Pope meets members of John Paul II Foundation

(October 24, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI on Monday expressed appreciation for his predecessor Pope John Paul II saying the foundation he established 30 years ago has produced marvellous fruits. The Pope was addressing members, benefactors and friends of the John Paul II Foundation that the late Blessed John Paul himself established on Oct. 16, 1981, "to promote religious, cultural, and social initiatives which will serve the faithful." Pope Benedict hoped the foundation’s “Centre for the Documentation and Study of the Pontificate of John Paul II”, will become an important point of reference for the vast and rich heritage that the Polish Pope has left us. Another contribution of the late Pope was that he always sought to bind the faithful not to himself, but ever more to Christ, to the Apostolic Tradition and to the Catholic community united to the college of bishops with the Pope as its head. And as head of the Church, Pope Benedict said, he himself experiences the efficacy of these efforts. The Pope expressed satisfaction that thorough its scholarships and spiritual and professional assistance, the foundation has helped more than 900 clergy and laity from Central and East Europe earn graduation degrees. But one very important contribution is that as members, benefactors and friends of the John Paul II Foundation “discern the needs of the present, they look to the future with solicitude and confidence, and they commit themselves to imbue the world more deeply with the spirit of solidarity and fraternity.