Pope: the memory of war and the Holocaust a warning to educate in solidarity and love
Viterbo (AsiaNews) - The memory of World War II and the Holocaust should make us build peace: in this task "Religions can and must play a role in promoting forgiveness and reconciliation against violence, racism, totalitarianism and extremism that disfigure the image of the Creator in man, erasing the horizon of God and, consequently, lead to contempt of man himself. " This is the warning that Benedict XVI launched today from Viterbo where he went on a pastoral visit.
During the Angelus the Pope said that in Krakow "numerous leaders and representatives of various religions - invited by the Archdiocese of Krakow and the Community of Sant'Egidio – have gathered to reflect and pray for peace, 70 years after the outbreak of World War II. We can not forget - he stressed - the dramatic events that began one of the most terrible wars in history, which caused tens of millions of deaths and much suffering to the beloved Polish people, a conflict that saw the tragedy of 'The Holocaust and the extermination of scores of other innocent people. The memory of these events lead us to pray for the victims and for those who still bear wounds in the body and heart and may it also be a warning to everyone not to repeat such barbarism and to intensify efforts to build in our own time, still marked by conflicts and confrontations, a lasting peace, transmitting, especially the younger generation, a culture and a way of life marked by love, solidarity and respect for each other. In this perspective, the contribution that religions can and should play in promoting forgiveness and reconciliation against violence, racism, totalitarianism and extremism is particularly important, because they disfigure the image of the Creator in man, wipe the horizon of God and, consequently, lead to contempt of man himself. The Lord help us to build peace based on love and mutual understanding (cf. Caritas in veritate, 72)”.
Benedict XVI arrived in Viterbo, a town in northern Lazio this morning and visited among other sites, the Palace of the Popes, and inside, the Hall of the Conclave, home to the longest conclave in history - from December 1268 to September 1271 - which elected Pope Gregory X. From there he travelled by car to the Faul Valley, where he presided over a Eucharistic celebration.
During his homily, the Pope called on Catholics to have the courage to witness to their faith. " The seasons of history pass, -he said recalling the Viterbo native Mario Fani, one of the 'fathers' of Azione Cattolica- social contexts change, but the vocation of Christians to live the Gospel in solidarity with the human family, in step with the times, does not change and does not go out of fashion. This is social commitment, this is proper service of political action, this is integral human development”.
It is a "development" that requires knowledge - and the Pope reaffirmed the existing "educational emergency", witness of faith and attention to the"signs of God"; those "deeds and words" through which he continues to reveal his project.
The Pope touched on the Gospel episode of the healing of the deaf-mute and on that of the biblical prophet Isaiah (35,4-7) where he encourages the "lost heart" and announces this wonderful news, that experience confirms, that is: when God is present the eyes of the blind see, the ears of deaf, hear, the lame "jumps" like a deer. Everything is reborn and everything comes back to life because beneficial waters irrigate the desert. The "desert" as symbolic language, can evoke the dramatic events, difficult situations and the loneliness that often marks life, the most profound desert is the human heart, when it loses the ability to listen, speak, communicate with God and with others. It then becomes blind because incapable of seeing reality, it closes its ears to the cries of those who plead for help, it hardens with indifference and selfishness. But now - announces the Prophet - everything is about to change, the "dry land" will be irrigated by a new divine life. And when the Lord comes, to the lost heart of every time he says with authority: "Take courage, fear not! (V. 4)”.
Similarly, in the healing of the deaf-mute, we can see " the ardent desire of Jesus to overcome man’s inability to communicate and loneliness created by selfishness, to give a face to a "new humanity", the humanity of hearing and speech, dialogue , communication, communion. A "good" humanity, as good and the whole creation of God, a humanity without discrimination, without exclusion - as the Apostle James warns in his letter (2:1-5) - that the world really is and for all "a place of genuine brotherhood "(Gaudium et Spes, 37)”.
And to achieve this objective the Pope, quoting the pastoral plan of the Bishop of Viterbo, Msgr. Lorenzo Chiarinelli, stressed the importance of "education in faith, like research, like Christian initiation, as life in Christ. It is - he underlined – “becoming Christian”. The history of the Church, moreover, has "spiritual source" from which "we can safely draw inspiration to address, with clarity and consistency, the inescapable priority of the current "educational emergency", that is a great challenge for every Christian community and for society as a whole".
Along with education, the testimony of faith. "The lay faithful, young people and families, do not be afraid to live and witness the faith in the various areas of society, in many situations of human existence."
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