Scottish Catholic Observer

Pope Benedict XVI, speaking at the closing of the Synod of Bishops on Sunday, said the Church must find new ways of bringing back those who had drifted from the Faith.

Pope Benedict celebrated Mass in St Peter’s Basilica to close the three-week synod of some 260 bishops, including Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow, from around the world that was an examination and exploration of the New Evangelisation

“Besides traditional and perennially valid pastoral methods, the Church seeks to adopt new ones, developing a new language, attuned to the different world cultures,” the Holy Father said.

Baptismal promise

The Pope went on to discuss the special concern of the Church for those who, though Baptised, do not reflect what he called, ‘the demands of Baptism,’ in their lives, explaining that, during the synod, it was emphasised that such people are found in all continents, especially in the most secularised countries.

“The Church is particularly concerned that they should encounter Jesus Christ anew, rediscover the joy of faith and return to religious practice in the community of the Faithful,” he said. The Holy Father also described the New Evangelisation as something that applies to the whole of the Church’s life: to the ordinary pastoral ministry that, he said: “Must be more animated by the fire of the Spirit, so as to inflame the hearts of the Faithful who regularly take part in community worship and gather on the Lord’s day to be nourished by His Word and by the Bread of Eternal Life.”

Stressing the need for appropriate catechesis to accompany preparation for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, the Holy Father said: “The importance of Confession, the Sacrament of God’s is another theme that emerged emphatically during the course of the Synod Fathers’ three weeks’ labours.

The Good News

The Pope also spoke of the ‘essential link’ between the New Evangelisation and the missio ad gentes—the Church’s efforts           to bring the Good News of Christ to all those who have yet to receive it.

“All people have a right to know Jesus Christ and His Gospel,” the Pope said. “Christians, all Christians, priests, religious and lay Faithful, have a corresponding duty to proclaim the Good News.”

Synod’s final message

The Pope’s words chimed with the synod’s final message, issued on Friday, which said the Catholic Faith in many advanced countries risks being ‘eclipsed’ by an increasingly secularised and materialistic world. Archbishop Tartaglia was among those who worked on this message.

However in their message to Catholics around the world, synod members said they were certain God ‘will not fail to look on our poverty in order to show the strength of His arm in our days and to sustain us in the path of the New Evangelisation.’

Even if the world often resembles a ‘desert’ for Christians, ‘we must journey, taking with us what is essential: the company of Jesus, the truth of His Word, the Eucharistic bread which nourishes us,’ the fellowship of community and the work of charity, the message said.

Looking at specific areas of Church and social life, the bishops first highlighted the role of the family, ‘where women play a very special role’ in teaching the faith.

The bishops promised greater efforts to strengthen and accompany Catholic families, particularly through marriage preparation and post-wedding programmes. While they condemned efforts to move away from a traditional definition of marriage, they expressed particular concern for divorced, separated or unmarried couples.

“To all of them we want to say that God’s love does not abandon anyone; that the Church loves them, too; that the Church is a house that welcomes all; that they remain members of the Church even if they cannot receive sacramental absolution and the Eucharist,” it said.