2009-03-24 12:58:27

Pope tells reporters he felt sense of God's family in Africa


(March 24, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI said he felt a great sense of family and respect for the sacred during his weeklong trip to Africa. Speaking to reporters aboard his plane back to Rome March 23, the pope thanked everyone involved in the visit, including the journalists who covered it. "I was particularly struck by two things: on one hand, an impression of this friendliness, of almost exuberant joy, Africa in celebration. And it seemed to me that in the pope they saw the personification of the fact that we are a family of God," he said. "On the other hand, I was impressed by the spirit of concentration in the liturgy and a strong sense of the sacred," he said. There was no "self-presentation and self-animation" by participating groups at Mass, but a focus on the divine presence, he said. The pope again expressed his sadness at the deaths of two girls trampled before the start of a papal youth rally in Angola and noted that one of the girls still had not been identified. "Let us pray for them and hope that in the future things are organized so that this will no longer happen," he said.







All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.