2010-05-15 11:56:17

Pope's Portugal Trip Exceeded Expectations


May15, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI's apostolic visit to Portugal this week exceeded expectations, said a Vatican spokesman. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office and Vatican Radio affirmed this on Vatican Radio while reflecting on the Pope's trip, which ended Friday. "It has been a truly joyful experience for the Pope and he has been welcomed to a rich and vibrant Church, in a moment of profound spirituality," the priest said. He spoke about Pope Benedict XVI's Marian devotion, noting that "he has visited many Marian sanctuaries," and that the Pontiff's visit to Fatima on Thursday was a "high point." "These immense crowds that welcomed him, and that prayed with him, show us how central Marian devotion is in the life of the Church today," Father Lombardi affirmed. He noted that "the organizers themselves weren't expecting such vast numbers." Thus, the spokesman said that this trip is a sort of surprise even if, you know, when you come to a traditionally majority Catholic country, and moreover to a place where every year May 13th is celebrated, you may expect an intense experience. "Nonetheless," he added, "it has gone beyond our expectations." When asked about Pope Benedict XVI's comments that Fatima's prophetic mission is not yet complete, Father Lombardi explained, "The Pope is telling us that Fatima is a place in which Our Lady and seers, their tradition, help us read the story of our times, the great difficulties of our times, in the light of faith. There is the action of God, there is his Providence, in the goodness of the Virgin Mother but then there is also the responsibility of humanity. We need prayer, penitence and conversion to open up the path to good," he said. "This is the prophetic message of Fatima," Father Lombardi explained. "It helps us to read history, even the history of today and tomorrow, in the light of God."







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