Challenges of Pope's lenten message

Lent is the 40-day season of prayer, fasting and alms-giving that precedes Easter and in his Lenten message for this year Pope Benedict chose the theme: “Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works” that focuses in particular on the theme of charity.

In this message the pope speaks of the importance of being concerned not just for the physical wellbeing of others but also for their spiritual wellbeing. In this latter context, he stresses the need for Christians to rediscover the practice of admonishing their brothers and sisters who are committing a sin, saying we must not remain silent before evil.

Irish Dominican Father Terence Crotty is the prior at Rome’s San Clemente Church. He spoke to Susy Hodges about why he believes this lenten message is so challenging for all Christians. He describes it as a very beatiful and thought-provoking message that stresses "the high standards that Christians are called to live." Father Crotty goes on to say that the Pope is "warning us in his message against "the individualism" of modern society and of being "too closed-in on ourselves."

Listen to the full interview by Susy Hodges with Dominican Prior Terence Crotty: