Maria, ster van de evangelisatie

Pope Benedict XVI received the bishops of Angola and Sao Tomé on Saturday, who are here in Rome for their ad limina visits. In greeting the bishops, the Holy Father recalled his March, 2009 visit to Luanda, during which he said he was able to celebrate Jesus Christ in the midst of a people who never tire of seeking to love and serve with generosity and joy. Pope Benedict also used the occasion to explain that his recent decision to proclaim the Year of Faith from October 2012 to November 2013, was so that the whole Church might demonstrate to all a more beautiful and credible face, that the face of the Lord might show through the Church more clearly.

During the summer, when we have time to relax, we must rediscover how great it is to read the bible. In the first general audience since his July break, Pope Benedict XVI invited pilgrims at Castel Gandolfo, to use some of their vacation to re-familiarise themselves with the beauty of the bible, and meditate on its meaning. 

Insisting that “each and every young person should be able to... grow and learn... free from all violence and discord... in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding”, the Holy See took the floor of the General Assembly Hall on the final day of the United Nations High-level Meeting on Youth. 

Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, reminded delegates that a family is “founded on the marriage between one man and one woman” and that the General Assembly declares that it is “the natural and fundamental group unit of society and must be guaranteed protection by society and the State” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Art. 16,3). He commended to their attention the deep desire of many youth for “personal relationships marked by truth and solidarity” and for a “family that will remain united”.