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 Tullock and I'll be providing the English language commentary for this live broadcast of Pope Leo's general audience on today, the 28th of January.
Today Pope Leo will be continuing with his cycle of catechesis on the Second Vatican Council. That's a new cycle that began two general audiences ago. This is the third one on the Second Vatican Council, and it's taking place in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican, often for a short period over the winter. This is where the audiences take place. It's inside, it's covered from the rain. It was very rainy in Rome this morning.
A very warm welcome to all of you, whether you're joining us via our Vatican News YouTube channel or via our partner stations including EWTN, Catholic Faith Network, Salt and Light TV, Radio Maria England, Shalom World TV, Madashian TV, Catholic TV or Luminous Radio India. Very warm welcome to all of you, and of course a special welcome to our friends from the Deaf Catholic Youth Initiative for the Americas. You can visit our Vatican News YouTube channel to find a translation of this general audience into American Sign Language.
And lastly, as always, this broadcast is also available live right now on our Vatican Media audio app and our Vatican News website, which you can access at vaticannews.va, and it should also be live on our Facebook page.
So, very warm welcome to all of you. As I said, Pope Leo today will be talking about the Second Vatican Council. We're expecting him to emerge from that door that some of you, those following via television, will be able to see on the right-hand side of your screens. Any moment now, Pablio will be coming out onto the stage and we'll be getting underway. He'll be talking in particular about the dogmatic constitution Dei Verbum, which was also the subject of last week's general audience. And in particular, the theme of the talk will be one, or just one, sacred deposit: the relationship between scripture and tradition.
It's a pretty lively atmosphere here this morning. We've got groups from all over, as Pope Leo greets the various groups after his catechesis. We'll get into some of the different groups we've got present from all over the world today. Maybe while we wait for the Holy Father to arrive and begin his catechesis, we can look at what he said last week, also on the subject of Dei Verbum.
Pope Leo... it sounds from the cheers... Oh no, I thought he might be arriving, but I think this is just a group of school children who are very excited to be on the big screens here in the hall. These screens are mostly there so that people at the back can see the pope clearly, but sometimes, particularly before the pope arrives, they show shots of the crowd like this. So I was saying, last week the pope also talked about Dei Verbum, and he focused on that document, calling it one of the most beautiful and important documents produced by the Second Vatican Council.
He said that God reveals himself in a dialogue of covenant in which he addresses us as friends, and we therefore have a relational knowledge of God, one which not only communicates ideas but also shares a history and calls for communion in reciprocity. And the fulfillment of revelation, the pope said, takes place in a historical and personal encounter in which God gives himself to us, making himself present, in which we discover to be our deepest truth.
The pope quoted from Dei Verbum that said, 'The deepest truth about God and the salvation of man shines out for our sake in Christ, who is both the mediator and the fullness of all revelation.' Pope Leo said that Jesus reveals the Father to us by involving us in his own relationship with him. In the Son sent by God the Father, humanity might, in the Holy Spirit, have access to the Father and come to share in the divine nature.
And this means, the pope said, that we reach full knowledge of God by entering into the Son's relationship with his Father by virtue of the action of the Holy Spirit. And thanks to Jesus, Pope Leo said, 'We know God as we are known by him, because in Christ God communicated himself to us, and at the same time he manifested to us our identity as his children created in the image of the Word.'
So that was last week's catechesis, and if you want to find our full report on that, you can go to our website vaticannews.va, and we'll have, of course, a report up on today's general audience as soon as it's over. So for those of you who are unfamiliar, the layout of this event is basically: the pope will arrive, there'll be a short gospel reading read in a number of different languages, which is not normally taken from today's gospel reading that you would normally hear at a mass in church, but it's specifically chosen to speak to the theme of this week's catechesis.
So it's from John this week, I believe, John chapter 14. Then we'll have Pope Leo's catechesis, which he'll be delivering in Italian. I'll be providing a simultaneous English language translation. And then after that you get these summaries in the various language groups, which are a lot shorter than the original catechesis, where a speaker of that language will come up and read out a short summary of what was said. And then there'll be an exchange of greetings where Pablio reads, normally in Italian, some greetings to the speakers of that group, and then the translator then reads that out in the language.
And then the very last part of the audience is, Pablio will often appeal or pray, he'll make an... and that comes at the very end after the greetings to the Italian speakers. And then there's the singing of the Our Father in Latin, and Pope Leo gives his apostolic blessing, which goes not only to the thousands of people who are in the Paul VI Hall this morning, but also to everybody who's listening live to this broadcast.
So you can hear some of the groups that are present here chanting. There are groups from all over, of course, from the English-speaking world. They're mainly from the US. We have five different groups from the US: from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in California, from the Diocese of New Ulm in Minnesota, from Mary Mother of the Church parish in Fishkill, New York, and then also some students and faculty from St. John's University in New York City and Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. So the biggest group there is from St. John's University, New York. There are 140 between students and faculty.
We also have this week a small group from India. It's the provincial superiors of the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of Mary, Help of Christians. From Australia, there's a group of students and staff from Australian Catholic University, which has a small campus in Rome, actually not too far from the Vatican. And that door now has been opened, which means Pablio is about to come out. And here he comes. Big cheers from the crowd.
It's a more intimate setting here in the Paul VI Hall than outside in St. Peter's Square, which is obviously much bigger, which means maybe that more people can fit. But you certainly hear the crowd more when it's inside.
So, we'll be getting started very shortly with the sign of the cross from Pope Leo. It's just being announced in Italian that Pope Leo will now introduce the audience with a sign of the cross and liturgical greeting.
So, Pope Leo says, 'Peace be with you.' That's how the audience gets started. And now we'll have that scripture reading from John in various languages, starting with Italian.
And now that same reading in French, it's from John 14.
And now those same words from the evangelist John, this time in English. A reading from the Gospel according to John. Jesus said to his disciples, 'I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.' The Gospel of the Lord.
And now we'll hear that same gospel reading in German.
And now in Spanish, it's verses 25 and 26 from that 14th chapter of John.
Now we have the newest addition to the general audience, which is Chinese.
And now we'll hear that same gospel reading in Portuguese.
Now we have the second last language, which is Arabic.
And now our final language for the gospel reading, which will be Polish.
And that was today's gospel reading, which was taken from John chapter 14. And we'll now hear Pablio's catechesis for today, which, as I said, will be on Dei Verbum.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome.
Continuing our reading of the Second Vatican Council's constitution Dei Verbum on divine revelation, today we will reflect on the relationship between sacred scripture and tradition.
We can take two gospel scenes as a backdrop. In the first, which takes place in the upper room, Jesus, in his great discourse, testament address to the disciples, affirms the following: 'These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Holy Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you all into the truth.'
The second scene takes us instead to the hills of Galilee. The risen Jesus shows himself to the disciples who are surprised and doubtful, and he advises them, 'Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.'
In both of these scenes, the intimate connection between the words uttered by Christ and their dissemination throughout the centuries is evident. This is what the Second Vatican Council affirms using an evocative image: 'There exists a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and sacred scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end.'
Ecclesial tradition branches out throughout history through the church, which preserves, interprets and embodies the word of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers in this regard to a motto of the church fathers: 'Sacred scripture is written principally in the church's heart rather than in documents and records.' That is, in the sacred text.
In the light of Christ's words quoted above, the council affirms that the tradition which comes from the apostles develops in the church with the help of the Holy Spirit. This occurs with full comprehension through contemplation and study made by believers, through a penetrating understanding of the spiritual realities which they experience, and above all with the preaching of the successors of the apostles who have received the sure gift of truth.
In short, the church, in her teaching, life and worship, perpetuates and hands on to all generations all that she herself is and all that she believes.
In this regard, the expression of St. Gregory the Great is well known: 'The sacred scriptures grow with the one who reads them.' And St. Augustine had already remarked that there is only one word of God that unfolds through scripture, and there is only one word that sounds on the lips of many saints.
The word of God, then, is not fossilized, but it is rather a living and organic reality which develops and grows in tradition. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, tradition understands it in the richness of its truth and embodies it in the shifting coordinates of history.
In this regard, the proposal of the holy doctor of the church, John Henry Newman, in his work entitled 'The Development of Christian Doctrine', is striking. He affirmed that Christianity, both as a communal experience and as a doctrine, is a dynamic reality in the manner indicated by Jesus himself in the parables of the seed — that is, a living reality that develops thanks to an inner vital force.
The Apostle Paul repeatedly exhorts his disciple and collaborator Timothy: 'O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you.' The dogmatic constitution Dei Verbum echoes this Pauline text when it says: 'Sacred tradition and sacred scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God committed to the church and interpreted by the living teaching office of the church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ.'
Deposit is a term that, in its original meaning, is juridical in nature and imposes on the depository the duty to preserve the content, which in this case is the faith, and to transmit it intact.
The deposit of the word of God is still in the hands of the church, and all of us in our various ecclesial ministries must continue to preserve it in its integrity as a lodestar for our journey through the complexity of history and existence.
In conclusion, dear friends, let us listen once more to Dei Verbum on the interweaving of sacred scripture and tradition. It affirms that they are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and all together and each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.
So that was Pope Leo's catechesis this morning, and we'll now hear a summary in various languages, starting with French. I won't be translating the summaries in the various languages because you just heard the whole thing, but I will translate what comes after that, which is the exchange of greetings to speakers of that language.
I warmly greet the French-speaking pilgrims, especially the students from various schools and the students from the Catholic University of Vé. May St. Thomas Aquinas, doctor of the church, whose memory we celebrate today, guide us in understanding the scriptures, which he commented on with such wisdom, so that we may understand how much God loves us and desires our salvation. May God bless you.
And we'll now have the summary and exchange of greetings in English. Pablio will be reading the English summary himself, since of course he's a native English speaker. He does the same with the Spanish summary.
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 catechesis on the dogmatic constitution Dei Verbum, today we considered the relationship between scripture and tradition. In the passage we just heard from John's gospel, Jesus says he will send the Holy Spirit to guide the apostles to remember, apply, and proclaim everything he taught.
Sacred scripture, the inspired word of God, and sacred tradition, the living memory of the church, are intimately bound together and form the one deposit of faith. This deposit, which contains the entirety of our faith, doctrine, worship, morality, etc., is not static but dynamic, for it develops and is more profoundly understood by the church over the centuries under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Entrusted to the church, who preserves and interprets it in Jesus' name, this deposit helps us to navigate the complexities of life to reach our eternal home in heaven. May we become living and faithful witnesses to God's word in scripture and tradition.
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today's audience. In particular, the groups from Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Australia, India, and the United States of America. Upon you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you.
Now the summary and exchange of greetings in German.
Dear German-speaking brothers and sisters, St. Thomas Aquinas, whose liturgical memory we celebrate today, helps us to understand divine revelation even more deeply through his works. May the example of this doctor of the church inspire us too to seek the face of God, experiencing the beauty of faith.
And Pablio will now read the Spanish summary.
I cordially greet these Spanish-speaking pilgrims. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand the word through contemplation and study, and to have an intimate experience of spiritual things, aided by the preaching of the successors of the apostles who have received the sure charism of truth. May God bless you. Thank you very much.
Big cheer from the Spanish speakers, and the next summary and exchange of greetings will be in Chinese.
There are groups from Peru here today, where I lived for 30 years.
