Angelus, 12 October 2008, St Peter's Square

BENEDICT XVI

ANGELUS

St Peter's Square
Sunday, 12 October 2008

As we prepare to conclude this Celebration with the recitation of the Angelus, I would like to address my greeting to the pilgrims who have come in large numbers from various countries to pay homage to the new Saints.

I cordially greet the English-speaking pilgrims, in particular the Official Delegation from India, and all those who have come to celebrate the canonization of St Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception.
Her heroic virtues of patience, fortitude and perseverance in the midst of deep suffering remind us that God always provides the strength we need to overcome every trial. As the Christian faithful of India give thanks to God for their first native daughter to be presented for public veneration, I wish to assure them of my prayers during this difficult time. Commending to the providential care of Almighty God those who strive for peace and reconciliation, I urge the perpetrators of violence to renounce these acts and join with their brothers and sisters to work together in building a civilization of love. God bless you all!

I joyfully welcome all the German-speaking faithful. I greet in particular the delegation and numerous pilgrims from Switzerland, as well as the Franciscan Sisters of Maria Hilf. St Maria Bernarda entrusted her life to God without reserve. Thus she became an instrument of the love of God which she proclaimed to the ends of the earth. By following her example, let us too strive to bring the God of love and hope to men and women. For this, may the Lord grant you the fullness of his grace.

I address a warm greeting to the pilgrims who have come to Rome to participate in the joyful celebration for the new Saints' canonization especially to the Archbishops and Bishops who have accompanied them, to the Franciscan Sisters Missionaries of Mary Help of Christians and to the other Authorities of Colombia and Ecuador who have come representing those countries, so rich in fruits of holiness. May the new Saints intercede for all their fellow citizens today so that, in following their example of consistent faith and charity to their brethren, they may bear a constant witness of Christ's love for all people, thereby imparting new vigour to the Christian roots of their peoples and illuminating the construction of a more just and solidary society, inspired by the Gospel values. Many thanks.

I cordially greet you, dear French-speaking pilgrims. Today, subsequent to the Lord's call and after the example of the Saints who have just been canonized, we are invited to be daring witnesses of the Word of God at the crossroads, in order to invite everyone we meet to the wedding of the Gospel. May our prayers accompany the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops during its work! With my Apostolic Blessing.

Among the participants at this solemn canonization, I also greet the Polish pilgrims. The day dedicated to the commemoration of my beloved Predecessor John Paul ii is celebrated today in your homeland. I bless every initiative to commemorate his person. I commend you all to God in my prayers.

Lastly, I address a cordial greeting to the Italian-speaking pilgrims, especially to the spiritual children of St Gaetano Errico and to the faithful who have come from Naples and Campania. Dear friends, in the lives of the Saints and in their achievements one always encounters the strong spiritual presence of the Virgin Mary. I am pleased to emphasize, in this month of October, their adherence to the prayer of the Rosary as a means of daily union with Jesus, a source of inspiration and comfort and an instrument of intercession for the Church's needs in accordance with the Pope's intentions. In this regard, I invite you to pray for reconciliation and peace in certain situations that are causing alarm and deep suffering: I am thinking of the peoples of North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and I am thinking of the violence against the Christians in Iraq and in India whom I remember daily before the Lord. Let us also invoke the protection of Mary Queen of All Saints, upon the work of the Synod of Bishops that is meeting in these days at the Vatican.