Pope’s Sunday ‘Regina Coeli’ of May 9

(May 10, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday invited Catholics to accompany him spiritually on a pilgrimage to Portugal which he begins on Tuesday. His invitation came before praying the weekly midday Regina Caeli together with those gathered in St. Peter's Square. During his May 11-14 pastoral visit to Portugal, Pope Benedict will visit Lisbon, Fatima and Porto. "The principal objective of my trip will be Fatima, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the beatification of the two little shepherds, Jacinta and Francisco," the Pope said, addressing the crowd gathered below his studio window. "For the first time as Successor of Peter I will go to that Marian shrine, so dear to the Venerable John Paul II,” the Pope said, alluding to his predecessor attributing to the Virgin of Fatima for saving his life when he was shot at in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. “I invite everyone to come with me on this pilgrimage, actively participating, in heart and soul, with prayer as we invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary for the Church, especially priests, and for world peace,” the Pope Benedict urged. The Holy Father reminded all of the Church’s tradition of dedicating the month of May to Mary, which he said is "in tune" with the season of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as with the liturgical seasons of Easter and Pentecost. Mary, he said, is "the most beautiful flower to blossom in creation, the 'rose' that appeared in the fullness of time, when God, sending his Son, gave the world a new spring." He said Mary is the spiritual heart of the first Christian community “because her very presence in the midst of the disciples is a living memory of the Lord Jesus and pledge of the gift of his Spirit."