VATICAN CITY, 2 JUN 2008 (VIS) - At midday today in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, the Pope received 7,000 faithful from the archdiocese of Turin, Italy. Prior to the audience, Cardinal Severino Poletto, archbishop of that city, had celebrated Mass for the pilgrims in St. Peter's Basilica.
The Holy Father opened his address to the group by assuring them of his "special prayers to the Lord" for the victims of recent flooding in Pinerolo and Cuneo near Turin, and he asked the Lord "so support those who are struggling to face the grave natural calamity".
Over the last ten years, he said, the archdiocesan community has undertaken "wide-ranging apostolic and missionary activities, based on intense spiritual movement which focuses above all on the Sunday Eucharist, on weekly Eucharistic adoration and on the rediscovery of the importance of the Sacrament of Penance".
Furthermore, the Pope told his audience, "you have sought to draw close to those who are 'furthest away'. ... This missionary commitment has become even more deeply shared in the current pastoral year, the year of 'Redditio fidei', and has its culmination in the solemn profession of faith you proclaimed together this morning at the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles".
The Holy Father noted how the next pastoral year will be dedicated to the Word of God, while the one after that "will see you oriented towards a more attentive contemplation of the Passion of Christ". In this context, he announced that he had accepted the wishes of the archbishop of Turin and that "in the spring of 2010 there will be another 'Solemn Exposition of the Shroud'". In an off-the-cuff addition to his prepared text he then added: "If the Lord gives me life and health, I too hope to come". The exposition, he went on, "will provide an appropriate moment to contemplate that mysterious Face which silently speaks to the hearts of men, inviting them to recognise therein the face of God".
"May no difficulty or obstacle hinder your love for the Gospel of Christ!" cried the Pope. "If Jesus is the centre of your families, of your parishes and of all communities, you will feel His living presence, and unity and communion will grow among the various elements of the diocese.
"Constantly nourish, then", he added, "your union with the Lord, in prayer and with the frequent practice of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession. ... Ensure continuous Christian formation for young people and for adults", and distinguish yourselves "for works of charity and for your joint efforts to face the great 'educational challenge' of the new generations".
Benedict XVI concluded by asking the Virgin "to protect priests and pastoral care workers, to ensure your communities have numerous holy vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, to arouse in young people the desire to follow the exalted ideal of sanctity, and to be a comfort and support especially for the elderly, the sick, the suffering and for people alone and abandoned".
AC/.../TURIN PILGRIMS VIS 20080602 (510)
The Holy Father opened his address to the group by assuring them of his "special prayers to the Lord" for the victims of recent flooding in Pinerolo and Cuneo near Turin, and he asked the Lord "so support those who are struggling to face the grave natural calamity".
Over the last ten years, he said, the archdiocesan community has undertaken "wide-ranging apostolic and missionary activities, based on intense spiritual movement which focuses above all on the Sunday Eucharist, on weekly Eucharistic adoration and on the rediscovery of the importance of the Sacrament of Penance".
Furthermore, the Pope told his audience, "you have sought to draw close to those who are 'furthest away'. ... This missionary commitment has become even more deeply shared in the current pastoral year, the year of 'Redditio fidei', and has its culmination in the solemn profession of faith you proclaimed together this morning at the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles".
The Holy Father noted how the next pastoral year will be dedicated to the Word of God, while the one after that "will see you oriented towards a more attentive contemplation of the Passion of Christ". In this context, he announced that he had accepted the wishes of the archbishop of Turin and that "in the spring of 2010 there will be another 'Solemn Exposition of the Shroud'". In an off-the-cuff addition to his prepared text he then added: "If the Lord gives me life and health, I too hope to come". The exposition, he went on, "will provide an appropriate moment to contemplate that mysterious Face which silently speaks to the hearts of men, inviting them to recognise therein the face of God".
"May no difficulty or obstacle hinder your love for the Gospel of Christ!" cried the Pope. "If Jesus is the centre of your families, of your parishes and of all communities, you will feel His living presence, and unity and communion will grow among the various elements of the diocese.
"Constantly nourish, then", he added, "your union with the Lord, in prayer and with the frequent practice of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession. ... Ensure continuous Christian formation for young people and for adults", and distinguish yourselves "for works of charity and for your joint efforts to face the great 'educational challenge' of the new generations".
Benedict XVI concluded by asking the Virgin "to protect priests and pastoral care workers, to ensure your communities have numerous holy vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, to arouse in young people the desire to follow the exalted ideal of sanctity, and to be a comfort and support especially for the elderly, the sick, the suffering and for people alone and abandoned".
AC/.../TURIN PILGRIMS VIS 20080602 (510)
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