Pope Benedict XVI smiles to a child at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens at the end of the celebration of a mass for the closing of the Marian month on May 31, 2010. (Daylife-Getty Images) Pictures courtesy of Daylife
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Pentecost Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on May 23, 2010. (Daylife-Getty Images) Bulgarian Delegation visits Vatican:
Pope Benedict XVI exchanges gifts with Bulgarian Prime Minister Bojko Borisov (L) during a private audience in the pontiff's studio at the Vatican May 22, 2010. (Daylife Images-Reuters, AP, Getty) Pope celebrates Pentecost:
Before reciting the Regina Coeli prayer from his apartment window, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of Pentecost and the constant “effusion” of the Holy Spirit on the Church, “without which it would exhaust its forces, like a sailboat lacking wind.” He taught that there is no Church without Pentecost and no Pentecost without Mary. The celebration of the Solemnity renews strong moments of unity on local and universal levels, he said, citing the Vatican Councils and the occasion of John Paul II’s meeting with ecclesial movements in the Square in 1998 as examples.
“But the Church,” he continued, “knows innumerable ‘pentecosts’ that enliven the local communities: think of the Liturgy, in particular of those that lived in special moments for the life of the community, in those the strength of God is perceived in an evident way, instilling joy and enthusiasm in souls.
“We think of so many prayer conventions, in which the young people feel clearly the call of God to root their lives in his love, also consecrating themselves entirely to Him,” said Pope Benedict.
“So,” he observed, “there is no Church without Pentecost.”
And, he added before the Marian prayer, “there is no Pentecost without the Virgin Mary.”
She was present in the Upper Room when with the disciples when the Holy Spirit descended and, as she is “in all places and times,” the Pope explained, including his recent trip to Fatima as an example.
“What did that immense multitude live, in fact, in the esplanade of the Sanctuary, where all of us were a single heart and soul, if it wasn’t a renewal of Pentecost?
“Among us was Mary, the Mother of God,” Pope Benedict said of the Mass he celebrated in Fatima with 500,000 people in attendance on May 13.
Saying that wherever Christians join in prayer with Mary, the Lord offers them his Spirit, Pope Benedict XVI closed by invoking her aid for the Church and its ministers, “so that the message of salvation may be announced to all peoples.”
One of the most widely used hymns in the Church, Veni, Creator Spiritus, is attributed to Rabanus Maurus (776-856). It is used at Vespers, Pentecost, Dedication of a Church, Confirmation, and Holy Orders and whenever the Holy Spirit is solemnly invoked. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite it. A plenary indulgence is granted if it is recited on January 1st or on the feast of Pentecost.
Latin
Veni,creàtor Spìritus, mentes tuòrum visita, imple supérna gràtia, quae tu creàsti péctora. Qui dìceris Paràclitus, donum Dei,Altìssimi, fons vivus,ignis,càritas, et spiritàlis ùnctio. Tu septifòrmis mùnere, dextrae Dei tu dìgitus, tu rite promìssum Patris, sermòne ditans gùttura. Accénde lumen sénsibus: infùnde amòrem còrdibus: infìrma nostri còrporis virtùte firmans pérpeti. Hostem repéllas lòngius, pacémque dones pròtinus: ductòre sic te praevio vitémus omne nòxium. Per te sciàmus da Patrem, noscàmus atque Fìlium, te utriùsque Spìritum credàmus omni témpore. Deo Patri sit gloria, Et Filio,qui a mortuis Surrexit,ac paraclito, In saeculorum saecula. Amen.
English Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above. Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God’s hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o’erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.
“The real enemy to fear and fight,” he went on, “is sin, spiritual evil, which sometimes taints the members of the Church. We live in the world – says the Lord – but we are not of the world (cf Jn, 17:14), and we must guard ourselves against its seductions. Rather we must fear sin and for this, we must be strongly rooted in God, be one with what is good, with love and service.
It is what the Church and its ministries, together with the faithful, have done and continue to do with fervid commitment for the spiritual and material well being of people in every part of the world.
Above all, it is what you usually try to do in your parishes, associations and movements, which is to serve God and mankind in the name of Christ. Let us continue together with confidence on this path, and let the trials, which the Lord allows, push us towards greater radicality and coherence.” Pope Benedict XVI
VATICAN CITY, (Catholic Online) - Back from an extraordinary and prophetic visit to Portugal where he led a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, the Pilgrim Pope, Benedict XVI was greeted by a crowd in excess of 200,000 people on Sunday when he led the Regina Caeli at noon.
This ancient prayer to Our Lady is a special feature during the Easter observance. This is one of four Marian antiphons which is usually said after night prayer before going to sleep. It is also recited from from Easter Sunday through Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter.
Queen of Heaven
V. Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. R. For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia. V. Has risen, as he said, alleluia. R. Pray for us to God, alleluia. V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Regina caeli
V. Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia. R. Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia. V. Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia. R. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia. R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.
This huge crowd represented an extraordinary show of global solidarity which is emerging among the faithful throughout the globe to demonstrate solidarity with the Holy Father and all priests. Yellow balloons were seen everywhere. The crowd waved banners and signs which read "Together with the Pope" and "Your Holiness, you are not alone; the whole Church is with you." The crowd was exuberant in its support of his leadership of the Church during these challenging times.
The gathering was sponsored by the Italian Bishops and facilitated by lay movements throughout Italy. It brought an unprecedented crowd - in excess of three times the number which gathered in St. Peters Square on Easter Sunday. The crowds were so large that they lined the Via della Conciliazione and spilled out into the side streets. It was a teeming sea of faithful Christians affirming their love for the Lord and His Church by standing with the Successor of Peter.
Pope Benedict XVI, buoyed by the show of affection, told the faithful, "Dear friends.It is beautiful to see this multitude today in St. Peter's Square, as it was moving for me to see the immense multitude at Fatima." In a strong message he referred to the "spiritual evil infecting the Church". He reminded the faithful that "The true enemy to fear and combat is sin, spiritual evil, which, unfortunately, also infects members of the Church.."
He asked them " to fear sin and thus be strongly rooted in God, in the good, in love, in service", reminding them "that is what the Church, its ministers, united with the faithful, have done and continue to do with fervid commitment for the spiritual and material good of persons in every part of the world..That is what you in particular constantly try to do in the parishes, in associations and movements: serve God and man in the name of Christ."
"Today you show the great affection and the profound nearness of the Church and the Italian people to the Pope and your priests," he added, "who care for you daily so that in the effort of spiritual renewal we may always better serve the Church, the People of God and those who turn to us with confidence."
The Pope reminded the faithful to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the Church in these days leading to the great Solemnity of Pentecost, "In the course of this week we will pray with the whole Church for the coming of the Holy Spirit, asking him to pour out his gifts upon our families, our parishes, and all whom we love."
On Sunday morning scores of busses and trains arrived bringing the faithful to prayer with the Pope. Il Messaggero, the daily newspaper, reported that the gathering was a "mobilisation of grass roots Catholics", with the Church "showing its muscles."
The obviously encouraged Pontiff told the pilgrims "I thank you with all my heart, dear brothers and sisters, for your warm presence ... Today you show the great affection and profound closeness of the Church and the Italian people to the Pope and your priests."
On Saturday, Pope Benedict addressed Kirchentag, an ecumenical gathering of Christians held in his native Bavaria. He told those who gathered that "bad seeds" which had infected some within the priesthood must not harm the reputation of the Church. Recalling the parable of the Lord he indicated that weeds "exist even in the bosom of the Church", but that good seed had been sown and will bear fruit.
Pope Benedict XVI (C) poses with Belgian bishops during a meeting at the Vatican May 8, 2010. The Belgian bishops concluded a week-long visit to the Vatican today with a rare news conference where they spoke of the pain caused by the scandal which led to the resignation last month of the bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe. (Daylife-Reuters)
"The Shroud is an icon written in blood; the blood of a man who has been scourged, crowned with thorns, crucified and wounded in his right side. Every trace of blood speaks of love and of life. Especially that large mark near the side, made by blood and water that poured copiously from a great wound caused by a Roman spear, that blood and that water speak of life..." Pope Benedict XVI-Turin, Italy, May 3, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI (R) prays in the Cathedral during the Holy Shroud exhibition in Turin May 2, 2010 (Daylife pictures)
Turin, Italy, May 2, 2010 / 10:43 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy Father celebrated Mass Sunday morning in St. Charles Square in Turin. During his homily, he taught about the new commandment of Christ and told how Christ's passion, witnessed in the Shroud of Turin, gives us hope.
Pope Benedict arrived at Turin on Sunday morning for a Pastoral visit to the city. The first event in a day filled with commitments was Mass with 25,000 people in St. Charles Square.
Teaching from the day's Gospel reading, the Holy Father said that Jesus, in proposing the new commandment to love one another as he loved them, gives the disciples a means "to continue his presence in a new way among them."
The Pope pointed out that this remains true: "If we love each other, Jesus continues to be present among us."
What differentiates the call to love from a similar command in the Old Testament, explained the Holy Father, is that Jesus adds, "Just as I have loved you, so also must you love one another."
This new commandment differs from that of the Old Testament because loving "as Jesus has loved" means "a love without limits, universal, able to also transform all of the negative circumstances and all of the obstacles ... to progress in love."
In giving us this new commandment, the Pope added later, "Jesus asks us to live his same love, which is the truly credible, eloquent and effective sign for announcing to the world the coming of the Kingdom of God."
In his extensive homily, the Holy Father called particularly for priests and deacons to know, in the face of the great deal of work, how to draw strength to carry the good news to the people from their "relationship of love with God in prayer."
He also told them to focus their existence on the Gospel, to "cultivate a real dimension of communion and fraternity" with those around them and to provide a witness in their ministry to the "power of love that comes from on high."
To all Christians, Benedict XVI said that in the face of the great variety of difficulties life presents, we can be fortified to live through them by the "certainty that comes from the faith, the certainty that we are not alone, that God loves each of us without distinction and (that) he is close to everyone with his love."
The Christian community, he added, "must be a concrete instrument of this love."
He continued exhorting everyone, especially young people, never to lose the hope that comes “from the Risen Christ, from the victory of God over sin and death."
This, he said, is the message of the Shroud of Turin, in which we see our sufferings “mirrored” in the suffering of Christ.
It's for this reason, he went on, that it is a sign of hope.
Christ took on the cross to put evil in check, said the Holy Father, and in his Easter is “the anticipation of that moment in which, also for us, every tear will be dried and there will no longer be death, mourning, lamenting, or worry.”
Pope Benedict XVI (L) stands on a boat next to Vatican State Secretary Tarcisio Bertone during a trip from Kalkara ferry to the Valletta waterfront on April 18, 2010. Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday expressed his personal 'shame and sorrow' to victims of paedophile priests at a surprise meeting during a visit to Malta. (Daylife-Getty Images)
Pope Benedict XVI (R) is flanked by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone as he arrives to board a plane for Malta on April 17, 2010 at Fiumicino airport near Rome. Pope Benedict XVI heads to Malta on Saturday for his first foreign trip since a wave of priest sex abuse scandals engulfed the Roman Catholic Church in Europe and the United States. (Daylife Photos)
One of the eight victims of sexual abuse who met Pope Benedict XVI today in malta described the encounter as "very emotional," saying most of those present were crying, and even the pope had "tears in his eyes."
"I made peace with the church," said Joseph Magro, one of the victims who met the pope.
Magro has been among the most outspoken of ten Maltese men who recently came forward to say they were abused by Catholic priests at a church-run orphanage in the 1980s and 1990s. The revelations shocked this tiny island nation, in part because another of the victims linked his abuse to a horrific murder he committed in 1991, in which he killed a homosexual man with a hammer and then cut his body into pieces with a broken bottle.
Another victim who met the pope, who asked to be described as "Immanuel," said that the victims "will continue the fight for justice," and insisted that they do not want money from the Catholic church.
This was Pope Benedict's third meeting with victims, after previous encounters in the United States in April 2008 and Australia later that same year.
In a briefing today for reporters, the Vatican spokesperson, Fr. Federico Lombardi, described the meeting as "intense" but "serene." The eight victims in the meeting were all male, he said.
Lombardi said the session took place in the chapel of the residence of the papal nuncio, or ambassador, in Malta. It began with a moment of silent prayer, and then Benedict moved near the altar to meet the victims one-by-one, allowing them to say "whatever they wished to say," Lombardi said.
The pope also responded to the victims individually, in either English or Italian, Lombardi said, but did not offer any general remarks.
The meeting concluded with a common prayer in Maltese, and the pope gave each victim a rosary.
The victims were accompanied by two local Maltese bishops, while the pope was joined by a senior Vatican official, his private secretary, and his nuncio in Malta.
On previous occassions when victims have met the pope, their first-blush reactions are generally positive, but over time some have argued that the promise of those meetings has not yet resulted in sufficient policy changes.
Recently two of the victims who met Pope Benedict in Washington in 2008 announced plans to bring a large delegation of victims to Rome in late October. They're calling the event a "Day of Reform, and intend to press the Vatican to embrace a new set of tough global policies on sexual abuse.
The Vatican also issued a formal written statement after today's meeting. It reads:
"On Sunday 18 April 2010, in the Apostolic Nunciature in Malta, the Holy Father met a small group of persons who were sexually abused by members of the clergy."
"He was deeply moved by their stories and expressed his shame and sorrow over what victims and their families have suffered. He prayed with them and assured them that the Church is doing, and will continue to do, all in its power to investigate allegations, to bring to justice those responsible for abuse and to implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people in the future."
"In the spirit of his recent Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, he prayed that all the victims of abuse would experience healing and reconciliation, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope."
Pope Benedict XVI smiles to a child at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens at the end of the celebration of a mass for the closing of the Marian month on May 31, 2010. (Daylife-Getty Images)
Pictures courtesy of Daylife
