Grand show of solidarity for Pope at Sunday ‘Regina Coeli’

(May 17, 2010) At least 150,000 people from across Italy came together in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square on Sunday to show their affection and express their support for Pope Benedict XVI in the wake of the paedophile priests’ scandal rattling the Catholic Church. Responding to an invitation by the Lay Associations Council and led by Card Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Italy, members of various Catholic associations and movements arrived in Rome by bus, train or car, thronging Saint Peter’s Square. After reciting the weekly midday ‘Regina Caeli’ prayer, Pope Benedict expressed his “deep gratitude” for the affection and deep closeness of the Church and the Italian people to the Pope and their priests who take care of them on a daily basis, because, he said, “through a commitment to spiritual and moral renewal we can better serve the Church, the People of God and all those who turn to us with confidence.” “The real enemy to fear and fight,” the Pope said, “is sin, spiritual evil, which sometimes taints the members of the Church.” “We live in the world, but do belong to the world,” he said. “We Christians are not afraid of the world, even if we must guard ourselves against its seductive power.” “Instead, we must fear sin and for this, we must be strongly rooted in God, be one with what is good, with love and service,” the Pope added. Rome's Mayor Gianni Alemanno who was in the crowd of supporters along with several other Italian officials said, “We want to show our solidarity to the pope and transmit the message that single individuals make mistakes but institutions, faith and religion cannot be questioned.”
Before the ‘Regina Coeli’ prayer the Pope Benedict reflected on Sunday’s feast of the Ascension of the Lord into heaven, which he explained was “not forsaking because He remains for ever with them in a new form”. “The Lord,” he added, “draws the Apostles’ attention towards Heaven to show them how to follow the path of goodness during their earthly existence. However, the Lord remains in the thick of human history and is close to each one of us. He leads our Christian journey and accompanies those who are persecuted because of their faith. He is in the heart of all those who are marginalised and is present in those who are denied the right to life. We can listen, see and touch Lord Jesus in the Church, especially through the words and sacramental deeds of his Pastors.”
The Holy Father also recalled that Sunday was the church’s World Social Communication Day, which this year had as its theme, “The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: new media at the service of the word.” The Pope reminded his brother priests worldwide that in their lives and activity they need to be distinguished by a determined witness to the Gospel, and that by using new communication technologies, they can introduce people to the life of the Church and help our contemporaries discover the face of Christ.