|
Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Angelus Message
Apology to Muslims
"An Invitation to Frank and Sincere Dialogue"
H.H. Benedict XVI
September 17, 2006
www.zenit.org
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
The
Pastoral Visit which I recently made to Bavaria was a deep spiritual
experience, bringing together personal memories linked to places
well known to me and pastoral initiatives towards an effective
proclamation of the Gospel for today. I thank God for the interior
joy which he made possible, and I am also grateful to all those who
worked hard for the success of this Pastoral Visit. As is the
custom, I will speak more of this during next Wednesday’s General
Audience. At this time, I wish also to add that I am deeply sorry
for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address
at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to
the sensibility of Muslims. These in fact were a quotation from a
medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought.
Yesterday, the Cardinal Secretary of State published a statement in
this regard in which he explained the true meaning of my words. I
hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true
meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an
invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect.
This is the meaning of the discourse.
Now,
before the Marian prayer, I would like to reflect on two recent and
important liturgical events: the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross, celebrated on 14 September, and the Memorial of Our Lady of
Sorrows, celebrated the following day.
These
two liturgical celebrations can be summed up visually in the
traditional image of the Crucifixion, which portrays the Virgin Mary
at the foot of the Cross, according to the description of the
Evangelist John, the only one of the Apostles who stayed by the
dying Jesus.
But what
does exalting the Cross mean? Is it not maybe scandalous to venerate
a shameful form of execution? The Apostle Paul says: "We preach
Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles"
(I Cor 1: 23). Christians, however, do not exalt just any cross but
the Cross which Jesus sanctified with his sacrifice, the fruit and
testimony of immense love. Christ on the Cross pours out his Blood
to set humanity free from the slavery of sin and death.
Therefore, from being a sign of malediction, the Cross was
transformed into a sign of blessing, from a symbol of death into a
symbol par excellence of the Love that overcomes hatred and violence
and generates immortal life. "O Crux, ave spes unica! O Cross, our
only hope!". Thus sings the liturgy.
The
Evangelist recounts: Mary was standing by the Cross (cf. Jn 19:
25-27). Her sorrow is united with that of her Son. It is a sorrow
full of faith and love. The Virgin on Calvary participates in the
saving power of the suffering of Christ, joining her "fiat", her
"yes", to that of her Son.
Dear brothers and sisters, spiritually united to Our Lady of
Sorrows, let us also renew our "yes" to God who chose the Way of the
Cross in order to save us. This is a great mystery which continues
and will continue to take place until the end of the world, and
which also asks for our collaboration.
May Mary
help us to take up our cross every day and follow Jesus faithfully
on the path of obedience, sacrifice and love.
After the Angelus:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at
today's Angelus, and I thank you for your prayers during my Pastoral
Visit to Bavaria. May your stay here in Castel Gandolfo and Rome be
a time of spiritual enrichment, marked by the readiness to take up
the cross and follow Jesus. Upon you and your loved ones, I invoke
the grace and peace of Christ the Lord!
I wish you all a good Sunday!
©
Copyright 2006 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
