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Skriven 2006-05-31 22:55:04 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
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                               VIS-Press releases

BENEDICT XVI RECALLS HIS APOSTOLIC TRIP TO POLAND

VATICAN CITY, MAY 31, 2006 (VIS) - Benedict XVI dedicated this morning's
general audience to a special catechesis on his recently-concluded journey to
Poland, "revisiting," together with the 35,000 faithful in St. Peter's Square,
the various stages of his apostolic trip.

"My pilgrimage began under the sign of the priesthood," he said recalling his
meeting with clergy in Warsaw. "It continued with an expression of ecumenical
solicitude in the Lutheran church of the Most Holy Trinity. On that occasion I
reiterated my firm intention to consider the restoration of full visible unity
among Christian as a priority of my ministry."

The Holy Father then went on to refer to "the solemn Eucharistic celebration"
in Pilsudski Square, a place, he said, "that has now acquired a symbolic value,
having hosted many historic events," including Masses celebrated by John Paul
II, the funeral of Cardinal Wyszynski, and "mourning ceremonies in the days
following the death of my predecessor."

The Pope also mentioned his visits to the shrines "that marked the life of the
priest and bishop, Karol Wojtyla:" Czestochowa, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, and
Divine Mercy.

"I will never forget the visit to the famous Marian Shrine of Jasna Gora at
Czestochowa, ... heart of the Polish nation," he said, "where I again presented
the faith as a fundamental attitude of the spirit that involves the entire
person. ... From the Virgin of Sorrows at the Shrine of Kalwaria ... I asked
support for the faith of the ecclesial community in moments of trial and
difficulty. The visit to the Shrine of Divine Mercy ... gave me the opportunity
to highlight how Divine Mercy illuminates the mystery of man. In the nearby
convent, ... St. Faustina Kowalska received a message of faith for humanity,
echoed and interpreted by John Paul II."

The Pope also mentioned "other symbolic shrines" of his journey: Wadowice,
birthplace of John Paul II, where lie "the roots of his robust faith, his
sensitive and open humanity, his love for beauty and truth, his devotion to the
Virgin, his love for the Church, and above all his vocation to sanctity;" and
Wawel cathedral "where he celebrated his first Mass."

Referring to his meeting with young people in Krakow's Blonie Park, the Holy
Father quoted a phrase his predecessor used to like to repeat: "Stand firm in
your faith." This, he added, "is the duty I left to the beloved children of
Poland, encouraging them to persevere in their faithfulness to Christ and to
the Church, that Europe and the world may not lack their evangelical witness.
All Christians must feel the commitment to bear such witness, so as to ensure
that humanity in the third millennium may never again know horrors similar to
those ... of the concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau."

In places such as those, the Holy Father went on, "the only response is the
Cross of Christ: the Love that descended to the abyss of evil in order to save
man at his very roots, where his freedom can rebel against God."

"He concluded: "May modern man never forget Auschwitz or the other 'factories
of death' in which the Nazi regime sought to eliminate God and take His place.
May he not be tempted to racial hatred, which is the origin of the worst forms
of anti-Semitism. May he go back to recognizing that God is Father of all, and
calls us all in Christ to build together a world of justice, truth and peace.

At the conclusion of his general audience the Holy Father said: "My thoughts go
out to the beloved nation of East Timor, wracked by tension and violence which
has caused victims and destruction. As I encourage the local Church and
Catholic organizations to continue, together with other international
organizations, their efforts to help those displaced, I invite you all to pray
to the Most Holy Virgin that with her maternal protection she may sustain the
efforts of the people working for the pacification of souls and the return of
normality."
AG/POLAND/... VIS 060531 (680)

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