Maria, ster van de evangelisatie

Pope Benedict XVI received the bishops of Angola and Sao Tomé on Saturday, who are here in Rome for their ad limina visits. In greeting the bishops, the Holy Father recalled his March, 2009 visit to Luanda, during which he said he was able to celebrate Jesus Christ in the midst of a people who never tire of seeking to love and serve with generosity and joy. Pope Benedict also used the occasion to explain that his recent decision to proclaim the Year of Faith from October 2012 to November 2013, was so that the whole Church might demonstrate to all a more beautiful and credible face, that the face of the Lord might show through the Church more clearly.

In the nineteenth century, the Catholic Church reacted to the secularist offensive in Europe with a spectacular missionary expansion on the other continents. Benedict XVI wants the miracle to be repeated today. His next voyage: to Africa

The roots of Christianity in India reach back to Apostolic times, with tradition having St Thomas the Apostle be the first to bring the Gospel to those shores. Today, the Church in India is a youthful, vibrant participant in the life of the country that contributes to Indian society on scale hugely disproportionate with its numbers. Comprising no more than 2.0 % of India’s population, the Catholic Church is responsible for more than a fifth of all health care provided in the country. The Church has also taken a leading role in the drive for integral human development in India, with over 60% of Catholic schools situated in rural areas. Saturday morning saw six bishops from central and south-western India in to see the Holy Father – the leadership of the Church in parts of India ranging from coastal Karwar near Goa to Mangalore further south, and inland to the central Gulbarga diocese.

This year’s World Youth Day will take place in the Spanish capital Aug. 16-20. Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to arrive Thursday, Aug. 18. In total, he will preside at nine events with young people over four days. 

But this, the Pope’s third visit to Spain, will also have the diplomatic protocol of an official state visit. In fact the Holy Father will visit with the head of Spain, King Juan Carlos and meet with the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Insisting that “each and every young person should be able to... grow and learn... free from all violence and discord... in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding”, the Holy See took the floor of the General Assembly Hall on the final day of the United Nations High-level Meeting on Youth. 

Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, reminded delegates that a family is “founded on the marriage between one man and one woman” and that the General Assembly declares that it is “the natural and fundamental group unit of society and must be guaranteed protection by society and the State” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Art. 16,3). He commended to their attention the deep desire of many youth for “personal relationships marked by truth and solidarity” and for a “family that will remain united”.