Pope Addresses US Bishops

(17 Apr 08 -RV) Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday evening led the Bishops of the United States in Vespers, the Church’s Evening praise of God.

The Pope and the Bishops were gathered in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, upon which the Pope conferred the Golden Rose, an ancient and most rarely awarded Papal honour given as a sign of profound and enduring appreciation, highest esteem and precious regard for the recipients’ Catholic spirit and loyalty to the See of Peter.

In remarks to the Bishops during the liturgy, Pope Benedict encouraged the Bishops to continue their efforts to welcome immigrants to the United States…

Brother Bishops, I want to encourage you and your communities to continue to welcome the immigrants who join your ranks today, to share their joys and hopes, to support them in their sorrows and trials, and to help them flourish in their new home. This, indeed, is what your fellow countrymen have done for generations. From the beginning, they have opened their doors to the tired, the poor, the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free”. These are the people whom America has made her own.


The Holy Father also spoke of the need for spiritual vigilance over the abundant material blessings the faithful and the whole country have received and continue to enjoy…

For an affluent society, a further obstacle to an encounter with the living God lies in the subtle influence of materialism, which can all too easily focus the attention on the hundredfold, which God promises now in this time, at the expense of the eternal life which he promises in the age to come (cf. Mk 10:30). People today need to be reminded of the ultimate purpose of their lives. They need to recognize that implanted within them is a deep thirst for God. They need to be given opportunities to drink from the wells of his infinite love. It is easy to be entranced by the almost unlimited possibilities that science and technology place before us; it is easy to make the mistake of thinking we can obtain by our own efforts the fulfillment of our deepest needs. This is an illusion. Without God, who alone bestows upon us what we by ourselves cannot attain (cf. Spe Salvi, 31), our lives are ultimately empty.


Pope Benedict also returned to the question of the sexual abuse scandal…

Among the countersigns to the Gospel of life found in America and elsewhere is one that causes deep shame: the sexual abuse of minors. Many of you have spoken to me of the enormous pain that your communities have suffered when clerics have betrayed their priestly obligations and duties by such gravely immoral behavior. As you strive to eliminate this evil wherever it occurs, you may be assured of the prayerful support of God’s people throughout the world. Rightly, you attach priority to showing compassion and care to the victims. It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged.


The Holy Father also acknowledged the immense suffering of the people of New Orleans, and praised them for the courage with which they are facing the challenging work of rebuilding.

The Pope presented the Archbishop of New Orleans with the gift of a Chalice as token of his spiritual solidarity with all the victims of Hurricane Katrina…

I would like to present Archbishop Alfred Hughes with a chalice, which I hope will be accepted as a sign of my prayerful solidarity with the faithful of the Archdiocese, and my personal gratitude for the tireless devotion which he and Archbishops Philip Hannan and Francis Schulte showed toward the flock entrusted to their care. This is my … Pope interrupted by thunderous applause … gift.


Bishops of the United States also presented the Holy Father with a cheque for $870 thousand, as a birthday gift, for the support of the poor throughout the world.

I’m Chris Altieri