"PRIORITY NOT BAPTIZING CONVERTS BUT CONVERTING THE BAPTIZED"
Luminaria
EUROPEAN SYNOD
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"PRIORITY NOT BAPTIZING CONVERTS BUT CONVERTING THE BAPTIZED"
Card. Tettamanzi Sets Tone Optimistic Tone for Europe
VATICAN CITY, OC5 4 (ZENIT).- By midday on Monday, 45 Bishops had already
addressed the Synod of Bishops for Europe, which began on October 1. The
problems studied and proposals made to date are both serious and
thought-provoking.
Temptation to Pessimism
Among yesterday's addresses, Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi's sparked
unusual interest; in face of the temptation to pessimism because of the
current situation in Europe, the Cardinal reacted by inviting the Bishops
to
"give Europe hope again, communicating confidence to priests and faithful
of our Churches." Cardinal Tettamanzi is Archbishop of Genoa.
"This attitude does not make us turn a blind eye to disappointments. Our
hope is based on total realism that makes us free and courageous in
denouncing anything that is critical or negative and in identifying its
causes. But this realism, if it is truly evangelical, cannot be engulfed in
sterile regrets and pessimism. Christian realism cannot but be open to
total
optimism. It is the optimism born of faith in the presence of Jesus the
Lord, who neither abandons the Church nor man, but continues to offer his
Spirit, to transform every corner of Europe."
Cardinal Tettamanzi said that optimism must also come from a review of
history. This is not the first time or the most tragic that Europeans'
faith
is put to a hard test. "Suffice it to think of the totalitarian tragedy
that
spread over a good part of the Continent this century. It seemed like it
would never end, and yet, ten years ago we witnessed the change that
transformed Europe's face and the world's," the Archbishop of Genoa said.
Challenge of Challenges
"The challenge of challenges in Europe is our faith. In Europe today, the
priority is not in baptizing the converted, but in converting the
baptized."
Among many Christians there is the temptation to live without Christ. "This
is the scandal for which we are frequently responsible. Many Christians'
mentality is more or less equivalent with the world's mentality. Often, the
way Christians behave is not the way of the Beatitudes, but (conditioned)
... by dominant customs."
Consequently, at this time Christians must learn "to resist and react in
face of any seduction, ceasing to live as 'one of the herd' in a society
that levels and undermines liberty." This faith in Jesus, must necessarily
imply the urgency of giving oneself to others and to society, convinced
that
Christ has revealed to man his real identity.
"Romanism"
Bishop Javier Echevarria Rodriguez, of the personal prelature of Opus Dei,
emphasized that the Church that is moving toward the Jubilee must have as
reference points unity, sanctity and Romanism. The latter must be
understood as "a profound sense of orientation and respectful attention
toward the See of Peter. To the degree that this "Romanism" is seen in the
daily life of pastors and faithful, so much more effective will our
contribution be to building the Church in Europe and, from Europe, in the
whole world."
Presence in Media
Bishop Bellino Ghirard of Rodez, France, spoke about the media that offers
"information, but also formation." Specifically, the "objective consists in
promoting the culture of life, solidarity and peace not just in the
Catholic
media. But for this it is necessary to work on our capacity to reach the
more influential and widely diffused media." After referring to the
initiatives of the French and Italian Episcopal Conferences, Bishop Ghirard
proposed the creation of a permanent Eurovision channel, supported by the
Episcopal Conferences, for the purpose of reinforcing Christian values in
the construction of the European Union. In this way, we shall be able to
broaden the service of the evangelization of man, and make it more
effective," the French Bishop concluded.
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