(May 09, 2012) 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 in several languages and receive his blessing. The
general audience of May 9th was held outdoors in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
It began with the reading from the Acts of the Apostles in several languages. An
aide greeted the Pope on behalf of the English speaking pilgrims, introducing the
various groups to him. Pope Benedict then delivered a discourse in English
Listen:
Dear
Brothers and Sisters In our catechesis on Christian prayer, we now consider
Saint Peter’s miraculous liberation from imprisonment on the eve of his trial in Jerusalem.
Saint Luke tells us that as “the Church prayed fervently to God for him” (Acts 12:5),
Peter was led forth from the prison by an Angel of light. The account of Peter’s
rescue recalls both Israel’s hasty exodus from bondage in Egypt and the glory of Christ’s
resurrection. Peter was sleeping, a sign of his surrender to the Lord and his trust
in the prayers of the Christian community. The fulfilment of this prayer is accompanied
by immense joy, as Peter rejoins the community and bears witness to the Risen Lord’s
saving power. Peter’s liberation reminds us that, especially at moments of trial,
our perseverance in prayer, and the prayerful solidarity of all our brothers and sisters
in Christ, sustains us in faith. As Peter’s Successor, I thank all of you for the
support of your prayers and I pray that, united in constant prayer, we will all draw
ever closer to the Lord and to one another. I offer a warm welcome to the
participants in the Conference on “Combatting Human Trafficking” hosted by the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace. My greeting also goes to the Italy-America Chamber
of Commerce from New York. Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s
Audience, including those from England, Scotland, Denmark, Sweden, India, Indonesia,
the Philippines and the United States, I cordially invoke God’s abundant blessings.