AD LIMINA APOSTOLORUM: Irish Episcopal Conference
26 June 1999
Dear Brother Bishops,
1. With great joy, I welcome you, the Bishops of Ireland, on the occasion of
your visit ad Limina Apostolorum, and I gladly avail myself of this
opportunity to send warm greetings to the priests, religious and laity of your
dearly remembered country. Your visit is an opportunity to renew and strengthen
the bonds of faith and communion which have marked Ireland's relationship to the
See of Peter from the first. In a real sense your visit is a pilgrimage, during
which you pray at the tombs of Apostles Peter and Paul and meditate on the grace
and responsibility which is yours in the service of the Gospel. The Apostles
continue to inspire us, their Successors, by their teaching and example, and
they challenge us to be "examples to the flock" (1 Pt 5:3), men of God
who "fight the good fight of the faith" and who have taken hold of "the eternal
life to which we were called when we made the good confession in the presence of
many witnesses" (cf. 1 Tim 6:12).
The Church's celebration of the two thousandth anniversary of Christ's coming
as man is imminent, and this event constitutes a special kairos in our
pastoral ministry. The Incarnate Word is the fulfillment of the yearning for God
present in every human heart. He is "the faithful witness" (Rev 1:5) that
the Father has sent to seek out every man and woman and draw them to share in
the inmost life of the Trinity. As a celebration of the supreme manifestation of
God's love, the Great Jubilee obliges the Shepherds of the Church to intensify
their efforts in the new evangelization needed to lay solid foundations for
Christian living in the next Millennium. We should recall the words of the
Second Vatican Council: "The Church believes that Christ, who died and was
raised up for all, can though his Spirit, offer man the light and the strength
to measure up to his supreme destiny. . . that beneath all changes there are so
many realities which do not change and which have their ultimate foundation in
Christ, who is the same yesterday and today and for ever (cf. Heb 13:8)"
(Gaudium et Spes, 10). In consequence, we must have no fear or hesitation
in fulfilling the tasks committed to us, namely, to be true and authentic
teachers of the faith (munus docendi), ministers of grace (munus
sanctificandi) and good shepherds of God's people (munus regendi)
(cf. Christus Dominus, 2).
2. Society needs to rediscover the original freshness of the Gospel and to
hear again Christ's message of salvation, truth, hope and joy for the world. As
Bishops, one of our primary duties is to announce and teach the Catholic and
Apostolic faith. To be convincing, we must allow ourselves to be personally and
continually transformed by a deep and prayerful relationship with the Divine
Master, so that we can communicate to others what we have been privileged to
receive. The words of my predecessor Pope Paul VI are most appropriate:
"Contemporary man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, or if he
listens to teachers, he does so because they are witnesses. He feels, in fact,
an instinctive revulsion for everything that appears as pretence, façade or
compromise. In this context, we can understand the importance of a life which
truly resounds with the Gospel" (General Audience, 2 October 1974).
You are well aware of the demands which the present situation makes upon your
ministry. Recent years have witnessed many changes in Irish society, and while
some aspects of this transformation make the proclamation of the Gospel more
difficult, it is also true that many of the faithful are eager to have a more
enlightened knowledge of the faith, to deepen their relationship with God in
prayer, to learn how to follow Christ more closely in their daily lives and in
the service of the common good, and to have a more lively sense of their own
role and responsibility within the Church. This is observable in the spread of
prayer groups, Eucharistic adoration and pilgrimages, as well as in the laity's
increased involvement in evangelization, works of charity, the defence of life
and the promotion of justice. It is also true that the exaggerated individualism
which sometimes accompanies increased material prosperity has brought in its
wake a declining sense of God's presence and of the transcendent meaning of
human life. The relativism which then takes hold often leads to a rejection of
the objective foundations of morality and an overly subjective understanding of
conscience, a theme which you addressed in a joint Pastoral Letter of 1998.
There follows a corrosion of the sense that Christianity teaches the truth - a
truth which we ourselves have not devised but which comes to us as gift. This
can in turn lead to discouragement and to the belief that the Church no longer
has anything of relevance to say to the men and women of our day. But in fact
Christian experience over the centuries, and in our own time also, shows that
faith, when tested, can emerge stronger, freer and more vigorous, just as the
history of the Church in Ireland eloquently testifies.
3. The new evangelization which can make the next century a springtime of the
Gospel will depend very much on the lay faithful being fully aware of their
baptismal vocation and of their responsibility for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Today it is often the laity who must be in the forefront in seeking to apply the
Church's teaching to the ethical, moral and social questions which arise in
their communities or at the national level. The specific mission of lay men and
women is the evangelization of the family, of culture, and of social and
political life. In this, they look to the Bishops for encouragement and
leadership.
The Bishops' task in this regard is to promote the holiness of life and the
Christian formation that will enable the laity, in the heart of the temporal
order, "to testify how the Christian faith constitutes the only fully valid
response ... to the problems and hopes that life poses to every person and
society" (Christifideles Laici, 34). Exercising the discernment which
belongs to your apostolic office, you must be like the "householder who brings
out of his treasure what is new and what is old" (Mt 13:52). It is in
this sense that the new evangelization requires a renewal of pastoral governance
and activity. As I have often stated, it calls for efforts that are new in
ardour, methods and expression (cf. Veritatis Splendor, 106). This is not
novelty for novelty's sake. In fact, the practices and traditions that have been
an integral part of Irish Catholic life should be maintained, and revived where
necessary: sacramental practice, popular piety, pilgrimages and traditional
devotions which sustain the life of grace and moral commitment have not lost
their relevance. There is likewise a need for new forms of prayer and
apostolate, new structures and programmes, that help to build a greater sense of
belonging to the ecclesial community, a new flourishing of associations and
movements capable of showing the perennial youth of the Church and of being a
genuine leaven in society. Your personal closeness is needed in supporting and
guiding already existing associations of the faithful, many of which have
extraordinary merits in the life of the Church in Ireland, as well as the new
groups and movements which the Holy Spirit is constantly generating in the
Church in response to changing needs.
4. The new evangelization is all the more urgent in view of the many complex
reasons which make more difficult the transmission of the faith from one
generation to another, with the result that knowledge of the truths of the faith
and religious practice, especially among young adults, is declining. Certainly,
some of the reasons for this are external to the Church. But others fall within
that watchfulness which is an essential part of the ministry of Bishops. The
Bishop is the principal teacher of the faith in the portion of the Church
committed to his care, and it must be his constant concern to ensure that the
true content of Catholic doctrine is taught effectively. Nothing can substitute
for the power of the truths of the faith themselves to attract, convince and
transform a person's inner experience. Catholic educators should bear in mind
what the Council said, that "the future of humanity lies in the hands of those
who are strong enough to provide coming generations with reasons for living and
hoping" (Gaudium et Spes, 31). Without the "historical memory" of the
two- thousand-year-old tradition of spirituality and culture to which they are
heirs, young people find it very difficult to feel an attachment to the Church,
and even more difficult to commit themselves to her in a definitive way.
For Bishops and priests the main means of transmitting the faith is through
preaching and catechesis. In study, reflection, discernment and prayer, they
must continually make their own the saving truth of Christ, in order to be able
to transmit a solidly rooted vision of the faith, relevant to the needs of our
times. You are called to proclaim the truth courageously, even if what you teach
sometimes goes against socially accepted opinion, in the knowledge that the
person and teaching of Jesus Christ are not marginal to the needs of today's
culture, but on the contrary reveal the deepest meaning of all things human.
5. In the new evangelization, marriage and the family must be the subject of
intense pastoral attention. Young people must be helped to develop that
generosity, self-giving and commitment which marriage requires. Pre-marriage
preparation should ensure that couples fully understand the nature of Christian
marriage and are in a position to undertake its responsibilities. Parishes and
Catholic associations can be instrumental in supporting couples and families by
organizing adult catechesis, spiritual retreats, counselling, or events at which
families meet and encourage one another. New ideas and new energies are required
to meet the needs of couples in difficulty, and in particular to reach out
promptly and efficaciously to women facing pressures to reject the unborn life
they bear. The new evangelization involves a strenuous defence of the right to
life, the most basic of all human rights - more basic than any individual's,
group's or government's "right to choose". It calls for the faithful to be ever
more aware of the Church's social teaching, ever more active in promoting truth
and justice in public life and interpersonal relations. It demands practical
solidarity with the weaker sectors of society and all those who are left at the
margin of economic development.
6. Relying on the power of God's grace linked to episcopal ordination, a
Bishop must be eager to offer inspiration and encouragement to all those who
share with him the burden of the ministry. He must have a close relationship
with his priests, characterized by pastoral charity, the capacity to listen, and
a sincere concern for their spiritual and human well-being. At a time when
priests are suffering due to the pressures of the surrounding culture and the
terrible scandal given by some of their brother priests, it is essential to
invite them to draw strength from a deeper insight into their priestly identity
and mission. I have been close to you in suffering and prayer, commending to the
"God of all comfort" (2 Cor 1:3) those who have been victims of sexual
abuse on the part of clerics or religious. We must also pray that those who have
been guilty of this wrong will recognize the evil nature of their actions and
seek forgiveness.
These scandals, and a sociological rather than theological concept of the
Church, sometimes lead to calls for a change in the discipline of celibacy.
However, we cannot overlook the fact that the Church recognizes God's will
through the interior guidance of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 16:13) and that
the Church's living tradition constitutes a clear affirmation of the consonance
of celibacy, for profound theological and anthropological reasons, with the
sacramental "character" of the priesthood. The difficulties involved in
preserving chastity are not sufficient reason for overturning the law of
celibacy. Rather the Church "trusts in the Spirit that the gift of celibacy . .
. will be generously bestowed by the Father, as long as those who share in
Christ's priesthood through the Sacrament of Orders, and indeed the whole
Church, humbly and earnestly pray for it" (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 16).
Reflecting on the fiftieth anniversary of my own ordination, I recalled in
Gift and Mystery that the priestly vocation is a mystery of divine
choice, prompted only by God's love for the one called. It is a gift
which infinitely transcends the individual: "You did not choose me, but I chose
you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit
should abide" (Jn 15:16). These words are a challenge to priests to
reaffirm the goodness and unique significance of their calling, despite personal
weaknesses and failings. They should not hesitate to invite young men to the
radical self-giving which the priesthood involves: "The time has come to speak
courageously about priestly life as a priceless gift and a splendid and
privileged form of Christian living" (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 39). With
profound gratitude to God for the holiness, witness and commitment of so many
Irish priests, past and present, I encourage you to reaffirm the ideal of the
priestly life and to remind the entire ecclesial community of the extraordinary
grace implied in ordination, a unique sacramental configuration to Christ by
which the priest becomes Christ for others: an efficacious sign of God's saving
presence. His striving for holiness and personal maturity, his example of
Christian virtue and integrity, his pastoral charity towards all, these are the
conditions of a faithful and fruitful ministry, and are what the faithful have
the right to expect from those who have accepted the Lord's call.
7. The value of an authentic, stable and community-centred experience of
consecrated life is likewise of immeasurable value for the new evangelization.
At the approach of the Third Christian Millennium, the Church has great need of
a vital and appealing religious life, which testifies to the sovereignty of God
and to the value of the "total gift of self in the profession of the evangelical
counsels" (Vita Consecrata, 16). As many religious congregations are
facing the challenge of declining numbers and advancing age, Bishops need to
help them to reaffirm their confidence in their consecration and mission. Every
aspect of the Church's presence in the world, including all the forms of
consecrated life, is the result of and an expression of Christ's saving
Incarnation and Redemptive Death and Resurrection. Consecrated life makes
present in various ways the Chaste Christ, the Poor Christ, the Obedient Christ,
in a word, the Holy One of God. The importance of this witness for the life of
every local Church is such that a Bishop must not fail to do all he can to
promote and support this vocation which lies at the very heart of the Church,
since it manifests the inner nature of the Christian calling and the striving of
the whole Church as Bride towards union with her one Spouse (cf. Vita
Consecrata, 3).
8. A rejuvenation of the faith in Ireland can only come from a genuine
renewal of liturgical and sacramental life. Especially in the Eucharist, the
source and summit of the Church's life, the Holy Spirit leads the faithful to a
deep and transforming encounter with the Lord, and gives the grace which enables
them to live by the Gospel and to bear witness to it by their actions. Are not
the contemplative dimension of the liturgy and reverence for the true Presence,
which have been so characteristic of Irish Catholic life, particularly needed
now when so much in today's culture tends to remain at the level of the
ephemeral and superficial? In this regard, I am happy to note a renewal of
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in many parishes in Ireland, a sign that the
faithful still have a keen sense of what is essential and life- giving in their
faith.
In inviting the whole Church to an intense celebration of the Jubilee Year it
was my intention that the anniversary of Christ's Birth should be "a year of the
remission of sins and of the punishments due to them, a year of reconciliation
between disputing parties, a year of manifold conversions and of sacramental and
extra-sacramental penance" (Tertio Millennio Adveniente, 14). Prevailing
trends in contemporary culture weaken the sense of sin, particularly because of
a diminished consciousness of God who is all holy and calls his people to
holiness of life. A great pastoral effort is therefore required in order to help
the faithful to recover the sense of what sin is in relation to God, and
consequently to have a profound appreciation of the beauty and joy of the
Sacrament of Penance. This requires emphasis on the Sacrament in diocesan
pastoral programmes and Jubilee initiatives, calling Catholics to encounter anew
the uniquely transforming experience that is individual, integral confession and
absolution. The personal nature of sin, conversion, forgiveness and
reconciliation is the reason why personal confession of sins and individual
absolution are required (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1484). It
is also for this reason that general confession and general absolution are
appropriate only in cases of grave necessity clearly determined by liturgical
and canonical norms (cf. ibid., 1483; Code of Canon Law, Canons
961-963).
It is now twenty years since I made my Pastoral Visit to your country. On
that occasion, I witnessed for myself that at the heart of the Irish Catholic
experience is the combination of contemplation and mission, the two pillars on
which every evangelizing effort must necessarily stand or fall. It was this
combination that inspired Saint Patrick, Saint Colmcille, Saint Brigid, Saint
Columbanus, Saint Oliver Plunkett, the Irish Martyrs and so many saintly men and
women in more recent times to give up everything for Christ's sake in order to
make the Gospel known. May the coming celebration of the Great Jubilee lead to a
rekindling of the spirit of prayer and mission so that the Church in Ireland may
confidently face the next Millennium rejuvenated and renewed!
Entrusting you and all the priests, religious and laity of your Dioceses to
the intercession of Our Lady Queen of Ireland, I cordially impart my Apostolic
Blessing.
Teachings of the
Magisterium on Abortion
