The recipe of Benedict XVI for the Church: the remoteness of the world

It was 25 September 2011 at the Konzerthaus in Freiburg, during a four-day apostolic journey that Benedict XVI carried out in his native country. A historical speech, in which Ratzinger wonders, before the collapse of religious practice, if the Church should change, whether it should perhaps adapt to the present time.

During the speech, the Pope asks how this change in the Church should be concretely configured: "Maybe this is a renewal like that undertaken, for example, by an owner through the restructuring or painting of his building? Or is it a correction to return to the right path and travel more directly and faster? "Asked the German pope.

The fundamental reason for this change "lies in the apostolic mission of the disciples and of the Church itself," said the pontiff. The Church, he added, "must constantly check his fidelity to this mission". To fulfill his mission, says Benoît, "he must also distance himself from his environment, he must, in a way, detach himself from the world".

The Church "possesses nothing by itself before the One who founded it, so that we can say: we did it very well!". Its meaning is to be "an instrument of redemption, permeating the Word of God, and bringing the world into the union of love with God," says Ratzinger. Benedict XVI goes on to say that when she is truly "herself", she is always on the move, serving the mission that she has received from the Lord. That is why he must open up and devote himself unreservedly to the worries of the world.

"However, in the historical development of the Church, there is also a contrary tendency," says the pope, that of a church satisfied with itself, which accommodates itself in this. world, is self-sufficient and adapts to the criteria of the world. "In this way, the Pope is not surprised that he attaches more importance to" organization and institutionalization "than to his call to" open to God and open the world to his neighbor ".

According to the pope emeritus, in order for it to correspond to its real task, the Church "must make the effort over and over again to get rid of this laicization of her", in a sense, he adds, "l history helps the Church through periods of secularization that have made an essential contribution to its purification and internal reform ".

Secularization, whether it is an expropriation of church property or the removal of privileges or the like, continues Benedict XVI "has always meant a deep liberation of the church. Church of forms of the world: it strips, so to speak, of its earthly wealth and returns to fully embrace its earthly poverty. "By separating themselves from their material ties," their missionary work was again credible. "

The missionary witness of the Church "detached from the world" becomes clearer, continues Ratzinger, "freed from bullets and material and political privileges", the Church can devote itself better and truly Christian to the whole world.

The Church opens up to the world "not to obtain the adhesion of men to an institution with its own claims to power", but rather to "bring them into themselves and lead them" to God. The pope says that it is not a question of finding a new tactic to "revive the Church", but rather to leave "all that is a simple tactic and to seek the full sincerity", by removing what "appears only obviously is faith". but in reality it is only convention and custom ".

For the man, continues His Holiness, "the Christian faith is always a scandal", to believe that the eternal God cares about the human being, that he knows us, that 39, he is accessible, that he suffered and that he died on the cross, that he was promised us resurrection and eternal life, "is undoubtedly a true daring". This scandal "has unfortunately been overshadowed recently by the painful scandals of the publishers of the faith," said the pope.

Finally, he says that there is one more reason to seek this distance from the world by breaking away from the mundane in the Church. He says that a church "lit by worldly elements" is able to communicate to men "also in the social and charitable field", the particular vital force of the Christian faith. Even the charitable works of the Church must "pay constant attention" to the demand for "sufficient distance from the world" in order to prevent that, in the face of growing distance from the Church "His roots may dry up," said Benedicto.

"Only the deep relationship with God allows to devote all attention to man, in the same way that, without the attention of the neighbor, the relationship with God is impoverished," concluded the Pope German before blessing and thanking his audience for the attention paid to this visit.

Complete speech of the Holy Father

Illustrious Federal President
Mr. President of Ministers
Mr. Mayor
Ladies and gentlemen
Dear brothers in the episcopate and the priesthood,

I am pleased to have this meeting with you, who are involved in many ways with the Church and society. This gives me the opportunity to thank them personally and wholeheartedly for their service and witness as "courageous preachers of the faith and what we hope for" (Lumen Gentium, 35), as defined by the Second Vatican Council. of those who, on faith, are worried as you do for the present and the future. In their working environments, they enthusiastically defend the cause of faith and the Church, which is not really easy, as we know, at present.

For decades, we have witnessed a decrease in religious practice, we have witnessed a growing distancing of a significant portion of the baptized in the life of the Church. The question then arises: Should the Church not change? Perhaps we should not adapt to the present time in their offices and structures to reach today's people who are searching or doubting?

Blessed Mother Teresa was once asked what it would be, in her opinion, the first thing to change in the Church. His answer was: you and me.

This little episode highlights two things: on the one hand, the nuns want to tell their interlocutor that the Church is not only the others, the hierarchy, the pope and the bishops; The Church, it is all of us, the baptized. On the other hand, part of the budget wants that there are indeed reasons for a change, such a necessity. Every Christian and the community of believers as a whole are called to continuous conversion.

How should this change be concretely configured? Is it perhaps a renovation like that undertaken by an owner, for example, as part of the restructuring or painting of his building? Or is it a correction, to get back on track and travel more directly and faster? Certainly, these and other aspects are important, and we can not face them all. But the fundamental reason for this change is the apostolic mission of the disciples and the Church itself.

Indeed, the Church must constantly check her fidelity to this mission. The three Synoptic Gospels highlight different aspects of sending to mission: mission is based above all on personal experience: "You are witnesses" (Lk 24:48); it is expressed in relationships: "Make disciples of all peoples" (Mt 28:19); It conveys a universal message: "Proclaim the gospel to all creation" (Mk 16:15). However, because of the badumptions and conditioning of the world, this testimony is repeatedly obscured, the relationships alienated and the message relativized. If, as Pope Paul VI says, the Church "tries to adapt to the model that Christ proposes to her, it must be profoundly differentiated from the human environment in which she lives and approaches" (Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam suam, 24). To fulfill his mission, he must also move away from his environment, he must, so to speak, detach himself from the world.

Indeed, the mission of the Church flows from the mystery of the Trinity God, from the mystery of his creative love. And love is present in God only in any way: he is himself, it is by nature love. And the love of God does not want to remain isolated in itself, but by its nature it wants to spread. In the Incarnation and in the sacrifice of the Son of God, this love has reached humanity – that is, for us – in a particular way; and this because of the fact that Christ, the Son of God, came out, so to speak, from the sphere of his being God, became flesh and became man; not only to ratify the world in its earthly being, and to be for him a simple companion who leaves him as he is, but also transforms him. An incomprehensible event is part of the Christological event, insofar as it includes – as the Fathers of the Church say – a sacrum commercium, an exchange between God and men. The Fathers explain it as follows: we have nothing we can give to God; we can only put before our sin. And he welcomes it, badumes it as his own and gives us back to himself and to his glory. It's a really unequal exchange, which takes place in the life and pbadion of Christ. He becomes a sinner, badumes sin, badumes what belongs to us and gives us what is his. But later, in the development of thought and life in the light of faith, it became clear that we are not only giving sin, but it has given us the capacity; From the intimate, it gives us the strength to also give it something positive, our love, to give it humanity in a positive way. Naturally, it is clear that it is only thanks to the generosity of God that the man, the beggar who receives the divine wealth, can nevertheless also give something to God; God makes us endurable by empowering us to become those who can give something.

The Church owes its existence to this unequal exchange. This is nothing by itself before the one who founded it, so that we can say: we did it very well! Its meaning is to be an instrument of redemption, to be permeated by the Word of God and to introduce the world into the union of love with God. The Church immerses itself in the condescending attention of the Redeemer towards men. When she is truly herself, she is always moving, she must constantly serve the mission that she has received from the Lord. That is why it must be open again and again to the concerns of the world, of which it is precisely part, devoting itself unreservedly to these concerns, to continue and make present the sacred exchange that began with the world. ;Incarnation.

However, in the historical development of the Church, there is also a contrary tendency, namely that of a Church satisfied with itself, which accommodates itself in this world, is sufficient to itself and adapts to the criteria of the world. Thus, it is not uncommon to give more importance to the organization and institutionalization than their call to open to God and to open the door. world to others.

To match its real task, the Church must redouble its efforts to get rid of its secularization and to open up again to God. He thus follows the words of Jesus: "They are not of the world, as I am not of the world" (Jn 17:16), and it is precisely thus that he gives himself to the world. In a certain sense, history helps the Church through different periods of secularization that have made an essential contribution to her purification and internal reform.

Indeed, secularization – be it expropriation of Church property or the removal of privileges or similar measures – has always meant a profound liberation of the Church from the forms of the world. so to speak, of his earthly riches and he returns to fully embrace his earthly poverty. He thus shares the destiny of the tribe of Levi, who, according to the Old Testament statement, was the only tribe of Israel not to possess an earthly heritage, but which, as an inheritance, was exclusively destined to God himself, his word and his signs. In these historic moments, the Church shared with this tribe the requirement of an open poverty on the world, in order to separate from its material bonds. In this way, his missionary work was again credible.

Historical examples show that the missionary witness of the detached Church of the world is clearer. Free from bullets and material and political privileges, the Church can better and genuinely Christianize the whole world; It can really be open to the world. You can live your calling to the ministry of worshiping God and serving your neighbor with greater ease. The missionary task which goes hand in hand with Christian worship and which should determine the structure of the Church becomes more clearly visible. The Church opens to the world, not to obtain the adherence of men to an institution that claims power, but to bring them into themselves and lead them to the one from whom every man can say with St. Augustine: He is more intimate with me than me (Conf 3, 6, 11). He who is infinitely above me is so much in me that it is my true interiority. Through this style of opening up to the Church's own world, the way in which each Christian can perform this same opening in an effective and adequate way is at the same time conceived.

It is not here to find a new tactic to revive the Church. It is more about leaving everything that is purely tactical and seeking full sincerity, which does not neglect or repress anything of the truth of our today, but fully realizes faith in today, by living it perfectly in the sobriety of today, bringing it back to its complete identity, removing what is apparently only faith, but in reality it is nothing else but convention and custom.

In other words: for the human being, the Christian faith is always a scandal, and not only in our time. Believe that the eternal God cares about human beings, who knows us; that the unavailable has become a time and a place accessible; that the Immortal suffered and died on the cross; mortals have been promised resurrection and eternal life; For us men, to believe all this is undoubtedly a real audacity.

This scandal, which can not be repressed if you do not wish to cancel Christianity, has unfortunately been recently overshadowed by the painful scandals of the proclaimers of the faith. A dangerous situation is created when these scandals occupy the position of primary skandalon of the Cross, thus rendering it inaccessible; that is, that they hide the true Christian requirement behind the ineptitude of their messengers.

There is another reason to think that this is once again the time to seek true distance from the world, to boldly detach from what is commonplace in the Church. Of course, this does not mean to withdraw from the world, it is rather the opposite. A church enlightened by elements of the world is able to communicate to men, to those who suffer and to those who help them, precisely in the social and charitable field, the particular vital force of the Christian faith. "For the Church, charity is not a kind of social badistance activity that could also be left to others, but belongs to its nature and constitutes a manifestation inalienable of one's own essence "(Encyclical Letter Deus caritas est, 25). Certainly, the charitable works of the Church must also be attentive to the need to move away from the world to prevent its roots from drying out in the face of growing distance from the Church. Only the deep relation with God allows to pay a complete attention to the man, in the same way that without the attention of the neighbor, the relation with God is impoverished.

To be open to the vicissitudes of the world therefore means that the Church separated from the world testifies, according to the Gospel, by words and deeds, here and now, the lordship of the love of God. This task also sends us beyond the present world: present life includes the relationship with eternal life. Let us live individually and as an ecclesial community the simplicity of a great love which, in the world, is at once the easiest and the most difficult, for it requires nothing more and nothing less than to give itself self.

Dear friends, all I have left is to implore for us all the blessing of God and the strength of the Holy Spirit, so that everyone, in his own field of action, will recognize again and again and testify to the love of God and his mercy. Thank you for your attention.