Pope Speaks of Lent at Sunday Angelus

(10 Feb 08 - RV) Pope Benedict focused on Lent during his Sunday Angelus in St Peter's Square.

The Pope focused his attention on the past week saying that with fast and abstinence and the rite of Ashes we entered into Lent.

The Holy Father then posed a question, what does it mean to enter into Lent? It means he said, a time for a special engagement in the spiritual fight that opposes all the bad in the world. It means he went on, to look at that badness in the face and fight against its effects.

To enter in Lent he continued, means to renew the personal and communal decision to confront all badness together with Christ.

The road where each one of us takes up our “Cross” is in fact the one that leads to the victory of love over hatred, of sharing over selfishness, and of peace over violence.

Seen in this way Pope Benedict continued, Lent is really occasion of strong ascetic and spiritual engagement based on the grace of Christ.

From his reflection on the meaning of Lent the Holy Father went on to say that the beginning of this season providentially coincided with the 150^TH anniversary of the apparitions at Lourdes.

For the first time he said on the 11 February 1858 Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in the cave of Massabielle.

There, the pope went on, followed other successive apparitions accompanied by extraordinary events, and in the end the Holy Virgin says to the young girl "I am the Immaculate Conception".

This message that the Madonna continued to spread at Lourdes Pope Benedict said recalls the words that Jesus pronounced at the beginning of his public mission word that we hear again and again over this Lenten season " convert and believe in the Gospel".

The Pope added that to the Virgin Mary we entrust the sick, referring to the World Day of the sick celebrated also on Feb 11 in memory of the Madonna of Lourdes.

He then greeted all those pilgrims who had gathered in St Peter’s Square under the guidance of Cardinal Lozano Barragán, President of the Pontifical for Health and said he would be praying for them.

After the Angelus the Holy Father warmly greeted all the English speaking pilgrims present and reiterated his call to give to the needy during this Lentan season.



“My dear friends, this past week we began our Lenten practice of prayer, fasting, and – in a special way – almsgiving. I invite all believers to enter this “spiritual battle” with hearts full of generosity towards those in need”.



Hear our report...