"I believe deeply that the encounter of faith and reason enables us to find ourselves":
Benedict XVI returns to reaffirm one of his deepest convictions,
repeating to the "Courtyard of the Gentiles "in Paris (pictured) the key
concept of the “Regensburg Address”.
Then it was an "academic" speech,
last night he instead turned to young believers and unbelievers, brought
together in front of the cathedral of Notre Dame.
The video message beamed into Paris yesterday evening is an
invitation to frank and open dialogue between believers and
nonbelievers, a dialogue without fear, because "the question of God is
not a menace to society, it does not threaten a truly human life! " and because "religions
have nothing to hear from a just secularity, one that is open and
allows individuals to live in accordance with what they believe in their
own consciences."
"If we are to build a world of liberty, equality
and fraternity, then believers and non-believers must feel free to be
just that, equal in their right to live as individuals and in community
in accord with their convictions; and fraternal in their relations with
one another".
Pope Benedict XVI recalled that the "Courtyard of the Gentiles”, was" the
vast open space near the Temple of Jerusalem where all those who did
not share the faith of Israel could approach the Temple and ask
questions about religion".
So today "you
who are non-believers challenge believers in a particular way to live
in a way consistent with the faith they profess and by your rejection of
any distortion of religion which would make it unworthy of man".
And “you who are believers long to tell your
friends that the treasure dwelling within you is meant to be shared, it
raises questions, it calls for reflection”.
The “question of God”, in short, “must not be absent from the other great questions of our time”.
Thousands of people had gathered to hear to Listen to the Pope,
above all young people. To them he said “Dear friends, you are
challenged to build bridges between one another. Take advantage of this
opportunity to discover, deep within your hearts and with serious
arguments, the ways which lead to profound dialogue. You have so much to
say to one another! Do not turn away from the challenges and issues
before you!”.
“I believe deeply that the encounter of faith and
reason enables us to find ourselves. But all too often reason falters in
the face of self-interest and the lure of profit, and is forced to
regard the latter as the ultimate criterion. Striving for truth is not
easy. But each of us is called to make a courageous decision to seek the
truth, precisely because there can be no shortcut to the happiness and
beauty of a life of genuine fulfilment. Jesus says as much in the
Gospel: "The truth will make you free".
“One of the reasons for this Court of the Gentiles
is to encourage such feelings of fraternity, over and above our
individual convictions yet not denying our differences. And on an even
deeper level, to recognize that God alone, in Christ, grants us inner
freedom and the possibility of truly encountering one another as
brothers and sisters.”.
“Our first step, the first thing we can do
together, is to respect, help and love each and every human being,
because he or she is a creature of God and in some way the road that
leads to God. As you carry on the experience of this evening, work to
break down the barriers of fear of others, of strangers, of those who
are different; this fear is often born of mutual ignorance, scepticism
or indifference. Work to create bonds with other young people, without
distinction and keeping in mind those who are poor or lonely,
unemployed, ill or on the margins of society”.
“Dear young people, what you can share is not only
your experience of life, but also your approach to prayer. Believers
and non-believers, as you stand in this court of the Unknown, you are
also invited to approach the sacred space, to pass through the
magnificent portal of Notre Dame and to enter the cathedral for a moment
of prayer. For some of you this will be a prayer to a God you already
know by faith, but for others it may be a prayer to the Unknown God.
Dear young friends who are non-believers, as you join those who pray in
Notre Dame on this day of the Annunciation of the Lord, open your hearts
to the sacred texts, let yourselves be challenged by the beauty of the
music and, if you truly desire it, let your deepest feelings rise
towards the Unknown God”.