“Being at home”

Euthanasia, Christian roots of Europe, the future, vocation, volunteer service: these are just some of the themes touched on by BENEDICT XVI during his apostolic journey to Austria (7-9 September) to celebrate the 850th anniversary of the foundation of the Marian sanctuary at Mariazell. We present, below, some passages taken from the Pope’s speeches. “AT HOME”. “The culture of this country is deeply imbued with the message of Jesus Christ and with the activities that the Church has carried out in his name. All this, and much more, gives me the vivid sense, dear Austrian friends, of being ‘at home’ here in your midst”. (Welcoming ceremony at Vienna’s International Airport, 7 September) CHRISTIAN ROOTS AND DEFENCE OF LIFE. “Europe cannot and must not deny her Christian roots. They represent a dynamic component of our civilization as we move forward into the third millennium. […] It was in Europe that the notion of human rights was first formulated. The fundamental human right … is the right to life itself […] Abortion, consequently, cannot be a human right – it is the very opposite. […] I do not close my eyes to the difficulties and the conflicts which many women are experiencing, and I realize that the credibility of what we say also depends on what the Church herself is doing to help women in trouble. […] Another great concern of mine is the debate on what has been termed ‘actively assisted death’. … The proper response to end-of-life suffering is loving care and accompaniment on the journey towards death – especially with the help of palliative care. […] Given the uniqueness of its calling, Europe also has a unique responsibility in the world. […] The continent which, demographically, is rapidly ageing, must not become old in spirit”. (To the Authorities and Diplomatic Corps – Vienna, 7 September) THE FUTURE. “Our faith is firmly opposed to the resignation that considers man incapable of truth – as if this were something too great for him. This resignation in the face of the truth lies at the core of the crisis of the West, and of Europe. […] The truth is not affirmed by an external power, but is humble and gives itself to man only through the interior power of his true nature. […] We need this interior strength of truth. […] We want to have everything for ourselves, and perhaps we don’t have much trust in the future. But the earth will be devoid of a future only once the forces of the human heart and of reason illuminated by the heart are extinguished – only once the face of God no longer shines forth on the earth. Wherever there’s God, there’s a future”. (Mass for the 850th anniversary of the foundation of the Marian Sanctuary of Mariazell, 8 September) THE LIGHT OF THE RISEN CHRIST. “Let your light shine forth in our society, in political and economic life, in culture and in research. Even if it is only a flicker amid so many deceptive light, it nonetheless draws its power and splendour from the Morning Star, the Risen Christ, whose light shines brilliantly – and wants to shine brilliantly through us – and will never fade”. (Marian Vespers with priests, religious, deacons and seminarians in the Sanctuary of Mariazell, 8 September) SUNDAY. “‘Sine dominico non possumus!’. Without the Lord and the day that belong to Him a life of fulfilment cannot be led. Sunday, in our Western societies, has been transformed into the weekend, into leisure time… But if our leisure time has no inner centre, as the source to guide our whole life, it ends up being a time of emptiness that neither strengthens nor recreates us. Leisure time needs a centre – the encounter with the One who is our origin and our goal”. (Mass in St. Stephen’s Cathedral – Vienna, 9 September) VOCATION. “If a vocation to the priesthood or to the religious state today is to be faithfully supported throughout life, a formation is needed that is able to integrate faith and reason, heart and mind, life and thought. A life following in the footsteps of Christ has a need for the integration of the whole personality”. (At the Abbey of Heiligenkreuz, 9 September) NO DELEGATION. “Love for our neighbour cannot be delegated […] It always requires personal and voluntary commitment, for which the State must undoubtedly create favourable general conditions. Thanks to this commitment, assistance maintains its human dimension and is not depersonalized. It is just for this reason that you volunteers are not ‘stopgaps’ in the social network, but persons who contribute to the human and Christian face of our society”. ( To the world of the volunteer services – Vienna, 9 September).