Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “ It was a real pilgrimage and, at the same time, a mission in the heart of Europe: a pilgrimage, because Bohemia and Moravia have been for more than a millennium lands of faith and holiness; a mission, because Europe needs to find God again and in his love, the firm foundation of hope.” This is what the Holy Father Benedict XVI said during his General Audience on Wednesday, September 30, in the Vatican, where he recalled highlights from his recent Apostolic Journey to the Czech Republic.
He highlighted: “'The Love of Christ Is Our Strength': This was the theme of the journey, an affirmation that echoes the faith of so many heroic witnesses of the distant and recent past -- I am thinking in particular of the past century. But, [also a theme] which above all wishes to interpret the certainty of today's Christians. Yes, our strength is the love of Christ! A strength that inspires and animates true revolutions, peaceful and liberating, and which sustains us in moments of crisis, allowing us to rise again when liberty, arduously recovered, runs the risk of losing itself, [of losing] its own truth.”
Benedict XVI, after recalling the cordial reception of the President of the Republic and the Bishops' Conference, gave thanks to all the civil and military authorities and those who had helped contribute to the successful outcome of the trip, he reflected on the first part of his trip, in the Church of Our Lady of Victory, where the Infant of Prague is venerated. “I prayed for all children, for their parents, and for the future of the family. The real 'victory' for which we pray today to Mary, is the victory of love and of life in the family and in society!”
In the Prague Castle, “addressing the political and civil authorities and the diplomatic corps, I referred to the indissoluble bond that must always exist between liberty and truth. It is not necessary to fear the truth, because it is the friend of man and of his liberty...Those who exercise responsibilities in the political and educational field must be able to distill from the light of that truth what is the reflection of the eternal wisdom of the Creator; and they are called to give witness of it themselves with their lives.”
In the splendid Prague Cathedral, he led the celebration of Vespers with priests, religious, seminarians, and a group of laity from Church movements and associations. “This is a difficult moment for the Central Eastern European community: To the consequences of the long winter of atheist totalitarianism, are being added the noxious effects of a certain Western secularism and consumerism. Because of this I have encouraged all to draw new energies from the Risen Lord, to be able to be evangelical leaven in the society and to commit themselves, as is already happening, to charitable activities, and even more so to educational and school activities,” the Pope commented.
This strong message of hope, “founded on faith in Christ,” resounded also in the two great Masses in Brno, the capital of Moravia, and Stara Boleslav, site of the martyrdom of Saint Wenceslaus, Patron of the Nation. “Moravia makes us think immediately of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, evangelizers of the Slavic peoples and, hence, of the inexhaustible force of the Gospel that, as a river of healing waters, crosses history and continents, taking life and salvation everywhere,” said Benedict XVI, later recalling the testimony of Wenceslaus, the young King of Bohemia, who stood out for his exemplary Christian testimony and placed the Kingdom of Heaven above desires for earthly power. “To the numerous young people present in the Mass of St. Wenceslaus, also from neighboring nations, I addressed the invitation to recognize in Christ their truest friend, who satisfies the most profound aspirations of the human heart.”
Lastly, the Holy Father recalled the ecumenical encounter and the encounter with the academic community. The Czech Republic has experienced “harsh conflicts between Christians” in its history, however “the effort to progress together toward a fuller and more visible unity among ourselves, believers in Christ, makes stronger and more effective the common endeavor for the rediscovery of the Christian roots of Europe,” the Pope said. “This last aspect, which my beloved predecessor John Paul II so kept in his heart, also arose in the meeting with rectors of universities, representatives of professors and students and other relevant personalities of the cultural realm. In this context, I stressed the role of the university, one of the basic structures of Europe...The university of studies is a vital environment for society, guarantee of liberty and development, as demonstrated by the fact that precisely in university circles the movement began in Prague of the so-called Velvet Revolution. Twenty years after that historic event, I have again proposed the idea of integral formation, based on the unity of knowledge rooted in truth, to respond to a new dictatorship, that of relativism combined with the dominance of technology.” The Holy Father concluded his talk during the General Audience with this exhortation: “To the brothers and sisters of the Czech Republic I renew a message of hope and an invitation to the value of the good, to build the present and future of Europe.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 1/10/2009)
