(June 30, 2010) Every week on Wednesday, the Pope holds a public meeting, called
the general audience, during which pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have a chance
of seeing and hearing him speak. The Holy Father delivers a spiritual reflection
and greets various groups in their languages, including in English. The General
Audience of the last day of June was held in the open in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
It began with aides taking turns reading a scripture passage in various languages.
One of the aides greeted the Pope on behalf of the English-speaking pilgrims, and
presented the various groups to him. Pope Benedict then delivered this discourse
in English. Listen: Dear
Brothers and Sisters, In these days we celebrate the one hundred and fiftieth
anniversary of the death of a great model of priestly holiness and apostolic zeal,
Saint Joseph Cafasso, a priest of Turin, Italy, in the nineteenth century. Saint
Joseph devoted his entire ministry to the formation of priests, spiritual direction
and service to the poor, especially prisoners condemned to death. May his example
encourage all priests in faithful witness to the Gospel. Yesterday, on the
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, I conferred the Pallium upon thirty-eight Archbishops
from throughout the world. I would now like to greet the English-speaking Archbishops
present at today’s Audience, together with their family members and the pilgrimage
groups which accompanied them to the Tombs of the Apostles: Archbishop
Alex Thomas Kaliyanil of Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), Archbishop Gerard Tlali Lerotholi
of Maseru (Lesotho), Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan (Philippines), Archbishop
Bernard Longley of Birmingham (England), Archbishop Jerome Edward Listecki
of Milwaukee (USA), Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town (South Africa), Archbishop
Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati (USA), Archbishop Francis Kallarakal of Verapoly
(India), Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong of Kwangju (Korea), Archbishop
Thomas Wenski of Miami (USA), Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark (England), and
Archbishop Matthias Kobena Nketsiah of Cape Coast (Ghana). Dear Brothers,
I ask the Lord to strengthen all of you in your witness to the apostolic faith and
in generous service to the flocks entrusted to your care. I also greet
the many other English-speaking visitors and pilgrims present at today’s Audience,
especially the groups from England, Scotland, Ireland, Ghana, Palestine, the Philippines,
South Korea, Canada and the United States of America. I thank the Schola Cantorum
of Saint Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast, for their praise of God in song. Upon all of
you I invoke an abundance of joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.