Vatican City (Fides ) - "May the holiness of the newly Beatified inspire us too to strive to be perfect in following the Gospel, putting into practice the words of Jesus. This is certainly a demanding ascetic journey, but it is possible for everyone. May the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Saints sustain us with her maternal intercession. May these newly Beatified be our secure guides to holiness. Amen!" With these words Pope John Paul II concluded his homily during Mass on Sunday 23 March, in St Peter's Square, when he beatified five servants of God: three Spanish nuns, a French priest and a lay doctor from Hungary. Sr María Dolores Rodríguez Sopeña (1848-1918) foundress of the Dolores Sopeña Catechetical Institute ; Sr María Caridad Brader (1860-1943) foundress of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate; Sr Juana María Condesa Lluch (1862-1916), foundress of the Handmaids of Mary Immaculate; Rev. Pierre Bonhomme (1803-1861) founder of the Sisters of Our Lady of Calvary; and Dr. László Batthyány-Strattmann (1870-1931), medical doctor family man.
Referring to the Gospel acclamation "God so loved the world to give his only Son: whoever believes in him has eternal life" (cfr Jn 3,16) - the Pope said in his homily: "These words of the liturgy of the Third Sunday of Lent invite us to contemplate with the eyes of faith the great mystery that we celebrate at Easter. This is the full and definitive gift of God's love realised in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The mystery of the redemption, in which all the faithful are called to participate, was lived in a singular way by the newly Beatified whom today I have had the joy of raising to the glory of the altars". See text of homily in Italian at www.fides.org SL (Fides Service 24/3/2003 EM lines 23 Words: 319)