2006-06-05 15:04:04

POPE CELEBRATES PENTECOST WITH MASSIVE RALLY AND MASS


(June 5, 2006): Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday celebrated the feast of Pentecost with a colourful solemn Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's Square, marking the universality of the Catholic Church. The open air Mass commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on Christ’s disciples and the Virgin Mary, was characterized by prayers in Spanish, German, Russian and Polish while Mexicans, Africans of Burkina Faso, Chinese, Italians and Samoans led the offertory procession. The crowd of more than 40,000 people filling the sun-splashed square waved American, Brazilian, Canadian, Bavarian, German, Ukrainian, Russian and Polish flags. Many of those present had taken part in the previous day’s massive Pentecost vigil service in the same square with the Pope.
Pope Benedict’s homily during the Mass of Pentecost emphasized the gift of the Holy Spirit that frees people from confusion and leads them to communion beyond boundaries of race, culture, space and time. He said that “The pride and egoism of man always create divisions and build walls of indifference, of hate and of violence. The Holy Spirit, on the contrary, makes hearts capable of understanding the languages of all, because it re-establishes the bridge of authentic communion between Earth and Heaven.” To tackle its mission in the world, the Pope said, the Church must receive the Spirit by “staying together” and by praying. Effective missionary work calls for careful planning and intelligent implementation through concrete commitment on our part, but above all, the Pope said, it is the Lord’s Spirit that is the true protagonist of the Church.
At the midday Regina Caeli prayer at the end of the Mass, the Pope lent support to the June 4th Cancer Survivors’ Day, saying: “I give assurance of my prayers and express appreciation for the support of sick people and for solidarity in facing difficult moments together – sick people, relatives, and volunteers”. Cancer Survivors Day is observed throughout the world on the first Sunday in June, to demonstrate that life after a cancer diagnosis can be a reality.
The previous day, Saturday, Pope Benedict celebrated the vigil of Pentecost with one of the largest crowds of his pontificate and urged young people to shun drugs and "false freedoms". An estimated 400,000 people belonging to some 100 international Church movements and groups thronged St. Peter’s Square and surrounding streets and areas bring traffic to a standstill. It was the largest crowd around the Vatican since April 2005, the month that included the death of Pope John Paul, his funeral and Pope Benedict's election and inaugural mass. In his homily ending the rally, Pope Benedict urged participants, most of them young, to avoid "false freedoms that destroy the environment and man". Condemning abortion, he urged them to defend the unborn and seek true meaning in life. “When one tries to be the master of life, it becomes more empty, poorer; one easily winds up seeking refuge in drugs, in the great illusion ..." he added.







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