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June 6, 2001
Pope: Church faces challenges with God at its side
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John Paul II said the Church was facing "enormous challenges'' at the dawn of the new millennium but could joyfully trust that God would remain at its side.
At a May 24 Ascension Thursday Mass in St. Peter's Basilica formally closing an extraordinary consistory, the pope thanked more than 150 cardinals for their "precious contributions'' during the four-day meeting.
"From them I intend to draw opportune (and) effective indications'' as to how the Church can best carry out its mission amid today's challenges, he said.
The consistory was "for us above all a moment of communion, in which we experienced a little of that joy that flooded the hearts of the Apostles'' when they witnessed Christ ascend into heaven, he said.
The pope said some of the questions raised during the closed-door consistory would be re-examined in October at a meeting of the Synod of Bishops, "which has shown itself to be a valid and effective instrument of episcopal collegiality at the service of the local churches.''
"The Church finds itself today facing enormous challenges, which put to the test the trust and enthusiasm'' of those called to proclaim the Gospel, he said.
Some of the most serious problems derive from an increasingly dominating cultural view that rejects any truths that cannot be scientifically proven, the pope said.
He said the phenomenon of globalization, marked by unprecedented access to vast amounts of information, leads to "a relativistic attitude that makes it more difficult to accept Christ as the `way, truth and life' for every person.''
And as never before, humanity faces moral questions regarding bioethics, social justice, married life and the institution of the family that "put in question (humanity's) own destiny,'' the pope said.
Despite the seriousness of the challenges, "We will not face them only with human strengths, but with the power that comes from above,'' he said.
"The Spirit is the secret of the Church today, as it was for the Church in the first hour,'' he said.
The pope also highlighted the importance of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, noting his recent pilgrimage to predominantly Orthodox Greece and predominantly Muslim Syria.
He said "new ecumenical opportunities'' opened up in his contacts with various Orthodox leaders. In Greece, the pope unilaterally apologized for Catholics' past treatment of the Orthodox and said it was time to "heal the wounds'' that have divided Eastern and Western Churches for nearly 1,000 years.
"With God's help, significant steps were made toward the much-desired aim of full communion,'' the pope said.
He said his meetings with Muslims in Syria were "beautiful'' and an "intense moment of dialogue.'' Proclamation of Christ as the sole Savior, far from dulling Christians' interreligious interest, encourages "thoughts and gestures of peace toward believers belonging to other religions,'' he said.
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