Vatican City

(from Divine Revelation, the document on Divine Revelation from the Second Vatican Council

translation by Rev. Austin Flannery, O.P., Nihil Obstat: Vatican Council II The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents Rev. Francis Glimm, S.T.L., Imprimatur, His Excellency, Walter P. Kellenberg, D.D., Bishop of Rockville Centre

Chapter VI Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church)

"we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture, firmly, faithfully and without error, teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confined to the sacred Scriptures. (Cf. Sg. Augustine, Gen. ad Litt. 2, 9, 20: Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 34, 270-271; Epist. 82, 3: Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 33, 277; CSEL 34, 2, p. 354--St. Thomas De Ver. q. 12, a. 2, C.--Council of Trent, Session IV, de canonicis Scripturis: Denz. 783 (1501) -- Leo XIII, Encycl. Providentissimus: EB 121, 124, 126-127.--Pius XII, Encycl. Divinio Afflante: EB 539) Thus "all Scripture is inspired by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17, Greek text)

1. Hearing the Word of God with reverence, and proclaiming it with faith, the sacred Synod assents to the words of St. John, who says: "We proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us - that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." (1 Jn. 1:2-3). Following, then, in the steps of the Councils of Trent and Vatican I, this Synod wishes to set forth the true doctrine on divine Revelation and its transmission. For it wants the whole world to hear the summons to salvation, so that through hearing it may believe, through belief it my hope, through hope it may come to love. (St. Augustine De Catechizandia rudibus, c. 4, 8: Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855}40, 316)

21. The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures as she venerated the Body of the Lord, in so far as she never ceases, particularly in the sacred liturgy, to partake of the bread of life and to offer it to the faithful from the one table of the Word of God and the Body of Christ. She has always regarded, and continues to regard the Scriptures, taken together with sacred Tradition, as the supreme rule of her faith. For, since they are inspired by God and committed to writing once and for all time, they present God's own Word in an unalterable form, and they make the voice of the Holy Spirit sound again and again in the words of the prophets and apostles. It follows that all the preaching of the Church, as indeed the entire Christian religion, should be nourished and ruled by sacred Scripture. In the sacred books the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them. And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life. Scripture verifies in the most perfect way the words: "The Word of God is living and active" (Heb. 4:12), and "is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32; cf. 1 Th. 2:13).

25. Therefore, all clerics, particularly priests of Christ and others who, as deacons or catechists, are officially engaged in the ministry of the word, should immerse themselves in the Scriptures by constant sacred reading and diligent study. For it must not happen that anyone becomes "an empty preacher of the Word of God to others, not being a hearer of the word in this own heart" (St. Augustine, Serm. 179; J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 16, 50) when he ought to be sharing the boundless riches of the divine Word with the faithful committed to his care, especially in the sacred liturgy. Likewise, the sacred Synod forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful, especially those who live the religious life, to learn "the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. "Ignorance of the Scriptures if ignorance of Christ." (St. Jerome, Comm. In Isaias, Prol.: Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 24, 17. Cf. Benedict XV, Encycl. Spiritus Paraclitus: EB 475-480; Pius XII, Encycl. Divinio Afflante: EB 544) Therefore, let them go gladly to the sacred text itself, whether in the sacred liturgy, which is full of the divine words, or in devout reading, or in such suitable exercises and various other helps which, with the approval and guidance of the pastors of the Church, are happily spreading everywhere in our day. Let them remember, however, that prayer should accompany the reading of sacred Scripture, so that a dialogue takes place between God and man. For, "we speak to him when we pray; we listen to him when we read the divine oracles." (St. Ambrose, De Officiis ministrorum I, 20, 88: Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 16, 50)

The U.S. Catechism, in the beginning of its article on the Faith begins with Blessed Pope John XXIII (1958 to 1963), the Pope who opened the Second Vatican Council. In his opening address, he proposed five points for his vision of the council:

1. Be filled with hope and faith. Do not be prophets of gloom. "Divine Providence is leading us to a new order of human relations, which by men's own efforts and even beyond their very expectations, are directed toward God's superior and inscrutable design."

2. Discover ways of teaching the faith more effectively."The greatest concern of the ecumenical council is this: that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be guarded and taught more efficaciously.

3. Deepen the understanding of doctrine. Authentic doctrine "should be studied and expounded through the methods of research and the literary forms of modern thought. The substance of the ancient doctrine and deposit of the faith is one thing, and the way in which it is presented is another."

4. Use the medicine of mercy. "Errors vanish as quickly as they arise, like fog before the sun. The Church has always opposed these errors. Frequently she has condemned them with the greatest severity. Nowadays, the Spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity. She considers that she meets the needs of the present day by demonstrating the validity of her teaching rather than by condemnation."

5. Seek unity within the Church, with Christians separated from Catholicism, with those of non-Christian religions, and with all men and women of goodwil. "Such is the aim of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council which . . . prepares, as it were, and consolidates the path toward that unity of mankind where truth reigns, charity is the law and whose extent is eternity."

(Blessed) Pope John XXIII, Rejoice, O Mother Church (Gaudet Mater Ecclesia), opening address at the Second Vatican Council(October 11, 1962)

The Catholic faith emanated from God from the beginning of time, and was established on earth definitively from the side of Jesus Christ on the cross outside of Jerusalem when He side was pierced by a spear, around 33 A.D.. Then it was shown to the world at Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit, fifty-three days later.

The head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis and his entourage.

Clarification:

The Apostolic Palace is normally the residence of the pope. However, Pope Francis has decided to live in an apartment in Casa Santa Marta.