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POPE-PRIESTS Sep-12-2008 (690 words) With photos. xxxi
At Notre Dame, pope tells French art, prayer are pathways to God
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
PARIS (CNS) -- Standing in one of the world's most beautiful cathedrals, Pope Benedict XVI told French priests, religious and seminarians that art and prayer were pathways to God.
Then he went outside and, cheered by thousands of young Catholics, prepared them for a candlelight procession across Paris.
The pope's appearance Sept. 12 at Notre Dame Cathedral marked the close of his first day in France, and he was treated to enthusiastic, if very different, audiences.
After riding in his popemobile past crowds of flag-waving well-wishers in downtown Paris, the 81-year-old pontiff entered the main doors of the Gothic cathedral. An organ boomed from above, and as he strode down the main aisle, outstretched arms reached for a touch or a blessing.
The church was packed -- an unusual occurrence in a country where only 10 percent of Catholics attend Mass regularly. French pastoral workers face serious challenges, including a steep decline in vocations and a steady drop in sacramental practice among Catholics.
The pope did not mention those problems. Instead, leading a celebration of vespers, he first paid tribute to the cathedral as "a living sign of God's presence in our midst," one whose beauty had helped spur conversions of the famous and the unknown.
Then he spoke to the priests, nuns, deacons and seminarians about the importance of nourishing their faith with daily reading and meditation of Scripture.
"Always cultivate a thirst for the word of God," he said. "Thus you will learn to love everyone you meet along life's journey. In the church, everyone has a place, everyone."
Among those attending the prayer service were representatives of other Christian churches, and the pope made a point of praying for Christian unity. The word of God, he said, is the "sign, pledge and guarantee of unity in the church."
When he appeared on the floodlit steps of the cathedral to greet several thousand youths gathered outside, a roar went up. The pope, beaming, held his arms up in salutation.
Although a brief greeting had been foreseen when the youth event was organized, the pope gave his audience a longer talk that focused on two themes: the Holy Spirit and the cross.
Through the gift of the Spirit, he said, young people can be led to bear witness to Christ in their daily lives and to be unafraid to proclaim Christ to others.
"You are at an age marked by great generosity. You need to speak about Christ to all around you, to your families and friends, wherever you study, work and relax," he said.
The youths cheered loudest when the pope said, "Do not be afraid!" when he told them that he and the whole church have confidence in them.
Looking out at the crowd, the pope said he knew that many of them wore a cross on a chain around their neck. It is "not mere decoration or a piece of jewelry," but a symbol of their faith and salvation, he said.
The cross is also a symbol of human suffering, and venerating it may sometimes bring mockery or even persecution, he said.
The young people were to walk along the river banks of central Paris that evening and keep an all-night vigil at the Esplanade des Invalides, where the pope was to say Mass the next morning.
Earlier Sept. 12, the pope met briefly with a group of Jewish representatives at the papal nunciature in Paris, where he was staying. Noting the importance of Scripture for Judaism, he said Christians and Jews share a historical relationship that "should be strengthened."
The pope repeated the words of Pope Pius XI, "Spiritually, we are all Semites," and added that the church opposes every form of anti-Semitism, which can never be theologically justified.
Referring to the victims of anti-Semitism, he added: "Once again I feel the duty to pay heartfelt recognition to those who have died unjustly and to those who have dedicated themselves to assure that the names of these victims may always be remembered. God does not forget."
END
Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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