L'o S S E Rvator E Romano
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Price € 1,00. Back issues € 2,00 L’O S S E RVATOR E ROMANO WEEKLY EDITION IN ENGLISH Unicuique suum Non praevalebunt Fifty-third year, number 40 (2.666) Vatican City Friday, 2 October 2020 A renewed sense of global co-responsibility to defeat self harming individualism To the UN General Assembly the Holy Father calls for a change in direction to emerge from the crisis In a video message on Friday, 25 September, Pope Francis ad- dressed participants in the 75th General Assembly of the United This is the time Nations. He stressed that this time of pandemic presents “a choice for a choice between two possible paths”, and we must choose the one that “leads to the consolidation of ANDREA MONDA multilateralism as the expression of a renewed sense of global The words in the video mes- co-responsibility, a solidarity sage the Pope sent to the Gen- grounded in justice and the at- eral Assembly of the United tainment of peace and unity with- Nations are so clear and simple in the human family, which is that they do not need any com- Go d’splan for our world”. At mentary or explanation, but this moment, he said, “it is our only to be read attentively and duty to rethink the future of our meditated on through a reflec- common home and our common tion that leads to concrete ac- p ro j e c t ”, and to engage in “a tion. Head, heart and hands, to frank and coherent dialogue aimed use an image that is dear to at strengthening multilateralism Bergoglio, must be touched and cooperation between states”. and involved together in a vir- tuous cycle that spurs mankind to make that “change of direc- PAGE 4 tion” that is at the heart of this message which at times sounds like an exhortation, almost a c r y. Introduction to the Letter The Pope announces Apostolic Letter on the memorial of St Jerome The global situation, ex- amined with participation and Like a “library of Christ” heartfelt meticulousness by the Love of Sacred Scripture Holy Father in fact, “calls for a RAVA S I ON PA G E 6 change of direction. To achieve the personal dialogue with God this, we already possess the ne- cessary cultural and technolo- Apostolate of the Sea On Wednesday morning, 30 September, after the reading of the summaries of gical resources, and social the General Audience in various languages, the Holy Father announced that awareness. This change of dir- ection will require, however, a Centennial of Stella Maris earlier that morning he had signed an Apostolic Letter to coincide with the more robust ethical framework memorial of the 16th centenary of the death of Saint Jerome. capable of overcoming ‘to day’s PAGE 12 The following is a translation of his words. widespread and quietly growing Today, I signed the Apostolic Letter “Sacrae Scripturae Affectus”, on the culture of waste’”. A few lines 16th centenary of the death of Saint Jerome. May the example of this great earlier the Pope had lingered P a ro l i n ’s address to members doctor and father of the Church, who placed the Bible at the centre of his on the great technological pro- life, inspire in everyone a renewed love for the Sacred Scripture and the gress made in the last few years Moneyval programme desire to live in personal dialogue with the Word of God”. that should serve to make the living and work conditions of PAGE 13 people more dignified and not to contribute instead to their greater exploitation. The long dialogue between the then Car- General dinal Joseph Ratzinger and the philosopher Jurgen Habermas in the early years of this cen- Audience tury, comes to mind, in which the former highlighted how great developments in techno- logy had not been matched by analogous growth in humanity at an ethical level, as was demonstrated for example by nuclear energy, a gigantic power which demands an equally great moral strength. To use the words of the English author Tolkien: we are building a world of better means for worse ends. PAGE 3 For the Holy Father’s Apostolic Letter ‘Scripturae Sacrae Affectus’, see pages 7-11 CONTINUED ON PA G E 5 page 2 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 2 October 2020, number 40 By October a decision is expected regarding the Vatican proposal to extend the Provisional Agreement ‘ad experimentum’ The Holy See and China reasons for Agreement on appointment of bishops ANDREA TORNIELLI Parolin explained that the intention September 2018, the subject matter communion”. The interventions of is to propose an extension to the of the Agreement itself had been political structures on the internal The Provisional Agreement signed Chinese authorities, maintaining the clearly specified immediately: that it life of the Catholic community had on 22 September 2018 between the Agreement as provisional, “as done does not cover direct diplomatic re- provoked the phenomenon of the Holy See and the People’s Republic in these first two years, so as to fur- lations between the Holy See and so-called “u n d e rg ro u n d ” c o m m u n i t y, of China regarding the appointment ther verify its usefulness for the China, the juridical status of the which sought to remove itself from of bishops, which went into effect a Church in China”. Notwithstanding Catholic Chinese Church, or rela- the control of the religious policies month later, will expire this coming the lengthy period of time and diffi- tions between the clergy and the of the government. 22 October. Signed in Beijing, the culties, aggravated in the last ten country’s authorities. The Provision- Well aware of the wounds inflict- months due to the pandemic, Pa- term of the ad experimentum P ro v i - al Agreement exclusively treats the ed on the communion of the Church rolin said, “it seems to me that a dir- sional Agreement was set for two process for the appointment of bish- caused by weakness and error, but ection has been marked out that is years after which it would eventually ops: an essential question for the life also by undue external pressure on worth continuing; then we will see”. of the Church and for the commu- be definitively confirmed or some people, Pope Francis, after years of From the very first communiqué, nion between the pastors of the other decision reached. Recently, lengthy negotiations undertaken by jointly published by the Holy See Chinese Catholic Church with the Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro and the Chinese government on 22 his predecessors, reestablished full Bishop of Rome and with the bish- communion with Chinese bishops ops throughout the world. The goal ordained without papal mandate. of the Provisional Agreement, there- This decision was taken after reflect- fore, has never been merely diplo- ing, praying and examining each in- matic, much less, political, but was dividual personal situation. The sole Cardinal Parolin and Archbishop Gallagher always genuinely pastoral. Its objec- tive is to permit the Catholic faithful scope of the Provisional Agreement, meet Mr Pompeo in the Vatican to have bishops in full communion the Pontiff clarified, is “to support with the Successor of Peter who are and advance the preaching of the at the same time recognized by the Gospel, and to reestablish and pre- The American Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, arrived at the Vatican authorities of the People’s Republic serve the full and visible unity of the on Thursday morning, 1 October, to meet Cardinal Pietro Parolin and of China. Catholic community in China”. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. Right after the signing of the Pro- The first two years led to new Responding to questions from journalists, the Director of the Holy See visional Agreement, in his Septem- episcopal appointments with Rome’s Press Office, Mr Matteo Bruni, said: “During this morning’s talks ber 2018 Message to the Catholics of agreement, and some bishops were between the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Michael China and the Universal Church, officially recognized by the govern- Richard Pompeo, and His Holiness’ Secretary of State, H.E. Cardinal Pope Francis recalled that in the last ment in Beijing. Even though con- Pietro Parolin, accompanied by H.E. Archbishop Richard Gallagher, Sec- decades, wounds and divisions in tact was blocked in recent months retary for Relations with States, the parties presented their respective pos- the heart of the Catholic Church in due to the pandemic, the results itions regarding relations with the People’s Republic of China, in a re- China were “centred especially on have been positive, although limited, spectful, relaxed and cordial environment. They also spoke about some the figure of the bishop as the and suggest going forward with the areas of conflict and crisis, particularly in the Caucasus, the Middle East, guardian of the authenticity of the application of the Agreement for an- and the Eastern Mediterranean. The meeting lasted about 45 minutes”. faith and as guarantor of ecclesial other determined period of time. Funds collected in US for the Vatican Apostolic Archives VAT I C A N BULLETIN Treasures of History Foundation AUDIENCES Cardinal Marc Ouellet, PSS, Prefect of God works through generous people even in the midst of a world the Congregation for Bishops pandemic and economic crisis, among other things! Consequently, Thursday, 24 September H.E. Ms Alexandra Valkenburg- His Eminence, the Cardinal Archivist José Tolentino de Mend- onça and the Prefect Bishop Sergio Pagano of the Vatican H.E. Ms Eunisis Vásquez Acosta, Am- Roelofs, Ambassador of the European Apostolic Archives wish to announce that a Foundation was re- bassador of the Dominican Republic Union, on the occasion of the presenta- tion of her credential letters cently established in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, which enjoys a tax-ex- Archbishop Giacomo Morandi, titular emption status.