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L’O S S E RVATOR E ROMANOWEEKLY EDITION

Unicuique suum

IN ENGLISHNon praevalebunt

Fifty-third year, number 36 (2.662) Vatican City Friday, 4 September 2020

Wednesday catechesis

Only together can weemerge from crises

PAGE 3

Message for theCare of Creation

SEE NEXT WEEK’S EDITION FOR THE BIO GRAPHY OF THE L AT E CARDINAL

Announcement by Pope Francis at the first public General Audience after lockdown

Day of prayer and fasting for Lebanon

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One month after a massive explosion at a fertilizerstorage facility in Beirut, Pope Francis expresses hisand the Church’s solidarity with the troubled nation.At the General Audience, 2 September, he calls for aworldwide day of prayer on Friday, 4 September. Thefollowing is the English text of the Pope's words.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,One month after the tragedy that struck the cityof Beirut, my thoughts turn once again to Leba-non and its people, so sorely tried. The priest be-side me has brought the Lebanese flag to thisAudience.

Today, I would repeat the words spoken bySaint John Paul II thirty years ago, at a crucialmoment in Lebanon’s history: “Faced with re-peated tragedies which each of the land’s inhabi-tants knows, we are aware of the extreme dangerthat threatens the very existence of the country:Lebanon cannot be abandoned in its solitude”(Apostolic Letter to the Bishops of the CatholicChurch on the situation in Lebanon, 7 September1989).

For over a hundred years, Lebanon has been acountry of hope. Even in the darkest periods ofits history, the Lebanese people maintained theirfaith in God and proved capable of making theirland a place of tolerance, respect and coexistenceunique in that region. How true it is that Leba-non is more than a State: it is “a message of free-dom and an example of pluralism, both for theEast and for the West” (ibid.). For the good ofthe country and the world, we cannot let this leg-acy be lost.

I encourage all Lebanese to persevere in hopeand to summon the strength and energy neededto start anew. I ask political and religious leadersto commit themselves with sincerity and opennessto the work of rebuilding, setting aside all parti-san interests and looking to the common goodand the future of the nation. Once again, I askthe international community to support Lebanon

and to help it emerge from this grave crisis,without becoming caught up in regional tensions.

In a special way, my thoughts turn to thepeople of Beirut, who have suffered so greatlyfrom the explosion. Brothers and sisters, takecourage once more! Let faith and prayer be yourstrength. Do not abandon your homes and yourheritage. Do not abandon the dreams of thosewho believed in the dawn of a beautiful and pros-perous country.

Dear bishops, priests, consecrated and lay per-sons, continue to accompany the faithful. Of you,bishops and priests, I ask apostolic zeal, povertyand austerity. Be poor together with your poorand suffering people. Be the first to give an ex-ample of poverty and humility. Help the faithfuland your people to rise again and contribute ac-tively to a new rebirth. May all alike foster con-cord and renewal in the name of the commongood and a genuine culture of encounter, peace-ful coexistence and fraternity. Fraternity: a wordso dear to Saint Francis. May this concord be asource of renewal in the common interest. Thiswill prove a sure basis for the continuity of theChristian presence and your own inestimable con-tribution to the country, the Arab world and thewhole region, in a spirit of fraternity among allthe religious traditions present in Lebanon.

For this reason, I would ask everyone to join ina universal day of prayer and fasting for Lebanonon Friday next, 4 September. I intend to send myown representative to Lebanon that day to bepresent with its people: The Secretary of Statewill go in my name to express my spiritual close-ness and solidarity. Let us pray for Lebanon as awhole and for Beirut. And let us demonstrate ourcloseness by concrete works of charity, as on othersimilar occasions. I also invite our brothers andsisters of other religious confessions to join in thisinitiative in whatever way they deem best, but to-gether as one.

And now I ask you to entrust to Mary, OurLady of Harissa, our hopes and our fears. Mayshe sustain all who grieve for their loved ones andinstil courage in those who have lost their homesand, with them, a part of their lives! May she in-tercede with the Lord Jesus so that the Land ofCedars may flourish once again and spread thefragrance of fraternal coexistence throughout theentire Middle East.

And now I ask everyone, to the extent it is pos-sible, to stand and pray in silence for Lebanon.

The Holy Father expresses condolences

Dutch Cardinal Adrianus Simonis diesCardinal Adrianus Johannes Simonis, Archbishop emeritus of Utrecht, theNetherlands, passed away on Wednesday, 2 September, at the age of 88.Upon learning of the death of the Dutch Cardinal, Pope Francis expressedhis condolences in a telegram addressed to Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk,who succeeded the late Cardinal as Archbishop of Utrecht. The Church haslost someone “with a great pastoral heart”, said Cardinal Eijk. Thefollowing is the English text of the Holy Father’s telegram.

Saddened to learn of the death of Cardinal Adrianus Johannes Si-monis, I send prayerful condolences to you and to the clergy, religiousand lay faithful of the Archdiocese. Commending his soul to the lov-ing mercy of Jesus the Good Shepherd, I join you in giving thanks toAlmighty God for the late Cardinal’s faithful witness to the Gospel,his years of devoted episcopal ministry to the Churches of Rotterdamand Utrecht, and his valued efforts in the service of ecclesial commu-nion. To all who mourn Cardinal Simonis in the sure hope of the Res-urre c tion, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of con-solation and peace in the risen Lord.

FRANCISCUS P P.

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page 2 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 4 September 2020, number 36

VAT I C A NBULLETIN

Ambassador ofEast Timor

H.E. Ms Juvita Rodrigues Bar-reto De Ataíde Gonçalves, 47,was born in Tiba, East Timor.She is married and has fivechildren. She holds a degree inaccounting and has worked inthe financial and banking de-partments of various companiesfrom 1995-2010. Among her oth-er professional roles, she hasserved as administration andfinance advisor at the Ministryof Tourism from 2012-2016. Anentrepreneur in various sectors,she has been an active memberof the Board of Business Or-ganizations for the emancipa-tion and leadership of womenin the private sector since 2017.

Ambassador ofJapan

H.E. Mr Seiji Okada, 64, ismarried and has two children.He holds a law degree fromMeiji University. He has servedin the following roles: official atthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs,1981; Director of the Divisionfor Economic Affairs Japan-South Korea in the GeneralDirectorate of Asia and Ocean-ia, 2006; Regional Coordinatorof the Second Division ofAfrica in the Department ofAfrican Affairs General Direct-orate of Middle Eastern andAfrican Affairs, 2007; Directorof the Second Division ofAfrica, Department of AfricanAffairs General Directorate ofMiddle Eastern and African Af-fairs, 2008; Counselor at theEmbassy in Kenya, 2009; Coun-selor at the Embassy in Afgh-anistan, 2010; General Coun-selor in Canada, Vancouver,2012; Vice Director-General ofthe Department of African Af-fairs General Directorate ofMiddle Eastern and African Af-fairs and the General Director-ate for International Coopera-tion, 2016; Ambassador toSouth Sudan, 2017-2020.

AUDIENCES

Friday, 28 August

H.E. Ms Juvita Rodrigues BarretoDe Ataíde Gonçalves, Ambassadorof East Timor, for the presentationof her Letters of CredenceCardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, Arch-bishop of Perugia-Città dellaPieve, Italy, President of the Itali-an Episcopal ConferenceBishop Dodë Gjergji of Prizren-Prishtina, KosovoPresentation of the new Missal ofthe Italian Episcopal ConferenceSaturday, 29 August

H.E. Mr Seiji Okada, Ambassadorof Japan, for the presentation ofhis Letters of CredenceCardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle,Prefect of the Congregation forthe Evangelization of Peoples

Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, titu-lar Archbishop of Vittoriana,Apostolic Nuncio to the Demo-cratic Republic of the CongoBishop Felix Gmür of Basel,SwitzerlandMonday, 31 August

Archbishop Brian Udaigwe, titularArchbishop of Suelli, ApostolicNuncio to Sri Lanka

CHANGES IN EP I S C O PAT E

The Holy Father accepted theresignation of Bishop Jean MarieVu Tât from his office as Bishopof the Diocese of Hung Hoá, ViêtNam (29 Aug.).The Holy Father accepted theresignation of Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo from his officeas Auxiliary Bishop of the Patri-archal Diocese of Jerusalem forLatins (29 Aug.).The Holy Father appointed FatherGheevarghese (George) Kurisum-moottil as Auxiliary Bishop of theArchieparchy of Kottayam forSyro-Malabars, India. Until nowhe has served as syncellus forSyro-Malankars. The bishop-electhas taken the name GheevargheseMar Aprem (29 Aug.).

Bishop-elect Mar Aprem Kur-isummoottil, 59, was born inTiruvalla, India. He was ordaineda priest on 27 December 1987. Heholds a degree in philosophy andtheology and a Master in SacredArt.

The Holy Father appointed FatherDario Gervasi as Auxiliary Bishopof Rome, assigning him the titularEpiscopal See of Subaugusta. Un-til now he has served as parishpriest of Risurrezione di Nostro Si-gnore Gesù Cristo parish and Pre-fect of the 17th Prefecture of theDiocese of Rome. (30 Aug.).

Bishop-elect Gervasi, 52, wasborn in Rome, Italy. He was or-dained a priest on 22 May 1994.He holds a licence in dogmatict h e o l o g y.

RE L AT I O N S WITH STAT E S

The Holy Father appointed Arch-bishop Giambattista Diquattro, tit-ular Archbishop of Giru Mons, asApostolic Nuncio to Brazil. Untilnow he has been Apostolic Nun-cio to India and to Nepal (29A u g. ) .

NECROLO GY

Bishop Antonio Bayter Abud,M X Y, titular Bishop of Sucarda,Vicar Apostolic emeritus ofInírida, at age 86 (21 Aug.)Archbishop Hippolyte Simon,Archbishop emeritus of Clermont,France, at age 76 (25 Aug.)

The encounter with people

Francis and theGeneral Audiences

ALESSANDRO GISOTTI

One hundred eighty-nine. Manydays separate the last GeneralAudience with the faithful inSaint Peter’s Square, on 26 Feb-ruary, from the one that tookplace on 2 September in the SanDamaso courtyard of theApostolic Palace. A long timethat seemed even longer because,thanks to the catecheses and per-haps even more to Francis’ ges-tures and spontaneous expres-sions, the General Audienceshave become an anticipatedevent, followed not only by Cath-olic faithful, but also by manywho, even if separated from theChurch, have listened to thePop e.

Just as in the case of the morn-ing Masses at Casa Santa Marta,the now more than 300 GeneralAudiences are also characterizedfirst and foremost by the en-counter with the People of God.That is the heart. The homiliespronounced during morningMass are as brief as the cat-echeses at the General Audiences,often enriched by the addition ofoff-the-cuff comments and notrarely by dialogues with the audi-ence present. “If you read” — heonce stated — “you cannot lookpeople in the eye”.

Francis instead devotes a longtime, at times surprisingly long,to meeting people in person andin particular the frailest, the sick,the suffering. The last b ecomef i rs t . Some of these encounters,because of the message theyevoked, have gone beyond thesphere of individual relationshipsto take on a universal value. It isthe case with the Pope’s embraceof Vinicio, a man disfigured by aterrible disease, neurofib romato-sis, at the end of the GeneralAudience on 6 November 2013.The image of that moment inSaint Peter’s Square travelledaround the world witnessing,more than a thousand wordscould, to what Francis meanswhen he calls all Christians, bar-ring none, to touch the woundsof Christ in those who are suffer-ing. In effect, at the GeneralAudiences the Pope’s words can-not be separated from his g e s t u re sbecause the former is the premiseof the latter which, in turn,strengthens it and makes it tan-gible. Thus, as seen in the Shep-herd with his sheep, almost onewith his flock, one understands

CONTINUED ON PA G E 7

number 36, Friday, 4 September 2020 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 3

Pope resumes Wednesday audiences with the presence of the faithful

Only together can we emerge from crises

Pope Francis continued his series of catecheses on the need to heal theworld in this time of pandemic, as he resumed his General Audienceswith the presence of the faithful on Wednesday morning, 2 September.The following is a translation of his reflection on solidarity and thevirtue of faith, which he shared in Italian with the hundreds of faithfulwho had gathered in the Vatican’s San Damaso courtyard.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,Good morning!After many months, we meet eachother again face to face, notscreen to screen. Face to face.This is good! The current pan-demic has highlighted our inter-dependence: we are all connectedto each other, for better or forworse. Therefore, to emerge fromthis crisis better than before, wehave to do so together; together,not alone. Together. Not alone,because it cannot be done. Eitherit is done together, or it is notdone. We must do it together, allof us, in s o l i d a r i t y. I would like tounderline this word today: solid-a r i t y.

As a human family we have ourcommon origin in God; we livein a common home, the garden-planet, the earth where Godplaced us; and we have a com-mon destination in Christ. Butwhen we forget all this, our inter-dependence becomes dependence ofsome on others — we lose thisharmony of interdependence andsolidarity — increasing inequalityand marginalization; the socialfabric is weakened and the envi-ro n ment deteriorates. The sameway of acting.

Therefore, the principle of soli-darity is now more necessary thanever, as Saint John Paul II taught(cf. Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 38-40).In an interconnected world, weexperience what it means to livein the same “global village”; thisexpression is beautiful. The bigwide world is none other than aglobal village, because everythingis interconnected, but we do notalways transform this int e rdepen-dence into s o l i d a r i t y. There is along journey between interde-pendence and solidarity. Theselfishness — of individuals, na-tions and of groups with power —and ideological rigidities insteadsustain “structures of sin” (ibid.,36).

“The word ‘solidarity’ is a littleworn and at times poorly under-stood, but it refers to somethingmore than a few sporadic acts ofg e n e ro s i t y ”. Much more! “It pre-sumes the creation of a newmindset which thinks in terms ofcommunity and the priority ofthe life of all over the appropri-ation of goods by a few”(Apostolic Exhortation EvangeliiGaudium, 188). This is what“solidarity” means. It is notmerely a question of helping oth-

ers — it is good to do so, but it ismore than that — it is a matter ofjustice (cf. Catechism of the Catho-lic Church, 1938-1949). Interde-pendence, to be in solidarity andto bear fruit, needs strong rootsin humanity and in nature, cre-ated by God; it needs respect forfaces and for the land.

The Bible, from the very begin-ning, warns us [of this]. Let usthink of the account of the Towerof Babel (cf. Gen 11:1-9), whichdescribes what happens when wetry to reach heaven — our destina-tion — ignoring our bond withhumanity, with creation and withthe Creator. It is a figure ofspeech. This happens every timethat someone wants to climb upand up, without taking others in-to consideration. Just myself. Letus think about the tower. Webuild towers and skyscrapers, butwe destroy community. We unifybuildings and languages, but wemortify cultural wealth. We wantto be masters of the Earth, butwe ruin biodiversity and ecologi-cal balance. In another audienceI told you about those fishermenfrom San Benedetto del Tronto,who came this year, and said:“We have taken 24 tonnes ofwaste out of the sea, half ofwhich was plastic”. Just think!These people have the spirit tocatch fish, yes, but also the ref-use, and to take it out of the wa-ter to clean up the sea. But this[pollution] is ruining the earth —not having solidarity with theearth, which is a gift — and theecological balance.

I remember a medieval accountthat describes this “Babel syn-d ro m e ”, which occurs when thereis no solidarity. This medieval ac-count says that, during the build-ing of the tower, when a man fell— they were slaves — and died, noone said anything, or at best,“Poor thing, he made a mistakeand he fell”. Instead, if a brickfell, everyone complained. And ifsomeone was to blame, he waspunished. Why? Because a brickwas costly to make, to prepare, tof i re …. It took time and work toproduce a brick. A brick wasworth more than a human life.Let us each, think about what

happens today. Unfortunately,something like this can happennowadays too. When shares fallin the financial markets — we haveseen it in the newspapers in thesedays — all the agencies report thenews. Thousands of people falldue to hunger and poverty andno one talks about it.

Pentecost is diametrically op-posite to Babel (cf. Acts 2:1-3), aswe heard at the beginning of theaudience. The Holy Spirit, de-scending from above like windand fire, sweeps over the com-munity closed up in the Cenacle,infuses it with the power of God,and inspires it to go out and an-nounce the Lord Jesus to every-one. The Spirit creates unity indiversity; he creates harmony. Inthe account of the Tower of Ba-bel, there was no harmony; onlypressing forward in order to earn.There, people were simply instru-ments, mere “manp ower”, buthere, in Pentecost, each one of usis an instrument, but a com-munity instrument that partici-pates fully in building up thecommunity. Saint Francis of As-sisi knew this well, and inspiredby the Spirit, he gave all people,or rather, creatures, the name ofbrother or sister (cf. LS, 11; cf.Saint Bonaventure, Legenda maior,VIII, 6: FF 1145). Even brotherwolf, remember.

With Pentecost, God makeshimself present and inspires thefaith of the community united indiversity and in solidarity. Diversityand solidarity united in harmony,this is the way. A diversity insolidarity possesses “antib o dies”that ensure that the singularity ofeach person — which is a gift,unique and unrepeatable — do esnot become sick with individual-ism, with selfishness. Diversity insolidarity also possesses antibod-ies that heal social structures andprocesses that have degeneratedinto systems of injustice, systemsof oppression (cf. Compendium ofthe Social Doctrine of the Church,192). Therefore, solidarity today isthe road to take towards a post-pandemic world, towards thehealing of our interpersonal andsocial ills. There is no other way.Either we go forward on the path

of solidarity, or things willworsen. I want to repeat this: onedoes not emerge from a crisis thesame as before. The pandemic isa crisis. We emerge from a crisiseither better or worse than before.It is up to us to choose. Andsolidarity is, indeed, a way ofcoming out of the crisis better,not with superficial changes, witha fresh coat of paint so everythinglooks fine. No. Better!

In the midst of crises, a solidar-ity guided by faith enables us totranslate the love of God in ourglobalized culture, not by build-ing towers or walls — and howmany walls are being built today!— that divide, but then collapse,but by interweaving communitiesand sustaining processes of growththat are truly human and solid.And to do this, solidarity helps. Iwould like to ask a question: do Ithink of the needs of others?Everyone, answer in your heart.

In the midst of crises and tem-pests, the Lord calls to us and in-vites us to reawaken and activatethis solidarity capable of givingsolidity, support and meaning tothese hours in which everythingseems to be wrecked. May thecreativity of the Holy Spirit en-courage us to generate new formsof familiar hospitality, fruitful fra-ternity and universal solidarity.Thank you.

SPECIAL GREETINGS

I cordially greet the English-speaking faithful. My thoughtsturn especially to young peoplereturning to school in the comingweeks. Upon all of you and yourfamilies I invoke the joy andpeace of our Lord Jesus Christ.God bless you!

I offer a special greeting to thee l d e rl y, young people, the sick andnewlyweds. The Lord knows betterthan we do about the expectationsand needs we carry in our hearts.Let us entrust ourselves to hisProvidence with full confidence,always seeking the good, evenwhen it comes at a high cost.

GENERAL AU D I E N C E

number 36, Friday, 4 September 2020 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 4/5

Projects and initiatives to defendour ‘common home’ together

A call to cancel the debt of vulnerablecountries hit by the pandemic

(Photo: Milos Bicanski/IRC)

Pop e’s prayer intentionfor September

Holy Father’s Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

which is also God’s home where his Word “b e-came flesh and lived among us” (Jn 1:14) andwhich is constantly being renewed by the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit.

“Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew theface of the earth” (cf. Ps 104:30).

Rome, Saint John Lateran,1 September 2020

“No to plundering, yes to sharing”, is the strong invita-tion made by Pope Francis in his video message forSeptemb er’s prayer intention in which he calls for re-spect for the planet’s resources: “Let us pray, that theplanet’s resources will not be plundered, but shared ina just and respectful manner”. The video, released onMonday, 31 August, depicts images of intensive exploit-ation of natural resources as the Pope warns, “we aresqueezing out the planet’s goods. Squeezing them out,as if the earth were an orange”. Indeed, he continues,“countries and businesses from the global north haveenriched themselves by exploiting the natural resourcesof the south, creating an ‘ecological debt’”. The Popethen asks the question: “who is going to pay thisdebt?”.

This ecological debt, the Holy Father says, increaseswhen multinationals “do abroad what they would neverbe allowed to do in their countries”, and this, he adds,is “an outrage”. As images continue to show environ-mental devastation, smokestacks poisoning the air withtheir black smoke, slums made increasingly more fragileand precarious due to climate change, the Pope ap-peals: “Today, not tomorrow; today, we have to takecare of Creation responsibly”.

At the end of the videomessage, a businessman and aSouth American indigenous representative can be seensigning a sustainable development plan.

Created and produced by the Pope’s WorldwidePrayer Network in collaboration with La Machi agencyand the Dicastery for Communication, the video hasbeen translated into nine languages and is available at:www.thep op evideo.org.

3. A Time to RestIn his wisdom, God set aside the Sabbath so

that the land and its inhabitants could rest andbe renewed. These days, however, our way of lifeis pushing the planet beyond its limits. Our con-stant demand for growth and an endless cycle ofproduction and consumption are exhausting thenatural world. Forests are leached, topsoil erodes,fields fail, deserts advance, seas acidify and stormsintensify. Creation is groaning!

During the Jubilee, God’s people were invitedto rest from their usual labour and to let the landheal and the earth repair itself, as individuals con-sumed less than usual. Today we need to find justand sustainable ways of living that can give theEarth the rest it requires, ways that satisfy every-one with a sufficiency, without destroying the eco-systems that sustain us.

In some ways, the current pandemic has led usto rediscover simpler and sustainable lifestyles.The crisis, in a sense, has given us a chance todevelop new ways of living. Already we can seehow the earth can recover if we allow it to rest:the air becomes cleaner, the waters clearer, andanimals have returned to many places from wherethey had previously disappeared. The pandemichas brought us to a crossroads. We must use thisdecisive moment to end our superfluous and de-structive goals and activities, and to cultivate val-ues, connections and activities that are life-giving.We must examine our habits of energy usage,consumption, transportation, and diet. We musteliminate the superfluous and destructive aspectsof our economies, and nurture life-giving ways totrade, produce, and transport goods.

4. A Time to RestoreA Jubilee is a time to restore the original har-

mony of creation and to heal strained human re-lationships.

It invites us to re-establish equitable societal re-lationships, restoring their freedom and goods toall and forgiving one another’s debts. We shouldnot forget the historic exploitation of the globalSouth that has created an enormous ecologicaldebt, due mainly to resource plundering and ex-cessive use of common environmental space forwaste disposal. It is a time for restorative justice.In this context, I repeat my call for the cancella-tion of the debt of the most vulnerable countries,in recognition of the severe impacts of the medi-cal, social and economic crises they face as a res-ult of Covid-19. We also need to ensure that therecovery packages being developed and deployedat global, regional and national levels must be re-generation packages. Policy, legislation and in-vestment must be focused on the common goodand guarantee that global social and environ-mental goals are met.

We also need to restore the land. Climate res-toration is of utmost importance, since we are inthe midst of a climate emergency. We are runningout of time, as our children and young peoplehave reminded us. We need to do everything inour capacity to limit global average temperaturerise under the threshold of 1.5°C enshrined in theParis Climate Agreement, for going beyond thatwill prove catastrophic, especially for poor com-

munities around the world. We need to stand upfor intra-generational and inter-generational soli-darity at this critical moment. I invite all nationsto adopt more ambitious national targets to re-duce emissions, in preparation for the importantClimate Summit (COP 26) in Glasgow in theUnited Kingdom.

Biodiversity restoration is also crucially imp or-tant in the context of unprecedented loss of spe-cies and degradation of ecosystems. We need tosupport the U.N. call to safeguard 30% of theearth as protected habitats by 2030 in order tostem the alarming rate of biodiversity loss. I urgethe international community to work together toguarantee that the Summit on Biodiversity (COP15) in Kunming, China becomes a turning pointin restoring the earth to be a home of life inabundance, as willed by the Creator.

We must restore with justice in mind, ensuringthat those who have lived on the land for genera-tions can regain control over its usage. Indigen-ous communities must be protected from com-panies, particularly multinational companies, that“operate in less developed countries in ways theycould never do at home” (LS, 51), through the de-structive extraction of fossil fuels, minerals, tim-ber and agroindustrial products. This corporatemisconduct is a “new version of colonialism”(SAINT JOHN PAU L II, Address to the PontificalAcademy of Social Sciences, 27 April 2001, cited inQuerida Amazonia, 14), one that shamefully ex-ploits poorer countries and communities desper-ately seeking economic development. We need tostrengthen national and international legislationto regulate the activities of extractive companiesand ensure access to justice for those affected.

5. A Time to RejoiceIn the biblical tradition, a Jubilee was a joyous

occasion, inaugurated by a trumpet blast resound-ing throughout the land. We are aware that thecries of the earth and of the poor have becomeeven louder and more painful in recent years. Atthe same time, we also witness how the HolySpirit is inspiring individuals and communitiesaround the world to come together to rebuild ourcommon home and defend the most vulnerable inour midst. We see the gradual emergence of agreat mobilization of people from below andfrom the peripheries who are generously workingfor the protection of the land and of the poor.We rejoice to see how young people and com-munities, particularly indigenous communities,are on the frontlines in responding to the ecologi-cal crisis. They are calling for a Jubilee for theearth and a new beginning, aware that “thingscan change” (LS, 13).

We also rejoice to see how the Laudato Si’ Sp e-cial Anniversary Year is inspiring many initiativesat local and global levels for the care of our com-mon home and the poor. This year should lead tolong-term action plans to practise integral ecologyin our families, parishes and dioceses, religiousorders, our schools and universities, our health-care, business and agricultural institutions, andmany others as well.

We rejoice too that faith communities are com-ing together to create a more just, peaceful andsustainable world. We are particularly happy thatthe Season of Creation is becoming a truly ecu-menical initiative. Let us continue to grow in theawareness that we all live in a common home asmembers of a single family.

Let us all rejoice that our loving Creator sus-tains our humble efforts to care for the earth,

In his message for the World Day of Prayer for theCare of Creation and the Season of Creation, releasedon Tuesday morning, 1 September, Pope Francisrenewed his appeal “for the cancellation of the debt ofthe most vulnerable countries, in recognition of thesevere impacts of the medical, social and economiccrises they face as a result of Covid-19”. This, heexplained would be a gesture of “restorative justice”.The following is the English text of the Message.

“You shall thus hallow the fiftieth yearand you shall proclaim a release throughout

the land to all its inhabitants. It shall bea jubilee for you.” (Lev 25:10)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,Each year, particularly since the publication ofthe Encyclical Laudato Si’ (LS, 24 May 2015), thefirst day of September is celebrated by the Chris-tian family as the World Day of Prayer for theCare of Creation and the beginning of the Seasonof Creation, which concludes on the feast of SaintFrancis of Assisi on the fourth of October. Dur-ing this period, Christians worldwide renew their

faith in the God of creation and join in prayerand work for the care of our common home.

I am very pleased that the theme chosen by theecumenical family for the celebration of the 2020Season of Creation is Jubilee for the Earth, pre-cisely in this year that marks the fiftieth an-niversary of Earth Day.

In the Holy Scriptures, a Jubilee is a sacredtime to remember, return, rest, restore, and re-joice.

1. A Time to RememberWe are invited to remember above all that cre-

ation’s ultimate destiny is to enter into God’seternal Sabbath. This journey, however, takesplace in time, spanning the seven-day rhythm ofthe week, the cycle of seven years, and the greatJubilee Year that comes at the end of the sevenSabbath years.

A Jubilee is indeed a time of grace to remem-ber creation’s original vocation to exist and flour-ish as a community of love. We exist only in rela-tionships: with God the Creator, with our broth-ers and sisters as members of a common family,and with all of God’s creatures within our com-mon home. “Everything is related, and we humanbeings are united as brothers and sisters on awonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love

God has for each of his creatures and which alsounites us in fond affection with brother sun, sistermoon, brother river and mother earth” (LS, 92).

A Jubilee, then, is a time of remembrance, inwhich we cherish the memory of our inter-rela-tional existence. We need constantly to rememberthat “everything is interconnected, and that genu-ine care for our own lives and our relationshipswith nature is inseparable from fraternity, justiceand faithfulness to others” (LS, 70).

2. A Time to ReturnA Jubilee is a time to turn back in repentance.

We have broken the bonds of our relationshipwith the Creator, with our fellow human beings,and with the rest of creation. We need to heal thedamaged relationships that are essential to sup-porting us and the entire fabric of life.

A Jubilee is a time to return to God our lovingCreator. We cannot live in harmony with creationif we are not at peace with the Creator who is thesource and origin of all things. As Pope Benedictobserved, “the brutal consumption of creation be-gins where God is missing, where matter has be-come simply material for us, where we ourselvesare the ultimate measure, where everything issimply our property” (Meeting with Priests, Dea-cons, and Seminarians of the Diocese of Bolzano-B re s s a n o n e , 6 August 2008).

The Jubilee season calls us to think once againof our fellow human beings, especially the poorand the most vulnerable. We are asked to re-ap-propriate God’s original and loving plan of cre-ation as a common heritage, a banquet which allof our brothers and sisters share in a spirit of con-viviality, not in competitive scramble but in joyfulfellowship, supporting and protecting one anoth-er. A Jubilee is a time for setting free the op-pressed and all those shackled in the fetters ofvarious forms of modern slavery, including traf-ficking in persons and child labour.

We also need once more to listen to the land it-self, which Scripture calls adamah, the soil fromwhich man, Ad a m , was made. Today we hear thevoice of creation admonishing us to return to ourrightful place in the natural created order — to re-member that we are part of this interconnectedweb of life, not its masters. The disintegration ofbiodiversity, spiralling climate disasters, and un-just impact of the current pandemic on the poorand vulnerable: all these are a wakeup call in theface of our rampant greed and consumption.

Particularly during this Season of Creation,may we be attentive to the rhythms of this createdworld. For the world was made to communicatethe glory of God, to help us to discover in itsbeauty the Lord of all, and to return to him (cf.SAINT BO N AV E N T U R E , In II Sent., I, 2, 2, q. 1,conclusion; B re v i l o q u i u m , II, 5.11). The earth fromwhich we were made is thus a place of prayer andmeditation. “Let us awaken our God-given aes-thetic and contemplative sense” (Querida Amazo-nia, 56). The capacity to wonder and to contem-plate is something that we can learn especiallyfrom our indigenous brothers and sisters, who livein harmony with the land and its multiple formsof life.

Pope Francis’ message on theWorld Day of Prayer for theCare of Creation is an openingevent in the Season of Cre-ation, an annual ecumenicalcelebration of prayer and ac-tion for our common home.

In 2019, Pope Francis issuedhis first Papal message on theseason. This year Msgr Bruno-Marie Duffé, Secretary of theDicastery for Promoting Inte-gral Human Development,published a letter inviting allCatholics, and bishops in par-ticular, to take part in the sea-son as part of the Laudato Si’Special Anniversary Year. Tenbishops’ conferences, includingthose in Asia, Eastern Africa,Europe, Ireland, Italy, and thePhilippines this year, have sup-ported the season, with morestatements anticipated. Thesuggested theme for this year’scelebration is “Jubilee for theEarth”, and Christians are en-couraged to develop radicallynew ways of living with cre-ation. Hundreds of in-person

events will take place duringthe season, which runs from 1September through 4 October,the Feast of Saint Francis.

In addition to local in-per-son events, online events willhelp Catholics reflect on thecore themes of the season andhow they relate to the crises ofto day.

Pope Francis’ prayer inten-tion for the month of Septem-ber and the Season of Creationis that “the planet’s resourceswill not be plundered, butshared in a just and respectfulmanner”.

The Global Catholic Cli-mate Movement has organ-ized a range of events. On 1September an online Ecumen-ical Prayer meeting tookplace, led by young peoplewho urged adults to act nowfor the good of the commonhome. On 2 September, thetheme “A Just Transition forAsia-Pacific and Oceania” wasdiscussed. The webinar ex-plored how the coronavirus

crisis and the environmentalcrisis are related in Asia-Pa-cific and Oceania, and howregional approaches to a justtransition to integral ecologycould be developed. “Refuel-ling Africa through EthicalInvestment” will be the themeon 10 September. Then on 17and 18 September there willbe a reflection on “Just Trans-ition for Latin America, theContinent of Hope”, followedby a reflection on “A JustTransition: European Nations’Responsibility to their Peopleand to the World” on 24Septemb er.

page 6 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 4 September 2020, number 36

Joint Document of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the World Council of Churches

Serving a wounded world

Founder and editor for 46 years

Father Ian Boyd leaves ‘The Chesterton Review’

Bishops call on Catholics for a day of prayer and fasting against racism

Violence continues in the US

World Mission Day to becelebrated on 18 October

In response to some requests regarding the cele-bration of World Mission Day 2020, the Con-gregation for the Evangelization of Peoples con-firms that it will be celebrated this year at theuniversal level on Sunday, 18 October, withoutvariations to the calendar.

In many dioceses preparations for World Mis-sion Day have been underway for some time andthe missionary animation of the People of Godremains pre-eminent. Indeed, faith by its verynature is missionary, and the celebration of WorldMission Day serves to keep this essential dimen-sion of the Christian faith alive in all the faithful.

The Congregation for the Evangelization ofPeoples also relies on the sense of communionand co-responsibility of the bishops for the collec-tion on that Day that will be in favour of thePontifical Mission Societies, which work in a uni-versal context for the equitable support of theChurches in mission territories.

After 46 years of service, Father Ian Boyd of theCongregation of St Basil has announced his re-tirement as editor of “The Chesterton Review”,

the journal he founded in Canada in 1974. Hehopes to return to Seton Hall when the Reviewmarks its 50th anniversary in 2024. His suc-cessor will be Prof. Dermot Quinn, his col-league and long-time friend at the GK Chester-ton Institute for Faith and Culture. Father Boydwill continue to serve as Founder and Presidentemeritus of the Institute. Meanwhile, in honourof his 20 years at Seton Hall as well as the workat the Chesterton Institute in Canada and theUSA since 1974, a plaque and permanent exhibi-tion have been placed in Seton Hall’s WalshLibrary. “Everything he did for the journal wasmarked by his wonderfully sharp and penetrat-ing intelligence, his extraordinary breadth ofreading, his creative editorial imagination, andhis marvelous gift for anecdote and appositequotation”, said Prof. Quinn, also noting thatFr Boyd “also insisted that good writing shouldbe at the heart of the Review, that its proseshould be worthy of its subject. I hope to con-tinue that tradition”. Prof. Quinn, a graduate ofTrinity College in Dublin and New College inOxford, has authored three books, numerousarticles, and has written and spoken extensivelyon Chestertonian themes for over 30 years.

Tensions remain high in Kenosha,Wisconsin after two protesters werekilled by an armed 17-year-old dur-ing the clashes and protests that fol-lowed the incident on 23 August inwhich Jacob Blake, an AfricanAmerican, was shot by police. In astatement, Archbishop Jerome Ed-ward Listecki of Milwaukee (whichincludes Kenosha) launched an ap-peal against racism and violencewhich, he stated, “can never be themeans to attain peace and justice”.Moreover, he emphasized that “thesins of violence, injustice, racism andhatred must be purged from ourcommunities with acts of mercy,with the protection and care for thedignity of every human person, with

respect for the common good, andwith an unwavering pursuit ofequality and peace”.

Archbishop Listecki is joined byall the bishops of the United States,who called on Catholics to unite ina special day of prayer and fastingagainst racism, on 28 August, the57th anniversary of Martin LutherKing’s celebrated “I have a dream”speech, or alternatively on 9September, the feast day of SaintPeter Claver. In a statement, BishopShelton J. Fabre, President of theUSCCB’s ad hoc committee againstracism, invited in particular all thefaithful to participate in a Mass of

reparation against the sins of racism,to recite the Rosary for the healingof this wound, and to ask for the in-tercession of Saints such as PeterClavel and Katharine Drexel, whohad fought for racial equality. “Wemust continue to engage in thebattle against the current evils of oursociety and in the words of Dr.King, refuse to believe ‘that thebank of justice is bankrupt’’’, BishopFabre said.

Protests were ignited in Rochester,New York after a press conferenceon Wednesday, 2 September, re-vealed the death in March of anoth-er African American as he was being

taken into police custody. Videofootage from police body camerasshow police putting a hood overDaniel Prude’s head while he was inhandcuffs, and then pressing hisface into the ground for two minutesafter which the man stopped mov-ing. He died seven days later on 30March. The cause of death was“complications of asphyxia in thesetting of physical restraint”.

P ru d e ’s death occurred twomonths before the death of GeorgeFloyd in police custody causedworldwide protests. The news wasnot made public as it took monthsto obtain the body camera imagesand there were no other known re-cordings of the arrest.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and thePontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue(PCID) have released a joint document, “Serving aWounded World in Interreligious Solidarity: AChristian Call to Reflection and Action DuringCovid-19”. Its purpose is to encourage churchesand Christian organizations to reflect on the im-portance of interreligious solidarity in a worldwounded by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The document offers a Christian basis for inter-religious solidarity that can inspire and confirmthe impulse to serve a world wounded not onlyby Covid-19 but also by many other factors. Thepublication is also designed to be useful to practi-tioners of other religions, who have already re-sponded to Covid-19 with similar thoughts basedon their own traditions.

The document recognizes the current contextof the pandemic as a time for discovering newforms of solidarity for rethinking the post-Covid-19 world. Comprised of five sections, the docu-

ment reflects on the nature of a solidarity sus-tained by hope and offers a Christian basis for in-terreligious solidarity, a few key principles and aset of recommendations on how reflection onsolidarity can be translated into concrete andcredible action.

Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, Presi-dent of the PCID, reflected that Christian serviceand solidarity in a wounded world has been partof the agenda of the PCID/WCC since last year.The Covid-19 pandemic pressed the project intoaction as “a timely ecumenical and interreligiousresp onse”, he said, adding that “the pandemic hasexposed the woundedness and fragility of ourworld, revealing that our responses must beoffered in an inclusive solidarity, open to follow-ers of other religious traditions and people ofgood will, given the concern for the entire humanfamily”.

The WCC interim General Secretary Rev. Prof.Dr Ioan Sauca reflected that interreligious dia-

logue is vital to healing and caring for one anoth-er on a global level. “In the face of the Covid-19pandemic, the human family is facing together anunp re cedented call to protect one another, and toheal our communities”, he said. “I n t e r re l i g i o u sdialogue not only helps clarify the principles ofour own faith and our identity as Christians, butalso opens our understanding of the challengesand creative solutions others may have”.

The document is the latest to be co-producedby the WCC and the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue following the publication of“Education for Peace in a Multi-Religious World:A Christian Perspective” in May 2019.

number 36, Friday, 4 September 2020 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 7

Message of the Ecumenical Patriarch

Joint action to save the Earth

CONTINUED FROM PA G E 2

BARTHOLOMEW

Dearest brother Hierarchs andbeloved children in the Lord, it isa shared conviction that, in ourtime, the natural environment ist h re a t ened like never before inthe history of humankind. Themagnitude of this threat becomesmanifest in the fact that what isat stake is not anymore the qual-ity, but the preservation of life onour planet. For the first time inhistory, man is capable of destroy-ing the conditions of life onearth. Nuclear weapons are thesymbol of man’s Promethean ti-tanism, the tangible expression ofthe “complex of omnipotence” ofthe contemporary “man-go d.”

In using the power that stemsfrom science and technology,what is revealed today is the am-bivalence of man’s freedom. Sci-ence serves life; it contributes toprogress, confronting illnessesand many conditions that werehitherto considered “fateful”; itcreates new positive perspectivesfor the future. However, at thesame time, it provides man withall-powerful means, whose misusecan be turned destructive. We areexperiencing the unfolding de-struction of the natural environ-ment, of biodiversity, of flora andfauna, of the pollution of aquaticresources and the atmosphere, theprogressing collapse of climatebalance, as well as other excessesof boundaries and measures inmany dimensions of life. TheHoly and Great Council of theOrthodox Church (Crete, 2016)rightly and splendidly decreedthat “scientific knowledge doesnot mobilise the moral will ofman, who knows the dangers butcontinues to act as if he did notk n o w. ” (Encyclical, § 11)

It is apparent that the protec-tion of the common good, of theintegrity of the natural environ-ment, is the common responsibil-ity of all inhabitants of the earth.The contemporary categorical im-perative for humankind is that welive without des t ro y ing the envir-onment. However, while on apersonal level and on the level ofmany communities, groups,movements and organisations,there is a demonstration of greatsensitivity and ecological respons-ibility, nations and economicagents are unable — in the nameof geopolitical ambitions and the“autonomy of the economy” — toadopt the correct decisions forthe protection of creation and in-stead cultivate the illusion thatthe pretended “global ecologicald e s t ru c t i o n ” is an ideological fab-rication of ecological movementsand that the natural environmenthas the power of renewing itself.

Yet the crucial question remains:How much longer will nature en-dure the fruitless discussions andconsultations, as well as any fur-ther delay in assuming decisiveactions for its protection?

The fact that, during the peri-od of the pandemic of the novelcoronavirus Covid-19, with themandatory restrictions of move-ment, the shutdown of factories,and the diminishment in industri-al activity and production, we ob-served a reduction of pollutionand encumbrance of the atmo-sphere has proved the anthropo-genic nature of the contemporaryecological crisis. It became onceagain clear that industry, the con-temporary means of transporta-tion, the automobile and theaeroplane, the non-negotiable pri-ority of economic indicators andthe like, negatively impact the en-vironmental balance and that achange of direction toward anecological economy constitutes anunwavering necessity. There is nogenuine progress that is foundedon the destruction of the naturalenvironment. It is inconceivablethat we adopt economic decisionswithout also taking into accounttheir ecological consequences.Economic development cannot re-main a nightmare for ecology. Weare certain that there is an alter-native way of economic structureand development besides the eco-nomism and the orientation ofeconomic activity toward themaximisation of profiteering.

The future of humanity is notthe homo œconomicus. The Ecu-menical Patriarchate, which in re-cent decades has pioneered in thefield of the protection of the cre-ation, will continue its ecologicalinitiatives, the organisation ofecological conferences, the mobil-isation of its faithful and espe-cially the youth, the promotion ofthe environment’s protection as afundamental subject for interreli-gious dialogue and the commoninitiatives of religions, the con-tacts with political leaders and in-stitutions, the cooperation withenvironmental organisations andecological movements. It is evid-ent that the collaboration for theprotection of the environmentcreates additional avenues ofcommunication and possibilitiesfor new common actions.

We repeat that the environ-mental activities of the Ecumenic-al Patriarchate are an extension ofits ecclesiological self-conscious-ness and do not comprise asimple circumstantial reaction toa new phenomenon. The very lifeof the Church is an applied eco-logy. The sacraments of theChurch, its entire life of worship,its asceticism and communal life,

the daily life of its faithful, ex-press and generate the deepest re-spect for creation. The ecologicalsensitivity of Orthodoxy was notcreated by but emerged from thecontemporary environmentalcrisis. The struggle for the protec-tion of creation is a central di-mension of our faith. Respect forthe environment is an act of dox-ology of God’s name, while thedestruction of creation is an of-

endeavour even before the im-mense challenges. From the per-spective of faith, we are able todiscover and assess not only theproblematic dimensions but alsothe positive possibilities and pro-spects of contemporary civilisa-tion. We call upon Orthodoxyoung men and women to realisethe significance of living as faith-ful Christians and contemporarypeople. Faith in the eternal des-

fence against the Creator, entirelyirreconcilable with the basic ten-ets of Christian theology.

Most honourable brothers anddearly beloved children.

The ecofriendly values of theOrthodox tradition, the preciouslegacy of the Fathers, constitutean embankment against the cul-ture, whose axiological founda-tion is the domination of manover nature. Faith in Christ in-spires and strengthens the human

tiny of man strengthens our wit-ness in the world.

In this spirit, from the Phanar,we wish all of you a propitiousand all-blessed new ecclesiasticalyear, fruitful in Christ-like deeds,for the benefit of all creation andto the glory of the all-wise Creat-or of all. And we invoke uponyou, through the intercessions ofthe All-Holy Theotokos, the Pam-makaristos, the grace and mercyof the God of wonders.

that the individual faithful cannot beseparated from the ecclesial com-munity. “In the Church”, Francis him-self emphasized in the 25 June 2014General Audience, “there is no ‘do ity o u rs e l f ’, there are no ‘f re e agents’”, be-cause “to be Christian means belong-ing to the Church. The first name is‘Christian’, the last name is ‘belongingto the Church’”.

Just as meaningful is the languageused in the Wednesday Audiences, inharmony with what happens in theSanta Marta homilies. The Pope infact focuses on the central themes ofChristian life, always turning to a lan-guage that is simple and understand-able to all, which captures the essen-tial nature of faith in Jesus Christ. Ina time marked by religious illiteracy,the Pope becomes a ‘catechist’ andexplains directly, without subordinateconcepts, because the encounter withthe Lord is life-changing and opensus up to an undying hope. In theseseven-and-a-half years, on the otherhand, the series of his catecheses haveembraced a very ample space: fromthe Sacraments to Mercy, from theEucharist to the Commandments.

And Francis has not failed to offer hismeditations on the fundamental issuesof daily life too: from the family topeace, from rebuke to a just and sup-portive economy, to the most recentseries of catecheses, which began on 5August, centred on the theme “Healthe World”.

The Pope knows that the Churchhas no ready ‘recip es’ for coming outof the crisis, but — with these recentreflections — he wishes to share withall people of good will a Christianview to face the issues that the pan-demic has highlighted, especially ‘so-cial ills’, a virus even more arduous todefeat than Covid-19. Of course, evenin a context with novel modalities, hisencounter with people, with thePeople of God that — as he hasshared many times — he feels heneeds, will help him give us a per-spective of hope, of healing and re-newal. A perspective that moves fromthe conviction, expressed in the StatioOrbis on 27 March, that “no onereaches salvation by themselves” andtherefore only by walking together,only by feeling we are brothers andsisters of others, will we be able toemerge from this time of trial betterthan before.

On the occasion of the beginning of the new ecclesiastical year on 1 Septem-ber, which traditionally coincides with the World Day of Prayer for the Careof Creation, the Ecumenical Patriarch, Archbishop of Constantinople, hasreleased a message on the protection of creation. The following is the Englishtext of his message.

Francis and the General Audiences

page 8 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 4 September 2020, number 36

ANGELUS

At the end of the Angelus on Sunday, 30 August, Pope Francismade an appeal for “constructive dialogue and respect forinternational law” in order to guarantee peace to the peoples of theEastern Mediterranean. He expressed concern over growing tensionin the area and his hopes for an end to the conflict. Earlier, theHoly Father had reflected on the day’s Gospel passage of Matthewin which Jesus points the way of the cross to his disciples. Thefollowing is a translation of the Pope’s remarks which he shared inItalian with the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.

Dialogue and international law in order to resolveconflicts in the Eastern Mediterranean

Pope talks about Day for the Care of Creation and the environmental catastrophe in Mauritius

Dear Brothers and Sisters,Good morning!To day’s Gospel passage (cf. Mt16:21-27) is linked to that of lastSunday (cf. Mt 16:13-20). AfterPeter, on behalf of the other dis-ciples as well, has professed hisfaith in Jesus as Messiah andSon of God, Jesus himself beginsto speak to them about his Pas-sion. Along the path to Jerus-alem, he openly explains to hisfriends what awaits him at theend in the Holy City: he foretellsthe mystery of his death and Re-surrection, of his humiliation andglory. He says that he will haveto “suffer many things from theelders and chief priests andscribes, and be killed, and on thethird day be raised” (Mt 16:21).But his words are not under-stood, because the disciples havea faith that is still immature andtoo closely tied to the mentalityof this world (cf. Rom 12:2).They think of too earthly a vic-tory, and therefore they do notunderstand the language of thec ro s s .

At the prospect that Jesus mayfail and die on the cross, Peterhimself rebels and says to Him:“God forbid, Lord! This shallnever happen to you!” (v. 22). Hebelieves in Jesus — Peter is likethis — he has faith, he believes inJesus; he believes; he wants tofollow him, but does not acceptthat his glory will pass throughthe Passion. For Peter and theother disciples — but for us too!— the cross is an uncomfortablething, the cross is a “hindrance”,whereas Jesus considers the“hindrance” escaping the cross,which would mean avoiding theFa t h e r ’s will, the mission that theFather has entrusted to him forour salvation. For this reasonJesus responds to Peter: “Get be-hind me, Satan! You are ahindrance to me; for you are not

on the side of God, but of men”(v. 23). Ten minutes earlier, Jesushad praised Peter. He had prom-ised him he would be the base ofhis Church, its foundation; tenminutes later he says to him,“Satan”. How can this be under-stood? It happens to us all! Inmoments of devotion, of fervour,of good will, of closeness to ourneighbour, we look to Jesus andwe go forward; but in momentsin which we approach the cross,we flee. The devil, Satan — asJesus says to Peter — tempts us. Itis typical of the evil spirit, it istypical of the devil to make usstray from the cross, from thecross of Jesus.

Addressing everyone then,Jesus adds: “If any man wouldcome after me, let him deny him-self and take up his cross and fol-low me” (v. 24). In this way heindicates the way of the true dis-ciple, showing two attitudes. Thefirst is “to renounce oneself”,which does not mean a superficialchange, but a conversion, a re-versal of mentality and of values.The other attitude is that of tak-ing up one’s own cross. It is not

sidering this, let us make surethat the cross hanging on the wallat home, or that little one that wewear around our neck, is a sign ofour wish to be united with Christin lovingly serving our brothersand sisters, especially the littlestand most fragile. The cross is theholy sign of God’s Love, it is asign of Jesus’ Sacrifice, and is notto be reduced to a superstitiousobject or an ornamental necklace.Each time we fix our gaze on theimage of Christ crucified, let uscontemplate that he, as the trueServant of the Lord, has accom-plished his mission, giving life,spilling his blood for the pardon-ing of sins. And let us not allowourselves to be drawn to the oth-er side by the temptation of theEvil One. Therefore, if we wantto be his disciples, we are calledto imitate him, expending our lifeunreservedly out of love of Godand neighbour.

May the Virgin Mary, united toher Son unto Calvary, help us notto retreat in the face of the trialsand suffering that witnessing tothe Gospel entails.

After the Angelus, the Holy Fathercontinued:

Dear brothers and sisters, theday after tomorrow, 1st Septem-ber, is the World Day of Prayerfor the Care of Creation. Fromthis date, until 4 October, we willcelebrate with our Christianbrothers and sisters from variousChurches and traditions the “Ju-bilee for the Earth”, to commem-orate the establishment, 50 yearsago, of Earth Day. I send mygreeting to the various initiativespromoted in every part of theworld and, among them, theConcert held today in theCathedral of Port-Louis, capitalof Mauritius, where unfortunatelyan environmental catastrophe hasrecently occurred.

I am following with concernthe tensions in the Eastern Medi-terranean area, which is underthreat from various outbreaks ofinstability. I appeal, please, forconstructive dialogue and respectfor international law in order toresolve the conflicts that threatenthe peace of the peoples of thatre g i o n .

And I greet all of you gatheredhere today from Rome, Italy andvarious countries. I see the flagsthere, and I greet the ReligiousCommunity of East Timor inItaly. Bravo, those of you withflags! The pilgrims from Londrinaand Formosa, in Brazil; and theyoung people of Grantorto, dio-cese of Vicenza. Welcome! I alsosee Polish flags, I greet the Polishpeople; Argentinian flags, also theArgentinians. Welcome to you all!

I wish you all a blessedSunday. Please do not forget topray for me. Enjoy your lunch.Ar r i v e d e rc i !

just a matter of pa-tiently enduring dailytribulations, but ofbearing with faith andresponsibility that partof toil, and that part ofsuffering that thestruggle against evil en-tails. The life of Christi-ans is always a struggle.The Bible says that thelife of Christians is amilitary undertaking:fighting against the evilspirit, fighting againstEvil.

Thus the task of“taking up the cross”becomes participatingwith Christ in the salva-tion of the world. Con- People attend protest in Port Louis (AFP)