Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Genoa (Agenzia Fides) - After the encounter with young people and the praying of the Angelus on Sunday, May 18, in Genoa's Piazza Matteotti, Benedict XVI went to the city's cathedral of St. Lawrence, where the relics of Saint John the Baptist are kept, to meet with the cathedral chapter and a group of consecrated people. “In past centuries the Church in Genoa has had a rich tradition of holiness and generous service to others,” the Pope said, “thanks to the work of zealous priests and religious from active and contemplative life... And even today, despite the difficulties society is undergoing, evangelizing passion remains strong in your communities. In particular, there has been a growing and shared desire to create ever more fraternal understanding in order to collaborate in missionary activity throughout the archdiocese.”
In particular, the Holy Father placed the Apostle Paul as an example for religious men and women, “in whose honor we are celebrating a special jubilee, on the occasion of the 2,000th anniversary of his birth.” “We need to cultivate the same missionary spirit that inspired Saint Paul, with a constant spiritual, ascetic, and pastoral formation. We need to become 'specialists' in listening to God and credible examples of a holiness that translates into faithfulness to the Gospel, without surrender to the spirit of the world.”
The Pontiff thanked all the consecrated people for their presence, encouraging them to trust, “in spite of the diminishing numbers and strength,” as “our moments are not those of God and His Providence.” And he added: “We need to pray and grow in personal and communal sanctity. The Lord provides. I ask that you never consider yourselves as being in the ‘evening’ of your lives: Christ is the perpetual dawn, our light. I ask that you continue your labor, but above all with your presence: a failing of your communities is an impoverishment for yourselves, but also for Genoa. The poor, the sick, the families, children, parishes - all this is a precious field of service and dedication in building the Church and serving mankind. I above all entrust you with the education of the children and young people: you know that the educational task is the most urgent, because without an authentic education, man cannot go far in life. And all of you, although in diverse manners, have a historical educational experience. We should help parents in their extraordinary and difficult educational task; we should help parishes and groups; we should also continue with great sacrifices to provide Catholic schools, which are a great treasure for the Christian community and a true wealth for the country.”
At the close of his address, Benedict XVI recalled “the Genoa's long spiritual tradition,” which includes six Popes, and emphasized that: “What unites us all is that we called to announce the joy of Christ and the beauty of the Church...In order to be witnesses and heralds of the message of salvation we cannot rely only on our human energy. It is the faithfulness of God that stimulates and conforms our own faithfulness to Him. Hence let us allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit of truth and love.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 19/5/2008; righe 40, parole 526)
