VATICAN - The Pope at the Angelus: “The feast day of the Apostles Peter and Paul is a special call to pray intensely and act with conviction to promote the cause of the unity of all Christ's disciples”

Saturday, 30 June 2007

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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “The feast day of the Apostles Peter and Paul is a special call to pray intensely and act with conviction to promote the cause of the unity of all Christ's disciples” said Pope Benedict XVI during his reflections before leading the midday Angelus prayer on Friday 29 June a bank holiday in Rome for the feast day of the city's patrons Saints Peter and Paul. From his study window overlooking St Peter's Square the Pope addressed thousands gathered in the Square for his blessing. “The Christian West and East are already very close to one another - the Pope said -, almost in full communion, as it was said by the Second Vatican Council, the guiding beacon for our ecumenical journey. Our meetings, reciprocal visits, dialogues taking place are not simply acts of courtesy or attempts to reach a compromise, they are a sign of a shared desire to do everything possible to reach soon that full communion for which Christ prayed to the Father at the end of the Last Supper: "ut unum sint".”
Among these initiatives the Holy Father mentioned a special Year of Saint Paul from 28 June 2009 to 29 June 2009 to mark the two thousandth anniversary of the birth the saint's birth. “I hope that the various events organised will help to renew our missionary enthusiasm - the Pope said - and render more intense relations with our brother and sister Christians of the East and with other Christian who like us venerate the Apostle of the nations”.
After the Martian prayer the Pope announced that he will make a pastoral visit to Naples in the Autumn: “I am happy to announce that I have accepted an invitation from Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Archbishop of Naples to make a pastoral visit to Naples on Sunday 21 October. I greet the people of Naples with affection and ask them to prepare for our meeting with prayer and works of charity.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 30/6/2007; righe 22, parole 310)