RADIO VATICANA REPORT: Below is a telegram of
condolence from Pope Benedict XVI on the death of Cardinal Paul Shan
Kuo-hsi.The Most Reverend Peter Liu Cheng-chung
Bishop of Kaohsiung
I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, Bishop Emeritus of Kaohsiung. With gratitude to Almighty God, I recall his years of dedicated service there, as well as his ministry as Bishop of Hwalien and as President of the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference. I offer you, the clergy, religious and lay faithful of those Dioceses, and indeed the entire Church in Taiwan, my condolences and the assurance of my prayers. In joining you and all who mourn him, including his Jesuit confreres, I commend his priestly soul to the infinite mercy of God our loving Father. To all assembled for the solemn funeral Mass, and as a pledge of peace and consolation in the Lord, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.
Benedictus PP. XVI
MESSAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF CATHOLIC ACTION
Pope Benedict has sent a message to the 6th Ordinary Meeting of the International Forum of Catholic Action, which began on Thursday. This year’s Meeting is focusing on “Lay Catholic Action members: ecclesial and social co-responsibility.”
“This responsibility requires a change in mentality concerning, in particular, the role of the laity in the Church,” Pope Benedict writes. “They should not be considered as merely ‘collaborators’ of the clergy, but as people truly ‘co-responsible’ in the work of the Church.”
The Holy Father says it is important that the laity be well-formed and capable of making “their own specific contribution to the mission of the Church, in accordance with the ministries and tasks in which each one takes part in the life of the Church, and always in an amicable communion with the Bishops.”
Pope Benedict encourages members of Catholic Action to announce the message of Christ in the language of our time, which has been marked by rapid social and cultural changes, calling this “the great challenge of the New Evangelization.”
SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA
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