VATICAN CITY, MAY 13, 2007 (VIS) - Following this morning's Mass on the esplanade in front of the Brazilian shrine of Aparecida, the Holy Father recited the Regina Coeli with the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gathered there, calling on them to pray for the outcome of the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean which, he said, "opens up a future of hope for the Latin American family. You have a part to play in building the destiny of your nations."
The Pope then greeted the various groups present, beginning with Spanish-speaking faithful to whom he said: "May the Virgin Mary help you to keep alive the flame of faith, love and harmony, so that by the witness of your lives and by faithfulness to your baptismal vocation, you may be light and hope for humanity."
"Families stand at the heart of the Church's mission of evangelization," he told English-speaking pilgrims, "for it is in the home that our life of faith is first expressed and nurtured."
To French-speaking families, especially those living in Haiti, French Guyana and the Antilles, he said: "May you build, in cooperation with others, a more generous and fraternal society, taking care to help young people discover the greatness of family values."
Benedict XVI also recalled the fact that today is the 90th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin at Fatima in Portugal. "With their powerful call to conversion and penance," he said, "they are without doubt the most prophetic of all modern apparitions."
"In a special way we entrust to her those peoples and nations that are in particular need," and especially "those brothers and sisters who suffer from hunger. In this regard I want to mention the 'March against Hunger' promoted by the World Food Program. ... This initiative is taking place today in many cities worldwide."
Finally the Pope offered prayers for the Afro-Brazilian community, "who this Sunday are commemorating the abolition of slavery in Brazil. May this celebration foster a renewed sense of missionary outreach towards this highly significant socio-cultural group in the Land of the Holy Cross."
PV-BRAZIL/REGINA COELI/APARECIDA VIS 20070514 (370)
The Pope then greeted the various groups present, beginning with Spanish-speaking faithful to whom he said: "May the Virgin Mary help you to keep alive the flame of faith, love and harmony, so that by the witness of your lives and by faithfulness to your baptismal vocation, you may be light and hope for humanity."
"Families stand at the heart of the Church's mission of evangelization," he told English-speaking pilgrims, "for it is in the home that our life of faith is first expressed and nurtured."
To French-speaking families, especially those living in Haiti, French Guyana and the Antilles, he said: "May you build, in cooperation with others, a more generous and fraternal society, taking care to help young people discover the greatness of family values."
Benedict XVI also recalled the fact that today is the 90th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin at Fatima in Portugal. "With their powerful call to conversion and penance," he said, "they are without doubt the most prophetic of all modern apparitions."
"In a special way we entrust to her those peoples and nations that are in particular need," and especially "those brothers and sisters who suffer from hunger. In this regard I want to mention the 'March against Hunger' promoted by the World Food Program. ... This initiative is taking place today in many cities worldwide."
Finally the Pope offered prayers for the Afro-Brazilian community, "who this Sunday are commemorating the abolition of slavery in Brazil. May this celebration foster a renewed sense of missionary outreach towards this highly significant socio-cultural group in the Land of the Holy Cross."
PV-BRAZIL/REGINA COELI/APARECIDA VIS 20070514 (370)
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