Pope Renews his Appeal for Disaster Victims in Burma and China

(01 June 08 - RV) Pope Benedict renewed his appeal for the people of Burma and China who are still being affected by the natural disasters to hit bothcountries. We have this report...


Pope Benedict on Sunday made a new appeal for the people of Burma who were recently hit by a devastating cyclone and for the people of China who are still suffering the after effects of a catastrophic earthquake.

The Holy Father once again invoked the intercession of the Virgin Mary for all those who are suffering pain, who are ill and who are facing material and spiritual misery due to these natural disasters.

The Pope made the appeal during his Angelus address in St Peter’s Square in the presence of pilgrims and tourists who listened as he spoke from the window of the papal apartments.

During his address Pope Benedict made reference to the fact that this Sunday marked the beginning of June, a month he said that is traditionally dedicated to the Heart of Jesus.

The Holy Father said that “The Heart of Christ” expresses in a simple and very real way the good news of love summarising in itself the mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption.

The Pope went on to explain that from this horizon of love, God wanted to enter into the limits of history and the human condition, he took on a body and a heart so that we can contemplate and encounter the invisible and ineffable mystery of the human heart of Jesus.

The Holy Father also added that his two encyclicals had been inspired by the Mystery of the Sacred Heart.

Every person, the Pope went on to say, needs a centre for his or her life, a source of truth and goodness to hold on to in various situations and in the ups and downs of everyday life. That truth is the presence of Christ, the heart of the world.

The Holy Father recalled that the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was marked on the 30^th of May and towards the end of his Angelus address he invited everyone in this month of June to renew this devotion to the “Heart of Christ” making use of the traditional prayer of daily offering and including the intentions he has proposed for the whole church.

Following the Angelus prayer Pope Benedict had words of welcome for those gathered in many languages including of course English.
 “I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for this Angelus. In today’s liturgy we are reminded that Jesus has opened the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven for all who come to believe. May we take the path that leads to the Kingdom by saying “yes” to Jesus, living according to his message and following his example. I wish you all a pleasant stay in Rome, and a blessed Sunday!