Pope's 'Angelus' of July 6

(July 6, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI used his weekly midday ‘Angelus’ prayer on Sunday to reflect upon violence and Christ’s response to it. The blood of Jesus, indeed, is a source of hope for all mankind, marked by violence and hatred, the Pope said on the first Sunday of July dedicated to the Precious Blood of Christ. The shedding of blood is a theme that runs throughout history, the Pope told a large crowd gathered below his studio window overlooking St. Peter’s Square. Ever since the blood of Abel, slain by his brother, cried out to God from the earth, people have continued to kill one another because of violence, injustice and hatred, the Pope said. "To the cry of the blood that goes up from many parts of the earth, God answers with the blood of his Son, who gave his life for us. Christ did not answer evil with evil, but with good, with his infinite love. The blood of Christ is the pledge of the faithful love of God for humanity," the Pope explained. "Looking upon the wounds of the Crucified,” he said, “every man, even in conditions of extreme moral misery, can say: God has not abandoned me, he loves me, he gave his life for me - and in this way rediscover hope."
After praying the ‘Angelus’, Pope Benedict again picked up the theme of violence and condemned a bomb attack outside a church in southern Philippines saying violence no way to solve problems. At least five people were killed and some 45 were wounded when an improvised bomb was set off outside the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cotabato city as Archbishop Orlando Quevedo celebrated Sunday morning Mass. "As I pray to God for the victims of this ignoble act, I raise up my voice to condemn once again recourse to violence, which never constitutes a worthy way to solve problems," the Pope told the crowd in St. Peter's Square. The device was set off remotely by mobile phone near a food stall outside the cathedral. Some immediately blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the 12,000-strong separatist Islamic group that has been fighting for greater autonomy in the region for some four decades. A spokesman for the group denied responsibility.
Pope Benedict also expressed his sorrow over a freight train accident last week in northern Italy that claimed at least 22 lives. The accident occurred June 29 night in Viareggio when a 14-car train carrying liquefied gas jumped the tracks and two of the cars exploded, engulfing nearby homes in flames. "I join in the sorrow of all those who lost persons dear to them, those who were injured, and those whose property was damaged, even severely," the Holy Father after praying the midday “Angelus” on Sunday. "As I lift up my sorrowful prayer to God for all the persons involved in the tragedy, I hope that similar accidents no more occur and that everyone be guaranteed security in work and in the living of daily life," the Holy Father added. He prayed that God receive the dead into His peace, that the injured are healed soon and those whose loved ones have been affected are comforted.