VATICAN CITY, JAN 11, 2006 (VIS) - Following his catechesis on Psalm 143, the Pope addressed greetings in various languages to the pilgrims present at the general audience.
The Holy Father offered his "heartfelt greetings" to a group of students and teachers of the ecumenical institute of Bossey in Switzerland, saying: "I hope that your visit to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, together with your meetings, will be a stimulus to strengthen your commitment to the vital task of promotion of unity among Christians."
Benedict XVI then greeted representatives from the Italian Federation of Therapeutic Communities, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its activities, encouraging them "to continue in the work of providing support and shelter for victims of drugs and marginalization."
The Pope gave assurances of his thoughts for the young, the sick, and newlyweds saying: "May the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which brought the Christmas period to a close, stimulate you so that, in recalling your own Baptism, you are ready to bear joyful witness to faith in Christ in all situations: in health and in sickness, in the family, in the work place and everywhere else."
The Pope also had greetings for a group of 30 children from Beslan in the Russian region of North Ossetia who survived a terrorist attack on their school in September 2004 which left over 300 people dead including children, teachers and parents. The youngsters, invited by the Italian Civil Protection, have spent some days visiting Milan and Rome and are due to return to their country tomorrow.
AG/GREETINGS/... VIS 20060111 (270)
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