John Paul II says the great challenge facing the Catholic Church
in England and Wales is secularism, which must be addressed with a "new
impetus in Christian living."
The effects of a concept of society in which people live as if God did not
exist has negative consequences for civic life too, the Pope said in an address
today to the bishops of England and Wales. He received the prelates in audience
as part of their five-yearly visit to the Holy See.
"England and Wales, despite being steeped in a rich Christian heritage,
today face the pervasive advance of secularism," said the Holy Father
during an audience that followed earlier personal meetings with the bishops.
"At the root of this situation is the attempt to promote a vision of
humanity apart from God and removed from Christ."
"It is a mentality which exaggerates individualism, sunders the essential
link between freedom and truth, and consequently destroys the mutual bonds
which define social living. This loss of a sense of God is often experienced as
the abandonment of man," the Pontiff told the delegation headed by the
archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.
"Social disintegration, threats to family life, and the ugly specters of
racial intolerance and war, leave many men and women, and especially the young,
feeling disoriented and at times even without hope," the Holy Father said.
"Consequently it is not just the Church which encounters the disturbing
effects of secularism but civic life as well."
Given the situation, John Paul II added that bishops "are called to remain
vigilant in our duty to proclaim with clear and passionate certainty that Jesus
Christ is the source of hope; a hope that does not disappoint."
"The faithful of England and Wales look to you with great expectation to
preach and teach the Gospel which dispels the darkness and illuminates the way
of life," he said. "Daily proclamation of the Gospel and a life of
holiness is the vocation of the Church in every time and place."
"The phenomena of secularism and widespread religious indifference, the
decline in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and the grave
difficulties experienced by parents in their attempts to catechize their own
children, all attest to the vital need for bishops to embrace their fundamental
mission to be authentic and authoritative heralds of the Word," the Pope
said.
Quoting the Second Vatican Council's dogmatic constitution "Lumen Gentium," the Holy Father said that bishops "have
the obligation of fostering and safeguarding the unity of faith and of
upholding the discipline which is common to the whole Church."
"It is by fidelity to the ordinary magisterium
of the Church, by strict adherence to the discipline of the universal Church,
and by positive statements which clearly instruct the faithful, that a bishop
preserves God's people from deviations and defections and guarantees them the
objective possibility of professing the true faith without error," he
emphasized.
Based on the reports the English and Welsh bishops gave him, the Pope expressed
his "profound conviction that the new millennium demands a new impetus in
Christian living."
"If the Church is to satisfy the thirst of men and women for truth and
authentic values upon which to build their lives, no effort can be spared in
finding effective pastoral initiatives to make Jesus Christ known," he
added.
"Authentic pedagogy on prayer, persuasive catechesis on the meaning of
liturgy, and the importance of the Sunday Eucharist, and promotion of the
frequent practice of the sacrament of reconciliation will do much to meet this
pastoral goal and enkindle in the hearts of your people the joy and peace
deriving from participation in the Church's life and mission," the Pope
said.
In this connection, he supported the initiatives that are taking place,
especially in the evangelization of young people, such as Youth 2000 and the
development of university chaplaincy programs.
The audience came on the final day of nearly two weeks in Rome for the 35
bishops of England and Wales who were on their five-yearly visit "ad limina." The visit coincided with the Pope's silver
anniversary and the beatification of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
In an address to the Pope, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, president of the bishops'
conference of England and Wales, said: "Your service of the communion and
unity of the Church is a profound witness to the loving presence of the Spirit
among us all."
"Holy Father," he added, "the bishops would like me to record
their appreciation for the gracious welcome we have received from the dicasteries of the Roman Curia and to note with gratitude
that our discussions have been cordial and constructive, a true expression of
the collegial nature of the ministry in which we share."
"It has been our privilege to be at your side during these days," the
cardinal said. "Our prayer and that of the whole of the Catholic Church in
England and Wales is that the Lord who confirmed the faith of Peter will
sustain and bless you now and always."