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Skriven 2006-07-03 11:23:44 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.
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               VIS-Press releases

THE STRENGTH OF GOD COUNTERACTS HUMAN WEAKNESS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 29, 2006 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica today, Solemnity of
Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, the Pope presided at a Eucharistic
concelebration with 27 metropolitan archbishops from 17 countries, upon whom in
the course of the ceremony he imposed the pallium. Today also marks the 55th
anniversary of Benedict XVI's own priestly ordination.

In keeping with tradition, the Mass was attended by a delegation from the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, led this year by Ioannis
(Zizioulas), metropolitan of Pergamo and president of the Joint International
Commission for Theological Dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox, and
including Kallistos (Timothy Ware), bishop of Diokleia and assistant to the
archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, and the archimandrite Dionysius
Papavasileiou.

In his homily, the Pope recalled how Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah and
the Son of God and how, on this basis, his special task was conferred upon him
"through three images: the rock that becomes the foundation stone or
cornerstone, the keys, and the image of binding and loosening."

Benedict XVI then highlighted the fact that Jesus, having made His promise to
Peter, starts out towards Jerusalem and the Cross. "The Church - and in her
Christ - also suffers today," he said. "In her, Christ is once again scorned
and beaten; once again an attempt is made to push Him out of the world. Once
again, the little ship of the Church is shaken by the winds of ideologies ...
and she seems condemned to sink under the waters. And yet, it is precisely in
the suffering Church that Christ is triumphant. Despite everything, faith in
Him always reacquires new strength."

The Lord "remains in His ship, in the little vessel of the Church," the Pope
added. "In the same way, Peter's ministry reveals, on the one had, the weakness
of man's faculties, but at the same time the strength of God. It is precisely
in the weakness of men that the Lord shows His strength."

Peter's task, the Holy Father continued, was also "never to let this faith
become mute, but ever to reinvigorate it, even before the cross and all the
contradictions of the world."

After mentioning Peter's three denials, Benedict XVI said: "through this fall,
Peter - and with him the Church in all times - must learn that one's own
strength is not enough to build and guide the Church of the Lord. No one can
manage it alone. However capable and able Peter many seem, at the first moment
of trial he failed."

"For all those who have responsibility in the Church; for all those who suffer
the confusion of these times; for the great and the small: Lord, protect us
always and anew and thus raise us up when we fall and take us into Your good
hands."

The Lord also entrusted Peter, Pope Benedict said, with the task of "presiding
over universal communion, and of maintaining it present in the world in the
form of unity, a unity that is also visible."

After greeting the metropolitan archbishops appointed in the course of the last
year, who received the pallium during today's ceremony, the Pope also addressed
some words to the delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate: "I thank
Patriarch Bartholomew I and the Holy Synod for this sign of fraternity, which
expresses the desire and commitment to progress more rapidly along the road to
the full unity invoked by Christ for all His disciples. We share the burning
desire once expressed by Patriarch Atenagora and by Pope Paul VI: to drink
together from the same chalice and to eat together the same bread, which is the
Lord Himself. On this occasion, we again implore that this gift be granted us
soon."
HML/CHURCH:UNITY/STS. PETER:PAUL VIS 060630 (630)

SUMMARY

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