VATICAN CITY, NOV 4, 2007 (VIS). This afternoon, before praying the Angelus, the Pope addressed the thousands of people who filled St. Peter's Square.
The Holy Father spoke of Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus from today's Gospel reading. Besides noting that he was a rich man holding the position of "publican", and therefore publicly considered a sinner, the Pope recalled that he, nevertheless, desired to see Jesus at Jericho.
"Jesus called by name a man who was despised by all. (…) The grace of that unforeseeable meeting was such that it completely changed Zacchaeus' life," said the Pope.
"The Gospel teaches us once again that love, coming from God's heart and acting through the human heart, is a force that renews the world."
Benedict XVI affirmed that "this truth shines forth particularly in the witness of the saint who is commemorated today: Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan. His 16th century example is a perfect model of a pastor of charity, doctrine, apostolic zeal, and above all, prayer".
"He dedicated himself completely to the Ambrosian church: visiting it in its entirety three times, convoking six provincial and eleven diocesan synods, founding seminaries for the formation of a new generation of priests, building hospitals, and giving his family wealth in the service of the poor. He defended the rights of the Church against the powerful, renewed the religious life, and instituted a new congregation of priests, the Oblates. (…) His motto consisted of a single word, "Humilitas". For Borromeo, as for our Lord Jesus, humility was the driving force that led him to renounce self and serve others."
The Pope remembered in a special way his predecessor John Paul II who "bore his name with devotion". "We commend to the intercession of St. Charles all bishops in the world, for whom we invoke as always the heavenly protection of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church."
After the Angelus, the Holy Father showed his concern with the news regarding the situation in the boundary region between Turkey and Iraq. "I would like to encourage every effort to reach a peaceful resolution to the problems that have recently surfaced between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds."
"I cannot forget," he continued, "that many peoples in that region have found refuge in their flight from the insecurity and terrorism that have threatened life in Iraq in these years. It is precisely for the good of these peoples, whose numbers include many Christians, that I hope that all sides of the conflict work toward peaceful solutions."
Benedict XVI concluded by expressing the desire that "the relationships between the immigrant and local populations be carried out in the spirit of high moral civility that is the fruit of the spiritual and cultural values of every country and nation. May those who have the responsibility of security and outreach know how to make use of the proper means to guarantee the rights and responsibilities that are the basis of all true life and encounter shared among peoples."
ANG/IRAQ:KURDISTAN/… VIS 20071105 (520)
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