A translation of the Holy Father's words at Angelus today has been posted in AUDIENCE AND ANGELUS TEXTS.
Pope recalls Paul VI and the Church
“in difficult years”
Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 5 (AsiaNews) – Twenty-nine years after the deaht of Pope Paul VI, Benedict XVI recalled today the figure of his predecessor who died on August 6, 1978, in Castel Gandolfo, on the feast of the transfiguration.
“The solemnity of the Transfiguration," said the pontiff "remains linked to the memory of my venerated predecessor, the Servant of God Paul VI, who in 1978 here in Castel Gandalfo, completed his earthly mission and was called into the heavenly house of the Father. His memory invites us to raise our eyes to Heaven and to faithfully serve the Lord and the Church, as he did in the difficult years of the last century”.
Benedict XVI‘s Angelus address highlighted the Sunday Gospel and liturgy. Today he sought to underline Christ’s warning “to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, everything passes, everything can end suddenly” and that “although wealth in itself is an accumulation of goods, it must not be considered as the absolute good”.
“The real treasure for which we Christians must tirelessly seek," explained the Pope, "lies in the things ‘from above, there where Christ can be found at the right hand of the Father’. Saint Paul in his letter to the Colossians reminds us of this today when he says that our life ‘is hidden with Christ in God’ (3, 1-3)”.
At the end of the Marian prayer, Benedict XVI also recalled a contemporary protagonist in dialogue between the Churches, the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Teoctist, who died earlier this week.
“At the solemn funeral which took place last Friday in the cathedral in Bucharest," he said, "I was represented by Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Vatican Council for the promotion of Christian Unity, with a special delegation. I warmly remember this noble Pastor who loved his Church and gave a great and positive contribution to relations between Catholics and Orthodox..."
PETRUS adds this interesting detail, which, of course, was not part of any coverage that was broadcast:
THE POPE GOES OUT OF HIS WAY...
VATICAN CITY - For the benefit of pilgrims who were unable to be accommodated within the internal courtyard of Castel Gandolfo for the Angelus today, the Pope appeared at the window of the Apostolic Residence overlooking the town piazza afterwards.
He said, "Dear friends, I also wish all of you a Good Sunday and a week of peace and joy."
He then imparted his apostolic blessing.
Sorry, this picture obviously shows the Pope addressing the people
in the town piazza, not in the courtyard! I thoughtlessly used it
earlier with the interior courtyard pictures.
Additional photos besides the small-format Yahoo news-service photos used earlier are from Paparatzifan's selection.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 06/08/2007 05:07]