VATICAN CITY, 14 JUN 2008 (VIS) - Today at 3.30 p.m., the Pope departed from Rome's Ciampino airport and, following an hour-long flight, landed at a military airfield in Galatina in the Italian region of Puglia. From there he travelled by helicopter to the heliport of Punta Ristola at Santa Maria di Leuca and thence by car to the shrine of Santa Maria "de finibus terrae".
After venerating the image of the Virgin Mary held at the shrine, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on the square in front of the building.
"In this site, which is historically so important for the cult of the Blessed Virgin Mary", he said at the beginning of his homily, "I wished the liturgy to be dedicated to her, Star of the Sea, Star of Hope".
"By following the Star of Mary we find guidance on our journey and hold our course towards Christ, especially in the darkest and most turbulent moments", said the Pope.
After noting how, according to tradition, the area had been evangelised by the Apostle Peter, the Holy Father expressed the view that "Peter's faith and Mary's faith come together in this shrine. ... Together they will help you", he told his audience, "to 'start again from Christ', to renew your faith and ensure it responds to the needs of our time.
"Mary", he added, "teaches you always to listen to the Lord in the silence of prayer, to welcome His Word with generous readiness and with the profound desire to offer yourselves and your lives to God".
As for St. Peter, said Pope Benedict, "he will teach you to feel and believe with the Church, firm in the Catholic faith; he will give you the taste and passion for unity, for communion, making you feel the joy of walking together with your pastors. At the same time, he will communicate to you the urgency of the mission, of sharing the Gospel with everyone, of carrying it to the ends of the earth".
"'De finibus terrae', the name of this holy place, is very beautiful and evocative", said the Holy Father. "It reminds us that the Church has no boundaries, that she is universal. ... The Church in Puglia has a particular vocation to be a bridge between peoples and cultures".
However, he said, "it serves no purpose to launch ourselves to the ends of the earth, if first we do not love one another, if we do not help one another within the Christian community. ... In a context that tends to give ever more encouragement to individualism, the first service of the Church is that of educating people to a sense of social duty, of concern for others, of solidarity and sharing".
"Here in Salento, as throughout southern Italy", the Pope concluded, "ecclesial communities are places where the young generations can learn hope, not as a form of utopia, but as a lasting trust in the power of good".
After the Mass, the Holy Father returned to Punta Ristola whence a half-hour helicopter flight took him to Brindisi.
PV-ITALY/MASS/SANTA MARIA DI LEUCA VIS 20080616 (520)
After venerating the image of the Virgin Mary held at the shrine, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on the square in front of the building.
"In this site, which is historically so important for the cult of the Blessed Virgin Mary", he said at the beginning of his homily, "I wished the liturgy to be dedicated to her, Star of the Sea, Star of Hope".
"By following the Star of Mary we find guidance on our journey and hold our course towards Christ, especially in the darkest and most turbulent moments", said the Pope.
After noting how, according to tradition, the area had been evangelised by the Apostle Peter, the Holy Father expressed the view that "Peter's faith and Mary's faith come together in this shrine. ... Together they will help you", he told his audience, "to 'start again from Christ', to renew your faith and ensure it responds to the needs of our time.
"Mary", he added, "teaches you always to listen to the Lord in the silence of prayer, to welcome His Word with generous readiness and with the profound desire to offer yourselves and your lives to God".
As for St. Peter, said Pope Benedict, "he will teach you to feel and believe with the Church, firm in the Catholic faith; he will give you the taste and passion for unity, for communion, making you feel the joy of walking together with your pastors. At the same time, he will communicate to you the urgency of the mission, of sharing the Gospel with everyone, of carrying it to the ends of the earth".
"'De finibus terrae', the name of this holy place, is very beautiful and evocative", said the Holy Father. "It reminds us that the Church has no boundaries, that she is universal. ... The Church in Puglia has a particular vocation to be a bridge between peoples and cultures".
However, he said, "it serves no purpose to launch ourselves to the ends of the earth, if first we do not love one another, if we do not help one another within the Christian community. ... In a context that tends to give ever more encouragement to individualism, the first service of the Church is that of educating people to a sense of social duty, of concern for others, of solidarity and sharing".
"Here in Salento, as throughout southern Italy", the Pope concluded, "ecclesial communities are places where the young generations can learn hope, not as a form of utopia, but as a lasting trust in the power of good".
After the Mass, the Holy Father returned to Punta Ristola whence a half-hour helicopter flight took him to Brindisi.
PV-ITALY/MASS/SANTA MARIA DI LEUCA VIS 20080616 (520)
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