VATICAN CITY, MAY 12, 2007 (VIS) - Today at around 10.30 a.m. local time, Benedict XVI arrived at the "Fazenda da Esperanca" in Guaratingueta, an institute for young people with problems of drug and alcohol dependency founded in 1979 at the initiative of Br. Hans Stapel O.F.M. The center draws inspiration from the "Focolare" Movement and from the principles of Franciscan spirituality. Currently there are 32 "Family of Hope" communities all over the world and their field of activity also extends to single mothers, poor and homeless families, and terminally-ill AIDS sufferers.
Visiting the newly-built church of the "Fazenda," the Pope greeted the Poor Clares, an order of cloistered nuns living in Guaratingueta "In places where society no longer sees any future or hope," the Holy Father told them, "Christians are called to proclaim the power of the Resurrection.
"It is here," he added, "in this 'Fazenda da Esperanca' - home to so many, especially young people, who are seeking to overcome drug addiction, alcoholism, and chemical dependency - that a clear witness is given to the Gospel of Christ. ... It is the risen Christ Who heals the wounds and saves the sons and daughters of God, saves humanity from death, from sin and from slavery to passions. The Passover of Christ unites heaven and earth. In this 'Fazenda da Esperanca', the prayers of the Poor Clare Sisters are united with the demanding work of medicine and therapy in order to vanquish the prisons and break the chains of drugs that bring so much suffering to God's beloved children."
"In this same love, Brother Hans invited them to be the guarantors of all the work carried out in the 'Fazenda da Esperanca," living out "the commandment of love for God and neighbor in its supreme form, loving to the end. This means that we must never lose hope! Hence the name given to this work by Brother Hans: 'Fazenda da Esperanca.' We need to build up hope, weaving the fabric of a society that, by relaxing its grip on the threads of life, is losing the true sense of hope."
"My dear sisters," the Pope concluded, "make it your task to proclaim that 'hope does not disappoint.' May the sorrow of the Crucified Lord, which filled Mary's soul at the foot of the Cross, console the hearts of many mothers and fathers who weep with sorrow because of their children's continuing dependency on drugs. By your silent prayerful self-offering ... proclaim the message of love that conquers sorrow, drugs and death. Proclaim Jesus Christ, a human being like us, Who suffers like ourselves, Who took our sins upon Himself in order to deliver us from them!"
PV-BRAZIL/FAZENDA DA ESPERANCA/POOR CLARES VIS 20070514 (460)
Visiting the newly-built church of the "Fazenda," the Pope greeted the Poor Clares, an order of cloistered nuns living in Guaratingueta "In places where society no longer sees any future or hope," the Holy Father told them, "Christians are called to proclaim the power of the Resurrection.
"It is here," he added, "in this 'Fazenda da Esperanca' - home to so many, especially young people, who are seeking to overcome drug addiction, alcoholism, and chemical dependency - that a clear witness is given to the Gospel of Christ. ... It is the risen Christ Who heals the wounds and saves the sons and daughters of God, saves humanity from death, from sin and from slavery to passions. The Passover of Christ unites heaven and earth. In this 'Fazenda da Esperanca', the prayers of the Poor Clare Sisters are united with the demanding work of medicine and therapy in order to vanquish the prisons and break the chains of drugs that bring so much suffering to God's beloved children."
"In this same love, Brother Hans invited them to be the guarantors of all the work carried out in the 'Fazenda da Esperanca," living out "the commandment of love for God and neighbor in its supreme form, loving to the end. This means that we must never lose hope! Hence the name given to this work by Brother Hans: 'Fazenda da Esperanca.' We need to build up hope, weaving the fabric of a society that, by relaxing its grip on the threads of life, is losing the true sense of hope."
"My dear sisters," the Pope concluded, "make it your task to proclaim that 'hope does not disappoint.' May the sorrow of the Crucified Lord, which filled Mary's soul at the foot of the Cross, console the hearts of many mothers and fathers who weep with sorrow because of their children's continuing dependency on drugs. By your silent prayerful self-offering ... proclaim the message of love that conquers sorrow, drugs and death. Proclaim Jesus Christ, a human being like us, Who suffers like ourselves, Who took our sins upon Himself in order to deliver us from them!"
PV-BRAZIL/FAZENDA DA ESPERANCA/POOR CLARES VIS 20070514 (460)
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