Cardinal Bertone: Milan a manifestation of love for Pope

The Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See, Tarcisio Bertone made an appearance on Italian television yesterday, during which he spoke about the Holy Father’s weekend trip to Milan and also addressed the recent media attention on the Pope and the Vatican. In an interview with Italian State Television’s flagship news programme, Cardinal Bertone described the weekend visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the archdiocese of Milan as one in which everyone involved experienced the extraordinary manifestation of love for the Holy Father, as well as of closeness and support for his teaching, his work. He said, “We all felt the joy that surrounded him.” Listen:

Pope Benedict was in Milan to preside over the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families – and, the family, seen as a moral resource, a resource for society – was the message of Pope Benedict to the participants and to the world.

Cardinal Bertone also addressed the ongoing media attention focused on the Pope and the Curia in connection with information leaks from inside the Vatican. “What is most sad in all this,” he said, “is the violation of the Holy Father’s privacy and of that of his closest collaborators.” Nevertheless, continued Cardinal Bertone, “these [recent] days have not been ones of division, but of unity…days of strength in the faith, and of steadfast serenity also in making decisions.”

Cardinal Bertone noted the frequent use that Pope Benedict made of the word, “courage” – which became a rallying cry in his remarks from the Archbishop’s residence in Milan. “He spoke it to young people, to young people who are seeking to start a family, to families in difficulty, to those in authority, to the whole Church.” Cardinal Bertone concluded expressing the hope that we all might take the Holy Father’s call to heart.