austraLasia #3197
VATICAN CITY: 24 February 2103 --
Firstly
a reminder that tomorrow, 25 February, is the Salesian
celebration for
the Salesian Protomartyrs, Sts Louis Versiglia and Callistus
Caravario.
If you do not have the appropriate liturgical texts, take a
look here.
Secondly,
with St Peter's Square estimated to have packed in 100,000
people for
the Angelus on Sunday morning 24th February, and a crowd of
200,000
predicted for next Wednesday, interest is running high, for
many
reason, in the final days of Benedict XVI's papacy.
If you would like a pictorial overview of Pope Benedict's life
from childhood till now, then feel free to download the
Presentation available here.
Given
the 'China' focus of the Salesian celebrations on 25 February,
the
following comments by Cardinal Joseph Zen on Benedict XVI's
reign, may
be of general interest. They were reported by AsiaNews:
"Benedict
XVI is a great Pope, a man in love with the truth. For him,
God is
truth, and man can not live without truth. Unfortunately,
today the
truth is not 'fashionable' and what really dominates it is
what
Benedict XVI has termed 'the dictatorship of relativism'.
But he has
always held the helm on a straight course according to the
truth. This
has been his contribution to world culture and also to
China. It must
be added this Pope has done things for China that he has not
done for
any other country: to no other particular Church has he
written a
specific letter, no country has a special Commission
dedicated to it of
about 30 members, from the two most important dicasteries in
the Holy
See. We should be profoundly grateful to him for this...
What influence have the
Letter and the Commission on the Church in China had?
The Letter is of great
importance
even today: firstly it is a document and this remains, and
we can refer
to it later in life. I hope the new Pope will start again
from this
Letter. It is written by Benedict XVI, although with the
participation
of many people. And it showed his clarity in truth, as well
as his
mercy and kindness. There is a perfect balance between
simplicity and
openness...
Cardinal Zen's comments also contain some strong
criticism of
officialdom in both China and the Church, but you can catch up
on all
that from AsiaNews.
Let's pray in gratitude for Pope Benedict. It is the very
least we can do.