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| Bishop of Rome Takes Possession of His Cathedral
At Basilica of St. John Lateran
VATICAN CITY, MAY 8, 2005 (Zenit.org).-
Benedict XVI took possession of the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome,
the Basilica of St. John Lateran, commenting on essential aspects of
his new ministry.
"Dear Romans, now I am your bishop and I want to try to be your
bishop with all my heart, the Bishop of Rome," said the Pope
extemporaneously on Saturday during a Mass he celebrated in the
basilica.
"And all of us want to be increasingly Catholic, increasingly
brothers and sisters of the great family of God, that family in which
there are no foreigners," he added.
The Holy Father arrived at the basilica around 5:15 p.m., in an
open car from which he greeted thousands of people gathered outside the
basilica, across town from the Vatican.
In his homily, Benedict XVI opened his heart to express some of the ideas which he considers key to his Petrine ministry.
The Pontiff reminded the congregation that "Peter expressed in the
first place, on behalf of the apostles, the profession of faith: 'You
are the Christ, the son of the living God.' This is the task of all the
Successors of Peter -- to be the guide in the profession of faith in
Christ, the son of the living God."
Benedict XVI acknowledged that "this teaching authority frightens
many men within and outside the Church. They wonder if it is not a
threat to the freedom of conscience, if it is not a presumption that is
opposed to freedom of thought. It is not so."
He continued: "The power conferred by Christ to Peter and his
Successors is, in the absolute sense, a mandate to serve. The authority
to teach, in the Church, entails a commitment to the service of
obedience to the faith. The Pope is not an absolute monarch, whose
thought and will are law. On the contrary, the Pope's ministry is a
guarantee of obedience to Christ and to his word.
"He must not proclaim his own ideas, but constantly bind himself
and the Church to obedience to the word of God, in face of attempts to
adapt and water down, as well as of all opportunism."
According to the Benedict XVI, this was Pope John Paul II's
mission, "when, in face of all attempts, apparently benevolent, in face
of erroneous interpretations of freedom, he underlined in an
unequivocal way the inviolability of the human being, the inviolability
of human life, from its conception until natural death."
"The freedom to kill is not true freedom, but a tyranny that
reduces the human being to slavery," stated Benedict XVI in his homily,
which was interrupted often with applause.
"The Pope is conscious of being, in his important decisions, bound
to the great community of faith of all times, to the binding
interpretations developed through the Church's journey of pilgrimage,"
he said.
Before heading back to the Vatican, the Holy Father visited the
Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he prayed before the icon of Mary
"Salus Populi Romani," very much venerated by the citizens of Rome.
With this visit, the Pope concluded the process of taking of
possession of the four great basilicas of Rome: St. Peter's; St. Paul
Outside the Walls, which he visited April 25; St. John Lateran; and St.
Mary Major.
The Diocese of Rome comprises five patriarchal basilicas, 58 minor basilicas, 330 parishes and 279 non-parish churches.
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| Mayor of Rome Received by Pope
VATICAN CITY, MAY 8, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI received the mayor of Rome in audience and thanked him for the support of the citizens of Rome.
Walter Veltroni, mayor since 2001, met with the Pope on Saturday, a
few hours before the Holy Father took possession of the cathedral of
the Bishop of Rome, the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro Valls said that the Pope
"expressed his gratitude to the mayor for the warmth with which he has
been received by Rome and renewed his sentiments of esteem and
affection for what has become his city and diocese."
Benedict XVI also expressed "good wishes of prosperity and concord
to all the citizens of Rome, assuring, in the distinction of tasks, the
contribution of the Church to the spiritual and civil progress of the
city."
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| Benedict XVI Sends Message to Protestant Synod
VATICAN CITY, MAY 8, 2005 (Zenit.org).-
Benedict XVI sent a message to the national synod of the Reformation
Church of France, the country's main Protestant community, who thanked
the Pontiff for this "gesture of consideration."
Archbishop Claude Feidt of Aix en Provence, Catholic representative
at the meeting being held in that city, read the text sent Saturday by
the Vatican secretariat of state in the Pope's name. The meeting ended
today.
In the message, the Pope greeted "cordially all the participants"
in the synod, "assuring them of his prayers," stated the president of
the synod, Marcel Manoel.
"It is the first time that our synod has received such a message,"
the assembly's president told Agence France-Presse. "We receive it as a
gesture of consideration."
The synod of the Reformation Church of France has 350,000 members.
The theme of the assembly is "To Confess Jesus Christ in a Secular
Society."
The Reformation Church of France is the main church of the
Protestant Federation of France, which represents some 900,000 people.
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| Pope Greets Mothers on Their Day
VATICAN CITY, MAY 8, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI sent a greeting to mothers during his address before praying the Regina Caeli.
"I bless and greet your parents and all your friends. My best
wishes to all, in particular, to mothers," said the Pope said today
after delivering the address from the window of his study overlooking
St. Peter's Square.
He also greeted some 2,000 students from schools of Rome and
neighboring areas gathered in the square to hear the Holy Father and to
participate in the 35th Spring Marathon "School Festival."
The young athletes launched the marathon with a
choreographed display in the center of St. Peter's Square on the theme
"Europe and Music." It concluded with balloons released into the air
with prayer messages to Mary. | | |
| Date: 2005-05-08
On World Communications Day
Media Can "Spread Peace or Foment Violence"
VATICAN CITY, MAY 8, 2005 (Zenit.org).-
Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today before
praying the Regina Caeli with thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Today is celebrated in many countries, among them Italy, the
solemnity of the Lord's Ascension to heaven. This feast invites the
Christian community to look to the one who, 40 days after his
resurrection, to the astonishment of the apostles, "was lifted up, and
a cloud took him from their sight" (Acts 1:9). We are called,
therefore, to renew our faith in Jesus, only true anchor of salvation
for all men. When ascending to Heaven, he reopened the way to our final
homeland, which is paradise. Now, with the power of his Spirit, he
sustains us in our daily pilgrimage on earth.
Today, World Communications Day is being observed, on the theme
"The Media at the Service of Understanding among Peoples." In the
present age of the image, the media effectively constitute
extraordinary resources to promote the solidarity and understanding of
the human family. We have had proof of this recently on the occasion of
the death and solemn funeral rites of my beloved predecessor, John Paul
II. However, it all depends on the way they are used. These important
instruments of communication can favor reciprocal knowledge and
dialogue or, on the contrary, fuel prejudice and contempt among
individuals and peoples; they can contribute to spread peace or to
foment violence. For this reason, people must always be reminded of
their responsibilities; it is necessary that all do what corresponds to
them to ensure objectivity, respect for human dignity and attention to
the common good in all forms of communication. In this way a
contribution is made to bring down the walls of hostility that still
divide humanity and to consolidate bonds of friendship and love which
are signs of the kingdom of God in history.
Let us return to the Christian mystery of the Ascension. After the
Lord ascended to heaven, the disciples were gathered in prayer in the
Cenacle, with the mother of Jesus (cf. Acts 1:14), invoking together
the Holy Spirit, who would invest them with power to witness to the
risen Christ (cf. Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8). United to the Most Holy
Virgin, every Christian community relives in these days this singular
experience in preparation for the solemnity of Pentecost. We also now
turn to Mary with the singing of the Regina Caeli, imploring her
protection on the Church, in particular on those dedicated to the work
of evangelization through the means of social communication.
[Translation by ZENIT]
[At the end of the prayer, the Holy Father greeted pilgrims in several languages. In English, he said:]
I greet with affection all the English-speaking visitors present
today, including groups from Denmark and the Netherlands. May the peace
and joy of Christ our risen lord be with you.
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