Indian Christians dedicate Feb 22 to spiritual closeness with Pope

February 15, 2013 - Christians in India have been invited to spend Feb. 22 in spiritual closeness with Pope Benedict XVI who stands down on Feb. 28. The initiative has been spearheaded by Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI). The cardinal chose the Feb. 22 feast of the Chair of St. Peter to express the deep gratitude of the Church in India to the Holy Father for his nearly 8-year pontificate. That day, at 6.30 pm, every Christian institution, convent and monastery will dedicate an hour of adoration to the Pope.
Cardinal Gracias, who is also the secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), noted that during his pontificate Pope Benedict on several occasions and in different ways addressed issues dear to India and Asia. His encyclicals “Deus Caritas Est”, “Spe Salvi” and “Caritas in Veritate” identify some of the most significant challenges of the continent, he said. "In addition to the dialogue between cultures, with the poor and with other religions Benedict XVI stressed the need to implement the Church's social doctrine to the realities of today : the economy, globalization, the gap between rich and poor, ecology, fundamentalism." Thus, Card. Gracias stressed, "development is at the heart of human actions, and globalization and progress can serve humanity." The Pope's attention to the Asian world was manifested not only through his documents. "Asia”, noted Card. Gracias “is home to the largest Muslim population in the world, and the repeated attempts of Benedict XVI to communicate with Muslims was a really important challenge.” “With intellectual clarity and academic brilliance he has created the basis to understand their differences and call for a united front against secularization." The Archbishop of Mumbai noted that "the last two days of world peace" were fundamental. In 2011 whose theme was, "Religious freedom, the path of peace," the Pope said that "religious freedom is an authentic weapon for peace that can change the world and make it better." In his message for 2012 on the theme, "Blessed are the peacemakers," Benedict XVI said that "peace is not merely the absence of war," but more importantly, reiterates Indian cardinal, "it is the universal experience of justice and love, which contrasts with the personal and structural evils of greed, inequality and violence. "