VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI dedicates new parish church of Our Lady of Rosary of Pompei: “May this new church be a privileged place to grow in the knowledge and love of the One who in a few days time we will welcome with joy on the feast of his Nativity as the Redeemer of our world and our Saviour”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “The solemn liturgy of the dedication of this church is an occasion of intense spiritual joy for the people of God living in this area. I am happy to join you in your satisfaction for having at last a lovely functional church”. These words were pronounced by the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday 16 December, the 3rd Sunday of Advent, during a solemn Mass for the dedication of the new parish church of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei in the southern Roman district of Magliana.
The Pope reminded those present “that the whole Advent season is a call to rejoice because ‘the Lord comes to save us” and the liturgy of this season “reminds us continually that we must awaken from the sleep of our habits and mediocrity, put aside all sadness and discouragement.” A further motive for joy was the dedication of the new church entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo, not far from the catacombs of Generosa, according to tradition the burial place of three brothers - Simplicius, Faustino and Viatrice (Beatrice) - victims of persecution in the year 303, whose relics are conserved partly in Rome and partly at Fulda, in Germany, a city which since the 8th century, thanks to the fact that Saint Boniface carried the relics there, honours the Portuense Martyrs as its own fellow citizens. Citing the testimony of these young martyrs, in his homily the Pope said: “Even today, although in different forms, the salvific message of Christ is rejected and Christians, in different ways but no less than in the past, are called to explain their hope, and to bear witness before the world to the Truth of the One who comes to save and to redeem! May this new church be a privileged place to grow in the knowledge and love of the One who in a few days time we will welcome with joy on the feast of his Nativity as the Redeemer of our world and our Saviour”.
Reflecting on the Sunday readings Benedict XVI said the passage from the Book of Neemia, “describes the solemn moment of the official reconstitution after the dispersion, of the small Jewish community; it is the moment of the public re-proclamation of the law which is the foundation of life for this community and everything takes place in an atmosphere of simplicity, poverty and hope”. To some who begin to weep for joy for being able once again after the tragedy of the destruction of Jerusalem, to listen in freedom to the word of God and to begin the history of salvation once again, Neemia says “that this is a day of rejoicing and that, to receive strength from the Lord, it is necessary to rejoice and express gratitude for the gifts of God. The word of God is strength and joy”.
The second reading from the Book of Revelation, speaks of the vision of the stupendous holy city of Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven, resplendent in divine glory. “John the evangelist suggests that the living community is the new Jerusalem, and that the living community is more sacred that the material temple that we are consecrating ”. To build “this living temple, this new city of God in our cities”, the Pope underlined "demands much prayer, demands the valorisation of every opportunity offered by the liturgy, catechesis, the many pastoral, charitable, missionary and cultural activities”.
Last of all the Gospel narrates Jesus' conversation with his disciples especially with Peter who “declares that Jesus is more than a prophet, than a great religious personage of history: he is the Messiah - the Christ, son of the living God. And Christ the Lord replies solemnly: You are Peter the rock and upon this rock I will build my Church … In this way once again we see that Jesus Christ is the true unfailing rock on which to place our faith on which is built the whole Church and so also this parish. And we meet Jesus when we listen to Holy Scripture: he is present and becomes our food in the Eucharist, he lives in the community, in the faith of the parish community... Jesus is the Lord who bring us together in the great community of the Church in every time and in every place, united in communion with the Successor of Peter as the rock of unity. The work of the bishops and the priests, the apostolic and missionary commitment of every member of the faithful, is to proclaim Him and to bear witness with word and life to Him, the Son of God made who is our only Saviour.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 17/12/2007; righe 50, parole 739)