Pope thanks Knights of Columbus for worldwide service
(Aug.04,2010) Pope Benedict XVI expressed his gratitude to the Knights of Columbus
for their concrete gestures of charity and community service rendered to the needy
the world over, saying it represented an outstanding witness to the charity of Christ
and the saving truth of the Gospel. The Pope’s message was sent on Wednesday by
Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarciscio Bertone to the Knights of Columbus
for the 128th Supreme Convention presently underway in Washington DC.
The theme of the August 3-5 Convention is “I am my Brother’s Keeper”. The Pope’s message
said the theme calls to mind the spirit of fraternal solidarity, which inspired the
founding of the Knights of Columbus and continues to guide its manifold activities.
The Papal message said “Openness to God, makes us open towards our brothers and
sisters, and towards an understanding of life as a joyful task to be accomplished
in a spirit of solidarity. This in turn, it said enables Christian, in the concrete
circumstances of their daily lives, to become convincing signs of God’s goodness and
the attractiveness of the Christian message. The message also expressed the Pope’s
thanks for the generous support extended to him by the Knights in recent months,
particularly through their constant prayers on his behalf. The Pope also thanked
the Knights of Columbus for their spiritual solidarity with the clergy throughout
the recently concluded Year for Priests,