In the public square

Church and society, marriage and the family, secularization and quest for meaning are some of the themes addressed by the Synod fathers. Church, society and the media. "The Church must not be afraid to open up to the world, to expose herself to the glance of society. Within the institutions, in finance, in clear communication, the Church is called to be a credible witness. Msgr. Pascal Wintzer, Archbishop of Poitiers (France) on Oct. 10 said "it is time to look forward, to live and to communicate the Joy of the Church: her Lord". In his reflection on October 12, Msgr. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, Archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev (Belarus), focused on the media as an instrument of the new evangelization in the country: two publishing houses, three newspapers, seven magazines, an increasing use of the Internet and the website www.catholic.by which, he explained, “provides informative, catechetical and cultural materials in five languages​​". Archbishop Kondrusiewicz then announced the imminent launch of "Radio Maria" broadcasts. "The Church, to evangelize, must be the media. In the new sphere of life established by information technology we are called to preach the word of God and to proclaim Christ; “this” is the profound meaning of the new evangelization. In the new secular culture the means of social communication must be capable of helping the Church to be truly evangelizing and missionary, “according to the” needs of the time, when it is necessary "not only to baptize converts, but also convert the baptized".The human person, marriage and family. "The first success of the new evangelization will be the restoring dignity to the family" understood as a "nest of love, solidarity and unity". But the new evangelization "will be successful if it is able" to restore "the value of the sanctity of marriage", said Msgr. Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Vrhbosna, (Bosnia and Herzegovina), in the speech delivered on October 10. According to Msgr. Puljic, the key to evangelization "is the encounter with Christ", and it is through faith that "the family is the strongest witness" because “it conveys with the heart", or "with what is" more than “with what is said". For Msgr. Philip Tartaglia, Archbishop of Glasgow (Scotland), in the country "the new evangelization is already working as a general thrust towards the renewal of faith". Speaking to the Synod Fathers on October 12, Msgr. Tartaglia called for a "witness of Christ, of his Gospel and of the faith of the Church with new openness, new courage and new hope". "Based on recent experience in the defence and promotion of marriage as a union only between a man and a woman – he observed – the Scottish bishops recognize that the majority of Catholics, other Christians and even those belonging to other faiths, respond positively and rejoice in listening to the religious and moral truth exposed in a clear, simple and open way". Today, he said, to "live a life that is authentically human", "people, especially young people, need both truth and love".Secularization and desire for meaning. “It is essential to know the ‘Sitz im Leben’ (the vital context) of the new evangelization, for its correct implementation. Secularism is perhaps its most characteristic sign", said Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid, President of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, on October 15. After the Second Vatican Council, he pointed out, the "1968 revolution", has "relaunched and radicalized to the extreme limits" the "denial of the dignity of each human being". But the question of the prelate is: "has the Church – bishops, priests, religious and lay people – lived up to the expectations of this challenge?" "Have we not been influenced by secularist ideology? Didn’t it cost us to show what we are and who we are inside and outside the ‘public space of history?’". Without "the conscience examination of our sins" and "the change of heart" called by the Pope, cautioned Card, Rouco Varela, "the commitment of new evangelization would be useless". Despite secularization, man "has an profound yearning for meaning, which in the modern world has never ceased to exist. And although it has been concealed, it keeps on coming to the fore". It is the belief of Msgr. Robert Zollitsch, Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Germany. "The new evangelization – Msgr. Zolltisch said October 15 – means helping people highlight these traces of faith, accompanying them in their journey and helping them rediscover the traces of God in daily life. We must jointly seek ‘veritas semper maior’" enabling the "experience" through "our behaviour, of the gratuituous love of God for every human person".