Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Aquileia and Venice began on the afternoon of Saturday, May 7. In the Basilica of Aquileia, the Pope met with representatives of the dioceses of Triveneto who are preparing themselves for the second Ecclesial Convention of 2012. From the mother Church of Aquileia, the Pope recalled, the Churches in the north-east of Italy have been growing , but also the churches of Austria and Slovenia and some churches in Croatia and Bavaria and even Hungary. " to Gather in Aquileia is therefore a significant return to the 'roots' to rediscover oneself as live 'stones' of the spiritual building which has its foundation in Christ" said the Pope, who continued: "to come back to Aquileia means above all to learn from the glorious Church that has brought you into how to be committed today in a radically changed world, for a new evangelization in your area and to hand down to future generations the precious heritage of the Christian faith. " In his speech, the Pope urged to " testify the love of God to man first and foremost with the works of love and the choices of life in favor of concrete people, starting from those most vulnerable, fragile, helpless, not self-sufficient. " Up against new challenges that the Christian faith must face, it is necessary to "promote the Christian meaning of life through the explicit proclamation of the Gospel, preached with gentle pride and great joy in the various areas of daily life."
Benedict XVI noticed how faced with the massive phenomenon of tourism and immigration, the territorial mobility, the approval process provoked by the pervasive action of mass media, the accentuation of cultural and religious pluralism, " it is necessary for Christians , supported by 'trustworthy hope', to propose the beauty of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Way, Truth and Life, to every man and every woman, in a frank and sincere relationship with the non-practicing, with non-believers and believers of other religions ... Keep up with the energy to witness the love of God even with the promotion of 'common good': the good of one and all. " (SL) (Agenzia Fides 09/05/2011)
