Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The pope "always remembers in prayer” all the children who are victims of “violence and weapons” and all the children of the world, in particular those who are “exposed to fear, abandonment, hunger, abuse, illness, death". The presence at the general audience today a delegation led by the UN under-secretary and special representative for children in situations of armed conflict has given Benedict XVI the opportunity today to raise his voice once again against those who use any form violence against children.

The same theme of helping victims was touched on by the Pope who commemorated the 150 anniversary of the founding of the Red Cross. "Over the years – he said in this regard - the values of universality, neutrality, independence in service, have attracted the membership of millions of volunteers all over the world, forming an important bastion of humanity and solidarity in many contexts war and conflict, as well as in many emergencies. In expressing the hope that the human person, in all his dignity and entirety is always at the heart of the Red Cross humanitarian aid, I especially encourage young people to engage in this worthy institution. I take advantage of this occasion - he continued - to appeal for the release of all kidnapped persons in conflict zones and once again ask for the release of Eugene Vagn, a Red Cross operator in the Philippines. "

In his earlier address to the 30 thousand people present at the audience, Benedict XVI explained the purpose and meaning of the Year for the Priest,  which he opened June 19th last. The special anniversary, he recalled, was launched on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Marie Vianney. " Divine Providence - said the Pope - has wanted that this figure be accompanied by that of St. Paul. As the Pauline Year draws to a close, dedicated to the Apostle to the Gentiles, an extraordinary model of evangelizer who made several missionary journeys to spread the Gospel, this new Jubilee year invites us to look at a poor farmer who became a humble parish priest, who consummated his pastoral service in a small village. If the two saints’ paths of life are markedly different - the one passed from region to region to proclaim the Gospel, the other welcomed thousands and thousands of faithful while always remaining in his small parish - however, there is something fundamental that unites them: their total identification with their ministry, their communion with Christ. "  

 The purpose of the priesthood is then to "support the struggle of every priest to spiritual perfection, on which the effectiveness of his ministry depends, and above all help the priests, and with them the entire People of God, to rediscover and strengthen awareness of the extraordinary and indispensable gift of Grace that the ordained ministry is for those who have received it, for the whole Church and the world, which without the real presence of Christ would be lost. "  

An essential task of the priest, in the words of the Pope, is the apostolic proclamation. But "What does evangelizing mean for priests? What is the so-called primacy of the proclamation? Jesus speaks of proclaiming the Kingdom of God as the true purpose of his coming into the world and his proclamation was not just “speech”.  It also included his actions: the signs and miracles that he realised indicate that the Kingdom is in the world as a present reality, that ultimately coincides with his own person. In this sense, we should remember that even in the primacy of the proclamation, word and sign are indivisible. Christian preaching does not proclaims' words', but the Word, and the proclamation coincides with the person of Christ himself, ontologically open to a relationship with the Father and obedient to his will".

"Now, being the 'voice' of the Word, is not a mere functional aspect of being a priest. On the contrary it substantially requires the ability to “loose oneself” in Christ, sharing in his mystery of death and resurrection with the whole self: intelligence, freedom, will and the offering their bodies as a living sacrifice (cf. Rom 12:1-2). Only participation in the sacrifice of Christ, his chènosi, renders the announcement authentic!”. " "Because he belongs to Christ, the priest is radically at the service of mankind: he is the Minister for their salvation, their happiness, their true liberation, maturing, in this progressive assuming of the will of Christ, in prayer, in the 'being heart to heart' with him.  This is the essential condition of every proclamation, which involves participation in the sacrament of the Eucharist and docile obedience to the Church. "  

"May the Year for the Priest - he concluded - lead all priests to identify themselves completely with Jesus crucified and risen, so that, imitating St. John the Baptist, they may be ready 'to diminish' that He may grow; and that, following the example of the 'Cure of Ars', they may be constantly and profoundly aware of their mission, which is both sign and presence of the infinite mercy of God.  We entrust to the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, the Year for the Priest which has just started and all the priests of the world".