VATICAN - The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI visits shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love: “from this Shrine I repeat the call made in the encyclical Deus caritas est: let us experience love and in this way cause the light of God to enter into the world”

Rome (Fides Service) - “It is a great comfort for me to be here today to recite the Holy Rosary with you at the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love which expresses the devout affection for the Blessed Virgin Mary rooted in the soul and history of the people of Rome. It gives me particular joy to think that in this way I repeat the experience of my beloved Predecessor John Paul II, who made his first visit to this shrine as Pontiff exactly 27 years ago on the first day of the month of May 1979”. With these words in the afternoon of May 1 the Holy Father Benedict XVI addressed the people who had crowded into the little old church of the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love where the Pope led the recitation of the Rosary diffused by loudspeakers out over the surrounding fields and to the bigger modern church which the Pope visited afterwards privately.
Referring to “Our Lady of Divine Love”, the Pope said she sheds light on the bond between Mary and the Holy Spirit, “from the beginning of her existence when at her conception the Spirit, eternal Love of the Father and Son, made his dwelling place in her preserving her from all shadow of sin; later when through the same Spirit the Son of God was born in her womb; and all through her life her during which, through the grace of the Spirit, Mary’s words "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me as you have said" were fulfilled, and at the end when through the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary was assumed into heaven with all her concrete humanity to sit beside the Son in the glory of God the Father. ” (41) the Pope said quoting his Encyclical Deus caritas est, and adding: Yes dear brothers and sisters Mary is the fruit and sign of God’s love for us, his tenderness and mercy. Therefore we turn to her in our hopes and needs and in the happy and sad moments of life”.
The month of May brings more visitors to the Shrine to pray here and enjoy the atmosphere of peace: “Therefore from this Shrine of Divine Love - the Pope said -, we await powerful spiritual strength and help for the diocese of Rome, for me its Bishop and for my collaborator Bishops, for the priests, the families, for vocations, for the poor and the suffering, for the children and the old people, for the entire beloved nation of Italy. We await especially for inward strength to fulfil the promise made by the Romans on June 4, 1944, when they solemnly petitioned the Virgin of Divine Love to rescue the city from the horrors of the war, and they were heard: the vow and promise to correct and improve personal moral conduct to render it more similar to that of the Lord Jesus. Today there is need for conversion to God, the God who is Love, for the world to be freed of war and terrorism”. Pope Benedict XVI ended his homily repeating an invitation made in his Encyclical Deus caritas est (n. 39): “let us experience love and in this way cause the light of God to enter into the world”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 2/5/2006, righe 35, parole 551)