Pope on pilgrimage to confirm Spain's Christian roots

Lydia O'Kane reports from Spain, where Pope Benedict arrived on Saturday "as a pilgrim" to "confirm Spain in its Christian faith": "As Pope Benedict’s plane touched down on the tarmac of the international airport at Santiago de Compostela it could hardly be seen for the thick fog that dominated the skyline. Dressed in a white coat to guard against the winter chill the Holy Father was greeted by the Prince of Asturias and his wife while in the background crowds could be heard shouting the Pope’s name and waving Vatican flags of welcome.

Following a greeting by Prince Felipe of Asturias, who spoke of the Pope’s visit as being one of “peace and hope”, the Holy Father addressing all those gathered, in Spanish, spoke about his joy at being on Spanish soil and being able to come as a pilgrim to this famed route at Santiago de Compostela.

With this speech the Pope alluded to key themes of this brief but “intense” visit as he called it., those being the themes of pilgrimage and Europe’s Christian identity. The Pope spoke about the pilgrimage man is on in search of the truth and also the interior journey the church follows to become a “transparent sign of Christ for the world.”

Recalling Europe and Spain’s Christian roots, the Pope noted this country’s contribution to the spreading of the Gospel through great Saints such as Ignatius of Loyola and Teresa of Jesus.The Holy Father encouraged Spain and Europe to draw on its Christian foundations based on truth, freedom and justice adding that it is the moral, spiritual, and religious needs of this continent and not its material needs that are the requirements of “our common humanity.”

Finally, before a private meeting with members of Spain’s Royal family and to the delight of those gathered the Pope paid homage to the people of Galicia in its official language Galician, expressing his closeness to the people of this region and the rest of Spain".
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