(June 06, 2012) Every week on Wednesday, the Pope holds a public meeting called the
general audience, during which pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have a chance
of seeing and hearing him speak in several languages, and receive his blessing. The
general audience of June 6th was held outdoors in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
It began with the reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy, in several
languages. An aide greeted the Pope on behalf of the English speaking pilgrims, introducing
the various groups to him. This week, Pope Benedict recounted his experience at the
Catholic Church’s World Meeting of Families in the northern Italian city of Milan.
Listen: Dear Brothers and Sisters, This past weekend I travelled to Milan
for the Seventh World Meeting of Families, devoted to the theme: The Family – Work
and Celebration. This joyful international gathering was an inspiring witness to
the rich and varied identity of the family as a communion of love based on marriage,
a sanctuary of life, a domestic church and the primary cell of society. It is in
the family that we discover our God-given vocation to love, to enter into relationship
with others and to live together in harmony. The dialogue which took place at the
Feast of Testimonies provided an opportunity to reflect on some of the pressing challenges
experienced by families today, including the difficulty of finding time to be together,
even on the Lord’s Day. At the closing Mass I encouraged our Church communities to
become ever more like families, celebrating that divine love which alone can transform
our world. May the Meeting advance “the Gospel of the Family” and draw attention
to the importance of families for the future of our societies. I offer a
cordial welcome to the Felician Sisters assembled for their General Chapter and I
offer my prayerful good wishes for their deliberations. I thank the choirs for their
praise of God in song. Upon all the English-speaking visitors, including those from
England, Ireland, Sweden, Zimbabwe, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka,
Vietnam and the United States of America, I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!
At
the end of the audience, Pope Benedict reminded all about the feast of Corpus Christi
or the Body and Blood of Christ, which he would be solemnizing the following day,
Thursday, with an evening Mass in Rome’s St. John Lateran Basilica followed by a
public Eucharistic procession from there to St. Mary Major Basilica. The Holy Father
invited pilgrims and the faithful of Rome to join him in this act of profound faith
towards the Eucharist, which he said is the most precious treasure of the Church and
of humanity. Corpus Christi feast is celebrated in the Latin Church on the Thursday
after Trinity Sunday, but many dioceses mark it on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday
so people can join in public demonstration of worship devotion.