressed on the life of Germany's Catholics, and will be an incentive for a renewed spiritual and apostolic outreach!" The Pope's address struck a somber note. "We are all well aware of the evil that emerged from our homeland during the 20th century, and we acknowledge it with shame and suffering." However, "during these days, thanks be to God, it has become quite evident that there was and is another Germany, a land of singular human, cultural and spiritual resources," he said. The Holy Father left for Rome on flight A321 of Lufthansa Airlines and was due back in Rome around 9:15 p.m., from where he would go directly to Castel Gandolfo, where he will spend the rest of the summer. ZE05082109 email this article TOP Pope Urges Youth to Be Missionaries in the World Closing Mass Draws 1 Million Participants COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI appealed to more than 1 million young people to become new missionaries in a world that is forgetting God. In his homily at the closing Mass of World Youth Day, the Pope said: "Anyone who has discovered Christ must lead others to him. A great joy cannot be kept to oneself. It has to be passed on." The Mass, celebrated today in the Marienfeld esplanade, some 27 kilometers (17 miles) from the center of Cologne, ended with the ceremony to "Hand Over the Cross" to the young people present and to give them a "missionary sending" to all continents. Youths "are ready to leave Cologne as young apostles of the third millennium," said Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, in his address to the Pontiff at the opening of the concluding ceremony. The Council for the Laity oversees World Youth Days. During his homily, Benedict XVI said that in "vast areas of the world today there is a strange forgetfulness of God." "It seems as if everything would be just the same even without him," he continued. "But at the same time there is a feeling of frustration, a sense of dissatisfaction with everyone and everything. "People tend to exclaim: 'This cannot be what life is about!' Indeed not. And so, together with forgetfulness of God there is a kind of new explosion of religion." The Pope warned, however, that religion could become a "consumer product." "People choose what they like, and some are even able to make a profit from it," he said. "But religion constructed on a 'do-it-yourself' basis cannot ultimately help us. It may be comfortable, but at times of crisis we are left to ourselves." Thus the Holy Father appealed to young people gathered in Cologne to "help people discover the true star that points out the way to us: Jesus Christ!" "Let us seek to know him better and better, so as to be able to guide others to him with conviction," he stated. Faith in community As a means to discover and proclaim Christ, the Pope mentioned active participation in Sunday Mass, the sacrament of reconciliation, meditation on Scripture, and reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its recently published Compendium. "Build communities based on faith!" exhorted Benedict XVI. "In recent decades movements and communities have come to birth in which the power of the Gospel is keenly felt. "The spontaneity of new communities is important, but it is also important to preserve communion with the Pope and with the bishops. It is they who guarantee that we are not seeking private paths, but are living as God's great family, founded by the Lord through the Twelve Apostles." Benedict XVI expressed his satisfaction with the welcome that young people gave him. Putting his papers aside, he thanked them at the start of the Mass, and expressed his wish to greet them personally "one by one." The majority of young people present had spent a cold night on the Marienfeld, after meeting with the Pope for a three-hour vigil. Their exhaustion, and the cold and mist, did not stop them from greeting the Pope with applause. ZE05082104 email this article TOP Youth Day a "Laboratory of Vocations," Says Pope Urges German Bishops to Evangelize Young People COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI expressed the hope that Germany's bishops will continue to foster the spirit of World Youth Day, which drew 1 million young people to Cologne. In a meeting today with the German bishops in Cologne's seminary, the Pope outlined the bright spots and problems of the Catholic Church in this country, and invited the prelates to find "new ways of reaching out to young people in order to proclaim Christ to them." "Once again young people are providing us, their pastors, with a salutary stimulus, for they are asking us to be consistent, united and courageous," the Holy Father told his compatriots in the afternoon, hours after the closing Mass of the youth event. "The experience of the last 20 years has taught us that every World Youth Day represents a kind of new beginning for the pastoral care of young people in the host country," Benedict XVI said. "Preparing for the event mobilizes people and resources and celebrating it brings about a surge of enthusiasm that needs to be channeled in the best possible way," he stated. Heard in the hearts "It contains enormous potential energy which can grow greater the wider it spreads. Here I am thinking of parishes, lay associations, movements; and of priests, religious, catechists and youth workers," the Holy Father said in his address. In particular, Benedict XVI pointed out what his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, would say about World Youth Day, that it is a "laboratory of vocations." "In the course of these days the Lord will not have failed to make his call heard in the hearts of many young people," Benedict XVI told the bishops. "In the light of the shortage of priests and religious, which is reaching dramatic proportions here in Germany, I encourage you, dear bothers, to promote the pastoral care of vocations with renewed vigor, in order to reach parishes, educational centers and families," he said. ZE05082108 email this article TOP Benedict XVI Talks of "True Revolution" to Youth Addresses 800,000 During Saturday Night Vigil COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Addressing some 800,000 youths at the World Youth Day vigil, Benedict XVI highlighted the "true revolution" which comes from God and is able to transform the world. Greeted with the same enthusiasm and applause as his predecessor Pope John Paul II, who initiated the youth days, Benedict XVI explained on Saturday night that saints "are the true reformers." "Only from the saints, only from God does true revolution come, the definitive way to change the world," he said during the address which he delivered in German, English, Spanish, French and Italian. Among the saints the Holy Father proposed as models of life were St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Charles Borromeo, the founders of 19th-century religious orders who inspired and guided the social movement. He also mentioned more modern figures such as St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Edith Stein, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta and St. Padre Pio. During his address, which was interrupted various times with applause, Benedict XVI recalled that in the 20th century "we experienced revolutions with a common program: Expecting nothing more from God, they assumed total responsibility for the cause of the world in order to change it." "And this, as we saw, meant that a human and partial point of view was always taken as an absolute guiding principle. Absolutizing what is not absolute but relative is called totalitarianism," he said from the top of the artificial hill built for the occasion at the Marienfeld esplanade, some 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Cologne. Back to God "It is not ideologies that save the world, but only a return to the living God, our Creator, the guarantor of our freedom, the guarantor of what is really good and true," the Pope said. "True revolution consists in simply turning to God who is the measure of what is right and who at the same time is everlasting love. And what could ever save us apart from that love?" he asked. The Holy Father acknowledged that "there is much that could be criticized in the Church. We know this and the Lord himself told us so: It is a net with good fish and bad fish, a field with wheat and darnel." "Pope John Paul II, as well as revealing the true face of the Church in the many saints that he canonized, also asked pardon for the wrong that was done in the course of history through the words and deeds of members of the Church," he said. "It is actually consoling to realize that there is darnel in the Church. In this way, despite all our defects, we can still hope to be counted among the disciples of Jesus, who came to call sinners," the Bishop of Rome added. One family Benedict XVI continued: "The Church is like a human family, but at the same time it is also the great family of God, through which he establishes an overarching communion and unity that embraces every continent, culture and nation. "Here in Cologne we discover the joy of belonging to a family as vast as the world, including heaven and earth, the past, the present, the future and every part of the earth." Some of the musical compositions played during the vigil were songs of the ecumenical Community of Taizé, whose founder, Brother Roger, was murdered by a mentally unstable woman last Tuesday. During the meeting a girl from Germany and a boy from the Holy Land presented "the light of Bethlehem," lit in place of Christ's birth during Christmas 2004. Some 12,000 candles surrounded the altar, making that night a "festival of light." After the meeting, the majority of young people stayed overnight in the esplanade, singing songs, talking, making new friendships and trying to sleep. A translation of the full text of Benedict XVI's address appeared in ZENIT's Saturday dispatch. See www.zenit.org. ZE05082120 email this article TOP Terrorism Hinders Peace, Says Benedict XVI Meets Muslim Leaders in Germany COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI appealed to representatives of Islamic communities in Germany for a common commitment to prevent terrorism from poisoning relations between Muslims and Christians. The Pope received the Muslim leaders on Saturday in the archbishop's palace in Cologne. Terrorists, the Holy Father said in his address, "wish to poison our relations, making use of all means, including religion, to oppose every attempt to build a peaceful, fair and serene life together." According to the Bishop of Rome, "terrorism of any kind is a perverse and cruel decision which shows contempt for the sacred right to life and undermines the very foundations of all civil society." He continued: "If together we can succeed in eliminating from hearts any trace of rancor, in resisting every form of intolerance and in opposing every manifestation of violence, we will turn back the wave of cruel fanaticism that endangers the lives of so many people and hinders progress towards world peace. "The task is difficult but not impossible. The believer knows that, despite his weakness, he can count on the spiritual power of prayer." Ridvan Cakir, president of the Turkish Islamic Union of Germany, represented the group in delivering a greeting to the Pope. "All religions and their faithful have different sensibilities," Cakir said. "We are convinced that interreligious and intercultural dialogue is of extraordinary importance for a peaceful world." The Muslim representative also said he favored Turkey's entry in the European Union. ZE05082121 email this article TOP It's Official: Sydney to Host Youth Day '08 COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Some 2,500 young pilgrims from Australia present in Cologne had good reason to celebrate when Benedict XVI announced that the next World Youth Day will take place in Sydney. At the end of today's concluding Mass of World Youth Day, the Pope proclaimed: "And now, as the living presence of the Risen Christ in our midst nourishes our faith and hope, I am pleased to announce that the next World Youth Day will take place in Sydney, Australia, in 2008." The group of Australian youth, led by Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, and other Australian bishops, immediately unveiled a welcome banner for 2008. "I look forward to welcoming Pope Benedict XVI and the youth of the world for World Youth Day 2008. Everyone is welcome," said Cardinal Pell, shortly after the statement. "Our bid reflected the substantial preparatory work we undertook before making a decision to propose Sydney as a host city for World Youth Day," the cardinal added. "A number of people in both the archdiocese and government have worked extremely hard on feasibility analysis and planning. "I am particularly grateful for the strong support of the federal and state governments, and the city council." ZE05082105 email this article TOP Cologne's Cardinal Cheered by Turnout COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The meeting of 1 million young people with Benedict XVI and bishops made Christ present in a special way in Cologne, says the city's archbishop. In his greeting to the Holy Father and those present at the closing Mass of World Youth Day, Cardinal Joachim Meisner recalled Jesus' words in the Gospel: "Where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst." He said: "Where 1 million are gathered together in his name -- as we are here at Marienfeld together with almost 800 bishops and our beloved Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI -- we can touch, hear, and cannot fail to see Christ. "We thank God that you are here and that he has led 1 million young people to us from 193 countries around the globe." ZE05082102 email this article TOP Baghdad Youth Celebrate World Youth Day Unite Themselves Spiritually With Cologne BAGHDAD, Iraq, AUG. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- More than 1,000 Catholic youths of Baghdad gathered in the city's cathedral to celebrate World Youth Day, in spiritual union with Benedict XVI and their counterparts gathered in Cologne. Through the apostolic nuncio in Iraq, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, the youths, belonging to various rites, and some of the Orthodox Church, sent a message Friday which the Pope received "with joy and profound emotion," reported the Vatican press office. The youths' message said: "We also, young Christians of Baghdad, after due preparation, and in a spirit of fraternal union with Your Holiness and with the thousands of youths in Cologne, have wanted to celebrate in prayer, reflection and festive joy, the current World Youth Day. "We also have gathered to encounter the Lord and to ask what he desires from us in this very difficult moment for our country and for us. We are sustained by Jesus' exhortation: 'Courage, do not be afraid,' which Your Holiness again presented at the beginning of your pontificate." "While we wish to send our affectionate greeting to the young people of Cologne, we request from Your Holiness the apostolic blessing, and we accompany spiritually the celebrations in that city," the youths wrote. Young people also celebrated World Youth Day in other cities of Iraq. In Mosul, for example, 400 gathered to celebrate the event. ZE05082122 email this article TOP At World Youth Day's Closing Mass "Bring to All the Joy of Christ That You Have Found Here" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered in various languages at the end of the closing Mass of World Youth Day, before praying the Angelus. * * * Dear Friends, We have come to the conclusion of this marvelous celebration and indeed of the 20th World Youth Day. In my heart I sense welling up within me a single thought: "Thank you!" I am sure that this thought finds an echo in each one of you. God himself has implanted it in our hearts and he has sealed it with this Eucharist which literally means "thanksgiving." Yes, dear young people, our gratitude, born from faith, is expressed in our song of praise to Him, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who has given us yet another sign of his immense love. Our words of thanks rise up to God through the gift of this unforgettable meeting, and are now extended to all those who have been involved in its preparation and organization. I wish to renew my gratitude particularly to the Pontifical Council for the Laity, under its president, Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, ably assisted by the secretary, Bishop Josef Clemens, and also to my confreres from the German Bishops' Conference, in the first place to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joachim Meisner. I am grateful to the political and administrative authorities who have ensured that each event has run smoothly; I thank the many volunteers from German dioceses and from different countries. A cordial word of thanks goes also to the many contemplative communities who have supported us in prayer during this World Youth Day. And now, as the living presence of the Risen Christ in our midst nourishes our faith and hope, I am pleased to announce that the next World Youth Day will take place in Sydney, Australia, in 2008. We entrust to the maternal guidance of Mary most holy, the future course of the young people of the whole world. [After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father said:] [In French] I greet affectionately the French-speaking young people. Thank you dear friends, for your participation, and I trust that you return home bringing within, you like the Magi, the joy of having found Christ, the Son of the living God. [In English] I extend a warm greeting to the English-speaking young people from all parts of the world at the conclusion of these unforgettable days. May the light of Christ, which you have followed on your way to Cologne, shine ever more brightly and strongly in your lives! [In Spanish] Dear Spanish-speaking young people! You have come to worship Christ. Now that you have found him, continue to worship him in your hearts, always prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you (cf. 1 Peter 3:15). Have a pleasant return home! [In Italian] My dear Italian-speaking friends! This 20th World Youth Day is ending, but the Eucharistic celebration must continue in our lives: Bring to all the joy of Christ that you have found here. [In Polish] To all the young Polish people, I extend a warm embrace! As the great Pope John Paul II would say: Keep the flame of faith alive in your lives and in your people. May Our Lady, Mother of Christ, guide your steps always. [In Portuguese] I greet with affection the Portuguese-speaking young people. I pray, dear friends, that you will always live in friendship with Jesus, so as to know true joy and communicate it to others, especially to young people in difficulty. [In Tagalog] My dear Tagalog-speaking friends and all the young people of Asia! Like the Magi, you too have come from the East to worship Christ. Now that you have found him, return to your countries bringing in your hearts the light of his love. [In Swahili] A warm greeting also to you, young people from Africa! Bring to your great and beloved Continent the hope that Christ has given you. Be everywhere sowers of peace and brotherhood. [In German] Dear friends who understand me in my own language, I thank you for the affection with which you have sustained me in these days. Be close to me in prayer. Walk together in unity. Always be faithful to Christ and to the Church. May the peace and the joy of Christ be with you always! [Translation of the text issued by the Vatican press office] ZE05082103 email this article TOP Benedict XVI's Farewell Address at Airport "I Hope That This Event Will Remain Impressed on the Life of Germany's Catholics" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation Benedict XVI's farewell address to Germany, which he delivered today in the Cologne-Bonn airport. * * * At the conclusion of this, my first visit to Germany as the Bishop of Rome and the Successor of Peter, I must express once again my heartfelt gratitude for the welcome given to me, to my collaborators and especially to the many young people who came to Cologne from every continent for this World Youth Day. The Lord has called me to succeed our beloved Pope John Paul II, whose inspired idea it was to initiate the series of World Youth Days. I have taken up this legacy with joy, and I give thanks to God for giving me the opportunity to experience in the company of so many young people this further step along their spiritual pilgrimage from continent to continent, following the Cross of Christ. I am grateful to all those who have so effectively ensured that every phase of this extraordinary gathering could take place in an orderly and serene fashion. These days spent together have given many young men and women from the whole world the opportunity to become better acquainted with Germany. We are all well aware of the evil that emerged from our homeland during the 20th century, and we acknowledge it with shame and suffering. During these days, thanks be to God, it has become quite evident that there was and is another Germany, a land of singular human, cultural and spiritual resources. I hope and pray that these resources, thanks, not least, to the events of recent days, may once more spread throughout the world! Now young people from all over the world can return home enriched by their contacts and their experiences of dialogue and fellowship in the different regions of our homeland. I am certain that their stay, marked by their youthful enthusiasm, will remain as a pleasant memory with the people who have offered them such generous hospitality, and that it will also be a sign of hope for Germany. Indeed one can say that during these days Germany has been the center of the Catholic world. Young people from every continent and culture, gathered in faith around their pastors and the Successor of Peter, have shown us a young Church, one that seeks with imagination and courage to shape the face of a more just and generous humanity. Following the example of the Magi, these young men and women set out to encounter Christ, in accordance with the theme of this World Youth Day. Now they are returning to their own regions and cities to testify to the light, the beauty and the power of the Gospel which they have experienced anew. I must also express thanks to all who have opened their hearts and their homes to the countless young pilgrims. I am grateful to the government authorities, to the political leaders and the various civil and military departments, as well as the security services and the many volunteer organizations which have put so much effort into the preparation and realization of each of the initiatives and events of this World Youth Day. A special word of thanks goes to all who planned the moments of prayer and reflection, as well as the liturgical celebrations, eloquent examples of the joyful vitality of the faith that animates the generation in our time. I would also like to express my gratitude to the leaders of other churches and ecclesial communities, and to the representatives of other religions who wished to be present at this important meeting. I express my hope that we can strengthen our common commitment to train the younger generation in the human and spiritual values which are indispensable for building a future of true freedom and peace. My deep gratitude goes to Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, the diocese that hosted this international meeting, to the bishops of Germany, led by the president of the bishops' conference, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, to the priests, to men and women religious, and to the parish communities, lay associations and movements who have devoted such energy to helping the young people present to reap the spiritual fruits of their stay. I offer a special word of thanks to the young people from Germany, who in a variety of ways have helped to welcome other young people and to share with them moments of faith that have been truly memorable. I hope that this event will remain impressed on the life of Germany's Catholics and will be an incentive for a renewed spiritual and apostolic outreach! May the Gospel be received in its integrity and witnessed with profound conviction by all Christ's disciples, so that it becomes a source of authentic renewal for all of German society, thanks also to dialogue with the different Christian communities and the followers of other religions. Finally, my respectful and cordial greetings go to the political, civil and diplomatic authorities present at this departure ceremony. In particular I thank you, Mr. Chancellor, and I ask you kindly to convey my deep gratitude to the president of the republic, the members of the government and all the German people. Filled with the emotions and memories of these days, I now return to Rome. Upon all of you I invoke God's abundant blessings for a future of serene prosperity, harmony and peace. [Translation of German original issued by the Vatican press office] ZE05082107 email this article TOP Benedict XVI's Address to German Bishops "Church in Germany Needs to Become Ever More Missionary" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 21, 2005 ( * * * Dear Brothers in the Episcopate, I bless the Lord who has given me the joy of meeting you here, on German soil, at the conclusion of this 20th World Youth Day. I think we could say that the hand of Providence has been visible during these days, and not only has it given encouragement to me, the Successor of Peter, but it has also offered a sign of hope to the Church in this country, and above all to you, her Pastors. To all of you I renew my heartfelt thanks for the effort you have made in preparing for the event. I particularly thank Cardinal Joachim Meisner and his auxiliaries, and the president of the episcopal conference, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, together with all who have assisted in any way. As I said this morning at the conclusion of the great Eucharistic celebration at Marienfeld, Germany has witnessed a remarkable pilgrimage in recent days. This was no ordinary group of pilgrims, but a pilgrimage of young people! This event, which the Diocese of Cologne and all of you worked so hard to prepare, has now ended: and what a cause it is for thanksgiving to God, for reflection and for renewed commitment! The much-beloved Pope John Paul II, founder of the World Youth Days, used to say that on these pilgrimages the young people are the protagonists and the Pope, in a certain sense, follows them. A humorous observation, but one which points to a profound truth: Young people, who are searching for the fullness of life despite their weaknesses and limitations, urge their pastors to listen to their questions and to do everything possible to help them understand the one true answer, which is Christ. We need, then, to cherish this gift which God has given to the Church in Germany, to accept the challenge that it presents, and to make good use of the potential it provides. It should be stressed that this event, while exceptional, is not unique. The Cathedral in Cologne is not, to quote a familiar _expression, "a Cathedral in the desert." I am thinking of the many gifts which enrich the Church in Germany. It brings joy to my heart to list them briefly here with you, in the same spirit of praise and thanksgiving that has marked these days of grace. Many people in this country live their faith in an exemplary manner, with great love for the Church, for its pastors and for the Successor of Peter. A good number voluntarily take on what are sometimes demanding responsibilities in diocesan and parish life, in associations and movements, especially in order to help young people. Many priests, religious and lay people carry out faithful service in pastoral situations that are often difficult. And German Catholics are very generous toward the poor. Many "Fidei Donum" priests and German missionaries carry out their apostolate in distant lands. The Catholic Church maintains a presence in public life through many different institutions. Significant work is being done by the various charitable agencies: Misereor, Adveniat, Missio, Renovabis, as well as diocesan and parish Caritas organizations. Equally vast is the educational work carried out in Catholic schools and other Catholic institutions and organizations on behalf of young people. These are just a few brief examples, incomplete yet significant, which sketch as it were the portrait of a living Church, the Church which gave birth to us in faith and which we have the honor and the joy to serve. We know that on the face of this Church there are unfortunately also wrinkles, shadows that obscure her splendor. These too we should keep before us, in a spirit of unfailing love, at this moment of celebration and thanksgiving. Secularism and de-Christianization continue to advance. The influence of Catholic ethics and morals is in constant decline. Many people abandon the Church or, if they remain, they accept only a part of Catholic teaching. The religious situation in the East is particularly worrying, since the majority of the population is unbaptized and has no contact with the Church. In each of these problems we recognize a fresh challenge. You yourselves are more aware of this than anyone, as is evident from your pastoral letter of Sept. 21, 2004, in commemoration of the 1,250th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Boniface. In that letter, quoting the Jesuit Father Alfred Delp, you stated that "we have become a mission territory." As a native of this country that I hold so dear, I feel particularly affected by its problems. Today I want to assure you of my affection and solidarity, along with that of the entire College of Bishops, and I encourage you to remain united and to persevere undaunted in your mission. The Church in Germany needs to become ever more missionary, committed to finding the best ways to pass on the faith to future generations. This is the panorama that World Youth Day opens up before us: It invites us to look to the future. For the Church, and especially for pastors, parents and educators, young people are a living call to faith and hope. My venerable Predecessor, in choosing for this 20th World Youth Day the theme: "We Have Come To Worship Him" (Matthew 2:2), implicitly confirmed this call. He marked out a clear path for young people to follow. He urged them to seek Christ, with the Magi as their model; he invited them to follow the star, a reflection of Christ in the firmament of personal and social life; he trained them, by his strong but gentle example, to bend the knee before God made man, the Son of the Virgin Mary, and to acknowledge in him the Redeemer of humanity. That same model which he proposed to young people, John Paul II also offered to their pastors, as a means of guiding their ministry among the younger generation and the whole family of the Church. The Way, the Truth and the Life which everyone seeks, particularly every young person, have been entrusted to us pastors by Christ himself, who has made us his witnesses and ministers of his Gospel (cf. Matthew 28:18-20). Consequently we must neither lessen the intensity of the search nor conceal the truth, but rather maintain the fruitful tension that exists between these two poles: a tension that corresponds profoundly to the character of modern man. With the light and strength that come from this gift, namely the Gospel which the Holy Spirit ceaselessly makes alive and active, we can proclaim Christ fearlessly and invite everyone not to be afraid to open their hearts to him, for we are convinced that in him is found the fullness of life and happiness. This means being a Church open to the future, and therefore one full of promise for coming generations. Young people, in fact, are not looking for a Church which panders to youth but one which is truly young in spirit; a Church completely open to Christ, the new Man. This is the commitment that we wish to make today, at this truly significant moment, at the conclusion of this great event for youth, an event which has forced us to think about the future of the Church and of society. It is in this positive and hope-filled light that we can confidently confront the most difficult issues facing the Church in Germany. Once again young people are providing us, their pastors, with a salutary stimulus, for they are asking us to be consistent, united and courageous. We for our part must train them in patience, in discernment, in healthy realism. Yet there can be no false compromise, no watering down of the Gospel. Dear Brothers, the experience of the last 20 years has taught us that every World Youth Day represents a kind of new beginning for the pastoral care of young people in the host country. Preparing for the event mobilizes people and resources and celebrating it brings about a surge of enthusiasm that needs to be channeled in the best possible way. It contains enormous potential energy which can grow greater the wider it spreads. Here I am thinking of parishes, lay associations, movements; and of priests, religious, catechists and youth workers. I imagine that in Germany an enormous number of them have been involved in this event. I pray that for everyone it will be the occasion of a real growth in love for Christ and for the Church, and I encourage all to continue to cooperate, in a renewed spirit of service, for the improved pastoral care of young people. The majority of young Germans live in comfortable social and economic circumstances, yet difficult situations are not lacking. In all social strata a growing number of young people come from broken families. Unemployment among young people in Germany has unfortunately increased. Moreover many young men and women find themselves confused, lacking real answers to their questions about the meaning of life and death, about their present and their future. Many of the ideas put forward by modern society have led nowhere, and many young people have ended up mired in alcohol and drugs or in the clutches of extremist groups. Some young Germans, especially in the East, have never had a personal encounter with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Even in traditionally Catholic areas, the teaching of religion and catechesis do not always manage to forge lasting bonds between young people and the Church community. For this reason the Church in Germany is committed to finding new ways of reaching out to young people in order to proclaim Christ to them. World Youth Day is always, to use an _expression dear to Pope John Paul II, an outstanding "laboratory" for this. It is also a laboratory of vocations, because in the course of these days the Lord will not have failed to make his call heard in the hearts of many young people. It is a call which naturally must be received and internalized, if it is to put forth deep roots and thus bear good and lasting fruit. So many of the testimonies of young people and couples show that the experience of these world meetings, when it unfolds within a journey of faith, discernment and ecclesial service, can lead to mature decisions for marriage, religious life, priestly and missionary service. In the light of the shortage of priests and religious, which is reaching dramatic proportions here in Germany, I encourage you, dear brothers, to promote the pastoral care of vocations with renewed vigor, in order to reach parishes, educational centers and families. The pastoral care of young people and of vocations is ultimately connected with that of the family. I am saying nothing new when I observe that the family today faces many problems and difficulties. I warmly exhort you not to be discouraged, but to carry out with confidence your commitment to support the Christian family. The goal we seek is to ensure that married couples are able to accomplish their mission fully, and particularly the evangelization of children and young people. Among young people, an important role is played by associations and movements, which are clearly a source of great enrichment. The Church must value them and at the same time she must guide them with pastoral prudence, so that they will contribute in the best possible way, through their varied gifts, to building up the community, without ever entering into competition but respecting one another and working together in order to awaken in young people the joy of faith, love for the Church and passion for the Kingdom of God. For this purpose it is essential that those who are engaged with and for young people should themselves be convinced witnesses to Christ and faithful to the teaching of the Church. The same applies in the field of Catholic education and catechesis: I am confident that you will take care to ensure that the persons chosen to be teachers of religion and catechists are well-prepared and faithful to the Church's magisterium. A useful aid in this commitment to the Christian formation of the younger generation will surely be the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which collects and synthesizes all the essential elements of Catholic faith and morality in clear and accessible language. Dear brothers in the episcopate, please God there will be other opportunities to explore further the many issues which demand your pastoral care and mine. On this occasion I wished to reflect with you on the message of this great pilgrimage of young people. It seems to me that, having come to the end of this experience, the young people have this to say to us: "We have come to worship him. We have found him. Help us now to become his disciples and witnesses." It is a challenging appeal, but what great consolation it brings to the heart of a pastor! May the memory of these hope-filled days spent in Cologne sustain your ministry, our ministry. I offer you my affectionate encouragement, together with a fervent fraternal request to live and work together in unity, on the basis of a communion that has its summit and its inexhaustible source in the Eucharist. Entrusting you to Mary Most Holy, Mother of Christ and of the Church, I cordially impart to each of you and to all your communities a special apostolic blessing. [Translation of German original issued by the Vatican press office] ZE05082106 email this article TOP Papal Homily at Closing Mass of World Youth Day "Let Us Go Forward With Christ!" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is the homily Benedict XVI delivered today during the closing Mass of World Youth Day, celebrated in the Marienfield near Cologne. * * * [In German] Dear young friends, Yesterday evening we came together in the presence of the Sacred Host, in which Jesus becomes for us the bread that sustains and feeds us (cf. John 6:35), and there we began our inner journey of adoration. In the Eucharist, adoration must become union. At the celebration of the Eucharist, we find ourselves in the "hour" of Jesus, to use the language of John's Gospel. Through the Eucharist this "hour" of Jesus becomes our own hour, his presence in our midst. Together with the disciples he celebrated the Passover of Israel, the memorial of God's liberating action that led Israel from slavery to freedom. Jesus follows the rites of Israel. He recites over the bread the prayer of praise and blessing. But then something new happens. He thanks God not only for the great works of the past; he thanks him for his own exaltation, soon to be accomplished through the Cross and Resurrection, and he speaks to the disciples in words that sum up the whole of the Law and the Prophets: "This is my Body, given in sacrifice for you. This cup is the New Covenant in my Blood." He then distributes the bread and the cup, and instructs them to repeat his words and actions of that moment over and over again in his memory. What is happening? How can Jesus distribute his Body and his Blood? By making the bread into his Body and the wine into his Blood, he anticipates his death, he accepts it in his heart and he transforms it into an action of love. What on the outside is simply brutal violence, from within becomes an act of total self-giving love. This is the substantial transformation which was accomplished at the Last Supper and was destined to set in motion a series of transformations leading ultimately to the transformation of the world when God will be all in all (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:28). In their hearts, people always and everywhere have somehow expected a change, a transformation of the world. Here now is the central act of transformation that alone can truly renew the world: Violence is transformed into love, and death into life. Since this act transmutes death into love, death as such is already conquered from within, the Resurrection is already present in it. Death is, so to speak, mortally wounded, so that it can no longer have the last word. To use an image well known to us today, this is like inducing nuclear fission in the very heart of being -- the victory of love over hatred, the victory of love over death. Only this intimate explosion of good conquering evil can then trigger off the series of transformations that little by little will change the world. All other changes remain superficial and cannot save. For this reason we speak of redemption: What had to happen at the most intimate level has indeed happened, and we can enter into its dynamic. Jesus can distribute his Body, because he truly gives himself. [In English] This first fundamental transformation of violence into love, of death into life, brings other changes in its wake. Bread and wine becomes his Body and Blood. But it must not stop there, on the contrary, the process of transformation must now gather momentum. The Body and Blood of Christ are given to us so that we ourselves will be transformed in our turn. We are to become the Body of Christ, his own flesh and blood. We all eat the one bread, and this means that we ourselves become one. In this way, adoration, as we said earlier, becomes union. God no longer simply stands before us, as the one who is totally Other. He is within us, and we are in him. His dynamic enters into us and then seeks to spread outwards to others until it fills the world, so that his love can truly become the dominant measure of the world. I like to illustrate this new step urged upon us by the Last Supper by drawing out the different nuances of the word "adoration" in Greek and in Latin. The Greek word is "proskynesis." It refers to the gesture of submission, the recognition of God as our true measure, supplying the norm that we choose to follow. It means that freedom is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness, so that we ourselves can become true and good. This gesture is necessary even if initially our yearning for freedom makes us inclined to resist it. We can only fully accept it when we take the second step that the Last Supper proposes to us. The Latin word for adoration is "ad-oratio" -- mouth-to-mouth contact, a kiss, an embrace, and hence ultimately love. Submission becomes union, because he to whom we submit is Love. In this way submission acquires a meaning, because it does not impose anything on us from the outside, but liberates us deep within. [In French] Let us return once more to the Last Supper. The new element to emerge here was the deeper meaning given to Israel's ancient prayer of blessing, which from that point on became the word of transformation, enabling us to participate in the "hour" of Christ. Jesus did not instruct us to repeat the Passover meal, which in any event, given that it is an anniversary, is not repeatable at will. He instructed us to enter into his "hour." We enter into it through the sacred power of the words of consecration -- a transformation brought about through the prayer of praise which places us in continuity with Israel and the whole of salvation history, and at the same time ushers in the new, to which the older prayer at its deepest level was pointing. The new prayer -- which the Church calls the "Eucharistic Prayer" -- brings the Eucharist into being. It is the word of power which transforms the gifts of the earth in an entirely new way into God's gift of himself and it draws us into this process of transformation. That is why we call this action "Eucharist," which is a translation of the Hebrew word "beracha" -- thanksgiving, praise, blessing, and a transformation worked by the Lord -- the presence of his "hour." Jesus' hour is the hour in which love triumphs. In other words: it is God who has triumphed, because he is Love. Jesus' hour seeks to become our own hour and will indeed become so if we allow ourselves, through the celebration of the Eucharist, to be drawn into that process of transformation that the Lord intends to bring about. The Eucharist must become the center of our lives. If the Church tells us that the Eucharist is an essential part of Sunday, this is no mere positivism or thirst for power. On Easter morning, first the women and then the disciples had the grace of seeing the Lord. From that moment on, they knew that the first day of the week, Sunday, would be his day, the day of Christ the Lord. The day when creation began became the day when creation was renewed. Creation and redemption belong together. That is why Sunday is so important. It is good that today, in many cultures, Sunday is a free day, and is often combined with Saturday so as to constitute a "weekend" of free time. Yet this free time is empty if God is not present. Dear friends! Sometimes, our initial impression is that having to include time for Mass on a Sunday is rather inconvenient. But if you make the effort, you will realize that this is what gives a proper focus to your free time. Do not be deterred from taking part in Sunday Mass, and help others to discover it too. This is because the Eucharist releases the joy that we need so much, and we must learn to grasp it ever more deeply, we must learn to love it. Let us pledge ourselves to do this -- it is worth the effort! Let us discover the intimate riches of the Church's liturgy and its true greatness: It is not we who are celebrating for ourselves, but it is the living God himself who is preparing a banquet for us. Through your love for the Eucharist you will also rediscover the sacrament of Reconciliation, in which the merciful goodness of God always allows us to make a fresh start in our lives. [In Italian] Anyone who has discovered Christ must lead others to him. A great joy cannot be kept to oneself. It has to be passed on. In vast areas of the world today there is a strange forgetfulness of God. It seems as if everything would be just the same even without him. But at the same time there is a feeling of frustration, a sense of dissatisfaction with everyone and everything. People tend to exclaim: "This cannot be what life is about!" Indeed not. And so, together with forgetfulness of God there is a kind of new explosion of religion. I have no wish to discredit all the manifestations of this phenomenon. There may be sincere joy in the discovery. Yet if it is pushed too far, religion becomes almost a consumer product. People choose what they like, and some are even able to make a profit from it. But religion constructed on a "do-it-yourself" basis cannot ultimately help us. It may be comfortable, but at times of crisis we are left to ourselves. Help people to discover the true star which points out the way to us: Jesus Christ! Let us seek to know him better and better, so as to be able to guide others to him with conviction. This is why love for sacred Scripture is so important, and in consequence, it is important to know the faith of the Church which opens up for us the meaning of Scripture. It is the Holy Spirit who guides the Church as her faith grows, causing her to enter ever more deeply into the truth (cf. John 16:13). Pope John Paul II gave us a wonderful work in which the faith of centuries is explained synthetically: the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I myself recently presented the Compendium of the Catechism, prepared at the request of the late Holy Father. These are two fundamental texts which I recommend to all of you. [In Spanish] Obviously books alone are not enough. Form communities based on faith! In recent decades movements and communities have come to birth in which the power of the Gospel is keenly felt. Seek communion in faith, like fellow travelers who continue together to follow the path of the great pilgrimage that the Magi from the East first pointed out to us. The spontaneity of new communities is important, but it is also important to preserve communion with the Pope and with the bishops. It is they who guarantee that we are not seeking private paths, but are living as God's great family, founded by the Lord through the Twelve Apostles. [In German] Once again, I must return to the Eucharist. "Because there is one bread, we, though many, are one body," says St. Paul (1 Corinthians 10:17). By this he meant: Since we receive the same Lord and he gathers us together and draws us into himself, we ourselves are one. This must be evident in our lives. It must be seen in our capacity to forgive. It must be seen in our sensitivity to the needs of others. It must be seen in our willingness to share. It must be seen in our commitment to our neighbors, both those close at hand and those physically far away, whom we nevertheless consider to be close. Today there are many forms of voluntary assistance, models of mutual service, of which our society has urgent need. We must not, for example, abandon the elderly to their solitude, we must not pass by when we meet people who are suffering. If we think and live according to our communion with Christ, then our eyes will be opened. Then we will no longer be content to scrape a living just for ourselves, but we will see where and how we are needed. Living and acting thus, we will soon realize that it is much better to be useful and at the disposal of others than to be concerned only with the comforts that are offered to us. I know that you as young people have great aspirations, that you want to pledge yourselves to build a better world. Let others see this, let the world see it, since this is exactly the witness that the world expects from the disciples of Jesus Christ; in this way, and through your love above all, the world will be able to discover the star that we follow as believers. Let us go forward with Christ and let us live our lives as true worshippers of God! Amen. [Translation of text issued by the Vatican press office] ZE05082101 email this article TOP German Press Upbeat on Benedict XVI's Impact Just About All Show Youth Day in Positive Light COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 22, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The German press took note of the unexpected impact that Benedict XVI made on young people, judging by the headlines at newsstands in the city center. "Benissimo! ... und tscho" was the headline in Italian and the Bavarian dialect of Cologne's Express newspaper. "Very good, and so long," appeared next to a photograph of the Pope blessing the crowd from the Marienfeld hill on Sunday. The subheadline said: "1 Million Pilgrims in World Youth Day. 'I Love Cologne!' -- Pope Benedict." The Cologne daily Kölner Stadt Anzeiger today showed the Holy Father blessing the crowds with the headline "1 Million Pilgrims With the Pope." The newspaper pointed out that the traffic at the end of the Mass was out of control due to lack of organization. The Kölnische Rundschau featured a similar photograph with the headline "1 Million Celebrate With the Pope," and reported on "the long return of pilgrims to Cologne," particularly "übermüdet" (extremely tired) youths leaning against one another as they slept in the central train station. Ciao! The newspaper sketched a portrait of six pilgrims: Dariusz Rottau, 20, of Poland; Elena Torta, 19, of Italy; Marc Hofmann, 19, of Switzerland; Sister Magdalene Vytuyska, 20, in a black habit, from Ukraine; Nesphory Nkondora, 26, of Tanzania, and Flor Ortega, 29, of Guatemala. The Italian headline of the Weltkompakt was "Ciao Benedetto!" (So Long, Benedict!), showing a picture of Marienfeld. In its inside photos the Weltkompakt printed testimonies of young people with the title: "I am not alone in my faith." The national newspaper Die Welt ran the headline "Pope Preaches Before 1 Million People," and the caption under the photograph adds: "Despite the poor weather, they came for the closing Mass." Die Welt's subtitle read: "Benedict XVI deplores forgetfulness of God at the end of WYD." The Frankfurter Allgemeine, also a national newspaper, stated on the front page: "Pope Wishes Germans Peace and Unity." The newspaper speaks about a "Weltkatholikentag," a play on words with "Katholikentag" (Catholic Day), the annual national meeting of German Catholics. "Who Still Listens to the Pope's Voice?" asked the national newspaper Die Zeit on the front page, featuring a smiling Benedict XVI. Die Zeit, which answers the question with profiles of youths who attended World Youth Day, set up a space on its Internet site for the event. Apparently only one newspaper of those sold in a supermarket in the city center had a negative report. Its headline stated: "End of Chaos in the City." Some clients covered the front page with other newspapers. ZE05082208 email this article TOP
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