(10 Sept. 2008 - RV) At the conclusion of his weekly General Audience this Wednesday,
Pope Benedict sent a special message of greeting to the "beloved nation" of France.
The
Holy Father is scheduled to travel to France this weekend, and said he intends to
go to France as a “messenger of peace and fraternity”.
The Pope is going to
France to mark the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions at Lourdes.
The
Pope Benedict XVI recalled France’s “generous tradition of welcome and tolerance.”
The
Holy Father also praised solidity of France’s Christian faith, as well as France’s
great human and spiritual culture”.
Pope Benedict also said that he would bring
special prayers for the sick and suffering, as well as for peace in the world when
he visits the healing sanctuary at Lourdes.