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Skriven 2005-05-23 09:21:46 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

PAPAL LETTER TO SPANISH BISHOPS FOR NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2005 (VIS) - Made public today was a letter from the Holy
Father to the Spanish bishops on the occasion of the national pilgrimage to the
shrine of Pilar de Zaragoza to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the dogma
of the Immaculate Conception and the 50th anniversary of the consecration of
Spain to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

"Mary Immaculate," he writes in the Letter dated May 19, "reflects the mercy of
the Father. Conceived without sin, she was capable of pardoning even those who
abandoned and wounded her Son at the foot of the Cross. As our Advocate, she
helps us in our needs and intercedes for us to her Son."

"Accompanied by the paternal solicitude of Joseph," he adds, "Mary welcomed her
Son. In the home at Nazareth Jesus reached maturity in a family that was
humanly splendid and marked by the divine mystery, one that has been a model
for all families. In this respect, in domestic coexistence the family realizes
its vocation of human and Christian life, sharing joys and expectations in a
climate of understanding and reciprocal help. Thus, the human person, who is
born, grows and is formed in the family, is capable of undertaking with
certainty the path of goodness, without letting himself or herself be
disoriented by methods or ideologies foreign to the human person."

Benedict XVI said he knows "the Catholic Church in Spain is disposed to take
firm steps in her evangelizing projects. Thus, it is to be hoped that she will
be understood and accepted in her natural truth and mission because it is a
question of promoting the common good for everyone, with respect both to
persons and to society. In effect, the transmission of the faith and religious
practices of believers cannot remain confined to the purely private sphere."
BXVI-LETTER/NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE/SPAINVIS 050523 (310)

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