quarta-feira, 8 de dezembro de 2010

Pope Benedict XVI leads crowning of Mary in Piazza di Spagna . Pope Benedict XVI says Immaculate Conception a source of comfort

Pope Benedict XVI leads crowning of Mary in Piazza di Spagna


Pope Benedict led the ceremony crowing the statue of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna. The statue stands on a ancient roman column nearly 12 meters high. The Holy Father told the crowds gathered in the Piazza that Mary brings a message – and that message is Jesus Christ.

He said it is through her Son that Mary gained the favour of her Immaculate Conception, and as the Son of God became man for us Mary was preserved from sin for us, as a foretaste of God's salvation.

Pope Benedict spoke about the unique circumstances of the event. Piazza di Spagna is in the middle of Rome’s most prestigious shopping districts – and December is its busiest time. Many of the people surrounding the Pope were, in fact, surprised by the ceremony in the midst of their holiday shopping, and watched more out of curiosity than devotion.

The Holy Father said this message of Mary is for everyone, even those not aware of the feast day, even those who feel alone and abandoned.

Listen: RealAudioMP3
Pope Benedict XVI says Immaculate Conception a source of comfort


Pope Benedict XVI marked the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary by reciting the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square. The Holy Father said the mystery of the dogma proclaimed by Pius IX in 1854, is "a source of inner light, of hope and comfort" . In the midst of life's trials and contradictions, which man experiences within himself and around him, Mary, Mother of Christ, tells us that grace is greater than sin, that God's mercy is more powerful than evil, and knows how to turn it into good.

At the root of all evil, the Pope said, is disobedience to God's will on the part of human freedom, which has succumbed to the temptation of the devil. And now the evil has its root in the human heart, a heart sick and wounded, unable to heal itself. He said God has prepared a new and everlasting covenant, sealed by the blood of his Son who, to offer himself in atonement, was “born of a woman.” This woman, the Virgin Mary, benefited in advance from the redeeming death of her Son for she was preserved from the contagion of guilt since conception.