{"id":18742,"date":"2022-11-11T19:53:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T18:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fondazione.urbanstudiosdemo.com\/?p=18742"},"modified":"2022-11-14T16:11:09","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T15:11:09","slug":"very-real-sign-of-gods-goodness-paul-vi-and-the-ephpheta-institute-in-the-light-of-vatican-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/very-real-sign-of-gods-goodness-paul-vi-and-the-ephpheta-institute-in-the-light-of-vatican-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00abVery real sign of God\u2019s goodness\u00bb Paul VI and the Ephpheta Institute in the light of Vatican II"},"content":{"rendered":"

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di Riccardo Burigana<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On December 4, 1963, in his closing address to the Second Session of the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI announced to the Council Fathers his intention to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Paul VI wanted to invite everyone, not only Catholics, to rethink the centrality of the life of Jesus Christ and the birth of the Christian experience for the witness of the Word of God in the world. The pilgrimage \u2013 this is how the pope wanted his journey to be defined – assumed a special meaning because it was realized when the Catholic Church, with the celebration of the Second Vatican Council, had promoted a process of aggiornamento, opening new perspectives of dialogue with other Christians, with other religions and with the world.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Paul VI’s pilgrimage played a fundamental role in the life of the Second Vatican Council, especially after the meeting between Paul VI and Athenagoras, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, whose pictures, rather than the words commenting the meeting, showed the world how much the visible unity of the Church was considered a priority for the pope,\u00a0 although the decree Unitatis redintegratio on the Catholic principles of ecumenism had to be promulgated and it was unclear the destiny of the document on the Jews in the Council.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Paul VI\u2019s pilgrimage to the Holy Land had not only an ecumenical dimension but it can be considered programmatic of the whole pontificate for the themes addressed and for the projects started. During his journey Paul VI had noticed the presence of deaf-mute children without assistance, and he asked their condition, wondering what he, and the Catholic Church, could do to give them hope for today and tomorrow. Paul VI took the decision to create an \u201cInstitute\u201d, an educational structure, where deaf-mute children could find training that would allow them to express themselves so that they can live in the world.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The project of creation of the Institute, which was particularly close to the pope’s heart for the relationship that had been created with the Holy Land, wanted to be also a sign of the reception of Vatican II, where it had been discussed how the Church could bear witness to her vocation to be poor for the poor people. Despite the pope’s intentions, it was absolutely not easy, for many reasons, to achieve the realization of the project that included an educational program which had to be planned. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Paul VI wanted that the name of the school refers to a passage in the Gospel according to Mark (7, 32-35): \u00abSome people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man\u2019s ears. Then he spit and touched the man\u2019s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, \u201cEphphatha!\u201d (which means \u201cBe opened!\u201d). At this, the man\u2019s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.\u00bb The choice of Paul VI was rooted in the rediscovery of the Word of God for the daily life of the Church, which had been discussed in Vatican II, as a fundamental element of the process of aggiornamento of the Church, so much so that \u00abthe sacred synod encourages the sons of the Church and Biblical scholars to continue energetically, following the mind of the Church, with the work they have so well begun, with a constant renewal of vigor.\u00bb (Dei Verbum, n. 23).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

After seven years of Paul VI’s pilgrimage, on June 30, 1971, cardinal Ma\u00bbximilian Furstemberg, in the name of Paul VI, who had wanted the Institute in Bethlehem, inaugurated the school, whose management was entrusted to the Congregation of the Sisters Teachers of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts from Vicenza (Italy), already present in the Holy Land since 1927.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Institute was a gift of Pope Paul VI for the Church and for the world and it\u00a0 a perennial source of hope for all men and women of good will:\u00a0 \u00ab Wherever children are accepted, loved, cared for and protected, the family is healthy, society is more healthy and the world is more human. Here we can think of the work carried out by the Ephpheta Paul VI institute for hearing and speech impaired Palestinian children: it is a very real sign of God\u2019s goodness. It is a clear sign that society is healthier\u00bb (pope Francis, Homily, Bethlehem, 25 May 2014).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

TRADUZIONE<\/p>\n

\u00abSegno concretissimo della bont\u00e0 di Dio\u00bb\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Paolo VI e l’Istituto Effeta alla luce del Vaticano II<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Il 4 dicembre 1963, nel discorso conclusivo della Seconda Sessione del Concilio Vaticano II, Paolo VI annunciava ai Padri conciliari la sua intenzione di compiere un pellegrinaggio in Terra Santa: Paolo VI voleva invitare tutti, non solo i cattolici, a ripensare alla centralit\u00e0 della vita di Ges\u00f9 Cristo e alla nascita dell’esperienza cristiana per la testimonianza della Parola di Dio nel mondo. Il pellegrinaggio \u2013 cos\u00ec il Papa volle definire il suo viaggio \u2013 assunse un significato speciale perch\u00e9 realizzato quando la Chiesa cattolica, con la celebrazione del Concilio Vaticano II, aveva promosso un processo di aggiornamento, aprendo nuove prospettive di dialogo con altri cristiani, con altre religioni e con il mondo.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Il pellegrinaggio di Paolo VI ebbe un ruolo fondamentale nella vita del Concilio Vaticano II, soprattutto dopo l’incontro tra Paolo VI e Atenagora, il Patriarca ecumenico di Costantinopoli, le cui immagini, pi\u00f9 che le parole a commento dell’incontro, mostrarono al mondo quanto la visibile unit\u00e0 della Chiesa fosse una priorit\u00e0 per il Papa, anche se il decreto Unitatis redintegratio<\/i> sui principi cattolici dell’ecumenismo doveva ancora essere promulgato e non era chiaro il destino del documento sugli ebrei nel Concilio.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Il pellegrinaggio di Paolo VI in Terra Santa ebbe non solo una dimensione ecumenica ma pu\u00f2 considerarsi programmatico di tutto il pontificato per i temi affrontati e per i progetti avviati. Durante il suo viaggio Paolo VI aveva notato la presenza di bambini sordomuti privi di assistenza e si era informato sulla loro condizione, chiedendosi cosa lui, e la Chiesa cattolica, potessero fare per dare loro speranza nell’oggi e nel domani. Paolo VI prese la decisione di creare un \u201cIstituto\u201d, una struttura educativa, dove i bambini sordomuti potessero trovare una formazione che permettesse loro di esprimersi e di vivere nel mondo.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Il progetto di creazione dell’Istituto, particolarmente caro al Papa per il rapporto che si era instaurato con la Terra Santa, voleva essere anche un segno dell’accoglienza del Vaticano II, dove si era discusso di come la Chiesa potesse testimoniare la sua vocazione a essere povera per i poveri. Nonostante le intenzioni del Papa, non fu assolutamente facile, per molte ragioni, arrivare alla realizzazione del progetto che prevedeva un programma educativo da pianificare.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Paolo VI volle che il nome della scuola si riferisse a un passo del Vangelo secondo Marco (7,32-35): \u00abAlcuni gli condussero un uomo sordo e parlava appena, e pregarono Ges\u00f9 di porre la sua mano su di lui. Dopo averlo preso in disparte, lontano dalla folla, Ges\u00f9 mise le dita nelle orecchie dell’uomo. Poi sput\u00f2 e tocc\u00f2 la lingua dell’uomo. Alz\u00f2 gli occhi al cielo e con un profondo sospiro gli disse: \u00abEffat\u00e0!\u00bb. (che significa “Sii aperto!”). A questo gli si aprirono le orecchie, gli si sciolse la lingua e cominci\u00f2 a parlare chiaro\u00bb. La scelta di Paolo VI si radicava nella riscoperta della Parola di Dio per la vita quotidiana della Chiesa, di cui si era discusso nel Vaticano II, come elemento fondamentale del processo di aggiornamento della Chiesa, cos\u00ec che \u00abil sacro sinodo incoraggia i figli della Chiesa e i biblisti a proseguire energicamente, seguendo il pensiero della Chiesa, il lavoro che hanno cos\u00ec bene iniziato, con un costante rinnovamento di vigore\u00bb. (Dei Verbum<\/i>, n. 23).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Dopo sette anni di pellegrinaggio di Paolo VI, il 30 giugno 1971, il cardinale Maximilian Furstemberg, a nome di Paolo VI, che aveva voluto l’Istituto a Betlemme, inaugur\u00f2 la scuola, la cui gestione fu affidata alla Congregazione delle Suore Maestre di Santa Dorotea, Figlie dei Sacri Cuori di Vicenza (Italia), gi\u00e0 presenti in Terra Santa dal 1927.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

L’Istituto \u00e8 stato un dono di Papa Paolo VI per la Chiesa e per il mondo ed \u00e8 fonte perenne di speranza per tutti gli uomini e le donne di buona volont\u00e0: \u00abOvunque i figli sono accolti, amati, curati e protetti, la famiglia \u00e8 sana, la societ\u00e0 \u00e8 pi\u00f9 sana e il mondo \u00e8 pi\u00f9 umano. Qui possiamo pensare al lavoro svolto dall’istituto Ephheta Paolo VI per i bambini palestinesi con problemi di udito e di parola: \u00e8 un segno molto reale della bont\u00e0 di Dio. \u00c8 un chiaro segno che la societ\u00e0 \u00e8 pi\u00f9 sana\u00bb (Papa Francesco, Omelia, Betlemme, 25 maggio 2014).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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On December 4, 1963, in his closing address to the Second Session of the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI announced to the Council Fathers his intention to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Paul VI wanted to invite everyone, not only Catholics, to rethink the centrality of the life of Jesus Christ and the birth of the Christian experience for the witness of the Word of God in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":19122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18742"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18742"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18743,"href":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18742\/revisions\/18743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondazionegiovannipaolo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}