Pope’s Sunday ‘Angelus’ on WYD 2011 message

(September 6, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI made use of his weekly midday 'Angelus' prayer to explain the importance of his message for next year’s World Youth Day that the Vatican released on Friday. Sunday morning, the Holy Father was on a short visit to Pope Leo Pope XIII’s birthplace, Carpineto Romano, on the occasion of his 200th birth anniversary this year. The German pope flew back on a helicopter to the summer papal summer residence of Castelgandolfo for the midday 'Angelus' prayer with the faithful gathered in the courtyard of his summer residence. WYD 2011, scheduled from August 16-21 in Madrid, Spain, has as its theme, “Rooted and founded in Christ, firm in faith.” The German Pope admitted that the theme taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Collossians is “definitely a proposal that swims against the tide,” as nowadays it is uncertainty, mobility and fickleness that are celebrated … and reflect a culture which is undecided about the basic values, the principles that should steer and rule one’s life. The Pope said that in his WYD message he wanted to propose again the message that, in Biblical style, suggests the images of the tree and the house, which need firm roots and foundation respectively. This root and foundation is “in Christ” and “in faith, he said, pointing out that a relationship of deep confidence, of true friendship with Jesus can give a young person what he needs to appropriately deal with life: namely, peace of mind and inner light, a bent for thinking positively, generosity towards other people and readiness to suffer for goodness, justice and truth.