Wednesday, Pope Benedict dedicated the general audience catechesis in the Paul VI Hall to “three of the most important companions of St. Paul in his missionary teaching of the Gospel: Barnabas, Silas and Apollos.”

“We must admit,” the Pope said, “that the Apostle Paul is a telling example of a man open to collaboration within the Church. He did not want to do everything on his own, but relied on many different colleagues.” One of those, he said, was “Barnabas, a native of Cyprus, who was among the first to accept the Gospel, who accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey and took part in the Council of Jerusalem, where, after deeply examining the question, the Apostles and the elders decided to separate the practice of circumcision from the Christian identity.” He added, extemporaneously, “Only in this way did they officially make possible … a Church without circumcision: We are children of Abraham simply through faith in Christ.”

Benedict XVI noted that there were differences, contrasts, between Paul and Barnabas at the start of the second missionary journey because Barnabas wanted John Mark as a companion, whereas Paul did not, and the two separated.

Then, briefly putting his prepared speech, he said, in impromptu remarks, “Even between saints there are differences, lack of harmony, controversies. I find this very consoling because we see that saints don’t just ‘fall from heaven’. They are like us, with complicated problems Holiness is not never having made a mistake or sinned. Holiness grows with the capacity for conversion, penitence, the willingness to start over, above all in the capacity for reconciliation and pardon.”

Turning to another of Paul’s companions, the Pope said that Silas “was a Jew from Jerusalem, a respected member of the early community and entrusted with communicating the decision of the Council of Jerusalem to the Christians of Antioch. He was of great help to Paul on his second missionary journey, both in Macedonia and in Corinth.”

“Apollos,” said Pope Benedict of the third companion, “despite his pagan name, was a devout Jew from Alexandria and known as a powerful preacher and teacher in the communities of Ephesus and Corinth. Reflecting on the example of these three great co-workers of the Apostle Paul, dedicated to the Lord and his Good News, may we be inspired to a deeper faith in Christ and an ever more generous commitment to the spread of the Gospel!”

Over 600 faithful from Val di Fiemme in Trentino, northern Italy were at the Wednesday audience for the presentation to Pope Benedict of a three-foot tall wood statue of St. Benedict, Abbot, sculpted by Tiziano De Floriani from Val di Fiemme. He and other artisans from Trentino had collaborated in building the nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square this year as well as sculpting and carving the various smaller nativity scenes set up in the atrium of the Paul VI Hall.

THE VATICAN AND ITALIAN LAWMAKERS ON DIFFERENT SIDES OF DE FACTO UNION QUESTION

Fr. Federico Lombardi, head of the Holy See Press Office, Tuesday evening made a statement on TG1, the 8 p.m. news program on RAI, Italy’s state television, regarding remarks made by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano during a trip to Spain. Speaking about the differences between the Vatican and Italian lawmakers on the question of a potential law in Italy that would grant recognition to de facto unions, both heterosexual and homosexual, Napolitano said he “had no doubt” an agreement could be found that would take into account the “worries and concerns expressed by the Catholic Church.”

“The comments of President Napolitano,” said Fr. Lombardi, “are certainly very meaningful, an expression of the great concern for the views of the Holy Father that he has shown on many occasions, and an encouragement to an attitude of dialogue and respect that is not always present in current political debate. He … showed great sensitivity towards the concerns expressed by the Church authorities, recognizing their legitimacy and the fact that they are deeply motivated and animated by the search for the common good of society and, in this specific case, of Italian society.”

"It remains to be seen,” concluded Fr. Lombardi’s statement, “how the desired synthesis may be found in dialogue, involving the various components of the Italian political and social community, in such a way that the positions expressed by the authorities of the Church in Italy are taken into due consideration."

On December 7, the Italian government announced it would draft legislation giving legal rights to civil unions including homosexual couples by the beginning of this year despite the opposition of some Catholic coalition members. The Pope and the Vatican have spoken out on the issue many times since then. The first time that Benedict XVI mentioned the matter was at his December 22 meeting with members of the Roman Curia for an exchange of Christmas wishes. He said at that time, “I can't hide my concern about legislation on de facto couples,” criticizing the possibility that gay couples could be given the same rights as a husband and wife.

In early January Pope Benedict warned administrators from Rome and Lazio against the planned approval of legal rights to civil unions, saying “Projects aimed at granting improper legal recognition to forms of unions other (than marriage) appear dangerous and counterproductive as they inevitably weaken and destabilise the legitimate family based on matrimony.”

The question, referred to as PACS in the media (Patti Civili di Solidarieta – Civil Pacts of Solidarity) has dominated the Italian media since the December 7 announcement by the center-left government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi.