Address delivered by Cardinal Angelo
Sodano, Secretary of State
following the conferral of an honorary doctorate by St. John's
University
Queens, New York
21 September 2004
Father Harrington,
Professors and Students,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends!
There is a parable in the Gospel which could nicely serve to
explain the purpose of each of the Church's institutions, including
this distinguished University. It is the well-known parable of the
leaven or the yeast, in which Jesus, on the shore of the Sea of
Galilee, taught his disciples about the nature of his Kingdom, and
consequently of all its institutions.
"The Kingdom of God is like yeast, which a woman took and
kneaded into three measures of flour. Eventually the whole mass of
dough began to rise" (Mt 13:33).
Those who first heard these words clearly understood what our
Lord meant to teach them. Yeast was present in every home and was
used to bake bread. Everyone was familiar with its power to make
dough rise and to give new flavor to the daily meal.
1. The power of the Gospel
Christ's parable about the transforming power of his Kingdom can
also be applied to the power of the Gospel to elevate and ennoble
every aspect of the presence and activity of Christians in the
world.
Two thousand years of history show how the Gospel of Christ has
imbued and enriched our own civilization with the specific values
of the Christian message. When I studied theology at the Pontifical
Gregorian University in Rome, I was very impressed by a book
written by a learned German Jesuit, Father Karl Prümm, entitled,
Christianity as Newness of Life (Il Cristianesimo come novità
di vita, Brescia, 1955). The author listed all those ways in
which the Christian message had renewed and transformed the
Greco-Roman world. From the outset the Gospel had the power to
awaken new life; the Christian message was not something static but
dynamic, a reality capable of giving new meaning to human
existence.
Over the course of the centuries, Christ's Church has carried on
his work and planted in the heart of the world those vital values
which the Lord revealed to us. Indeed, there is no other reason for
the Church's presence in the world save that of continuing the
activity of her Lord. It can rightly be said that the Church is the
extension and continuation of Christ's presence throughout the
ages.
This truth was clearly brought out by the Second Vatican Council
in its celebrated Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modem
World Gaudium et spes (7 December 1965). The Council
states that the Church is called to be "the leaven and, as it were,
the soul of human society, which is to be renewed in Christ and
transformed into God's family" (No.40).
These words are themselves an echo of statements made from the
earliest centuries of the Church. The author of the Letter to
Diognetus wrote that ''as the soul is to the body, so
Christians must be in the world" (No.6).
The Council reminds us that "Christ gave his Church no proper
mission in the political, economic or social order. The purpose
which he set before her is a religious one. But out of this
religious mission itself comes a duty, a light and an energy which
can serve to structure and consolidate the human community in
accordance with God's law.
"Thus, when circumstances of time and place demand it, the
Church can and indeed should initiate activities on behalf of all
people, especially those in need, such as works of mercy and
similar undertakings" (Gaudium et Spes, 42).
2. From the heart of the
Church
Such charitable works were in fact the first way that the Church
brought the leaven of evangelical charity to the world of the
suffering. We need but think of the diaconate, established in
apostolic times for the relief of the poor.
As the centuries passed, there was a growing sense of the need
to bring the leaven of evangelical truth to the world of young
people, since in a very special way they are in need of light to
guide their way.
Consequently, the Church established schools, universities and
cultural institutions of many kinds as a means of helping new
generations to discover the true~ the good and the beautiful: in a
word, to discover all that corresponds to the deepest needs of the
human soul.
Many cultural institutions were born from the heart of the
Church, as Pope John Paul n pointed out in his Apostolic
Constitution on Catholic Universities, significantly entitled
Ex corde Ecclesiae, "From the heart of the Church".
The same could also be said of all the other academic
institutions established by the Church, as we are reminded by
another important conciliar document, the Declaration on Catholic
Education Gravissimum educationis momentum, "the supreme
importance of education" (28 October 1965).
The goal of these institutions is to achieve "a kind of public,
stable and universal presence of Christian thought in the whole
work of promoting higher learning, and of training their students
to become men and women outstanding for their knowledge, prepared
to undertake the weightier offices in society and to bear witness
to their faith before the world" (No.10).
If we look to the origin of many educational institutions, it is
clear that they were born "from the heart of the Church".
The present University of Rome, known as La Sapienza,
was established seven centuries ago, in 1303, by Pope Boniface
VIII, under the name Studium Urbis. In Paris, the Sorbonne
is known by that name because it was established in 1257 by Canon
Robert Sourbon.
In the classic work of Hastings Rashdall, The Universities
of Europe in the Middle Ages (Oxford, 1936), we learn that, of
the seventy-five Universities established between 1100 and 1500,
forty-seven received a Papal Bull of foundation, while many others,
which emerged spontaneously or by decision of the secular
authorities, later received papal confirmation with the grant of a
Faculty of Theology or Canon Law (cf. op. cit., I,
xxix).
The same leaven of the Gospel was subsequently added to the
world of culture when Universities and institutions of higher
education were established by the modern States. In addition to
being present in these centers of study and research through the
work and the witness of many other sons and daughters, the Church
deemed it fitting to establish her own research lnstitutes for the
human sciences, as well as Universities for the ecclesiastical
sciences.
The first Catholic university in modern Europe was established
in 1843 at Louvain. Even earlier, in 1789, Georgetown University
had been founded in the United States. Your own St. John 's
University was established in 1870 by the apostolic initiative of
the Most Reverend John Loughlin, first Bishop of Brooklyn, and
entrusted to the direction of the Vincentian Fathers. In fidelity
to the charism of Saint Vincent de Paul, the Vincentians are
apostles of charity. In this distinguished University, their
apostolate is to serve the charity of truth.
The twentieth century saw a great flowering of cultura1
institutes, faculties, chairs, schools, colleges, universities and
various associations of professors and students. All were inspired
by the same ideal: that of helping young people to grow in the
habit of study and in the search for truth.
3. A leaven in society
At this poin4 I would like to add another reflection in my role as
Secretary of State of the Holy See, namely, that this same
spiritual concern inspires the activity of the Holy See in the
international community. The aim of that activity is to bring to
public life all those Christian values which can contribute greatly
to the spiritual progress of peoples.
Addressing the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope
John Paul II has stated that "the reason why the Holy See has a
place in the midst of the community of nations [is] to be the voice
which the human conscience is waiting for, without thereby
diminishing the contribution of other religious traditions. Being a
spiritual and worldwide authority, the Apostolic See continues to
provide this service to humanity, with no other aim than tirelessly
to recall the demands of the common good, respect for the human
person, and the promotion of the highest spiritual values" (Address
to the Diplomatic Corps, 9 January 1995, No.10).
For this reason the Holy See today entertains regular diplomatic
relations with 174 States (of the 191 which are part of the United
Nations Organization) and takes an active part in international
bodies and thus in international diplomacy. One need only think of
the Holy See's presence at the United Nations Organization itself,
as well as at UNESCO, FAO and the UN institutions in Geneva and
Vienna. Mention could also be made of the presence of Papal
Representatives at various regional bodies such as the European
Union, the Organization of American States, the Arab League and
other international institutions.
The Accords which the Holy See establishes with various
countries are aimed both at ensuring the necessary freedom for the
Church to carry out her mission in society and at contributing to
the spiritual progress of the peoples among which she is present
and active.
4. A leaven in civilization
With the same goal in mind the Church strives to enable the leaven
of Christ's Gospel to work within various civilizations, purifying
them of potentially destructive elements and infusing them with the
transforming power of Christ's grace.
Etymologically, the term "civilization" is derived from the
Latin civilitas, itself a translation of the Greek word
politeia. The term essentially refers to the model of life
typical of Rome and the larger cities, as distinct from country
life. The life of the city was considered better developed, more
perfect.
Similar to the concept of civilization is that of "culture",
based for its part on a metaphor drawn from the country, namely the
careful and patient cultivation of the earth by fam1ing. Despite
the fact that they refer to two distinct sectors of human life, the
city and the country, the terms "civilization" and "culture"
coincide insofar as they emphasize the impact which human beings
make on their environment in the effort to make life more
human.
It must be said however, that, in the judgment of many scholars
of the Latin tradition, the two terms, for all their similarity,
are not perfectly synonymous. Among some peoples, we find imperfect
or deviant cultures which cannot be called civilized.
If a particular culture, for example, exalts brute force, or is
marked by thoroughgoing agnosticism, or extols class struggle, or
shows contempt for the newborn and for women, such a culture cannot
rise to the level of civilization. As the Jesuit scholar Hervè
Carrier has observed, every civilization is a culture, but not
every culture is a civilization (cf. Dizionario della
Cultura, Vatican City, 1997, p. 93).
At the same time, it should be pointed out that in the non-Latin
languages, particularly English and German, the terms
"civilization" and "culture" tend to coincide; indeed the Latin
concept of "civilization" is often translated by the English
"culture" or the German "Kultur".
This having been said, "civilization" might be defined as
follows: the complex of social, religious, artistic and
technological expressions resulting from human activity which, as
such, are expressions of the perfection of man himself.
"Civilization" signifies all those ways in which human beings and
society express the best of themselves, their own perfection. We
can say that civilization expresses the vital relationship of human
beings with the world of nature, with one another and with God: it
is a "high" style of life which characterizes a particular
people.
Every civilization, precisely because it is a human work, is
always capable of improvement. History shows us that civilizations
can also be subject to corruption and degeneration. European
history in the twentieth century, scarred by the horrors of Nazism
and Communism, is a clear example of this. Ultimately, every
civilization is somewhat fragile, since it can lose important
values which were earlier taken for granted.
In view of this fact, Christians are called to work within the
societies in which they live, for the sake of preserving their
values and strengthening their life.
5. Towards a Christian
civilization
Clearly, then, it is part of Christianity's vocation to associate
itself closely with "civilization". If civilization signifies "a
human perfection and good", then Christianity is called to shape
civilization. Western civilization has already encountered Jesus
Christ and the immense benefits which the Gospel has brought for
human life, history and the definitive destiny of humanity. The
history of the West has been brightened in any number of ways by
the light of Christ. True, there have been, and continue to be,
powerful attempts to eliminate Christ's name from civilization and
history, from family life, from the civil and religious life of
humanity, and from its hopes and final destiny. The Church is very
much aware of this, and despite her own difficulties within and
without, precisely because she has known Christ, she protects and
preserves his truth. Today too, the Church "cannot abandon man, for
his 'destiny', that is to say his election, calling, birth and
death, salvation or perdition, is so closely and unbreakably linked
with Christ" (John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptor Hominis
[4 March 1979], 14).
Consequently, Christianity - as a religion of salvation - is
deeply interested in culture and civilization, in other words, in
every one of those realities which are the "steps" by which man
ascends to his final destiny. All the ways of the Church lead to
man, to everyone without exception, in order to make known Christ's
truth and guide all to salvation. Christianity and culture are
inextricably linked, as are Christianity and civilization.
The way in which Christianity engages culture and civilization
is known as "inculturation". "This is the distillation of the
evangelical message into the anthropological 1anguage and the
symbols of the culture of which it has become a part" (John Paul
II, Address to the Native Peoples, Latacunga Airport, Ecuador, 31
January 1985: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, VIII, 1
[1985]: 30 1). The result of this process can be defined as
Christian civilization, that is, the acceptance in a particular
people's life and customs of the light brought by faith in Christ.
The process of inculturation can be determined by various elements,
some of them supernatural in origin. The leaven of the Gospel works
within each culture, and the result of inculturation is a
particular expression of Christian civilization.
6. Towards a civilization of
love
At this point, we might ask if there is one element which would
characterize this Christian civilization. We can respond by drawing
upon a profound intuition of Pope Paul VI, who defined Christian
civilization as "the civilization of love". The Pope clearly saw
that love is the vital principle, the "soul" of Christian
civilization.
These are his words: "We look at the historical situation in
which we find ourselves; and then, observing the life of humanity,
we wish to open for it ways of greater well-being and civilization,
animated by love. By civilization we mean that set of moral, civil,
economic conditions which enable human life to flourish and to
attain a reasonable fullness, a happy eternal destiny" (Audience of
31 December 1975, Insegnamenti di Paolo VI, XIII [1975]:
1577).
This idea occurs frequently in the social teaching of the
Church's magisterium. Both Leo XIII and Pius XI pointed out, with
regard to the Marxist theory of class conflict, that although
justice might be able to eliminate the causes of social
contentions, it cannot unite hearts. John XXIII, in his Encyclicals
Mater et Magistra and Pacem in Terris, while
acknowledging that solutions to social problems call for scientific
and technical expertise, also observed that charity continues to
play a fundamental role, both as a complement to justice and as a
definitive inspiration for implementing what has come to be seen as
an obligation. There are also certain situations beyond the limits
of the State's activity, where mercy and Christian charity alone
can effectively operate.
7. The thought of Pope John Paul
II
Pope John Paul II has often used the expression "the civilization
of love". Love has been a central point in his magisterium. From
his first Encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, the Pope has made
it clear that the acceptance of love is fundamental for human
self-understanding, history and destiny: "Man cannot live without
love. He remains a being incomprehensible to himself, whose life is
senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter
love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does
not participate intimately in it" (No. 10). In the documents
Novo millennio ineunte (Nos. 42ff) and Ecclesia in
Europa (Nos. 83ff), the Pope devoted the final,
forward-looking chapters to love. Even as the Church points to
encouraging signs in today's society, she clearly sees the need to
remind our contemporaries of the experience of Christian love, of
which they have lost sight.
History and present-day experience show that justice alone is
not sufficient, and can even prove baneful and self-destructive
unless room is made for a greater power-love-to shape human life in
all its aspects. The Holy Father insists on this point when he
speaks of the need for forgiveness and mercy as a way of resolving
problems between peoples. With regard to the crisis in Palestine
and in the Middle East, he has spoken of the need to move beyond a
logic of justice and to embrace a logic of forgiveness (cf.
Angelus Message, 1 January 2001). During the Holy Year
2000 the Pope invited peoples, nations and government leaders to
demonstrate concrete signs of a willingness to set out on the path
of the civilization of love in the third millennium. He called for
action in dealing with the debt of poor and developing countries
(Novo millennio ineunte, 14), and he supported measures of
clemency for the imprisoned. In a word, the Holy Father pointed out
to a new millennium the way of love.
8. Conclusion
Dear Professors and students, I encourage you to take up this great
tradition of the Church and to allow the leaven of Christ's Gospel
to permeate every aspect of contemporary American society. The
Gospel message has the power to transform and elevate the lives of
individuals and whole peoples. In all that you think, say and do,
continue to proclaim our conviction that the fullness of life and
salvation are found in Christ alone. This is the great contribution
which you are called to make to the future of America and the
building of the civilization of love.