“Seek new ways of bringing alive the message of Christ in the cultural setting of modern Japan” and remind people that “there is more to life than professional success and profit”. This is the mission of the Japanese Church according to the Pope, who received bishops from the Land of the Rising Sun. on their Ad Limina visit today.
In his address Benedict XVI underlines that “Indeed the world is hungry for the message of hope that the Gospel brings. Even in countries as highly developed as yours (Japan – ed), many are discovering that economic success and advanced technology are not sufficient in themselves to bring fulfilment to the human heart”. Through charity, the family and the community, continues the Pope, Christians in Japan can offer their co nationals this hope: that encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others.
A special thought was given to the young people, who risk being deceived by the “glamour and false hopes” of modern secular culture, which generate “depression and despair”, even leading to suicide.
Benedict XVI then invited the Japanese prelates not to be afraid of guiding young people to dedicating their lives to Christ. He urges them to encourage “priests and religious likewise to be active in promoting vocations”.
Finally the Pope invites the Church in Japan to “continue to speak on matters of public concern in the life of your nation, and to ensure that your statements are promoted and widely disseminated, so that they may be properly heard at all levels within society”. In this way, - he adds – “the message of hope that the Gospel brings can truly touch hearts and minds, leading to greater confidence in the future, greater love and respect for life”. “In this regard, - he concludes - the forthcoming Beatification of 188 Japanese martyrs offers a clear sign of the strength and vitality of Christian witness in your country’s history”
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