Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 309

people of God.10 If this seems counter-cultural, that is simply further evidence

of the urgent need for a renewed evangelization of culture.

Here in America, you are blessed with a Catholic laity of considerable

cultural diversity, who place their wide-ranging gifts at the service of the

Church and of society at large. They look to you to offer them encourage-

ment, leadership and direction. In an age that is saturated with information,

the importance of providing sound formation in the faith cannot be over-

stated. American Catholics have traditionally placed a high value on religious

education, both in schools and in the context of adult formation programs.

These need to be maintained and expanded. The many generous men and

women who devote themselves to charitable activity need to be helped to

renew their dedication through a ''formation of the heart'': an ''encounter

with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to

others''.11 At a time when advances in medical science bring new hope to

many, they also give rise to previously unimagined ethical challenges. This

makes it more important than ever to offer thorough formation in the

Church's moral teaching to Catholics engaged in health care. Wise guidance

is needed in all these apostolates, so that they may bear abundant fruit; if

they are truly to promote the integral good of the human person, they too

need to be made new in Christ our hope.

As preachers of the Gospel and leaders of the Catholic community, you

are also called to participate in the exchange of ideas in the public square,

helping to shape cultural attitudes. In a context where free speech is valued,

and where vigorous and honest debate is encouraged, yours is a respected

voice that has much to offer to the discussion of the pressing social and moral

questions of the day. By ensuring that the Gospel is clearly heard, you not

only form the people of your own community, but in view of the global reach

of mass communication, you help to spread the message of Christian hope

throughout the world.

Clearly, the Church's influence on public debate takes place on many

different levels. In the United States, as elsewhere, there is much current

and proposed legislation that gives cause for concern from the point of view

of morality, and the Catholic community, under your guidance, needs to offer

10 Cf. Spe Salvi, 14. 11 Deus Caritas Est, 31.