Vatican City, 24 July 2014 (VIS) –
The shrine is “a temple that seems still, but that the people of
God carry forward. In this way it has moved ahead for fifty years in
the hearts of the many faithful who have come to venerate the saint,
to implore for health, and to profess their faith. In this way it has
moved into the heart of the area, projecting itself onto the whole
city”, said the Pope in the message he sent to the faithful who
will meet in the neighbourhood of Mataderos in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the shrine of St.
Pantaleon. “I ask the Lord to grant you the grace to continue on
your path, to continue this pilgrimage of the heart in the midst of
this great city”.
The Holy Father went on to recall with
nostalgia the time during which, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, he
personally visited the parish dedicated to the doctor saint of
Nicomedia. “I wish to be close to you to be able to relive in some
way the occasions in which I was able to visit the shrine on 27 July
to help the priests in confession. I returned home spiritually
strengthened by this witness of faith. The good I received is
unimaginable. And I wish to give thanks for all this good. May the
Lord reward you plentifully”.
The pontiff concluded by assuring the
faithful of his closeness and prayer and asked them to pray for him.
“In these days of celebration … I am close to you. … May Jesus
bless you and the Holy Virgin protect you”.
