Pope concludes week of spiritual exercises

In remarks concluding a week of spiritual exercises here at the Vatican under the theme “the communion of Christians with God”, Pope Benedict thanked the Archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya for his guidance over the last number of days.

The Pope said he enjoyed in particular how the Cardinal peppered his meditations with beautiful stories from his beloved Africa.

The Holy Father added, that he was particularly impressed by a story the Cardinal recounted about a friend who had been in a coma.

While in a coma, the man had the impression of being in a dark tunnel, until finally, he saw a little light and heard beautiful music.

This story, said Pope Benedict could be a parable of our own lives in which sometimes we find ourselves in a dark place, but it is by faith that we see the light and hear beautiful music and feel the heavenly present of God.

The Holy Father also wrote a personal letter to the Cardinal thanking him for leading the retreat.

In the letter, Pope Benedict said, that a source of real joy for him was being able to grasp through the Cardinal the faith, hope and love of the church on the continent of Africa.

The Pope added that the spiritual patrimony of the African church was a huge asset especially when viewed the context of the new evangelization. Listen to Lydia O'Kane's report