The Holy Father began his brief address
recalling Pius IX’s "perpetual institution" of the
publication, which gave it “a particular statue
that established a special link with the Holy
See."
He told the group that in order for the
magazine to remain "faithful to its character and
its duty," it must "continually renew itself,
correctly interpreting 'the signs of the times'."
Faced with the spread of what he called
"individualistic relativism and positivistic
science, ... closed to God and His moral law
though not always prejudiced against
Christianity,“ Benedict said that “Catholics are
called to develop dialogue with modern culture,
opening it up to the perennial values of
transcendence."
While lamenting these difficulties, the
Holy Father also pointed to the "many signs of
hope" in today's world, such as "a new sensitivity
to religious values, ... renewed interest in
Sacred Scripture, greater respect for human
rights, and the desire to establish dialogue with
other religions.”
“In particular,” he said, “faith in Jesus
can help many to grasp the meaning of life and of
the human adventure, giving them the points of
reference that are often lacking in so frenetic
and disoriented a world."
In this light, the Pope said that the
mission of a magazine like "Civilta Cattolica" is
"to participate in the modern cultural debate,
both to propose - seriously but also in a way
accessible to all - the truths of Christian faith
with clarity and faithfulness to the Church's
Magisterium, and to defend, with no desire for
controversy, the truth which is sometimes
distorted by baseless accusations leveled against
the ecclesial community."
Benedict told the group that Vatican
Council II should be a "beacon" to guide their
magazine.
"The doctrinal and pastoral wealth it
contains," he said, "have not yet been fully
assimilated by the Christian community, even
though 40 years have passed since its
conclusion."
He closed by stressing that "Civilta
Cattolica" must "divulge and support the action of
the Church in all areas of her mission.”
“The magazine”, he added, “must give
particular emphasis to spreading the Church's
social doctrine, one of the themes it has covered
most fully in its 155 years of
life."
