Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - "The position of your church placed on the highest spot in the neighborhood reminds you that the Gospel must be communicated and announced to everyone. Wait not for others to bring you different messages that do not lead to the real life; instead become yourselves missionaries of Christ to your brothers wherever they live, work, study or spend leisure time." This is the exhortation that the Holy Father Benedict XVI addressed to the faithful of the parish of St. John Baptist de La Salle in Torrino, in the Southern part of the Diocese of Rome, where he paid a pastoral visit on Sunday morning, March 4. Warmly welcomed by the members of the parish, the Pope emphasized that "faith must be lived together and the parish is a place where you learn to live one’s own faith in the 'we' of the Church", so he hopes that the upcoming "Year of Faith" "is an auspicious occasion for the parish to grow and consolidate the experience of catechesis on the great truths of Christian faith, so as to allow the neighborhood to know and learn the Creed of the Church, and overcome that '"religious illiteracy" which is one of the biggest problems of our day."
Finally the Holy Father focused on the centrality of the Eucharist, in personal and community life, and the importance of Sunday, "which must be rediscovered and lived as the day of God and the community": "Gathered around the Eucharist, in fact, we more easily perceive how the mission of every Christian community is to bring the message of God's love to all men. That is why it is important that the Eucharist is always the heart of the life of the faithful." (SL) (Agenzia Fides 05/03/2012)
