Pro Petri Sede donation destined for Haiti

On Friday Pope Benedict XVI met with the Belgian branch of the Pro Petri Sede association, a global group that is dedicated to supporting the Holy Father in his mission.

Pro Petri Sede, literally for the See of Peter, is an association of committed lay Catholics, who through financial donations and active participation in the life of the Church support the Holy Father in his mission as Pastor to the Universal Church.

On Friday at the Vatican, Pope Benedict received the Belgian association, for their generous service to so many people worldwide. Reflecting on the Lenten season, he described it as a time in which we are called to feel the urgency of our responsibility to the poor. Lent he said is fasting, prayer and sharing. By contributing to the fight against poverty, sharing and charity brings us closer to others.

However, continued Pope Benedict, this gift is nothing without love. By acting out of love, we express the truth of our being, because it is more blessed to give than receive. Almsgiving brings us closer to God and invites us to conversion.

The Holy Father told the group, that their generous donation to the Successor of St Peter, will be used to help the many people “so harshly tried in recent times, particularly those of Haiti. The service of charity belongs to the nature of the Church. It is a living expression of God's solicitude for all men. By providing the necessary material assistance, the Church can also bring attention to the love that people so desperately need. I thank you warmly on their behalf for the support you are showing them in the fight against what debases and degrades the dignity of every person created in the image of God."