Hallelujah.
Congratulations.
Hello.
Here.
Thank you.
Hallelujah.
Great shot.
Amazing.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Papa.
US.
Everybody.
Go up.
Yes.
Everything.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Heat. Heat.
Wow.
Hallelujah.
I love you.
Happy.
Birthday.
Together. Together.
Japan together.
Somebody.
Let's go.
Yeah. Yeah.
Ah.
Yeah.
Come.
On.
Come on.
People.
No white sauce.
Praised be Jesus Christ. A very warm welcome to you all on behalf of Vatican Media, Vatican Radio and all my colleagues here at the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication. I'm Joseph Tulic and I'll be providing the English language commentary for this live broadcast of the general audience today, the 9th of September. We're back in St. Peter's Square for the general audience for just the second time. The audience was inside for a lot of the summer to avoid that really horrible Rome heat. It's a bit cooler today. It's about 27°C or about 80°F. And so the audience is back in the square.
And a very warm welcome to all of you whether you're joining us via our Vatican News YouTube channel or via our official partner stations. Those include Radio Maria UK, Luminous Radio India, Radio Maria Papua New Guinea, EWN TV, Catholic Television of San Antonio in Texas, Catholic Faith Network in America, Sultan Light TV, or at Madashan TV. A very warm welcome to all of you. And lastly, of course, a big welcome to our friends from the Deaf Catholic Youth Initiative for the Americas. And you can visit our Vatican News YouTube channel to find translation of this general audience in American Sign Language.
So, Pope Leo is now arriving here at the area just in front of St. Peter's Basilica, from which he'll shortly begin the general audience. We'll be getting started with a reading from the Psalms. After that, he'll be continuing with his catechesis series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Last week we started a new series on the pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes, which we're expecting the Holy Father to continue. But first there'll be that reading I mentioned from the Psalms in various languages.
The Pope now reaches his chair. Big applause goes to the thousands of pilgrims here in St. Peter's Square, and it's being announced in Italian that the audience will now begin and we're invited to listen and to prepare ourselves to receive the Holy Father's words.
The Pope says, "Peace be with you." And that's how we get started. Now, we'll hear that reading from the Psalms.
Gloria.
And now we'll hear that same reading in French.
And now in English, a reading from the book of Psalms. O Lord our sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth. What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them. Yet you have made them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands. You have put all things under their feet. The word of the Lord.
Another reading in German.
Mentioning God.
And now the reading which is taken from Psalm 8. It's verses 2 and 5 to 7. And we'll hear it in Spanish.
Angeles.
And now we'll hear the psalm in Chinese.
For.
The psalm will now be read in Portuguese. That was Mandarin Chinese.
The Gloria.
Now we have the penultimate reading which is in Arabic.
For.
Now that psalm, Psalm 8, will be read in the final language which is Polish.
For.
And having heard that reading which is taken from Psalm 8, verses 2 and 5-7, we now hear Pope Leo's catechesis.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome.
The conciliar constitution Gaudium et Spes, by dedicating its first chapter to the dignity of the human person, emphasizes that this is the foundation and condition for those values which are most highly prized today. But these must not lose sight of their divine source in order to avoid possible distortions arising from the taint in man's human heart.
The journey that made it possible to highlight the fundamental characteristics and rights of human dignity certainly represents one of the most significant chapters in human history. However, the path ahead is not yet complete and must address the contradictions both old and new which prevent its full realization.
The Church clearly offers her contribution, reminding us that human dignity arises from the very being of a person. I had the opportunity to reiterate this also in my recent encyclical Dilexi te, where I wrote: every human person is planned and willed by God to enter into communion with him, with others, and with creation. Human dignity does not depend on a person's abilities, wealth, or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made. Instead, it is a gift that precedes and transcends each person, endowed by God as an expression of his unfailing love. End of quote.
The infinite dignity of the human being then is rooted in his identity as a creature made in God's image, capable of knowing and loving his creator. A plan and gift of love that transcends other created realities which are entrusted to his care to subdue them and use them to God's glory.
In faith, we can understand the ultimate foundation for the dignity of the person, inasmuch as the Son, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and his love, fully reveals man to himself and makes his supreme calling clear.
The person always implies relationship, communion, and participation in relation to God and to others. Hence, a filial relationship with God the Father and a fraternal relationship with Christ and with all humankind. It excludes self-centered isolation. To be a person means to perceive oneself as a gift to be shared, growing and maturing through acceptance, reciprocity, and service. Responsibility. This dignity is entrusted to the responsibility of each of us.
At the same time, it also demands solidarity and mutual care, overcoming the many falsifications and manipulations that still disfigure our perception of it and hinder its realization. Indeed, as a result of the choices made throughout history that have run counter to this dignity, even today, man is split within himself. And all of human life, whether individual or collective, shows itself to be a dramatic struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness.
This fragile and limited condition, however, can be regarded with hope because the Lord himself came to free and strengthen man, renewing him inwardly and casting out that prince of this world who held him in the bondage of sin.
Furthermore, the constitution Gaudium et Spes affirms that human dignity concerns the whole person and therefore dualistic views must be overcome. The human being, though made of body and soul, is one. Reducing the body to an object to be disposed of arbitrarily is always a denial of the dignity of the person. Man is not allowed to despise his bodily life and is obliged to regard his body as good and honorable, since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day, while ensuring, of course, that it does not become enslaved by the evil inclinations of his heart, since we are all wounded by sin.
Finally, Gaudium et Spes recalls the three most significant expressions of the dignity of the person. Firstly, intelligence, which makes the human being an insatiable seeker of the truth. Then conscience, through which he gives unity and meaning to his life. And finally, freedom, which makes him the responsible agent of his own decisions. These dimensions are closely connected to one another.
It is in conscience that truth is recognized as such, and freedom can experience it as its foundation and possibility. The Holy Spirit, who gives life in Christ, makes us free and constantly assures us of our dignity as children of God, delivering us from fear and guiding us toward the ultimate goal, that is, life in its fullness beyond death which Christ has promised us. It is only in him that the mystery of the human person finds true light. From him we receive light on the enigma of suffering and death, and with him we journey toward the resurrection.
Dear brothers and sisters, created in God's image through Christ and for his sake, we have received a unique and indelible dignity. Let us commit ourselves to promoting and defending it always, with the light and strength of the gospel.
That was our Holy Father's catechesis for this general audience, reflecting there on the pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes. And we'll now hear a summary of that catechesis in various languages, starting with French. I won't be translating the summaries since you've just heard the whole address in its entirety, but I will translate the Pope's words to the pilgrims of each language group. So now we have the first summary and exchange of greetings, which is French.
Benedict.
Sheriff.
Dramatic.
Foreign.
Sheriff.
Salingua.
Franco.
Benedict.
I cordially greet the French-speaking pilgrims whom I invite to marvel at the human dignity bestowed by the creator. This dignity encompasses the whole person, for the human being is a unity of body and soul. By becoming aware of this greatness, you will find the strength needed to defend and promote it in your respective spheres of life. I bless you from the bottom of my heart.
And you'll now hear the summary and exchange of greetings in English. The Pope will of course, as a native English speaker, read the summary himself in English.
Most Holy Father, the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors wish to express to you their sentiments of deep respect and esteem and to assure you of their prayers for your ministry as the successor of Peter. At the end of the audience, we will sing together the Our Father in Latin. His Holiness will then impart his apostolic blessing which he extends in a particular way to the members of your families at home. He also intends to bless any religious articles you may have brought for this purpose. And in a special way, his blessing goes to your children, the elderly, and those who are sick.
Dear brothers and sisters, in our series of catecheses on the Second Vatican Council, we continue our reflection on Gaudium et Spes, focusing on the dignity of the human person. Human dignity flows from our identity as children made in the image and likeness of God. We are endowed with the gifts of intelligence for seeking truth, conscience for recognizing our ultimate calling, and freedom for choosing the good. Only through Christ do we understand that our personhood implies relationship and the call to give ourselves as a gift to God and others. May we therefore help each other to guard and defend our God-given dignity and journey together toward our heavenly homeland.
I extend a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today's audience, especially those from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, South Africa, Australia, China, Japan, Lebanon, the Philippines, and the United States of America.
In a particular way, I gladly renew my welcome to the members of the steering committee of the interreligious platform for dialogue and cooperation in the Arab world who are present today. I thank you for your cooperation with the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue and pray that your efforts to promote peaceful coexistence in the Arab region will indeed bear much fruit upon each of you and your families. I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all.
Now hear the summary and exchange of greetings in German.
Foreign.
Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.
The conciliar constitution Gaudium et Spes.
Of God, midion.
The guys.
Mentioned.
Saling.
In particular, numeros.
Dear brothers and sisters, I extend a warm greeting to the German-speaking pilgrims, especially to the many participants in the pilgrimage of church choirs from the diocese of Würzburg who are accompanied by their bishop. Let us remember that praising and glorifying God is our highest calling. May his praise be always on your lips.
We'll now hear the summary and exchange of greetings in Spanish. And again, Pope Leo will read himself the Spanish language summary.
Companion.
Finch.
Foreign.
Manosman.
Person.
Incarn.
Las.
Significant.
I cordially greet the Spanish-speaking pilgrims. I invite you to rediscover and promote in yourselves and in others the unique and indelible dignity you have received as beings created in the image of God and even more so as those who have been redeemed by Christ. May the Lord bless you. Thank you very much.
