The thrust for a so-called new evangelization has been one of the most
important actions of the Pontificate of Benedict XVI. This expression is
rooted in the Second Vatican Council and was used for the first time by
John Paul II in 1979, to signify the desire to announce the Christian
message with greater impact and freshness. In this era of ideological
and cultural crisis within Western society, the Church has the delicate
task of guiding man and society towards salvation, towards a life closer
to the word of Christ. To this end, Benedict XVI has created a new
Vatican department, dedicated specifically to the evangelization of the
Western world, under the guidance of Archbishop Fisichella. In this
important book, which is a cultural and religious manifesto for the Year
of Faith, Archbishop Fisichella explains what constitutes the great
task in which he, and the Church, are called upon to propose the
centrality of the family, promoting the ethics of finance, redeveloping
the presence of Catholics in politics and especially urging people not
to get trapped in isolation and indifference. The fact that you call it
"new" is not intended to qualify the content of evangelization, but the
condition and the way in which it is made. Benedict XVI's Apostolic
Letter Ubicumque et semper rightly emphasizes that it is considered
appropriate "to provide adequate answers because the whole Church is
present in the contemporary world and with a missionary zeal can promote
a new evangelization."
