2006-09-25 15:25:33

Pope remembers slain Italian nun, urges prayers for seafarers


(Sept. 25, 2006) Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday paid homage to the memory of an Italian nun who pardoned her killers as she lay dying from an attack in Somalia. "Some are asked to give the supreme testimony of blood," for the sake of Christ, "as happened a few days ago to the Italian religious, Sister Leonella Sgorbati, who fell victim to violence," the Pope told some 3000 people gathered in the courtyard of the papal summer residence of Castelgandolfo. "This nun, who for many years served the poor and the children in Somalia, died pronouncing the word 'pardon,'" the Holy Father recalled speaking during his traditional weekly midday Angelus prayer. "This is the most authentic Christian witness, a peaceful sign of contradiction which shows the victory of love over hate and evil."
Sister Leonella, a Consolata missionary who worked in a pediatrics hospital in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, was shot by two gunmen on Sept. 17. "No doubt, following Christ is difficult," Pope Benedict XVI said, "but, as he says, only the one who loses his life for the sake of the Gospel will save it. … There exists no other path to be his disciple, there is no other path to witness to his love and tend toward evangelical perfection," the Pope added. Sr. Marzia Feurra, a Consolata missionary who was with Sr. Sgorbati in her final moments said “We held hands, looked at each other and, before turning out like a little candle, three times she repeated to me ‘forgive.’
After reciting the angelus the Pope urged prayers for seafarers and their families. Listen!RealAudioMP3







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