GENERAL AUDIENCE TODAY:
The Pope reports on trip to Spain
Today's general audience was in two parts. First, the Holy Father greeted two large pilgrim groups from Carpineto Romano and from the Czech Republic in St. Peter's Basilica.
Both large delegations were there to thank him for his visit to their respective dioceses - to the Czech Republic in September last year, and to Carpineto Romano last July. In turn, he thanked them for their hospitality and participation during his visits.
here is what he told the pilgrims:
I am happy to give each of you my heartfelt welcome. In particular, I greet you, the faithful of Carpineto Romano, who are here with your pastor, Mons. Lorenzo Loppa, to return the brief but intense visit that I had the joy of making to your city last September for the bicentenary of the birth of Pope Leo XIII.
Dear friends, I wish to renew my sincere thanks for the warm reception you gave me on that occasion - the civilian authorities, especially the mayor and the Coummnal Council; and the diligent efforts of your Bishop, your parish priests and their co-workers, especially in the Eucharistic celebration that was so carefully prepared and well-participated.
May the memory of that visit, which was full of ecclesial and spiritual significance, revive in each one the desire to deepen ever more your life of faith, following the teachings of your illustrious townmate, Pope Leo XIII, whose courageous pastoral action led to a farsighted renewal of Catholic social commitment.
Dear friends, do not tire of entrusting yourselves to Christ and to announce him with your life, in the family and in every field. This is what men today expect of the Church.
With these sentiments, I impart to all my Benediction which I gladly extend to your families and all those dear to you.
In Czech, he said:
I hartily greet the pilgrims from the Czech Republic who are present in great number here today to return the visit that I had the joy of making to your country last year. Dear friends, you are all welcome.
I keep a dear and grateful memory of my most pleasant trip to your beautiful land - of the deferential courtesy of various authorities the warm welcome from my venerated brothers in the Episcopate, from and the priests, consecrated persons and all the faithful who expressed their faith with enthusiasm around the Successor of Peter.
I was also struck by the attentive consideration given to me by those who, although they have been alienated from the Church, are nonetheless still in search of authentic human and spiritual values, those to which the Catholic communities wish to be joyous witnesses.
I pray the Lord to multiply the graces from that trip and I hope that the Christian people of the Czech Republic continue, with renewed impetus, to render courageous evangelical witness everywhere.
To all of you, I impart a special Apostolic Blessing, which extends to your families and to your entire homeland.
Afterwards, he proceeded to the Aula Paolo VI where he gave his regular catechesis, this time to report on his weekend visit to Spain.
Here is how he synthesized his visit to Spain in English:
This past weekend I made an Apostolic Journey to Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona, two great cities of Spain and Europe.
I came as a pilgrim among pilgrims in this Holy Year of Compostela, to venerate the Apostle Saint James the Greater. The traditional practice of embracing the image of the Saint symbolizes our embrace of the Gospel which he preached and the mission which we receive in Baptism to bear daily witness to Christ and to strengthen society by our fidelity to the wisdom and truth of the Gospel.
On Sunday, in Barcelona, I dedicated the Church of the Sagrada Familia, the masterpiece of the great architect Antoni Gaudí. In this magnificent edifice Gaudí wished to celebrate the eternal source of all beauty, made flesh in Jesus Christ, who calls all humanity to become, in the Church, a temple in which God dwells.
Let us pray for all families, that they may fulfil their unique role in society, and for all the people of Spain and Europe, that they may always find in their Christian roots the inspiration to pursue, along the pathways of our time, the historic mission of the Continent in today’s world.
I offer a warm welcome to all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, especially those from England, Denmark, Sweden, Japan and the United States of America. Upon you and your families I invoke Almighty God’s blessings of joy and peace.
Here is a translation of the full report:
Today I wish to recall with you the apostolic visit to Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona thwt I had the joy of making last Saturday and Sunday.
I went to Spain to confirm my brothers in the faith (cfr Lk 22,32). I did so as a witness to the Risen Christ, as a sower of the hope that does not disappoint nor deceive, because it has its origin in the infinite love of God for all men.
The first stop was Santiago. Starting with the welcome ceremony, I experienced the affection that the people of Spain have for the Successor of Peter. I was truly welcomed with great enthusiasm and warmth.
On this Holy Year for Compostela, I wished to be a pilgrim myself among all the great many pilgrims to that famous shrine. I was able to visit 'the home' of the Apostle James the Greater, who continues to say to all who come to him in need of grace, that in Christ, God came to the world to reconcile it to him, in order to redeem man from his sins.
In the imposing Cathedral of Compostela, and with great emotion, as I gave the traditional embrace to the saint, I thought about how this gesture of friendship and welcome is also a way of expressing adherence to his words and participation in his mission.
It is a strong sign of the will to conform ourselves to the apostolic message, which, on the one hand, commits us to be faithful custodians of the Good News that the Apostles have transmitted to us, but without the temptation to alter, diminish or bend it to other interests, and on the other hand, transforms each of us to tireless announcers of faith in Christ, in words and with the testimony of our life in all fields of society.
Seeing the great number of pilgrims present at the solemn Holy Mass that I had the rgeat joy of presiding over in Santiago, I meditated on that which urges so many men to leave their daily occupations to undertake the penitential way to Compostela, a way that is long and arduous. It is the desire to reach the light of Christ that men desire in the depth of their heart, even if they often do not know how to express it in words.
In times of disorientation, of searching, of difficulties, as well as in the aspiration to reinforce one's faith and to live it in a more consistent way, the pilgrims to Compostela undertake a profound itinerary of conversion to Christ, who took upon him the weaknesses and the sins of mankind, the miseries of the world, bringing them to where evil no longer has any power, where the light of goodness illumines everything.
We speak of a community of silent walkers, coming from every part of the world, who have rediscovered the age-old medieval and Christian tradition of pilgrimage, passing through cities and towns that are permeated with Catholicism.
In that solemn Eucharist, lived by all the faithful present with intense participation and devotion, I asked the Lord with fervor that all those who come on pilgrimage to Santiago may receive the gift of becoming true witnesses to Christ that they rediscover at the crossroads of the evocative ways leading to Compostela.
I also prayed that pilgrims, following the footsteps of numerous saints who completed the Camino de Santiago through the centuries, may continue to keep alive the genuine religious, spiritual and penitential significance of the pilgrimage, without yielding to banality, distractions or fashion.
The Way of St. James, over roads that cut through vast territories to form a network through the Iberian Peninsula and Europe, was and continues to be a meeting place for men and women of the most diverse origins, who are united in the search for faith and for the truth about themselves, inspiring profound experiences of sharing, fraternity and solidarity.
It is truly faith in Christ that gives sense to Compostela, a spiritually extraordinary place, which continues to be the point of reference for the Europe of today in her new configurations and perspectives.
To conserve and reinforce the openness to the transcendent, along with a fruitful dialog between faith and reason, between politics and religion, between economics and ethics, will allow the building of a Europe which, faithful to her indispensable Christian roots, can fully respond to her own vocation and mission in the world.
Thus, with certainty about the immense possiblities of the European continent and confident in her future of hope, I called on Europe to open itself increasingly to God, in order to favor the prospects of an authentic encounter that is respectful and brotherly with the peoples and civilizations of other continents.
On Sunday, I had the truly great joy of presiding in Barcelona at the dedication of the church of La Sagrada Familia, that I also declared a minor basilica.
In contemplating the grandeur and beauty of that edifice, which invites lifting up one's soul to God, I thought of the great religious constructions, like the Cathedrals of the Middle Ages, that have profoundly marked the history and the physiognonmy of the principal cities of Europe.
That splendid work - which is extremely rich with religious symbology, and precious in its web of forms, fascinating in its play of light and colors - almost an immense sculpture in stone, and fruit of the profound faith, spiritual sensibility and artistic talent of Antoni Gaudi, remands us to the true shrine, the place of real worship, Heaven, where Christ came to sit with God in our favor (cfr Heb 9,24).
In that magnificent temple, Gaudi, the architect genius, has represented admirably the mystery of the Church to which the faithful become incorporated through baptism as living stones in the construction of a spiritual edifice (cfr 1Pt 2,5).
The church of La Sagrada Familia was conceived and planned by Gaudi as a great catechesis on Jesus Christ and as a hymn of praise to the Creator. In that very imposing building, he placed his own genius in the service of beauty.
Indeed, the extraordinary expressive and sympolic capacity of its artistic forms asnd motifs, as well as its technological innovations, both architectonic and sculptural, evoke the Supreme Origin of every beautiful thing.
The famous architect considered this work as a mission into which he invested his entire person. From the moment that he accepted the responsibility for building that church, his life was marked with a profound change. He undertook an intense regimen of prayer, fasting and poverty, realizing the need to prepare himself spiritually in order to succeed in expressing the unfathomable mystery of God in material reality.
One can say that while Gaudi worked on building the temple, God built in him a spiritual edifice (cfr Eph 2,22), reinforcing him in the faith and bringing him ever closer to intimacy with Christ. Inspiring himself continually by Nature, the Creator's work, and dedicating himself with passion to the study of Sacred Scripture and liturgy, he was able to realize in the heart of the city an edifice worthy of God, and therefore, worthy of man.
In Barcelona, I also visited the Opera Nen Deu, an initiative that is over a century old, very much bound to the Archdiocese, which, with professionalism and love, cares for children and youth who are disabled in various ways. Their lives are precious in the eyes of God and invite us constantly to step out of ourselves.
In that house, I took part in the joy and in the profound and unconditional charity of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, in the generous work of doctors, educators and so many other professionals and volunteers, who work with admirable dedication in that institution.
I also blessed the first stone of a new residence which will be part of this institute, in which everything speaks of charity, of respect for the person and his dignity, of profound joy that the human being is valuable for what he is and not only for what he does.
While I was in Barcelona, I prayed intesely for families, vital cells and hope of society and the Church. I also remembered those who suffer, especially in these times of serious economic difficulties.
I thought of the young people - who accompanied me throughout the visit to Santiago and Barcelona with their enthusiasm and joy - and prayed that they may discover the beauty, the value and the commitment of matrimony, in which a man and a woman unite to form a family that will generously welcome life and care for it from its conception to its natural end.
Everything that is done to sustain matrimony and the family, to help the most needy persons, everything that can grow the greatness of man and his inviolable dignity, contributes to the perfection of society. No effort is in vain, in this respect.
Dear friends, I give thanks to God for these intense days that I spent in Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona. I renew my thanks to the King and Queen of Spain, to the Princes of Asturias, and to all the authorities.
I turn my grateful and affectionate thoughts once more to my dear brother Archbishops in the two local Churches and to their co-workers, and to all who gave themselves so generously so that my visit to those two marvellous cities would be fruitful.
They were unforgettable days that will remain imprinted in my heart. In particular, the two Eucharistic celebrations - which were prepared with great care and intensely experienced by all the faithful, with the music taken from both the great musical tradition of the Church as well as from the genius of modern composers - were moments of true interior joy.
May God reward everyone as only he knows how. May the Most Holy Mother of God and the Apostle St. James continue to accompany their journey through life with their protection.
Next year, God willing, I shall be going to Spain again, to Madrid for World Youth Day. I entrust to your prayers this farsighted initiative so that it may be an opportunity for so many young people to grow in the faith.
In his greeting to Spanish-speaking pilgrims, he gave more specific thanks:
I greet Spanish-speaking pilgrims and invite them to give thanks to God for the success of my apostolic trip to Santiago de Compsotela and Barcelona.
I keep an unforgettable memory of the graciousness with which I was welcomed in Compostela by Their Royal Highnesses the Princes of Asturias, and with which Their Majesties the King and Queen of
Spain bade me farewell in Barcelona.
I also wish to thank all the authorities and the forces of law and order for all the work they did so efficiently so that my visit would take place smoothly.
I reiterate my affectionate thanks to the Archbishops of the two local Churches, and to the many people who accompanied me with extreme cordiality in all the celebratory acts in those two emblematic cities.
I ask the Lord to copiously bless the pastors and the faithful of those noble lands, so that they may live their faith and trasnmit it with valor, being Chrsitians as well as citizens, and citizens as well as Christians.
I will return to Spain, God willing, for the celebration of World Youth Day next year. Once more, many thanks to all the Spanish people.
In his final Italian greeting, he said:
Now I address young people, newlyweds, and the sick. In yesterday's liturgy, we celebrated the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, "caput et mater omnium ecclesiarum", head and mother of all churches.
Along with the Basilica, we commemorate all the churches in which communites are gathered and those that are still to be built in Rome and in the world....
I call on you to work with the People of God and all men of good will to realize the House of the Lord. May you always be 'living stones' in the spiritual edifice of the Church, journeying together in the service of the Gospel, in offering prayers and in sharing charity.
After the General Audience, the Holy Father Benedict XVI met at the Auletta of the Aula Paolo VI with H.E. Ranko Krivokapić, President of the Parliament of Montenegro, with his delegation.
Spain revisited
10 NOV (RV) - On Wednesday Pope Benedict XVI told an estimated 8,000 pilgrims in Aula Paolo VI that “no effort is in vain when it contributes to the advancement of the human being and his inviolable dignity”.
He underscored the need to maintain a "fruitful dialogue between faith and reason, between religion and politics, between economics and ethics" and the need to affirm that "everything that is done to support marriage and family, to help those most in need”, “ contributes to the improvement of society”.
The Pope’s reflections were inspired by his two-day pastoral trip to Spain this weekend which took him to the northern city of Santiago de Compstela, a centuries old destination for Europe’s pilgrims, and yp Barcelona to dedicate Gaudi’s masterpiece, the church of La Sagrada Familia, which he also declared a basilica.
“I came as a pilgrim among pilgrims in this Holy Year of Compostela, to venerate the Apostle Saint James the Greater. The traditional practice of embracing the image of the Saint symbolizes our embrace of the Gospel which he preached and the mission which we receive in Baptism to bear daily witness to Christ and to strengthen society by our fidelity to the wisdom and truth of the Gospel”.
Indeed, from the tomb of the Apostle, the Holy Father declared that "faith is the reference point for the Europe of today " and that faith "will allow for the construction of a Europe which, true to its indispensable Christian roots, is able to respond fully to its vocation and mission in the world. "
From the Way of St James, to the heart of Catalonian Christianity, the Pope said “On Sunday, in Barcelona, I dedicated the Church of the Sagrada Familia, the masterpiece of the great architect Antoni Gaudí. In this magnificent edifice Gaudí wished to celebrate the eternal source of all beauty, made flesh in Jesus Christ, who calls all humanity to become, in the Church, a temple in which God dwells”.
Pope Benedict said that Gaudi invested his entire self in this mission, undertaking an intense practice of fasting, prayer and poverty to spiritually prepare to give expression to God.
About dedicating the basilica he added, "I also remembered those who suffer, especially in these times of serious economic difficulties. I kept in mind at the same time, young people, who have accompanied me throughout the visit to Santiago and Barcelona with their enthusiasm and joy, that they may discover the beauty, value and the commitment of marriage, in which a man and a woman form a family, who generously welcome life from conception until its natural end. Everything that is done to support marriage and family, to help people in need, all that increases the greatness of man and his inviolable dignity, contributes to the improvement of society. No effort is in vain in this area".
He concluded by describing this short but intense papal voyage, his 18th outside Italy, as "unforgettable”, which allowed him to "experience the love that the people of Spain have for the successor of Peter" who became a "pilgrim among pilgrims”.
“Let us pray for all families, that they may fulfil their unique role in society, and for all the people of Spain and Europe, that they may always find in their Christian roots the inspiration to pursue, along the pathways of our time, the historic mission of the Continent in today’s world”.
'Tea break' for the Pope:
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 11/11/2010 18:08]