Tempests

The economic crisis together with the new poverty and bioethics: these are the two principal themes of the plenary Assembly of French Bishops (Lourdes, 31 March – 3 April). This year it was decided to examine the economic, financial and social crisis through speeches delivered by Jean-Paul Redouin, vice-governor of the Bank of France, and Dominique Seux, economic journalist. During the Assembly, the working group led by the Bishop of Chartres, Msgr. Michel Pansard, presented a series of reflections on the “New forms of Poverty: what consequences in the life of the Diocese”. The Assembly opened with a speech by Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris and President of the French Bishops’ Conference. He shared with the Bishops a review of the Church’s life over the past two months. Follows an excerpt of his address. The Lefebvre Case. “In the course of the past, turbulent weeks, I often thought of the boat swept up in the tempest and to the Apostles, who saw Jesus sleeping. The sleep of Christ seemed to them like an absence and abandonment in the moment of danger”. The speech delivered in Lourdes at the opening of the Assembly’s plenary session begins with this image. “By sharing this prayer with you”, he added, “I don’t want to either dramatize nor spiritualize to extremes what we have been through, but simply extend an invitation to enter the deeper realities of the Church. While in the course of centuries there has been no dearth of tempests, they have been particularly violent in this recent period”. The Cardinal then immediately referred to the lifting of excommunication for the 4 Lefebvrist bishops. And, in speaking of his recent meeting in New York and Washington with several Jewish personalities of the country, he said, “Negationism obviously occupied some space in our meetings, but without any suspicion being cast on us nor on the Pope. Instead, we again expressed our Common commitment against all forms of anti-Semitism. The personal letter of the Pope to the bishops and the announced decisions regarding the “Ecclesia Dei” commission, were particularly appreciated.The Pope’s trip to Africa. “A media hurricane” darkened the Pope’s important messages for contemporary Africa. This is how Card. Vingt-Trois commented on the polemics that were “blown up” with regard to the Pope’s declarations made on the airplane that was bringing him to Cameroon. “Exclusive emphasis was given to the question of condoms”, said the Archbishop, “crowding out the rest of the Pope’s speeches on human responsibility in sexual relations, on AIDS, along with his words of compassion, his request for free medical treatment of AIDS in Africa, etc. The important speeches given by the Pope, calling for true and profound changes in public life and expressing firm condemnation of endemic violence, have been cancelled. The subject – the Africans, the bishops, Statesmen and simple citizens did not refrain from saying what they though about this media campaign coming from abroad. And the welcome expressed to the Pope by the African people is evidence enough. “European Elections. In his speech, the Archbishop of Paris also launched an authentic invitation to participate in the elections of the European Parliament which will be held in June. “Naturally”, he said, “our Europe is not perfect, but it cannot progress without the mobilization of its citizens”. And he added, “The next elections of the European Parliament must express our commitment to Europe, and we will not fail to ask Catholics to accept their responsibilities. We will be asked to give our opinion regarding the model of Europe we wish to support and develop”. To this regard, the Cardinal stressed: “Europe is also the framework of the national legislations on human dignity”. A revision of the law on bioethics is currently being enacted in France, for which the States-General were summoned. A debate, said the Cardinal, “that should leave no one indifferent”, and which “is bound to have an impact in Europe”. The Archbishop’s invitation is to “non align with the more permissive countries”.