Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On September 7, the Holy Father Benedict XVI made a pastoral visit to Cagliari, on the centennial anniversary of the proclamation of of “Nostra Signora di Bonaria” (Our Lady of Bonaria) as the patroness of Sardinia. From the Cagliari-Elmas Airport, the Holy Father traveled by car to the Shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria, where he was met by the Rector and the community of Mercedarian Fathers who care for the shrine. Inside the Basilica, the Pope greeted several elderly members of the local Sardinian community who were over 100 years old. Later, at 10:30am there was a Mass held in the square in front of the Shrine, presided by the Holy Father. Standing beside the altar was a wooden statue of Our Lady of Bonaria. “The most beautiful spectacle that a people can offer is undoubtedly that of their faith,” the Pope said at the beginning of his homily. “At this moment, I am able to perceive the moving testimony of the faith that inspires you, and at this, I wish to express my admiration.”
Commenting the Readings of the Mass (taken from the liturgy for the Feast of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, celebrated for centuries on September 8), the Pope pointed out that “the liturgy – which is the privileged school of faith – teaches us to recognize in Mary’s birth, a direct link to that of the Messiah, the Son of David.” In the Gospel of Matthew, which tells of Jesus’ birth, preceded by the list of genealogy, “Mary’s role in salvation history is made manifest: Mary’s existence is completely related to that of Christ, especially in His Incarnation.”
Benedict XVI recalled that the people of Sardinia, “thanks to the faith in Christ and through the spiritual motherhood of Mary and the Church, have been called to enter into the spiritual ‘genealogy’ of the Gospel. In Sardinia, Christianity did not arrive with the swords of conquerors or by way of foreign imposition, but through the seed of the blood of martyrs that gave their lives as an act of love towards God and man...Sardinia has never been a land of heresy; its people have always shown a child-like fidelity to Christ and the See of Peter.” The Pope explained how after the age of martyrs, in the 5th century over 100 Bishops arrived there from the part of Africa pertaining to the Roman Empire, forced into exile because of their refusal to comply with the Arian heresy. “Upon their arrival to the island, they brought with them the wealth of their faith...they founded monasteries and increased the evangelization effort. Along with the glorious relics of Augustine, they brought the wealth of their liturgical and spiritual tradition, which you still hold dear. Thus, the faith has always remained rooted in the hearts of the faithful, becoming culture and bearing fruits of holiness.” After having named several Sardinian saints, the Pontiff said: “This simple and valiant faith lives on in your communities, in your families, where the air is filled with the Evangelical aroma of the virtues of this land of yours: fidelity, dignity, discretion, sobriety, the sense of duty, and lastly – of course – love for Our Lady.”
Recalling the centennial anniversary of the proclamation of Our Lady of Bonaria as Patroness of the Island, the Holy Father said: “Your Island, my dear friends of Sardinia, cannot have any other protector besides Our Lady. She is the Mother, the Daughter, and the Spouse, par excellence: ‘Sa Mama, Fiza, Isposa de su Segnore,’ as you love to sing. She is the Mother who loves, protects, counsels, consoles, gives life, so that life may be born and last. She is the Daughter that honors her family, always attentive to the needs of her brothers and sisters, taking care to make the house beautiful and welcoming. She is the Spouse capable of a faithful and patient love, of sacrifice and hope.” The Pope recalled the fact that there are 350 churches and shrines dedicated to Mary in Sardinia. Recognizing in her the “Star of the New Evangelization,” he addressed those present saying, “May Mary help you bring Christ to the families, the small domestic churches and cells of society, which today more than ever need trust and support on both the spiritual and social level. May she help you to find the right pastoral strategies to bring Christ to young people, who by their nature are the bearers of a new dynamic impulse, but are often the victims of widespread nihilism, thirsty for truth and ideals precisely when they seem to reject these. May she make you capable of evangelizing the world of work, the economy, politics, which requires a new generation of committed Christian laymen capable of seeking with competency and moral rigor solutions of sustainable development....The one who trusts in Our Lady of Bonaria, the merciful and powerful Mother, will never be let down.”
At the end of the Mass, the Holy Father recited the “Act of Trustful Surrender to Our Lady,” which concluded with the presentation of a golden rose before the image of Our Lady of Bonaria. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 8/9/2008)
