Vatican City, Feb 12, 2009 / 10:21 am
Upon receiving the Letters of Credence of the new ambassador of Australia to the Vatican, Pope Benedict spoke of his sadness for the bushfire victims and encouraged Australians to seek truth and beauty in order to unite society and discover hope.
Before diving into his address, the Holy Father expressed his sorrow upon hearing of the recent bush fires in the Australian region of Victoria that have already killed 181 people. The Pontiff asked the new ambassador, Timothy Anthony Fischer, to send his condolences “to the grieving individuals and families.”
The Holy Father then pointed out how the new ambassador is Australia’s first residential ambassador to the Holy See, marking a “new stage” in the diplomatic relations between the two countries. He explained to Fischer that the Church's interactions with “civil society” are anchored in her conviction that human progress depends upon the “recognition of the supernatural vocation of each person.”
God’s plan for every person, the Pope said, includes the gifts of dignity and the ability to seek “truth and goodness.” These gifts can serve as an antidote to the prevailing Western tendencies to use pragmatism and consequentialism to solve problems, he counseled.