A spiritual home

Freedom and truth, ecumenism and culture, were just some of the themes touched on by Benedict XVI during his apostolic journey to the Czech Republic (26-28 September). We propose a few excerpts from his speeches.Formation of conscience. “Today, especially among the young, the question about the nature of freedom is being posed anew”, said the Pontiff during his meeting with the civil authorities and the diplomatic corps in the Presidential Palace in Prague (26 September). “True freedom presupposes the search for truth” which “is the guiding principle for freedom, and goodness is its perfection”. According to Benedict XVI, “the high responsibility of keeping alive the consciousness of what is true and what is good is especially incumbent on those who exercise the role of leadership: in the religious, political or cultural field, each according to the manner that is proper to him. Together we must commit ourselves to the struggle for freedom and the search for truth”. The Pope then underlined that “Europe is more than a continent. It is a home! And freedom finds its deepest significance in being a spiritual home. In full respect” for the distinction between the political and religious sphere “I wish to point out the indispensable role of Christianity for the formation of the conscience of each generation and for the promotion of a fundamental ethical consensus, at the service of each person that calls this continent his home. In this spirit, I wish to pay tribute to the voice of all those today who, in this country and in Europe, try to apply their own faith, in a respectful but determined way, in the public arena, in the hope that social norms and policy guidelines be inspired by the desire to live according to the truth that makes each man and woman free”.Working for unity. “Attempts to marginalize Christianity in public life are emerging in new forms”, yet “Christianity has much to offer at the practical and moral level, because the Gospel never ceases to inspire men and women” and especially it “offers salvation”, said Benedict XVI on 27 September, during an ecumenical meeting held in the Archbishop’s Palace in Prague. “The term salvation – explained the Pope – is rich in meanings” and also expresses “the human yearning for happiness and fullness. It alludes to the ardent desire for reconciliation and communion that spontaneously springs in the depths of the human spirit. It is the central truth of the Gospel and the objective to which each effort of evangelization and pastoral care is aimed. And it is the criterion on which Christians repeatedly focus in their pledge to heal the wounds caused by the divisions of the past”. In recalling the international conference on the Bohemian religious reformer Jan Hus promoted by the Holy See in 1999, the Pope expressed the hope that “such ecumenical initiatives may bear fruit not only for the continuation of the process of Christian unity, but also for the good of European society as whole”. For “when Europe listens to the history of Christianity, she is listening to the history of Europe itself”. “Her notions of justice, freedom and social responsibility, together with the cultural and juridical institutions established to defend these ideas and transmit them to future generations, have been shaped by her Christian heritage”. It is therefore the task of Christians to “unite with others in reminding Europe of its roots”, and “to work strenuously for unity”.No to the fragmentation of knowledge. “The yearning for freedom and truth is an inalienable part of our common humanity. It can never be eliminated and, as history has demonstrated, it can only be repudiated by jeopardizing humanity itself”, said the Pope on 27 September, during his meeting with the academic world in the Castle of Prague. “And this yearning is one that religious faith, the various arts, philosophy, theology and the other scientific disciplines each try to satisfy, each with its own method, both on the level of careful reflection and on that of good practices”. Since the mission of universality consists in the “responsibility to illuminate the hearts and minds of youth today”, the Pope urged that “the idea of an integral formation, based on the unity of the knowledge rooted in the truth, be regained. Only this can counteract the tendency, so evident in contemporary society, towards the fragmentation of knowledge. The massive growth of information and technology has given rise to the temptation to separate reason from the search for truth. Reason, however, once it is separated from the fundamental human search for truth, begins to lose its own direction. It tends to grow arid or, under the appearance of modesty, to be satisfied with what is purely partial and provisional, or under the appearance of certainty, to yield to the demands of all those who, in an indiscriminate fashion, attach equal value virtually to everything”.