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June 26

Papal general audience: majesty of the Lord and dignity of man

Rome, 26 (NE) Psalm eight, "Majesty of the Lord and dignity of man", was the theme of the catechesis of the Holy Father during the general audience celebrated last Wednesday in the Paul VI Hall. Pope John Paul II explained that Psalm eight is "a celebration of man, an insignificant creature in comparison with the immensity of the universe", yet which has been "'crowned' by God himself."

At the beginning of the hymn, he affirmed, the Lord appears, "whose glory is sung by the heavens, as well as by the lips of man. The praise that spontaneously emanates from the lips of children abolishes and obscures the arrogant discourse of those who deny God."

The Pope said that in the face of the question "What is man?," the first and immediate response speaks of nullity, in relation to the immensity of the heavens as well as, above all, respect for the majesty of the Creator. ... But here is the great surprise: that God has given stupendous dignity to man, a weak creature: he made them only slightly inferior to the angels."

After underlining that God has destined man "to a universal seniority", he said: "He has given the whole horizon of creation to the fragile and frequently selfish hands of human beings, so that they may preserve its harmony and beauty, use not abuse, discover secrets and develop potential."

"Unfortunately," the Holy Father added, "the dominion of man, affirmed in Psalm eight, can be misunderstood and distorted by the selfish man, who is more frequently revealed in crazy tyranny than in wise and intelligent government. ... History documents the evil that human freedom spreads in the world with environmental devastation and the most clamorous social injustice."

John Paul II concludes by affirming that "in contrast to man who humiliates his equals and creation, Christ is perfect man. ... He reigns over the universe with that dominion of peace and love that prepares the new world, the new heavens and the new earth."

June 7

Pope invites Colombian to encourage national reconciliation

Rome, 7 (NE) - Made public this week was a message by the Pope addressed to Archbishop Alberto Giraldo Jaramillo of Medellin, president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, on the centenary of the consecration of the republic to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the message, dated May 9, the Pope recalls that upon consecrating the country on June 22, 1902 to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, "they promised also to build a votive temple where they could pray for peace for the nation."

"The consecration of the men and women of Colombia which you are preparing to renew, following that praiseworthy tradition strengthened for 100 years, must mean a singular moment of grace and total commitment. In effect, it must be an ardent petition to the Lord to renew all of Colombian society in order that it may act with a new heart and spirit," stressed the Pope.

The Holy Father also underlined that "a society that listens to and follows the message of Christ walks toward authentic peace, rejects any form of violence and creates new ways of coexistence on the safe and solid path of justice, reconciliation and forgiveness, fostering bonds of unity, fraternity and respect for all."

"I fervently wish that this commemoration - which unfortunately is taking place at a time in which your nation has not yet achieved stable interior peace and in which violence continues to claim victims in all levels of society, even shepherds of the Church - may be an occasion for everyone ... to take a step toward a great national movement of reconciliation and peace."

Cardinal Ratzinger: true development is brought by faith in God

Rome, 7 (NE) "It is precious to believe again that the development of the peoples -even more than from social, economic and cultural factors- rises from faith in God" recently stressed Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, during his speech at the Eucharistic Congress at the Archdioceses of Benevento, Italy.

The Cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, also recalled the invitation the Church makes on these days to the international community to avoid a nuclear conflict between Pakistan and India. "Let's hope -he emphasized- that the governments in conflict are able to realize the desire of peace that exists all over the world."

During the Eucharistic celebration that ended the Congress, Cardinal Ratzinger denounced as well that "millions of children starve all over the world while many people live in abundance. The resources are not distributed, but rather stored and often used to kill people." He also observed that in the contemporaneous society "while the body is abundantly fed, our soul is underfed."

Cardinal Rivera presents book about Blessed Juan Diego

Mexico, 7 (NE) Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, Archbishop of Mexico, recently presented his book "Juan Diego, the Eagle who speaks". The book, from a historical point of view, presents the life of the Mexican Blessed who received the messages of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which took place between the 9th and 12th of December 1531.

During the presentation, Cardinal Rivera pointed out that the objective of having published the book is to stressed the image of Blessed Juan Diego as a Christian model for every faithful. The Mexican Archbishop also pointed out that concerning this theme there are still many discussable matters, but there is no doubt concerning the virtues, historicity and holiness of the Blessed indian. In the same way, he added that the apparitions of the Holy Virgin of Guadalupe took place in a difficult historical time, and for this reason Juan Diego not only made the role of messenger, but he was also the "mediator and reconciler of two different worlds", the Hispanic and the Indian.

As well, during the presentation -in which Cardinal Rivera had the company of Father Eduardo Chávez, postulator of Juan Diego's cause- it was confirmed that Pope John Paul II will visit Mexico next 30 of July after visiting Guatemala and will be received by president Vincente Fox at the International Airport of Mexico City. The following day, July 31, the Pope will celebrate the canonization mass of Blessed Juan Diego at the Basilica of Guadalupe.

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