VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI in Savona and Genoa - “Man does not achieve fulfillment in absolute autonomy, by fooling himself into thinking that he is God but, on the contrary, by recognizing himself as a son, a creature open to and reaching out towards God and towards his brothers.”

Genoa (Agenzia Fides) - “From this central Piazza della Victoria, that welcomes us into a choral act of praise and thanksgiving to God, with which I will close my pastoral visit, I send my sincerest greeting to the entire civil and ecclesial community of Genoa,” the Holy Father said during the Mass he presided on Sunday, May 18, in which he greeted and thanked authorities, ecclesial groups, and all those who had collaborated in the success of his visit. Commenting on the scripture readings of the day, for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the Holy Father pointed out that in them, one can detect the “principal content that refers to God, and in fact, today’s feast invites us to contemplate Him, the Lord, it invites us, in a certain sense, to climb up 'the mountain' as Moses did. Although at first sight this may seem to take us away from the world and its problems, in reality we discover that it is precisely by knowing God more closely that we also receive precious practical guidelines for life... On God’s name depends our entire history; on the light of His Face, our path.”
The Pope continued: “If God is a dialogic unity, substance in relation, the human creature who is made in his image and likeness reflects this constitution: thus, he is called to a realization through dialogue, in colloquium, in encounter. Jesus, in particular, has revealed that man is essentially ‘son,’ creature who lives in relation to God the Father. Human beings do not achieve fulfillment in absolute autonomy, by fooling themselves that they are God but, on the contrary, by recognizing themselves as children, creatures open to and reaching out toward God and toward their fellow men, in whose faces they see the image of the common Father. It is clear that this concept of God and man lies at the foundations of a corresponding model of human community, and hence of society. As a model it predates any form of normative, juridical or institutional regulation and, I would say, any kind of cultural specification. It is a transversal model of the human family common to all civilizations; something which, from childhood, we Christians are wont to express by affirming that men are all children of God and, hence, brothers...It is a conception that is based upon the concept of the Triune God, of man as person - not mere individual - and of society as community - not mere collectivity.”
Here, Benedict XVI recalled the rich Magisterium of the Church that was developed precisely from this vision of God and man, with the most important chapters of the Church’s Social Doctrine, to which the Pontiffs of the last 120 years have made substantial contributions, “being authorized interpreters and guides of the social movement of Christian inspiration.” The Holy Father quoted his own first encyclical Deus caritas est, that “proposes once again the practice of concrete charity, on the part of the Church, starting with faith in God who is Love, incarnate in Jesus Christ.” He also made reference to the National Ecclesial Congress in Verona, that indicated two fundamental options: the option of “the primacy of God” and that of placing the person and the unity of his existence in the center, in his various surroundings. The third fundamental option of the Italian Bishops, the Pope recalled, is formed by the personal and community testimony, in which spiritual life, pastoral mission, and the cultural dimension all come into play.
“In a society torn between globalization and individualism, the Church is called to offer her witness of 'koinonia,' of communion. This reality does not come 'from the roots' but is a mystery that, so to say, has its 'roots in heaven,' in the one and triune God. It is He, in Himself, the eternal dialogue of love that Jesus Christ has communicated to us, who entered on the path of humanity and history in order to lead it to its fulfillment. And here is the great synthesis of the Second Vatican Council: the Church, mystery of communion ‘is in Christ like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race’ (Lumen gentium, 1).”
Benedict XVI concluded his homily with some specific exhortations. Above all, he entrusted adults and young people with the care of “the spiritual and catechetical formation, a 'substantial' formation, more necessary than ever in order to live a Christian vocation well in today's world”; and thus, continue “generously sharing with the poor and weak, always drawing strength and inspiration from the Eucharist, a perennial source of charity.” To seminarians and young people following a vocational path, he told them: “do not be afraid; rather, feel the attraction of definitive choices, of a serious and demanding formative journey. Only the high measure of discipleship captures attention and gives joy.” Lastly, Benedict XVI encouraged all “to grow in the missionary dimension, with is co-essential to communion. The Trinity, in fact, is both unity and mission: the more intense the love is, the stronger the impulse will be to spread it, to make it grow, to communicate it. Members of the Church in Genoa: be united and missionary, so as to announce to everyone the joy of the faith and the beauty of being God's family.”
After the Mass, the Pope went to Christopher Columbus Airport in Génova-Sestri, where he gave his farewell to authorities and boarded his flight to return to Rome. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 20/5/2008; righe 67, parole 919)