VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI in Turkey - Holy Mass in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit: “The Church’s mission consists not in defending power, or obtaining riches, but rather in giving Christ, sharing the very Life of Christ, mankind’s most precious treasure which God gives us in His Son.”

Istanbul (Agenzia Fides) - In the morning of Friday 1 December Pope Benedict XVI went to the Holy Spirit Cathedral Istanbul to preside the celebration of Mass in Latin. Among those present, representatives of the Catholic communities of different eastern Rites present in Turkey. Before the Mass the Pope blessed a statue of Blessed John XXIII which will stand in the church of Saint Anthony.
“In this cathedral dedicated to the Holy Spirit - the Pope said in his homily -, I wish to thank God for all He has done in the history of humanity and to invoke upon all the gifts of the Spirit of holiness. As Saint Paul just reminded us, the Spirit is the permanent source of our faith and our unity. He instils in us true knowledge of Jesus placing on our lips words of faith enabling us to recognise the Lord … Manifesting the Spirit, living according to the Spirit, does not mean living only for oneself, but rather learning to become like Jesus Christ, becoming his disciples, servants of our brothers and sisters”.
The Holy Father then recalled the wish formulated by Pope John Paul II in the same cathedral twenty seven years ago: may the new millennium rise "on a Church which has found once again her full unity, that amidst the world’s exacerbated tensions she may better witness the transcendent love of God revealed in His Son Jesus Christ". “His wish has not yet been fulfilled - Pope Benedict XVI underlined -, but the Pope’s desire is always the same and leads all of us, the disciples of Christ, as we advance with our poverty and slowness on the path to unity, to work unceasingly "in view of the good of all", giving ecumenism first place in our ecclesial concerns”.
The other image mentioned in the Pope’s homily was the word building used by Saint Paul to describe the Church “whose stones are united, one close to the other to form one building, whose corner stone on which all stands is Christ”. Benedict XVI recalled that the Church, the “Body of Christ received the mandate to announce the Gospel to the ends of the earth, in other words to hand on to the men and women of our day the Good News which not only illuminates life it changes it and even conquers death. This Good News is not only a Word, it is the Risen Christ! How could Christian keep this gift only for themselves? How could they confiscate this treasure or hide this source? The Church’s mission consists not in defending power, or obtaining riches her mission but rather in giving Christ, sharing the very Life of Christ, mankind’s most precious treasure which God gives us in His Son.”
The Pope concluded “the Church does not impose anything, she asks only freedom to live and make known the One she cannot hide, Jesus Christ who loved mankind even to death on the Cross and gave us his Spirit, the living presence of God in our midst and in the depth of each one’s heart”…“may we be always open to Christ”.
After the Mass the Pope said parole: “I would like to thank the people of Istanbul and the cities for the warm welcome wherever I have been. My gratitude is deep and sincere because I know that my presence in the past few days made daily life difficult. Thank you for your understanding and your patience.” Benedict XVI was then drive to Istanbul airport where he boarded the return flight to Rome. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 2/12/2006 - righe 43, parole 663)