Pope Commends Knights of Columbus Convention, 'Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land'

By Vatican Radio
8/7/2012
Vatican Radio (www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/EN1/index.asp)

His Holiness wishes me to convey his profound personal gratitude for the spiritual bouquet of prayers and sacrifices which the Knights and their families have offered for his intentions

At a time when concerted efforts are being made to redefine and restrict the exercise of the right to religious freedom, the Knights of Columbus have worked tirelessly to help the Catholic community recognize and respond to the unprecedented gravity of these new threats to the Church's liberty and public moral witness. By defending the right of all religious believers, as individual citizens and in their institutions, to work responsibly in shaping a democratic society inspired by their deepest beliefs, values and aspirations, your Order has proudly lived up to the high religious and patriotic principles which inspired its founding.

Photo from CNS News: Knights assemble for procession

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VATICAN CITY (Vatican Radio) On Tuesday August 7th the 130th Supreme Convention of the Order of the Knights of Columbus gets underway in Anaheim, California. The Order, founded on the principles of charity, unity and fraternity, will gather together thousands of its members under the banner Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land. Below a message to the Convention addressed to Supreme Knight Karl A. Anderson of behalf of Pope Benedict XVI signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

Dear Mr. Anderson,

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was pleased to learn that from 7 to 9 August 2012 the 130th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus will be held in Anaheim, California. He has asked me to convey his warm greetings to all in attendance, together with the assurance of his closeness in prayer.

The theme of this year's Supreme Convention - Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land - evokes not only the great biblical ideals of freedom and justice which shaped the founding of the United States of America, but also the responsibility of each new generation to preserve, defend and advance those great ideals in its own day.

By defending the right of all religious believers, as individual citizens and in their institutions, to work responsibly in shaping a democratic society inspired by their deepest beliefs, values and
aspirations, your Order has proudly lived up to the high religious and patriotic principles which inspired its founding.

The challenges of the present moment are in fact yet another reminder of the decisive importance of the Catholic laity for the advancement of the Church's mission in today's rapidly changing social context. The Knights of Columbus, founded as a fraternal society committed to mutual assistance and fidelity to the Church, was a pioneer in the development of the modern lay apostolate.

His Holiness is confident that the Supreme Convention will carry on this distinguished legacy by providing sound inspiration, guidance and direction to a new generation of faithful and dedicated Catholic laymen. As he stated to the Bishops of the United States earlier this year, the demands of the new evangelization and the defence of the Church's freedom in our day call for,

"an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strongcritical sense vis-�-vis the dominant culture and with the courage to counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church's participation in public debate about the issues which are determining the future of American society" (Ad Limina Address, 19 January 2012).

Given this urgent need, the Holy Father encourages the Supreme Council, together with each of the local Councils, to reinforce the praiseworthy programs of continuing catechetical and spiritual formation which have long been a hallmark of your Order. Each Knight, in fidelity to his baptismal promises, is pledged to bear daily witness, however quiet and unassuming, to his faith in Christ, his love of the Church and his commitment to the spread of God's Kingdom in this world.

The forthcoming inauguration of the Year of Faith, which commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, is meant to deepen this sense of ecclesial responsibility and mission in the entire People of God. His Holiness prays that the celebration of this Year of spiritual and apostolic renewal will inspire in the Knights an ever firmer resolve to profess their baptismal faith in its fullness, celebrate it more intensely in the liturgy, and make it manifest through the witness of their lives (cf. Porta Fidei, 9).

In a particular way, His Holiness wishes me to convey his profound personal gratitude for the spiritual bouquet of prayers and sacrifices which the Knights and their families have offered for his intentions throughout this year which marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of his episcopal ordination.

He is pleased to see in this act of spiritual solidarity not only an outstanding testimony of love for the Successor of Saint Peter, who is "the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of the Church's unity in faith and her communion" (cf. Lumen Gentium, 18), but also a sign of especial fidelity, loyalty and support during these difficult times.

With these sentiments, the Holy Father commends the deliberations of the Supreme Convention to the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church. To all the Knights and their families he cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of joy and peace in the Lord.

Adding my own prayerful good wishes for the work of the Supreme Convention, I remain
Yours sincerely,Card. Tarcisio Bertone

Secretary of State
From the Vatican, 19 July 2012

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The Voice of the Pope and the Church in dialogue with the World

Keywords: Knights of Columbus, religious liberty, Anaheim, K of C, Carl Anderson,

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1 - 3 of 3 Comments

Paul-Emile Leray
10 months ago
As a 3rd degree Knight, who is no longer active as far as being a Knight is concerned in the sense of attending meetings, the only things I have against the K.C.'s are as follows:
1. Some members are K.C.'s because of their excellent insurance policies. In other words, the motives for becoming a K.C. are not always pure. Granted, this is often the case with practically anything. So if pure motive does not matter, then my criticism does not hold enough weight. In other words, I am criticizing my own comment if pure motive is not necessary.
2. Some of the tactics and methods they use to raise money to then redistribute it for the greater human good, at times, leaves to be desired. I am not a big fan of bingo bonanzas inside bingo halls (to raise money) when most of the people playing bingo are North American Indians living on welfare (and some caucasians as well)! Then again, the government does the same thing by putting stupid slot machines and games inside restaurants in the name of getting some money to fill their coffers. It is a form of taxation on the people, with the reality being that most people doing the gambling are those who can not afford to. Then, the government has the audacity to put 1-800 numbers on their machines telling the players that if they have a gambling problem then they will help you get over it. This is similar to a bar owner telling an alcoholic customer to get over his drinking problem! There is one potential problem. If the alcoholic stops drinking, the bar owner might go out of business. In the words of a great Jesuit writer, many people are lead to feel sick so as to keep the hospital full since the doctors need to stay in business. If everyone is strong and healthy, who will the doctors treat? The hospital will be empty. If nobody has any cavities, what will happen to the dentist's business? Somebody who has no hair does not need a barber. Because of FEAR, insurance companies make fortunes capitalizing on the weaknesses and fear inside people. Read a book entitled DO NOT FEAR!, by Carlos G. Valles (SJ); a great writer full of truth! Throw away the psychobabbling books in the pop psychology sections at the bookstore and read some writings of Dominicans and Jesuits instead. They will light you on fire!
3. I am open to being criticized. I am simply reporting what my eyes have seen, based on experience. While I realize what the initial original intent behind the insurance policies was, I do not think it ought to be a primary motive for becoming a K.C. in this day and age. Then again, since it is such a solid, reliable, ethical, and socially responsible insurance policy program; why not support the good guys (K.C.'s) instead of certain (some) ponzi scheming snakes on Wall Street? What is the alternative? A ponzi scheme with a snakeoil salesman in a suit with a phony smile?
4. Simply a few points to consider, reflect upon, in my critique. Notice there are only a few points to my critique. The list of good points is in multiple digits. Therefore, do not allow your confidence or courage to be shrivelled because of a few points of criticism vis-a-vis the K.C.'s. Were I to list my own faults and auto-criticize myself, there would be more than 3 or 4 points. The list would be much longer. The K.C.'s do excellent work. This having been stated, why not consider a few points of criticism in the pursuit of setting high(er) standards? Volunteering is often good, but the motives are often far from pure. Why? In the words of yet another writer, being seen as being good in the public eye does have benefits. For example, political motives is one that comes to mind. The motives behind the volunteering are often to launch a political career or to gain some form of power and control, fame, notoriety, and so forth. Doing simply out of pure motive is often practically non-existent! If I have ruffled a few feathers, you then have explicit proof I am right on target! Right? 'Perhaps', likely closer to 'probably', and maybe even getting quite close to the truth. I'll stop myself here, because too much truth lazered into the soul too fast in too great a quantity tends to send people into fits of anger. I do not wish to cause any heart attacks or aneurysms. For example, mentionning the history of certain popes who lead more evil lives than common Christian Catholic hard working citizens usually gets less light shed upon it than the popes who were more SINCERE. You see, there is politics in religion as well. Does as much light get shed on the potentially perceived NEGATIVE aspects of TRUTH as on the potentially PERCEIVED POSITIVE realities of TRUTH? (we all know the answer to that, right? Right.) Politicians usually lead the world into a mess and then religions get blamed for it, is what some say. Personally, I would TRUST the Catholic Church before any other ship sailing on the vast sea of existence. Only a fool, however, would imagine that politics did not exist in religion. Why? Humans are by nature, in part, political beings (some partial reference here to Aristotle), and this on some level due to original sin (we are all flawed and therefore imperfect). Take my criticisms with the long timeline perspective of being in the pursuit of seeking to live a better Christian existential truly human life.
Paul-Emile Leray
abey
10 months ago
Where the true Liberty is off the Holy Spirit, the false liberty is off the deceiving spirits , therein lies the difference, "Not by might neither by power but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts". So let the true liberty be proclaimed against the false Liberties. For without doubt, America today is being led by the false ones to its so called liberties even by might & power, against God, except, its conclusions foretold.
Joe
10 months ago
The Pope Said 4 things were important in electing a pesident. . I do not see what he said on this site. Who are you. Who runs this site. Why do you not put on the front page of this site the words of the POPE.

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